DisneyKates
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 23, 2015
Super late to the party, but I'm now happily following along! Congratulations! What an awesome engagement story. Nice work, Joe! 
See what a little Wishin' can do? A very ENGAGING January 2015 trip! *COMPLETED 10/9*
- Thread starter Cando86
- Start date
ashw100
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2014
That's too funny, death glare. I haven't been to Disney Quest and you're glowing review doesn't make me want to change that. I am not a video game person and my boys are too young for it, for now. It is good to have a relaxing day, I can't say I've done that myself but, I probably should. I love that you resort hopped to ASMovies, you're keeping it fresh 
trackie
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2012
I'm late, I know! But I'm joining now! Got all caught up already! You are so lucky! That proposal was soon cute. I can only dream that my boyfriend would propose to me in front of the castle during Wishes! Ohhhhh how amazing! So happy for you two, congrats! Loving the trip report so far!
Cando86
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2008
Oh YAY!!! How funny, our dates are so close
I'm already getting so excited! Are you guys doing a Disneymoon? We talked about it but I think we're going to try to go to Hawaii but I suppose it will be kind of a Disneymoon anyway since we plan on staying at Aulani - DISNEY YOU CAN'T ESCAPE US!WOW you are so ahead of me!!! Good for you! All we have so far is the venue and date
I also don't want TOO much in your face Disney like you guys but my sister and I really want to have hidden Mickeys everywhere...Haha, am I ever glad I don't do ADR's. So much stress, lol. But I certainly do wish you the very best of luck in securing your ressies.
Like seriously. How there was not some form of cross promotion or SOA Land or something is just so shocking.
I'm starting to get the appeal myself. Not even just necessarily for rest, but also to avoid over stimulation
Soooo... just so I'm clear. Joe did NOT like Disney Quest?
Haha, done that.
You are a smart man not doing ADRs!!! It is such a stressful process.
See that's what I don't understand - I think Disney really missed out not merging with SOA. I can just see it now...grim reaper shirts right next to the Mickey Mouse shirts. Come on...Missed opportunity, Disney.
Wait, you must have misunderstood my post - how did you conclude that Joe DIDN'T like Disney Quest?! Man, I need to learn to express my thoughts more accurately in these posts...
RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH
*EXACTLY* what I was going for. I knew I liked you!!Hi there!
Just caught up on your TR and it's been super fun to follow along with you. Congratulations on your magical engagement. What an amazing way to pop the question - in Disney, in Magic Kingdom, while Wishes was happening! Totally right there with you and tear up every time I watch Wishes (Illuminations, too). I honestly think no matter how many times I see it, I'll still cry happy tears. Only some of us get to feel that good about being in WDW so I wear it proudly.
I just introduced my boyfriend to WDW last summer and we're around the same age, which means it's extra cool to get to hear how other couples do Disney. Plus, engagements are my newest thing and I spend lots of time fantasizing about a proposal in the world, so this is fabulous! I'm excited to follow the rest of your journey here.
HELLO!!! I'm so glad you're reading
! And thank you for the congrats! Joe did such a good job, I feel like I owe him for the rest of my life (which is probably why we're not revisiting one of my favorite restaurants next trip - 50s Prime Time - I OWE HIM!).I knew I wouldn't be alone in tearing up EVERY time during Wishes. I can't even read the words without
Are you slowly converting your boyfriend to be a Disney freak? It's a fun process - I think Joe knew it was a deal breaker and he had no choice but to become a Disney freak along with me
Yay for a September trip! We'll be down there then too! Ohana has been such an issue, we have a reservation, but I wish the timing worked out better
Oh yay!!! Another September diser
! Where are you staying?!The timing always ends up being not perfect at Ohana because you always end up just having to take what you can get
Wow I had no idea they tried to bring a DisneyQuest to Philly! Why they would try to expand it is beyond me...
I signed up for one of those ADR stalking services and STILL nothing! It's been a month
I have faith something will happen closer to the trip like you said!That's Joe's logic, too!! I've never seen someone have less fun on an attraction that is themed to their favorite movie
AND YES - POP for the win!!!
Ohmygosh you and Joe would be best friends! He tries to get me to watch them all the time. If you're a Mighty Ducks fan, it's worth checking out at least. I don't think Joe was SUPER impressed but I know he was glad he saw it.
Hehehehe Joe would totally appreciate the fan girling and anything Disney fan-girl related is TOTALLY normal in my book
!!!
Thank you so so much for reading! It was such a good day off - we'll ALWAYS have them on future trips!Congratulations on the engagement!We will also be going the end of September!
Thank you
!!! I STILL tear up when I think about it!! I'm the same way - throw any proposal story my way and there WILL be tears!!! The Disney proposal videos on YouTube get me EVERY TIME.So glad to hear you'll be there in September too!!! Where are you staying?!
It always seems like a good idea at the time and then BAM you're done for for the rest of the trip!!!
Hope your ADRs for BOG and 'Ohana come through. To this day we have never been able to get one for dinner at BOG - at least they have the quick service lunch as an option there
Longer trips we always need a few rest days ... plus it is much easier to be ok with doing things like resort hoping to ASM on an off day rather than taking away from park time to do that.
Disney Quest definitely needs an update ... unless they are going for the whole "this is a nostalgic look at what the future of gaming was back 10 years ago) vibe.
... yeah, that's pretty much the main reason I got married
I think with all the time and effort that goes in to planning a Disney trip all planners are allowed at least two "smug life" moments each trip
I have my fingers crossed for those ADRs!!! It's crazy how hard to get they are! We do have a BOG lunch and are hoping they extend the breakfast (WHAT is taking them so long?!).
I used to HATE rest days on Disney trips and now I wouldn't go without them! They're so necessary in being able to enjoy the rest of your trip - I'd rather take a day off from the parks and be able to ENJOY the rest of the trip than GO GO GO and be so exhausted you aren't even able to enjoy anything.
Hehehehe I love the two smug life moments allowance. WE DESERVE IT!!!
Yay venue and date!
Oh my goodness Taylor Swift! We're seeing her in July and are so excited!
I'm dying at the accuracy here.
We have not made our way to DisneyQuest yet but we're thinking about doing it on our off day in November? Thanks for lowering expectations for me
That WPE pizza is where it's at. I could eat it every trip.
I know most people prefer Pop (in the Dis community) but having never stayed there, I cannot give a fair comparison. I can say I prefer the Sports to the Movies even if there are lots of cute sections over there.
You are going to LOVE LOVE LOVE the T Swift concert! I'm STILL reeling from it - it was amazing. Just make sure you don't have to do much talking the next day - you might not have a voice...
Ya know, I do apologize for lowering the expectations but I just view it as making sure you have REALISTIC expectations!!! I can see how people might like it if they love video games. And if you have the free vouchers, it's not like you're out any money if you hate it but still...
I love hearing you rave about Sports! I don't think we'll HATE it, I guess I'm just afraid we'll get there and be like "meh"...but "meh" works for me in Disney - it's like a "WOOO!!!!!!" in real life standards.
Super late to the party, but I'm now happily following along! Congratulations! What an awesome engagement story. Nice work, Joe!
Thank you for reading!!! He did an awesome job, right?!Thank you thank you thank you for reading!! I can't believe we're only barely halfway through the trip!That's too funny, death glare. I haven't been to Disney Quest and you're glowing review doesn't make me want to change that. I am not a video game person and my boys are too young for it, for now. It is good to have a relaxing day, I can't say I've done that myself but, I probably should. I love that you resort hopped to ASMovies, you're keeping it fresh
I have to say...it's a good thing you won't be doing DisneyQuest anytime soon...
Those relaxing days are actually really nice at Disney! I used to look at it as missing out on "Disney time" but you're still on property and able to experience other sides of Disney outside of the parks!
YAY!!!! Better late than never
!! Joe did such a good job - I'm so impressed by it all still!! THANK YOU !!
Cando86
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2008
California Dreamin' On Such a Florida Day
We decided to try out Ubers in Disney World to get back to Pop from All-Star Movies. This was an interesting experience. If you've ever used Uber, you know you request a car from your phone and it will give you an ETA and you can actually see the car driving along the map on your phone to see where the driver is. Well, this driver was mighty confused. He literally just kept circling outside of ASM. We waited about 10 minutes as he repeatedly did this and decided they probably weren't letting him on ASM property (looking back, this makes no sense - why wouldn't they?). I recently read an article about using Ubers at Disney and it said that a lot of times Disney property is confusing for the drivers so you usually have to just call them to tell them exactly where you are. Something about the maps not pinpointing exactly where you are. So, apparently Ubers DO work at Disney...this was just a case of user error. Oops.
We ended up just hopping in a cab and it was $15.
We both knew an Uber would've been way cheaper but at that point we just needed to be back to start getting ready for dinner.
I took some pictures of the view right outside our room at Pop. I LOVED our room location - it was SO perfect! Quiet, close to Everything Pop and the buses. Just perfect!
You can see AoA right across the lake there (if you're not familiar with Pop and AoA). It was such a great location.
After some showers and primping...
we were finally ready to head to our dinner location! And I was SO excited about it!
Necessary elevator picture...
We hopped on a bus to MK at 6:30 and then we were just a quick monorail ride away from our destination.
YAY!!! I *LOVE* this restaurant
. I love the sushi and the drinks and the food and WATCHING WISHES FROM THE 15TH FLOOR OF THE CONTEMPORARY. Ugh, is there anything better?
For anyone who has never been, you check in for the restaurant on the 2nd floor of the Contemporary and then they escort you up to the 15th floor where the restaurant is.
A quick picture during our quick wait to be seated
And then IT WAS TIME.
We got THE BEST table right next to the window with the greatest dinner views one could ask for. I think I had to apologize to the hostess for screeching when she showed us to our table. Sorry...
Like any good Diser, I didn't even need a menu as I knew what I was getting six months prior...don't act like you don't do it too.
But it sure is a pretty menu.
We started with the Spicy Kazan Roll - shrimp, crab, scallops, tuna and fireball sauce for the low price of...
$26.
And it was worth EVERY PENNY.
I ordered some sort of adult beverage and I can't for the life of me recall what it was. I do know that it was nothing overwhelming but it got the job done.
While we waited for our food, I spotted a good photo op...
At least I wasn't playing with my food, right?
Continued in next post...
We decided to try out Ubers in Disney World to get back to Pop from All-Star Movies. This was an interesting experience. If you've ever used Uber, you know you request a car from your phone and it will give you an ETA and you can actually see the car driving along the map on your phone to see where the driver is. Well, this driver was mighty confused. He literally just kept circling outside of ASM. We waited about 10 minutes as he repeatedly did this and decided they probably weren't letting him on ASM property (looking back, this makes no sense - why wouldn't they?). I recently read an article about using Ubers at Disney and it said that a lot of times Disney property is confusing for the drivers so you usually have to just call them to tell them exactly where you are. Something about the maps not pinpointing exactly where you are. So, apparently Ubers DO work at Disney...this was just a case of user error. Oops.
We ended up just hopping in a cab and it was $15.
We both knew an Uber would've been way cheaper but at that point we just needed to be back to start getting ready for dinner.
I took some pictures of the view right outside our room at Pop. I LOVED our room location - it was SO perfect! Quiet, close to Everything Pop and the buses. Just perfect!
You can see AoA right across the lake there (if you're not familiar with Pop and AoA). It was such a great location.
After some showers and primping...
we were finally ready to head to our dinner location! And I was SO excited about it!
Necessary elevator picture...
We hopped on a bus to MK at 6:30 and then we were just a quick monorail ride away from our destination.
YAY!!! I *LOVE* this restaurant
. I love the sushi and the drinks and the food and WATCHING WISHES FROM THE 15TH FLOOR OF THE CONTEMPORARY. Ugh, is there anything better?For anyone who has never been, you check in for the restaurant on the 2nd floor of the Contemporary and then they escort you up to the 15th floor where the restaurant is.
A quick picture during our quick wait to be seated
And then IT WAS TIME.
We got THE BEST table right next to the window with the greatest dinner views one could ask for. I think I had to apologize to the hostess for screeching when she showed us to our table. Sorry...
Like any good Diser, I didn't even need a menu as I knew what I was getting six months prior...don't act like you don't do it too.
But it sure is a pretty menu.
We started with the Spicy Kazan Roll - shrimp, crab, scallops, tuna and fireball sauce for the low price of...
$26.
And it was worth EVERY PENNY.
I ordered some sort of adult beverage and I can't for the life of me recall what it was. I do know that it was nothing overwhelming but it got the job done.
While we waited for our food, I spotted a good photo op...
At least I wasn't playing with my food, right?
Continued in next post...
Last edited:
Cando86
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2008
Gimme Back That Filet-O-Beef - GIMME THAT BEEF
I ordered the Oak Fired Filet of Beef which I had looked at online approximately 189 times. Joe got the Bison Striploin which he just learned of that day as we hadn't fully completed the Disney freak transformation quite yet.
Both were ridiculous and I mean that in the best way possible.
Joe and I were just talking the other day and he said "I have an idea! Let's make a rule for next trip that we can't order anything the same as we did last trip." And this meal is partially why I just can't agree to that.
I ate every single bite of that delicious dish. And sadly, that meant I couldn't fully enjoy my dessert which was equally as amazing.
I ordered the Warm Homemade Fritters which came with peanut butter, chocolate, and caramel dipping sauce...and soon realized they might as well have left the peanut butter and chocolate sauce back in the kitchen. That caramel sauce was WHAT WAS UP.
Joe proceeded to make me aware that a dessert can be described as ADORABLE when he ordered the sundae sampler.
ADORABLE, right?!
As if this meal couldn't get any better...the lights dimmed and Wishes was piped in through the speakers. And the world was once again at peace.
I couldn't even upload that video without crying so...that happened.
Oh, but just to bring us back to reality a bit - there was a little boy next to us (who you can hear in one of the videos I didn't post) complaining to his mom and asking "why do we have to come here ALL THE TIME just to watch the fireworks..." CHILD PLEASE. I can't with you.
Back to our regularly scheduled program.
And after I wiped away ALL THE TEARS we got to see something I've never seen at WDW - the Electrical Water Pageant!
So to bring us back to reality again...we had quite the experience trying to figure out the check. First of all there were extra charges that we had to take care of. Then we wanted to use our gift card for what we spent outside of the dining plan (drinks and the sushi). We had $90 left on a gift card which we were going to use for the tip and the drinks and sushi. Well when we gave her the gift card, she came back without it but we saw we were only charged the $40 tip so there was still $50 on the gift card which we never got back. That $50 ended up being charged to the room apparently even though we explained how we wanted to do it. I DO understand, it WAS confusing and I don't fault the server at all but it just goes to show how confusing paying the check can be at Disney sometimes. We actually ran into this a few times. The dining plan seemed to make it MORE confusing. ANYWAY if you're confused, don't worry so am I and we were at the time. It did end up all getting figured out in the end.
While we LOVED Cali Grill and will definitely be back, one thing I noticed (and this actually wasn't just exclusive to Cali Grill, I noticed it a lot) was that the service just kind of left you feeling "eh". Not what you expect at Disney, anyway. At a signature restaurant, I would expect at least a little better service than what we got at Sci-Fi but it was pretty identical. I don't want to sound like an entitled snob, it was just noticeable and definitely different than what I've experienced on prior trips.
We took the monorail back to MK and then a bus back to Pop which took (for the first time in) FOREVER (sorry). I have "COLD" written in my notes and I'm pretty sure this wasn't the first time. January is a strange time to go. We were in shorts in 80 degree weather one day and the next in hats and gloves and feeling like we were back in Michigan.
We were back to the room by 11 and had no issue falling asleep, as is usually the case in WDW. Tomorrow we'd be back to visit the spot where we got engaged!!!
I ordered the Oak Fired Filet of Beef which I had looked at online approximately 189 times. Joe got the Bison Striploin which he just learned of that day as we hadn't fully completed the Disney freak transformation quite yet.
Both were ridiculous and I mean that in the best way possible.
Joe and I were just talking the other day and he said "I have an idea! Let's make a rule for next trip that we can't order anything the same as we did last trip." And this meal is partially why I just can't agree to that.
I ate every single bite of that delicious dish. And sadly, that meant I couldn't fully enjoy my dessert which was equally as amazing.
I ordered the Warm Homemade Fritters which came with peanut butter, chocolate, and caramel dipping sauce...and soon realized they might as well have left the peanut butter and chocolate sauce back in the kitchen. That caramel sauce was WHAT WAS UP.
Joe proceeded to make me aware that a dessert can be described as ADORABLE when he ordered the sundae sampler.
ADORABLE, right?!
As if this meal couldn't get any better...the lights dimmed and Wishes was piped in through the speakers. And the world was once again at peace.
I couldn't even upload that video without crying so...that happened.
Oh, but just to bring us back to reality a bit - there was a little boy next to us (who you can hear in one of the videos I didn't post) complaining to his mom and asking "why do we have to come here ALL THE TIME just to watch the fireworks..." CHILD PLEASE. I can't with you.
Back to our regularly scheduled program.
And after I wiped away ALL THE TEARS we got to see something I've never seen at WDW - the Electrical Water Pageant!
So to bring us back to reality again...we had quite the experience trying to figure out the check. First of all there were extra charges that we had to take care of. Then we wanted to use our gift card for what we spent outside of the dining plan (drinks and the sushi). We had $90 left on a gift card which we were going to use for the tip and the drinks and sushi. Well when we gave her the gift card, she came back without it but we saw we were only charged the $40 tip so there was still $50 on the gift card which we never got back. That $50 ended up being charged to the room apparently even though we explained how we wanted to do it. I DO understand, it WAS confusing and I don't fault the server at all but it just goes to show how confusing paying the check can be at Disney sometimes. We actually ran into this a few times. The dining plan seemed to make it MORE confusing. ANYWAY if you're confused, don't worry so am I and we were at the time. It did end up all getting figured out in the end.
While we LOVED Cali Grill and will definitely be back, one thing I noticed (and this actually wasn't just exclusive to Cali Grill, I noticed it a lot) was that the service just kind of left you feeling "eh". Not what you expect at Disney, anyway. At a signature restaurant, I would expect at least a little better service than what we got at Sci-Fi but it was pretty identical. I don't want to sound like an entitled snob, it was just noticeable and definitely different than what I've experienced on prior trips.
We took the monorail back to MK and then a bus back to Pop which took (for the first time in) FOREVER (sorry). I have "COLD" written in my notes and I'm pretty sure this wasn't the first time. January is a strange time to go. We were in shorts in 80 degree weather one day and the next in hats and gloves and feeling like we were back in Michigan.
We were back to the room by 11 and had no issue falling asleep, as is usually the case in WDW. Tomorrow we'd be back to visit the spot where we got engaged!!!
TheMaxRebo
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2008
you two clean up pretty well 
California Grill is one of my favorite "date night" places at WDW (well, non-Victoria & Albert division at least). Very good food, generally very good staff (we've been lucking to always have very good to great, but have heard others say they had less than that service), and best view on property
Spicy Kazaan Roll is tremendous! And while price it is pretty substantial and tons of sea food in it
I always get the pork there but your filet looks really good. I have to say, not that they are bad, but I think compared to the apps, flat breads, sushi, entrees, etc. the desserts are the weakest point at CG ... the sampler is adorable though
And watching Wishes from there is one of life's great pleasures. The kid complaining that the go to CG too often to watch the fireworks is basically the official definition of first world problems.
That does sound confusing paying the bill ... and to think - they are making the dining plan more confusing! With now being able to exchange meals for snacks and sometimes kids and adults are the same and sometime not, and desserts can be exchanged for soups or sides, etc.
California Grill is one of my favorite "date night" places at WDW (well, non-Victoria & Albert division at least). Very good food, generally very good staff (we've been lucking to always have very good to great, but have heard others say they had less than that service), and best view on property
Spicy Kazaan Roll is tremendous! And while price it is pretty substantial and tons of sea food in it
I always get the pork there but your filet looks really good. I have to say, not that they are bad, but I think compared to the apps, flat breads, sushi, entrees, etc. the desserts are the weakest point at CG ... the sampler is adorable though
And watching Wishes from there is one of life's great pleasures. The kid complaining that the go to CG too often to watch the fireworks is basically the official definition of first world problems.
That does sound confusing paying the bill ... and to think - they are making the dining plan more confusing! With now being able to exchange meals for snacks and sometimes kids and adults are the same and sometime not, and desserts can be exchanged for soups or sides, etc.
DisneyKid4Life
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2013
Haha, honestly, if I really didn't care how long I waited, that whole "Ubers" thing sounds quite entertaining. I imagine it was a case of not even trying to drive in after maybe seeing the security gate and maybe thinking he couldn't. Or he thought by circling you would eventually magically show up. The driving equivalent of rubbing a lamp.
Haha, I can honestly say that I have never done this.
Some day, maybe I will dine at Cali Grill. But it won't be for the food (no matter how good). It will be for Wishes.
OK, just so I'm clear, the tip was $40? Because that is about how much I spend on food at Disney for a whole day.
This is actually a big reason why I tend not to do ADR's. I ride Space Mountain, or Soarin' the experience is pretty much set. Some of these ADR's can be the best night of your life... or they can be incredibly disappointing. Too much uncertainty for me for the price. But that's just me
Haha, I can honestly say that I have never done this.
Some day, maybe I will dine at Cali Grill. But it won't be for the food (no matter how good). It will be for Wishes.
OK, just so I'm clear, the tip was $40? Because that is about how much I spend on food at Disney for a whole day.
This is actually a big reason why I tend not to do ADR's. I ride Space Mountain, or Soarin' the experience is pretty much set. Some of these ADR's can be the best night of your life... or they can be incredibly disappointing. Too much uncertainty for me for the price. But that's just me
lilmissdisney216
<font color=royalblue>Pawsitively Lovin a Labrador
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2007
Loving the trip report!!! Was really wanting to go to California Grill on our trip in a week. Still hoping to get a ressie, haven't checked in a bit.
Adgie128
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2009
HELLO!!! I'm so glad you're reading
I knew I wouldn't be alone in tearing up EVERY time during Wishes. I can't even read the words without
Are you slowly converting your boyfriend to be a Disney freak? It's a fun process - I think Joe knew it was a deal breaker and he had no choice but to become a Disney freak along with me
He did an excellent job.
How gracious of you to offer to go to 50s Prime Time next time.
I think we think alike. I am always telling my boyfriend how generous I am to plan WDW trips. Really, we are offering a trip planning service for free to those who travel with us, so that in itself is a convenience for them!I'm working so hard to convert him into a Disney freak. We went in August of 2014, and the humidity really affected him. We took lots of time to relax and eat nice meals and visit the pool. I have to say, I think he loved it. I am admittedly not a park commando so that helped ease him into it, too. He has a ways to go - he still think the fact that I Dis is funny. He'll be hooked soon enough I hope!
CG is my favorite! You had a great table. The next time you visit, ask for Jason to be your server. He made our night so very memorable and took a while chatting with us and making us feel special. He was hands down, the best CM I encountered that week. Hope that makes up for it.
SarahDisney
So ... Yeah
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2014
I'm an occasionally Uber user, so it's good to hear about your attempted experience with them. Mostly we use Disney transportation, but for situations where it's too much of a hassle, its good to know they will work if I can help the driver figure out where I am.
Right next to the window @ Cali Grill ... AMAZING! That view ...
(And I did not cry while watching your video ... almost crying doesn't count as crying!)
Joe's sundae sampler is adorable. Like seriously, cutest dessert ever.
I did not realize that you could see the Electrical Water Pageant from California Grill - that's good to know! Another reason for me to consider trying to get an ADR there...
Right next to the window @ Cali Grill ... AMAZING! That view ...
(And I did not cry while watching your video ... almost crying doesn't count as crying!)
Joe's sundae sampler is adorable. Like seriously, cutest dessert ever.
I did not realize that you could see the Electrical Water Pageant from California Grill - that's good to know! Another reason for me to consider trying to get an ADR there...
disneyguy4life
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2015
That is what I tell my beautiful, wonderful, loving wife. Honey it is Disney, I know what I am doing. She puts up with me. LOL.
beckyx3
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2012
Oh yay!!! Another September diser
The timing always ends up being not perfect at Ohana because you always end up just having to take what you can get
Wow I had no idea they tried to bring a DisneyQuest to Philly! Why they would try to expand it is beyond me...
Yes! I'm so happy to see so many people going down around the same time! Looks like a couple of us overlap a bit so hopefully we can run into each other! Our stay is a little convoluted. We start at AOA in a suite with a few friends, then one friend leaves and it becomes incredibly cheaper to move to the Poly for a night, then the rest of our friends leave and DBF and I move on over to the Beach Club for a few days. Where are you guys staying? Sorry if you mentioned it! I have an attention span problem
And I have no idea about Disney Quest. My dad and I were talking about it the other day. I remember being so excited as a kid and I was telling him how confusing it was the last time I was in Disney Quest and how I couldn't imagine it being here. He's not a Disney fan so he can take it or leave it
This kid! I've never been to California Grill, we discuss it but we can't seem to justify the price, so I will switch places with that kid any day of the week! Your meal looked so delicious and it sounded like so much fun!
Cando86
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2008
Sunday January 11, 2015 - I Think This Is The Beginning Of A Beautiful Friendship...With Buzz Lightyear
Today we woke up refreshed and ready to continue the rest of our trip! Getting a good night's rest in Disney is so important - and so hard to do! Thankfully this was a nice, long trip and we were able to sleep in a few of the days without feeling like we were missing out.
Today we'd be back to the place that this trip somehow made even MORE special than it already was.
DISNEYQUEST!!!
...no.
MAGIC KINGDOM
!
We got to the bus stop at Pop around 8am and a MK bus arrived shortly after. So while I knew Marathon Weekend was occurring during our trip, most things I read said that it really shouldn't affect any of your plans or even the crowd levels really. Except today apparently. Due to the marathon traffic, the bus had to take a back way which took a bit longer. Once we arrived at MK, there was a HUUUGE line of cars to get in. Then the bus had to drop us at the Contemporary. I'm not exactly sure why they had to do this but we just took the walkway over to the MK. Meanwhile I was internally (and maybe not so internally...just ask Joe) freaking out over the possibility of missing one of my FAAAVORITE Disney things - THE WELCOME SHOW. Even though we had seen it a few days prior, once simply was not enough.
Thankfully we made it right on time! PHEW. Disney crisis averted.
Good morning, good MORNING!
We headed right to SPACE!
One thing I'll mention that Joe and I had pointed out to each other was that Space seemed underwhelming this trip. Joe said he remembered riding this as a kid and just loving it. We chalked our slight disappointment with the ride up to the fact that likes just change as you age. I couldn't exactly figure out why I felt underwhelmed by Space until Joe made a comment about the darkness of the ride. He said he just didn't understand the appeal in riding a roller coaster in complete darkness...like they missed the mark by not doing something cooler since you're "in space."
Well, when we got home and I was on the boards someone made a post about Space and how the effects had not been working or were working sporadically. Ps anyone else think of this scene from Clueless when they use that word?
Every time.
ANYWAY once I read that post about some of the effects not working it made sense. Space Mountain wasn't SUPPOSED to be dark. No wonder we were underwhelmed. None of the stars or anything else was working on any of our rides during the trip. The stars from Space and the Yeti from EE must be hanging out. So I'll be excited to ride it again in September with fingers crossed that everything is working properly.
Regardless of all of that, we STILL rode Space twice. It's too hard to pass up a ride that can have hour long or more waits when it's a walk on! We got to ride both sides and did notice a difference between the two, though it could very well have been all mental! We also each got to ride in the front!
Next, we decided to head to an attraction I hadn't been on since I was a little one - Astro Orbiter! I think we might have been the only people on it at 9:15 in the morning. The CM then asked a question and we would quickly come to regret our answer...
CM: Would you like to share a rocket or each have your own?
US: SHARE!
Maybe because we were recently engaged and wanted to spend ALL THE TIME together? ... Regardless, it was not our smartest decision.
There was not an INCH to spare in that rocket
! It ended up being pretty funny actually.
I kind of liked Astro Orbiter! I like any attraction that gives a new perspective of the park (I see you TTA!) so this was pretty neat.
We headed to a ride that ended up becoming one of our favorites this trip! BUZZ! I lost count of how many times total we rode this this trip. Buzz was a walk-on at 9:25 in the morning so we were on very quickly! Sadly, Joe beat me this round.
Check out that concentration.
So, while Joe beat me this round you'll notice our scores are still pretty low. As the day progresses, you'll see that we became slightly obsessed with this ride and trying to get higher scores. So at 9:30 in the morning when lines are non-existent what did we do next? Head to BTMR? Maybe try for SDMT or Anna & Elsa? Nope. Like the nerds we apparently are, we popped a squat on a bench and googled "Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin tricks" and educated ourselves.
THIS ride we did MUCH better thanks to our studies.
I'm pretty sure Joe still beat me but I was proud of those scores! Little did we know this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship with Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin.
So intense
Continued in next post
Today we woke up refreshed and ready to continue the rest of our trip! Getting a good night's rest in Disney is so important - and so hard to do! Thankfully this was a nice, long trip and we were able to sleep in a few of the days without feeling like we were missing out.
Today we'd be back to the place that this trip somehow made even MORE special than it already was.
DISNEYQUEST!!!
...no.
MAGIC KINGDOM
!We got to the bus stop at Pop around 8am and a MK bus arrived shortly after. So while I knew Marathon Weekend was occurring during our trip, most things I read said that it really shouldn't affect any of your plans or even the crowd levels really. Except today apparently. Due to the marathon traffic, the bus had to take a back way which took a bit longer. Once we arrived at MK, there was a HUUUGE line of cars to get in. Then the bus had to drop us at the Contemporary. I'm not exactly sure why they had to do this but we just took the walkway over to the MK. Meanwhile I was internally (and maybe not so internally...just ask Joe) freaking out over the possibility of missing one of my FAAAVORITE Disney things - THE WELCOME SHOW. Even though we had seen it a few days prior, once simply was not enough.
Thankfully we made it right on time! PHEW. Disney crisis averted.
Good morning, good MORNING!
We headed right to SPACE!
One thing I'll mention that Joe and I had pointed out to each other was that Space seemed underwhelming this trip. Joe said he remembered riding this as a kid and just loving it. We chalked our slight disappointment with the ride up to the fact that likes just change as you age. I couldn't exactly figure out why I felt underwhelmed by Space until Joe made a comment about the darkness of the ride. He said he just didn't understand the appeal in riding a roller coaster in complete darkness...like they missed the mark by not doing something cooler since you're "in space."
Well, when we got home and I was on the boards someone made a post about Space and how the effects had not been working or were working sporadically. Ps anyone else think of this scene from Clueless when they use that word?
Every time.
ANYWAY once I read that post about some of the effects not working it made sense. Space Mountain wasn't SUPPOSED to be dark. No wonder we were underwhelmed. None of the stars or anything else was working on any of our rides during the trip. The stars from Space and the Yeti from EE must be hanging out. So I'll be excited to ride it again in September with fingers crossed that everything is working properly.
Regardless of all of that, we STILL rode Space twice. It's too hard to pass up a ride that can have hour long or more waits when it's a walk on! We got to ride both sides and did notice a difference between the two, though it could very well have been all mental! We also each got to ride in the front
!Next, we decided to head to an attraction I hadn't been on since I was a little one - Astro Orbiter! I think we might have been the only people on it at 9:15 in the morning. The CM then asked a question and we would quickly come to regret our answer...
CM: Would you like to share a rocket or each have your own?
US: SHARE!
Maybe because we were recently engaged and wanted to spend ALL THE TIME together? ... Regardless, it was not our smartest decision.
There was not an INCH to spare in that rocket
! It ended up being pretty funny actually. I kind of liked Astro Orbiter! I like any attraction that gives a new perspective of the park (I see you TTA!) so this was pretty neat.
We headed to a ride that ended up becoming one of our favorites this trip! BUZZ! I lost count of how many times total we rode this this trip. Buzz was a walk-on at 9:25 in the morning so we were on very quickly! Sadly, Joe beat me this round
. Check out that concentration.
So, while Joe beat me this round you'll notice our scores are still pretty low. As the day progresses, you'll see that we became slightly obsessed with this ride and trying to get higher scores. So at 9:30 in the morning when lines are non-existent what did we do next? Head to BTMR? Maybe try for SDMT or Anna & Elsa? Nope. Like the nerds we apparently are, we popped a squat on a bench and googled "Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin tricks" and educated ourselves.
THIS ride we did MUCH better thanks to our studies.
I'm pretty sure Joe still beat me but I was proud of those scores! Little did we know this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship with Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin.
So intense
Continued in next post
Cando86
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2008
January 11, 2015 - Being Their Guests...Again
We each got voluntarily captured by Zurg for a quick second.
Well, it looks like Joe escaped.
I wasn't as lucky.
We must have rode Buzz one more time as I have another picture of our scores but it's really blurry. So that's three rides on Buzz so far.
I just wrote "we rode Pooh next" and realized I think I might have to call that attraction by its full name for clarification purposes...
After THE MANY ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE POOH, we tried our hand at that darn sword.
And failed. Per usual. But Joe sure looks like he's trying a lot harder than I am (am I crying?).
We rode the carrousel since we had a few minutes to kill before our SDMT FP. I searched for Cinderella's horse but someone had beat me to it. Darn. Ooo speaking of little known secrets...my birthday was last week and one of Joe's gifts to me was this awesome book called "Walt Disney World Fun Finds and Hidden Mickeys". It lists out by area little known facts and hidden Mickeys in that particular section of the park. It's going to be AWESOME to bring with us in September!
I got one of my favorite pictures of Joe while we rode.
This. This is why we go to Disney.
We headed to SDMT and were still five minutes early. We went ahead and tried to use our FPs anyway since this had worked before. And it did like a charm - we were able to use our FPs five minutes before their start time. We got in line at 10:20 and were done with the (awesome) ride by 10:30.
HI-HOOOO!
We just love this ride. It definitely became one of our new favs!
We were getting HUNGRY. I was probably getting HANGRY. And I was EXCITED for this meal!
I feel you JLaw.
We had lunch FPs for BOG!!! If you remember, Joe and I absolutely LOVED our dinner here. We were excited to see how lunch compared.
As we walked up to the podium, before I even got there, one of the CMs said "Hi Candace!"
I was so confused! I think I said "wait...how did you...what?!" And the CM just winked at me. MAGIC (Bands...it was the Magic Bands).
I ordered the Braised Pork with the Master's Cupcake and Joe got the Croque Monsieur with the Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcake.
We decided to sit in a different room than we had sat in for dinner. We chose the West Wing for lunch. I think this was a perfect spot for lunch and the ballroom was perfect for dinner. The West Wing is REALLY cool. It was crazy hard to get good pictures in here since it's so dark but I still tried.
Our food was DELICIOUS. I finished every single bite. It was one of my favorite meals all trip. I think the Master's Cupcake won out over the Cream Cheese one but they were both fabulous. Joe made a comment at one point about Be Our Guest and said it was "probably my favorite place we've come to, like overall." SCORE ONE (but actually way more) for BOG! Later he even said it was his favorite part of the trip. I agreed 100%. In September we'll be eating there THREE TIMES. A pre-park opening breakfast, lunch, and dinner before MNSSHP. NO SHAME.
During lunch I had also been texting with a family friend who lives outside of Orlando and was going to be in the Magic Kingdom so we were trying to figure out a game plan to meet up for a bit!
Up next...Being a part of Belle's enchanted story and LOTS more fun!!!
We each got voluntarily captured by Zurg for a quick second.
Well, it looks like Joe escaped.
I wasn't as lucky.
We must have rode Buzz one more time as I have another picture of our scores but it's really blurry. So that's three rides on Buzz so far.
I just wrote "we rode Pooh next" and realized I think I might have to call that attraction by its full name for clarification purposes...
After THE MANY ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE POOH, we tried our hand at that darn sword.
And failed. Per usual. But Joe sure looks like he's trying a lot harder than I am (am I crying?).
We rode the carrousel since we had a few minutes to kill before our SDMT FP. I searched for Cinderella's horse but someone had beat me to it. Darn. Ooo speaking of little known secrets...my birthday was last week and one of Joe's gifts to me was this awesome book called "Walt Disney World Fun Finds and Hidden Mickeys". It lists out by area little known facts and hidden Mickeys in that particular section of the park. It's going to be AWESOME to bring with us in September!
I got one of my favorite pictures of Joe while we rode.
This. This is why we go to Disney.
We headed to SDMT and were still five minutes early. We went ahead and tried to use our FPs anyway since this had worked before. And it did like a charm - we were able to use our FPs five minutes before their start time. We got in line at 10:20 and were done with the (awesome) ride by 10:30.
HI-HOOOO!
We just love this ride. It definitely became one of our new favs!
We were getting HUNGRY. I was probably getting HANGRY. And I was EXCITED for this meal!
I feel you JLaw.
We had lunch FPs for BOG!!! If you remember, Joe and I absolutely LOVED our dinner here. We were excited to see how lunch compared.
As we walked up to the podium, before I even got there, one of the CMs said "Hi Candace!"
I was so confused! I think I said "wait...how did you...what?!" And the CM just winked at me. MAGIC (Bands...it was the Magic Bands).
I ordered the Braised Pork with the Master's Cupcake and Joe got the Croque Monsieur with the Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcake.
We decided to sit in a different room than we had sat in for dinner. We chose the West Wing for lunch. I think this was a perfect spot for lunch and the ballroom was perfect for dinner. The West Wing is REALLY cool. It was crazy hard to get good pictures in here since it's so dark but I still tried.
Our food was DELICIOUS. I finished every single bite. It was one of my favorite meals all trip. I think the Master's Cupcake won out over the Cream Cheese one but they were both fabulous. Joe made a comment at one point about Be Our Guest and said it was "probably my favorite place we've come to, like overall." SCORE ONE (but actually way more) for BOG! Later he even said it was his favorite part of the trip. I agreed 100%. In September we'll be eating there THREE TIMES. A pre-park opening breakfast, lunch, and dinner before MNSSHP. NO SHAME.
During lunch I had also been texting with a family friend who lives outside of Orlando and was going to be in the Magic Kingdom so we were trying to figure out a game plan to meet up for a bit!
Up next...Being a part of Belle's enchanted story and LOTS more fun!!!
Bunny Moon
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2015
Just read though all your updates so far. Congrats on graduation and the engagement! I'm loving reading about your trip 
.
.
TheMaxRebo
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2008
Glad the detours didn't delay you too much and you made the Welcome Show!
At first I was going to say that maybe the reason you weren't as impressed with Space Mountain was because you had raised expectations based on memory, etc. and it just couldn't live up to that .... and then you mention none of the stars or anything were on - so yeah, rather than some convoluted mental reason, there was a legit technological reason
Haha, I was the same way with Buzz as I looked up on-line tips. Though I was less than forthcoming with others the tips I got (granted last trip my then 2-year old son took the opportunity to control the spin lever and just had us spin constantly so the tips didn't really help)
I remember reading when Magic Bands were coming out that they would use the technology to greet guests by name, but I never really experienced it and haven't read too many reports of it, so nice to read that they did greet you by name at 7DMT - definitely a neat use of the technology. Would be cool if you could attach preferences (always wants front of the ride, or food preferences) as well.
Glad you enjoyed BOG for lunch - definitely a step up from your average counter-service option.
At first I was going to say that maybe the reason you weren't as impressed with Space Mountain was because you had raised expectations based on memory, etc. and it just couldn't live up to that .... and then you mention none of the stars or anything were on - so yeah, rather than some convoluted mental reason, there was a legit technological reason
Haha, I was the same way with Buzz as I looked up on-line tips. Though I was less than forthcoming with others the tips I got
(granted last trip my then 2-year old son took the opportunity to control the spin lever and just had us spin constantly so the tips didn't really help)I remember reading when Magic Bands were coming out that they would use the technology to greet guests by name, but I never really experienced it and haven't read too many reports of it, so nice to read that they did greet you by name at 7DMT - definitely a neat use of the technology. Would be cool if you could attach preferences (always wants front of the ride, or food preferences) as well.
Glad you enjoyed BOG for lunch - definitely a step up from your average counter-service option.
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