"SUCK IT UP BUTTERCUP! It Builds Character and Strength!" A July 2011 TR-COMPLETE 4/5

[JessicaFaye508]

I LOVE POFQ's pool. It's so beautiful!

AHHH WE'RE GOING TO SARATOGA SPRINGS IN 39 DAYS!

HAHAHAHAHA I'm so sorry. That was just such a good opportunity for an April Fool's joke. I MEANT YOU NO HARM! I'm glad you can appreciate the brilliance of it If I ever dropped out of a Disney trip there would have to be a ridiculously serious issue going on LOL

We NEED to do Characters in Flight. Seriously I want to go on it SO bad but my Mom would never! Is it really expensive?

MICKEY RICE KRISPIES

 

[Kelliroo3]

"The back side of buildings" hahaha, I like that! I love that area of Disney. The hotels are so beautiful. I really like SSR. My mom and I stayed there for the first time last May. We were a little apprehensive at first because it's so big but we ended up loving it! It's so nice to walk to DTD. And, the hotel itself is very nice. We felt so relaxed there! We just loved it and still talk about it. You'll love it! I agree though, I'd love to try the tree house villas one time. My parents stayed there on their honeymoon years ago when they were called something else. I forget what they were called but it was 30years ago so definitely not DVC related. I don't even know if Disney owned them.

Oh jeez, Jess! What an awful April Fool's joke. I would be hyperventilating too! She got you though!

 

[Disneyfreak616]

Beautiful resort pictures! And I love the Jungle Cruise reference!

AHHH that "Welcome Home" sign makes me want to be a DVC member SO BAD. John has promised we will join when he gets his reenlistment bonus...which is later this year! Eep!

SERIOUSLY?! I can't believe Jess did that! That was so cruel, but also a really good April Fools joke! I'm impressed!

Thanks! Haha glad you caught that!

REALLY!?!? Ahhh I hope that works out! That would be AWESOME!

I know right!? She got me REALLLL good.​

40 DAYS! YAYYYY!!

Hahahahaha okay seriously, look at every single person on that boat behind Mike while Miley Cyrus is playing. Their reactions are hysterical.

Awesome use of snack credits! Those are perfect travel snacks!

It's 36 now!!!

I KNOW. Haha I knew you'd catch that! They're all like "Really?" Hahaha it's so great.

I know they really are! They were all delicious. ​

A few quick questions:

How did the Mears bus work from WDW to IOA? I've never done that option before- do you know how much it cost?

Also- I've never done the Disney Dining Plan. I know- weird, right?! Anyway- do your credits expire the last night of your trip? Is it a hassle to reactivate it? I didn't know you could do that!

My friend stayed at Saratoga Springs last summer- and I happened to be staying at POP at the same time, so spent a day with her at the pool, and we ate lunch at the Turf Club cafe there. It was gorgeous! That doesn't make me a Resort Hopper, does it!? Eek!

The Mears bus works like this: You call the number the day before you plan to visit Universal/IoA. You can get this number from the Transportation to IoA thread here on the DIS, or you can ask concierge at your resort. I believe it is $17 per person, round trip.

The credits go PER NIGHT. They expire when you check out of your hotel. However, all you have to do when you check out is to tell the cast member that you have some credits left to use. They will reactivate your Dining Plan and those credits will expire 24 hours later so they can ensure that you won't just save them for your next trip.

Absolutely not! She was staying there so it's totally okay. It's a beautiful resort, isn't it!? I cannot WAIT to stay there!​

I love your pictures along the Sassagoula River! It does sound really peaceful (that is, until Miley came along! )

(That is a really funny April Fool's prank Jess played on you! )

Yay Goofy's Candy Company!!! Definitely one of my favorite spots! We always bring home a ton of the rice krispies too, they make great snack souvenirs!

Thank you! It was but she sorta killed it haha.

I know it really was! She got me gooood!

Yay! Me too! I always have to stock up on those, they're just SO good!​

Oh man what an April Fool's joke! Ha!

OH great...now Party in the USA is in my head....

Mmmm Goofy's candy....get in my belly!!!

I know! She nearly gave me a heart attack!

Hahaha I'm so sorry.

Yeah yeah!​

Beautiful boatride along the Sassagoula. I have never gotten to do that. Even though we switched from POFQ to WL, I still managed to squeeze a boatride from DTD to POFQ in my plans for June so we could see what we're missing. I also want to try the beignets!

Oh, no! Scary April Fools joke - Jess really got you! ! Even though I love your individual trip reports it's just so much more fun to read when you are all together. Glad it''s still on.

It really was! You sjoild definitely make sure you get a boat ride in...and a beignet!

I know she really did! It sure is! I can't wait because we have a little surprise for you all already!​

I LOVE POFQ's pool. It's so beautiful!

AHHH WE'RE GOING TO SARATOGA SPRINGS IN 39 DAYS!

HAHAHAHAHA I'm so sorry. That was just such a good opportunity for an April Fool's joke. I MEANT YOU NO HARM! I'm glad you can appreciate the brilliance of it If I ever dropped out of a Disney trip there would have to be a ridiculously serious issue going on LOL

We NEED to do Characters in Flight. Seriously I want to go on it SO bad but my Mom would never! Is it really expensive?

MICKEY RICE KRISPIES

Me too. It's almost as awesome as Stormalong Bay!

36 NOW!!!!!!

Hahaha it's okay. I do appreciate its brilliance for sure! I should have realized that then lol.

It's like $17-20 a person I think. I really wanna do it!!!

​

"The back side of buildings" hahaha, I like that! I love that area of Disney. The hotels are so beautiful. I really like SSR. My mom and I stayed there for the first time last May. We were a little apprehensive at first because it's so big but we ended up loving it! It's so nice to walk to DTD. And, the hotel itself is very nice. We felt so relaxed there! We just loved it and still talk about it. You'll love it! I agree though, I'd love to try the tree house villas one time. My parents stayed there on their honeymoon years ago when they were called something else. I forget what they were called but it was 30years ago so definitely not DVC related. I don't even know if Disney owned them.

Oh jeez, Jess! What an awful April Fool's joke. I would be hyperventilating too! She got you though!

Haha thanks! I'm so glad you loved your experience! I've never stayed there and the size freaks me out a little too, but I've stayed at CSR, which is pretty big, and loved that, so I think I'll be okay! I can't wait!!!

I don't remember what those villas were called...Buena Vista something maybe?

I know! It was pretty hilarious after I calmed down though!​

 

[Disneyfreak616]

Chapter 49- "Your Prehistoric Adventure Is About to Begin!"​

July 31st, 2011​

That's right! We were having lunch at the T-Rex Cafe!

We waltzed on over and checked in and then looked around the gift shop a little while we waited to be called.

I saw this shirt and thought of Joni, because she's an English teacher!

What a fabulous pun.

I took a couple pictures of the land and sea atmosphere:

Pretty soon we heard: "(my last name) party of three, your prehistoric adventure is about to begin!"

HAHAHA. I almost died laughing. If any of you have read Kara's (MarietheCat24) trip report, you will know why this is funny. And that she kept hearing this over and over again, and it was all rather nauseating/hilarious. So when they called us with this line, I immediately thought of her and knew that that would be the chapter title for this update! The DIS just controls my life! In a good way though.

We were seated on the border of Fern Forest and the Ice Cave, so we had a lovely view of both!

Here's the Ice Cave:

And an amethyst geode thing in the Ice Cave that was SPARKLY:

And a lovely GINORMOUS caterpillar lurking on a tree in Fern Forest:

We were given menus and our drink orders were taken.

Pretty soon a meteor shower was under way, which was SO COOL! It is much like the storms at Rainforest, but obviously in a different atmosphere. I love how interactive it makes the whole experience!

Dave got a salad with foccacia bread for his appetizer, and Mike and I just ordered our entrees along with his.

His salad:

Pretty soon our very friendly and funny server, Jill, brought our entrees!

Mike and Dave both got burgers. One of them was some sort of guacamole and whatever burger (Dave's) and Mike's had bacon and onion rings on it. They were juicy and perfectly cooked, as well as TOTALLY DELICIOUS. I mean, I know it's just a burger, but these were REALLY GOOD. Here they are:

Now, you may be wondering, what are those lattice-like things on Dave's plate?

THOSE ARE WAFFLE FRIES BABY.

Seriously, best waffle fries you will EVER eat. And trust me, I've eaten my share. They are AMAZING! So crisp and golden. YUM. Dave and I rave about them ALL THE TIME.

I, on the other hand, opted for the T-rexadillas:

WOW. I am not kidding you guys, these were the BEST quesadillas I've EVER had. They are now in my top 5 Disney foods list. I kid you not. They were AWESOME. Everything was fresh and hot in the quesadilla, and the guacamole (aka God's ultimate gift to mankind) was PERFECT. Totally flawless meal right there. LOVED IT.

Since we were all so full from practically licking our plates clean and me from stealing 80% of Dave's waffle fries as well, we rolled out of there after paying and without dessert.

Review of T-Rex:
5/5 ALL ACROSS THE BOARD! Once again, Disney dining WOWs to perfection! I loved every minute of that experience. Jill was very animated and attentive, the atmosphere was out of this world, and the food was beyond any expectations EVER! Triple threat right there! After only one visit, I will ABSOLUTELY return!

Continued in Next Post​

 

[Disneyfreak616]

Chapter 50- The Transition Update of Random Events​

July 31st, 2011​

After lunch, and before we went back to POFQ, I really wanted to visit the new Lego store since they "reimagined" it. As soon as we walked in, I ran over to greet a life-sized Lego pal of mine!

Woody! Made entirely of Legos! It was very impressive.

As we looked around some more, Mike called me over to him and said "Hey Kristen, what do you think this is?"

To which I said, of course, "It's a Dementor, DUH."

YEP. That's right.

THEY SELL HARRY POTTER LEGO STUFF IN DISNEY.

Never thought you'd see the day, eh?

Well, it's here.

We also saw the Knight Bus made of Legos:

And the Burrow:

It was awesome! If Mike were still a HUGE Lego fan, like he was at age 11, he probably would have wanted them all!

I secretly sort of did.

After that headed to World of Disney, princess entrance, of course:

Let the Memories Begin! Those banners were HUGE!

I don't think we bought anything, but it was fun to just look around.

After that we headed to Earl of Sandwich so Dave could grab some goodies to snack on at the airport.

On the way, we saw a custodian drawing everyone's favorite duck on the sidewalk:

Donald! How adorable.

Here we are:

Dave got a chocolate chip muffin, some Lay's for Mike, and a water bottle for me:

We also went to Goofy's so I could pick up some friend-specific treats for some very special frumps!

A Mickey cookie for Nat:

And some "Who Needs Prince Charming When You Have Chocolate" for Jess:

She found it rather hilarious!

Then we headed to the POFQ bus stop, where I took a pic of my favorite offsite hotel (DTD) from afar, the Buena Vista Palace!

It's really a gorgeous hotel. Whenever anyone says they're staying offsite, I recommend it to them. It's awesome!

I also took a pic of the multicolored Mardi Gras beads that the CM's at POFQ gave me and Mike that morning in the lobby:

So cute, right? I'm all for the free souvenirs!

Up next: Back to POFQ and the Magical Express ride that nobody REALLY likes.

Continued in Next Post​

 

[Disneyfreak616]

Chapter 51- "Now It's Time to Say Goodbye to All Our Company..."​

July 31st, 2011​

...And you know what comes next. ): But first, some more Disney!

We got back to POFQ a little after 3, and since the Magical Express was coming at 3:45, we had just enough time to pay a proper farewell to the French Quarter. Dave went to get our luggage from storage and organize everything while Mike and I wandered around and took some pictures of one of the most gorgeous resorts EVER.

Some flower photos:

Seriously, Disney amazes me with their horticultural skills.

Pretty soon it was time for Mike and I to head out and wait at the DME bus stop with Dave.

He does not look very happy, does he?

Pretty soon, the end was upon us:

We gave our luggage to the driver and boarded the bus. I was very happy that we got a real Magical Express bus this time too!

The seats are so magical:

Goodbye POFQ!

Dave took this picture of us and our TOTALLY fake smiles:

We stopped at Saratoga Springs (foreshadowing!) and picked up some more weary guests.

I love the giant golf tees at the entrance!

The lobby entrance!

And the beautiful buildings:

Pretty soon we were saying goodbye to beautiful street signs and the Walt Disney World property, and the movie began.

Why thank you!

Why do they look so happy to be leaving!?!? Probably because their REAL home is Disneyland. SHEESH. I'd be pretty happy if the plane was gonna take me their too!

We were at MCO before we knew it, met some nuns in security, got icky airport food for dinner, and waited for our flight, which ended up being delayed from 6:35 to 8:00 P.M., and then again until 8:14. :/

Finally we boarded our flight to Washington D.C. and I had my long awaited airplane snack:

It was bittersweet but tasted delicious as always!

I finished reading A Raisin in the Sun and fell asleep on the plane.

We landed at 11:15 P.M. and headed to baggage claim.

We got a cab to our Holiday Inn for the night, which was right across from the U.S. Department of Education building. The ride was about 10 minutes, which seemed way longer because I was exhausted and it smelled GROSS in the cab.

We got to our hotel, where I barely remember checking in. We got to room 717 and CRASHED.

Recap time!

Highs:
- T-Rex Cafe!
- Getting Disney food for everyone!

Lows:
- Leaving Disney ):
- Delayed flight
- The smelly cab

Cute Boy Count: 17

Kristen's Food of the Day: T-REXADILLAS!!! <3

Continued in Next Post​

 

[Disneyfreak616]

Chapter 52- THE LAST UPDATE!!!​

August 1st, 2011​

I know, I know! I'm totally rushing these last few updates! But no worries everyone, my next trip report should be underway in the next week! Probably after Easter though, because I'm going to be very busy over the weekend. So a happy early Easter to everyone!

Also, thank you all SO MUCH for reading along and lurking or commenting on my trip report! I love the support and encouragement I get from you all! I consider all of you my DIS friends and I love you all! Thanks so much! I can't WAIT to share the next adventure with you all! I'll post the link here when it's underway!

The next morning we woke up at around 9:30 and got ready and packed.

We went downstairs to the breakfast buffet, where I hardly ate ANYTHING. After being spoiled by Disney food for a week, everything else just did not taste very good. Ah well.

We went back to the room and relaxed for a little while before checking out.

Dave had gotten us a very fancy town car to take us to the airport in, and the driver even took our luggage and loaded it for us! He probably would have opened our doors for us too (well, he did for Mike and Dave) but being the frump that I am and not used to that kind of service, I decided to get the door for myself. It was very heavy and I flung it open, not realizing that there was a newsstand on the curb right next to the door....

WHAM.

Just once though. It wasn't ALL wham.

That door smacked right into the newsstand and left quite a dent and a scratch in both.

So what did I do, you might ask?

I did the respectable and honest thing. I looked around to see if anyone had noticed (only Mike had, and he was laughing his you-know-what off) and then slunk into the car very nonchalantly, where I prayed to the Good Lord that the driver wouldn't get fired for that.

I'm such a terrible person.

Anyways, after that fiasco, Mike and I enjoyed the luxury of our very fancy ride.

Complimentary water:

Altoids and fancy remotes:

Magazines:

And much more! Mike was enjoying himself:

We got to the airport in about 45 minutes, where we had a little problem going through security.

Mike's Harry Potter wand caused a bit of a ruckus, because apparently they saw it as a weapon or container for drugs. They took it out of his bag and searched it, found it to be nothing harmful, and gave it back to him.

I thought the whole experience was pretty funny myself.

Our flight was at 2:20, so we hung around at the gate for a while. I got some Starbucks and called my mom.

The flight was pretty short and uneventful. I ate some of my character gummies, wrote in my journal, and listened to the Innoventions loop. We landed at about 3:15 and got our luggage from baggage claim. We went to Avis to pick up Dave's rental car and went to Wegmans to grab some dinner. Dave dropped Mike and I at home at around 7:30 and that was that!

The End!

Wow I'm really sad this is over! Good thing a bigger and BETTER one is coming up soon!

Now for the souvenirs! These aren't all of them, but they're the major ones we covered in the TR.

First, some Disney Parks and WwoHP bags:

Mickey Rice Krispies:

Mike's Harry Potter wand (TSA Approval Pending):

My Gryffindor scarf:

My Thing 2 shirt:

My I <3 the UK shirt from Epcot:

My 40th Anniversary Travel Mug:

The Mickey Cookie Cutter and Car Adhesive-Thing for my Mom:

And the I <3 Prince Charming bracelet for Vickie:

Recap!

Highs:
- Fancy town car
- Getting home

Lows:
- Not being in Disney!

Cute Boy Count: 9

Kristen's Food of the Day: Character gummies on the plane!

"Now it's time to say goodbye to all our company...M-I-C...see ya real soon! K-E-Y...Why? Because we like you! M-O-U-S-E!!!!"

See ya real soon everyone! ​

 

[therussells08]

Yay T-Rex! That’s John’s favorite!

OMG I LOVE THAT SHIRT. I would wear that every day. I seriously need to get that in July.

That’s an awesome table spot! We have only ever sat in the asteroid room or whatever it’s called and the underwater part.

I love all of the dinosaurs and giant bugs at T-Rex, except for the giant praying mantis. I have an irrational fear of those things, so I can’t even stand to look at it!

You are so right, the waffle fries there are AMAZING. Seriously, T-Rex has amazing food in general. I love it! John decided he wanted to take a break from there and eat at Rainforest Café. I love that place too, but I think I might miss T-Rex!

________________________________________________


Lego Woody! Best Lego creation ever!

Haha, John totally bought The Burrow there a couple of trips ago. He still loves Legos!

Those are great souvies for the frumps! Those chocolates with all of the sayings are hilarious!

Free souvenirs are the best! When we were on our Disneymoon in 2008 we were there during the 4th of July and we got beads like that but they were red and blue. I still have them, along with my New Year’s Eve plastic top hat I got in December!

________________________________________________


Beautiful resort pictures, as always! POFQ really is gorgeous!

Haha awwww you and Mike look so sad. Those fake smiles aren’t fooling anyone!

Ugh I hate delayed flights. Especially when you’re leaving Disney. As if it’s not depressing enough already!


That is SO FUNNY that they considered his wand a weapon. UMMM, of course it’s a weapon, TSA. It’s a WAND, duh.

I’m so sad this TR is over, but I’m super excited about your next one! I can’t wait!!

 

[marDgreen88]

I'm glad yall had such a great experience at Harry Potter! BUT THAT BIRD EXPERIENCE? No thanky.

Hahha those bath products are normal! At least, that's all I've had at the All Stars.

Okay um... so many questions right now. Fast passes to get in a park? Only for stuck-up resort people? And what exactly ARE stuck-up resort people? Oh... silly, silly boys.

MONORAIL. OMG. BAY LAKE TOWER. Wow. (I'm staying there this summer!!!!!!!) [Edit: I just told you that on twitter so this is a bit redundant haha.]

All of your food at CA Grill looks amazing! Ugh, unfortunately though I can relate to you hearing the woman vomit, AND the one who was doing it... (and I've never been drunk or pregnant soooo hahahaha). Thankfully I've never done it at a fancy restaurant though.

I was JUST gonna say, the seashell is so Little Mermaid ish! (Obviously though, since we're both obsessed with that movie hahah).

Love the POFQ AND SSR pics! That's awesome that yall get to stay there!

OMG. Jess. MEAN!

Oh... oh no. I think I would have hurled off the edge off boat though. That song. It makes me ill. (Similar to *NSYNC.) HAHAHA I feel MIke's pain.

T-REX!!!! Love that place. Seriously though... if someone doesn't know what a waffle fry is... they haven't experienced life.

I'm sad this is over! BUT I'm very excited to read your side of things from August! YAY!

 

[cindianne320]

Ah- so sad this trip report is done, but can't wait for your next one! Are you doing a full August trip report and then one from next month?! Either way- I can't wait to hear about your next Disney adventure!!!

 

[SmallWorld71]

Great trip report Kristen! You do a fabulous job of capturing the emotions of a Disney trip.

I look forward to reading the next frump adventures!

 

[onelilspark]

Haha, I love that you consider the bags souvenirs. I used to keep all of mine...until I moved and I had a collection of Disney bags spanning a decade that had never been used.

 

[ronnmel]

OMG! Talk about coincidence! I was driving to work the other day and I saw this on the back of the car in front of me. I had no idea these existed! They are so cool! Where did you get it? I totally want to buy one during my next trip.

 

[basketkat]

Such a great trip report full of great memories! I can't wait to read the next one!

 

[JessicaFaye508]

LOL I wonder if Dave, Mike and Katie would be opposed to Characters in Flight...?

Thesaurus HAHAHA. That's wonderful. Puns are like my favorite thing.

The T-Rex Quesadillas are absolute perfection. The ones from Cheesecake are good... but the T-Rex ones blow them out of the water. #truestory

THOSE PRINCE CHARMING CHOCOLATES WERE SO FREAKING GOOD. Seriously they're really delicious, it's quite dangerous.

Aww leaving already!?..... jk it's been almost a year since this trip. I know it's about time to go.

POFQ is my favorite <3

I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO START THE AUGUST TR YAYAYAY!

Wonderful wrap up! That sounded like a very fun trip! And I'm sure the August TR and OUR UPCOMING TRIP IN... 35(?) DAYS IS GOING TO BE WONDERFUL!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I'm sorry to see your TR come to an end! I really enjoyed reading along!!!

I'm glad to hear your meal at T-Rex was good! It seems really fun in there with all of the different things to look at!

Mickey rice krispies are one of my favorite take-home Disney snacks. But they do always make you feel a bit sad you're not actually there!

 

[Kelliroo3]

I HAVE THAT SHIRT! LOL, the one at T Rex. I thought it was hilarious. I had to get it. Yum. T Rex looks good! I'll have to give it another try!

I love the water characters that the custodians draw! So cool.

Aww so sad when it's time to leave. You wear fake smiles and are wondering why it went so fast. It's funny because right when we get on the plane my mom and I are already planning/talking about our next trip.

Thanks for sharing your trip with us! I loved reading it and seeing the pictures. You looked like you had so much fun. Great job!

 

[Aussiesalad]

Boo it's over
But yay for starting the next TR!!

Jess' joke was so evil...yet hilarious. Would have given me a heart attack if someone did that to me

I love seeing all your souvenirs! I still need that travel mug in my life!

Wow your car door story sounds exactly like something that I would do. Mike sounds like he was displaying typical brother behavior with him laughing his ... off!

You think they would have seen a billion HP wands by now. Really a weapon?
I am all for safety in airports but sometimes it seems like they waste their energy on insignificant things.

I was going to ask- was Dragon Challenge still dueling when you went? Or were they running them separately?

So excited for your next lot of adventures

 

[Winnie the Goof]

.

 

[snookie5605]

i have read all of Jess' reports and loved them so i came on over to yours and loved it too. you guys are so funny and really capture what everyone loves about disney. cant wait to read your next one! have fun on your next couple trips! your reports really keep me busy while waiting to go on mine!