The Sweetest Little Disneymoon Ever! *4/25 Update! - Rise and Dine!*

[dreamerchic33]

Joining in!! We went to GF for our Disneymoon, too!!!!!

 

[MelMel11]

Count me in!!

 

[disneydreaminA115]

Part 5: A Disappointing Breakfast​

We had every intention of sleeping in every single day of our trip, but unfortunately our internal clocks (and the ferries) had another idea. We were up at 8:30 (which I know might be sleeping in for some people, but were blessed with kids who sleep till 9, and before we had them we would sleep until 11 easily!) Not to mention we had an (intentionally late) breakfast ressie at a restaurant that I had wanted to go to ever since I first read about it three years ago on the boards  Boma! So we decided to get up and at em!

I showered and dressed quickly and DH and I were at the ferry dock at 9:30  our ADR was at 11. The ferries came every 5  10 minutes, so I figured wed be on a bus to the AKL by 10 at the latest  plenty of time! A few short minutes later and we were enjoying our boat ride over to the MK and sure enough we made it to the bus stop by 10am. We were the only ones there, but that wasnt very surprising to us. After all, most people would be coming *from* the AKL to visit MK, not so much the other way around.
Then we waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Soon a bus pulled up and I perked up, people started filing off of it one by one, but when I was about to get on board I noticed something wasnt quite right  the sign didnt say AKL. So I turned and asked the driver if this was our bus. No, apparently it wasnt. It had come from the Lodge but was headed to DHS for the day. He said another bus should be picking us up soon.

So we waited again.

I started getting anxious when it was 10:30 and there was still no bus. Every other resorts bus stop had had at least 2 busses at that point, and yea, I had started keeping count. I flagged down a CM and they told me the bus should be there any minute.

10:40

10:50

Now I was getting upset. I called Boma and explained what was going on and the hostess sympathetically informed us that they stopped seating at 11:15, and stopped refilling food at 11:30. If we could make it by 11:15 they would still be able to seat us.

There was still hope, and I started pacing and praying.

10:55

11:00

Finally at 11:07 the bus showed up. MORE than an hour after we made it to the stop.

I knew there was no chance we were going to get there on time. It was a long trip to AKL, and Jambo house wasnt even the first stop.

And I was right. We pulled up to the Jambo bus stop area at 11:29. There was no chance of breakfast at Boma today. I cannot even convey the depth of my disappointment. In fact I think I cried for a minute. I had been looking forward to this for SO long. I tried calling the reservation line to see if there was any chance of rescheduling, but alas, there was nothing available the next day, which was our last breakfast. I resigned to the fact that we would have to wait for another trip to eat here.

I found the CM at the bus podium and decided that SOMEONE needed to hear about this. It was crazy, I said, that there was no bus available for over an hour. He agreed and said he didnt know why the bus never showed up, but that he was so very sorry. He gave us two Fastpasses to use as we wanted that day, which was a nice gesture, though it didnt make me feel better about missing breakfast. Not to mention I was STARVING.

We talked for a few minutes and decided the next best option was to head down to Downtown Disney to do our Christmas shopping and get some lunch. I wasnt really in the mood for lunch since I had been psyched up for breakfast, but I knew I just had to switch my mindset or else this mishap would ruin my whole afternoon.

So we got on the Downtown Disney bus, which fortunately arrived in a few short minutes, and were happy that the bus trip was fast. The day was sunny and warming up quite pleasantly, which definitely helped my mood a bit.

The crowds were just starting to build up in DD; which we expected since it was nearing noon  and thus lunch time  at this point. We beelined for the one place wed been wanting to get back to ever since our visit last year  Earls! As usual, the line was outrageous, but the staff there is great at getting people through quickly. I gave DH my order and secured a table for us while I waited for our food.
He arrived about 10 minutes later with our drink  the Earls Grey Lemonade (delicious, by the way!) and our chips, which we stowed away in my purse for later snacking. It wasnt too long before our buzzer went off and we unwrapped our goodies  pausing only to take a quick picture before digging in!

My sandwich  the sandwich I had been craving for the past 12 months  The Holiday! I LOVE this sandwich. Its pretty much exactly what I eat late at night on Thanksgiving, and the quality here is almost as good (and only because I make a killer turkey. *brushes off shoulder*) Ha! I digress

We each ordered the Broccoli Cheddar soup to go with it. It wasnt our first choice, but we really wanted soup and they were out of the cheddar beer (sadface). This was standard. It tasted like Paneras, which isnt a bad thing by any means, but it didnt blow me away. But then I dont think people go to Earls expecting to be blown away

This was DHs sandwich

This was the BLT and DH agreed it was really the best! Except Im reading the website description now, and it doesnt say anything about turkey  but there was definitely turkey on DHs!

We finished up our sandwiches and quickly packed ourselves up. The restaurant wasnt getting any emptier and people were hunting for tables like it was the Hunger Games.

Our bellies were adequately filled anyway and now it was time to do something very important  Christmas Shopping!


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[disneydreaminA115]

Joining in!! We went to GF for our Disneymoon, too!!!!!

Count me in!!

Hey Y'all! Thank you so much for joining in!!

 

[tammilynne]

My sandwich  the sandwich I had been craving for the past 12 months  The Holiday! I LOVE this sandwich. Its pretty much exactly what I eat late at night on Thanksgiving, and the quality here is almost as good (and only because I make a killer turkey. *brushes off shoulder*) Ha! I digress




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Your sandwich looks amazing! Loving your trip report!

 

[burly]

Hi, i'm jumping on board too. Really enjoying it so far....

 

[disneydreaminA115]

Your sandwich looks amazing! Loving your trip report!

Hi, i'm jumping on board too. Really enjoying it so far....

Thanks guys! Welcome!!

 

[Disney9.9.10]

I read your update yesterday and I thought that I posted… interesting lol What a frustrating morning for you though! There is no reason that you should have had to wait that long, and a couple of fastpasses really don't make up for you missing a meal that you really wanted to go to (and you had an ADR for). Hopefully the day got better from there!

 

[brandihead2012]

That sucks about your breakfast. That is my biggest worry about not renting a car. I'm going to program some cab services in my phone just in case. We have 2 early breakfasts and they are important ones Earl is of my favorites places to eat as well. I love the Caprises sandwich!

 

[disneydreaminA115]

I read your update yesterday and I thought that I posted… interesting lol What a frustrating morning for you though! There is no reason that you should have had to wait that long, and a couple of fastpasses really don't make up for you missing a meal that you really wanted to go to (and you had an ADR for). Hopefully the day got better from there!

I agree, the only thing that would have made up for it though was a new ressie, and it just wasn't possible. So sad. I wish that was the last time we had bus woes, but alas... well, you'll see.

That sucks about your breakfast. That is my biggest worry about not renting a car. I'm going to program some cab services in my phone just in case. We have 2 early breakfasts and they are important ones Earl is of my favorites places to eat as well. I love the Caprises sandwich!

You know, we actually DID end up using a taxi later this day! You don't really need to program the numbers in your phone unless you're staying off-site, but they always have a few taxis waiting at all the parks and resorts. I will say, the availability of the taxi's was nice.

 

[disneydreaminA115]

Part 6: Retail Therapy​

Our first stop was right next door to EoS at Mickeys Pantry! I had been craving the Mad Tea Party blend of tea ever since I had it at V&As last year, but everything I found online only came in a multi-pack with other teas that I didnt want. So I decided to see if I could find it. There was a huge display right ahead of the entrance with all kinds of options including the MTP blend, club packs with tea bags in them, and canisters of loose leaf tea, but alas, no large packs of tea bags. For some reason the idea of loose leaf tea has always seemed intimidating (isnt that weird?), but I decided that Disney tea was worth the shot. I saw a little Mickey head tea diffuser, and then this little beauty caught my eye  an Alice in Wonderland tea press!

And there was no way I could not buy this. Mad Tea Party Blend, plus a Mad Tea Party themed press? It was a must have. Plus the press came with a little bit of tea as well  bonus! We picked up two canisters of the Mad Tea Party loose leaf as well. I think the tins are precious, and I wasnt sure if Id be able to find it online again, so better safe than sorry.

I also debated this adorable ceramic mug. I loved that it could be used at home or on the go, and I loved the design.

But the price was a little high, especially when added to the other things I already had in my arms, and to be honest Im fairly certain that my toddlers would manage to break it the week I got home anyway, so sadly I put it back.

Ha! DH and I had a good laugh over this, because its *so* me. I despise dishes. Ill do them when I have to, but fortunately DH loves me above and beyond, and so he does them for me every day

We walked around the rest of the store and decided that we *needed* this little guy. We drink wine pretty frequently and way too frequently to not have any wine stoppers. It was perfect for us. Nice and understated but completely Disney. Kind of like me

We paid for our treasures and decided to move on to our next stop, The Christmas Store!

We purchased ornaments last year and decided to make It a tradition to pick up ornaments every year that we were there in the theme. I knew what I wanted the second we walked in! What could be more perfect to commemorate our Grand Floridian Disneymoon than a Victorian Minnie and Mickey? DH agreed, so we got in line to purchase it.

While we were waiting in the slowest moving line ever we were fortunate enough to witness two strangers going at it over line cutting. Swearing commenced and stares were given. But I think the best part was when one party moved away from the line and yelled out Nice way to act in Disney World!, and the group still in line, clearly mishearing, yelled back Go back to Israel? Were from New York, moron! I couldnt help but stifle a laugh under my breath. Oh the drama! I dont remember encountering so much of it before! Must just be lucky I guess

We finally squeezed out of the busy gift shop and headed to The World of Disney where we knew wed find everything else on our list. (Don't mind that some pics were taken at home haha)

DH had wanted to find a hat or shirt, so that was first. We looked at the Grumpy mohawk hat first, and even though we liked the idea, it just looked a little lame once he had it on. He picked up a few shirts and eventually ended up with this one!

DH loves this shirt; it was his first personal Disney purchase ever. I think he was proud to join to Disfamily

Next we headed into the boys section where I had spotted a few of the Christmas gifts I wanted to pick up both for myself and our Twincesses. I stopped for an obligatory Lotso sniff and contemplated buying him for the hundredth time, but as always I resigned to a maybe later, and made my way to the Pillow Pal display!
We had debated for a while over which pillow to get which girl. We eventually narrowed it down to Lady, Eeyore, Marie, and Tigger. On Christmas morning, these guys were under the tree!

Lady was for Looberry, who has recently become puppy obsessed, and Eeyore was for Lovebug, because we just thought it was fitting for our sweetly solemn little girl. They love the pillows and use them as their actual pillows at night, which pleases me since we werent sure if theyd take to them or not. My only complaint was that Ladys tag tore off the first time she was played with, and it wasnt very roughly. It seemed like it was just attached by a very thin fragile thread. Not a big deal, it ripped off cleanly so itll be easy to sew back on.

Next I picked up my Christmas gift. We decided this year that since we were going to Disney so close to Christmas that we would forgo gifts for each other on Christmas morning in lieu of extra personal spending money at Disney. Id been eyeing this for over a year!

Were big Monopoly fans in this house. We have 5 different editions now, and its our favorite thing to collect. I love the game itself, but I didnt realize how huge the castle was, and it makes it actually kind of difficult to play around. It blocks half the board, so you either need to rotate the board or have other people move the pieces for you. Not a big deal, just not super convenient. I could have done with it half the size. Oh well!

I also picked up a jersey style Minnie shirt that I thought was super cute. Its one of my favorite shirts! Its SO comfortable and looks really cute on. Sadly I didnt get a picture of it before and its in the laundry now haha

We spent the next twenty minutes or so just browsing. I stopped in the accessories department to look for a large hobo style bag for me, but I didnt have any luck. We debated picking up more toys for the girls, but chose to pass when we started tallying up our total so far. We still had a lot of vacation ahead of us!

We noticed that it was getting late so we decided to head to the cash registers and check out (uneventfully, Im pleased to report!)
We decided to sit down and relax for a few minutes before we headed back to the bus loop. DH chose to stop for some hot chocolate from Ghirardelli, and while that sounded delicious, the day had gotten pretty warm and I was in the mood for something more, uh, adult! So I stopped at the Margarita stand right on the water and then we grabbed a table and enjoyed a few moments of silence and peace.

I never get tired of this view

It was about this time that I got on Facebook for the first time that day, and my breath caught in my throat when I saw the headlines everyone was posting about. Prayers for the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting flooded my wall.

Oh my gosh, babe, did you see this?

He hadnt, so we checked CNN for the details. My heart just broke. I couldnt believe what I was reading. How anyone could possibly do something so awful to innocent children is a depravity that I will never be able to comprehend. We stopped where we were and prayed together; for the lives lost, for those left behind, and offered up our thanks that our precious ones were safely at home tucked away from the world. We made a call home to hear their voices and tell them how much we loved them and that wed see them soon. After we hung up the sad news weighed on us like a dark cloud, and we knew if we lingered it threatened to suck the joy from us, so we decided to pick up and move on.

While we waited for our bus at the stop we chatted with a woman who was on the last day of a 3 week solo vacation. That was crazy to me! I cant imagine spending 3 weeks in Disney alone. Id be so lonely! She said she was ready to go home and be away from the crowds, and I definitely could sympathize with that; the crowds this week were pretty intense when compared to last year.

We said our goodbyes as the GF bus pulled up and we settled in for the ride back, stopping at the Wilderness Lodge, then the Poly, and finally the GF. We were planning on dropping off our goods and then heading out to the parks, just a quick in and out. I settled on the bench while DH ran in to the lobby, assuming he was going to ask them to please deliver our packages to our room, but instead I got a text a few minutes later telling me to come inside. When I walked in he ushered me over to the grand staircase, where we saw this

To whoevers wedding this was, Im sorry for taking pictures of you, but you literally brought tears to my eyes. What a stunning wedding! And I felt that dark cloud lift a little. It reminded me again of why I love Disney so much; because in a world filled with evil, it is one of the few places where love, faith, and hope are cultivated, it holds a candle in the darkness. Magic renewed, we went back to the bus loop, blessed to be where we were with each other, determined not to take a single minute for granted.



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[Disney9.9.10]

Disney retail therapy is the best!! You and I could probably shop together lol I have a canister of some of the Wonderland Tea (I can't remember which kind it is though!), I hate doing the dishes, I have one of those wine toppers, and I started collecting those Victorian ornaments for my tree! My mom and younger brother play a lot of board games, and they have a bunch of Monopoly versions - I don't get it lol I'm not a fan of that game (I lose every time!), so maybe that's why!

 

[disneydreaminA115]

Part 7: First Rides and Second Chances​

Well, I guess I should have known it was too good to last! I did a great job of updating regularly in the beginning, but then full time classes started again, and in between Astronomy, and Geography labs, and Web Site design, Ive been running around like a crazy chicken trying to balance it all AND keep up with my now two and a half year old twin girls  oh and sleeping, on the rare occasion. Not much time left for TR writing, sadly! However, this week as I'm sure you all know, is SPRING BREAK (and yes, Trip Writing is what this boring mom considers to be a wild time ). So now my girls are in bed, pizza was for dinner (so no dishes!) and Im missing my Disney vacation in a big way. So I consider this update to be reality therapy

Now& where were we?!

Oh, right! We had just stopped to admire the beautiful wedding taking place at the Grand Floridian. *insert dreamy sigh*

So after we made a quick stop up to our room to drop off our treasures from the day, we headed straight back down to the bus stop. We had some dates to keep! Unfortunately we had *just* missed the HS bus. I tried not to be snippy with Mr.Slow Poke, though I don't think I did as well as I should have. (Sorry babe!) But soon the bus came back around and all was well again.

I think I mentioned earlier that we were part of the FastPass + test period, which allowed us to choose our fastpasses online ahead of time, and tonights were at Hollywood Studios! Because we got held up we missed our first attraction - the Indiana Jones stunt show. But that was okay, it was really the one we picked because we had to pick 3, and I wasn't that bummed about missing it.

The bus ride was short and quick, and we had packed lightly so security was a breeze! A CM told DH what a handsome prince he was, and, Im not going to lie, it kind made his night I loved that he was getting some attention too, because I think it made him love Disney even more, which is A-Ok with me!

The last time we were here it was pouring rain and we were absolutely miserable. Tonight? Completely the opposite! Thank the Lord! The night was warm with a breeze. Partly cloudy, but beautiful.

We took our time sauntering down the boulevard just taking in all of the sights, smells, and sounds. Our first stop was at the snack kiosk near Starring Rolls, where DH had been nerding out over a certain souvenir since we saw it last time we were here, over a year ago!

(picture is from a little later in the night, it didnt get that dark that fast )

The R2D2 popcorn cup! We still have this guy displayed at our house, and hes not going anywhere haha

Finally it was time for our next FastPass and our first ride of the night - TSM! We headed down to the Pixar alley and slipped into the fast pass line with our cards (which, if I havent mentioned already, I LOVE)

(Can I just say how in love with this area I am? I seriously want to decorate my house like this. Im thinking media room!)

/

The wait time for the standby line was over 100 minutes  yikes! This is why we didnt ride the last time we were here. BUT this time we came prepared with a FastPass! Secretly I wished there had been a little line so that I could have taken better pictures, but alas, FastPass holder problems

Say hi, DH! Do you like how hes decked out in Disney gloriousness?! I cant even handle it. *swoon*

We walked right through the queue to the platform in mere minutes, and then our chariot arrived!

Now I had no idea what to expect. Id heard a lot about it, but until we got to the first scene, I wasnt sure what was really going to happen. Having now been on it can I just tell you how much I LOVE this ride?! We BOTH do! We had SO much fun!! I totally get what the hype is all about now. We laughed the entire time like we were little kids.

Not that we were especially good at it

But hey, A for effort, right?!

When we got off the ride we realized the sun was almost set and we had somewhere REALLY important to be! If you read my last TR you would maybe remember the last years Osborne lights fiasco, which consisted of pouring rain, screaming babies, and a sobbing mama (yea, that would be me.) We got to watch about 15 seconds of it before we called it quits, and those 15 seconds were the most miserable of the trip. I had some redeeming to do! We followed the flow of the crowd, assuming (correctly) that they were headed the same place we were. We planted ourselves in a nice spot on the sidewalk and waited for the show to begin, which it did almost immediately! Woohoo!

When it started, I admit, I choked up. It was so beautiful! Im pretty sure my cheeks were frozen in the biggest smile physically possible. Christmas time and Disney World AND a Honeymoon?! I dont think it could get any better.

Just stunning.

http://youtu.be/KR5diWBRRVA If youre interested, heres a video J

We only stayed through the first (aka: BEST) song, because our ADR was quickly approaching and we had one more FP to use! I hobbled along, my foot still throbbing, and soon we made it to the other side of the park where we faced this monstrosity.

Can you see how excited he is?! Haha! I felt about the same way on the inside, but I was still beyond excited! This was another first for us, and it had been on my Disney Bucket List ever since I first read about it years ago! Despite having a FP there was still quite a long line - of course, because NOW we were on a time crunch! Also, maybe I'm just a wimp, but the queue for this ride freaked me out! We got into the library where we watched the video, and at the end right as the narrator was saying And this elevator travels directly into& from somewhere in front of us a guy yelled out in a really good Twilight Zoneish voice The Gift Shop! Everyone laughed for a few minutes. Clever man

This, as I said, was another first for us, except unlike the TSM ride where I was just excited, I was alos the tiniest bit anxious (read, I was shaking as I clipped my seat belt on). When did you drop? Where do you drop? Is it immediate or do they prolong the suspense?! We buckled into the ride and up up we went. I was bracing for the drop, but then the doors opened and we began to move forward. My heart rate slowed down a little, just for a second. Imminent death momentarily postponed I loved this part of the ride, I found it to be really cool and so well designed. Forward, forward, forward we went. And THEN! You know! The Twilight Zone opened for us!

I would just like to say that Im sorry if you were on this ride with us. I screamed. Like a child. The. Whole. Time. This ride was INTENSE for me! But I totally loved it!! DH enjoyed it too, but I knew that drop rides arent his favorite, so I wasnt expecting him to love it. I see ride pictures of people who look almost bored and it amazes me. I know it's intentional, but it is beyond me how theyre able to keep those straight faces! I felt like my stomach was inside out. It was so worth the wait, though! I cant wait to go back, but next time Im dragging my mom with me, because she LOVES those kinds of rides.

It was a GREAT way to end our night at Hollywood Studios. We quickly made our way back down the Blvd, but not so quickly that we couldnt admire the beauty of it at night. The lights from the street lamps and store fronts eluded such glamour, truly living up to it's Hollywood name. I discovered that I really love this park, which surprised me, because the last time we were there I felt rather bored by it. Not at all this time!

Finally we were out the gates and rushing to the bus stop  and SCORE! For the first time all trip our bus was right there waiting for us! No doubt about it, wed be on time for dinner tonight! And good thing too, because this was a dinner I did NOT want to miss!



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[SusieBea]

Annnnd, I'm in, too. More please!

 

[disneydreaminA115]

Hooray!! Hi Susie!! Thanks for joining in!!!!

 

[Pesky]

Just catching up and so sad that there were such horrible parents there! It just ruins it for everyone and you have to wonder about such people -- did you really pay all this money to make horrible family memories? So sad. At least you got to do some things you wanted to though!

 

[wiigirl]

Catching up...great TR and pics!

 

[disneydreaminA115]

Just catching up and so sad that there were such horrible parents there! It just ruins it for everyone and you have to wonder about such people -- did you really pay all this money to make horrible family memories? So sad. At least you got to do some things you wanted to though!

Catching up...great TR and pics!

Thank you so much for joining guys!!! It means a lot to me to see people responding!

 

[disneydreaminA115]

Part 8: A Taste of Africa​

Would you look at that?! Two reviews in a row! Oh my gosh! I love Spring Break

When I last left you we were just boarding a bus to dinner, and that bus was headed in the direction of The Animal Kingdom Lodge! As you may well remember we had a NOT so great experience trying to get there for breakfast the day before, so I was really happy to report that this bus was on time and fast! Woohoo! No missed ADR tonight, no sir!

We spent the ride talking about how much fun we’d had that day, especially about how much we loved Toy Story Mania, and decided if we had some free time before we left that we would go back and ride again (spoiler alert – we didn’t. *sadface*)

Before we knew it we pulled up to the Jambo house and once again I hobbled up the walk-way. At this point my foot was killing me. I can’t remember now if I mentioned this earlier and I’m too lazy to go back and look, but I had forgotten my shoes at home and so had been walking around in my flip flops thus far. Somehow I’d managed to do some serious damage to my right ankle/foot muscles, and after spending a few hours on it at the parks it was pretty painful now. I was glad that we would be sitting now and then going back to the hotel.

It was too dark for my camera to get a good picture of the outside of the resort, but once we walked inside my mouth dropped. This hotel is absolutely gorgeous. I managed to get a pretty good picture of the tree in the lobby, too.

I’m really looking forward to staying here one of these days when the girls are old enough to appreciate wild animals.

We asked a CM for directions and headed down the elevator to the lower floor, veered right, and checked into our dining destination for the night – Jiko!! And 15 minutes early to boot!

We spoke with a very sweet young woman named Grace (and why I remember that, I have no idea. Her name was the only CM name I remembered the entire trip!) who informed us that they were running a few minutes behind tonight. Of course they were. Because we were early. Oh well, no big deal, we took the pager and grabbed an empty table at the bar. I really needed to get off my foot and I was anxious to try some African inspired cocktails

So we did! This was the drink “Hangin’ Out in Cape Town” and oh my gosh. WAY WAY too strong for me. I took a sip and felt like my throat was on fire! I had DH bring it back and asked them to make it with a little more juice, which they graciously did. He brought back the new glass and I tasted it – still terrible. I couldn’t even drink it. The bar tender noticed it was going untouched so he asked me if I wanted him to mix in half a glass of juice with it, and I apologized for being a wimp, but yes, please could you?! So he did, and it was finally palatable for me, but I still didn’t enjoy it. I like my drinks to be alcoholic without actually tasting alcoholic – you know what I mean?

By this point we’d been waiting a good half an hour past our ADR, so DH went up and asked how much longer, and we were told that there were two people in front of us. Yikes. We were getting pretty hungry now, and I knew that I needed to get something other than alcohol into my stomach ASAP.

About 20 minutes later our buzzer finally went off and we were led to a table in the back corner near the kitchen. It was a great spot to people watch!

Our waiter was prompt to bring out some waters and our bread, which everyone is probably pretty familiar with now.

I tried both breads, but the honey wheat was absolutely my favorite, hands down. I actually really disliked the flax seed bread. I only had a bite of one and put it down, which is unheard of for me. I did, however, LOVE the tandoori butter. Delicious! Off to a good start!

I’d read about an appetizer a few days before our trip that really looked delicious – the Inguday Tibs in Brik. Now, the first ingredient in this on the menu is mushrooms, which, as we established earlier, I dislike. However I decided that I’d try it anyway – hey, the Portobello soup surprised me, maybe this would too!

DH decided on the Crispy Beef “Bobotie” roll, which was my second choice, so I was excited about it (because that meant I could steal some )

He also decided to order a different drink, and this time he went with a drink called the Sunriser – Parrot Bay, Banana Liqueur, orange, pineapple, and cranberry juice. I had been looking at this before but passed because of the banana, which I dislike.

Soon the waiter reappeared and we put in our drink and appetizer orders. DH’s drink came out really quickly after that, and he was really, really pleased with it!

He told me I should try some, but I initially declined because the thought of banana liquor made me want to gag. However he insisted you couldn’t really taste the banana at all, so I caved and tried it. Oh my gosh! Where had this drink been all my life?! Amazing! And he was totally right, I couldn’t taste the banana at all. I immediately regretted wasting money on the earlier cocktail now knowing I could have had this. Oh well, next time I’ll know better!!

Not long after our appetizers arrived!

My Tibs in Brik

And DH’s crispy beef roll.

It was the moment of truth – I bit into one of the Tibs and…. Euphoria. Jubilation. Hallelujah choirs in my head. It was really THAT good! There was definite mushroom flavor but it was blended beautifully with the rest of the ingredients, absolutely PERFECT. I was going through serious withdrawal when I got home from this trip. WHY IS DISNEY SO FAR AWAY?!?!?!? *sigh*

DH felt the same way about his beef roll too! I tried one and agreed they were amazing. Absolutely perfect starts to our dinner!

While we were savoring our appetizers our waiter returned and we put in our entrée orders. I chose the short rib, but DH didn’t see anything on the menu that appealed to him, so he opted for another appetizer. This time he ordered the Za'atar-rubbed Lamb flatbread. I may or may not have given him some flak for that. “You see all these new things on the menu and you order a flat bread? Really?” Oh well, his choice!

While we had our brief wait we chatted with the table next to us; they were a sweet older couple who were back in Disney for the first time without kids in 20+ years. Adorable! Despite how busy the restaurant seemed, the entrees came out relatively quickly.

My short-rib

DH’s flatbread.

I wish I could rave about this as much as the appetizer, really I do. But I just can’t. They weren’t kidding when they said “short rib.” It was ONE rib, and it was SHORT. I would say maybe about 3 inches of meat with 2 halved micro potatoes. And that was it. I’m sorry, but where I come from, when you pay $40 dollars for an entrée, you get $40 worth of food. I wouldn’t have paid more than $10 for this. DH and I took one look and he joked “So I take it you’ll be ordering room service tonight?” I was really, really disappointed.

In contrast DH’s flatbread spanned the whole plate. His appetizer provided more food than my entrée! It was nuts!

I mean, it was good, don’t get me wrong, but I felt like I hardly got to taste it. Three bites and it was gone! DH on the other hand loved his flat bread, and I ate my words from earlier about his poor selection choice.

None of the desserts appealed to me and I was in a rather bad mood about getting such a skimpy portion, so we simply paid the bill, left the tip, and left.

So as it turned out, the appetizers were definitely the highlight of this meal. I’ll be back to give it another chance, if only as an excuse to get some more of those Tibs, but I was seriously disappointed in the last half of our experience there. Hopefully it was just an off night.

I hobbled back up the stairs and we talked about what to do. I had no desire to take a bus back to a park to walk to another bus and then back to our resort, so we hailed a cab and went directly back to the GF from AKL. The ride was about 20 minutes and cost us about $20 too, which I felt was well worth it.

Once back in our room I threw open the balcony door as wide as it would go so that we could listen to the music from the MK and watch Wishes – we did this every night and it was like paradise. Then I drew myself a bath to soak my sore foot and unwound from the day. We had been back about an hour and a half when I gave in and ordered room service. We got a French onion soup and a cheeseburger, which was delivered lickity split! It came with some fancy ketchup and a pretty jar of water. I love little Disney touches like this! I’m happy to report that everything was delicious! I was actually really surprised! I didn’t expect room service food to be so good, but the soup was hot and rich, and the burger was perfectly seasoned and juicy. Yum!

After we finished off the food we closed the door and called it a night. Tomorrow was another fun filled day!




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[FeFeMJ]

Ok. I'm caught up. Wow... your appetizer was bigger than your entree. That's ridiculous. I would have been disappointed too. The room service that you got looks great, though.