Chased By a Bear and a Trip to Urgent Care - A Very Merry Dis-mas 2016 TR! **Complete 2/23**

[xlsm]

I'm glad you guys enjoyed your meal at Skipper Canteen! It doesn't sound like something up my alley, but it looks like a really nicely themed restaurant!

Yay for seeing the Muppets!

Ohh how lucky to see Larry Dotson again and get some more prints!

The restaurant is very beautiful...although I will admit, it was "fancier" looking than somewhere you'd expect Jungle Cruise skippers to end up working...but each room has a story, which is cool.

Muppets I was so impressed at how real they seemed...real in Muppet terms, of course! It was just like watching them in a movie or show. I thought that was pretty awesome!

We were so excited to see that he was there. The only bad part is that our new print is a really weird size and I can't find a frame to match our other one

 

[thumper*]

Love your report. I've been on these boards for years and have never heard of the Great Moments Muppet program, learn something new every day. What tunnel is there between Skipper Canteena and Frontierland? Hope your sons ear is better soon, bummer to be at the World and not feel good, poor guy.

 

[coloredimage]

Oh! I hadn't seen that you posted a TR! Glad I found it (of course I find it right as I have to start getting ready for work, lol)! I'll be playing catch up later today

 

[Raeven]

We put our AP magnets on the fridge too!

That's the store Josh got his Indiana Jones hat in!

The arepas and original mac and cheese dish were the only things that appealed to me on the menu at Skippers I'm glad you had a good time there, I love the theming but it doesn't look like the place for a picky eater like me though

Ooo I want to get a Wishes print next time we're there!

 

[xlsm]

Love your report. I've been on these boards for years and have never heard of the Great Moments Muppet program, learn something new every day. What tunnel is there between Skipper Canteena and Frontierland? Hope your sons ear is better soon, bummer to be at the World and not feel good, poor guy.

Thank you!!

The Muppet show in Liberty Square began in October, so it's relatively new It's really cute and funny.
And it's not a tunnel, but that's what I always call it, lol!! It's the covered walkway that links Adventureland and Frontierland, where the restrooms are and the fast pass kiosks were/are (I didn't pay attention to see if they were still there)

Thankfully, as soon as he had a couple days of antibiotics and the pain reliever drops, he was good as new. I was so glad, because I didn't want him to be miserable for the whole trip.

Oh! I hadn't seen that you posted a TR! Glad I found it (of course I find it right as I have to start getting ready for work, lol)! I'll be playing catch up later today

Hiiii!! I'm so glad to see you! Once again, it looks like you're beating me to the world by about a month...I will do as I usually do and live vicariously through your instagram, lol!!

We put our AP magnets on the fridge too!

That's the store Josh got his Indiana Jones hat in!

The arepas and original mac and cheese dish were the only things that appealed to me on the menu at Skippers I'm glad you had a good time there, I love the theming but it doesn't look like the place for a picky eater like me though

Ooo I want to get a Wishes print next time we're there!

I can never remember what the stores are called, so I just associate it with Indy! X wanted to get a hat, too L was Indiana Jones for Halloween a couple of years ago, so we already have a hat floating around the house somewhere, so I was a dream-crusher and told him no, LOL!!

Yeah...it's maybe not the best place for a picky eater, but if you ever wanted to check it out, you could go for dessert. I always say I'm going to make reservations at places solely to try the desserts I'm too full to eat after a meal. One day I will follow through. Maybe. Probably not.

The Wishes print is really pretty I love his artwork.

 

[Raeven]

Thank you!!

The Muppet show in Liberty Square began in October, so it's relatively new It's really cute and funny.
And it's not a tunnel, but that's what I always call it, lol!! It's the covered walkway that links Adventureland and Frontierland, where the restrooms are and the fast pass kiosks were/are (I didn't pay attention to see if they were still there)

Thankfully, as soon as he had a couple days of antibiotics and the pain reliever drops, he was good as new. I was so glad, because I didn't want him to be miserable for the whole trip.



Hiiii!! I'm so glad to see you! Once again, it looks like you're beating me to the world by about a month...I will do as I usually do and live vicariously through your instagram, lol!!



I can never remember what the stores are called, so I just associate it with Indy! X wanted to get a hat, too L was Indiana Jones for Halloween a couple of years ago, so we already have a hat floating around the house somewhere, so I was a dream-crusher and told him no, LOL!!

Yeah...it's maybe not the best place for a picky eater, but if you ever wanted to check it out, you could go for dessert. I always say I'm going to make reservations at places solely to try the desserts I'm too full to eat after a meal. One day I will follow through. Maybe. Probably not.

The Wishes print is really pretty I love his artwork.

Well if you already have one there's no need for two I thought they were quite expensive, but since Josh didn't see anything else he really wanted we decided to buy it.

I've wanted to make dessert adrs too! I usually make too many regular ones to do it though.

Me too! We only have the Haunted Mansion one so far.

 

[xlsm]

Things I have forgotten to mention...

When I was getting ready for a meeting yesterday, I remembered that I had forgot to report something

On the evening we went to Animal Kingdom and had the yucky pizza window pizza, we also had ice cream from Ample Hills Creamery.
You're probably thinking...how did you manage to forget about that??

Well, it wasn't that memorable, honestly! (and I didn't have pictures) We were panicking (ok, I was panicking) about food, no one was coming to a concrete decision, and I just said, "Let's go get some ice cream and we'll just get pizza after" or something along those lines.

L and I had gooey butter cake ice cream, DH had cookies and cream, and X had some kind of salted caramel. It may have involved chocolate, I can't remember. The gooey butter cake ice cream was the best of the three, but it wasn't anything spectacular.

Many times, a new place opens at WDW and instagrammers, bloggers, and other Dis-ers go there and rave and rave about the place. I build it up in my mind that it's just going to be amazing, and then it's just...ice cream. Seriously. It was just ice cream. It was not the best I've ever had, but it was fine. Some of the flavors are unique, which is fun, and the location is convenient on the Boardwalk. I like that they make it themselves and it's nice to have options outside of commercial brands.

One thing I DID love there was the gooey butter cake itself. They had pieces of it and brownies in a basket by the register, and I got one because gooey butter cake is one of my favorite desserts. It was one of the best sweet items I've had on Disney property - right up there with the various bread puddings.

Ok...let's get rolling on the rest of this update now! I think this chapter will be finished up in two posts, so I'm going to try to get them both up today.

Chapter Six Part Four

We had just left the Magic Kingdom and were making our way to the resort ferries...where were we going??



Here's a hint:



Yep, those are the cabins under construction at the Wilderness Lodge!





It looks like they are moving right along!

Our boat docked and we were finally at our VERY FAVORITE place.



One of my major goals on this trip was to finally see my precious Wilderness Lodge all dressed up for Christmas. It was really hard to not book here for this trip, but with the construction going on, we weren't sure how disruptive it was going to be. As we got closer to leaving, because I follow the WL threads, I knew it wasn't going to be bad, but I felt like we should just stay committed to the Boardwalk. We were trying to branch out

We came inside and were ready to feel some holiday cheer!







Everything was so beautiful!











We all went off in our own directions to look around...and DH went up to the desk to see if they had rooms available, because we were considering switching for our last few nights. DH even said he would be willing to miss dinner that night in order to pack all of our stuff! I sat by the fireplace and just enjoyed the peacefulness for awhile.

He came back from the desk and said they did have rooms available. When he told them we were thinking about moving over from the Boardwalk, the woman said, "Is it because of those long hallways??"
We would even get money back by changing resorts, which is always nice...but in the end we decided to just stay put at the Boardwalk. I didn't want to mess with moving for just a couple of nights, and the kids were liking having their own beds, and we weren't sure if a bunk bed room would be available.

With heavy hearts, and one last look around, we left our home sweet home.



It took quite awhile for the bus bound for Hollywood Studios to show up, but it wasn't a horrible wait. Once we got to DHS, a Friendship Boat was loading and we got right on. I love good timing!

L had to use the restroom, so we elected to get off at the Swan/Dolphin boat stop and walk the rest of the way instead of making the entire boat loop.



We hadn't even been to this side of the Boardwalk yet!







I don't know why, but I really like that Crest O' The Wave section!

L decided it was definitely a necessity to be in the room NOW, so both boys took off at a run.



DH and I kept a slower pace, and I captured more of the gorgeous Boardwalk resort decorations on the way upstairs to our room.





We used the little bit of time we had to clean up and rest before going to catch the bus to Disney Springs...it was almost time for Homecoming!!

More on the way in a little while!!

 

[xlsm]

Chapter Six Part Five...Homecoming Dinner

We had to wait awhile for our bus, but I'd built in a time cushion so it wasn't a problem.

The drive wasn't bad at all, I didn't feel like it took that long.



The buses drop you off in front of the new area, and it is gorgeous!



It is definitely designed to look like a high end outdoor shopping mall (because that's what the new stuff is). It reminded me a lot of LA.

The holiday decorations were very beautiful.





The crowds were very heavy...and it was a Tuesday evening.

Even though it was our first time in the new parts of DS, I had looked at maps and knew pretty much where we needed to go to find Homecoming.
On the way there, a nice CM offered the boys some Disney stickers.

Never accept Disney stickers.

The CM was a DVC recruiter. We talked with her for awhile, and somehow managed to agree to attend a DVC presentation on our last park day in exchange for four fast passes and a $50 gift card. Yep...we were going on a DVC tour.

After we had escaped her clutches, we kept moving toward dinner.







When we were leaving the Wilderness Lodge, I received a reminder text from the restaurant of our reservation, which I thought was nice. We were a little early for our reservation, and they said they would try to seat us early, but it would probably be closer to our scheduled time...and they would send another text when our table was ready, so we were free to wander around and do whatever we wanted.

So what did my gang decide to do??



See that nice seating area?



Yep.

In case you're curious about where Art Smith's Homecoming is located, it is directly across from Morimoto Asia



After about fifteen minutes, I got the text that it was time for us to be seated, so we went back to the hostess stand. The staff here are very casually dressed, jeans and t-shirts. The overall vibe of the restaurant is very relaxed in an upscale way. I always describe it as upscale modern rustic, very much like something Joanna Gaines would design on Fixer Upper.

View to our right:



View to the left:



And the ceiling:



Once again, and I realize I sound like a broken record on this point, we are reminded why I don't do dining reports, because photos are limited.

DH and I both ordered cocktails. I had the basil smash, which is bourbon, sour mix, simple syrup, and smashed basil leaves. It was amazing! Strong and delicious.

DH had the Muleshine: white lighting, peach puree, fresh lime juice, and ginger beer. It was good, but I liked mine better!

We also ordered the fried green tomatoes as an app, and they were really good, but the weakest part of the meal.

For dinner, three of us ordered the fried chicken, which was PHENOMENAL. You get three very good sized pieces, including a large boneless chicken breast, with mashed potatoes and gravy, housemade pickles, and a biscuit...all over hotsauce. L had his without the hotsauce.



Is it the most photogenic meal? No. But that's ok, because you're supposed to EAT it, right?? My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

X ordered catfish with macaroni and cheese



Large pieces of good catfish (no muddy taste), hushpuppies, and a huge serving of mac and cheese. I believe this also comes with hotsauce on the plate, but X opted out.

We all left this meal feeling very satisfied and FULL. Our server was great. We had no complaints about this meal except that it is loud inside the restaurant. But, as I've joked a few times on other threads about Homecoming...after my drink, it didn't bother me so much anymore

There were a few stores we wanted to visit, and we also wanted to walk off dinner a bit because we had plans to hit up Amorette's Patisserie on the way back to our resort. We had planned to watch the holiday drone show too, but they had made an announcement that it had been cancelled for the evening because of weather conditions.

We stopped in World of Disney, which was decorated for the holidays too:



We also made a very, very brief pass through Uniqlo...it was like sensory overload in there. It was PACKED with people, the lighting is insanely bright, and it is so noisy! I couldn't handle it. I'd like to go back and look around, because I saw a few interesting things as we walked through (literally in one door and across to the next door we found), but on a slower day!

It was getting late, we were tired, and we decided to go ahead to the bakery and get some treats to take back with us for later.

Amorette's is a super cute little place, and the cakes and desserts are very attractive.



This was the case that was the most full...the rest of the cases were kind of empty-ish, there wasn't a lot of selection. DH chose that pretty little thing on the front left of the photo, Amorette's Signature Cake in mini form.
I panic ordered a raspberry pavlova and grabbed a box of macarons, because they are one of my favorite specialty desserts. Both boys ended up with the mini Mickey dome cakes.

They bagged up our selections and we trudged back to the bus stop.

When you're dropped off at the bus stop, it's very misleading. The bus stop corrals loop allllllll the way around. To get to the Boardwalk bus stop, you have to go all the way to the end, cross the "street", and then walk alllll the way down to the stop. It felt like it was a mile away. It might have been!

After what seemed like an eternity, we were back in our room, all cozy in pjs, and ready to try our treats!



These are the macarons. They were literally the worst I've ever had in my life. They were dry and hard and crunchy. If you know macarons, you know they are not supposed to be that way at all! The flavors were very artificial. X actually spat one out. I ended up throwing them away.



This is the mini Signature Cake. It is eleven layers of Red Velvet Cake, Chocolate Cake, Cherry Mousse, Chocolate Mousse, Raspberry Pate De Fruit Jelly, and Italian Buttercream (copied this description from the menu because I couldn't remember it all!).
I snagged a taste of this...it was pretty good! It mostly tastes like chocolate and the raspberry pate de fruit. The fondant was sweet and had a marshmallowy texture that was much better than typical fondant.



This is my pavlova (raspberry pate de fruit and chantilly cream), which was fine. Nothing to write home about. The chantilly cream was the best part of the whole thing...I'd have eaten a whole bowl of it by itself.

Also in that picture is one of the mini Mickey cakes. It was chocolate mousse, and inside was chocolate cake. I only got the tiniest bit of this, because L threatened to stab me with his fork when I tried to get a bite. He doesn't understand that I need to share this info with all of you! Both boys devoured this, so I suppose it was very good.

We might give Amorette's another try...maybe earlier in the day when the food wasn't old and limited?? It was a disappointing experience, unfortunately. I have a weird thing about desserts...if it doesn't taste as good as something I can make on my own, what's the point? For a high end bakery experience, I was expecting much better.

After eating our beautifully designed desserts, we brushed our teeth and went to bed. Our next morning was going to start very early!!

Enjoy the rest of your day!! I'll have another chapter ready for you in a day or so

 

[missangelalexis]

I'm sorry Ample Hills was a little bit of a letdown!

Wilderness Lodge looks gorgeous all decked out for Christmas! I'm glad you got to visit!

I had to laugh at you being conned into a DVC tour. I am convinced that DVC CMs have the best pins on their lanyards just so you're forced to go talk to them!

I'm glad you all enjoyed Homecoming so much!

Oh how dissapointing about the macarons and the desserts in general They do look very beautiful though!

 

[Raeven]

I have heard not the greatest reviews from those that have tried Ample Hills. I like the idea of the different cones but that's about it. I'm also a little about ice cream because I don't really like it that much and rarely seem to crave it even at the parks when it's hot out.

With that said it sounds a little like a Cold Stone Creamery but I like the flavors at Cold Stone better. The best ice cream I've had on vacation was at Florean's at USO though.

Yum another good Homecoming review to convince me to go back

I agree about Uniqlo I managed to find a dress there but it was too bright and too much in there.

Oh no sorry to hear about your experience with Amorettes. I really enjoyed my mini cake from there, but I did go earlier in the day, and not everything on their menu sounds great. I'm curious to try the chocolate Mickey cakes though.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Finally caught up again! I agree about the nighttime safari. Not a total loss or anything, but I strongly prefer it when there's enough light to see the animals and take some pictures! I also thought the TOL shows after dark were a big highlight!

Ignore my multiple chins in this next one...I like it anyway because of Tinkerbell!

Don't be crazy - I see one chin! (Plus three others that aren't yours. ) I loved that photopass picture though. The tinkerbell ones always look so cute to me.

I also have decided I need to go to Shanghai for Pirates! My mom and I were talking about how we need to try to get to all the Disney parks someday. I hate to travel, but if anything can motivate me to take 15+ hour flights, it would be Disney! I hope you're right about the anticipated river ride in Pandora...

Glad you enjoyed Skipper Canteen! We didn't get there last time, but it's on my list! We're also talking about Homecoming for our next trip - looks like you all did pretty well there! The fried chicken sounds really good!

 

[xlsm]

I'm sorry Ample Hills was a little bit of a letdown!

Wilderness Lodge looks gorgeous all decked out for Christmas! I'm glad you got to visit!

I had to laugh at you being conned into a DVC tour. I am convinced that DVC CMs have the best pins on their lanyards just so you're forced to go talk to them!

I'm glad you all enjoyed Homecoming so much!

Oh how dissapointing about the macarons and the desserts in general They do look very beautiful though!

I think if I'd just been expecting an ordinary ice cream experience, I would have enjoyed Ample Hills more. As it was, I had kind of built it up to be something really special. I do that all the time, you'd think I'd learn! But I just get so darn excited about stuff, lol!!

WL was amazing!! If we ever go back during the holidays, there's no way I will book anywhere else.

Homecoming was a huge hit, and definitely a place we want to try again (and again, and again)

The desserts bummed me out I'd like to try again sometime, but I'm in no hurry. I'll just go binge on bread pudding from 'Ohana instead!!

I have heard not the greatest reviews from those that have tried Ample Hills. I like the idea of the different cones but that's about it. I'm also a little about ice cream because I don't really like it that much and rarely seem to crave it even at the parks when it's hot out.

With that said it sounds a little like a Cold Stone Creamery but I like the flavors at Cold Stone better. The best ice cream I've had on vacation was at Florean's at USO though.

Yum another good Homecoming review to convince me to go back

I agree about Uniqlo I managed to find a dress there but it was too bright and too much in there.

Oh no sorry to hear about your experience with Amorettes. I really enjoyed my mini cake from there, but I did go earlier in the day, and not everything on their menu sounds great. I'm curious to try the chocolate Mickey cakes though.

I don't crave ice cream when it's hot either! Something about the too sweet creaminess and the heat is just I was trying to remember if we ever had ice cream during any of our summer trips, and outside of a Mickey bar or something, I don't think we have! I might have to go back and check out of curiosity now!!

We intended to get butterbeer ice cream from Florean's when we were there, but we didn't because it was soooo crowded. Recently I've been considering making another trip to US/IOA, so it is definitely on the list. I don't want to miss it again.

I will always encourage repeat visits to Homecoming!!

I'm glad to hear someone else feels that way about Uniqlo! I thought I was crazy, but it was just so...MUCH. Everything. The crowds, lights, and noise was overwhelming to me.

I do want to give Amorette's another chance. I think the dome cakes are adorable, and the boys seemed to really like them. It's probably what I'd go for on a second visit.

Finally caught up again! I agree about the nighttime safari. Not a total loss or anything, but I strongly prefer it when there's enough light to see the animals and take some pictures! I also thought the TOL shows after dark were a big highlight!



Don't be crazy - I see one chin! (Plus three others that aren't yours. ) I loved that photopass picture though. The tinkerbell ones always look so cute to me.

I also have decided I need to go to Shanghai for Pirates! My mom and I were talking about how we need to try to get to all the Disney parks someday. I hate to travel, but if anything can motivate me to take 15+ hour flights, it would be Disney! I hope you're right about the anticipated river ride in Pandora...

Glad you enjoyed Skipper Canteen! We didn't get there last time, but it's on my list! We're also talking about Homecoming for our next trip - looks like you all did pretty well there! The fried chicken sounds really good!

Yes, daylight and animal sightings are better! I couldn't decide if I liked our driver or not either...she was kind of fun and funny, but then she would say something that made me think she had NO IDEA what the heck she was talking about and was just picking bits and pieces from a script about the animals/savanna. Like, at one point, we were looking for hyenas. There were a couple out there, but she couldn't see them. When all of us on the bus said, "there's some", she said, "Oh, I didn't know if it was an animal or a rock. But let's face it, most of these animals look like rocks. It's not the first time I've made that mistake." It made me laugh, but I also was thinking, "Really??"
Maybe she was a temp helping out from the Jungle Cruise

I would looooove to do all the Disney parks! DH wants to do the Asian parks now that I've made him watch a bunch of YouTube videos.

Skipper's was fun, and if you like the menu you guys should try it! Homecoming was kind of in a class by itself! Yum!!

 

[ariane37]

Some of the flavors are unique, which is fun, and the location is convenient on the Boardwalk.

This, exactly. It's a nice change from vanilla and chocolate and also if you're not looking for an overloaded sundae (and I am NOT knocking my Beaches and Cream No Way Jose!) and it's also good to have ice cream on that side of the Boardwalk. But I wasn't blown away. If we're over that way again, whether staying or not, we may go again if for any reason we don't go to B&C but I won't go out of my way. I've also always wanted to get ice cream at the Fountain in the Swan (Dolphin) so I may do that before Ample Hills again. But it's not bad, is any ice cream bad, really???

He came back from the desk and said they did have rooms available. When he told them we were thinking about moving over from the Boardwalk, the woman said, "Is it because of those long hallways??"

I don't blame you for wanting to move but good for you toughing it out at another deluxe lol. However I can probably bet our house on where you'll stay for your next family WDW trip........

The CM was a DVC recruiter. We talked with her for awhile, and somehow managed to agree to attend a DVC presentation on our last park day in exchange for four fast passes and a $50 gift card. Yep...we were going on a DVC tour.

Oh man, can't wait to hear about this!

The staff here are very casually dressed, jeans and t-shirts. The overall vibe of the restaurant is very relaxed in an upscale way. I always describe it as upscale modern rustic, very much like something Joanna Gaines would design on Fixer Upper.

These are the first pictures I've seen of the inside! Looks really nice. I actually made an ADR here for Steve and I in March, really looking forward to it

We also ordered the fried green tomatoes as an app, and they were really good, but the weakest part of the meal.

Um, except I'm also looking forward to the fried green tomatoes.......

These are the macarons. They were literally the worst I've ever had in my life. They were dry and hard and crunchy. If you know macarons, you know they are not supposed to be that way at all! The flavors were very artificial. X actually spat one out. I ended up throwing them away.

I remember you saying this on my dining report I hate that you didn't enjoy your desserts from Amorettes and I do hope you give it another try. I'm surprised they don't keep fresh stuff out until closing?? Maybe because making all that detailed pastry stuff is so time consuming but it seems wasteful to keep stale stuff out.

I snagged a taste of this...it was pretty good! It mostly tastes like chocolate and the raspberry pate de fruit. The fondant was sweet and had a marshmallowy texture that was much better than typical fondant.

You described it so well, better than I did!

 

[coloredimage]

Okay! *claps* I actually finished reading your TR and caught myself up! I apologize for the length of this post in advance

(okay, the DiS hates me and deleted half the things I had quoted so let me see if I can remember them!)

* I love Boardwalk but yes that hallway is horrible! I had to take off my shoes a couple times walking back because my feet were so sore! And I almost always felt like I was going to get lost headed back to my room.

* Those extra power outlets were my favorite thing in the Boardwalk rooms! I always travel with an outlet strip because I know I'm going to need to plug in my iPad, phone, watch, camera, etc. And that's just for me! Those made life so much easier!

* I love all the parks' Christmas decorations <3 It's one of my favorite things about Christmas in Disney.

* Y'know how X took pictures of EVERY Harambe sign in DAK? Yeah, in January my friend did the same thing. So, at least it's not just kids?

* Did you guys accidentally go down the hallway in Kidani to get to Sanaa instead of going down the elevator at first? Because we totally did in April and were wondering why a restaurant would be where peoples' rooms were at first. Womp.

* Off Topic but your watch plus the new magic band - this worries me a bit because I have a double band on my watch. Good thing I have skinny forearms (it's like the only part of me that is!) though I'm not even sure if I'll get a new MB this coming trip since I'm only getting a 3 day pass.

* I love the Christmas Carol windows!

* I really love how confused X looks in that ears picture lol. "Whu?"

* Santa Stitch is my favorite <3

* I tried to quote it but it refused - the picture of the Castle all lit up with the reflection in the water is one of my favorites in your TR so far!

* Mickey's Most Merriest makes me cringe every time I read it - it sounds like one of my students named it!

* Also the snope picture of Main Street is lovely!

* Want to know what's funny? It's the opposite between Les Halles and Tangerine for me - I go for the desserts to Morocco and the sandwiches in France. That chicken schwarma looks good though - maybe I can convince someone to get it with me next trip

* gingerbread capitol building is so neat

* I love American Victorianism fashion <3 - especially New England American Victorianism (I mean, I am a bit biased, lol) The VoL outfits always remind me of Little Women.

* I'm so glad the Somerhaus blends so nicely into the theming of the pavilion - I was very worried it wouldn't!

* oh, my goodness Everest at night! Ugh I am in love!

* Okay, I know you know that I love Small World too - but small world with muffled sound sounds terrifying! I don't think I would have liked that at all lol.

* I'm really glad you took a ton of pictures of the squirrel corbels too because I took a ton and I know I will again this summer -_-

* MUPPETS! I can't wait to see this show!

* I love Elena's look in the park We're doing a bunch of character stuff in April for a project and I really hope Elena's one of them just for that dress! (my niece and nephew are too young to watch Elena - A loves Doc and Jake and L is too little to understand tv shows still so I don't think they'll want to do a M&G with her this trip)

I fall in love with this hotel so much every time I see it. It's so pretty.

Stahp, it's too pretty!

I'm very much in love with the Boardwalk - crazy long hallways and all. This picture about sums up why lol.

I always describe it as upscale modern rustic, very much like something Joanna Gaines would design on Fixer Upper.

This is my favorite description of anything and I could 100% imagine what you meant before I even saw any of the pictures.

I don't know what it is but I want the blue and white thing in the back immediately.

 

[iheartbelle87]

I'm finally caught up again!! I can't BELIEVE you have never seen 'American Adventure'! You'd LOVE it- it's one of our favs!! The Wilderness Lodge looks so cute all decked out in holiday decor... I've always been curious about staying there, and I'm sure DH would love it!

 

[xlsm]

This, exactly. It's a nice change from vanilla and chocolate and also if you're not looking for an overloaded sundae (and I am NOT knocking my Beaches and Cream No Way Jose!) and it's also good to have ice cream on that side of the Boardwalk. But I wasn't blown away. If we're over that way again, whether staying or not, we may go again if for any reason we don't go to B&C but I won't go out of my way. I've also always wanted to get ice cream at the Fountain in the Swan (Dolphin) so I may do that before Ample Hills again. But it's not bad, is any ice cream bad, really???


I don't blame you for wanting to move but good for you toughing it out at another deluxe lol. However I can probably bet our house on where you'll stay for your next family WDW trip........


Oh man, can't wait to hear about this!

These are the first pictures I've seen of the inside! Looks really nice. I actually made an ADR here for Steve and I in March, really looking forward to it

Um, except I'm also looking forward to the fried green tomatoes.......

I remember you saying this on my dining report I hate that you didn't enjoy your desserts from Amorettes and I do hope you give it another try. I'm surprised they don't keep fresh stuff out until closing?? Maybe because making all that detailed pastry stuff is so time consuming but it seems wasteful to keep stale stuff out.

You described it so well, better than I did!

I agree, it's good if you want an ice cream option on the Boardwalk...but I don't think I'd ever recommend that anyone make a special trip. I'd rather do Beaches and Cream (which I've never been to!) for the fun sundaes.

Haha, yeah, we were hardly slummin' it at the Boardwalk I guess, but I did feel like it was my fault because I'm the one who wanted to stay there in the first place. Don't bet your house yet, lol!! X wants the Poly or the Yacht Club for Stormalong Bay. It will be a longer 10 day visit so they can do the waterparks, so I have no idea where we'll end up (or even when )

I"m so glad you guys are trying Homecoming in March! It's worth it!! The fried green tomatoes are good, they just weren't the best part for us. I grew up on them, so I'm a tough critic. Our server told us all about how Art Smith was in the Disney college program, so having this restaurant at Disney Springs really was his "homecoming". I thought that was nice.

Amorette's ...*sigh* I really feel like I'll give it another shot, I was sad about the desserts.

Okay! *claps* I actually finished reading your TR and caught myself up! I apologize for the length of this post in advance

(okay, the DiS hates me and deleted half the things I had quoted so let me see if I can remember them!)

* I love Boardwalk but yes that hallway is horrible! I had to take off my shoes a couple times walking back because my feet were so sore! And I almost always felt like I was going to get lost headed back to my room.

* Those extra power outlets were my favorite thing in the Boardwalk rooms! I always travel with an outlet strip because I know I'm going to need to plug in my iPad, phone, watch, camera, etc. And that's just for me! Those made life so much easier!

* I love all the parks' Christmas decorations <3 It's one of my favorite things about Christmas in Disney.

* Y'know how X took pictures of EVERY Harambe sign in DAK? Yeah, in January my friend did the same thing. So, at least it's not just kids?

* Did you guys accidentally go down the hallway in Kidani to get to Sanaa instead of going down the elevator at first? Because we totally did in April and were wondering why a restaurant would be where peoples' rooms were at first. Womp.

* Off Topic but your watch plus the new magic band - this worries me a bit because I have a double band on my watch. Good thing I have skinny forearms (it's like the only part of me that is!) though I'm not even sure if I'll get a new MB this coming trip since I'm only getting a 3 day pass.

* I love the Christmas Carol windows!

* I really love how confused X looks in that ears picture lol. "Whu?"

* Santa Stitch is my favorite <3

* I tried to quote it but it refused - the picture of the Castle all lit up with the reflection in the water is one of my favorites in your TR so far!

* Mickey's Most Merriest makes me cringe every time I read it - it sounds like one of my students named it!

* Also the snope picture of Main Street is lovely!

* Want to know what's funny? It's the opposite between Les Halles and Tangerine for me - I go for the desserts to Morocco and the sandwiches in France. That chicken schwarma looks good though - maybe I can convince someone to get it with me next trip

* gingerbread capitol building is so neat

* I love American Victorianism fashion <3 - especially New England American Victorianism (I mean, I am a bit biased, lol) The VoL outfits always remind me of Little Women.

* I'm so glad the Somerhaus blends so nicely into the theming of the pavilion - I was very worried it wouldn't!

* oh, my goodness Everest at night! Ugh I am in love!

* Okay, I know you know that I love Small World too - but small world with muffled sound sounds terrifying! I don't think I would have liked that at all lol.

* I'm really glad you took a ton of pictures of the squirrel corbels too because I took a ton and I know I will again this summer -_-

* MUPPETS! I can't wait to see this show!

* I love Elena's look in the park We're doing a bunch of character stuff in April for a project and I really hope Elena's one of them just for that dress! (my niece and nephew are too young to watch Elena - A loves Doc and Jake and L is too little to understand tv shows still so I don't think they'll want to do a M&G with her this trip)



I fall in love with this hotel so much every time I see it. It's so pretty.



Stahp, it's too pretty!



I'm very much in love with the Boardwalk - crazy long hallways and all. This picture about sums up why lol.



This is my favorite description of anything and I could 100% imagine what you meant before I even saw any of the pictures.



I don't know what it is but I want the blue and white thing in the back immediately.

Whew, you got through all my ramblings!!

Oh my gosh I laughed so hard at your comment about the Mickey's Most Merriest name, LOL!!! That seems totally accurate.

The Sommerhaus looks so cute and it really fits in well. I was worried about it too, but it's pretty seamless.
The Victorian costumes on VoL were amazing!! All the little details...i loved it.

As for Elena, her dress is incredible. I think it's on par with Tiana, and from me that's high praise, because Tiana's green dress is like the be all end all for me.

Small World was so weird...it was like listening to it with ear plugs in. I'm not sure what was going on!

The Wilderness Lodge was my favorite thing, and I feel like I need to just move in. It's a big place, surely no one will notice. It's just beautiful, and seeing Christmas decorations there was extraordinary.

I'm finally caught up again!! I can't BELIEVE you have never seen 'American Adventure'! You'd LOVE it- it's one of our favs!! The Wilderness Lodge looks so cute all decked out in holiday decor... I've always been curious about staying there, and I'm sure DH would love it!

I'n not sure why I've never watched it other than just having other things to do! I'm sure I'll do it eventually, I'm just dragging my feet, LOL!

The Wilderness Lodge is my favorite place ever, our entire family adores it. I definitely recommending staying there sometime!

 

[xlsm]

Good morning!

Just a warning...this particular chapter is going to be loooong. We are about to embark upon a 12 hour + day at Epcot. Are ya'll ready for this??

Chapter Seven: Character Meets and International Treats

It was another early Disney morning for our family, and it was cold and misty. A heavy, dense mist, like walking through a cloud. We had plans for an 8am breakfast at Garden Grill, so we walked toward the International Gateway. We left the resort in a hurry, and I left my fleece behind...I would come to regret this so much!




The Boardwalk was pretty empty, but we did meet this guy along the way:



The walk over to the International Gateway made us all realize how chilly it actually was. I was cold and wet, and was hoping to get to go in and wait under the roofed area by guest services and the ticket counter. But, having never entered through the IG before, I didn't realize that wasn't an option!



Yep. We were locked out.

Soon we were joined by a young couple who were all dressed up (they were having an engagement shoot that morning, and I felt bad, because she was wearing a thin maxi dress and must have been freezing...not to mention the gray, misty weather wouldn't make for a very nice background), and a family with a couple of kids. We chatted for awhile and stared at the other side of the fence.



So close, and yet...so far.

We were chatting with the family, and they were very nice. They had been booked at CBR or CSR (I can't remember right now), and they ended up getting upgraded to the Beach Club because their mod resort had been overbooked or something. That's a pretty nice dose of pixie dust, I think!

At 7:30, a couple of security guards came over and unlocked the gate and let us through, but we still had to wait at the tapstiles to be allowed into the park. At that time, a couple of other people had walked up, but there were less than 20 people in total. They kept asking us if we were all there for early breakfast reservations, and then they went over to each group and checked names on a list.

We weren't let into the park until 7:50, and I knew we were going to be cutting it close on time, because that is a pretty far distance to cover in ten minutes if you aren't running. It's legitimately at least a mile. I decided to try and be calm, and appreciate empty Epcot.







Now, let's be clear, I was still walking pretty fast and dragging my family along behind me! But I am a naturally fast walker anyway.

We finally made it up to the tree



and then closer to Spaceship Earth. It was 8:00 by now, but I loved this snowman guy so much that I had to stop!



FINALLY we saw this glorious sign, and knew we were in the clear.



We went inside and were so grateful for the warmth!! I was hoping I'd be able to thaw out (and dry off!) quickly.



I love those balloon things and streamers!

Our arrival time was 8:06 I think? Something like that, anyway. There were a few groups ahead of us who had come in the front gates, but not many.



As you can see, the CMs were standing around waiting, and when I checked in, we were told they were just getting things started so we'd have a short wait. It was less than 5 minutes, and we were taken to our table. The hostess explained how things worked, and made mention of it being a revolving restaurant, etc...And told us our server would be with us shortly.

Our table was not down against the glass facing The Land, it was up on the top level, and was set up with a Mickey face:



The server came and took our drink order (coffee/Pog/water for both me and DH, Pog for L and apple juice for X - I may have those kid juice orders flipped), and promised to come back with a cinnamon bun skillet. We were excited for that!

But someone else came by first!



Mickey was pretty fun, and we liked him very much!

Up right afterward was...





Pluto! He was very enthusiastic! He didn't like that L had Chip and Dale on his shirt, though!

We were happy to have seen two friends right off the bat, but we were even happier to see this land on our table:



The cinnamon roll was probably the most anticipated item of the meal, and a huge factor in booking here. It was overcooked and dry on the edges, unfortunately, so we all kind of picked at the middle. The fruit was good and tasted fresh...I think L ended up eating most of this by himself! He loves a good fruit bowl.

Chip came around then



He was so blah and boring and just not into meeting and greeting. L was sad about this...Chip didn't even react to being on L's shirt, and was basically just phoning it in. Our disappointment was short lived, however, when THIS guy came along:













Dale was AMAZING!! He is L's favorite character, and L told him so, which made Dale very happy, and Dale was ecstatic to see L's Rescue Ranger shirt. If you notice, in the picture of them together facing the camera, Dale is covering Chip's name!

Now, Dale was much less sure about X, because X was wearing public enemy number one to chipmunks on HIS shirt!



X was trying to explain that he still liked the chipmunks even though he was wearing Donald on his shirt, but Dale was having none of it! Eventually he did allow X to pose with him



but then he brought L back over



Poor X! Being shamed by a chipmunk and his little brother.

This was A+++++ interaction, and it was so much fun!

Typing up the second part immediately after I click post on this one...hang on!

 

[xlsm]

Chapter Seven Part Two

Our food came out after Dale left



You can see everyone digging right in! I was ready for my first Mickey waffle of the trip:



Here's where I kind of have to be a downer. We were not thrilled with the food here I feel guilty saying that, because people have raved about the breakfast here in the past, but we weren't very impressed. The bacon was flimsy and not well cooked, the eggs were not the best, and I was sad that the nutella syrup wasn't that tasty on the Mickey waffle.

The sausages were ok, but not as good as Ohana, and the tater tots were cooked perfectly and were probably the best thing on the platter.

X got up to go to the restroom, and made note of our table number so he wouldn't get lost with the turning.

While he was gone, Chip came back!



Hahaha...terrible picture! Chip had definitely found a new "friend", because his whole demeanor had changed. He was friendly and fun, excited to see L's shirt, and told us all to dip the bacon in the nutella, and made a "mind blown" miming motion. (we tried it...nope. I think it was because the bacon was not awesome)

Then guess what happened??

Mickey and Pluto came back too!



This is what happens almost every time X gets up to go somewhere during a character meal

We finished our meal at about 8:40, and our plan was to go straight to the Character Spot across from the regular Character Spot. Confusing?

As we exited the restaurant, the Soarin' floodgates opened...people were streaming into the building. Looks like the park opened up a little early. I was a little frustrated by this, only because they waited so long to let us in for our breakfast reservation and made us late(ish). We left the building, the only people walking AWAY from The Land building.

We were about the third or fourth group in line for Joy and Sadness. There was a woman in line ahead of us who was wearing Inside Out ears...I asked her where she'd gotten them, because they looked like my many pairs of EarBowtique ears...and they WERE from EarBowtique! We talked about how much we liked our ears from there, and she said she had only bought them for this meet and greet!

The CMs opened the line and the characters took a nice amount of time with each group. Soon it was our turn:











They were so sweet and fun! Joy was teasing DH, telling him he looked like Anger because of his red shirt! We all really loved this meet and greet!

Up next, we crossed the room and made it to SanFransokyo







DH and I met him too, but I refuse to show anyone those pictures...they are not flattering of me at ALL. This meet wasn't quite as fun...it was quiet, the CMs didn't speak except to yell at X not to touch Baymax's head. We basically got our pictures and got out.

Baymax was so cute though! I'm really happy we got to meet him.

When we finished with the characters, we headed back the way we came...we wanted to go under the sea and see some of our fishy friends!

That's it for now! I have some time today, so I might get energetic and update again, but no promises!

Have a great Tuesday, Friends!!

 

[Raeven]

It's stupid they let you in so late but let people in so early for rope drop. We had a similar experience at EMM where it took forever to get in but they started letting RD people and PPO breakfasts in line early.

I always still manage pictures when we're running kate too

Boo first Chip and overxooked cinnamon buns!

I think Josh has that rescue rangers shirt

Kind of glad we canceled this..I've heard good things too but it does seem like the food is kind of blah and the characters aren't always attentive...maybe we'll try someday.

Ooo I've always wanted to meet Joy and Sadness! So cute.

 

[MeghanEmily]

We also loved our Joy and Sadness M&G last trip! They were so fun and sweet and were definitely putting in their all despite the early morning. That's funny with Chip! Isn't it weird how you can get a character who's totally phoning it in...and then all of a sudden the next time you see them they're feeling much better?! We've always skipped out on Garden Grill because rotating restaurants always make me feel a little disoriented and dizzy, and I always felt like we were seriously missing out, but it seems you didn't have great food so now I don't feel so bad. Haha. Great character photos - can't wait to see more of your day!