The Tenth Honeymoon is the Best One of Them All! - May '14 TR - COMPLETED 4/19

[nilla]

We have FPs for Star Tours, but we already rode that twice today. Besides, now is our opportunity to walk over to the Boardwalk! We considered switching our Maya Grill ADRs to ESPN Zone strictly to get to the Boardwalk at some point, but Kristin decided she'd rather spend Mother's Day at Coronado for dinner.

First time at the Boardwalk, and...it looks like a boardwalk! A lot like one!









Very cool theming! Hey, look - hilarity!



This guy was amazing! I don't know how he did...well, just about everything he did. It was unreal. He roped Garry into participating:





Then, back to the solo antics.



Very entertaining! Plus, he had some squeaker thing in his mouth that he used in lieu of talking. Yet everyone understood him.

Afterwards, Beth sits down on a bench overlooking the water. Beth's not exactly shy, so soon enough, she's talking to the older man sitting on the other end. Evidently, he is from Bethlehem. Not far from us. And he's a talker, too. Even more so.

They talk. Jenn and Kristin join in. They continue to talk.

And talk.

And talk.

Oh, man, this guy's not going to stop! Garry and I start walking, and Parker and Dylan follow. We watch a guy complete a Rubik's Cube blindfolded, then look back to see the women...still talking. C'mon!

The younger girls are having a blast, with Emily getting piggyback rides from Addy down the boardwalk, full speed. Now, girls are being swung around. Red Bull-sponsored MAYHEM!

Eventually, the Conversation that Never Ends defies its very nature and, well, ends, but by that time, Garry, Mason and I have decided to stop into ESPN Zone for a beer.

The others go to whatever that bakery is at Boardwalk (helpful, aren't we?), and into ESPN Zone we go. Sports bar! Basically. Nothing thrilling. The burgers looked interesting, though. Hey, Adrian Peterson jersey!

Of course, no photos, for whatever reason. No clue why.

I order some beer...not sure what. I jumped the gun, because Mason discovers that they have the Grapefruit beer they had at Epcot at this bar, too. So Schofferhofer Grapefruit Hefeweizens all around, which means I'd better pound this first one. Well, half of it. Should've waited!

The bartender suggests that we try the beers with a shot of Absolut Mandarin added...sure, why not? Well, she was right - phenomenal mix! Great, unique beer, and the mandarin added a little something to it.

After the beers, it's back outside.



Illuminations starts, and you can see it perfect from here. Another plus for Boardwalk!

We walk back over to the Beach Club, with Garry filling me in on the details of the cruise. Sounds fantastic! Someday. We'd have a hard time stepping away from this place, though.

Where there's Emily, there's gymnastics:



It's starting to get late and we all had long days, so without any photos, we part ways. No worries - we're meeting again at Epcot tomorrow, so MAYBE we'll get some photos then. Maybe.

 

[nilla]

Rather than going back to Hollywood Studios and catching a bus back to CSR, we got a cab. The cabby was quiet, which I don't like. Talk to us! This is a tip-based job, after all.

We get back to CSR and the room at 9:45. Wait, did we leave the TV on when we left?

No way. I'd have noticed that. But it's on, and on Disney XD, where I had it set earlier. And the TV resets back to the Disney Hype channel when you turn it off. So what gives? Oh there's the answer.



Duffy's been watching TV! No lie, Dufferson (his full name) had the remote in front of him, TV on. Thanks, Mousekeeping! At CSR, they don't typically do things like this, so when they do, it's a nice surprise. Now time for bed, Duffy! Epcot tomorrow!

[POST=51646624](next update)[/POST]

 

[Clarf]

HAVEN'T SEEN ONE MAN'S DRE-

Sorry It's a great movie, and the memorabilia is really cool, too. Plus, this is where Emily typically "becomes a Cast Member", and we record her giving us the tour.

Dylan drops just about everything. He dropped his Nintendo DS in the toilet once. How? He had the DS under his chin while standing at it. It still worked, though. Yay, Nintendo!

Yeah, I'm kind of ashamed that we've never seen it. Our last trip, our kids were just 3 and turned 6 on the trip. We pretty much let them dictate what we did and that was not on their list. This time though, we're in charge! No whining kids, I want to hear about Walt! Without him, you wouldn't be here on this trip.

I'm going to be laughing about how he dropped the DS in the toilet for a long time.

As for you update, I enjoyed reading it, but couldn't see the pics. It was just little photobucket boxes that said you must be popular because you used up all your bandwith. I think that's a good thing?

 

[nilla]

Photobucket issue resolved (I think)! I had this same problem a few weeks back, which I resolved by renewing my Photobucket account. Did it again today, so I'll have to see what's going on here.

 

[KatMark]

What a fun update, Jon.

It's nice to have the kids at an age where they can sit at their own table and the adults can converse amongst themselves.

We've not been back to Cape May since 2012 when we had a not so good dinner. I'd like to go back (I LOVE crab legs).

I'm so glad you got a chance to go to the Boardwalk. We love that area (and one of the reasons we now stay at the Villas). That guy is wonderful with his tricks and keeps the kids well entertained.

I love Duffy with the remote...very sweet of the mousekeeprs to do that.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

sounds like a really fun time catching up and just spending time together ... that must be nice that the kids are old enough that they can leave you adults along for a little bit

Same thing happens to me when meeting up with people - totally forget to take pictures to prove that it happened

 

[rndmr2]

Nice update! Glad you got to spend some time everyone at dinner and on the Boardwalk. I would like to try Cape May someday but my hubby isn't a seafood fan. Is there enough on the buffet to satisfy a non seafood eater? Is the restaurant fishy smelling (that's one of his concerns, LOL)

 

[WishnDisney]

Great update. Now I'm trying to figure out how to squeeze a walk on the boardwalk into our itinerary.

Duffy had the tv on? That's some great mouse keeping.

Good for Kristin standing her ground. If your house is like my house there is already enough ESPN. It's nice to take a vacation from it.

Oh, that cheddar beer soup is amazing!!!!

 

[Clarf]

Glad photobucket is working again! I love the Boardwalk pics. DH and I went swing dancing there at Atlantic Dance when we were still dating back in 2001. I love that place.

 

[klacey1]

Love the kids table at Cape May-- seems like the most fun option for all involved
What a fun night with friends! I've always resisted spending a night on the Boardwalk because it never really seems like there's much to do, but your night sounds like a lot of fun. LOVE the idea of the beer with the Absolut Mandarin shot. Sounds delicious.
Ha, it's funny, I'm very chatty with waitresses, etc. but when I'm in a cab, especially by myself, I appreciate the silence. So maybe the cabbie just didn't want to annoy you all with chatter??

 

[nilla]

Yeah, I'm kind of ashamed that we've never seen it. Our last trip, our kids were just 3 and turned 6 on the trip. We pretty much let them dictate what we did and that was not on their list. This time though, we're in charge! No whining kids, I want to hear about Walt! Without him, you wouldn't be here on this trip.

I'm going to be laughing about how he dropped the DS in the toilet for a long time.

As for you update, I enjoyed reading it, but couldn't see the pics. It was just little photobucket boxes that said you must be popular because you used up all your bandwith. I think that's a good thing?

Emily dropped a Croc into Lake Buena Visit on a boat ride over to Poly when she was 1. Fortunately, some fool on the beach went out and got it for us. I would've let it go. Amoebas? Alligators? Alligator-sized amoebas? No, thanks!

What a fun update, Jon.

It's nice to have the kids at an age where they can sit at their own table and the adults can converse amongst themselves.

We've not been back to Cape May since 2012 when we had a not so good dinner. I'd like to go back (I LOVE crab legs).

I'm so glad you got a chance to go to the Boardwalk. We love that area (and one of the reasons we now stay at the Villas). That guy is wonderful with his tricks and keeps the kids well entertained.

I love Duffy with the remote...very sweet of the mousekeeprs to do that.

Yes! I don't really miss them being little, though I do love watching the home movies from past trips. I just got done transferring all of our old WDW videos from the Hi-8 camcorder tapes to DVDs. Fun to watch, but it was a PAIN.

Go back to Cape May! It misses you!

sounds like a really fun time catching up and just spending time together ... that must be nice that the kids are old enough that they can leave you adults along for a little bit

Same thing happens to me when meeting up with people - totally forget to take pictures to prove that it happened

I had my very first DISmeet later in this trip, and that happened again

Nice update! Glad you got to spend some time everyone at dinner and on the Boardwalk. I would like to try Cape May someday but my hubby isn't a seafood fan. Is there enough on the buffet to satisfy a non seafood eater? Is the restaurant fishy smelling (that's one of his concerns, LOL)

There is a fair amount that isn't seafood. I think they may even have ribs, chicken, etc. Go! It's also an excuse to go to the Beach Club

Great update. Now I'm trying to figure out how to squeeze a walk on the boardwalk into our itinerary.

Duffy had the tv on? That's some great mouse keeping.

Good for Kristin standing her ground. If your house is like my house there is already enough ESPN. It's nice to take a vacation from it.

Oh, that cheddar beer soup is amazing!!!!

I had been watching the NFL draft a few days before and draft analysis after, so there really was no vacation from it

Go to Cape May for dinner. There's your excuse to go to the Boardwalk!

Glad photobucket is working again! I love the Boardwalk pics. DH and I went swing dancing there at Atlantic Dance when we were still dating back in 2001. I love that place.

Where is THAT Trip Report???

Love the kids table at Cape May-- seems like the most fun option for all involved
What a fun night with friends! I've always resisted spending a night on the Boardwalk because it never really seems like there's much to do, but your night sounds like a lot of fun. LOVE the idea of the beer with the Absolut Mandarin shot. Sounds delicious.
Ha, it's funny, I'm very chatty with waitresses, etc. but when I'm in a cab, especially by myself, I appreciate the silence. So maybe the cabbie just didn't want to annoy you all with chatter??

I don't usually like beer with shots, but that one really worked. It was a great night - Jenn and Garry are people we used to see every night, but now see maybe two or three times a year. We see Beth even less (just met Mason on this trip). They're a fun crowd, too.

More of that now, in our next update!

 

[nilla]

I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this. I should've written a Trip Report last year. It was a good story. But here's the abbreviated version of the absolutely insane pre-trip:

Kristin and I drop the kids off at her parents' house, since we're going out to dinner for Valentine's Day. We stop at home first to get ready. Dressed, have our bottle of wine...let's go downstairs and head out. As I reach the bottom of the stairs, I turn to kiss her.

Unfortunately, Kristin is looking at the mirror on the wall at the bottom of the steps, and doesn't see me stop. She steps down, onto my foot, and down she goes.

She's certain her foot is broken. She broke the other one the year before, also on the stairs. She doesn't play well with stairs, for some reason.

So anyway, she DID break her foot, and ended up in a boot and on crutches. She was supposed to go through physical therapy, but Disney was coming up quick.

"I'll do my physical therapy in Disney."

The orthopedic surgeon didn't like that answer, but she was mostly ok by the time we left. She had some problems standing in lines for long periods of time, but was alright otherwise. She truly did do her physical therapy in Disney!

A lot of other things happened. A great dinner at Narcoossee's with the best waiter ever. A hilarious, nightime ride on the Jungle Cruise with no one else but a Russian mother and her young son. "Ok, they don't speak any English, so can you just laugh really loud at every joke he makes?"

Sounds good! When entering the boat, the mother almost fell, and what would've been the name of the missing Trip Report was said by the captain: "Whoa, careful! This is the Jungle Cruise, not the Jungle Gym!" Kristin and I laughed at that so hard after the ride that other people in Adventureland were giving us odd looks.

But that was last year. This is this year. And now, it's Day Four!

 

[nilla]

But first..."The Making of a Trip Report - Part I: The Day Headers"

The day headers, as you've noticed, consist of three photos. One with the day number. One representing the dinner restaurant. And one featuring an iconic image of the park we were at that day. A symbol that so embodies that park, that the park is the first thing you think of when you see it. Think Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom, or the Hat at Hollywood Studios.

With that said, I give you....Day 4 - Epcot, dinner at Coral Reef.

 

[nilla]

 

[nilla]

Next day, usual story. I'm up first, get ready, go to El Centro. We're not going to make it to Epcot for rope drop, but we're not that far back.

The bus rolls into Epcot at 9:30. I'm becoming a pro at the bag check, and soon enough, we're ready for a standard photo:



Since it's the Flower and Garden Festival, we have Flower and Garden hilarity!



Ok, they're not really funny, for a clown fish. But they're not supposed to be. Not sure what they're supposed to be at all.

First order of business - Test Track! We have FPs for 9:15-10:15, so we can go back right away. And we do!





We really love the new design phase with the latest refurb, with the only problem being that we only get two cars





Dylan and I are teaming up this time, and I let him do most of the work. We go large:



Green, we are not! Emily and Kristin are a little less ridiculous.



Ok, there's is even less efficient than ours! We get on the ride, and I still say "let's try that again, this time with the anti-lock brakes activated" on the second hairpin turn.=

Afterwards, we do the "create your own commercial" thing...



...then play the driving game, which I'm horrible at...





...and that's that! As we bum around in the showroom, my flip phone buzzes. It's Garry, so the meet from last night continues! This time, hopefully with pictures!

 

[nilla]

Hey, look - pictures!







Well, the backs of people walking. But that counts! Still pictures!

Garry and Addy want to go on Sum of All Thrills, and Emily and I are game. Jenn and Parker are going on the Universe of Energy. Dylan decides that Parker trumps crazy upside-down ride, so he and Kristin go as well.

Emily is too short to do the flips on this one, but Addy and her want to ride together. Which means I get to flip! Garry knows the top-secrect sequence for the most ridiculous ride possible (and by "top secret", I mean readily available online or by asking any Cast Member), so we're all over the flipping place. Like, it was flipping crazy. Flip you if you don't believe me, you flip.

Unfortunately, I don't have the top-secret sequence on me right now, so I can't share it. But I do have this flipping cool photo of the Universe of Energy:



That makes up for it, because I say it does. The women and boys aren't out yet, so we decide to check out the Flower and Garden Pavilion (actual name unknown).









It's mostly vendor exhibits, but they have some really interesting stuff. They also have stars from Home and Garden shows, but I don't watch any of those so I can't drop any names here.

We meet back up with the rest, and it's off to Mission: Space!

 

[nilla]

Beth, Mason, and Gwen have joined us again, but I don't have any pictures of the adults as of now. Maybe later!

Emily wants to ride with Addy again, and the two of them join Jenn on the Green Team (less intense) mission. Dylan, Kristin and I take the Orange (spin until you get sick) mission. After riding Orange, I can't ride Green anymore. Green just doesn't feel "real" enough.

After Mission: Space, it's off to Club Cool!



CC is all-new now, with the previous selection replaced with new options. Except for Beverly. You can't kill the Beverly. The Beverly will strike you down with a vicious blow. DJ Kiwi Mango, what you know about that?



Cut it up, killa! The new flavors are great, but darned if I remember what they are. Besides, it wouldn't be a nilla Trip Report if we had helpful details. Club Cool's one of our favorite things in Epcot, and there are a lot of them.

Now that we've all drank about 20 cups of various beverages from around the world, who's up for another beverage?

Looks like Emily is. Addy and Gwen got Frozen Violent Lemonades from Pineapple Station just inside World Showcase (I actually looked that up before posting!), and Emily it's starting to crave one, too. Alright, one snack credit and we're in!





These were REALLY good! Garry and I tried to get beers there as well, but they didn't have any beer yet. What? "Check back later".

Kristin gets a Cronut.



Oops, a Croissant Donut. The other thing is a registered trademark of some bakery in New York City.

When Kristin's cousin, Charlie, was up from Tennessee over New Year's (he's the one who we got our black lab, Inky, from), he wanted, he was dead-set on driving to NYC to get a Cronut (about a 90-minute drive). Well, it didn't work out for Kristin, but he did drive up there himself one day. Apparently, it was the only place on Earth to get one. But not anymore!

Anyway, Kristin's got a Cron- um, whatever, and we're walking toward the Canada Pavillion. Disney Bears hype!





This was a good movie, though I think I liked Monkey (alternate title, "Chimpanzee") and African Cats better. The highlight, however, was the trailer for the next Disney Nature film, which IS about monkeys. Actual monkeys. With tails and everything. Poop's gonna be flying, everyone....because monkeys!

We arrive at the beer cart in Canada......no beer yet! What? "How are we supposed to get drunk?", Garry asks the CMs. I assure him we'll find a way.

 

[nilla]

As we talk over a (lack of) beer, I ask Garry how he feels about FastPass+. Since they're in on Mason's military plan, Garry said they couldn't book FP+ in advance. Well, that stinks. They still got some FPs, but Disney really should iron that out.

It's almost lunchtime, and while our friends are walk-and-eaters, we're more or sit-and-eaters. And we'll be sitting and eating in France today! Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie, to be specific.

We split off from the others for now. Still, not a lot of pictures. Of the group, that is. We have plenty of other pictures.







Of course, as you know, that's Canada, not France. Don't worry; we'll get there. But it looks like someone else may have gotten there first.



Constantine! That...that...ok, better not say it. But he's really NOT a very good frog.

I like the Muppets theming, though! Turns out it's part of some scavenger hunt-type thing in Epcot. We're not playing it, though...we're eating!

We're still early enough that getting a table is easy. We grab our 24k Gold trays (which weigh 75 pounds each) and place our orders.

The details of who got what are a bit sketchy, but I think Dylan got the Croissant Jambon Fromage (Ham, Cheese, Bechamel on a croissant - thanks, WDWInfo!). Kristin got the Croque Monsieur (Toasted Ham and Cheese).



The desserts you see are Creme Brulee and Framboise (Raspberry Mousse cake).

I got a BLT.



All were excellent! This is one of our favorite quick service places in WDW. For dessert, Dylan got an eclair...



...and I got the Cafe Legrois...



...which WDWInfo doesn't seem to list anymore. Oh well, lucky me!

I somewhat recall a switch happening because Emily didn't like one of the things she got, but I won't bore you with the details. Mostly because I forget the details. Can't blame the beer, though, because Epcot apparently HAS NO BEER today.

Well, at least, not yet. That might change in the next update.

 

[nilla]

But before we close this update, two quick shots of France...





...and one quick "light crowd shot"...



...and one quick Godzilla shirt shot.



But I wasn't supposed to show you that yet! Ok, I guess the cat's out the bag. We go to Japan next. But not in this update.

More to come!


[POST=51700289](next update)[/POST]

 

[Buzzfanmom]

I have some pictures from Cape May Cafe but I am not very technologically advanced so let's see if I can post them JT!