# Don't We Need More Ice Cream? - A F&G Trip Report - The End. Period. Paragraph. 1/27



## franandaj

Here we are again! Another franandaj trip to WDW!  And I think everyone reading is probably going to answer the question posed in the title of the TR with a resounding “YES!” But how did we get to that point, you ask? Well you will have to read along to find out. I chose that as the title over the other choice which I’ll explain below.

By this point I’ve written so many of these things, I’m not exactly sure what I can tell you about us in the introduction that you don’t already know!  So hmmmm, let’s dig into the archives and see what I can come up with. 

We'll come back to that! But first, this trip is a little different, it's not just us, this time we’re taking my parents to WDW for their second visit. My parents are both retired and have been for a while. The first trip where we took them to WDW was back in 2010, but I was new to the DIS and wasn’t writing TRs at that time. I did a dining review, but I think that was my very first full fledged report.

My Dad really enjoyed the last trip because I remember him asking if we would be going back while they still lived in their old house (my childhood street address). I’m not sure my Mom enjoyed it so much as her answer to my Dad’s question was cynical enough to lead Fran and myself to believe that that we shouldn’t take them back anytime soon.

My Mom is a big flower person. Her yard is like a botanical garden of Irises complete with identifying tags telling which varietal you are viewing. She is a member of her local Iris Society as well the Chrysanthemum group. She also judges festivals in the San Jose area. So we figured that perhaps traveling during the Flower & Garden Festival might be the thing to entice her. In fact her FB employment is “Iris Grower at home.”  Here’s some of her posts from FB.
















My parents are also avid birders.  That means when they see a bird, they start to go all technical on it. When you or I look at a black bird perched on the fence we think, oh there’s a Crow. However, during the first part of the trip, my parents were having a friendly dispute as to what exactly it was and finally they decided that it was a Boat-tailed grackle. The alternate choice for a title was “What kind of grackle is that? Common? Boat-tailed? Greater Antillean?” 

So I think you see how I chose the current title! So let’s go with the obligatory introduction photos.

Here we all are at WDW in 2010











If you’ve followed along on my other TRs, you’ll know that we have traveled with my parents before, we took them on a Disney Cruise to Alaska a few summers ago.






And they come to So Cal often to visit us, here we are at the Getty Museum a few years ago.






And the King Tut Exhibit last March







OK, so here’s some of the things I’ve dug up out of the archives.  Embarrassing childhood photos.






My first visit to Disneyland
















As you can tell I’ve been into music for a large part of my life. 87% to be exact, you might even know that I earned my degree in Saxophone performance with a minor in historical musicology. One thing that haunts all Music Majors is the start of semester auditions for placement in ensembles, so you can see why I didn’t stop practicing even on a 4WD Camping trip to Canyonlands, Utah, back when I was in school.






I had hoped to dig up some childhood photos of Fran, but her family didn’t keep albums, and the few that I have of her were misplaced in the move.  I suspect they are in my boxes of photos that never made it into albums when I switched from actual albums to digital sharing, so that’s all you get for embarrassing childhood photos.  However, I do have some photos from the past.













So with all that, let’s get this party started!


Day 1


I bet you think I stayed up all night packing.



You would be wrong there! I finally got Fran to give me all her clothes that she wanted to take well in advance of the trip.  That doesn’t mean that I didn’t spend most of the entire day before the trip scrambling. There were eBays to ship, a car to get from the shop, cat food to be divvyed up into meal portions, laundry to put away, dishes to be done (I still didn’t finish this one), and a car to be packed.


However, sometime around 10:30PM, I crawled into my walk in bathtub for a bath/shower. I have no idea what time my head hit the pillow, but I’m guessing near 11:00PM.


In my last TR this summed up things pretty well, because right off the bat it happened again. We had a failure to communicate.








When Fran and I go places, we always run late, so we build in buffer time. I had said, “Let’s target leaving at 5:30AM, that way when we run late, we’ll be OK.” I don’t know if she didn’t hear me say the word “leaving” or she thinks I’m a lot faster than I really am, cause she woke me up at 5:20AM. Not only did I have to get dressed, but I had to feed the cats, and load her scooter on the back of the car.  Well it was ten to 7AM when we actually were on our way to the airport.  






With traffic we didn’t get there until after 7:30, they recommend that you get there two hours before your flight and we actually like to be there between 2-3 hours before our flight.  Our flight was at 9:15.

In the past few months Fran has been feeling worlds better. If you read my last TR, you’ll know that she was feeling icky all week on the cruise. Since then we have figured out her new meds, and she is eating more appropriately for the reaction. As a result, she had dropped a ton of weight. The week before we left, we took almost 60 pairs of pants and shorts to the thrift store because they are 2 or 3 sizes too big.

So with feeling better she is doing more physical stuff, and when we got to the airport she jumped into action and lowered the scooter off the lift while I got the suitcases out of the passenger doors of the SUV. Then she opened up the back and we sprung into action, I put the back of my scooter on the ground. In an Herculean effort, she picked up the bigger part of the scooter.  “Please let me get that.” I said, but she insisted. When I went to put the two parts together I noticed that the key (I keep it in the ignition so it doesn’t get lost) was bent. I reached down to bend it back and the thing snapped off with half the key in the hole. Crap.

I was able to use the top part of the key to make it work, and we decided that we would just deal with it once we got to the resort. I have a spare key in my purse at all times, so that wouldn’t be a problem, and I didn’t want to have to deal with a rental scooter, they suck.

Fran started checking our bags curbside, I moved the scooter off to the side, flashed my ID for the agent, and took off in the car to park. Soon I was back on the bus to the terminal. One great thing about flying Southwest is that they are in the First Terminal at LAX so you don’t get stuck riding the bus around forever, like with American that is in Terminal 4.

Since we were running late, we went directly through security. I love having PreChek, it sure speeds things up! And then we were at the gate. I think we had 6 minutes until they started preboarding, so no time to potty or even get any food.

We got good seats and thanks to SW and their policy that you can purchase a 2nd seat for certain persons, we had a row to ourselves. It may not be 1st Class, but you go what you gotta do. 

Some of you may have seen this play out on FB, but while the other passengers were boarding, Fran turns to me and says, “What is the bad plane?” She shows me this card. 






I posted it on FB, and this was probably one of my most ever commented upon posts! It got pretty hilarious, as long as we didn’t die, which we didn’t.

By this point we were starving, luckily we had brought snacks for the plane, so I started out by munching on our Ritz Cheddar Toasted Crisps. Once the plane leveled out, we decided to split one of the two sandwiches I had made the night before.






Roast Beef and Cheddar.







Once that was done, I got out my computer, purchased the WiFi package for a whopping $8 and got all caught up on everyone’s TRs. I started a little bit of work on this TR as well, but mostly I put on my noise canceling headphones and listened to my Disney Playlist on Spotify. The trip was so turbulent that the Captain never turned off the Fasten Seatbelts sign, even the flight attendants had to remain in their seats for most of the flight.

The plane landed in St. Louis and this time we didn’t wait to get off the plane like we usually do. We got right off and once we located the next gate, we headed straight for the bathroom!

Back at the gate, I charged my computer. I love how most of the seats now have built in plugs and such!

Soon they did the preboarding and we were back in our comfy row of seats.  Well not so comfy, my butt hurt by the end of the second flight from sitting all day.

Once the plane leveled out, we enjoyed the second sandwich along with some more Ritz Toasted Crisps, and some of Margaret’s Toll House cookies left from the other night.

I got the computer back out and worked on the TR, this flight was much shorter and pretty soon we were landing in Orlando. Twice today we skirted death. With only 31 of those planes in the fleet, I'm not sure how we got them for both legs. Just lucky I guess! And it's very possible that we were not on a MAX8 plane. On the way home, we had the very same cards in our seat pockets, so who knows. However, the very next day the US grounded the fleet of these planes leaving people scrambling for flights.

Here’s the obligatory fake o rail shot.






On our way to the DME we got sidetracked by this little retro candy shop. Fran passed it totally and I commented that I couldn't believe we didn't get sucked in by the candy store, and she’s like, “What?”

So we turned around, and we ended up with a whole stash of goodies. She really likes Charleston Chews and they're not very common anymore.






Soon we were on the DME and enroute to our home for the next couple days. Sorry it’s not a better picture, it’s the best of the lot.






And I think I’ll just leave it off there for the rest of our adventures for the evening.


Coming up Next: Holy Cow! What are we going to do with all this room?


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## franandaj

Day 1 (cont.)

Settling in for the next two days 

Day 2

First Day of Kiosks and Topiaries  Part 1, Part 2
With Our Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Mugs

Day 3

And Now For Something Complete Diffferent
Settling in for the Week

Day 4

F&G Kiosks Round 2
Where we get some Ice Cream, but first rides
Then Ice Cream


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## Dis_Yoda

That is awesome that Fran is feeling better and has dropped some weight!  

Your Max thread was amusing! 

I’m in for the ride .

(and yes, always need more ice cream)


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## jedijill

I’m here!  

Your moms irises are gorgeous!  Love the pic of Fran as grumpy....she got right into the character!  

I spy a Denver made chocolate bar in your candy bag!  

Yay for making it to WDW alive!

Jill in CO


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## Steppesister

Hey Lady 

I'm here and following along... 

back to read and comment later this weekend...


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## pooh'smate

Joining in. Your mom's flowers are beautiful.  All that candy looks yummy.


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## pkondz

Here!


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## dizneeat

*I am here, saving my spot!! AND I made page 1.  
Going to read this right away, even before breakfast. 

Back from reading .......
Love the intro with your childhood pics.  And your mom's flowers are beautiful.

I DO remember the MAX 8 photo on FB and telling Tom and we were "not amused" that they still used those, since they were already grounded here in Europe.
But I was happy to hear you made it.

And every time I see your snacks for the flight I realize that they don't cater any more on most US airlines. Your sandwich looks yummy by the way. (Okay I think it IS time for my breakfast now. )

Okay, I am ready for more. *


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## pkondz

franandaj said:


> And I think everyone reading is probably going to answer the question posed in the title of the TR with a resounding “YES!”







franandaj said:


> I’m not sure my Mom enjoyed it so much as her answer to my Dad’s question was cynical enough to lead Fran and myself to believe that that we shouldn’t take them back anytime soon.



Oh dear... did you break her?



franandaj said:


> Her yard is like a botanical garden of Irises complete with identifying tags telling which varietal you are viewing.



Whoa! That's dedication!



franandaj said:


> She also judges festivals in the San Jose area.



Really! That's pretty cool.



franandaj said:


> Here’s some of her posts from FB.



Impressive!



franandaj said:


> When you or I look at a black bird perched on the fence we think, oh there’s a Crow. However, during the first part of the trip, my parents were having a friendly dispute as to what exactly it was and finally they decided that it was a Boat-tailed grackle.





Nope. It's a crow.





franandaj said:


>



Heh. Did Fran and your dad race?



franandaj said:


>



I'm betting you girls loved those dresses.
And I see your love of cats goes way back. 



franandaj said:


> My first visit to Disneyland



Awww... 



franandaj said:


>



We still have a similar piano. I just told my mom that I'd like to inherit it. (It was originally her... grandmother's, I think.)



franandaj said:


> you might even know that I earned my degree in Saxophone performance with a minor in historical musicology.



I did _not_ know that!



franandaj said:


>




Grumpy no less!!



franandaj said:


>



I'm surprised he allowed you to sit in his chair.



franandaj said:


> I bet you think I stayed up all night packing.



Nope!



franandaj said:


> In my last TR this summed up things pretty well, because right off the bat it happened again. We had a failure to communicate.



uh oh...



franandaj said:


> When Fran and I go places, we always run late, so we build in buffer time. I had said, “Let’s target leaving at 5:30AM, that way when we run late, we’ll be OK.” I don’t know if she didn’t hear me say the word “leaving” or she thinks I’m a lot faster than I really am, cause she woke me up at 5:20AM. Not only did I have to get dressed, but I had to feed the cats, and load her scooter on the back of the car. Well it was ten to 7AM when we actually were on our way to the airport.



Oh dear. 
I would've been starting to panic. Perhaps you were? Or with your buffer, were you okay?



franandaj said:


> With traffic we didn’t get there until after 7:30, they recommend that you get there two hours before your flight and we actually like to be there between 2-3 hours before our flight. Our flight was at 9:15.



Not bad. A bit tight, but not bad.



franandaj said:


> In the past few months Fran has been feeling worlds better.



That's great! Glad to hear that. 



franandaj said:


> As a result, she had dropped a ton of weight. The week before we left, we took almost 60 pairs of pants and shorts to the thrift store because they are 2 or 3 sizes too big.



Wow! Good for her. 



franandaj said:


> When I went to put the two parts together I noticed that the key (I keep it in the ignition so it doesn’t get lost) was bent. I reached down to bend it back and the thing snapped off with half the key in the hole. Crap.



Oh, no...



franandaj said:


> I didn’t want to have to deal with a rental scooter, they suck.



I do recall that story. Still can't believe you pushed it all that way.



franandaj said:


> Some of you may have seen this play out on FB, but while the other passengers were boarding, Fran turns to me and says, “What is the bad plane?” She shows me this card.



I did see that post on FB...



franandaj said:


> I posted it on FB, and this was probably one of my most ever commented upon posts! It got pretty hilarious, as long as we didn’t die, which we didn’t.



...but I never saw the comments and didn't have a chance to comment, myself.
Truthfully, I wasn't very worried. It's a good plane, actually. And the training of maintenance people (which is part of the problem) and pilots (which is another part) is a good deal better here than in other places.



franandaj said:


> Roast Beef and Cheddar.



Looks like real cheddar and not that crappy American processed cheese.



franandaj said:


> The trip was so turbulent that the Captain never turned off the Fasten Seatbelts sign, even the flight attendants had to remain in their seats for most of the flight.



Ugh. Not a fun way to fly.



franandaj said:


> Twice today we skirted death. With only 31 of those planes in the fleet, I'm not sure how we got them for both legs. Just lucky I guess!







franandaj said:


> However, the very next day the US grounded the fleet of these planes leaving people scrambling for flights.



I'm still seeing stories of people being affected.



franandaj said:


> On our way to the DME we got sidetracked by this little retro candy shop. Fran passed it totally and I commented that I couldn't believe we didn't get sucked in by the candy store, and she’s like, “What?”



 I would've said the same thing!



franandaj said:


> She really likes Charleston Chews and they're not very common anymore.



Never had one. Don't think we ever had those up here.



franandaj said:


> Soon we were on the DME and enroute to our home for the next couple days. Sorry it’s not a better picture, it’s the best of the lot.



Much better than any I've ever taken.


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## tiggrbaby

A new report - yay!

Love the pics of your mom's flowers and your childhood!

Glad to hear that Fran has adjusted to her meds and is doing better.  Way to go on the weight loss!


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## skier_pete

Joining in.my parents were into bird watching when I was a teenager. That sort of fell away after a while, but I learned a lot because we used to go for hikes in the woods,and they'd here a bird and we'd have to stop and look for it. I would get annoyed so I got really good a bird spotting. I always called it bird spotting rather than bird watching because I had no interest in watching birds. I have forgotten a lot but still have more useless bird knowledge than I care about.

Anyways,looking forward to the TR. Looks like overall a decent day of travel with nothing too bad going wrong. We're your parents going to meet you there that night or the next day?


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## rndmr2

Joining in!! Looking forward to hearing all about your trip. So awesome that Fran has been feeling better.  It's always great when you can finally get meds straightened out.  

Your mom's flowers are really pretty, glad that you were able to get them to go with you. I love the F and G festival. 

I was away from the DIS for a while, at least not on regularly because there was no hope of a trip anytime soon  and I was so busy with work (a lot of which was done from home). Well, now I have a different job that doesn't require any work from home (AND better pay...) so I have been coming over a lot more lately.  I also DO have a trip planned!!! In November, It's to Disneyland Paris, though, but it's still Disney and I can now get my fix, LOL. My Favorite band (a-ha - the ones that sing "Take on Me") are doing a European tour in November, well pretty much all of their tours are European, and I decided I wasn't going to wait until the future when they may or may not come across the pond to the US which they haven't done in years, and I bought tickets to the Paris show, thinking I could get both my Morten fix (He's the lead singer,  sooo gorgeous) and my Mickey fix in one trip!!


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## jedijill

rndmr2 said:


> My Favorite band (a-ha - the ones that sing "Take on Me") are doing a European tour in November, well pretty much all of their tours are European, and I decided I wasn't going to wait until the future when they may or may not come across the pond to the US which they haven't done in years, and I bought tickets to the Paris show, thinking I could get both my Morten fix (He's the lead singer,  sooo gorgeous) and my Mickey fix in one trip!!



OMG, love the acoustic version of Take On me!  I would love to see them live.

Jill in CO


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## rentayenta

I'm here!  Going to read now.


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## rentayenta

Grumpy and Snow White; love it!!!! 

Great intro. Always look forward to your reports. 

Gabby, Sunny, and I are going to F&W at DCA tomorrow night if you and Fran want to join us.


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## franandaj

Dis_Yoda said:


> That is awesome that Fran is feeling better and has dropped some weight!



She's actually lost quite a bit. We need to go clothes shopping cause she doesn't wear stretchy pants like I do.



Dis_Yoda said:


> Your Max thread was amusing!
> 
> I’m in for the ride .
> 
> (and yes, always need more ice cream)







jedijill said:


> I’m here!







jedijill said:


> Your moms irises are gorgeous! Love the pic of Fran as grumpy....she got right into the character!



Yes she did!



jedijill said:


> I spy a Denver made chocolate bar in your candy bag!



Oh good! You can bring me one when you visit next. That was a salted caramel chocolate and I picked it out and she ate it without sharing with me. 



jedijill said:


> Yay for making it to WDW alive







Steppesister said:


> Hey Lady
> 
> I'm here and following along...







Steppesister said:


> back to read and comment later this weekend...



OK see you soon!


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## franandaj

pooh'smate said:


> Joining in. Your mom's flowers are beautiful.  All that candy looks yummy.







pkondz said:


> Here!







dizneeat said:


> I am here, saving my spot!! AND I made page 1.
> Going to read this right away, even before breakfast.
> 
> Back from reading .......







dizneeat said:


> Love the intro with your childhood pics.  And your mom's flowers are beautiful.



Thanks! She works very hard on her garden.



dizneeat said:


> I DO remember the MAX 8 photo on FB and telling Tom and we were "not amused" that they still used those, since they were already grounded here in Europe.



I wasn't amused either, then again who knows if we were actually on one of those planes.  Both our return flights had that same card in the seat back as well, and the planes were grounded by then.



dizneeat said:


> And every time I see your snacks for the flight I realize that they don't cater any more on most US airlines. Your sandwich looks yummy by the way. (Okay I think it IS time for my breakfast now. )



Only in 1st Class, and we don't travel First Class anymore.  Southwest doesn't even have 1st class. On the first flight I did get a small bag of Fritos and on the second flight they gave us pretzels. I don't like American pretzels in a bag. I like German style pretzels that are big and soft and chewy and best with salt and mustard.



dizneeat said:


> Okay, I am ready for more.



I've already got 1 1/2 chapters ready, I just need to reply to all the comments before posting again!



pkondz said:


> Oh dear... did you break her?



Not like you broke Ruby, she's just more into vacations that involve nature and natural things. You'll see that she didn't ride a ton of rides.



pkondz said:


> Whoa! That's dedication!



She spends several hours every day doing stuff out in the garden, even when we are up there. Then again that's easy cause she gets up real early and Fran and I tend to stay in our room until at least 8:30 or 9 for me, later for Fran.



pkondz said:


> Really! That's pretty cool.



She has even won prizes when she is not judging.



pkondz said:


> Nope. It's a crow.



That's pretty much what I said. 



pkondz said:


> Heh. Did Fran and your dad race?



She would have let him win, but he had no chance.  She's got skilz.



pkondz said:


> I'm betting you girls loved those dresses.
> And I see your love of cats goes way back.



I don't remember the dresses so much, and I don't think I liked being twinsies with Elinor, we weren't very close as kids and still aren't.  However, I can tell you all about the kitties.  I was holding my first cat, Fresca, I definitely loved that cat. My Mom was holding Goldstein whom was her cat and was perhaps older than me. I think she got Goldstein and Leibowitz before I was born, but the latter died before I was born.  The one my Dad is holding is named Blackie, and in this day and age it horrifies me that he was named as such.  Just one of those things that we didn't even think about back then.  I'm sure we didn't mean it in the context that the name would be judged today.



pkondz said:


> We still have a similar piano. I just told my mom that I'd like to inherit it. (It was originally her... grandmother's, I think.)



I still have THAT piano in my living room!



pkondz said:


> I did _not_ know that!



_Really?_  I would have thought I would have said something about it over and over!  



pkondz said:


> Grumpy no less!!



Oh yeah, she plays the parts, she also has an Eeyore costume.



pkondz said:


> I'm surprised he allowed you to sit in his chair.



He was very gracious about it, as much as a photoshop Picard could be!



pkondz said:


> Oh dear.
> I would've been starting to panic. Perhaps you were? Or with your buffer, were you okay?



I was definitely panicking. 



pkondz said:


> Not bad. A bit tight, but not bad.



I still wasn't happy.



pkondz said:


> That's great! Glad to hear that.



We just have a lot more leftovers now.



pkondz said:


> Wow! Good for her.



It's kind of weird to adjust to though....



pkondz said:


> Oh, no...
> 
> I do recall that story. Still can't believe you pushed it all that way.



That was actually our own scooter that I ended up having to push.



pkondz said:


> I did see that post on FB...
> 
> ...but I never saw the comments and didn't have a chance to comment, myself.
> Truthfully, I wasn't very worried. It's a good plane, actually. And the training of maintenance people (which is part of the problem) and pilots (which is another part) is a good deal better here than in other places.



That's unfortunate.  I was kind of thinking that reassurance from someone in the airline industry would have been helpful. One of my other friends was quite doom and gloom.



pkondz said:


> Looks like real cheddar and not that crappy American processed cheese.



Certainly not!  I'm not a big fan of sandwiches, so when I'm going to have one, it needs quality materials.  I bought Boar's Head products at the Deli to make these sandwiches.



pkondz said:


> Ugh. Not a fun way to fly.



No especially when you need the restroom!



pkondz said:


> I'm still seeing stories of people being affected.



Really?  I haven't heard anything, then again I'm not in the airline industry.



pkondz said:


> I would've said the same thing!



It was mind boggling that she missed it!



pkondz said:


> Never had one. Don't think we ever had those up here.



They're OK, I liked them as a kid, but they're not my favorite as an adult.



pkondz said:


> Much better than any I've ever taken.



Thanks! I have a better one for a future update.


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## Mom2m&k

Super excited for another report!


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## juniorbugman

Following along.  I loved the bag of candy.  I like it all except for the Charleston chews.  I would think those extreme Hot Tamales are really cinnamonny.


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## rndmr2

jedijill said:


> OMG, love the acoustic version of Take On me!  I would love to see them live.
> 
> Jill in CO



Ohh Yes, it's so beautiful!! That whole concert was awesome, I have the DVD of it. I only found out last January that they were even still around, I thought they were long gone years ago and here they have been around all this time (a couple breaks here and there) and have 10 albums (I had the first 2). I heard one of their songs on the radio (not Take on Me, it was The Sun Always Shines on TV) and it inspired me to go looking for some of the awesome music that I remembered from back in the day, during my search I was seeing all these things from recently and the first one I clicked on was from Rock in Rio 2015, OMG I almost fell out of my chair when I saw how gorgeous Morten still was and how awesome he still sounds. They are all 3 SO awesomely talented. They did a European tour last Jan/Feb of all acoustic shows then a regular "Electric" tour this past summer, I have seen lots of pics and videos of those and when I heard they were doing this tour in Oct/Nov this year I knew I had to get tickets. Got them the day they went on a presale and they are 7th row. There are 15 shows and 6 are sold out already (including the Paris show). Should be a great concert, the first half will be a normal concert and then the 2nd half they will be playing their first album (Hunting High and Low) straight through in track order.  Of course now there is hope that they will come back here to the US next year, there have been reports that they signed with a management team specifically for representation here in North America (their regular manager is German, us fans hate the guy, LOL).  Sorry for my book, I get a little excited, LOL.


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## franandaj

tiggrbaby said:


> A new report - yay!
> 
> Love the pics of your mom's flowers and your childhood!





Thank you!



tiggrbaby said:


> Glad to hear that Fran has adjusted to her meds and is doing better. Way to go on the weight loss!



Yes, she is doing better.  She is doing a lot more around the house and it's a different sort of adjustment. She's trying to put stuff away and destroying my sense of order!  



********** said:


> Joining in.my parents were into bird watching when I was a teenager. That sort of fell away after a while, but I learned a lot because we used to go for hikes in the woods,and they'd here a bird and we'd have to stop and look for it. I would get annoyed so I got really good a bird spotting. I always called it bird spotting rather than bird watching because I had no interest in watching birds. I have forgotten a lot but still have more useless bird knowledge than I care about.





I'm glad that they got into it later in life.  I had no interest in looking at birds.  As it was we spent way too much time stopping in the parks to look at various random birds.



********** said:


> Anyways,looking forward to the TR. Looks like overall a decent day of travel with nothing too bad going wrong. We're your parents going to meet you there that night or the next day?



Other than arriving late and not getting breakfast or getting to potty on the plane, the rest of the travel day wasn't so bad. We didn't have problems with our connections or anything but it did end up being a VERY long day. My parents were joining us a little later and I will explain the entire thing in the next TR update since others probably don't remember when I talked about this in the last TR when it went down.



rndmr2 said:


> Joining in!! Looking forward to hearing all about your trip. So awesome that Fran has been feeling better.  It's always great when you can finally get meds straightened out.







rndmr2 said:


> Your mom's flowers are really pretty, glad that you were able to get them to go with you. I love the F and G festival.



Thanks. My mom did seem to enjoy the F&G aspect of WDW.



rndmr2 said:


> I was away from the DIS for a while, at least not on regularly because there was no hope of a trip anytime soon  and I was so busy with work (a lot of which was done from home). Well, now I have a different job that doesn't require any work from home (AND better pay...) so I have been coming over a lot more lately. I also DO have a trip planned!!! In November, It's to Disneyland Paris, though, but it's still Disney and I can now get my fix, LOL. My Favorite band (a-ha - the ones that sing "Take on Me") are doing a European tour in November, well pretty much all of their tours are European, and I decided I wasn't going to wait until the future when they may or may not come across the pond to the US which they haven't done in years, and I bought tickets to the Paris show, thinking I could get both my Morten fix (He's the lead singer,  sooo gorgeous) and my Mickey fix in one trip!!



Good to hear things are going better for you. I had missed you on the DIS.  Glad you have a better job. I know the last one was taxing.



rentayenta said:


> I'm here!  Going to read now.







rentayenta said:


> Grumpy and Snow White; love it!!!!



Perfect costumes for us!



rentayenta said:


> Great intro. Always look forward to your reports.



Thanks! 



rentayenta said:


> Gabby, Sunny, and I are going to F&W at DCA tomorrow night if you and Fran want to join us.



We got taxes to do. Maybe Sunday!



Mom2m&k said:


> Super excited for another report!







juniorbugman said:


> Following along.  I loved the bag of candy.  I like it all except for the Charleston chews.  I would think those extreme Hot Tamales are really cinnamonny.





You spurred me to go get the Hot Tamales and they weren't hot at all just like I remembered as kid!


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Not like you broke Ruby, she's just more into vacations that involve nature and natural things. You'll see that she didn't ride a ton of rides.



<phew> Otherwise it'd be the_ last_ visit.



franandaj said:


> She has even won prizes when she is not judging.



I'm not a bit surprised.



franandaj said:


> She would have let him win, but he had no chance. She's got skilz.







franandaj said:


> I don't remember the dresses so much, and I don't think I liked being twinsies with Elinor, we weren't very close as kids and still aren't. However, I can tell you all about the kitties. I was holding my first cat, Fresca, I definitely loved that cat. My Mom was holding Goldstein whom was her cat and was perhaps older than me. I think she got Goldstein and Leibowitz before I was born, but the latter died before I was born. The one my Dad is holding is named Blackie, and in this day and age it horrifies me that he was named as such. Just one of those things that we didn't even think about back then. I'm sure we didn't mean it in the context that the name would be judged today.



Heh. Our DDs named all our cars. We had Bluie and... Whitie... and then Blackie.
They're mortified now. I think that's hilarious.



franandaj said:


> I still have THAT piano in my living room!



Nice! 



franandaj said:


> Oh yeah, she plays the parts, she also has an Eeyore costume.



Perfect!



franandaj said:


> I still wasn't happy.



But you caught the flight (and lived!)



franandaj said:


> That was actually our own scooter that I ended up having to push.



OH!!! So... a rental would've been_ better_! 



franandaj said:


> That's unfortunate. I was kind of thinking that reassurance from someone in the airline industry would have been helpful. One of my other friends was quite doom and gloom.



Was that other friend an expert in the field?



franandaj said:


> Certainly not! I'm not a big fan of sandwiches, so when I'm going to have one, it needs quality materials. I bought Boar's Head products at the Deli to make these sandwiches.


----------



## DnA2010

Ohhh yesssss a new report!! 





franandaj said:


>



Cat love started early I see!



franandaj said:


>



As did your love to play music!



franandaj said:


>



We did the same pair for the Halloween party we went to in 2015 I think it was!



franandaj said:


>



Oh JLP 



franandaj said:


> In the past few months Fran has been feeling worlds better.



So happy she is continuing to feel better 



franandaj said:


> I reached down to bend it back and the thing snapped off with half the key in the hole. Crap.



Crap!! The scooter strikes again!



franandaj said:


> I love having PreChek



We've scored it when we've travelled when toddler was a baby- sooo nice!



franandaj said:


> “What is the bad plane?”





franandaj said:


> posted it on FB, and this was probably one of my most ever commented upon posts! It got pretty hilarious, as long as we didn’t die, which we didn’t.



Very entertaining indeed! So glad you survived the bad planes!



franandaj said:


>



Mallo Cup- a marshmellow cup?? 

Looking forward to following your trip with the parents again, enjoyed Alaska


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> <phew> Otherwise it'd be the_ last_ visit.



Well no, cause Fran and I would still go.



pkondz said:


> Heh. Our DDs named all our cars. We had Bluie and... Whitie... and then Blackie.
> They're mortified now. I think that's hilarious.



How old were they then?



pkondz said:


> But you caught the flight (and lived!)



Yes, we did.



pkondz said:


> OH!!! So... a rental would've been_ better_!



Well no, rentals still suck. We didn't know that her scooter had internal engine problems until it was way too late!  



pkondz said:


> Was that other friend an expert in the field?



Not even in the slightest.



DnA2010 said:


> Ohhh yesssss a new report!!







DnA2010 said:


> Cat love started early I see!



Yup and grew exponentially!



DnA2010 said:


> As did your love to play music!



But I was in college by the time that photo was taken.



DnA2010 said:


> We did the same pair for the Halloween party we went to in 2015 I think it was!



Great minds....



DnA2010 said:


> Oh JLP







DnA2010 said:


> So happy she is continuing to feel better



It has been an interesting adjustment.



DnA2010 said:


> Crap!! The scooter strikes again!



Well this time it wasn't nearly so bad.



DnA2010 said:


> We've scored it when we've travelled when toddler was a baby- sooo nice!



We registered for it a few years back.  One of the best things we ever did!



DnA2010 said:


> Very entertaining indeed! So glad you survived the bad planes!



Me too!



DnA2010 said:


> Mallo Cup- a marshmellow cup??



You know, I don't know cause she ate almost all the candy. Even the ones I picked out for me.  Luckily she can't eat the Hot Tamales, so I get those all to myself.



DnA2010 said:


> Looking forward to following your trip with the parents again, enjoyed Alaska



Next installment should be coming up shortly!


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Well no, cause Fran and I would still go.



Well, there's that.



franandaj said:


> How old were they then?



Hmmm... probably between 2-8?



franandaj said:


> Well no, rentals still suck. We didn't know that her scooter had internal engine problems until it was way too late!







franandaj said:


> Not even in the slightest.



A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
Actually at work today, we were talking about that.
"If WestJet (Canadian carrier) offered you a trip to anywhere they fly, but it's on a B737 Max... would you take it?"
Without hesitation, we were all "Yes!"


----------



## franandaj

When I left off we were traveling on the DME bus to our “resort for the next two nights”, Old Key West. But I'm gonna back up a little bit here. I probably mentioned this on my last TR back in September when I booked the airfare, but I'll just repeat it here again because I'm sure most of you don't keep track of my travel plans. Originally the trip was only supposed to be a week long from March 14-21. But when SW revealed their airfare for our time period our flights were gonna be $800pp. Since we buy three seats that would have been $2400 total which was a little too rich for us. This is where the fuzzy Disney math comes in. Last year we started paying our DVC monthly instead of one lump sum in January, so I now refer to it as “my subscription to Disney”. And because we have quite a few points I feel that my subscription allows me to stay at Disney anytime there is availability.

So with airfare costing that much, I started to look at alternate days. Staying longer didnt help the cost of airfare, but flying in two days early made a substantial difference. $200 per ticket or a total of $600! Since my lodging at Disney is paid for by my subscription I checked to see where there was availability, nothing at the Beach Club, but lo and behold the resort with my favorite tub had two nights in a one bedroom HA unit! Score! So that's how we ended up coming in two days earlier than my parents.  They booked the day flights were released, but since I was getting off a cruise ship and flying home, we ended up waiting a few days and if there were any low fares for our original dates they were all gone.

While we're speaking of flights, you'll hear about the saga of our next trips flights during this TR, but I'll save you the suspense.  We didnt have to do any fuzzy Disney math and got the dates we wanted. This time it was $1700 for three seats, which isn't great, but it was better than the cost of this trip!


I was a little worried because I hadn't received the text that our room was ready, and when we got to the front desk I learned why. There was a problem with our room. Of course there was!

Turns out we were assigned to a room on the second floor of a building where the elevator was under refurb. That makes it a little tough on our scooters!

After a brief wait they found a solution. We were upgraded to a two bedroom unit on the ground floor! If nothing else just having the two bathrooms worked out to be a bonus. Room situation solved we headed over to Olivia's for dinner.











It’s kind of a cute restaurant but I think I would get really tired of listening to Jimmy Buffet songs if I was an employee here. By breakfast I already was sick of Margaritavilla and Cheeseburger in Paradise, and I actually like those songs!
















This one overlooked our dinner.






We were given a basket of the coconut bread rolls to start. I’m glad our server warned me before I tried to put one of these nasty rolls in my mouth!






Fran got a bowl of their Chicken Pot Pie soup. Unfortunately it came with the nasty coconut bread on top. 






We ended up with the shrimp pasta, it was filled with veggies and lots of shrimp. There was zucchini, yellow squash, cherry tomatoes, and spinach in a creamy pesto sauce.






We got the Banana Bread pudding with Bananas Foster sauce and vanilla ice cream. It was good, but not quite O'hana good. 






We closed the place down, bought a beverage in the Goods to Go store and went back to the room.

Our luggage hadn't arrived from DME, but I thought that at least I could get our Owner's Locker. I had some bath salts in there and at least I could take a bath. It was about 10:45 when I called Bell Services, they said the luggage was in transit but they had the owner's locker. I took some pictures of the room. Here is the entry hall.






Common living space











This is the second bedroom.






And bathroom.











The hallway to the Master bedroom.






Oh wait the laundry room is right off the hallway.






Master bedroom.











And the entire reason that I love staying at this resort (besides the huge living area).  The Jacuzzi tub!











The rest of the bathroom.











And our patio, which never actually was put to use.






And while we’re at it, here’s what’s left of my key to the scooter.






An hour later I called to see where the OL was, the luggage had arrived, but there was only one guy working and he was backed up. What kind of Cracker jack operation are they running here? 

It was 1AM before we finally got our luggage, they brought everything all at once. I couldn't go to bed without the OL, because my special pillow was inside, plus I really wanted to take a bath! I mean who wouldn't want to use that tub!

It was after 2AM before we got to sleep, but at least it was only 11ish to our bodies, and we often stay up that late at home.


Let’s see what tomorrow brings!


----------



## Dis_Yoda

I’m with you on Nasty Coconut Bread! I’ll take coconut flavoring in a pina colada but that’s about it. 

Looks like a Decent easy meal at Olivia’s.  

Nice upgrade!  That was a nice solution for your problem.  

I wonder if someone called out to leave that poor luggage guy all alone! They should be able to tell the amount of flights/Magical express/arrivals they have coming and plan better!


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


> but lo and behold the resort with my favorite tub had two nights in a one bedroom HA unit!



I remember this! Score! 



franandaj said:


> We were upgraded to a two bedroom unit on the ground floor! I



Score again! How handy! 



franandaj said:


> We were given a basket of the coconut bread rolls to start. I’m glad our server warned me before I tried to put one of these nasty rolls in my mouth!



Yuck..not up my alley at all



franandaj said:


> creamy pesto sauce.



Mmmm I love pesto 



franandaj said:


>



Looking good Fran! 



franandaj said:


>



Loads of space hey! 



franandaj said:


>



I think I hear angels singing! 



franandaj said:


> It was after 2AM before we got to sleep, but at least it was only 11ish to our bodies, and we often stay up that late at home.



A Jacuzzi soak would be perfect after travelling all day, I'd be staying up for that too!


----------



## dizneeat

*L-O-V-E    Old Key West!!! But what a hassle with the room. Thank god you got what you needed in the end.

Since we don't use DME we never had problems with waiting for luggage, but that looks like a pain. At least you had not gotten used to the time change yet. 

And we quite like Olivia's - breakfast especially. How funny, I never noticed the music in there.  Might be that I am used to "locking it out". I used to work in a famous Austrian hotel and there was a musical written about it. They had the music on 24/7 and after a while we never even "heard" it. *


----------



## skier_pete

Whew - I can't imagine being two people in a 2-bedroom unit. That must've been pretty nice! We've never even been in a 2-BD. I would've called some friends over if I had had that upgrade.  Bummer though that it took so long to get your luggage. 

I've heard good things about Olivia's, but a constant loop of Jimmy Buffet would get old fast. I always think that employees must learn to just tune those things out. Think of those poor employees that work at the Sci-Fi that must have that 45 minute movie loop burned into their brain.


----------



## iivye

Following along.  I'm looking forward to hearing your mom's opinion on the Flower & Garden displays.  Woohoo on the upgrade to the two bedroom!


----------



## cruisehopeful

Your mother's flowers are gorgeous. Sounds awesome to be able to take a trip like this with your parents.


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
> Actually at work today, we were talking about that.
> "If WestJet (Canadian carrier) offered you a trip to anywhere they fly, but it's on a B737 Max... would you take it?"
> Without hesitation, we were all "Yes!"



I can understand that. I wasn't necessarily afraid since more of those planes have flown safely then not. However the comments by that one guy made me second guess myself.



Dis_Yoda said:


> I’m with you on Nasty Coconut Bread! I’ll take coconut flavoring in a pina colada but that’s about it.



I wonder since so many people don't like it, why they serve it so many places.



Dis_Yoda said:


> Looks like a Decent easy meal at Olivia’s.



It was very good. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat there, but it was nice for a quick bite before going back to the room.



Dis_Yoda said:


> Nice upgrade! That was a nice solution for your problem.



I was pleased with it!



Dis_Yoda said:


> I wonder if someone called out to leave that poor luggage guy all alone! They should be able to tell the amount of flights/Magical express/arrivals they have coming and plan better!



I dont think so. I told him that I knew it wasn't his fault, but it was ridiculous to have only one person on staff. He replied, "I know. One person for 750 rooms." So he had clearly thought about this before.



DnA2010 said:


> remember this! Score!



I'd love to stay here for a little longer than one or two nights.



DnA2010 said:


> Score again! How handy!



It definitely was!



DnA2010 said:


> Yuck..not up my alley at all



Another nay for the coconut!



DnA2010 said:


> Mmmm I love pesto



This was really good, I enjoyed the creamy part. 



DnA2010 said:


> Looking good Fran!







DnA2010 said:


> Loads of space hey!



I dont think we ever went in that room except to get to the bathroom. 



DnA2010 said:


> I think I hear angels singing!



 



DnA2010 said:


> A Jacuzzi soak would be perfect after travelling all day, I'd be staying up for that too!



Especially in that tub. There are like five different directions that you can lie in!


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Last year we started paying our DVC monthly instead of one lump sum in January, so I now refer to it as “my subscription to Disney”.



Makes sense. 
Do you prefer paying it that way?



franandaj said:


> So with airfare costing that much, I started to look at alternate days. Staying longer didnt help the cost of airfare, but flying in two days early made a substantial difference. $200 per ticket or a total of $600!



I remember that. 



franandaj said:


> a one bedroom HA unit!



HA stands for... ? Something Accessible, I presume?



franandaj said:


> I was a little worried because I hadn't received the text that our room was ready, and when we got to the front desk I learned why. There was a problem with our room. Of course there was!







franandaj said:


> Turns out we were assigned to a room on the second floor of a building where the elevator was under refurb. That makes it a little tough on our scooters!



But going down would be easy! And quick!



franandaj said:


> We were upgraded to a two bedroom unit on the ground floor! If nothing else just having the two bathrooms worked out to be a bonus.



Nice!!!



franandaj said:


>



There's a_ lot_ on that menu that looks good! I'd love to try the Conch chowder. Never seen that anywhere.



franandaj said:


> It’s kind of a cute restaurant but I think I would get really tired of listening to Jimmy Buffet songs if I was an employee here.



I can see that. I'm not a fan, but... just how many hits does he have?



franandaj said:


> By breakfast I already was sick of Margaritavilla and Cheeseburger in Paradise, and I actually like those songs!



Wow. Until right now, when I read that... I didn't even know "Cheeseburger in Paradise" was a song. I gave it a quick listen and... nope. Never heard it.



franandaj said:


> We were given a basket of the coconut bread rolls to start



gross



franandaj said:


> I’m glad our server warned me before I tried to put one of these nasty rolls in my mouth!



No kidding! That is immoral and should be illegal.



franandaj said:


> Fran got a bowl of their Chicken Pot Pie soup. Unfortunately it came with the nasty coconut bread on top.



Ruined.



franandaj said:


> We got the Banana Bread pudding with Bananas Foster sauce and vanilla ice cream. It was good, but not quite O'hana good.



Thanks for the heads up. I'll hold out for the real deal.



franandaj said:


> Common living space



Big room!



franandaj said:


> This is the second bedroom.



That's the size of most hotel rooms I stay in!



franandaj said:


> And the entire reason that I love staying at this resort (besides the huge living area). The Jacuzzi tub!



That looks wonderful! I'd be in there every night... probably in the morning too.



franandaj said:


> And our patio, which never actually was put to use.



Why? Too cold? Too hot?



franandaj said:


> And while we’re at it, here’s what’s left of my key to the scooter.



Yep. 'dat's broke a'rright.



franandaj said:


> plus I really wanted to take a bath! I mean who wouldn't want to use that tub!


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> I can understand that. I wasn't necessarily afraid since more of those planes have flown safely then not. However the comments by that one guy made me second guess myself.



Next time call me or text me.


----------



## franandaj

dizneeat said:


> L-O-V-E Old Key West!!! But what a hassle with the room. Thank god you got what you needed in the end.



It was nice having soooooo much space!  Even if it was only for two days.  I really want to stay there for longer and hang out in the room with friends!



dizneeat said:


> Since we don't use DME we never had problems with waiting for luggage, but that looks like a pain. At least you had not gotten used to the time change yet.



Evidently it's the late flights that are the problem.  Next time I'll plan accordingly, and pack some bath salts.  We're also planning on having dinner at the airport next time. That way we are all ready for sleep when we get to the room. Plus we are the BCV, so hopefully more staff.



dizneeat said:


> And we quite like Olivia's - breakfast especially.



Next update.....  



dizneeat said:


> How funny, I never noticed the music in there.  Might be that I am used to "locking it out". I used to work in a famous Austrian hotel and there was a musical written about it. They had the music on 24/7 and after a while we never even "heard" it.



It's also probably that I was a music major.  I am VERY keyed in on music and it can annoy me when it's just noise and not actually music.  Sometimes I wish that I could tune it out.  Other times, I just end up with my own choices playing in my head over and over and over again.



********** said:


> Whew - I can't imagine being two people in a 2-bedroom unit. That must've been pretty nice! We've never even been in a 2-BD.



And at OKW the rooms are substantially larger than any other resort.  It was a little eerie with the empty bedroom next door.  However for whatever reason Fran and I seem to be in sync with our late night biobreaks, so the second bathroom was a nice touch.  We have five bathrooms at our house, so having only one in a regular room is sort of a let down.  



********** said:


> I would've called some friends over if I had had that upgrade.



I did text Pam and her Mom, but she has to have a two night minimum to board her pups, and she also had to work on our checkout day, so it didn't work out.



********** said:


> Bummer though that it took so long to get your luggage.



I know.  At least the times before it had come in by 11PM with a similar arrival time at the airport.



********** said:


> I've heard good things about Olivia's, but a constant loop of Jimmy Buffet would get old fast.



There were other tunes, but his were the only ones that I recognized and stood out. There definitely was repetition when we were there the next morning.



********** said:


> I always think that employees must learn to just tune those things out. Think of those poor employees that work at the Sci-Fi that must have that 45 minute movie loop burned into their brain.



Yeah, I always pity the Valets at the VGC, the same music has been playing there for 20 years now.  I probably wouldn't have noticed it so much I weren't a flute player in a previous life, but I can totally hum almost all the tunes that play on that constant loop.



iivye said:


> Following along.  I'm looking forward to hearing your mom's opinion on the Flower & Garden displays.  Woohoo on the upgrade to the two bedroom!





I'm not sure I ever got my Mom's opinion on the F&G displays.    She doesn't comment much, however she did take pictures of all the topiaries so that says something.


----------



## chunkymonkey

I am here!! Page 2 but never too late! Glad to read about the trip I missed but it looks like you all had a grand time!


----------



## franandaj

cruisehopeful said:


> Your mother's flowers are gorgeous. Sounds awesome to be able to take a trip like this with your parents.





It was a very nice time spent with the folks.



pkondz said:


> Makes sense.
> Do you prefer paying it that way?



Yes and no. It's nice not paying everything in one lump sum at the beginning of the year when so many other bills also come due. However, paying monthly it has to be taken directly from your bank account. 

In the past we would use a credit card to purchase Disney gift cards at a discount, thus getting miles, and a discount.  Then we would use the Disney gift cards to pay the dues. A little convoluted but Fran loves to work the system.



pkondz said:


> I remember that.



Good. You get an A for the day!



pkondz said:


> HA stands for... ? Something Accessible, I presume?



Handicapped Accessible. I'm sure they have a more politically correct way to phrase it, but Fran calls herself a "crip" meaning short for cripple.



pkondz said:


> But going down would be easy! And quick!



Oh sure! And possibly deadly!



pkondz said:


> Nice!!!







pkondz said:


> There's a_ lot_ on that menu that looks good! I'd love to try the Conch chowder. Never seen that anywhere.



I would have liked to try that too, but I didnt want to order two soups. As it was I knew we were going to have too much food.



pkondz said:


> I can see that. I'm not a fan, but... just how many hits does he have?



I have no idea, but I know I heard a lot of his songs on the radio growing up.



pkondz said:


> Wow. Until right now, when I read that... I didn't even know "Cheeseburger in Paradise" was a song. I gave it a quick listen and... nope. Never heard it.



Wow! I'm amazed that you have been able to get through so much of life without having heard of him. Perhaps it's not a Canadian thing. Most of his songs are about the beach, the sun or other such things that are probably not in abundance up there. I don't think there is one song about snow at all! 



pkondz said:


> gross







pkondz said:


> No kidding! That is immoral and should be illegal.



I would vote for that!



pkondz said:


> Ruined.



Pretty much.



pkondz said:


> Thanks for the heads up. I'll hold out for the real deal.



I don't see you making your way to Olivia's anytime soon either! 



pkondz said:


> Big room!



OKW was the first DVC and as a result they went all out. The subsequent models are not as big.



pkondz said:


> That's the size of most hotel rooms I stay in!



Well of course, we weren't staying in that room, so you could have had it had you been able to get there in time!



pkondz said:


> That looks wonderful! I'd be in there every night... probably in the morning too.



I pretty much was!



pkondz said:


> Why? Too cold? Too hot?



Just not enough time. That room was not somewhere we did a lot of "living". I enjoyed the tub to my fullest capability, but we hardly even put anything in the fridge other than a couple waters and diet dews. I'd actually like to stay there sometime for an extended period when lots of friends are going to be around and have a party. We were going to do that last summer but Fran shut that down with John Williams.



pkondz said:


> Yep. 'dat's broke a'rright.



The other half is still in the ignition.



pkondz said:


> Next time call me or text me.



I didn't think one could text Internationally and calling mid air is sort of frowned upon. Besides I wouldn't want to intrude....


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Yes and no. It's nice not paying everything in one lump sum at the beginning of the year when so many other bills also come due. However, paying monthly it has to be taken directly from your bank account.
> 
> In the past we would use a credit card to purchase Disney gift cards at a discount, thus getting miles, and a discount. Then we would use the Disney gift cards to pay the dues. A little convoluted but Fran loves to work the system.



I totally get that. 



franandaj said:


> Good. You get an A for the day!



Yuss!!!!



franandaj said:


> Handicapped Accessible. I'm sure they have a more politically correct way to phrase it, but Fran calls herself a "crip" meaning short for cripple.



So it should be CA, then.



franandaj said:


> Oh sure! And possibly deadly!



Oh, that's just trifling details. You can ignore those.



franandaj said:


> I have no idea, but I know I heard a lot of his songs on the radio growing up.



Not me!



franandaj said:


> Wow! I'm amazed that you have been able to get through so much of life without having heard of him. Perhaps it's not a Canadian thing. Most of his songs are about the beach, the sun or other such things that are probably not in abundance up there. I don't think there is one song about snow at all!



I _have_ heard Margaritaville... a lot... but that's it.



franandaj said:


> I don't see you making your way to Olivia's anytime soon either!



True. At least not for 34 days.



franandaj said:


> OKW was the first DVC and as a result they went all out. The subsequent models are not as big.



Ah



franandaj said:


> Well of course, we weren't staying in that room, so you could have had it had you been able to get there in time!



Somehow don't think Fran would appreciate that very much. 



franandaj said:


> I pretty much was!



Good!



franandaj said:


> Just not enough time. That room was not somewhere we did a lot of "living". I enjoyed the tub to my fullest capability, but we hardly even put anything in the fridge other than a couple waters and diet dews. I'd actually like to stay there sometime for an extended period when lots of friends are going to be around and have a party. We were going to do that last summer but Fran shut that down with John Williams.



That place would certainly be big enough!!



franandaj said:


> The other half is still in the ignition.



Can't take it out? Or don't want to?



franandaj said:


> I didn't think one could text Internationally and calling mid air is sort of frowned upon. Besides I wouldn't want to intrude....



I guess it depends on your plan. My plan gave me unlimited texts in Canada... and to the States. But not while I'm _in_ the States. Then I buy an add-on for $20 for unlimited texting for a month.


----------



## Lesley Wake

franandaj said:


> In the past few months Fran has been feeling worlds better. If you read my last TR, you’ll know that she was feeling icky all week on the cruise. Since then we have figured out her new meds, and she is eating more appropriately for the reaction. As a result, she had dropped a ton of weight. The week before we left, we took almost 60 pairs of pants and shorts to the thrift store because they are 2 or 3 sizes too big.
> 
> So with feeling better she is doing more physical stuff, and when we got to the airport she jumped into action and lowered the scooter off the lift while I got the suitcases out of the passenger doors of the SUV. Then she opened up the back and we sprung into action, I put the back of my scooter on the ground. In an Herculean effort, she picked up the bigger part of the scooter. “Please let me get that.” I said, but she insisted. When I went to put the two parts together I noticed that the key (I keep it in the ignition so it doesn’t get lost) was bent. I reached down to bend it back and the thing snapped off with half the key in the hole. Crap.


I'm happy she's feel better! I'm sure that makes your Disney trips much much more enjoyable! But it's too bad about the key... I may have done that the first weekend I moved into my first apartment! And we couldn't even get the bit of key out, so they had to replace the whole locking mechanism!



franandaj said:


> Some of you may have seen this play out on FB, but while the other passengers were boarding, Fran turns to me and says, “What is the bad plane?” She shows me this card.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I posted it on FB, and this was probably one of my most ever commented upon posts! It got pretty hilarious, as long as we didn’t die, which we didn’t.


Oh boy! Yeah, not fun! 



franandaj said:


> An hour later I called to see where the OL was, the luggage had arrived, but there was only one guy working and he was backed up. What kind of Cracker jack operation are they running here?
> 
> It was 1AM before we finally got our luggage, they brought everything all at once. I couldn't go to bed without the OL, because my special pillow was inside, plus I really wanted to take a bath! I mean who wouldn't want to use that tub!


Argh, so annoying!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

I'm finally here!  Sorry it took me so long!



franandaj said:


> My Dad really enjoyed the last trip because I remember him asking if we would be going back while they still lived in their old house (my childhood street address). I’m not sure my Mom enjoyed it so much as her answer to my Dad’s question was cynical enough to lead Fran and myself to believe that that we shouldn’t take them back anytime soon.



 That's, uh...not good.



franandaj said:


> So we figured that perhaps traveling during the Flower & Garden Festival might be the thing to entice her. In fact her FB employment is “Iris Grower at home.” Here’s some of her posts from FB.



Beautiful flowers!  I've always liked irises.



franandaj said:


> OK, so here’s some of the things I’ve dug up out of the archives. Embarrassing childhood photos.







franandaj said:


> One thing that haunts all Music Majors is the start of semester auditions for placement in ensembles, so you can see why I didn’t stop practicing even on a 4WD Camping trip to Canyonlands, Utah, back when I was in school.



 I guess you had your priorities!



franandaj said:


>



 I don't know what I expected to see in this TR, but...that wasn't it.



franandaj said:


> I finally got Fran to give me all her clothes that she wanted to take well in advance of the trip.



 



franandaj said:


> In my last TR this summed up things pretty well, because right off the bat it happened again. We had a failure to communicate.



I know the feeling.



franandaj said:


> When Fran and I go places, we always run late, so we build in buffer time. I had said, “Let’s target leaving at 5:30AM, that way when we run late, we’ll be OK.” I don’t know if she didn’t hear me say the word “leaving” or she thinks I’m a lot faster than I really am, cause she woke me up at 5:20AM.







franandaj said:


> Since then we have figured out her new meds, and she is eating more appropriately for the reaction. As a result, she had dropped a ton of weight. The week before we left, we took almost 60 pairs of pants and shorts to the thrift store because they are 2 or 3 sizes too big.



That's all great news!



franandaj said:


> I posted it on FB, and this was probably one of my most ever commented upon posts! It got pretty hilarious, as long as we didn’t die, which we didn’t.



Thank goodness.  I'm sure it was a bit uncomfortable.



franandaj said:


> The trip was so turbulent that the Captain never turned off the Fasten Seatbelts sign, even the flight attendants had to remain in their seats for most of the flight.



 Was it turbulence or anti-stall software?



franandaj said:


> With only 31 of those planes in the fleet, I'm not sure how we got them for both legs. Just lucky I guess!



So...yay?



franandaj said:


> On our way to the DME we got sidetracked by this little retro candy shop. Fran passed it totally and I commented that I couldn't believe we didn't get sucked in by the candy store, and she’s like, “What?”
> 
> So we turned around, and we ended up with a whole stash of goodies.



 That's what you get for saying something.



franandaj said:


> It’s kind of a cute restaurant but I think I would get really tired of listening to Jimmy Buffet songs if I was an employee here. By breakfast I already was sick of Margaritavilla and Cheeseburger in Paradise, and I actually like those songs!



I wouldn't mind trying it. I've heard good things.



franandaj said:


> What kind of Cracker jack operation are they running here?


----------



## Magical_Suitcase

I love seeing your photos of yesteryear.  Hopefully you will post Fran's photos once you find them.

We missed you just by a tad. We were in FL the first week of March for a cruise out of PC.  I think this has happened a couple of times now whereby you and Fran are there the week before or after us.   

Smiles,
Kate


----------



## Magical_Suitcase

franandaj said:


>



I love OKW but I hate the new colors, the sitting room rug makes me want to barf!  Where are the "Old Key West" colors?  And I need a comforter on the bed, heck, even Hampton Inn gives you a comforter.  I will still stay there though just for the tub.  


Kate


----------



## buteraa

Hi Following along!


----------



## Steppesister

Holy cow that's a late delivery and bedtime! I'll bet you were wiped! But yeah, gots to use the tub!! It's a gorgeous thing of relaxation beauty. 

Dinner looked yummy. I'd not ever seen photos of the interior of Olivia's.... very Keys themed for sure. I do wonder if we'll ever make it out there.


----------



## ljcrochet

So glad Fran is feeling better.


----------



## franandaj

chunkymonkey said:


> I am here!! Page 2 but never too late! Glad to read about the trip I missed but it looks like you all had a grand time!





And now it sounds like you will be having an even grander time!



pkondz said:


> I _have_ heard Margaritaville... a lot... but that's it.



And now I'm singing that song in my head. 



pkondz said:


> True. At least not for 34 days.



But will you actually go to Olivia's? I suspect not.



pkondz said:


> Somehow don't think Fran would appreciate that very much.



As long as you didn't prance around in that thing you've been mentioning, I don't think she'd mind. 



pkondz said:


> Can't take it out? Or don't want to?



Afraid to. We called the shop, they said bring it in, but we've been a little busy since we got back. Besides we needed it these last two days. Going back home and to real life this morning.



pkondz said:


> I guess it depends on your plan. My plan gave me unlimited texts in Canada... and to the States. But not while I'm _in_ the States. Then I buy an add-on for $20 for unlimited texting for a month.



I use WhatsApp with my International compatriots. I mean it's not like, I myself am dealing with National security issues. 



Lesley Wake said:


> I'm happy she's feel better! I'm sure that makes your Disney trips much much more enjoyable! But it's too bad about the key... I may have done that the first weekend I moved into my first apartment! And we couldn't even get the bit of key out, so they had to replace the whole locking mechanism!



At that point it was probably cheaper just to put in a new lockset!



Lesley Wake said:


> Argh, so annoying!



You'd think they could be a little more timely on the luggage delivery!


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> And now I'm singing that song in my head.



Whoops! Sorry!



franandaj said:


> But will you actually go to Olivia's? I suspect not.



One never knows. 



franandaj said:


> As long as you didn't prance around in that thing you've been mentioning, I don't think she'd mind.







franandaj said:


> Afraid to. We called the shop, they said bring it in, but we've been a little busy since we got back. Besides we needed it these last two days. Going back home and to real life this morning.



Ah. Yeah, I can see that.



franandaj said:


> I use WhatsApp with my International compatriots. I mean it's not like, I myself am dealing with National security issues.



Ah! Well, that would work too.


----------



## Flossbolna

Took me ages to make my way here and you are already asleep at WDW by the time I get my first comment in... Loved the walk down memory lane with the old pictures! 

I like Olivia's, it seems so relaxed everytime I am there. But I get your point about the music. However, the coconut bread sounds amazing!!



dizneeat said:


> I used to work in a famous Austrian hotel and there was a musical written about it.



Was it at the Wolfgangssee?



franandaj said:


> However the comments by that one guy made me second guess myself.



He sometimes can be quite a drama queen - if you are talking about who I think you are! I am just happy to got to WDW safely. 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I'm finally here! Sorry it took me so long!



You still beat me...


----------



## franandaj

Captain_Oblivious said:


> I'm finally here! Sorry it took me so long!



  Just glad you made it!  Stuff happens, life gets in the way.  TRs will always be there, unless photobucket bail on us again.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That's, uh...not good.



Yeah, well my Mom has never been a huge fan of Disney, she puts up with it for me and now Fran.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Beautiful flowers! I've always liked irises.



They're pretty, but my mom is basically obsessed with them.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I guess you had your priorities!



Practicing was right up there with eating and sleeping, at least back then!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I don't know what I expected to see in this TR, but...that wasn't it.



  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That's all great news!



Yeah, now we just need to buy her a whole new wardrobe!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Thank goodness. I'm sure it was a bit uncomfortable.



Well you have to figure that of all those planes that had been flying around only two actually had fatal problems, so the odds were in our favor.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Was it turbulence or anti-stall software?



Good one!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> So...yay?



I guess.  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That's what you get for saying something.



Well, I was a little disappointed that we didnt stop. Unfortunately the only things I really got to eat from that bag were the Hot Tamales cause they're too spicy for her to eat. Otherwise she ate the rest of it in the middle of the night when I was asleep. 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I wouldn't mind trying it. I've heard good things.



It's not bad, but I don't think I'd go out of my way if I wasn't staying there.



Magical_Suitcase said:


> I love seeing your photos of yesteryear. Hopefully you will post Fran's photos once you find them.





I'm not sure I'll ever find some of the stuff we lost in the move. There are boxes that may never be opened again.



Magical_Suitcase said:


> We missed you just by a tad. We were in FL the first week of March for a cruise out of PC. I think this has happened a couple of times now whereby you and Fran are there the week before or after us.



Yes this seems to happen a lot 



Magical_Suitcase said:


> I love OKW but I hate the new colors, the sitting room rug makes me want to barf!  Where are the "Old Key West" colors?  And I need a comforter on the bed, heck, even Hampton Inn gives you a comforter.  I will still stay there though just for the tub.
> 
> 
> Kate



Huh. I didnt even notice the colors, I was just in awe of the size of the room.



buteraa said:


> Hi Following along!







Steppesister said:


> Holy cow that's a late delivery and bedtime! I'll bet you were wiped! But yeah, gots to use the tub!! It's a gorgeous thing of relaxation beauty.





I was lucky we were still on West Coast time so it only felt like 11PM and not 2AM like I was trying to adjust to.



Steppesister said:


> Dinner looked yummy. I'd not ever seen photos of the interior of Olivia's.... very Keys themed for sure. I do wonder if we'll ever make it out there.



You would know Keys themed, I've never been there before. It's certainly a decent restaurant, but not someplace I'd go out of my way to dine at.



ljcrochet said:


> So glad Fran is feeling better.





Thank you, it is nice she feels better than before. She still has her moments.


----------



## jedijill

Love love love OKW!  Score on the 2 bedroom...too bad Pam and JJ couldn't take advantage!  Love Olivia's and I would have eaten ALL that coconut bread and washed it down with a Turtle Krawl!  LOL

Jill in CO


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> One never knows.



You and your secretivity....



pkondz said:


> Ah. Yeah, I can see that.



Well, now I'm home until October, unless we plan an impromptu trip to visit my folks this summer.



pkondz said:


> Ah! Well, that would work too.



And I have special ringtones for all my different friends so I know by sound who is communicating with me. 



Flossbolna said:


> Took me ages to make my way here and you are already asleep at WDW by the time I get my first comment in... Loved the walk down memory lane with the old pictures!





Don't worry, this TR isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Its moving fairly slowly. I'm having a hard time finding time to get here except on my phone...



Flossbolna said:


> I like Olivia's, it seems so relaxed everytime I am there. But I get your point about the music. However, the coconut bread sounds amazing!!



You are the first person who has had a positive opinion about the coconut bread!  



Flossbolna said:


> He sometimes can be quite a drama queen - if you are talking about who I think you are! I am just happy to got to WDW safely.



You know _exactly_ who I am talking about!   And I realize he can be a drama queen, but his comments about asking to be moved to a different flight, made me really think, because I was reluctant to alter my plans even in the face of possible death! 



Flossbolna said:


> You still beat me...



It's only a competition for page one! After that it's all good!


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> Love love love OKW!  Score on the 2 bedroom...too bad Pam and JJ couldn't take advantage!  Love Olivia's and I would have eaten ALL that coconut bread and washed it down with a Turtle Krawl!  LOL



You can have all the coconut bread!  I'm guessing a Turtle Krawl is full of coconut like the Konk Kooler.


----------



## jedijill

franandaj said:


> You can have all the coconut bread!  I'm guessing a Turtle Krawl is full of coconut like the Konk Kooler.



Nope!  Just filled with lots and lots of beautiful rum!

1/2 oz Castillo rum
1/2 oz Bacardi Silver rum
1/2 oz Malibu rum
1/2 oz Myers dark rum
Splash Grenadine
Splash Key lime juice
Equal parts orange juice and pineapple juice



Shake to mix in an ice filled 12oz cup.


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> Nope!  Just filled with lots and lots of beautiful rum!
> 
> 1/2 oz Castillo rum
> 1/2 oz Bacardi Silver rum
> 1/2 oz Malibu rum
> 1/2 oz Myers dark rum
> Splash Grenadine
> Splash Key lime juice
> Equal parts orange juice and pineapple juice
> 
> 
> 
> Shake to mix in an ice filled 12oz cup.



According to Google....

Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. *Malibu* is a *coconut* flavored liqueur, made with Caribbean *rum*, and possessing an *alcohol* content by volume of 21.0 % (42 proof).


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> You and your secretivity....



Shhhh… don't tell anyone!



franandaj said:


> Well, now I'm home until October, unless we plan an impromptu trip to visit my folks this summer.



But you do have a trip planned. Two according to your tickers. 



franandaj said:


> And I have special ringtones for all my different friends so I know by sound who is communicating with me.



I had that for family vs others on the house phone, but after MIL, passed... Had to change it as every time the phone rang from my folks, DW thought it was her mom. Not good.


----------



## mvf-m11c

Hi Alison. It has been ages since I read one of your TR's and it is nice to read your latest one.

Nice intro and your mom flowers look very nice. That is great news to read that Fran is doing better.

Olivia's looks like a nice place to eat where you are staying at OKW. Even though your room wasn't ready on your arrival, you got a nice upgrade.


----------



## dizneeat

Flossbolna said:


> Was it at the Wolfgangssee?



*Yip, exactly what you are thinking of ........ *


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> Shhhh… don't tell anyone



You do know this is a public forum!  



pkondz said:


> But you do have a trip planned. Two according to your tickers.



As I said, we're not going anywhere until October, which if you do the countdown on my next ticker, takes you to October.....



pkondz said:


> I had that for family vs others on the house phone, but after MIL, passed... Had to change it as every time the phone rang from my folks, DW thought it was her mom. Not good.



I can see that. Which is why each person gets a unique ring. Except Jenny & Jill, they have the same ring tone.



mvf-m11c said:


> Hi Alison. It has been ages since I read one of your TR's and it is nice to read your latest one.





Nice to see you back on the boards.



mvf-m11c said:


> Nice intro and your mom flowers look very nice. That is great news to read that Fran is doing better.



Thank you!  



mvf-m11c said:


> Olivia's looks like a nice place to eat where you are staying at OKW. Even though your room wasn't ready on your arrival, you got a nice upgrade



We had a very nice dinner at Olivia's and the room upgrade was certainly a welcome surprise!


----------



## franandaj

dizneeat said:


> *Yip, exactly what you are thinking of ........ *



Very beautiful!


----------



## franandaj

Day 2

Fran woke me at 6AM because we thought SW flights were going on sale for our October trip, but when I checked on their website, it was postponed, not until tomorrow. So we went back to sleep and I woke again at 8AM. I did a check in with her if the idea of breakfast still sounded like a good one or if she was too tired. When I told her we could sleep for another hour at least, she liked the idea. We drowsed for a bit and at 9AM I started to get dressed. I went out to the living room to turn down the thermostat, and to my surprise there was a golf course out our windows! And there were people playing on it! I quickly stepped back into the bedroom and grabbed a towel!











And while I was at it I snapped at daytime shot of our patio (that we never used).






After we got dressed, we headed back to the main buildings where we had breakfast at Olivia's. 


























Then it was back to the room to grab my scooter. 
















I had neglected to charge it overnight since my cord was in the suitcase and at that late hour I was kind of tired. I did get it out of the suitcase, but forgot to plug it in.

It wasn't fully charged, but it would probably do. So we headed out to the bus stop and within about five minutes a bus to Epcot came and picked us up. We had been texting Pam and she and her Mom were going to be meeting us in about an hour.






When we got to Epcot there was a line at Guest Relations so I asked Fran if she would mind if I went to ride TT while she waited and she was OK with that. My first car was a monster truck that won two out of the internal challenges but the final screen was down so I never saw if it won the overall.











However, I was so tired from building the truck, I fell asleep during the ride.






My second car won most of the Internal challenges and then the overall championship. 











This car was so fast and exhilarating that I scared myself to death!






At this point we met up with Pam and her Mom, JJ. Pam and I went on Mission Space Green Team with mine and Fran's FPs. 

Then we went to the Festival Center to purchase some merchandise. On the way there we saw some of our first topiaries.





















After Fran did some damage at the Festival Center and I got a shirt, we were off to sample some booths.
















*[Continued in Next Post]*


----------



## franandaj

*[Continued from Previous Post]*

Our first booth was Flavor Full.











Pam got beets






We got a peanut butter and jelly Mickey Tart.






They loved theirs, ours was good, but I'm not sure I would repeat it.

Next we went to the Honey Bee-stro.  











Pam got the Roasted Cauliflower 






Fran and I got the Chicken Flatbread






And Mascarpone Cheesesteak. 






We also got the Honey Wine and Peach Cobbler with Blueberry Vodka that were pictured in the previous photos. Everything was “lick the plate clean” good!

Lastly we moved on to the Trowel and Trellis.  











We were trying to stick with booths that had things Pam could eat and she was eating Vegan for weight loss. This booth had a Mexican street corn with Garlic Sauce. The were cooking it out back on a grill.






And they had fake corn “growing” behind the booth.






I thought it was great, but Fran couldn't eat it cause it was too garlicky.











After our corn we went to ride our FP for SE. When I told Pam about our plans several weeks before, she had tried to get corresponding FP to ours, but the only one available was SE ours started at 2:50 and hers started at 3:30 so we all headed over after our corn and arrived just in time. We saw Daisy on the way.






They had definitely made some improvements on the ride. I wished we had remembered to bring the Big Camera!

Once we finished the ride (our pictures didn't come out) we went to Mousegears to pick up our complimentary AP magnets.


I'll pick it up next update, where play some real life Jenga, visit a Tropical Hideaway.


----------



## dizneeat

franandaj said:


> And while I was at it I snapped at daytime shot of our patio (that we never used).



*I love those balconies. Sitting out there with a drink in hand - sooooo peaceful.* 



franandaj said:


>



*May I ask what the white stuff is on the waffles? It looks like whipped cream, which sounds weird to me with the scrambled eggs. *



franandaj said:


>



 *When I first looked through the update, I just looked a the pics and I was kinda shocked that you had passed out.* 



franandaj said:


> Pam got beets



*This looks a bit to "garden clippings" to me ........... sorry, Pam!* 



franandaj said:


> Fran and I got the Chicken Flatbread



*YUMMY!!*



franandaj said:


> I thought it was great, but Fran couldn't eat it cause it was too garlicky.



*Looks good. Is that garlic butter dripping down or some kind of garlicy sauce?*


----------



## franandaj

dizneeat said:


> *I love those balconies. Sitting out there with a drink in hand - sooooo peaceful.*



We were only there for two nights, and didn't get a chance to relax in the room much, but I would have liked to do that!



dizneeat said:


> *May I ask what the white stuff is on the waffles? It looks like whipped cream, which sounds weird to me with the scrambled eggs. *



It's butter, I took the picture as soon as I put the butter on and it didn't have a chance to melt!  



dizneeat said:


> *When I first looked through the update, I just looked a the pics and I was kinda shocked that you had passed out.*



Strenuous stuff this car building!



dizneeat said:


> *This looks a bit to "garden clippings" to me ........... sorry, Pam!*



I know!  I didn't try her dishes, well except we both got the corn, but I'm not a fan of beets or Cauliflower.



dizneeat said:


> YUMMY!!



This was very good!  I would have got it again if we had time!



dizneeat said:


> Looks good. Is that garlic butter dripping down or some kind of garlicy sauce?



I think it was a garlicky sauce, it wasn't just plain garlic butter.  The menu says, "Savory Garlic Spread".


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> You do know this is a public forum!



What!?!?!?! Oh, no!!



franandaj said:


> As I said, we're not going anywhere until October, which if you do the countdown on my next ticker, takes you to October.....



Yep. 



franandaj said:


> I can see that. Which is why each person gets a unique ring. Except Jenny & Jill, they have the same ring tone.



Because they're interchangeable?


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Fran woke me at 6AM because we thought SW flights were going on sale for our October trip,



It took me a bit to figure out what you were saying. I know that she'll jump out of bed for tiki mugs, so... was thinking Disney related.
"They're getting up early for Star Wars flights? What? Is this with Space-X or something???"



franandaj said:


> So we went back to sleep and I woke again at 8AM.



That's better.



franandaj said:


> I went out to the living room to turn down the thermostat, and to my surprise there was a golf course out our windows! And there were people playing on it! I quickly stepped back into the bedroom and grabbed a towel!



 Who had the better view!!??



franandaj said:


> And while I was at it I snapped at daytime shot of our patio (that we never used).



the patio that must not be named!

er... used.



franandaj said:


>



Do you get Fran to pose the menus for you often? Don't think I've noticed that before.



franandaj said:


>



This photo is _screaming_ for a caption:

"This is a biscuit"



franandaj said:


> It wasn't fully charged, but it would probably do.



I thought you were going to tell us how the scooter was drained and you killed yourself walking all day. Glad that wasn't the case!



franandaj said:


> I asked Fran if she would mind if I went to ride TT while she waited and she was OK with that.



Nice of her. 



franandaj said:


> the final screen was down so I never saw if it won the overall.



poop



franandaj said:


> However, I was so tired from building the truck, I fell asleep during the ride.



 But you do look comfy!



franandaj said:


> My second car won most of the Internal challenges and then the overall championship.



Woot! Way to go!



franandaj said:


> This car was so fast and exhilarating that I scared myself to death!







franandaj said:


> Pam got beets
> 
> We got a peanut butter and jelly Mickey Tart.



They both look good to me. 



franandaj said:


> Fran and I got the Chicken Flatbread



mmm.... yummy.



franandaj said:


> And Mascarpone Cheesesteak.



I want that!!!



franandaj said:


> This booth had a Mexican street corn with Garlic Sauce. The were cooking it out back on a grill.



Ooh! So, freshly made! Nice! I've had a few things that have tasted... "We cooked this over in the kitchen a few miles away and then shipped it over here an hour ago. It should be okay."



franandaj said:


> I thought it was great, but Fran couldn't eat it cause it was too garlicky.



Holy smokes they look amazing!



franandaj said:


> They had definitely made some improvements on the ride. I wished we had remembered to bring the Big Camera!



What??? I thought the renovations weren't going to happen until later!


----------



## mvf-m11c

Nice view from your patio of your room. I have played at Lake Buena Vista Golf Course. Great course but my favorite course is the Magnolia Course.

The room building at OKW reminds me of the Sheraton Vistana Resort where I use to stay when I am in Florida. 

Good pics on TT especially the one you were out.

The Disney character topiaries are so neat to look at during the F&GF. The food porn looks good especially the flatbread.


----------



## skier_pete

Ooh - that food and the honey booth looks good. Not sure when we will make it down for F&G, probably not in the next few years, but I love that their putting food booths and all the festivals. I'm a sucker for food booths.


----------



## GGOOFY1

We will be there in a month!  Can’t wait to hit the booths!


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> You would know Keys themed, I've never been there before. It's certainly a decent restaurant, but not someplace I'd go out of my way to dine at.



Maybe I'll get back to the Keys again soon.  I really love it there!



franandaj said:


> and to my surprise there was a golf course out our windows! And there were people playing on it! I quickly stepped back into the bedroom and grabbed a towel!



 But what a GREAT view!!



franandaj said:


> And while I was at it I snapped at daytime shot of our patio (that we never used).



You never used it?! I LOVE to sit on the patios or balconies with morning coffee or an evening glass of wine. So relaxing!



franandaj said:


> It wasn't fully charged, but it would probably do.



This sounds.... ominous!



franandaj said:


> My second car won most of the Internal challenges and then the overall championship.



Nice design!

 T
Your choices at the kiosks look good, but I think I'd pass on the corn. If I ate a whole ear of corn that'd be it for several hours. Too big and yeah, sounds too garlicky. 

I can't wait to see the topiaries this year! So beautiful.


----------



## jedijill

All the food looks awesome!  Glad Pam could find things she could eat!  Looking forward to hitting the booths myself in a couple of weeks!

Jill in CO


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


>



I love biscuits...I'd just love that sucker right now with a ton of butter...



franandaj said:


>



You kill me with your falling asleep on rides!  you do seem to get into a deep sleep! 



franandaj said:


>


I love the variety in this car of people! 



franandaj said:


>



 Pluto 



franandaj said:


>



I know you aren't a fan, but nom nom!



franandaj said:


>



This also looks quite lovely



franandaj said:


>



I'm not sure how I feel about this- very "goopy"


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> What!?!?!?! Oh, no!!







pkondz said:


> Because they're interchangeable?



You know I don't know why, but it doesn't matter, they never call me anyways!



pkondz said:


> It took me a bit to figure out what you were saying. I know that she'll jump out of bed for tiki mugs, so... was thinking Disney related.
> "They're getting up early for Star Wars flights? What? Is this with Space-X or something???"



And actually we didnt jump out of bed, we brought the computer into the bedroom looked it all up from the comfort of our nice warm bed.



pkondz said:


> That's better.



Much.



pkondz said:


> Who had the better view!!??





Honestly, I think they were all too involved in their golf games.



pkondz said:


> the patio that must not be named!
> 
> er... used.



Someday.....



pkondz said:


> Do you get Fran to pose the menus for you often? Don't think I've noticed that before.



She often tries to hold them up for me, but I usually don't take her up on it because it puts the menu in the shadow.



pkondz said:


> This photo is _screaming_ for a caption:
> 
> "This is a biscuit"



Or is it?  



pkondz said:


> I thought you were going to tell us how the scooter was drained and you killed yourself walking all day. Glad that wasn't the case!



No, at least not today.  Let's just say I didn't gain any weight on this trip, and we'll let that unfold.



pkondz said:


> Nice of her.



Not only that, but she let me use _her_ FP too!



pkondz said:


> poop



At least I won the second one.



pkondz said:


> But you do look comfy!



Always!



pkondz said:


> Woot! Way to go!







pkondz said:


> They both look good to me.



I'm not a fan of beets, nor cashew cheese, so no thanks.



pkondz said:


> mmm.... yummy.



It definitely was!



pkondz said:


> I want that!!!



This was the all around favorite, at least among those who could eat it!



pkondz said:


> Ooh! So, freshly made! Nice! I've had a few things that have tasted... "We cooked this over in the kitchen a few miles away and then shipped it over here an hour ago. It should be okay."



That's unfortunately how I think the booths in California have to work.  We have weird food handling laws here and I don't think the little kiosks can actually "prepare" the food. They're always running out and when they get restocked people with carts give them those giant restaurant heating pans and they put them into a warmer.  When you order the food from the kiosks in California, they "assemble" your plate.  It's nice that they were actually cooking the corn right there behind the booth.



pkondz said:


> Holy smokes they look amazing!



I thought it was great!  Fresh corn with garlic sauce all over, Pam and her mom too, but Fran took one bite and was like, "no".



pkondz said:


> What??? I thought the renovations weren't going to happen until later!



Well I think there were some changes at the beginning of the ride, but I could be wrong.  There was some stuff I didn't remember.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> And actually we didnt jump out of bed, we brought the computer into the bedroom looked it all up from the comfort of our nice warm bed.



That's better.



franandaj said:


> Honestly, I think they were all too involved in their golf games.



Their loss.



franandaj said:


> She often tries to hold them up for me, but I usually don't take her up on it because it puts the menu in the shadow.



Ah. Can't have that.



franandaj said:


> Or is it?



Hmmm....



franandaj said:


> No, at least not today. Let's just say I didn't gain any weight on this trip, and we'll let that unfold.



Oh dear. Cue ominous soundtrack.



franandaj said:


> This was the all around favorite, at least among those who could eat it!



Good to know! It's on my list. 



franandaj said:


> That's unfortunately how I think the booths in California have to work. We have weird food handling laws here and I don't think the little kiosks can actually "prepare" the food. They're always running out and when they get restocked people with carts give them those giant restaurant heating pans and they put them into a warmer. When you order the food from the kiosks in California, they "assemble" your plate. It's nice that they were actually cooking the corn right there behind the booth.



Huh. But corn is okay.



franandaj said:


> I thought it was great! Fresh corn with garlic sauce all over, Pam and her mom too, but Fran took one bite and was like, "no".



That too is on my list. 



franandaj said:


> Well I think there were some changes at the beginning of the ride, but I could be wrong. There was some stuff I didn't remember.



I guess I'll have to watch for that.


----------



## franandaj

mvf-m11c said:


> Nice view from your patio of your room. I have played at Lake Buena Vista Golf Course. Great course but my favorite course is the Magnolia Course.



Thanks!  Is that what that Golf Course was called?



mvf-m11c said:


> The room building at OKW reminds me of the Sheraton Vistana Resort where I use to stay when I am in Florida.



I remember your pictures of that resort, it was nice too.



mvf-m11c said:


> Good pics on TT especially the one you were out.



Thanks!



mvf-m11c said:


> The Disney character topiaries are so neat to look at during the F&GF. The food porn looks good especially the flatbread.



They do such an amazing job with the topiaries, so creative!



********** said:


> Ooh - that food and the honey booth looks good. Not sure when we will make it down for F&G, probably not in the next few years, but I love that their putting food booths and all the festivals. I'm a sucker for food booths.



I hear ya! I am too! I love that DCA is bringing out the booths three times a year and it appears that Eocit is doing the same as well. Maybe even four times since they have holiday offerings as well. 



GGOOFY1 said:


> We will be there in a month!  Can’t wait to hit the booths!





I hope I can preview a few more before you go!



Steppesister said:


> Maybe I'll get back to the Keys again soon.  I really love it there!



Never been but it sounds great!



Steppesister said:


> But what a GREAT view!!



It was rather nice!



Steppesister said:


> You never used it?! I LOVE to sit on the patios or balconies with morning coffee or an evening glass of wine. So relaxing!



We never had any relaxing time at this resort. It was always go go go.



Steppesister said:


> This sounds.... ominous!



No not really, sorry about that.



Steppesister said:


> Nice design!



Thanks! 



Steppesister said:


> Your choices at the kiosks look good, but I think I'd pass on the corn. If I ate a whole ear of corn that'd be it for several hours. Too big and yeah, sounds too garlicky.



Well that was actually a good thing cause we didnt eat anything for a while as it was!



Steppesister said:


> I can't wait to see the topiaries this year! So beautiful.



They are so nice! More to come I  hope before you go!


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> All the food looks awesome!  Glad Pam could find things she could eat!  Looking forward to hitting the booths myself in a couple of weeks!



Wish I was doing that! Then again I still have three tabs left for DCA food and wine left to use up!



DnA2010 said:


> I love biscuits...I'd just love that sucker right now with a ton of butter...



Sounds tasty! I've got a can of biscuits in my fridge, maybe they might end up on the dinner table.



DnA2010 said:


> You kill me with your falling asleep on rides!  you do seem to get into a deep sleep!



I'm running out of ideas! 



DnA2010 said:


> I love the variety in this car of people!



It is quite an eclectic bunch!



DnA2010 said:


> Pluto



I take it you're a big fan? 



DnA2010 said:


> I know you aren't a fan, but nom nom!



It's pretty, but there were just too many things going on there that I didn't care for.



DnA2010 said:


> This also looks quite lovely



It was! 



DnA2010 said:


> I'm not sure how I feel about this- very "goopy"



I thought it was very good, but it was messy.



pkondz said:


> Oh dear. Cue ominous soundtrack.



It was all good in the end, but let's just say thing never go as planned.



pkondz said:


> Good to know! It's on my list.



You and Elle going to hit a few booths?



pkondz said:


> Huh. But corn is okay.



No, the corn was cooked in Florida. I'm talking about all the booths in my other TR.



pkondz said:


> That too is on my list.



As well it should be!



pkondz said:


> I guess I'll have to watch for that.



Tell me if I'm wrong. I totally could be!


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> It was all good in the end, but let's just say thing never go as planned.



They seldom do.



franandaj said:


> You and Elle going to hit a few booths?







franandaj said:


> No, the corn was cooked in Florida. I'm talking about all the booths in my other TR.



Ah!



franandaj said:


> Tell me if I'm wrong. I totally could be!



If it's subtle, I might not notice. But I'll watch!


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> If it's subtle, I might not notice. But I'll watch!



I thought they had changed up the beginning a little bit.


----------



## franandaj

When we left off we had just picked up our AP magnets. Then we headed out of the park.  But not without taking some pictures with a PP photographer.


























Last time we traveled with Pam we barely fit the two scooters in the car with three of us and now we had four of us. But we made it work.






JJ was a little cramped.






Fran had stuff shipped from Walmart to the hotel, and we stopped to pick it up at Bell Services. The Bell guy didn't think we could fit it, but JJ proved them wrong.






We unloaded the scooters, unpacked the box, and realized that she ordered high test Mtn. Dew and not Diet. In addition to the other contents of the box, she had ordered a DVD, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, to get the order up to $50 and free Amazon Prime Shipping. It wasn't in the box. We finally figured out that it had been shipped separately.

So while Fran took a nap, Pam, JJ and I took the other sodas back to Walmart, and bought some of the correct ones. 

Jill and Jenny were complaining that I hadn't been texting them pictures, so we snapped this selfie of the three of us and sent it to them.






Then it was back on property.






We went to the car care center and picked up Fran and my rental car for the next day.

When I came back to the room, Fran had MSNBC on the TV and the breaking news was that the US had finally caught up with the rest of the world and grounded the 737 MAX8 planes.

I woke up Fran, we changed into Tiki bar appropriate attire and Pam and her Mom dropped us off at the Poly so we could enjoy our Tiki beverages and get the requisite mugs as well. We had to give our names at the door and there were quite a few in front of us, but evidently they didn't respond to the text message when summoned to the tiki bar.

Fran was in the gift shop when I got the text and it had only been about 10 minutes.

They have a bizarre policy that even if they don't have enough seats, they can have 51 people in the bar so they'll let you in so you can stand and lurk.  So we lurked by a table that Fran noticed was signing their check and they gave us their table when they left.






We got a Nautilus that we shared. You can see the server coming with the drink.











Since we had decided that this was going to be our dinner, we ordered a couple appetizers. 






One of my favorites, the Chicken in Lettuce Cups. 






And the Pan Fried Dumplings.






When we finished the Nautilus we each ordered our own drinks, I got the Dark & Tropical Stormy: Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, fresh lime juice, Ginger Beer, and Falernum. I love that the little umbrella is all messed up and windblown!






Fran got the ever popular Krakatoa Punch, but I failed to get a picture.

Next we got another two person drink, the Uh-Ohah





















Fran was still hungry (she let me eat more of the first two appetizers) so we got an order of Kalua Pork Tacos. I let her have two of these as I wasn't as hungry.






We finished off with a Rum Flight.






All the drinks Fran ordered came with souvie glasses. So we had a lot of glasses to figure out how to get home. 

While we were there my Mom sent me a text that their plane was not in fact a 737 MAX8, so their flight would not be grounded.

After we paid our bill and picked up our mugs, we topped the evening off with Dole whips.  She got hers with coconut rum.






Mine was a float. 






I'm not sure if this particular experience set a precedent for this trip, I'll let you decide.

After that, we took the Monorail to MK and caught a bus to OKW.  She went right to sleep. I updated my TR notes and then took a tub.


----------



## mvf-m11c

franandaj said:


> Thanks!  Is that what that Golf Course was called?



It is. https://www.golfwdw.com/courses/disneys-lake-buena-vista-golf-course I believe it is one of few resorts at WDW that the resort is right next to the golf course. I haven't played golf in ages but I have played at all four courses (Magnolia, Palm, Lake Buena Vista and Oak Trail.


Can't believe you were able to fit the two scooters in the back and got more stuff on that trip. 

Always enjoy your pictures at Trader's Sams pictures from the DLR or WDW. Nice to see that you got the Nautilus drink. The Nautilus cup you got me a few years ago is still one of my favorite souvenir cups.

That is good news that your parents were not on a Boeing 737 Max 8 going there.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


>



Good looking group! 



franandaj said:


>



Never seen that PP photo style. Kinda likin' it. 



franandaj said:


>



You must've kicked butt at Tetris.



franandaj said:


> JJ was a little cramped.



Just a little!  Poor thing!



franandaj said:


> Jill and Jenny were complaining that I hadn't been texting them pictures, so we snapped this selfie of the three of us and sent it to them.







franandaj said:


> When I came back to the room, Fran had MSNBC on the TV and the breaking news was that the US had finally caught up with the rest of the world and grounded the 737 MAX8 planes.



What did you think when you saw that?



franandaj said:


> Fran was in the gift shop when I got the text and it had only been about 10 minutes.



Quick!



franandaj said:


> They have a bizarre policy that even if they don't have enough seats, they can have 51 people in the bar so they'll let you in so you can stand and lurk.



I guess... they assume people will like to stand at the bar? Not much room there, though.



franandaj said:


> We got a Nautilus that we shared. You can see the server coming with the drink.



In full regalia.



franandaj said:


>



Must get one of those.



franandaj said:


> One of my favorites, the Chicken in Lettuce Cups.



Looks yummy.



franandaj said:


> And the Pan Fried Dumplings.



Love dumplings. Or pot stickers.



franandaj said:


> I love that the little umbrella is all messed up and windblown!



 I was wondering when I saw it. "What is that supposed to be?"
I like that!!



franandaj said:


>



Great shot of you guys! 



franandaj said:


> we got an order of Kalua Pork Tacos



Also sounds yummy.



franandaj said:


> We finished off with a Rum Flight.



Nope!



franandaj said:


> While we were there my Mom sent me a text that their plane was not in fact a 737 MAX8, so their flight would not be grounded.



Imagine everyone was relieved. For different reasons.



franandaj said:


> She got hers with coconut rum.



Ew!!! Definitely NOPE!



franandaj said:


> Mine was a float.



You is smart.


----------



## tiggrbaby

What great group pics!

What a fun way to do dinner!


----------



## jedijill

Pam and JJ are so much fun and you guys got some great pics!  Trader Sams looked great!  You guys had a lot of drinks! (I'm impressed!)

Jill in CO


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> I went out to the living room to turn down the thermostat, and to my surprise there was a golf course out our windows! And there were people playing on it! I quickly stepped back into the bedroom and grabbed a towel!



 



franandaj said:


> My first car was a monster truck that won two out of the internal challenges but the final screen was down so I never saw if it won the overall.



We'll just assume you won.  That's what I would do.



franandaj said:


> However, I was so tired from building the truck, I fell asleep during the ride.



Gotta pace yourself with these things.



franandaj said:


> This car was so fast and exhilarating that I scared myself to death!



Well, that car must be a lot more fun!



franandaj said:


>



This flower display will never get old.



franandaj said:


> Pam got the Roasted Cauliflower



Why?



franandaj said:


> (our pictures didn't come out)



That seems to be a common problem on SE.



franandaj said:


>



That's some next-level Tetris right there.



franandaj said:


> They have a bizarre policy that even if they don't have enough seats, they can have 51 people in the bar so they'll let you in so you can stand and lurk.



Which is totally cool and not creepy at all.



franandaj said:


> Mine was a float.



Good call there.


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


>



Nice one! Great smiles all around!



franandaj said:


> Fran had stuff shipped from Walmart to the hotel, and we stopped to pick it up at Bell Services. The Bell guy didn't think we could fit it, but JJ proved them wrong.




Hehe! go JJ go! 


franandaj said:


> Jill and Jenny were complaining that I hadn't been texting them pictures, so we snapped this selfie of the three of us and sent it to them.



lol, and I just complained for food pics lol



franandaj said:


> When I came back to the room, Fran had MSNBC on the TV and the breaking news was that the US had finally caught up with the rest of the world and grounded the 737 MAX8 planes.



Canada stayed in there till the end with the US 


franandaj said:


> So we lurked by a table that Fran noticed was signing their check and they gave us their table when they left.



I like Fran even more now! I'm a lurker too. 



franandaj said:


> I love that the little umbrella is all messed up and windblown!





franandaj said:


>



I like that too! 



franandaj said:


>



yumm! I love tacos!



franandaj said:


> After we paid our bill and picked up our mugs, we topped the evening off with Dole whips



I'm a straight up Dole whip person, where as D is a juice fan too, although I wouldn't turn down Fran's choice 


franandaj said:


> I'm not sure if this particular experience set a precedent for this trip, I'll let you decide.



Sounds like a heck of a good start to me! 

[QUOTE="pkondz, post: 60509578, member: 142037]You must've kicked butt at Tetris.[/QUOTE]

I  thought the same thing!


----------



## franandaj

mvf-m11c said:


> It is. https://www.golfwdw.com/courses/disneys-lake-buena-vista-golf-course I believe it is one of few resorts at WDW that the resort is right next to the golf course. I haven't played golf in ages but I have played at all four courses (Magnolia, Palm, Lake Buena Vista and Oak Trail.



I never paid much attention since I've never golfed.



mvf-m11c said:


> Can't believe you were able to fit the two scooters in the back and got more stuff on that trip.



I was actually going to walk back to the villa from the Bell Desk, but JJ insisted on carrying the box in her lap.



mvf-m11c said:


> Always enjoy your pictures at Trader's Sams pictures from the DLR or WDW. Nice to see that you got the Nautilus drink. The Nautilus cup you got me a few years ago is still one of my favorite souvenir cups.



We now have all three generations of Nautilus cup, but I haven't been able to compare them because we have no more room on our Tiki Mug shelf so no Tiki mugs have come out of their boxes in the last year.



mvf-m11c said:


> That is good news that your parents were not on a Boeing 737 Max 8 going there.



Very relieving.



pkondz said:


> Good looking group!



Thanks! And fun too!



pkondz said:


> Never seen that PP photo style. Kinda likin' it.



That one is my favorite, why I saved it for last.



pkondz said:


> You must've kicked butt at Tetris.



As a matter of fact I did! 



pkondz said:


> Just a little!  Poor thing!



Hey I offered to walk back to the villa from Bell Services and let the box ride on the seat, but she grabbed the box and said, "Get in!"



pkondz said:


> What did you think when you saw that?



Finally!  I mean even if the planes really weren't that dangerous, the entire rest of the world had grounded them. Why were we not following suit? Keeping America Stupid again.



pkondz said:


> I guess... they assume people will like to stand at the bar? Not much room there, though.



At least its twice as big as the one at the DLH, but yeah, I guess they expect you to stand at the bar or table in the middle.



pkondz said:


> In full regalia.



 I love the way they do up the drink delivery. There's just not enough room at the one at home to do those shenanigans. 



pkondz said:


> Must get one of those.



How much you willing to pay? I may have one designed for a certain auction site. 



pkondz said:


> Looks yummy.



Very yummy! I wish it was still on the menu at our local one.



pkondz said:


> Love dumplings. Or pot stickers.



Me too! I found an awesome place near home that makes them by hand. My local Chinese place switched to packaged frozen ones. The awesome one is right near the vet....where we are right now. Hmmmm....if the wait is 3 hours like they say, maybe we'll be bringing home dinner. 



pkondz said:


> I was wondering when I saw it. "What is that supposed to be?"
> I like that!!



I didn't notice at first, but I was trying to write down all the names of the drinks for my TR in my phone and noticed that the description that the umbrella is weather blown. 



pkondz said:


> Great shot of you guys!



Thanks! It took a couple tries.



pkondz said:


> Also sounds yummy.



They were OK. The lettuce cups are my fave.



pkondz said:


> Nope!



I think every drink we had was rum based. 



pkondz said:


> Imagine everyone was relieved. For different reasons.



I didn't realize that when they grounded the planes, that all those flights would get canceled. And then the passengers would end up scrambling.  Somehow I figured they had extra planes sitting around. 



pkondz said:


> Ew!!! Definitely NOPE!



That's what I said as well!



pkondz said:


> You is smart.



Thanks! I is edumacated!


----------



## franandaj

tiggrbaby said:


> What great group pics!
> 
> What a fun way to do dinner!



Trader Sam's is a favorite for us for apps for dinner. You'll see it come up a few times in the bonus features on my other TR.



jedijill said:


> Pam and JJ are so much fun and you guys got some great pics!  Trader Sams looked great!  You guys had a lot of drinks! (I'm impressed!)



You've been out for drinks with us before! You know this isn't our first rodeo!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> We'll just assume you won. That's what I would do.



Good plan. I like it!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Gotta pace yourself with these things.



I know!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Well, that car must be a lot more fun!



It was!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> This flower display will never get old.



It's so pretty!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Why?



 Yes I know this is a difficult concept for you to grasp, but Pam is a Gluten free vegetarian. She has to eat stuff like that.  Or should I say she _likes_ to eat stuff like that.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That seems to be a common problem on SE.



I remember that happened to you too.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That's some next-level Tetris right there.



Thanks! 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Which is totally cool and not creepy at all.



OMG!  I totally laughed at this one! So funny! :laughter:



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Good call there.



Best of both worlds.



DnA2010 said:


> Nice one! Great smiles all around!



We were having a great day!



DnA2010 said:


> Hehe! go JJ go!



She's a trooper!



DnA2010 said:


> lol, and I just complained for food pics lol



Those were easy cause I was already taking those.



DnA2010 said:


> Canada stayed in there till the end with the US



Yeah, we know what our problem was. What was yours?



DnA2010 said:


> I like Fran even more now! I'm a lurker too.



We will totally get a table at TS in November!



DnA2010 said:


> I like that too!



They do good show!



DnA2010 said:


> yumm! I love tacos!



They were good but not my favorite.



DnA2010 said:


> I'm a straight up Dole whip person, where as D is a juice fan too, although I wouldn't turn down Fran's choice



I would have taken regular rum, but coconut 



DnA2010 said:


> Sounds like a heck of a good start to me!



Thanks!



DnA2010 said:


> I thought the same thing!



And thanks again!


----------



## franandaj

Day 3


When I woke up the day before, we had thought that Southwest opened up their flights for our October trip, but instead there was a note on their website that it would be March 14, instead.  So when I found myself awake at 5:30AM I thought, “Cool, I can make our flight reservations.” So at 6AM I kept hitting refresh, only to see the little note on the website had changed and now they weren’t releasing those seats until March 18. Oh well, time to take another tub! For the rest of the trip I wouldn’t have a jacuzzi tub.  Darned Beach Club, why did they replace the jacuzzi tubs with soaker tubs? I guess they know that their location is primo and they don’t need to have as many other amenities as the other resorts.

After getting out of the tub I relaxed until about 8AM when Fran said we needed to get up and going. She had googled scooter repair the previous night and since we had a car we were going to see it they could fix my key situation. Turns out the one place that said scooter repair had closed their business five years ago and now only rented scooters, but couldn't figure out how to get that ghost of an internet page to go away. So I was stuck with my situation. Hopefully I'd be able to make it work until I got home, and then the place near us would be able to fix it when we got back.

We packed up all our stuff for Bell Services and were actually on the road with our scooters loaded up by 10:20. Pretty good for a three hour forward time change and us in general!

First stop was the car care center to get Fran added as an additional driver on the rental car. Next on the agenda was food. This wasn't a day for leisurely fine dining, this was “Get ‘er done” day, so we ended up driving through McD's where I could get an iced coffee and a Sausage McMuffin to scarf down.






Fran got a double cheeseburger






Next stop the Disney Outlet on Vineland. The really didn't have much that interested me, at least in my size, but Fran found a T-shirt, a hat, and a reusable bag. Next we were off to Costco, only because we like to check out Costcos in strange places. We didn't find anything earth shattering, but she did get some strawberry filled croissants and a bottle of my mom's favorite white wine and a red for my dad, based on an educated guess. I did text him before buying it, but he didn't get back to me until after we had left the store. I chose wisely.

Then we went to Home Depot to get a medium box. We knew that we needed to ship the Nautilus home as there would barely be room in the suitcase for all the souvenirs, so we picked up a Medium Heavy Duty box, some packing tape and a couple other things before heading to the second Disney outlet.

A couple weeks before we spent the weekend out at the Grand Californian with Jill and Jenny. It rained (or should I say misted? But that's a story for another TR) all weekend so during the times that we were outside, we were kind of hustling to get from here to there so as not to get too wet. I didn’t bother to bring my scooter since it would be raining all weekend. I don’t know if it was the hustling, the amount of walking or what, but by the time those two ladies both left and Fran and I were doing our last minute shopping and eating, my shin splints were KILLING me. When I got home, I iced my shins and put my feet up for the rest of the day. I literally hobbled into the chiropractor Monday morning, she treated my shins and had me come back Wednesday (I graduated to once a week last summer). So that I wouldn’t have a problem on this trip. She also suggested that I get some better “park touring shoes” as well.

Well at the second batch of outlets, I happened to spy a New Balance store and they “happened” to be having a “buy two get one free” sale. Fran is always more than happy to buy me new shoes, because I’ve always been the kind to buy a crappy pair of shoes at the cheapest place possible. Fran has been changing that over the last few years and was happy when I found three pair of shoes. Including these puppies, they are my favorite of the three pairs.






Then we went to the Disney outlet, I found a shirt that I had been looking at when we were at the last outlet, but they only had Large and smaller, this one they had an XL and for $10 I took a chance. 

Fran wanted to hit one more store, some kind of gaming and card store, but it was 7 minutes the other direction according to the GPS and it was already 4PM. I knew rush hour was imminent and we still needed to stop for baggies and a small amount of back up water. 

While we were out shopping Fran got an email that the DVD had been delivered, so we made a note to stop and pick it up.

We started to head back to Disney via International Drive and were looking for a Publix, but after we saw the third Walgreens I suggested we just go there. I got what we needed, but we were both hungry and dinner was hours away. We had talked about picking up Fried chicken at the deli at Publix and when I finally saw the Publix we pulled into the parking lot. However, I was distracted by  Freddy's. I'd never heard of this place, but they had burgers and such, as well as a drive through, so I figured we couldn't go too astray.

Fran got another double cheeseburger. I ate some of the meat that was hanging over the side of the bun and it was very tasty beef! She enjoyed it!






I got chili cheese fries. These were really good but a huge portion. 






and we split some onion rings. Also excellent!






Soon we were passing under this again. Third time in three days...






Then it was back to OKW to see if they had our DVD, but no dice, they had no record of receiving it, even though Fran got the email it was delivered.

So we went to the BCV, checked in and had the car emptied out by the bellman. Well, everything but my scooter. I took Fran to the room. It is the same one as every other time we have stayed there. And then I went to the Dolphin to return the car.

I got the scooter out of the back and assembled it. I had a heck of a time figuring out how to get out of the hotel! This would not be the last time. But I finally made my way back to the BCV. It was such a maze trying to figure out how to get out of the Dolphin so I could take the path back to the Beach Club.

But I finally prevailed and made it back to the room!  

Next up the parents arrive!


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> That one is my favorite, why I saved it for last.



I can see why!



franandaj said:


> As a matter of fact I did!



 Knew it!



franandaj said:


> Hey I offered to walk back to the villa from Bell Services and let the box ride on the seat, but she grabbed the box and said, "Get in!"



I'm not at all surprised. 



franandaj said:


> Finally! I mean even if the planes really weren't that dangerous, the entire rest of the world had grounded them. Why were we not following suit? Keeping America Stupid again.







franandaj said:


> I love the way they do up the drink delivery. There's just not enough room at the one at home to do those shenanigans.



Okay... so... <phew>
Confession. I looked at that and thought "Why don't I remember this?"



franandaj said:


> How much you willing to pay? I may have one designed for a certain auction site.



Probably not as much as you're likely to get... and shipping it here would probably double that.



franandaj said:


> Me too! I found an awesome place near home that makes them by hand. My local Chinese place switched to packaged frozen ones. The awesome one is right near the vet....where we are right now. Hmmmm....if the wait is 3 hours like they say, maybe we'll be bringing home dinner.



Hmm... vet.
One of the cats sick again??



franandaj said:


> I think every drink we had was rum based.







franandaj said:


> I didn't realize that when they grounded the planes, that all those flights would get canceled. And then the passengers would end up scrambling. Somehow I figured they had extra planes sitting around.



Oh, yeah. The president of the airline has a bunch in a closet.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Darned Beach Club, why did they replace the jacuzzi tubs with soaker tubs? I guess they know that their location is primo and they don’t need to have as many other amenities as the other resorts.



Hmm... you think that's it?
Are the soaker tubs deeper than the jacuzzis?

But whether they are or not, certainly less maintenance on a tub than a jacuzzi, I'm sure.



franandaj said:


> After getting out of the tub I relaxed until about 8AM when Fran said we needed to get up and going.



Wait..._ Fran_ said that???



franandaj said:


> Turns out the one place that said scooter repair had closed their business five years ago and now only rented scooters, but couldn't figure out how to get that ghost of an internet page to go away.



 That sounds more like... either false advertising or laziness.



franandaj said:


> a Sausage McMuffin to scarf down.



I prefer those to any other McMuffin.



franandaj said:


> Next we were off to Costco, only because we like to check out Costcos in strange places.



I have yet to do that... and I'd like to. US Costco's are very different than CDN ones.



franandaj said:


> but she did get some strawberry filled croissants and a bottle of my mom's favorite white wine and a red for my dad,



Case in point. Never seen the former and will never see that latter. No booze at the Costco's here.



franandaj said:


> I did text him before buying it, but he didn't get back to me until after we had left the store. I chose wisely.



Good!



franandaj said:


> Then we went to Home Depot to get a medium box. We knew that we needed to ship the Nautilus home as there would barely be room in the suitcase for all the souvenirs, so we picked up a Medium Heavy Duty box, some packing tape and a couple other things before heading to the second Disney outlet.



So I'm curious. What did you pack it in? Newspaper?



franandaj said:


> my shin splints were KILLING me.



 Sorry to hear that



franandaj said:


> I literally hobbled into the chiropractor Monday morning



That surprised me. I didn't think that would be something a chiropractor would do. Huh!



franandaj said:


> I happened to spy a New Balance store and they “happened” to be having a “buy two get one free” sale.



Meh. Who needs three shoes?
I may have three knees, but I only have two feet.



franandaj said:


>



Okay... so... I_ really_ like those!



franandaj said:


> a small amount of back up water.



For the scooter? Your reverse system is hydraulic?






franandaj said:


>



Looks pretty good!



franandaj said:


>



Decadent!



franandaj said:


>



They look good too!



franandaj said:


> I had a heck of a time figuring out how to get out of the hotel! This would not be the last time. But I finally made my way back to the BCV. It was such a maze trying to figure out how to get out of the Dolphin so I could take the path back to the Beach Club.



Huh. Surprised that it was such a maze. But you made it out eventually.


----------



## pooh'smate

I like your new shoes. They make New Balance shoes in the town that I was raised in. We have many Freddy's around here and I love their custard.


----------



## jedijill

Freddy’s is the BEST!!!!  I have one by my house.  Love the new kicks,

Still laughing at the mist!

Jill in CO


----------



## Flossbolna

Ah, Freddys is one of our favorites in Orlando. The burgers are very tasty and the frozen custard is delicious!

Looks like a very productive day! I hope your New Balance shoes helped you with the park touring. They look like fun shoes in pink!


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> Okay... so... <phew>
> Confession. I looked at that and thought "Why don't I remember this?"



And actually at DL it's Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar, so the theme is sort of voodoo magic with a South Pacific Flair.  At WDW it is Trader Sam's Grog Grotto with a Nautical theme, so there isn't even a Nautilus at our version.  That's why she is so obsessed with getting them for her collection.



pkondz said:


> Probably not as much as you're likely to get... and shipping it here would probably double that.



True.....



pkondz said:


> Hmm... vet.
> One of the cats sick again??



Yes, unfortunately.  We noticed a bloody spot on O'Malley's head and thought that he pissed off one of the other cats and got swatted in the head.  But it turned out that he had some kind of infection that caused him to scab up all over his back and neck and these wounds near his eye actually opened up and became bloody.  They shaved his face, cleaned up his wounds and gave him an antibiotic shot, so hopefully he will be all better.  He seems to feel fine, and is not behaving out of the ordinary.



pkondz said:


> Oh, yeah. The president of the airline has a bunch in a closet.



See!  That's what I was thinking!



pkondz said:


> Hmm... you think that's it?
> Are the soaker tubs deeper than the jacuzzis?



Not the jacuzzi tub that they replaced there, it was lovely.







pkondz said:


> But whether they are or not, certainly less maintenance on a tub than a jacuzzi, I'm sure.



Yes I'm sure the maintenance was a big factor in replacing them.



pkondz said:


> Wait..._ Fran_ said that???



I know! Right? 



pkondz said:


> That sounds more like... either false advertising or laziness.



Or just stupidity.



pkondz said:


> I prefer those to any other McMuffin.



Sometimes I like the egg white delight, and I've even been able to convince the local McDs to make me the sausage version with egg whites, so now I don't have to perform surgery on my sandwich when I'm feeling eggish.



pkondz said:


> I have yet to do that... and I'd like to. US Costco's are very different than CDN ones.



Sounds like we need to try one out.



pkondz said:


> Case in point. Never seen the former and will never see that latter. No booze at the Costco's here.



They have great booze at Costco. They even have their own brands of Tequila, Vodka, I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones we've tried.  Oh yeah and their wines.  Pretty good quality.



pkondz said:


> So I'm curious. What did you pack it in? Newspaper?



Mainly T-shirts, Disney sacks that the souvenirs came in.  TP rolls, stuff like that.



pkondz said:


> That surprised me. I didn't think that would be something a chiropractor would do. Huh!



Actually my Chiropractor (as do many others) work on the whole body. They kind of view it like one big working part, and if any of it isn't right, something else could go wrong.  Right now my chief complaints are the shoulder (on the side where I got hit in a car 30+ years ago), and my elbow.  They had been working on my knees before, but those got better.  For the most part, her minions come in and massage the areas where you have pain, and then she comes in and does adjustments and uses funny tools on you. I could have kept telling them that my knees hurt so they would keep massaging them, but I'm unfortunately honest.



pkondz said:


> Meh. Who needs three shoes?
> I may have three knees, but I only have two feet.



It's a spare in case you lose one!  Then you can still wear the set.



pkondz said:


> Okay... so... I_ really_ like those!



Me too. And they match a lot of my outfits.



pkondz said:


> For the scooter? Your reverse system is hydraulic?



Silly, for me!  My reverse system is hydraulic.   (not really)



pkondz said:


> Looks pretty good!
> 
> Decadent!
> 
> They look good too!



Evidently Freddy's is quite a legit fast food place.  Lots of people here seem to approve of our choice!



pkondz said:


> Huh. Surprised that it was such a maze. But you made it out eventually.



I attribute it to the fact that it is not a Disney property so their signage is subpar.  We will have this experience again in the trip.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> And actually at DL it's Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar, so the theme is sort of voodoo magic with a South Pacific Flair. At WDW it is Trader Sam's Grog Grotto with a Nautical theme, so there isn't even a Nautilus at our version. That's why she is so obsessed with getting them for her collection.



Oh! I had no idea.
I am almost 100% sure I won't get there this trip (my dance card is full), but... maybe on some future trip. 



franandaj said:


> Yes, unfortunately. We noticed a bloody spot on O'Malley's head and thought that he pissed off one of the other cats and got swatted in the head. But it turned out that he had some kind of infection that caused him to scab up all over his back and neck and these wounds near his eye actually opened up and became bloody. They shaved his face, cleaned up his wounds and gave him an antibiotic shot, so hopefully he will be all better. He seems to feel fine, and is not behaving out of the ordinary.



Poor kitty. Hopefully the worst is behind him.



franandaj said:


> Not the jacuzzi tub that they replaced there, it was lovely.
> 
> Yes I'm sure the maintenance was a big factor in replacing them.



I figure, so.



franandaj said:


> I know! Right?







franandaj said:


> Or just stupidity.



Ah yes. The most likely reason.



franandaj said:


> Sometimes I like the egg white delight, and I've even been able to convince the local McDs to make me the sausage version with egg whites, so now I don't have to perform surgery on my sandwich when I'm feeling eggish.



Is it a taste thing or a health thing?



franandaj said:


> Sounds like we need to try one out.



You'd be very disappointed.



franandaj said:


> They have great booze at Costco. They even have their own brands of Tequila, Vodka, I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones we've tried. Oh yeah and their wines. Pretty good quality.



Really! Had no idea.



franandaj said:


> Mainly T-shirts, Disney sacks that the souvenirs came in. TP rolls, stuff like that.



Ah.



franandaj said:


> Actually my Chiropractor (as do many others) work on the whole body. They kind of view it like one big working part, and if any of it isn't right, something else could go wrong. Right now my chief complaints are the shoulder (on the side where I got hit in a car 30+ years ago), and my elbow. They had been working on my knees before, but those got better. For the most part, her minions come in and massage the areas where you have pain, and then she comes in and does adjustments and uses funny tools on you. I could have kept telling them that my knees hurt so they would keep massaging them, but I'm unfortunately honest.



Huh. Another thing I had no idea about. I just assumed it was cracking bones and that's it.



franandaj said:


> It's a spare in case you lose one! Then you can still wear the set.



Statistically, which are you most likely to lose?
I'm betting the right. Because most people are right handed, which translates to _kicking_ with the right foot. so... the right shoe flies off and you lose it. So the spare is for the right foot.
Or do you get to specify?


I'm thinking about this waaaaaayyy too much. 



franandaj said:


> Me too. And they match a lot of my outfits.







franandaj said:


> Silly, for me! My reverse system is hydraulic. (not really)







franandaj said:


> I attribute it to the fact that it is not a Disney property so their signage is subpar. We will have this experience again in the trip.



I was thinking that.


----------



## franandaj

pooh'smate said:


> I like your new shoes. They make New Balance shoes in the town that I was raised in. We have many Freddy's around here and I love their custard.



When I saw custard on the menu, I knew I was going to be missing out on a treat, but we really needed something savory to rise hs over until dinner which wasn't until 9:30 that night.



jedijill said:


> Freddy’s is the BEST!!!!  I have one by my house.  Love the new kicks,
> 
> Still laughing at the mist!



Good to know Freddy's is a good choice, we don't have them here.  I don't wear them much, but glad to have better park shoes .

The mist!  That's for another post!



Flossbolna said:


> Ah, Freddys is one of our favorites in Orlando. The burgers are very tasty and the frozen custard is delicious!
> 
> Looks like a very productive day! I hope your New Balance shoes helped you with the park touring. They look like fun shoes in pink!



I'm glad to hear Freddy's is a good Fast Food alternative. We liked it!

You'll be surprised as to how much the new shoes work out!


----------



## afwdwfan

Hi!  I'm just going to jump in right here... I'm glad you and Fran survived your flight on the death trap.  The Food and Garden pictures are making me crave some fresh corn on the cob... But I agree with Fran, they can hold the garlic and just give me butter.


----------



## GGOOFY1

My grandson's loved the tub at OKW.  They looked forward to going back to the room and take a bath.  I was concerned the 20 month old was going to be afraid when the jets came on, but no he is fearless!!


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


> After getting out of the tub I relaxed until about 8AM


2 hours in the tub first thing sounds pretty spot on to me. 


franandaj said:


> Next we were off to Costco, only because we like to check out Costcos in strange places


Love visiting Costco when we travel, we love checking out the booze line up- some the Kirkland Sig alcohols are great and a bargain! 
We also love checking out the food court options- we had some awesome stuff in the costco in Hawaii
Generally cheap gas for rental cars too


franandaj said:


> Fran wanted to hit one more store, some kind of gaming and card store


Sounds like D- there is always a gaming/card store he wants to check out 



franandaj said:


>


nom nom! (minus the onion for me) 



franandaj said:


> Sometimes I like the egg white delight, and I've even been able to convince the local McDs to make me the sausage version with egg whites, so now I don't have to perform surgery on my sandwich when I'm feeling eggish.


Sausage is my fav too, I'd like an egg white version too, sometimes I want the egg, sometimes I dont..



franandaj said:


> They have great booze at Costco. They even have their own brands of Tequila, Vodka, I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones we've tried. Oh yeah and their wines. Pretty good quality.



Have you tried the Kirkland champagne? We did once, and I think it wasn't bad!


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> Oh! I had no idea.
> I am almost 100% sure I won't get there this trip (my dance card is full), but... maybe on some future trip.



Life goals. 



pkondz said:


> Poor kitty. Hopefully the worst is behind him.



Not yet, we had to take him back yesterday and get him a cone. He was tearing up the wound even worse. He hates it but we are giving him extra treats, hand fed, and he's sleeping. A LOT.



pkondz said:


> Is it a taste thing or a health thing?



I don't like solid yolks. Runny yolks are fine, so my eggs need to be scrambled or over easy. Otherwise I take the yolk out.



pkondz said:


> Huh. Another thing I had no idea about. I just assumed it was cracking bones and that's it.



Actually my Chiropractor doesn't crack bones at all. There are all kinds of techniques and schools of chiropractic and I've had three different philosophies, and this one seems to be the most efficient.



pkondz said:


> Statistically, which are you most likely to lose?
> I'm betting the right. Because most people are right handed, which translates to _kicking_ with the right foot. so... the right shoe flies off and you lose it. So the spare is for the right foot.
> Or do you get to specify?
> 
> 
> I'm thinking about this waaaaaayyy too much.



Actually I'm working with the Civil war reenactor's philosophy of shoes (which I'm assuming you wouldn't know about as Canada didn't have a Civil War, as far as I know, not a Canadian History buff.) Which is shoes are just shoes. You put one one each foot, and if you put the same one on the same foot each day it will eventually form to fit that foot. In camp soldiers would pile their shoes up at night and when dressing in the morning would grab some shoes and put them on, which is where the saying, " If the shoe fits, wear it." came from.



afwdwfan said:


> Hi! I'm just going to jump in right here...





You've made great progress catching up around here!



afwdwfan said:


> I'm glad you and Fran survived your flight on the death trap



Me too! 



afwdwfan said:


> The Food and Garden pictures are making me crave some fresh corn on the cob... But I agree with Fran, they can hold the garlic and just give me butter.



I think I like just butter better as well, but I didn't want to waste it! Now I want corn for dinner!



GGOOFY1 said:


> My grandson's loved the tub at OKW.  They looked forward to going back to the room and take a bath.  I was concerned the 20 month old was going to be afraid when the jets came on, but no he is fearless!!



I can see why they would look forward to it!


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Not yet, we had to take him back yesterday and get him a cone. He was tearing up the wound even worse. He hates it but we are giving him extra treats, hand fed, and he's sleeping. A LOT.



Awww, poor thing.



franandaj said:


> I don't like solid yolks. Runny yolks are fine, so my eggs need to be scrambled or over easy. Otherwise I take the yolk out.



Or have Bennies. 



franandaj said:


> Actually my Chiropractor doesn't crack bones at all. There are all kinds of techniques and schools of chiropractic and I've had three different philosophies, and this one seems to be the most efficient.



Huh!



franandaj said:


> Actually I'm working with the Civil war reenactor's philosophy of shoes (which I'm assuming you wouldn't know about as Canada didn't have a Civil War, as far as I know, not a Canadian History buff.) Which is shoes are just shoes. You put one one each foot, and if you put the same one on the same foot each day it will eventually form to fit that foot. In camp soldiers would pile their shoes up at night and when dressing in the morning would grab some shoes and put them on, which is where the saying, " If the shoe fits, wear it." came from.



I did know that about shoes. About no particular left/right. (But not that the saying is from there.)
Not sure if it applies to_ your_ new shoes, though.


----------



## franandaj

DnA2010 said:


> 2 hours in the tub first thing sounds pretty spot on to me.



I don't think I actually got two hours in the tub, I can't last too much longer than half an hour before I start to get really overheated.



DnA2010 said:


> Love visiting Costco when we travel, we love checking out the booze line up- some the Kirkland Sig alcohols are great and a bargain!
> We also love checking out the food court options- we had some awesome stuff in the costco in Hawaii



I've heard that the Honolulu Costco is definitely the place to check out!  If we ever get to Aulani we will go there.



DnA2010 said:


> Generally cheap gas for rental cars too



Another thing we did that I didn't mention.....



DnA2010 said:


> Sounds like D- there is always a gaming/card store he wants to check out



What game(s) does he play?



DnA2010 said:


> nom nom! (minus the onion for me)



Love onions!



DnA2010 said:


> Sausage is my fav too, I'd like an egg white version too, sometimes I want the egg, sometimes I dont..



Same for me, and sometimes I just want the yogurt parfait.



DnA2010 said:


> Have you tried the Kirkland champagne? We did once, and I think it wasn't bad!



I haven't!  I did see Prosecco when I was there the other day, but not champagne.  I was looking for it since you mentioned it in this comment shortly before we went there.



pkondz said:


> I did know that about shoes. About no particular left/right. (But not that the saying is from there.)
> Not sure if it applies to_ your_ new shoes, though.



OK. You have a trip coming up.  I want to get to the next update, so I'm just gonna leave this whole discussion right here.


----------



## franandaj

While I was dropping off our rental car at the Dolphin, Fran had called for our bags to be delivered and soon we had all three sets of bags. The luggage that was transferred from OKW, our grocery delivery order, and the Owner’s Locker, which was delivered earlier that day.

She laid down on the couch and I began the fun of unpacking everything. But not before I took pictures of the room. 









































And here is my parent’s room.































And our fully stocked fridge.






Finally I had everything unpacked, groceries put away, and I sat down for a glass of wine. And that's when my parents (who had been texting since they boarded their DME bus) said they were at the Boardwalk. I had promised to meet them so I headed up to the bus drop off area, just as their bus pulled up.

We had to get their MBs scanned and synced and then it was back to the room. We still had a few minutes before our ADR, so we enjoyed a glass of the wine we had purchased at Costco out on our patio, and then headed over to the Trattoria al Forno. 











They gave us some yummy bread.













We shared a Calamari appetizer and it wasn't nearly as good as I remembered. 






Mom ordered the Chicken Parmesan.






Dad got the Pasta Carbonara.






and I got the Polpetti to split with Fran. The pasta they were served with looked like little worms. The meatballs were very dense. Not at all what I expected.  Mine are better, I like a little bread and onions mixed in.






Everyone ended up taking home half their meal, and it wasn't nearly as good as I had remembered.  Certainly a disappointment. But we were all full and tired so we went back home to get a good night's sleep. I pointed out the Ample Creamery where I had suggested we could get dessert, but even they were closing their doors for the night it was so late.

When we got back to the villa, Fran opened the freezer and said, “I thought you said there was ice cream?”

I told her that would have gone to Ample Creamery had we finished dinner sooner, but it was too late by the time we finished dinner.  She was quite displeased.

Now I thought about the selection below long and hard, my first choice would have been Van Halen’s “Ice Cream Man”, but….er…..family board.  I also liked Weird Al’s “I Love Rocky Road”, but in the end I went with this catchy ditty.

<cue 



 music>


----------



## tiggrbaby

Very pretty room!
All the diet Dew made me giggle!
Sorry your dinner wasn't as good as you remembered.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> OK. You have a trip coming up. I want to get to the next update, so I'm just gonna leave this whole discussion right here.



Well, if the shoe fits...







franandaj said:


> She laid down on the couch and I began the fun of unpacking everything. But not before I took pictures of the room.



Big place!



franandaj said:


> And our fully stocked fridge.



I never knew you were that much into the Dew. I haven't had that in ages.



franandaj said:


> And that's when my parents (who had been texting since they boarded their DME bus) said they were at the Boardwalk. I had promised to meet them so I headed up to the bus drop off area, just as their bus pulled up.



Nice!



franandaj said:


> We shared a Calamari appetizer and it wasn't nearly as good as I remembered.



Drat.



franandaj said:


> Mom ordered the Chicken Parmesan.



Hmmm... A good go to, but I seldom order it. I like to be a_ bit_ more adventurous.



franandaj said:


> Dad got the Pasta Carbonara.



One dish I never order. Just doesn't appeal all that much. I have made it, however.



franandaj said:


> and I got the Polpetti to split with Fran. The pasta they were served with looked like little worms. The meatballs were very dense. Not at all what I expected. Mine are better, I like a little bread and onions mixed in.



Interesting.
And... did the worm noodles turn you off? Or no big deal?



franandaj said:


> Everyone ended up taking home half their meal, and it wasn't nearly as good as I had remembered. Certainly a disappointment.



Well... that's too bad.



franandaj said:


> I pointed out the Ample Creamery where I had suggested we could get dessert, but even they were closing their doors for the night it was so late.



I'm surprised after you said you were all full that you'd still want it.



franandaj said:


> I told her that would have gone to Ample Creamery had we finished dinner sooner, but it was too late by the time we finished dinner. She was quite displeased.



Never get between a woman and her ice cream.
Heck... don't get between_ me_ and my ice cream!



franandaj said:


> Now I thought about the selection below long and hard, my first choice would have been Van Halen’s “Ice Cream Man”, but….er…..family board.



Long and hard, huh?


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


>


Nice selfie!!!




franandaj said:


>


Got any Diet Dew?  



franandaj said:


> When we got back to the villa, Fran opened the freezer and said, “I thought you said there was ice cream?”


It's behind the Diet Dew!  Sorry it was too late to get ice cream.  I'm always down for a nice cool treat!


----------



## ACDSNY

Wow I'm late to this one.  I've been on the run between working on my Dad's estate and our trips we had scheduled before he passed.  I had one of your mornings on our last trip to the airport, I left my purse at home (45 minutes away) so I had DH and DS stay at the airport and check the bags while DGS and I ran home during morning rush hour.  No fun, but we made it.

I love your pics from your Mom's yard, they're beautiful.  I do the fuzzy Disney math all the time so I understand it perfectly.  Looks like you had a pretty good time so far, minus the dinner disappointment.


----------



## mvf-m11c

Its always nice to drive around around Orlando to go to different stores and restaurants. Look like you had a nice day driving around. When I go back to Orlando and drive around, I will have to try out Freddy's.

Your room looks very nice. I don't think I have read from your TR's that you didn't have a good dinner. Maybe if you go back at Trattoria al Forno in the near future, it will be better.


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


>



That is the most Diet Dew I've ever seen in one place.  Besides, you know, the grocery store.



franandaj said:


> Mom ordered the Chicken Parmesan.



Nice.  That's my go-to.



franandaj said:


> Everyone ended up taking home half their meal, and it wasn't nearly as good as I had remembered. Certainly a disappointment.



Well...crud.  Sorry to hear that.



franandaj said:


> When we got back to the villa, Fran opened the freezer and said, “I thought you said there was ice cream?”





afwdwfan said:


> It's behind the Diet Dew!





I can't top that response.



franandaj said:


> I told her that would have gone to Ample Creamery had we finished dinner sooner, but it was too late by the time we finished dinner. She was quite displeased.



I guess she takes her ice cream seriously.


----------



## franandaj

tiggrbaby said:


> Very pretty room!
> All the diet Dew made me giggle!
> Sorry your dinner wasn't as good as you remembered.



Thanks! The BCV rooms are very light and airy.  Fran does like her Dew.  Perhaps it was just off that night.



pkondz said:


> Well, if the shoe fits...







pkondz said:


> Big place!



The last one was actually larger.



pkondz said:


> I never knew you were that much into the Dew. I haven't had that in ages.



I'm not into Dew, can't stand the stuff.  That's all Fran. That's why we have so much, she over buys everything.



pkondz said:


> Hmmm... A good go to, but I seldom order it. I like to be a_ bit_ more adventurous.



I usually only order it at Palo on the cruise ship.  I'm thinking I should have gone with the Linguine and Clams even though I made it at home the week before.



pkondz said:


> One dish I never order. Just doesn't appeal all that much. I have made it, however.



I'm glad I didn't get it that night.  I really like it cause of the bacon, but that one didn't look right.



pkondz said:


> Interesting.
> And... did the worm noodles turn you off? Or no big deal?



Nah, they were just strange, I tried not to think about it too much.



pkondz said:


> Well... that's too bad.



Yes it was.  



pkondz said:


> I'm surprised after you said you were all full that you'd still want it.



Well I didn't, but I thought I would point it out to everyone, especially since we couldn't have it.  



pkondz said:


> Never get between a woman and her ice cream.
> Heck... don't get between_ me_ and my ice cream!



Don't worry there is more to this story.



pkondz said:


> Long and hard, huh?



Deliberate or by chance....I'll let you be the judge.



afwdwfan said:


> Nice selfie!!!



Thanks!  Although if I'd noticed that I was in the picture I would have retaken it without me!



afwdwfan said:


> Got any Diet Dew?



  



afwdwfan said:


> It's behind the Diet Dew!



OK, that's the BEST comment!



afwdwfan said:


> Sorry it was too late to get ice cream. I'm always down for a nice cool treat!



I know Fran would really have liked it.  I think the rest of us were too stuffed.  She didn't order and entree.



ACDSNY said:


> Wow I'm late to this one. I've been on the run between working on my Dad's estate and our trips we had scheduled before he passed. I had one of your mornings on our last trip to the airport, I left my purse at home (45 minutes away) so I had DH and DS stay at the airport and check the bags while DGS and I ran home during morning rush hour. No fun, but we made it.



Ugh, that sounds scary!  I would be totally stressing.



ACDSNY said:


> I love your pics from your Mom's yard, they're beautiful. I do the fuzzy Disney math all the time so I understand it perfectly. Looks like you had a pretty good time so far, minus the dinner disappointment.



Yup, I'm doing funny Disney math to justify my Disney addiction and so far it's working!


----------



## franandaj

mvf-m11c said:


> Its always nice to drive around around Orlando to go to different stores and restaurants. Look like you had a nice day driving around. When I go back to Orlando and drive around, I will have to try out Freddy's.



They are evidently quite a few Freddy's around Florida. Good luck!



mvf-m11c said:


> Your room looks very nice. I don't think I have read from your TR's that you didn't have a good dinner. Maybe if you go back at Trattoria al Forno in the near future, it will be better.



It has been rare that I have had a disappointing meal at WDW, but it has happened.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That is the most Diet Dew I've ever seen in one place. Besides, you know, the grocery store.



You would be astonished at our house.  When we moved to the new house we brought the old fridge from our apartment. Since we completely remodeled it we put in a new fridge, but the old fridge still worked fine. Now we have it in the garage. We keep frozen entrees in the freezer and bottles of 500ml bottles of Mtn Dew in the fridge. A few years back I sent a picture to Pam with the entire fridge filled with six packs of bottles of Mtn. Dew. In the fridge in the house (walk in, about the size of a bathroom), we have between 10-20 cases of 12 packs of cans and perhaps



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Nice. That's my go-to.



I normally only order it in Palo on the cruise ships, but there are times I will order it as well.  It all depends on the italian level of the restaurant.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Well...crud. Sorry to hear that.



Yeah, I was sad that it wasn't as good as the last time.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I can't top that response.



He nailed that one!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I guess she takes her ice cream seriously.



Yes she does as you will see..


----------



## mickeystoontown

Alison,

I finally stopped long enough to actually comment on a trip report. I've read your reports for quite some time but am just now commenting. I'm all caught up and ready for more!


----------



## franandaj

mickeystoontown said:


> Alison,
> 
> I finally stopped long enough to actually comment on a trip report. I've read your reports for quite some time but am just now commenting. I'm all caught up and ready for more!





You're just in time!  While all those other folks are enjoying the Epic girls trip, I've been able to get somewhat caught up on everyone else's TRs and now I can post another update!


----------



## franandaj

Day 4


I first woke up at 5:30AM, but since it was close to midnight when I went to bed, I decided not to give in and get up to take a tub. Next thing I know its 7:30AM. At this point I decided to take a tub, I still wish it was a full on jacuzzi.

Around 8AM I started on breakfast. I decided that my parent’s first day would be a leisurely one when planning the schedule, and thus seemed a perfect day for one of the two hot breakfasts I like to make in the room. I cooked half the bacon, and made French toast for my dad and I. 






My Mom preferred to have scrambled eggs instead of the toast, and she cheated and ate one of her pieces of bacon while I was still cooking.






Fran had her bacon in a sandwich in bed cause she was stiff and didn't want to join the rest of us for breakfast.

Eventually she got up and dressed and we were out the door by about 11AM, we didn't have huge ambitions for today, especially since my parents had just done the 3 hour time jump forward the day before. We planned to sample a few of the F&G food booths, use our FPs, chill in the room, have dinner, so not a lot of pressure. 

We made our way from the Beach Club to the International Gateway. We stopped for a good 10 minutes while my mom watched this bird.






When we finally made it into Epcot, we stopped and admired the topiaries as we made our way to our first booth.  Peter Pan and Captain Hook were up first. 






Then we came upon Pooh & Friends.





















I took this one of Piglet because the detail was so amazing. His tummy was made of tiny cacti.






Next up we found Bambi and gang.











By the time we had seen all these topiaries, my Dad was getting hungry (as well as the rest of us) and said, “Can we get some lunch?” So we headed to our first booth, Northern Bloom in Canada. 











We got one of each of the food items.






We had Seared Scallops with French Green Beans, Butter Potatoes, Brown Butter Vinaigrette and Apple-wood Smoked Bacon (GF)  – $7.00






Beef Tenderloin Tips, Mushroom Bordelaise Sauce, Whipped Potatoes with Garden Vegetables (KA) – $6.75, 






Griddled Maple Pound Cake with Warm Peach Compote and Sweet Corn Gelato featuring Burton’s Maple Syrup (KA) – $4.50






All of them were awesome and we ate every last bite. My mom was happy because she was feeling a lack of veggies from travel day so she happily ate the rest of the green beans from the scallop dish.

Next stop was The Citrus Blossom Kiosk.











We had Lobster Tail with Meyer Lemon Emulsion and Grilled Lemon (GF) — $8.00 






Tuna Tataki with Spicy Yuzu Glaze, Mango, Avocado and Pappadam Crisp – $6.25, 






Crispy Citrus Chicken with Orange Aïoli and Baby Greens (GF) (KA) – $5.75, This was a real favorite with Fran who doesn't eat raw fish so she passed on the Tuna,  she happily at the extra piece of chicken. It was really crispy and had a slight kick.






Fran started with dessert, but the rest of us saved it for last. Citrus Shortcake: Orange Chiffon Cake, Lemon Curd, Mandarins, Whipped Cream, Citrus Crumble (V) – $4.25, 

We also got a Orange Sunshine Wine Slushy – $6.50, as well as the non alcoholic version. 






It was pretty hot by this time and my Mom was looking rather flushed, so I suggested we go to the festival center which had AC. My parents had indicated an interest in the offerings at this food place. I let my Mom ride the scooter and she was pretty hesitant, but we put it on Turtle and she did just fine with a little coaching.

On our way to the Festival center we saw these guys and gal.











They used the old Odyssey building for the Festival Center.






This is the kiosk we were headed to next, but first we found a table to sit at.






Fran appears to be annoyed.  I think she is baking up her scheme for the next couple hours.











We got Fried Green Tomatoes with Blue Crab-fennel Salad, Remoulade and Smoked Paprika Oil – $6.00






This wasn't super high up on my list, but my Mom had given some of unripened tomatoes to a friend at home to make them, and was curious since the friend had given her a recipe. I had one bite and that was enough for me.

We had not been sure about how my father would be about splitting all the food selections, but it turned out that by the second booth he was helping to cut things into four pieces with mathematical precision and this cake was no exception. Mixed Berry Buttermilk Cake, served with Apple Cider Sorbet (V) (GF) (KA) – $5.00






We also split a flight of Cider. I liked the light one the best, my Dad liked the Widow Maker which was sort of bitter, but he compared it to Guiness.






At this point Fran said she was tired and needed to go back to the room. Really she was sick of all the camaraderie and wanted to do her own thing. She ended up going to Caramel Kuche and getting us some caramels for the room, and who knows where else she went. I didn’t turn on the GPS tracker in Trusted Contacts.  Maybe I should have!






Next up: I wear my parents out on the rides!


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> My Mom preferred to have scrambled eggs instead of the toast, and she cheated and ate one of her pieces of bacon while I was still cooking.


Good bacon can't wait for pictures



franandaj said:


> It was pretty hot by this time and my Mom was looking rather flushed, so I suggested we go to the festival center which had AC. My parents had indicated an interest in the offerings at this food place. I let my Mom ride the scooter and she was pretty hesitant, but we put it on Turtle and she did just fine with a little coaching.


Oh... it can't be that bad.  It's Disney World... no matter how ugly her driving gets, I've seen worse.  



franandaj said:


> We had not been sure about how my father would be about splitting all the food selections, but it turned out that by the second booth he was helping to cut things into four pieces with mathematical precision and this cake was no exception. Mixed Berry Buttermilk Cake, served with Apple Cider Sorbet (V) (GF) (KA) – $5.00


Just wait till you find something he really likes...  Then reach for it at your own peril. 



franandaj said:


> At this point Fran said she was tired and needed to go back to the room. Really she was sick of all the camaraderie and wanted to do her own thing. She ended up going to Caramel Kuche and getting us some caramels for the room, and who knows where else she went. I didn’t turn on the GPS tracker in Trusted Contacts. Maybe I should have!


I'm picturing one of those Family Circus comics tracing Billy's path all over the place.


----------



## Oscar5933

Loved all your pics of the topiaries and the food booths!  I am sad to say that even as a local I have yet to get out to the Garden Festival :-(
Question-what hotel has the great Jacuzzi tub? The two things I look for in great hotels are a big tub and of course great room service!


----------



## irene_dsc

Jumping in late, as usual.  And yes, good job on updating while so many others are on the Epic Girls Trip!  A lot of my usual lurking areas are pretty quiet right now!


----------



## Flossbolna

Love all the food items you got! And had to laugh about Fran plotting to escape the Alison family!


----------



## buteraa

Hi.  I'm really enjoying your trip report.  It's so nice your parents got to enjoy the trip with you and Fran.  Looking forward to more!


----------



## mvf-m11c

The topiaries are so neat to look at during the Flower & Garden Festival. Very nice pics of the food porn. I rarely go inside the old Odyssey building and a nice place to be inside along with the merchandise stand.


----------



## mickeystoontown

I so enjoyed the pictures of the Flower and Garden Festival. We used to go in May and were able to catch parts of the festival. Since my boss died and I had to change jobs, we now travel over the Thanksgiving holidays. Now we get to see the Christmas decorations instead.  

I love that you are traveling with your parents. Those are memories that will last a lifetime.


----------



## jedijill

That buttermilk cake at the Arbor was tasty!

Jill in CO


----------



## dizneeat

*You got a lot of yummy food to share! 

I was LOL when you mentioned that Fran "escaped" and you didn't track her movements ..........*


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> Eventually she got up and dressed and we were out the door by about 11AM, we didn't have huge ambitions for today, especially since my parents had just done the 3 hour time jump forward the day before.



Time travel is always rough on you.



franandaj said:


> We stopped for a good 10 minutes while my mom watched this bird.



Ok, mom.  That's great and all.  Let's get a move on...



franandaj said:


> My mom was happy because she was feeling a lack of veggies from travel day so she happily ate the rest of the green beans from the scallop dish.



I would have happily donated mine for the cause.



franandaj said:


> Fran appears to be annoyed. I think she is baking up her scheme for the next couple hours.







franandaj said:


> Really she was sick of all the camaraderie and wanted to do her own thing. She ended up going to Caramel Kuche and getting us some caramels for the room, and who knows where else she went. I didn’t turn on the GPS tracker in Trusted Contacts. Maybe I should have!



I sense some intriguing trip report chapters in the future!


----------



## pooh'smate

I know how Fran feels. I often bake up my own schemes when we go to visit my in-laws to have some alone time.


----------



## franandaj

afwdwfan said:


> Good bacon can't wait for pictures



She barely waited until I had it out if the pan! I think i was still cooking half of it when she stole her piece.



afwdwfan said:


> Oh... it can't be that bad. It's Disney World... no matter how ugly her driving gets, I've seen worse.



Actually she was being a very cautious driver. To the point that she may have been backing up traffic. 



afwdwfan said:


> Just wait till you find something he really likes... Then reach for it at your own peril.



Well the only things he shared all week pretty much was the stuff at the kiosks.



afwdwfan said:


> I'm picturing one of those Family Circus comics tracing Billy's path all over the place.



Yeah it wouldn't surprise me, the scooter is electric powered. When I track her in the car, she goes directly from point to point, cause gas is expensive.



Oscar5933 said:


> Loved all your pics of the topiaries and the food booths! I am sad to say that even as a local I have yet to get out to the Garden Festival :-(



Thanks!  I know what you mean. For the past few years DCA has had a Lunar New Year Festival complete with kiosks and all kinds of Asian foods.  I still have not made it out to one.



Oscar5933 said:


> Question-what hotel has the great Jacuzzi tub? The two things I look for in great hotels are a big tub and of course great room service



That was Old Key West.  But you have to get a one bedroom unit or larger. If they are like other DVC properties, the studios have just a standard bathtub/shower combo in their bathroom.  Only the one bedroom and larger units have jacuzzi tubs. Hence why I don't stay in a studio if I can avoid it.



irene_dsc said:


> Jumping in late, as usual.  And yes, good job on updating while so many others are on the Epic Girls Trip!  A lot of my usual lurking areas are pretty quiet right now!





I suspect soon we will start seeing all sorts of new TRs and updates. They are all slowly coming back home.



Flossbolna said:


> Love all the food items you got! And had to laugh about Fran plotting to escape the Alison family!



I didn't realize it at the time, she just said she was tired and needed to go back to the room a



buteraa said:


> Hi.  I'm really enjoying your trip report.  It's so nice your parents got to enjoy the trip with you and Fran.  Looking forward to more!





I'm hoping to get an update in soon, before all the ladies from the Epic Girls Trip start their TRs, or update and I'm behind again!



mvf-m11c said:


> The topiaries are so neat to look at during the Flower & Garden Festival. Very nice pics of the food porn. I rarely go inside the old Odyssey building and a nice place to be inside along with the merchandise stand.



I really enjoy the topiaries. So much work goes into them and they are so creative!  I'm not sure that I had ever been inside the Odyssey building before!


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> The last one was actually larger.



Really!



franandaj said:


> I'm not into Dew, can't stand the stuff. That's all Fran. That's why we have so much, she over buys everything.



Ah! So what's your go-to non-alcoholic beverage of choice?



franandaj said:


> Nah, they were just strange, I tried not to think about it too much.



wiggle wiggle...



franandaj said:


> Well I didn't, but I thought I would point it out to everyone, especially since we couldn't have it.







franandaj said:


> Don't worry there is more to this story.







franandaj said:


> Deliberate or by chance....I'll let you be the judge.



That's me. All judgey-judgey


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> I first woke up at 5:30AM, but since it was close to midnight when I went to bed, I decided not to give in and get up to take a tub. Next thing I know its 7:30AM.



That's a bit more... late.



franandaj said:


> I cooked half the bacon, and made French toast for my dad and I.



Yumm!



franandaj said:


>



And yet.... No maple syrup.
(That stuff you have there sure ain't!)



franandaj said:


> we didn't have huge ambitions for today, especially since my parents had just done the 3 hour time jump forward the day before



Good idea. I never worry about it since it's an hour off, I hardly feel it.



franandaj said:


> We stopped for a good 10 minutes while my mom watched this bird.



10 minutes? Was it doing a Broadway performance???



franandaj said:


> I took this one of Piglet because the detail was so amazing. His tummy was made of tiny cacti.



Oh! I saw those, but didn't notice that.



franandaj said:


> Next up we found Bambi and gang.



Yeah... I'll have a small story about that.



franandaj said:


> We got one of each of the food items.



Those all look good. I got...



franandaj said:


> Beef Tenderloin Tips, Mushroom Bordelaise Sauce, Whipped Potatoes with Garden Vegetables (KA) – $6.75,



...this one. And really liked it!



franandaj said:


> Next stop was The Citrus Blossom Kiosk.



Oh Lord... 
Love that slushy!



franandaj said:


> We had Lobster Tail with Meyer Lemon Emulsion and Grilled Lemon (GF) — $8.00



This was so good, according to Elle, that I had my own. She was right.



franandaj said:


> Crispy Citrus Chicken with Orange Aïoli and Baby Greens (GF) (KA) – $5.75, This was a real favorite with Fran who doesn't eat raw fish so she passed on the Tuna, she happily at the extra piece of chicken. It was really crispy and had a slight kick.



Had that too. It was pretty good.



franandaj said:


> Fran started with dessert, but the rest of us saved it for last. Citrus Shortcake: Orange Chiffon Cake, Lemon Curd, Mandarins, Whipped Cream, Citrus Crumble (V) – $4.25,



I don't remember if I had this (If I did, there'll be a photo). It obviously didn't make that big an impression.



franandaj said:


> We also got a Orange Sunshine Wine Slushy – $6.50, as well as the non alcoholic version.



I couldn't try the wine one. The machine wasn't working right. But the non-alcoholic one was amazing!



franandaj said:


> I let my Mom ride the scooter and she was pretty hesitant, but we put it on Turtle and she did just fine with a little coaching.







franandaj said:


> They used the old Odyssey building for the Festival Center.



Oh! I didn't know that. I never made it over there.



franandaj said:


> Fran appears to be annoyed. I think she is baking up her scheme for the next couple hours.



Was she wringing her hands in glee?



franandaj said:


> We got Fried Green Tomatoes with Blue Crab-fennel Salad, Remoulade and Smoked Paprika Oil – $6.00



Sounds interesting...



franandaj said:


> This wasn't super high up on my list, but my Mom had given some of unripened tomatoes to a friend at home to make them, and was curious since the friend had given her a recipe. I had one bite and that was enough for me.



... and now glad I didn't bother.



franandaj said:


> We had not been sure about how my father would be about splitting all the food selections, but it turned out that by the second booth he was helping to cut things into four pieces with mathematical precision and this cake was no exception



 That's what Dads do. My dad is almost rabid about that.



franandaj said:


> At this point Fran said she was tired and needed to go back to the room. Really she was sick of all the camaraderie and wanted to do her own thing.



I get it. I'm with Fran... or rather... _without_ her.
Sometimes you just need some alone time.



franandaj said:


> She ended up going to Caramel Kuche and getting us some caramels for the room, and who knows where else she went. I didn’t turn on the GPS tracker in Trusted Contacts. Maybe I should have!





"The GPS says she's at the top of Mako in SeaWorld."



franandaj said:


> Next up: I wear my parents out on the rides!



 That happens...


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


> What game(s) does he play?



He plays Star Wars X-Wing 



franandaj said:


>



Good supply of wine there! Can't say I've ever tried diet dew- I'm guessing we have it here tho



franandaj said:


>



Classic- still always a fav of mine 



franandaj said:


>





franandaj said:


> The meatballs were very dense. Not at all what I expected. Mine are better, I like a little bread and onions mixed in.



That looks yummy, I also like mine with some bread and egg and spices 



franandaj said:


> Yes she does as you will see..



I had to think about what I meant to quote here, but I remember it was ice cream..is she a fan of Dairy Queen ice cream cake?



franandaj said:


>



Whipped butter?! yummm!



franandaj said:


> By the time we had seen all these topiaries



Lovely pics, thanks!



franandaj said:


>



Looks yummy!



franandaj said:


>


cider ice cream- yum!


franandaj said:


>





franandaj said:


> We also split a flight of Cider. I liked the light one the best, my Dad liked the Widow Maker which was sort of bitter, but he compared it to Guiness.



I like the sound of that Widow Maker!



franandaj said:


>



Heaven, I'm in heaven! I really gotta try that marshmallow one!


----------



## franandaj

mickeystoontown said:


> I so enjoyed the pictures of the Flower and Garden Festival. We used to go in May and were able to catch parts of the festival. Since my boss died and I had to change jobs, we now travel over the Thanksgiving holidays. Now we get to see the Christmas decorations instead.



I like that we are able to travel at different times of the year. My favorite is definitely Food & Wine, but I also like January.  We had hoped to go in January next year, but financially it's just not in the cards.  We hope to be able to keep our cruise next April on the schedule, so we've had to scale back our trips.



mickeystoontown said:


> I love that you are traveling with your parents. Those are memories that will last a lifetime.



We've actually done a bit of traveling with them. So far we have been to Las Vegas, went back to Cape Cod, WDW twice and Alaska on a cruise. Not to mention we see them for either Christmas or Thanksgiving every year, switching off the two every other year.



jedijill said:


> That buttermilk cake at the Arbor was tasty!



It sure was!  I could have done that one again.



dizneeat said:


> You got a lot of yummy food to share!



We did!  It was quite yummy!



dizneeat said:


> I was LOL when you mentioned that Fran "escaped" and you didn't track her movements ..........



Well, at home when she's out with the car, I generally track her location. And then I wait to see where she tells me that she's been, about 75% of the time she tells the truth.  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Time travel is always rough on you.



Especially with an early morning.  Then again, my parents had a direct flight and it didn't leave until 11AM.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Ok, mom. That's great and all. Let's get a move on...



If I had a dollar for every time I wanted to say that....  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I would have happily donated mine for the cause.



I bet you would have!  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I sense some intriguing trip report chapters in the future!



Actually it wasn't until the last night of the trip that I thought to track her movements, OK and the second to last night....or was it the third?



pooh'smate said:


> I know how Fran feels. I often bake up my own schemes when we go to visit my in-laws to have some alone time.



I get it.  I probably would have Hari Kari'd myself if we had to spend any length of time in her parents house.  There were only a few times that we both were over there, mainly because Fran worked for her parents, and we didn't have a social relationship.  I think we had two Thanksgivings over there and we couldn't get out fast enough!


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> Ah! So what's your go-to non-alcoholic beverage of choice?



I generally have three beverages throughout the day. One large cup of strong coffee in the morning, water throughout the day, and wine at night.



pkondz said:


> That's a bit more... late.



And more civilised as well.



pkondz said:


> And yet.... No maple syrup.
> (That stuff you have there sure ain't!)



No it's not, it was also about 7-8 years old. I finally tossed it this last trip.



pkondz said:


> Good idea. I never worry about it since it's an hour off, I hardly feel it.



Yeah going to Denver was fine, even two hours isn't so bad, but three is a killer.



pkondz said:


> 10 minutes? Was it doing a Broadway performance???



She had her binoculars out, was trying to identify it. Then my Dad started to chime in...the whole week went a little like that. She dies that for hours at home in the mornings. Keeps track of how many of which species come into her yard and then reports it online.



pkondz said:


> Oh! I saw those, but didn't notice that.



I guess it's from all those years of watching the Rose parade and listening to what kinds of flowers and such that they use for the floats. I check out all the materials that they use to make the various textures and such.



pkondz said:


> Yeah... I'll have a small story about that.



  Looking forward to it!



pkondz said:


> Those all look good. I got...
> 
> ...this one. And really liked it!



It's hard to go wrong with steak, unless you over cook it.



pkondz said:


> Oh Lord...
> Love that slushy!



I liked both, but liked the wine one better.  



pkondz said:


> This was so good, according to Elle, that I had my own. She was right.



I would have eaten my own if we didn't have so many other things we wanted to try!



pkondz said:


> Had that too. It was pretty good.



Really there was only one thing I tried that I didn't like.



pkondz said:


> I don't remember if I had this (If I did, there'll be a photo). It obviously didn't make that big an impression.



Yeah, this was nice, but not "OMG I need to go back for this" nice.



pkondz said:


> I couldn't try the wine one. The machine wasn't working right. But the non-alcoholic one was amazing!



Bummer for you!



pkondz said:


> Oh! I didn't know that. I never made it over there.



You were't with Fran.  First question, "Where is the merchandise?"



pkondz said:


> Was she wringing her hands in glee?



No, she was being very secretive about it....



pkondz said:


> Sounds interesting...
> 
> ... and now glad I didn't bother.



Yeah, I now realize that I just don't like Fried Green Tomatoes.



pkondz said:


> That's what Dads do. My dad is almost rabid about that.



You should see my Dad when he is pouring champagne.



pkondz said:


> I get it. I'm with Fran... or rather... _without_ her.
> Sometimes you just need some alone time.



But that's not what family is all about!  



pkondz said:


> "The GPS says she's at the top of Mako in SeaWorld."



Somehow I don't think she could have got that far in an hour on her scooter.



pkondz said:


> That happens...



More than often, as you will see.....



DnA2010 said:


> He plays Star Wars X-Wing



Ah, never heard of that.  She plays Magic the Gathering, I put up with it.



DnA2010 said:


> Good supply of wine there! Can't say I've ever tried diet dew- I'm guessing we have it here tho



I think you do.  I believe that we picked some up before our cruise from Vancouver.



DnA2010 said:


> Classic- still always a fav of mine



I may need to make some next week, or the following.



DnA2010 said:


> That looks yummy, I also like mine with some bread and egg and spices



My own meatballs are somewhat bland, but then again I like the meat to be the star as well as the sauce I put them in.



DnA2010 said:


> I had to think about what I meant to quote here, but I remember it was ice cream..is she a fan of Dairy Queen ice cream cake?



I don't think she's every had it.



DnA2010 said:


> Whipped butter?! yummm!



Actually I was not happy that they bought us whipped butter.  I would have preferred cubes.



DnA2010 said:


> Lovely pics, thanks!



They do such a nice job on them.



DnA2010 said:


> Looks yummy!



Yes it was....



DnA2010 said:


> cider ice cream- yum!



Did I say that in the description?  I actually don't remember.  



DnA2010 said:


> I like the sound of that Widow Maker!



It was pretty good, a little bitter, but they all were tasty.



DnA2010 said:


> Heaven, I'm in heaven! I really gotta try that marshmallow one!



You haven't had that one before?  That one is the best!


----------



## franandaj

So I realized that I hadn't given you folks any IRL updates since returning from the trip. If you were following my last TR you might know that we finally got our residence of 17 years all cleaned out, remodeled and rented a couple weeks before the trip. It felt great to be 100% rented leaving on the trip!

As we touched down back in Los Angeles on our flight home, I turned my phone off of airplane mode only to receive an email that one of our tenants was moving out, and would be completely moved in about four days. They cleaned the place moderately and turned in the keys 10 days later. Well it was nice having been fully rented for 21 days at least. 

As of now, the place has been painted, cleaned up, a few items like light fixtures and fans have been replaced and we are about to put the sign out front and list the property on various rental websites.

And we have another tenant who will moving out at some point in the near future. They informed us that they are looking to buy a house. So that will be a fun one. They have been there over 5 years, so definite painting, new blinds…..at least the flooring in there is rated for 30 years.

Good thing we don't have plans to go anywhere until October. 

If you're not following along on the bonus features posted on the previous TR, we do have one exciting thing happening at home. There's this little thing that opens up at Disneyland at the end of the month. And it appears that I'm going to get to go there a few times in the next month or so. Between Jenny and myself we have three reservations at SWGE, so at least I'll have that to keep me busy while I'm not traveling. Plus I have at least five different DIS friends coming in each month (two in August) and then one in each of the subsequent months (except October when I will be in Orlando).

So cross your fingers on the rental situation that we get it rented quickly!


Meanwhile back to the TR, while Fran was on her freedom quest, the rest of us had FP for Mission Space. So we headed over there.











We saw these folks along the way.
















I wasn’t sure how my Dad would take it, and the night before we had discussed doing the Green Team and if he was OK with that we would go back using Mom's and Fran's bands on the Orange Team. So that's exactly what we did! The Green Team ride was OK, but you “soared around the world” so fast that you couldn’t really even figure out what you were flying over. I agree that they could have picked something a little more interesting for the upgrade.

My mom walked to the ride, but sat on the scooter while me and my Dad rode Mission Space.  When we finished the second time, we were just in time for our FP for Soarin, well we would be once we made our way across to The Land Pavilion.  

My Dad rode the scooter this time. I realized that I better start making better use of those new tennis shoes, cause I was going to be doing more walking than I anticipated. 

We arrived six minutes before our FPs opened. Pam had told me that your FP window was actually 5 mins before the actual time and 15 mins after, so we decided to test that. Right at 2:45 we walked up to the podium and lo and behold, it worked!

After we soared we had a FP for LWTL at 3:50, but we really didn't want to wait that long, so we headed over to the ride and as we approached, the CM at the entrance told us to go ahead and use the FP line, probably because of the scooter.

Then we got directed into a wider lane for scooters and wheelchairs and then we were pretty much placed on the next boat.

I rarely can get pictures in the first part of LWTL, I was lucky to get these.











Pineapples!






Mangoes?






Chocolate!






Bananas






I always love the fish….











I’m definitely out on this one!






OK, what restaurant is serving this?






Love this Mickey topiary!






Mmmmm Basil……






Some big A** squash!






I love all the Mickeys in this ride!






I don’t know why this concept always fascinates me.






After that it was hot and we were tired so we made our way back to the room, my parents walked through the butterfly tent while I waited outside. The idea of swarming butterflies kind of freaks me out.

I got this shot of the figment topiary while they were in there.






Around halfway back to the room, my Mom asked to ride the scooter.  I tried for another shot of the Captain Hook and Peter Pan topiaries and the afternoon lighting was much better than the morning light.






Back in the room, Fran was asleep. Mom and I hit the jacuzzi out at the pool to soothe our tired legs. I'm not sure how long we were in there but it was around 5PM that we got out of the Jacuzzi and we sat by the pool drying off for another 10 minutes or so. I felt really gross between the cream on my arms to help heal my skin and the excess of sunscreen Fran put on me earlier, so I needed a full shower, and entered at 5:18. I know this because Fran asked me to wake her in 20 minutes so she could shower as well and it took me a full 20 minutes to get myself clean from all those lotions. We got her showered, dressed and then we all went to the Friendship boat dock as my Dad wanted to see if taking the boat involved any less walking. It didn't. 

*[Continued in Next Post]*


----------



## franandaj

*[Continued from Previous Post]*

At the boat, they already had one wheelchair so they couldn't take two scooters. Fran opted to meet us at the drop off point while I rode the scooter on the boat with my parents. Then we headed to the restaurant and ended up being about 15 minutes early so we sat down to wait, but I took a picture of this topiary first.






I think we were seated sooner than our given wait time.


























We had learned from the night before to order sparingly. Everyone ordered soup, me and Dad had French Onion






Mom and Fran had the Lobster Bisque.






They also gave us this yummy bread






Mom had escargot (but I didn’t get a picture of that) and a Salade aux Lardons et croutons.  Fran and I took half the salad and most of the Lardons.






Then we split an Alsacienne tarte.






My Mom passed on dessert, but Dad got the Gateau au Chocolat






Fran got the Cygne au Chocolate






I got the Tart aux Pommes.






Everything was wonderful and we practically waddled out of there.

We caught these topiaries in the dark.
















Illuminations had just ended and everyone was streaming out of the park with us. My parents walked this time and we arrived home safely but Fran wanted Ice cream so she went to Ample Creamery.

She sent us this picture to help us decide what to have her order.






But then when she got to the counter, she sent us this even more in depth menu.






She bought a sampler, I don’t remember what all was in but the two brown ones are Coffee Toffee Coffee Ice Cream, Coffee Ice Cream with Housemade Espresso-Infused Chocolate-Covered Toffee Pieces. Going clockwise I think the next one was Peppermint Pattie Ice Cream, Cool Peppermint Ice Cream with flakes of Dark Chocolate and House-made Peppermint Patties. I believe those were my suggestions, the other three I have no idea!






plus two cups of ice cream. This is Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Ice Cream

The creamiest Vanilla Ice Cream made with Cream Cheese and gobs of House-made St. Louis-Style Ooey Gooey Butter Cake.






This one is Sally Sells Seashells Ice Cream

Fresh and Fluffy Orange Marshmallow Ice Cream with House-made Salty Chocolate Seashells






I think she ate all of the last one that night, but the others lasted longer and some of the sampler may have been in the freezer when we checked out.  I did sample the two that I picked before crawling into bed.


----------



## jedijill

You guys got a lot done and dinner looked yummy!  Ample Hills is awesome! I had some of the Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Ice cream and it was amazing!

Jill in CO


----------



## dizneeat

*You packed a lot into that day! 

We have yet to try Ample Hill Creamery. The menu looks interesting. Well, we'll be at the BWVs for three nights ...... I might have to stop by there once or twice.*


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> I generally have three beverages throughout the day. One large cup of strong coffee in the morning, water throughout the day, and wine at night.



Huh!
I'm learning stuff about you. 



franandaj said:


> No it's not, it was also about 7-8 years old. I finally tossed it this last trip.



Good!



franandaj said:


> Yeah going to Denver was fine, even two hours isn't so bad, but three is a killer.



I get that... except I don't _get_ that unless I travel off continent.



franandaj said:


> She had her binoculars out, was trying to identify it. Then my Dad started to chime in...the whole week went a little like that. She dies that for hours at home in the mornings. Keeps track of how many of which species come into her yard and then reports it online.



Ohhhh...



franandaj said:


> I guess it's from all those years of watching the Rose parade and listening to what kinds of flowers and such that they use for the floats. I check out all the materials that they use to make the various textures and such.



I can see how that would become a thing. 



franandaj said:


> It's hard to go wrong with steak, unless you over cook it.



Then it's _really_ wrong.



franandaj said:


> I would have eaten my own if we didn't have so many other things we wanted to try!



The festival struggle is real.



franandaj said:


> You were't with Fran. First question, "Where is the merchandise?"



Should've guessed that.



franandaj said:


> No, she was being very secretive about it....










franandaj said:


> You should see my Dad when he is pouring champagne.







franandaj said:


> But that's not what family is all about!



Then it's _more_ so.






franandaj said:


> Somehow I don't think she could have got that far in an hour on her scooter.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> As we touched down back in Los Angeles on our flight home, I turned my phone off of airplane mode only to receive an email that one of our tenants was moving out, and would be completely moved in about four days. They cleaned the place moderately and turned in the keys 10 days later.



I knew that, but... still...



franandaj said:


> Well it was nice having been fully rented for 21 days at least.







franandaj said:


> As of now, the place has been painted, cleaned up, a few items like light fixtures and fans have been replaced and we are about to put the sign out front and list the property on various rental websites.



Do you expect it to go quickly? Or not?



franandaj said:


> And we have another tenant who will moving out at some point in the near future. They informed us that they are looking to buy a house. So that will be a fun one. They have been there over 5 years, so definite painting, new blinds…..at least the flooring in there is rated for 30 years.



Just wondering... is 5 years a long time for renters? Or average? Or... ?



franandaj said:


> Plus I have at least five different DIS friends coming in each month (two in August) and then one in each of the subsequent months (except October when I will be in Orlando).



 You'll be a busy girl!!



franandaj said:


> So cross your fingers on the rental situation that we get it rented quickly!










franandaj said:


> while Fran was on her freedom quest







franandaj said:


> The Green Team ride was OK, but you “soared around the world” so fast that you couldn’t really even figure out what you were flying over.



Wow. That sounds... lame.



franandaj said:


> I realized that I better start making better use of those new tennis shoes, cause I was going to be doing more walking than I anticipated.



Uh, oh...



franandaj said:


> We arrived six minutes before our FPs opened. Pam had told me that your FP window was actually 5 mins before the actual time and 15 mins after, so we decided to test that. Right at 2:45 we walked up to the podium and lo and behold, it worked!



Ah! I knew the rule, but wasn't sure if it was correct. I was pretty confident about the 15, but not the 5. Elle and I stood around once or twice for a couple minutes waiting. I didn't want to risk the embarrassment of being denied entry and told to wait. Looks like I didn't have to worry.



franandaj said:


> After we soared we had a FP for LWTL at 3:50, but we really didn't want to wait that long, so we headed over to the ride and as we approached, the CM at the entrance told us to go ahead and use the FP line, probably because of the scooter.



Possibly? Either way... nice.



franandaj said:


> Mangoes?



That's what I thought.



franandaj said:


> I always love the fish….



Fish are fr....


No. They're food.



franandaj said:


> I’m definitely out on this one!



Me too! Hard pass.



franandaj said:


> OK, what restaurant is serving this?



 mmmm! Fresh cotton!



franandaj said:


> The idea of swarming butterflies kind of freaks me out.



It wasn't like that at all. Actually, while there were a lot in there... there was a lot less than I thought there'd be.



franandaj said:


> Back in the room, Fran was asleep.



Well sure. Going all the way to SeaWorld and back...



franandaj said:


> Mom and I hit the jacuzzi out at the pool to soothe our tired legs.



Good idea.



franandaj said:


> Everyone ordered soup, me and Dad had French Onion



mmmmm!



franandaj said:


> Mom and Fran had the Lobster Bisque.



Oh, man! This is a tough one! I'd be really torn. Maybe order both.



franandaj said:


> Then we split an Alsacienne tarte.



That's French for "We're jealous of the Italians and their pizza".



franandaj said:


>



Drool worthy.



franandaj said:


>



Very pretty.



franandaj said:


>



Yeah, there's a couple there that had me questioning. Especially the Sally Sells Seashells.



franandaj said:


>



Good idea!



franandaj said:


> This one is Sally Sells Seashells Ice Cream



How was that? Did you try it?


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> Everyone ended up taking home half their meal, and it wasn't nearly as good as I had remembered. Certainly a disappointment.



I've had a mixed bag there. The first time I got a flatbread and it was terrible and the service gross. The 2nd time I got some sort of pasta I think and it was better. I think I'd go again if I was on the Boardwalk and was hungry, but for Italian, I'd go to Terralina at DTD now. 



franandaj said:


>



This topiary has a bit of a story for me. Coming up later on my TR, but I think it's my fave from the Festival. 



franandaj said:


> All of them were awesome and we ate every last bite. My mom was happy because she was feeling a lack of veggies from travel day so she happily ate the rest of the green beans from the scallop dish.



I "suffered" from lack of veggies on this trip too. I really need to make an effort while at Disney to keep my greens/fiber intake up or my system rebels. 



franandaj said:


> If you were following my last TR you might know that we finally got our residence of 17 years all cleaned out, remodeled and rented a couple weeks before the trip. It felt great to be 100% rented leaving on the trip!



WOOHOO!!! 

Or not... 



franandaj said:


> And it appears that I'm going to get to go there a few times in the next month or so. Between Jenny and myself we have three reservations at SWGE, so at least I'll have that to keep me busy while I'm not traveling. Plus I have at least five different DIS friends coming in each month (two in August) and then one in each of the subsequent months (except October when I will be in Orlando).



Sooooooooooooo excited for this!



franandaj said:


> I rarely can get pictures in the first part of LWTL, I was lucky to get these.



They are so hard to get!



franandaj said:


> She bought a sampler, I don’t remember what all was in but the two brown ones are Coffee Toffee Coffee Ice Cream, Coffee Ice Cream with Housemade Espresso-Infused Chocolate-Covered Toffee Pieces. Going clockwise I think the next one was Peppermint Pattie Ice Cream, Cool Peppermint Ice Cream with flakes of Dark Chocolate and House-made Peppermint Patties. I believe those were my suggestions, the other three I have no idea!



I didn't know you could do that there!! YUM!


----------



## Magical_Suitcase

franandaj said:


>



Awesome shoes!  As a child I wore "hand-me-down" shoes and as a result, my feet suck.  Shoes hurt.  Finding comfortable shoes is my goal in life.  



franandaj said:


>



Yum, I have never tried Freddies but maybe on our next Florida trip....



franandaj said:


>



I am really disappointed in the BCV renovations, reminds me of a cheap hotel we stayed at in Reno in the late 80s.    I liked the old BCV decor....  But I do love the location...

Now to finish reading your report.


----------



## tiggrbaby

Sounds like you had a great meal this time!  And ice cream for Fran!


----------



## skier_pete

Wow, your Dad did Orange side? I am always afraid to try it, because even though I don't get sick on any rides at Disney or Universal, spinning rides really knock me for a loop so I just don't know. The other thing is no one else in the family will try it. Maybe one of these days.


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


> Ah, never heard of that. She plays Magic the Gathering, I put up with it.



Think plastic star wars ships, cards with details on what they do, and dice to say what to do with them 



franandaj said:


> You haven't had that one before? That one is the best!



We've only done one real WDW trip where we just did 1 day at each park and I didn't really anywhere near about WDW as I do now, and didn't really know much about the store, let alone specifics about all the yummy things. We are hoping to do a big trip back 2021



franandaj said:


> As of now, the place has been painted, cleaned up, a few items like light fixtures and fans have been replaced and we are about to put the sign out front and list the property on various rental websites.



Fingers crossed it and the next one rent quickly.



franandaj said:


> Between Jenny and myself we have three reservations at SWGE, so at least I'll have that to keep me busy while I'm not traveling. Plus I have at least five different DIS friends coming in each month (two in August) and then one in each of the subsequent months (except October when I will be in Orlando).



I'm so excited for you but will be avoiding the updates for the most part I think...I say right now...we will see...anyways, soooo exciting! 



franandaj said:


> Pineapples!



They are just the cutest when they are really really small! I remember seeing really tiny ones in Hawaii


franandaj said:


> Mangoes?



Papayas I think?



franandaj said:


> Mmmmm Basil……



Mmm basil,  mmm pesto! 
(I'm guessing they don't show any cilantro   ) 


franandaj said:


> They also gave us this yummy bread



Mmm nothing like a good French loaf of bread..nom nom 



franandaj said:


> I got the Tart aux Pommes.



while I love chocolate and chocolate desserts, this looks really good!



franandaj said:


> he bought a sampler, I don’t remember what all was in but the two brown ones are Coffee Toffee Coffee Ice Cream, Coffee Ice Cream with Housemade Espresso-Infused Chocolate-Covered Toffee Pieces. Going clockwise I think the next one was Peppermint Pattie Ice Cream, Cool Peppermint Ice Cream with flakes of Dark Chocolate and House-made Peppermint Patties. I believe those were my suggestions, the other three I have no idea!


I'm very aligned with her choices!



franandaj said:


> resh and Fluffy Orange Marshmallow Ice Cream with House-made Salty Chocolate Seashells



this guy looks very tasty as well!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> It felt great to be 100% rented leaving on the trip!



I bet!  Congratulations!



franandaj said:


> As we touched down back in Los Angeles on our flight home, I turned my phone off of airplane mode only to receive an email that one of our tenants was moving out, and would be completely moved in about four days.



Son of a...well, it was nice while it lasted.



franandaj said:


> The Green Team ride was OK, but you “soared around the world” so fast that you couldn’t really even figure out what you were flying over. I agree that they could have picked something a little more interesting for the upgrade.



Yeah, that was really disappointing.  Why not keep the flight to Mars?  I hate that they call it Mission: Space and you don't really see space.  Bleh.



franandaj said:


> OK, what restaurant is serving this?



It's for the cotton candy kiosks, of course.  Duh.



franandaj said:


> My parents walked this time and we arrived home safely but Fran wanted Ice cream so she went to Ample Creamery.



There it is!  Get that woman her ice cream!



franandaj said:


>



I love the idea of the sampler.  They probably make a boatload of money on that.


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> You guys got a lot done and dinner looked yummy!  Ample Hills is awesome! I had some of the Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Ice cream and it was amazing!



I love Ample Hills Creamery Ice Cream, especially the Ooey Gooey butter cake!



dizneeat said:


> *You packed a lot into that day!
> 
> We have yet to try Ample Hill Creamery. The menu looks interesting. Well, we'll be at the BWVs for three nights ...... I might have to stop by there once or twice.*



You definitely should! They have some yummy and interesting flavors!


----------



## cruisehopeful

franandaj said:


> Mangoes?





DnA2010 said:


> Papayas I think?


Those are papayas and they are delicious - well, when they aren't green.


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> Huh!
> I'm learning stuff about you.



I thought you might have already known that one.



pkondz said:


> I get that... except I don't _get_ that unless I travel off continent.



I can see that.



pkondz said:


> Then it's _really_ wrong.





I saw a meme on FB, where someone had a steak resembling shoe leather. And the caption was "Y'all argue with people who eat steaks like this?"

And the response was "Can't....they still chewing"  



pkondz said:


> The festival struggle is real.



#firstworldproblems



pkondz said:


> I knew that, but... still...



And we still haven't gotten off our butts to finish it and put the sign out.



pkondz said:


> Do you expect it to go quickly? Or not?



No clue.   



pkondz said:


> Just wondering... is 5 years a long time for renters? Or average? Or... ?



I'd say 2-3 years is about average. Then again we have some that have been there 7+ years.



pkondz said:


> You'll be a busy girl!!



 but fun!



pkondz said:


> Wow. That sounds... lame.



Mark thought so too.



pkondz said:


> Ah! I knew the rule, but wasn't sure if it was correct. I was pretty confident about the 15, but not the 5. Elle and I stood around once or twice for a couple minutes waiting. I didn't want to risk the embarrassment of being denied entry and told to wait. Looks like I didn't have to worry.



You just caused me to write a little anecdote for my next update that I had forgotten to include about this.



pkondz said:


> Possibly? Either way... nice.



It was nice! Got us out of there quicker!



pkondz said:


> That's what I thought.



Evidently they are Papayas.



pkondz said:


> Fish are fr....
> 
> 
> No. They're food.



Truth



pkondz said:


> Me too! Hard pass.



wimpy taste buds for both of us.   



pkondz said:


> mmmm! Fresh cotton!







pkondz said:


> It wasn't like that at all. Actually, while there were a lot in there... there was a lot less than I thought there'd be.



Spoiler alert.  I find out later.



pkondz said:


> Well sure. Going all the way to SeaWorld and back...







pkondz said:


> mmmmm!
> 
> Oh, man! This is a tough one! I'd be really torn. Maybe order both.



That's why it's nice to share.  



pkondz said:


> That's French for "We're jealous of the Italians and their pizza".







pkondz said:


> Drool worthy.
> 
> Very pretty.



I'm surprised you didn't comment on my Apple thingy.



pkondz said:


> Yeah, there's a couple there that had me questioning. Especially the Sally Sells Seashells.
> 
> How was that? Did you try it?



I'm not a fan of orange and chocolate together, but Fran has ordered it every time she's been there so she really likes it.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> I thought you might have already known that one.


Not in that much detail.


franandaj said:


> I saw a meme on FB, where someone had a steak resembling shoe leather. And the caption was "Y'all argue with people who eat steaks like this?"
> 
> And the response was "Can't....they still chewing"





franandaj said:


> #firstworldproblems


We need to start a GoFundMe page.


franandaj said:


> And we still haven't gotten off our butts to finish it and put the sign out.


Why? Just finished getting them all rented so the flesh is weak?


franandaj said:


> No clue.


Well... good luck!


franandaj said:


> I'd say 2-3 years is about average. Then again we have some that have been there 7+ years.


Huh. I had zero clue.


franandaj said:


> You just caused me to write a little anecdote for my next update that I had forgotten to include about this.


I'm a memory jogger.

'Cause a _regular_ jogger, I ain't.


franandaj said:


> Evidently they are Papayas.


So I saw. 


franandaj said:


> wimpy taste buds for both of us.


Fine line between wimpy taste buds and "not stupid".


franandaj said:


> I'm surprised you didn't comment on my Apple thingy.


I've been craving chocolate lately.


----------



## Lesley Wake

franandaj said:


> At this point Fran said she was tired and needed to go back to the room. Really she was sick of all the camaraderie and wanted to do her own thing. She ended up going to Caramel Kuche and getting us some caramels for the room, and who knows where else she went. I didn’t turn on the GPS tracker in Trusted Contacts. Maybe I should have!


Mmm, caramel! Sometimes you just need to recharge and get away! 


franandaj said:


> Plus I have at least five different DIS friends coming in each month (two in August) and then one in each of the subsequent months (except October when I will be in Orlando).


If we aren't able to meet up sometime this summer, hopefully we'll finally get to meet in person when Su-Lynn stops by! 


franandaj said:


> After that it was hot and we were tired so we made our way back to the room, my parents walked through the butterfly tent while I waited outside. The idea of swarming butterflies kind of freaks me out.


Thats too bad! At least there they have so few butterflies it doesn't feel like that at all! 


franandaj said:


> felt really gross between the cream on my arms to help heal my skin and the excess of sunscreen Fran put on me earlier, so I needed a full shower,


Ugh, yeah I hate that slimy feeling! I have an exfoliating body scrub, which I normally don't use, but I do keep it for after I've used sunscreen (like after a football game or Disneyland day) - only way to feel refreshed! 


franandaj said:


>


Miss Piggy looks soo good! I never got over to that area at night! 


franandaj said:


> She bought a sampler, I don’t remember what all was in but the two brown ones are Coffee Toffee Coffee Ice Cream, Coffee Ice Cream with Housemade Espresso-Infused Chocolate-Covered Toffee Pieces. Going clockwise I think the next one was Peppermint Pattie Ice Cream, Cool Peppermint Ice Cream with flakes of Dark Chocolate and House-made Peppermint Patties. I believe those were my suggestions, the other three I have no idea!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> plus two cups of ice cream. This is Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Ice Cream
> 
> The creamiest Vanilla Ice Cream made with Cream Cheese and gobs of House-made St. Louis-Style Ooey Gooey Butter Cake.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This one is Sally Sells Seashells Ice Cream
> 
> Fresh and Fluffy Orange Marshmallow Ice Cream with House-made Salty Chocolate Seashells
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think she ate all of the last one that night, but the others lasted longer and some of the sampler may have been in the freezer when we checked out. I did sample the two that I picked before crawling into bed.


Nice that you were able to stash it in the freezer! With the studios, they are all too small to adequately freeze something, or keep it frozen! 

Have you guys been to Salt & Straw yet? I finally tried it last week and it was delicious! The brownie one was so great with the brownies still nice and soft and chewy! Plus the fresh waffle cones!


----------



## franandaj

Steppesister said:


> I've had a mixed bag there. The first time I got a flatbread and it was terrible and the service gross. The 2nd time I got some sort of pasta I think and it was better. I think I'd go again if I was on the Boardwalk and was hungry, but for Italian, I'd go to Terralina at DTD now.



I'm anxious to try that now, we mainly went there because it was close to our resort.



Steppesister said:


> This topiary has a bit of a story for me. Coming up later on my TR, but I think it's my fave from the Festival.



Looking forward to it.  I will get to your TR someday!



Steppesister said:


> I "suffered" from lack of veggies on this trip too. I really need to make an effort while at Disney to keep my greens/fiber intake up or my system rebels.



You probably eat more veggies than I do.  I was OK.



Steppesister said:


> WOOHOO!!!
> 
> Or not...







Steppesister said:


> Sooooooooooooo excited for this!



It's mostly pretty cool!



Steppesister said:


> They are so hard to get!



I need my fast lens for that!



Steppesister said:


> I didn't know you could do that there!! YUM!



The sampler used to be full sized scoops, according to Fran, but now it's smaller more manageable to eat in one sitting, but not for me.



Magical_Suitcase said:


> Awesome shoes! As a child I wore "hand-me-down" shoes and as a result, my feet suck. Shoes hurt. Finding comfortable shoes is my goal in life.



That sucks. I was the oldest so I got new stuff, but I usually trashed it so bad, my sister couldn't use it.



Magical_Suitcase said:


> Yum, I have never tried Freddies but maybe on our next Florida trip....



I'd be willing to try it again, I want to try the custard.



Magical_Suitcase said:


> I am really disappointed in the BCV renovations, reminds me of a cheap hotel we stayed at in Reno in the late 80s. I liked the old BCV decor.... But I do love the location...
> 
> Now to finish reading your report.



Don't worry, updates are going pretty slowly!



tiggrbaby said:


> Sounds like you had a great meal this time! And ice cream for Fran!



This time it was quite yummy!


----------



## franandaj

********** said:


> Wow, your Dad did Orange side? I am always afraid to try it, because even though I don't get sick on any rides at Disney or Universal, spinning rides really knock me for a loop so I just don't know. The other thing is no one else in the family will try it. Maybe one of these days.



The only difference that I notice (well before they made the green side lame) was that on orange your face feels like its melting onto your torso, and the rest of your body feels like it has like 10 of those blankets they used to put on you at the dentist for xrays, or did they only do that for women to protect things that certain men want to regulate?  



DnA2010 said:


> Think plastic star wars ships, cards with details on what they do, and dice to say what to do with them



Ah. OK. Our game mostly just has cards, but also some dice and other little marker things.



DnA2010 said:


> We've only done one real WDW trip where we just did 1 day at each park and I didn't really anywhere near about WDW as I do now, and didn't really know much about the store, let alone specifics about all the yummy things. We are hoping to do a big trip back 2021



Huh. Somehow I thought you'd been there more times.



DnA2010 said:


> Fingers crossed it and the next one rent quickly.



We need to get up off our butts and get it on the market. We were going to do it today, but our helper didn't show up. I hope she's OK.



DnA2010 said:


> I'm so excited for you but will be avoiding the updates for the most part I think...I say right now...we will see...anyways, soooo exciting!



We'll have to see how my pictures go. It's going to be hard to photograph.



DnA2010 said:


> They are just the cutest when they are really really small! I remember seeing really tiny ones in Hawaii



Did you go to the Dole Plantation?



DnA2010 said:


> Papayas I think?



That seems to be the consensus.



DnA2010 said:


> Mmm basil, mmm pesto!
> (I'm guessing they don't show any cilantro  )



If they did, I missed it and not on purpose.



DnA2010 said:


> Mmm nothing like a good French loaf of bread..nom nom







DnA2010 said:


> while I love chocolate and chocolate desserts, this looks really good!



I thought it was! I'm partial to fruity desserts over chocolate.



DnA2010 said:


> I'm very aligned with her choices!







DnA2010 said:


> this guy looks very tasty as well!



She really liked it, ate it all that night, and you'll see what happened in another update.


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


> Huh. Somehow I thought you'd been there more times.


I have a decent knowledge from reading TR's, but ya, haven't been a frequent flyer...yet...I'm thinking we will do a big WDW trip in 2021 when the little one is 5, as next year's big trip is Hawaii


franandaj said:


> We'll have to see how my pictures go. It's going to be hard to photograph.


I have a feeling I'm not going to be able to look/stay away


franandaj said:


> Did you go to the Dole Plantation?


No, we haven't been to Oahu where I think it is, just the Big Island
I'd love to go to Oahu and visit Aulani but it's pretty pricey, espec once you put in the exchange


----------



## franandaj

Captain_Oblivious said:


> I bet! Congratulations!
> 
> Son of a...well, it was nice while it lasted.



Yeah, all 21 days. 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Yeah, that was really disappointing. Why not keep the flight to Mars? I hate that they call it Mission: Space and you don't really see space. Bleh.



And it's not even really convincing flying over earth either.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> It's for the cotton candy kiosks, of course. Duh.



Doh. I should have known that!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> There it is! Get that woman her ice cream!



Oh, this is just the beginning....  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I love the idea of the sampler. They probably make a boatload of money on that.



I like it too.  I can never decide on what I want so the more choices the better!



cruisehopeful said:


> Those are papayas and they are delicious - well, when they aren't green.



OK, thanks for being the voice of clarification!



pkondz said:


> We need to start a GoFundMe page.



Think it would work?  



pkondz said:


> Why? Just finished getting them all rented so the flesh is weak?



I'm not sure what the problem is.  All we need to do is go over there and take all the cleaning supplies and tools out, but things like going to Disney all day for SW land preview and errands and other stuff has just kept us from actually getting there and doing it.



pkondz said:


> Huh. I had zero clue.



Well we are generally nice landlords, so unless a tenant moves to a new city, gets married or buys a house, they stay with us for a while.



pkondz said:


> I'm a memory jogger.
> 
> 'Cause a _regular_ jogger, I ain't.







pkondz said:


> Fine line between wimpy taste buds and "not stupid".



Truth



pkondz said:


> I've been craving chocolate lately.



I've been craving pasta.



Lesley Wake said:


> Mmm, caramel! Sometimes you just need to recharge and get away!



I end up sucking it up and sticking it out, but yeah, she does seem to need to escape from my parents, especially when we are visiting them up North.



Lesley Wake said:


> If we aren't able to meet up sometime this summer, hopefully we'll finally get to meet in person when Su-Lynn stops by!



We're out there the three times in June, but not sure if we will make it out there in July. I have two different friends coming in August, but for sure in September. I gotta get Su-Lynn's dates!



Lesley Wake said:


> Thats too bad! At least there they have so few butterflies it doesn't feel like that at all!



Yeah I eventually learned that.  



Lesley Wake said:


> Ugh, yeah I hate that slimy feeling! I have an exfoliating body scrub, which I normally don't use, but I do keep it for after I've used sunscreen (like after a football game or Disneyland day) - only way to feel refreshed!



I'm glad I'm not the only one!



Lesley Wake said:


> Miss Piggy looks soo good! I never got over to that area at night!



I had almost forgotten that we saw her that night when we saw her again in the day.



Lesley Wake said:


> Nice that you were able to stash it in the freezer! With the studios, they are all too small to adequately freeze something, or keep it frozen!



Another reason I love my one bedrooms. Jacuzzi tub, full refrigerator.  No going back!



Lesley Wake said:


> Have you guys been to Salt & Straw yet? I finally tried it last week and it was delicious! The brownie one was so great with the brownies still nice and soft and chewy! Plus the fresh waffle cones!



We have not! We were walking by it the other day saying that we really needed to try it sometime soon.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Think it would work?


Nope!


franandaj said:


> I'm not sure what the problem is. All we need to do is go over there and take all the cleaning supplies and tools out, but things like going to Disney all day for SW land preview and errands and other stuff has just kept us from actually getting there and doing it.


Disney trumps most things.


franandaj said:


> Well we are generally nice landlords, so unless a tenant moves to a new city, gets married or buys a house, they stay with us for a while.


Wasn't questioning _you_. Just had no idea how long the average tenant stays. For anyone. Or anywhere.


franandaj said:


> I've been craving pasta.


I do no want chocolate pasta.


----------



## franandaj

DnA2010 said:


> I have a decent knowledge from reading TR's, but ya, haven't been a frequent flyer...yet...I'm thinking we will do a big WDW trip in 2021 when the little one is 5, as next year's big trip is Hawaii



We're going for the 50th at MK, a bunch of other DISers are going too.



DnA2010 said:


> I have a feeling I'm not going to be able to look/stay away



I'd probably be the same way.  I was with Pandora.



DnA2010 said:


> No, we haven't been to Oahu where I think it is, just the Big Island
> I'd love to go to Oahu and visit Aulani but it's pretty pricey, espec once you put in the exchange



I love the big island. Someday we will go to Oahu as well.



pkondz said:


> Disney trumps most things.



How dare you use those two words in the same sentence!



pkondz said:


> Wasn't questioning _you_. Just had no idea how long the average tenant stays. For anyone. Or anywhere.



Most of the time, tenants leave our buildings because they have a situation where they need to leave, like relocating or upsizing (buying a house). We have had tenants who don't fit and we have to ask them to leave, but we also have some tenants who intend to stay until they are forced into another living situation, think convalescent home 



pkondz said:


> I do no want chocolate pasta.


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


> How dare you use those two words in the same sentence!




Best quote comment EVER!!!


----------



## franandaj

Day 5 

Today was rope drop day, I think the only one of our trip. And in the end we failed. We woke up early and got dressed, had breakfast and all the stuff we were supposed to do. I made Fran english muffins with cheese melted on top in addition to her V8.



I had an English Muffin with raisins, my V8 and a cup of coffee.



I wanted to be out of the room at 8AM, i believe park opening was 9AM. But when it became 8:09 and none of us were ready I started to worry.  We made the preparations, but it wasn't until 8:21 when we actually left the room, and that was already too late. Not sure what time we caught the Friendship boat and once we docked at DHS, Fran let me book it on ahead. I went as fast as I could but by the time I got to Toy Story Land the wait for SDD was 95 minutes. Not happening. Even TSMM had a 55 minute wait already.

So I caught back up with Mom and Fran and we went back to TSL just to explore. But first she picked up Hot Chocolates for Mom and herself and a little treat for her.



There was a huge line to get a picture with Woody, so I snapped my shot while in between folks posing with him.



Now that I had the big camera I took some photos as we traveled around and checked out the various rides and restaurants. 



Even though I wasn’t hungry yet, I wanted to check out Woody’s Lunchbox. 


I was curious about the menu.






I thought this guy was cute.



More shots around TSL



Mom stretching.



Coming soon to you, A Galaxy Far, Far, Away, but he he he, it’s coming to us sooner.  I may or may not have already seen it….  



Nope, not waiting 45 minutes for a ride that I’m pretty sure will make me sick.  I feel ill after riding Tow Mater’s Jamboree and this one is based on that.



To Infinity and Beyond!



This picture does not do this landscaping justice.  Just gorgeous!



Even the Restrooms are cool!






We let my Mom ride the scooter again, and decided that we had seen enough for now. We had FP+ for the whole party on RnRC cause no one told me what they wanted to ride, so I figured I would go on it as many times as I could stand. Now that I’m older I have benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, which means that if I move my head suddenly in any direction I can get dizzy and disoriented.  The web “textbook” definition says this, “This might occur when you tip your head up or down, when you lie down, or when you turn over or sit up in bed.” But I’m pretty sure that going upside down a few times, being spun around in loops with G forces could also have the same effect.  

We still had about half an hour until the FP opened up so when we saw this show coming to a conclusion we decided to stop and watch.




And pretty soon we were moved aside so that we didn’t get killed to get us out of the way.












That only took up less than ten minutes and since we still had time to kill we stopped for some PP pictures.









Now you might be wondering about those smiles, the PP photographer was quite funny and kept doing all kinds of silly poses and just snapping away.  I didn’t even show you half of the shots he took. I saw him a few days later in the same spot doing the same antics and snapped a picture of him then.



He defintely had us laughing!



The irony of this sign was not lost on Fran and myself.



We still had a few more minutes before my FPs so we took a few more PP pics.






Eventually we moved on via shopping until the RnRC FP became available.  I had thought my Dad might want to try it, so I made 4 FP, but in the end he was intimidated by the whole upside down stuff and said no. So I rode it twice. For some reason RnRC did not seem to play by the rules of FP+ opens 5 minutes before your time. It also did not have a digital timer. But I walked up when it said 5 mins before my time. I scanned my MB.

Blue Mickey. 

There was kind of a line forming at the FP entry, so I went to the back hoping that by the time I got up to the front it would be OK.

Nope.  Blue Mickey.

I’m not sure how many more times I tried before I finally got the green one, or if the CM just took pity on me and waved me through.

I was really pumped up for the first ride.





But after the first ride I was so wiped out that I slept through my second ride.





By the time I finished my second ride,  my Dad had joined us. He had been coughing all morning so I gave him one of Fran's coughing pills. 

Then it was time to use our FP for TSMM. Fran and I rode together and my parents rode together. I got one of my better scores, and turned out to be “Best in Vehicle” but I wasn't quick enough on the picture since I never expected to hold that honor!




By this time we were all hungry. I had the brilliant idea of trying to have lunch at the Tune In Lounge and that way we could order off the Prime Time menu without an ADR. Unfortunately so did a lot of other people, so we went with our back up which was the ABC Comissary. When we got there, we couldn't find a table inside so I gave up and snagged one ot the last outside tables. 

I had noticed the huge line when we were inside looking for a table and immediately realized that mobile ordering was the way to go. So from our table outside we placed the order. About a minute after I hit send, I asked my Dad to come help me carry. 

He's like, “You just ordered, don't you have to wait for them to make it?” 

I told him, “I hit the choice, ‘I'm here now prepare my food.’ It's pretty much already made all they have to do is put it on a tray.”

In the end, they called my name just as we walked up to the counter so I was vindicated.

Mom got the Mediterranean salad with Chicken.





She was too hungry to stop eating on my account of wanting to take a picture.

Dad got the burger with Apple Slices on the side, but I didn't seem to have taken a picture. I'm sure everyone here knows what a burger looks like.

Fran and I split the basket of Fried goodness. Shrimp, Fish and Chicken Tenders. It was actually the perfect amount of food for the two of us and couldn't even finish my chicken tender.





I'll wrap this up here since I'm at my 35 photo limit...


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> How dare you use those two words in the same sentence!


Oops. Sorry. We have neither of those things up here. 




franandaj said:


> Most of the time, tenants leave our buildings because they have a situation where they need to leave, like relocating or upsizing (buying a house). We have had tenants who don't fit and we have to ask them to leave, but we also have some tenants who intend to stay until they are forced into another living situation, think convalescent home


Ah!


franandaj said:


> Today was rope drop day, I think the only one of our trip.


So... you did _none_, then.


franandaj said:


> I made Fran english muffins with cheese melted on top


And something else. Egg, maybe?


franandaj said:


> I went as fast as I could but by the time I got to Toy Story Land the wait for SDD was 95 minutes. Not happening. Even TSMM had a 55 minute wait already.


Holy crap! You still got there early and _already_ 95 minutes... and 55 !!!


franandaj said:


>


She sure looks happy with that!


franandaj said:


> There was a huge line to get a picture with Woody, so I snapped my shot while in between folks posing with him.


Nice! Makes it look like the park is empty.


franandaj said:


> Even though I wasn’t hungry yet, I wanted to check out Woody’s Lunchbox.


It's really well themed, isn't it?


franandaj said:


> I thought this guy was cute.


 I noticed other Babybels around.


franandaj said:


> Mom stretching.


...to ride the scooter. 


 


franandaj said:


> Coming soon to you, A Galaxy Far, Far, Away, but he he he, it’s coming to us sooner. I may or may not have already seen it….


Oh, sure. Rub it in.




franandaj said:


> Nope, not waiting 45 minutes for a ride that I’m pretty sure will make me sick. I feel ill after riding Tow Mater’s Jamboree and this one is based on that.


Really! It looked pretty tame. And... dull.


franandaj said:


> Even the Restrooms are cool!


 Surprised a little kid would think of that. Andy's quite the kid.


franandaj said:


> We had FP+ for the whole party on RnRC cause no one told me what they wanted to ride, so I figured I would go on it as many times as I could stand.


yusss...


franandaj said:


> Now that I’m older I have benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, which means that if I move my head suddenly in any direction I can get dizzy and disoriented. The web “textbook” definition says this, “This might occur when you tip your head up or down, when you lie down, or when you turn over or sit up in bed.” But I’m pretty sure that going upside down a few times, being spun around in loops with G forces could also have the same effect.





franandaj said:


> And pretty soon we were moved aside so that we didn’t get killed to get us out of the way.


You do not want to mess with that one.


franandaj said:


>


cute shot, but... Tink's feet in your mom's face... 


franandaj said:


> Now you might be wondering about those smiles, the PP photographer was quite funny and kept doing all kinds of silly poses and just snapping away. I didn’t even show you half of the shots he took. I saw him a few days later in the same spot doing the same antics and snapped a picture of him then.


Almost makes me wonder if he is combination PP and streetmosphere.


franandaj said:


>


Great shot!


franandaj said:


> The irony of this sign was not lost on Fran and myself.





franandaj said:


> But I walked up when it said 5 mins before my time. I scanned my MB.
> 
> Blue Mickey.
> 
> There was kind of a line forming at the FP entry, so I went to the back hoping that by the time I got up to the front it would be OK.
> 
> Nope. Blue Mickey.
> 
> I’m not sure how many more times I tried before I finally got the green one, or if the CM just took pity on me and waved me through.


Oh dear. But... no digital timer? I'm sure there was one above the entrance.


franandaj said:


> But after the first ride I was so wiped out that I slept through my second ride.


Aww... poor Alison is tuckered out.





franandaj said:


> He had been coughing all morning so I gave him one of Fran's coughing pills.


If he's already coughing, does he really need a pill to make him cough more?


 


franandaj said:


> I got one of my better scores, and turned out to be “Best in Vehicle” but I wasn't quick enough on the picture since I never expected to hold that honor!


Nice!


franandaj said:


> By this time we were all hungry. I had the brilliant idea of trying to have lunch at the Tune In Lounge and that way we could order off the Prime Time menu without an ADR. Unfortunately so did a lot of other people, so we went with our back up which was the ABC Comissary. When we got there, we couldn't find a table inside so I gave up and snagged one ot the last outside tables.


Busy!!!


franandaj said:


> He's like, “You just ordered, don't you have to wait for them to make it?”
> 
> I told him, “I hit the choice, ‘I'm here now prepare my food.’ It's pretty much already made all they have to do is put it on a tray.”
> 
> In the end, they called my name just as we walked up to the counter so I was vindicated.


I tried mobile ordering once... maybe twice. Will be doing that more often!


----------



## skier_pete

franandaj said:


> The only difference that I notice (well before they made the green side lame) was that on orange your face feels like its melting onto your torso, and the rest of your body feels like it has like 10 of those blankets they used to put on you at the dentist for xrays, or did they only do that for women to protect things that certain men want to regulate?



OK I gotta try it. And yes they make men wear them too. And also - I don't want to regulate anything! 

Wow - I can't believe the lines for SDD were 95 minutes that early! That's crazy. We've only FP it so far. Also, yes AS2 is definitely the same ride as Mater's except with a different theme. We tried it with a reasonably short wait - I like Mater's better because of the goofy songs. 

ABC commisary is one of those "most improved" QS restaurants - it used to be pretty bad but the last few times we were there it was quite good. They just changed it up considerably though - so hopefully they didn't replace too much of the menu. 

Can't wait for Galaxy's Edge. I've been actually avoiding most of the info on it because I want to be WOWed come August. Though what I've seen so far I keep thinking - "Oh Fran and Alison are going to get THAT."  It sounds like they might have a virtual queue by then to get into the land instead of reservations - hopefully getting there first thing in the morning is good enough for getting in.


----------



## franandaj

DnA2010 said:


> Best quote comment EVER!!!



I'm glad you found that humorous!



pkondz said:


> Oops. Sorry. We have neither of those things up here.



I'd say with the trade off you are lucky!



pkondz said:


> So... you did _none_, then.



Pretty much.



pkondz said:


> And something else. Egg, maybe?



Nope that was it. Remember we were trying to get out of there quickly?



pkondz said:


> Holy crap! You still got there early and _already_ 95 minutes... and 55 !!!



I think the park opened at 9AM and it was about that time that I actually got there. I wanted to be on Hollywood Blvd (is that the name of the street like Main Street in that park?) at 8:30AM, but as you know we didn't make it.



pkondz said:


> She sure looks happy with that!



She loves her frosted donuts. That's why she didn't need an egg!



pkondz said:


> Nice! Makes it look like the park is empty.



I try to do that in my shots. Cause you know the parks are never empty.



pkondz said:


> It's really well themed, isn't it?



Yes, I thought so.



pkondz said:


> I noticed other Babybels around.



I've also seen them in the trailers for TS4, so they must play some role in that movie.



pkondz said:


> ...to ride the scooter.



It was an E Ticket ride for her.



pkondz said:


> Oh, sure. Rub it in.







pkondz said:


> Really! It looked pretty tame. And... dull.



Think of the tea cups. It's sort of like a 2/3 teacup motion. The last time I rode Mader's ride, I felt a little queasy.



pkondz said:


> Surprised a little kid would think of that. Andy's quite the kid.



He's got a pretty good team working for him. 



pkondz said:


> You do not want to mess with that one.



Certainly not.



pkondz said:


> cute shot, but... Tink's feet in your mom's face...



I didn't even notice that until you pointed it out.



pkondz said:


> Almost makes me wonder if he is combination PP and streetmosphere.



Could be. He was goofy and fun.



pkondz said:


> Oh dear. But... no digital timer? I'm sure there was one above the entrance.



No, it was an analog clock, I tried to find a picture, but couldn't.



pkondz said:


> Aww... poor Alison is tuckered out.



I'd had a big day so far!



pkondz said:


> If he's already coughing, does he really need a pill to make him cough more?



Sure he does. Helps him cough it all out.



pkondz said:


> I tried mobile ordering once... maybe twice. Will be doing that more often!



I really like it. We did it on Saturday. There was a HUGE line for ice cream, we mobile ordered and it took longer to decide what we wanted than for them to prepare the order.



********** said:


> OK I gotta try it.



I think you should!



********** said:


> And yes they make men wear them too. And also - I don't want to regulate anything!



I didn't think so!



********** said:


> Wow - I can't believe the lines for SDD were 95 minutes that early! That's crazy. We've only FP it so far. Also, yes AS2 is definitely the same ride as Mater's except with a different theme. We tried it with a reasonably short wait - I like Mater's better because of the goofy songs.



I'm hoping when we go in October, everyone else will be in the Millennium Falcon queue instead of SDD.



********** said:


> ABC commisary is one of those "most improved" QS restaurants - it used to be pretty bad but the last few times we were there it was quite good. They just changed it up considerably though - so hopefully they didn't replace too much of the menu.



I've actually always liked it. I remember they had a Cuban Sandwich that was pretty good. But I was happy with our fried basket. We each got a piece of fish and chicken, and then like three shrimps. We're used to splitting fried in every day life so it was all good.



********** said:


> Can't wait for Galaxy's Edge. I've been actually avoiding most of the info on it because I want to be WOWed come August. Though what I've seen so far I keep thinking - "Oh Fran and Alison are going to get THAT."



I was actually not totally wowed. They did a great job making things look dingy, and I thought the ride was fabulous, but I wasn't thrilled by the merch or the food. We did miss the Cantina cause the line was so long and there was only so much we could do in 4 hours. Next time we are gonna do the stuff we missed first next time. Hopefully I'll find something I want to buy. Fran did get a couple hats and a shirt.



********** said:


> It sounds like they might have a virtual queue by then to get into the land instead of reservations - hopefully getting there first thing in the morning is good enough for getting in.



Yes, that's what they're calling it. It starts June 24. People are speculating that all the spots will be gone if you don't get to the parks before noon. But once the virtual queue is in place, there won't be time limits on guest stays, however there will not be in and out privileges.  So once you leave you can't go back until another day.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> I'd say with the trade off you are lucky!





franandaj said:


> Nope that was it. Remember we were trying to get out of there quickly?


Then... what's the white that I see? margarine?


franandaj said:


> I think the park opened at 9AM and it was about that time that I actually got there. I wanted to be on Hollywood Blvd (is that the name of the street like Main Street in that park?) at 8:30AM, but as you know we didn't make it.


I do know. And yes, it's Hollywood Blvd. You turn down Sunset Blvd to go to TOT and RNRC


franandaj said:


> She loves her frosted donuts. That's why she didn't need an egg!


Logical. 


franandaj said:


> I try to do that in my shots. Cause you know the parks are never empty.





franandaj said:


> I've also seen them in the trailers for TS4, so they must play some role in that movie.


Huh. Maybe? Wonder how much they paid them.
I'm guessing... a _lot._


franandaj said:


> It was an E Ticket ride for her.





franandaj said:


> Think of the tea cups. It's sort of like a 2/3 teacup motion. The last time I rode Mader's ride, I felt a little queasy.


Gotcha. Puke cups.


franandaj said:


> He's got a pretty good team working for him.





franandaj said:


> No, it was an analog clock, I tried to find a picture, but couldn't.


Huh. Don't think I have a photo either.


franandaj said:


> Sure he does. Helps him cough it all out.


Well, that makes much more sense.


franandaj said:


> I really like it. We did it on Saturday. There was a HUGE line for ice cream, we mobile ordered and it took longer to decide what we wanted than for them to prepare the order.


 Like I said, I'll be doing that a lot more from now on.


----------



## Magical_Suitcase

franandaj said:


>



You guys look great!  If I was trying to make rope drop I would still be in my curlers, except I don't wear curlers, but you know what I mean.



franandaj said:


>



He looks like he is a hoot to work with.

Disneyland is on my list, when I lived in Washington, we spent summers going up and down the coast (my boyfriend was a deadhead) and stopped by Disneyland a time or two but since then.... It is time for a visit, maybe we will make it in 2020 after I retire from full time employment.


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> And in the end we failed.



Uh oh, I already don't like where this is going...



franandaj said:


> Fran let me book it on ahead. I went as fast as I could but by the time I got to Toy Story Land the wait for SDD was 95 minutes. Not happening. Even TSMM had a 55 minute wait already.



Yeah... it instanstaneously goes from 'Okay, we're done running!" to "Holy crap, I''m not standing in that 1 1/2 long line in the sun!" 



franandaj said:


>



Pretty  sure the kids and I will hit this up for the first time in Sept. 



franandaj said:


>



LOL! No mistaking sponsorship in these parts!



franandaj said:


>



I think it'll probably make me sick too, but I still want to try it to say I have. 



franandaj said:


>



You are right! I noticed this little patch as well when I came out of the bathrooms and thought the same thing. VERY well done space landscaping-wise. 



franandaj said:


>



It is ZERO mistake that the Girls' side has "Cooties" and the Boys' side has Tinkertoys. At all. And my immature Jr. High School side finds it uproarously hilarious. 



franandaj said:


> Now that I’m older I have benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, which means that if I move my head suddenly in any direction I can get dizzy and disoriented.



Sucks getting older! Common and bites. 



franandaj said:


>


I think he must be part photog, part Streetmosphere, no? 



franandaj said:


> Unfortunately so did a lot of other people, so we went with our back up which was the ABC Comissary. When we got there, we couldn't find a table inside so I gave up and snagged one ot the last outside tables.



UGH!! Afternoon, just when you're DYING for some AC! 



franandaj said:


> I told him, “I hit the choice, ‘I'm here now prepare my food.’ It's pretty much already made all they have to do is put it on a tray.”
> 
> In the end, they called my name just as we walked up to the counter so I was vindicated.



Mobile ordering FTW! Did it a few times (when the stoooooooooooopid App worked) and loved it when I could get it to work.


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


> I'd probably be the same way. I was with Pandora.


Still have yet to see Pandora..sighhh


franandaj said:


> I love the big island. Someday we will go to Oahu as well.


The Big Island is one of our happy places for sure..it's so diverse.


franandaj said:


> I had an English Muffin with raisins, my V8 and a cup of coffee.



I'm just not keen on breads with raisins in them, same as cookies..they are just kinda slimy and meh for me



franandaj said:


> Nope, not waiting 45 minutes for a ride that I’m pretty sure will make me sick. I feel ill after riding Tow Mater’s Jamboree and this one is based on that.


We actually love Tow Maters lol- the swings when the tractors change tracks are Big!!


franandaj said:


>


That guy loves his job! Nice!


franandaj said:


> By the time I finished my second ride, my Dad had joined us. He had been coughing all morning so I gave him one of Fran's coughing pills.


Are these the magic pills from the Alaska cruise? If I remember correctly ?


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> Today was rope drop day, I think the only one of our trip. And in the end we failed.



NOOOO!!!



franandaj said:


> I went as fast as I could but by the time I got to Toy Story Land the wait for SDD was 95 minutes. Not happening. Even TSMM had a 55 minute wait already.



Holy crap. That's brutal.



franandaj said:


> Coming soon to you, A Galaxy Far, Far, Away, but he he he, it’s coming to us sooner. I may or may not have already seen it….



And we may or not be jealous.



franandaj said:


> Nope, not waiting 45 minutes for a ride that I’m pretty sure will make me sick. I feel ill after riding Tow Mater’s Jamboree and this one is based on that.



Yep, same ride.  And no, it's not worth waiting 45 minutes.



franandaj said:


> Even the Restrooms are cool!



I thought so, too!



franandaj said:


> We had FP+ for the whole party on RnRC cause no one told me what they wanted to ride, so I figured I would go on it as many times as I could stand.



Excellent! 



franandaj said:


> Now that I’m older I have benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, which means that if I move my head suddenly in any direction I can get dizzy and disoriented. The web “textbook” definition says this, “This might occur when you tip your head up or down, when you lie down, or when you turn over or sit up in bed.” But I’m pretty sure that going upside down a few times, being spun around in loops with G forces could also have the same effect.



Oh.  Well, that does put a damper on the whole thing, doesn't it?



franandaj said:


> And pretty soon we were moved aside so that we didn’t get killed to get us out of the way.



Very considerate of them.



franandaj said:


> Now you might be wondering about those smiles, the PP photographer was quite funny and kept doing all kinds of silly poses and just snapping away. I didn’t even show you half of the shots he took. I saw him a few days later in the same spot doing the same antics and snapped a picture of him then.



Cute.  And here I thought you guys were just happy to be there.



franandaj said:


> Nope. Blue Mickey.
> 
> I’m not sure how many more times I tried before I finally got the green one, or if the CM just took pity on me and waved me through.



Persistence pays off!



franandaj said:


> But after the first ride I was so wiped out that I slept through my second ride.



Well, that's a shame.  Seems a waste of a fast pass.



franandaj said:


> I got one of my better scores, and turned out to be “Best in Vehicle” but I wasn't quick enough on the picture since I never expected to hold that honor!



Hey, nice work!



franandaj said:


> I had the brilliant idea of trying to have lunch at the Tune In Lounge and that way we could order off the Prime Time menu without an ADR. Unfortunately so did a lot of other people, so we went with our back up which was the ABC Comissary.



Dang it.  It's no fun when everybody else knows the secrets.


----------



## ljcrochet

franandaj said:


> Eventually we moved on via shopping until the RnRC FP became available. I had thought my Dad might want to try it, so I made 4 FP, but in the end he was intimidated by the whole upside down stuff and said no. So I rode it twice. For some reason RnRC did not seem to play by the rules of FP+ opens 5 minutes before your time. It also did not have a digital timer. But I walked up when it said 5 mins before my time. I scanned my MB.
> 
> Blue Mickey.
> 
> There was kind of a line forming at the FP entry, so I went to the back hoping that by the time I got up to the front it would be OK.
> 
> Nope. Blue Mickey.
> 
> I’m not sure how many more times I tried before I finally got the green one, or if the CM just took pity on me and waved me through.


I'm shocked that they didn't look and see how close you were to your time and just say okay.


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> Not sure what time we caught the Friendship boat and once we docked at DHS, Fran let me book it on ahead. I went as fast as I could but by the time I got to Toy Story Land the wait for SDD was 95 minutes. Not happening. Even TSMM had a 55 minute wait already.


Yikes!!!!  


franandaj said:


> Coming soon to you, A Galaxy Far, Far, Away, but he he he, it’s coming to us sooner. I may or may not have already seen it….


I'm jealous...  So very jealous.  Although you often have a lot of Disney related experiences that make me feel that way.  At least we get to experience many of them vicariously through your TRs.  Hint, hint, wink, wink... 


franandaj said:


> We had FP+ for the whole party on RnRC cause no one told me what they wanted to ride, so I figured I would go on it as many times as I could stand.


I fully approve of and endorse this strategy!!!!  


franandaj said:


> The irony of this sign was not lost on Fran and myself.


I think they misspelled "Pixar" 


franandaj said:


> I had noticed the huge line when we were inside looking for a table and immediately realized that mobile ordering was the way to go. So from our table outside we placed the order. About a minute after I hit send, I asked my Dad to come help me carry.
> 
> He's like, “You just ordered, don't you have to wait for them to make it?”
> 
> I told him, “I hit the choice, ‘I'm here now prepare my food.’ It's pretty much already made all they have to do is put it on a tray.”
> 
> In the end, they called my name just as we walked up to the counter so I was vindicated.


That's awesome.  This is the change that has occurred since our last trip that I'm most looking forward to.  I can mobile ordering really being a godsend, especially having 3 kids in tow.


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> Then... what's the white that I see? margarine?



whipped butter. Not my favorite.  The first thing I did after turning on my computer was modify my standing DVC order to "smallest package of cubed butter", the word cubed being key.



pkondz said:


> I do know. And yes, it's Hollywood Blvd. You turn down Sunset Blvd to go to TOT and RNRC



That's what I thought!



pkondz said:


> Logical.







pkondz said:


> Huh. Maybe? Wonder how much they paid them.
> I'm guessing... a _lot._



Probably.....



pkondz said:


> Huh. Don't think I have a photo either.



Not something one would normally take a photo of.



pkondz said:


> Like I said, I'll be doing that a lot more from now on.



I'll be doing that tonight!


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> whipped butter. Not my favorite. The first thing I did after turning on my computer was modify my standing DVC order to "smallest package of cubed butter", the word cubed being key.


Interesting... I prefer whipped butter... uh... sometimes.
I'm both fussy and weird.

But you knew that.


franandaj said:


> Not something one would normally take a photo of.


And yet... we both write TRs, so not that unlikely!


----------



## franandaj

Magical_Suitcase said:


> You guys look great! If I was trying to make robe drop I would still be in my curlers, except I don't wear curlers, but you know what I mean.



I get it. Rarely do I wake up early, usually between 7 and 8 but I sit in bed for hours catching up on the DIS on my phone. 



Magical_Suitcase said:


> He looks like he is a hoot to work with.



He definitely put big grins on our faces!



Magical_Suitcase said:


> Disneyland is on my list, when I lived in Washington, we spent summers going up and down the coast (my boyfriend was a deadhead) and stopped by Disneyland a time or two but since then.... It is time for a visit, maybe we will make it in 2020 after I retire from full time employment.



Definitely let me know if you plan to come out here. I will make sure you are well taken care of!



Steppesister said:


> Uh oh, I already don't like where this is going...



Well it wasn't that bad....



Steppesister said:


> Yeah... it instanstaneously goes from 'Okay, we're done running!" to "Holy crap, I''m not standing in that 1 1/2 long line in the sun!"



When I was there they had umbrellas going along the entire overflow queue, were they gone in May?



Steppesister said:


> Pretty sure the kids and I will hit this up for the first time in Sept.



Not that it doesn't sound good, and after Elle's glowing review, who knows, but for me to want grilled cheese and tomato soup it can't be hotter than the sun out! The totchos sound good too.



Steppesister said:


> LOL! No mistaking sponsorship in these parts!



I think that subliminally they got to me, but that's for a future update!



Steppesister said:


> I think it'll probably make me sick too, but I still want to try it to say I have.



I'll wait until its practically a walk on.



Steppesister said:


> You are right! I noticed this little patch as well when I came out of the bathrooms and thought the same thing. VERY well done space landscaping-wise.



Great minds....



Steppesister said:


> It is ZERO mistake that the Girls' side has "Cooties" and the Boys' side has Tinkertoys. At all. And my immature Jr. High School side finds it uproarously hilarious.



I did not notice that, but I do think it is pretty funny once you point it out.



Steppesister said:


> Sucks getting older! Common and bites.



Yeah, it's been about 10 years now....



Steppesister said:


> I think he must be part photog, part Streetmosphere, no?



I think he just really likes his job....



Steppesister said:


> UGH!! Afternoon, just when you're DYING for some AC!



At least by this point in our trip it wasn't so bad. We never really saw the sun much after the first three days.



Steppesister said:


> Mobile ordering FTW! Did it a few times (when the stoooooooooooopid App worked) and loved it when I could get it to work.



It's a godsend at DL! Totally love it!


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> When I was there they had umbrellas going along the entire overflow queue, were they gone in May?



They do, but they are spaced out AND when you ARE under them, the heat is trapped in and reflected off the concrete onto your face. Awful!



franandaj said:


> Not that it doesn't sound good, and after Elle's glowing review, who knows, but for me to want grilled cheese and tomato soup it can't be hotter than the sun out! The totchos sound good too.



Yes, the totchos and the breakfast bowls both sound good!



franandaj said:


> I think that subliminally they got to me, but that's for a future update!



Looking forward to that update!



franandaj said:


> I'll wait until its practically a walk on.





franandaj said:


> I think he just really likes his job....



Then it's perfect for him!! I hope they pay him well! 



franandaj said:


> It's a godsend at DL! Totally love it!



I hope it works better for me in Sept.


----------



## chunkymonkey

I'm playing some much need catch up on the boards!



franandaj said:


>


This looks good, I totally missed this. I missed out on so many things I wanted to eat. We had too many meals planned I think and not enough snacking time.


franandaj said:


> We also got the Honey Wine and Peach Cobbler with Blueberry Vodka that were pictured in the previous photos. Everything was “lick the plate clean” good!


All of those items sound so good and of course I missed out on the honey beestro!


franandaj said:


> I thought it was great, but Fran couldn't eat it cause it was too garlicky.


I really enjoyed the corn!


franandaj said:


> They have a bizarre policy that even if they don't have enough seats, they can have 51 people in the bar so they'll let you in so you can stand and lurk. So we lurked by a table that Fran noticed was signing their check and they gave us their table when they left.


So strange! So the DLR is smaller than that? I have not been inside!


franandaj said:


> When we finished the Nautilus we each ordered our own drinks, I got the Dark & Tropical Stormy: Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, fresh lime juice, Ginger Beer, and Falernum. I love that the little umbrella is all messed up and windblown!


I'm totally going to get that one day.


franandaj said:


> All the drinks Fran ordered came with souvie glasses. So we had a lot of glasses to figure out how to get home.


Are the glasses different from the DLR one?


franandaj said:


> Next we were off to Costco, only because we like to check out Costcos in strange places.


I do too!!


franandaj said:


> Well at the second batch of outlets, I happened to spy a New Balance store and they “happened” to be having a “buy two get one free” sale. Fran is always more than happy to buy me new shoes, because I’ve always been the kind to buy a crappy pair of shoes at the cheapest place possible. Fran has been changing that over the last few years and was happy when I found three pair of shoes. Including these puppies, they are my favorite of the three pairs.


Love the color!


franandaj said:


>


That burger looks delicious! 


franandaj said:


> And our fully stocked fridge.


Damn that is a lot of mountain dew!!


franandaj said:


> Dad got the Pasta Carbonara.


That actually looks delicious! Was the pasta fresh? It looks like it is! I love fresh pasta!
Too bad the rest of the meal was not as good as you remember, it's always disappointing! The breakfast we had there was sooo good!


franandaj said:


>


I love Thumper!


franandaj said:


>


This was amazing, I love pound cake!


franandaj said:


> All of them were awesome and we ate every last bite. My mom was happy because she was feeling a lack of veggies from travel day so she happily ate the rest of the green beans from the scallop dish.


I always feel like that when I travel! I need to remember to eat more greens.


franandaj said:


> Crispy Citrus Chicken with Orange Aïoli and Baby Greens (GF) (KA) – $5.75, This was a real favorite with Fran who doesn't eat raw fish so she passed on the Tuna, she happily at the extra piece of chicken. It was really crispy and had a slight kick.


This looks so good! I wish I tried it.



franandaj said:


> At this point Fran said she was tired and needed to go back to the room. Really she was sick of all the camaraderie and wanted to do her own thing. She ended up going to Caramel Kuche and getting us some caramels for the room, and who knows where else she went. I didn’t turn on the GPS tracker in Trusted Contacts. Maybe I should have!


Haha Steve and I track each other. I guess we can never lie as to where we are going!


franandaj said:


> I don’t know why this concept always fascinates me.


it does with me too...and I'm so glad Steve did not try and implement this when he did his hydroponics. I don't think it would have survived.


franandaj said:


> Mom had escargot (but I didn’t get a picture of that) and a Salade aux Lardons et croutons. Fran and I took half the salad and most of the Lardons.


That looks like a salad I can totally get behind!


franandaj said:


> I wanted to be out of the room at 8AM, i believe park opening was 9AM. But when it became 8:09 and none of us were ready I started to worry. We made the preparations, but it wasn't until 8:21 when we actually left the room, and that was already too late. Not sure what time we caught the Friendship boat and once we docked at DHS, Fran let me book it on ahead. I went as fast as I could but by the time I got to Toy Story Land the wait for SDD was 95 minutes. Not happening. Even TSMM had a 55 minute wait already.


It's sometimes not worth the effort during rope drop! Even just being a few minutes late would cause the line to build up exponentially 


franandaj said:


> Now that I’m older I have benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, which means that if I move my head suddenly in any direction I can get dizzy and disoriented.


Woah, that sounds...complex! Do you get motion sickness? It doesn't seem like you do.


franandaj said:


> The irony of this sign was not lost on Fran and myself.


Haha!


franandaj said:


> Blue Mickey.
> 
> There was kind of a line forming at the FP entry, so I went to the back hoping that by the time I got up to the front it would be OK.
> 
> Nope. Blue Mickey.
> 
> I’m not sure how many more times I tried before I finally got the green one, or if the CM just took pity on me and waved me through.


That is weird!


franandaj said:


> Fran and I split the basket of Fried goodness. Shrimp, Fish and Chicken Tenders. It was actually the perfect amount of food for the two of us and couldn't even finish my chicken tender.


 I enjoy that combo and it looks the same as the one they have at CHH in MK.


----------



## franandaj

DnA2010 said:


> Still have yet to see Pandora..sighhh



You'll get there eventually....



DnA2010 said:


> The Big Island is one of our happy places for sure..it's so diverse.



I like it too, though it's been 30 years since I was there last. Need to get Fran there. She has never been.



DnA2010 said:


> I'm just not keen on breads with raisins in them, same as cookies..they are just kinda slimy and meh for me



The only thing I actually like with raisins is English muffins.



DnA2010 said:


> We actually love Tow Maters lol- the swings when the tractors change tracks are Big!!



And that's what seems to get me sick.



DnA2010 said:


> That guy loves his job! Nice!



He sure does!



DnA2010 said:


> Are these the magic pills from the Alaska cruise? If I remember correctly ?



Good memory!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> NOOOO!!!



We are just not as good as your family at rope drop. Not everyone is totally on board.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Holy crap. That's brutal.



I know. I can't believe people are willing to wait that long!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> And we may or not be jealous.



And you should be. We finally accomplished everything we wanted to. Bonus features posted on the old TR.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Yep, same ride. And no, it's not worth waiting 45 minutes.



Thank you for the confirmation.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I thought so, too



Seems like a consensus!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Excellent!



 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Oh. Well, that does put a damper on the whole thing, doesn't it?



Well I still enjoy it, but I can't do three rides in a row like I used to. Now it's kinda two and done. 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Very considerate of them.



I really didnt want to be killed that day.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Cute. And here I thought you guys were just happy to be there.



We were but he helped our moods



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Persistence pays off!



Always!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Well, that's a shame. Seems a waste of a fast pass.



Yeah, well I couldn't help it!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Hey, nice work!



Thanks!  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Dang it. It's no fun when everybody else knows the secrets.



I know. Huh.



ljcrochet said:


> I'm shocked that they didn't look and see how close you were to your time and just say okay.



Stupid buracracy!


----------



## franandaj

afwdwfan said:


> Yikes!!!!



I thought of your plans to rope drop when I wrote that. There is little room for error.



afwdwfan said:


> I'm jealous... So very jealous. Although you often have a lot of Disney related experiences that make me feel that way. At least we get to experience many of them vicariously through your TRs. Hint, hint, wink, wink...



It is done! I'll have a link to the first chapter in my next update. But you can find them in the Bonus Features of my last TR. It's in my signature.



afwdwfan said:


> I fully approve of and endorse this strategy!!!!



I thought you would.



afwdwfan said:


> I think they misspelled "Pixar"



Either that or no one told WDW that they changed the name a couple years ago.



afwdwfan said:


> That's awesome. This is the change that has occurred since our last trip that I'm most looking forward to. I can mobile ordering really being a godsend, especially having 3 kids in tow.



It's also handy when you have 3 adults in tow.  



pkondz said:


> Interesting... I prefer whipped butter... uh... sometimes.
> I'm both fussy and weird.
> 
> But you knew that.



Well the fussy and weird yes, not the preferring whipped butter.



pkondz said:


> And yet... we both write TRs, so not that unlikely!



I'll try to take a pic for sure because time.


----------



## franandaj

Steppesister said:


> They do, but they are spaced out AND when you ARE under them, the heat is trapped in and reflected off the concrete onto your face. Awful!



It was only hot for the first two days when we were there, the rest were pretty dreary and rainy as you will see in the next update.



Steppesister said:


> Yes, the totchos and the breakfast bowls both sound good!



So much food, so little time!



Steppesister said:


> Looking forward to that update!



It's two updates ahead, and I just added an extra little spiel about the Babybel "advertisements".



Steppesister said:


> Then it's perfect for him!! I hope they pay him well!



I seriously doubt it.



Steppesister said:


> I hope it works better for me in Sept.



Fingers crossed.



chunkymonkey said:


> I'm playing some much need catch up on the boards!



That was quite a lot of catching up that you did!



chunkymonkey said:


> This looks good, I totally missed this. I missed out on so many things I wanted to eat. We had too many meals planned I think and not enough snacking time.



I'm going to have that problem in October. It's a short trip (at least the part where we are in Disney), and there are other things I want to do besides F&W.



chunkymonkey said:


> All of those items sound so good and of course I missed out on the honey beestro!



That was one of my favorites!



chunkymonkey said:


> I really enjoyed the corn!



Me too!



chunkymonkey said:


> So strange! So the DLR is smaller than that? I have not been inside!



The one at the DLH is about half the size of that room, and the tables are packed in there, you're literally sitting on top of other people.



chunkymonkey said:


> I'm totally going to get that one day.



I love that the umbrella is all twisted.



chunkymonkey said:


> Are the glasses different from the DLR one?



All the mugs are unique to the different locations.



chunkymonkey said:


> I do too!!



I'm glad someone else shares our interesting hobby.



chunkymonkey said:


> Love the color!



They are my new park shoes, especially if I'm walking and not using the scooter.



chunkymonkey said:


> That burger looks delicious!



I picked off all those crispy bits that were sticking outside the bun and ate them, they were very good!



chunkymonkey said:


> Damn that is a lot of mountain dew!!



She likes her Dew and drank almost all of that over the week.



chunkymonkey said:


> That actually looks delicious! Was the pasta fresh? It looks like it is! I love fresh pasta!
> Too bad the rest of the meal was not as good as you remember, it's always disappointing! The breakfast we had there was sooo good!



It does look like fresh pasta.  I got that the first time we ate there and I really liked it.



chunkymonkey said:


> I love Thumper!



He is cute, and I have shirt with him, "If you can't say something nice, don't say nuthin' at all."



chunkymonkey said:


> This was amazing, I love pound cake!



Me too!  All these desserts that I want now! 



chunkymonkey said:


> I always feel like that when I travel! I need to remember to eat more greens.



That's why we always try to start out with a glass of V8, we do it at home, but at least we are starting the day with some vegetables, even if we forget to eat any the rest of the day!



chunkymonkey said:


> This looks so good! I wish I tried it.



It was!



chunkymonkey said:


> Haha Steve and I track each other. I guess we can never lie as to where we are going!



She still lies to me about where she's been.   



chunkymonkey said:


> it does with me too...and I'm so glad Steve did not try and implement this when he did his hydroponics. I don't think it would have survived.



That would have been quite a mess to clean up!



chunkymonkey said:


> That looks like a salad I can totally get behind!



Bacon makes everything better!



chunkymonkey said:


> It's sometimes not worth the effort during rope drop! Even just being a few minutes late would cause the line to build up exponentially



Yeah, not trying that one in October. Hopefully I'll get a FP again.



chunkymonkey said:


> Woah, that sounds...complex! Do you get motion sickness? It doesn't seem like you do.



No I don't get motion sickness, unless I try to read in a car.  This mostly affects me when I'm laying down, like on the table at the Masseuse or Chiropractor, or if I sit up too abruptly in bed.



chunkymonkey said:


> That is weird!



I'm just glad he finally let me on the ride.



chunkymonkey said:


> I enjoy that combo and it looks the same as the one they have at CHH in MK.



It was perfect for the two of us, and pretty tasty!


----------



## franandaj

OK time for another IRL update before the trip update. Many of you may have wondered if I dropped off the face of the earth, especially if you're not following along with the bonus features on my previous TR. The last few weeks have been very busy. A little over a week ago we had our big Pride Parade and for the first time in LA history it was broadcast live, not on some little cable access channel, but on the ABC local newstation.

Not only were we on it, but we were right up front and center! I've included a link to the TV coverage. We appear in there right around minutes 3-4, take a listen if you like. You'll even hear them reading some copy that I wrote as part of a short bio that they requested.






When I last posted on this thread we had a vacancy that was not listed on the market. A couple days after I posted last we put the sign out and essentially the unit rented that next day! Score! 

I wish I could say that we are fully rented, but alas another tenant in that same building had given verbal notice, so it was only the formality of receiving their written notice before we had another vacancy. They will be clearing out at the end of this month. This time I hope to turn it around in less than three weeks and have it listed before the end of July.

But lastly, I have made several journeys to the planet Batuu, and I have written a complete set of posts about those visits and they are on my previous TR as bonus features.  If you want to read about them click here.
I’ve made this update short so that you can go over to the other TR and catch up!

And now back to our regular programming.

If you remember, we had just finished our lunch at the ABC Comissary. Fran went in search of a restroom and ended up across from the Muppet 3D movie. Since my parents had never seen it and they no longer show it at DCA, in fact, just the other day Mickey’s Philharmagic opened up in the space where it used to play. So we decided to kill some time before our final FP and go on in. By this point my Dad was on my scooter.  I liked this pun that was on the screen before the show.





Even though the Muppets show is totally old, it's still rather funny and we all got a good laugh. Dad was still coughing and I gave him another coughing pill.

And then our Star Tours FP for 2:30 was open, well it was 5 minutes before and again they let us in. We got the non Vader opening scene, went on a pod race, and after Yoda told us our mission we went to Coruscant. Fun Times.

At this point everyone was fading. My mom rode the scooter back to the dock. Fran stopped in the Indiana Jones shopping area and we continued on to exit the park. Before we actually went through the turnstiles I called Fran to find out where she was, and she had zoomed past us and was already at the dock for the Friendship boats!
Just as I was hanging up the phone these ruffians walked by.





The trip back was uneventful. I drove the scooter onto the boat and when we got off the boat, I let my Dad ride.

Back in the room I had planned on looking at my computer while doing laundry. But Fran sat down at the dining room table with her computer and was super cranky about wanting me to look at this Cuisinart pan that was on sale for the day at something called Massdrop. Back at Hollywood Studios she had been wanting me to look at it on her cell phone. I guess I should have just told her to order it, because that's what I ended up doing in the room, but by this point she was super cranky about it. Instead of getting my computer out, I started a load of laundry and went into the bedroom, watched TV and caught up on the TR notes on my phone. Plus I sort of napped a little.

Update on the pan she got me. I got it out a couple months ago to make a long time recipe. I know why they were selling it for $9.95 on Massdrop. While Cuisinart is a quality brand, this pan was pure crap. It was so thin that the heat went directly through it, practically burning my sauce and cooking everything unevenly. Before I was even halfway through cooking the meal, I went in my pantry where I keep my (not for ever day use) pots and got out my Cordon Bleu pot which works beautifully for creamy milk based sauces and completed the dish. The other pan was donated shortly thereafter.

But back to the TR and the Beach Club Villas….

I got up around 5:30 to switch the laundry to dry and noticed my parents were having Happy Hour on the patio so I joined them. 

All day long the weather seemed as though it was threatening to rain and just after we finished Happy Hour the skies opened up and began to pour.









Soon it was time to get ready, and my Dad decided he didn't feel up to going to dinner. We were going to Yachtsman and he thought that would be a waste, the way he was feeling. So it was just Fran, my mom and me at dinner. It was still raining when we left the room and luckily there was a way to walk from our room to the restaurant without leaving cover. We decided not to order any salads or appetizers and just went the steaks and sides. But there are always rolls to start. I don't think my Mom ever really got onboard with the whole concept of wait to take pictures!





The yummy garlic and butter!





We all ordered the Rib Eye, but Fran and I split ours. We got potatoes on the side.  They split our steaks in the kitchen. 









I’m pretty sure that our waiter was the famous David who is well known on the DIS. He was very good.
We also got creamed spinach. Here is my plate all made up.





My mom ordered green beans and she thought they were in addition to her potatoes, but instead he substituted them, which was in fine for her, she likes to eat high protein and not too many carbs.





We ended up taking a bunch home, and passing on dessert. Especially since we knew we had the ice cream in the freezer.

I ate one of the Coffee Toffee Coffee ice cream chunks from the sampler the night before, and had some of the Ooey Gooey Butter Cake ice cream.

The laundry I had started at 4PM was finally dry, so I laid it out on various surfaces so it didn't wrinkle. I was too tired to hang it up or put it away. I started another load of laundry. Did I say that this machine is tiny, and I absolutely despise the wash and dry nature of this machine? At this point I was so exhausted that all I could do was crawl into bed and go to sleep.


----------



## buteraa

That steak looks fantastic.  We are going to Yachtsman for our Christmas dinner so we are pretty excited to try something new.


----------



## skier_pete

Oof - Yachtsman's always makes me drool!


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Many of you may have wondered if I dropped off the face of the earth,


Not me. I know where to find you. 


franandaj said:


> A little over a week ago we had our big Pride Parade and for the first time in LA history it was broadcast live, not on some little cable access channel, but on the ABC local newstation.


Thanks for the link!


franandaj said:


> We appear in there right around minutes 3-4, take a listen if you like. You'll even hear them reading some copy that I wrote as part of a short bio that they requested.


I watched the first few minutes and spotted Fran right away. Haven't seen you, yet. It'll have to wait until I'm at a computer that I can see that (I peeked on my phone at work, but small screen.)


franandaj said:


> When I last posted on this thread we had a vacancy that was not listed on the market. A couple days after I posted last we put the sign out and essentially the unit rented that next day! Score!


I don't think I knew it was the next day.


franandaj said:


> But lastly, I have made several journeys to the planet Batuu, and I have written a complete set of posts about those visits and they are on my previous TR as bonus features.





franandaj said:


> If you remember, we had just finished our lunch at the ABC Comissary.


Nope. I don't even remember what day it is, so...


franandaj said:


> in fact, just the other day Mickey’s Philharmagic opened up in the space where it used to play.


Oh really. Huh. Interesting choice. I think I would've just left the muppets, but... whatever.


franandaj said:


>


cute


franandaj said:


> Even though the Muppets show is totally old, it's still rather funny and we all got a good laugh.





franandaj said:


> and after Yoda told us our mission we went to Coruscant. Fun Times.





franandaj said:


> I called Fran to find out where she was, and she had zoomed past us and was already at the dock for the Friendship boats!


 Fran's sneaky! And quick, apparently!


franandaj said:


> But Fran sat down at the dining room table with her computer and was super cranky about wanting me to look at this Cuisinart pan that was on sale for the day at something called Massdrop.


Because of the low, low price, I presume?


franandaj said:


> I know why they were selling it for $9.95 on Massdrop. While Cuisinart is a quality brand, this pan was pure crap. It was so thin that the heat went directly through it, practically burning my sauce and cooking everything unevenly.


 There's a reason why they say "you get what you pay for"... because you usually do.


franandaj said:


> The other pan was donated shortly thereafter.


To the trash bin, I hope.


franandaj said:


> We decided not to order any salads or appetizers and just went the steaks and sides.


Good plan. Save room for the reason you're there.


franandaj said:


> I don't think my Mom ever really got onboard with the whole concept of wait to take pictures!





franandaj said:


> I’m pretty sure that our waiter was the famous David who is well known on the DIS. He was very good.


I've heard of him. 

And how was the steak?


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> Many of you may have wondered if I dropped off the face of the earth, especially if you're not following along with the bonus features on my previous TR.



Oops.  Sorry.  Usually when a TR is finished, I don't bother going back to check for more updates.  It's easier for me to associate one TR with an author at a time!



franandaj said:


> Not only were we on it, but we were right up front and center!



Hey, look at you!  They must have known who the big draws would be.



franandaj said:


> This time I hope to turn it around in less than three weeks and have it listed before the end of July.










franandaj said:


> But lastly, I have made several journeys to the planet Batuu, and I have written a complete set of posts about those visits and they are on my previous TR as bonus features.



Well, yeah, that will get me to come over and visit!



franandaj said:


> Even though the Muppets show is totally old, it's still rather funny and we all got a good laugh.



I always enjoy it.  It captures the Muppets spirit.



franandaj said:


> We got the non Vader opening scene



Of course you did.  The Vader scene doesn't exist.



franandaj said:


> Before we actually went through the turnstiles I called Fran to find out where she was, and she had zoomed past us and was already at the dock for the Friendship boats!



Wow, she got the turbo-charged scooter!



franandaj said:


> But Fran sat down at the dining room table with her computer and was super cranky about wanting me to look at this Cuisinart pan that was on sale for the day at something called Massdrop. Back at Hollywood Studios she had been wanting me to look at it on her cell phone. I guess I should have just told her to order it, because that's what I ended up doing in the room, but by this point she was super cranky about it.





I'm in Disney World!  I don't give a flying @#$% about some pan on a website I've never heard of!



franandaj said:


> While Cuisinart is a quality brand, this pan was pure crap.







franandaj said:


> We were going to Yachtsman



Mmmm...Yachtsman...

Sorry your dad wasn't feeling up to it.



franandaj said:


> At this point I was so exhausted that all I could do was crawl into bed and go to sleep.



Hope everyone got rested and was less cranky in the morning!


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


> We appear in there right around minutes 3-4, take a listen if you like. You'll even hear them reading some copy that I wrote as part of a short bio that they requested.


 really enjoyed it


franandaj said:


> This time I hope to turn it around in less than three weeks and have it listed before the end of July.


fingers crossed you will be fulled rented for a bit longer 


franandaj said:


> Even though the Muppets show is totally old, it's still rather funny and we all got a good laugh.



Gotta love the Muppets- classic!



franandaj said:


>


We had a lot of fun with these guys wandering around when we were in DL, over by Space though. 


franandaj said:


> While Cuisinart is a quality brand, this pan was pure crap.


Note to self! What sort of pan was it?



franandaj said:


> noticed my parents were having Happy Hour



My kind of parents. 



franandaj said:


>



Yikes! 



franandaj said:


>



Yum yum yum!! I love butter so much. Add salt and 


franandaj said:


>


Your steak looks spot on.


----------



## franandaj

buteraa said:


> That steak looks fantastic.  We are going to Yachtsman for our Christmas dinner so we are pretty excited to try something new.



What a great idea for Christmas Dinner. I will probably make yet another Prime Rib, potatoes, green beans, and Yorkshire Pudding.



********** said:


> Oof - Yachtsman's always makes me drool!



It's very tasty! I need to make a trip out to S55 which is also drool worthy.



pkondz said:


> Not me. I know where to find you.



That's either really sweet or eerily stalker like....



pkondz said:


> I watched the first few minutes and spotted Fran right away. Haven't seen you, yet. It'll have to wait until I'm at a computer that I can see that (I peeked on my phone at work, but small screen.)



She's easy to see cause she's right up front and obvious in her scooter. Me I'm in the second row on the right if you're in the band, left if you're looking at us.



pkondz said:


> I don't think I knew it was the next day.



Her friend saw the sign go up that night and let her know. She waited all night to call (not too early) and set up an appointment for that day and turned in her application.



pkondz said:


> Nope. I don't even remember what day it is, so..



Then I'll be sure to remind my readers where we left off.



pkondz said:


> Oh really. Huh. Interesting choice. I think I would've just left the muppets, but... whatever.



The Muppets have been gone for years, the space has largely gone unused.



pkondz said:


> Fran's sneaky! And quick, apparently!



Well we already knew that.



pkondz said:


> Because of the low, low price, I presume?



I guess. I think she thought it was a major deal.



pkondz said:


> There's a reason why they say "you get what you pay for"... because you usually do.



Yup. She got me a water bottle, same brand as I already have, again $9.95 instead of $40. Evidently it was a knock off. This bottle sweats when the water inside is cold. My expensive bottles do not.



pkondz said:


> To the trash bin, I hope.



Well, donated to Out of the Closet.



pkondz said:


> Good plan. Save room for the reason you're there.



And I guess lunch was late and filling.



pkondz said:


> I've heard of him.
> 
> And how was the steak?



The steak was really good. At home I have mine with horseradish, but this one was very tasty all by itself.


----------



## franandaj

Captain_Oblivious said:


> Oops. Sorry. Usually when a TR is finished, I don't bother going back to check for more updates. It's easier for me to associate one TR with an author at a time!



That's why I just use the watched threads link, much less to keep track of. Good thing you don't follow chunkymonkey, she has as many as three going at one time!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Hey, look at you! They must have known who the big draws would be.



Well maybe not, but it was nice to be featured!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Well, yeah, that will get me to come over and visit!



Cool.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I always enjoy it. It captures the Muppets spirit.



It is cute and timeless!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Of course you did. The Vader scene doesn't exist.



Didn't you finally get that one once? 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Wow, she got the turbo-charged scooter!



Yes, she did! Hers is called the GoGo Sport!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I'm in Disney World! I don't give a flying @#$% about some pan on a website I've never heard of!



Exactly!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Mmmm...Yachtsman...
> 
> Sorry your dad wasn't feeling up to it.



Now I want another steak.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Hope everyone got rested and was less cranky in the morning!



Oh we had a much better morning planned!



DnA2010 said:


> really enjoyed it



Thanks!



DnA2010 said:


> fingers crossed you will be fulled rented for a bit longer



Hopefully a while now. So frustrating.



DnA2010 said:


> Gotta love the Muppets- classic!







DnA2010 said:


> We had a lot of fun with these guys wandering around when we were in DL, over by Space though.



They probably won't be there now that they have their own land.



DnA2010 said:


> Note to self! What sort of pan was it?



It was kind of like this, but not quite as deep.





DnA2010 said:


> My kind of parents.



They are fun!



DnA2010 said:


> Yum yum yum!! I love butter so much. Add salt and



I love when I can have good butter, not just the regular Costco kind.



DnA2010 said:


> Your steak looks spot on.



It was, and a big portion too!


----------



## franandaj

Day 6

I woke up fairly early and since we had nothing much on the schedule today, I just went back to sleep. It was around 7:30 before I got up to take a tub, but first I started the load of laundry from last night drying. By 10:30 it was still drying and this was pretty much one pair of pants. Everything else was hang drying in the shower!

But back to the day, after a relaxing tub soak, I got around to making breakfast. I went up to the Marketplace looking for Mozzarella cheese, but ended up with Babybel instead. I wonder if all that “advertising” at DHS had anything to with my choice, or just the fact that that was the cheapest cheese that would serve my purpose. 

I had leftover meatballs and bread from my parent's first night, so I made these little meatball sliders. 





They were good, but I couldn't eat the whole thing as I didn't want to ruin my appetite for Beaches and Cream. I just spent the rest of the morning puttering around the villa. Doing laundry, playing games on the tablet, watching George. Finally I got Fran out of bed and dressed, right in time to got to lunch.









We had a 12 o'clock reservation and no one wanted to ruin their appetites for dessert, so we all ordered some combination of grilled cheese and tomato bisque. Fran got the S'mores shake.





Dad got the Guiness Float.









Mom and Dad each got the tomato bisque.





Fran and I split the grilled cheese and tomato bisque. The grilled cheeses was really good! The tomato soup wasn’t bad, but even still it was a very large portion.





Fran and I ordered the Old Fashioned Sundae with three scoops of ice cream, Hot Fudge, Caramel sauce, and no nuts or cherry.  





My Mom got a cone with Cookies and Cream.





My Dad didn't get anything because he was sure that Fran and I wouldn't finish the Sundae. While I did give up about a third of the way through, she persevered. Never underestimate Fran and her ice cream!

As we were leaving Beaches and Cream there was a woman outside doing a photoshoot with her little dog. She was really into it, combing the dog’s hair and getting every last detail just perfect. I asked if I could take a picture cause it was so cute. She seemed annoyed that I was taking up her time, but let me do so. I just snapped my picture quick-like. Not sure why it was such rocket science.





We went back to the room with my parents and then left them there! My mom had a spa appointment at 3PM and I had one at 4PM, but first, Fran and I were making a mad dash to DHS.  Originally we had planned this to be a “no park” day because I despise weekends in the parks. However, I was able to get a SDD FP for 3:05, so I also found a ToT for 2PM. We arrived at DHS via the Friendship boat at just about 2PM in time for our 1st FP.

When we pulled up to ToT one of the bellhops came to get our MBs, scanned them and then took us through the exit right to the line up to get on the elevator.

I totally forgot how much better this version is than the one that used to be at DCA. There was none of that part about the car traveling through the Twilight Zone, space dissipating, and plunging you into total darkness before you begin your drops of terror.  So much fun!





Fran got a robe and some T-shirts in the dump store. She also got a reusable bag that said Hollywood Studios and the CM made the mistake of telling her that each park had it's own bag, challenge issued! 

Then we headed to the next FP, the whole reason we made the trip over here, for me to ride SDD. Originally I would have gone on it twice, but I booked a massage and the only time they could accommodate me was 4PM and the FP was for 3:05. So it was going to be quite the dash back to the BCV after the ride!

Here I am waiting for my slinky dog.









And here we go!





I entered the FP queue at 3:00 on the dot and was done with the ride by 3:12. I debated riding the ride again, but since I had to be at the massage at 3:45, I bailed. My pictures never showed up on the photopass website.  

Fran and I met back up, and we rode the path together back to the hotels. Even though we still had some of the ice cream sampler and the ooey gooey butter cake ice cream left in the freezer, AND we had just polished off a giant sundae at Beaches and Cream, Fran felt the need to pick up some more ice cream from Ample Farms Creamery. So when we got to the split for the Boardwalk and Y&BC, she took the turn for the BW and I headed toward the Y&BC, 

I actually made it in plenty of time. Turns out that I did not need to be there 15 minutes early, and could have rode SDD a second time.  

The massage was awesome, and very relaxing. My mom was wrapping up her treatments as I was paying so I waited for her to get changed and we went back to the room together.

We had about an hour until we had to catch the bus to Disney Springs. We got to the bus stop well within the time frame I had set forth. I figured that we needed to be at the bus stop by 6:35 so we could catch a bus between then and 7PM. Well the bus that came by already had a wheelchair rider so we would have had to split up our party. They dispatched another bus and by the time it got listed on the screen at the bus stop at 6:51, it said that the bus would be there at 7:11. Turns out it was about 5 minutes early and we were on our way.

If I had realized that tonight was St. Patty's Day, there is no way that i would have chosen Morimoto Asia for tonight's dinner.

Raglan Road is right across the way and they had blocked off the entire street between that restaurant and Morimoto Asia. I got slightly disoriented with all of the new construction and took a wrong turn, taking us a longer way to the restaurant.  I expected to come from above and go down the “street” that Raglan Road had blocked off complete with railings and Sheriff's officers.

After going around the block past the Boathouse, and Cookes of Dublin we found Morimoto Asia. We had to have them move the barriers so that we could park next to the restaurant, but finally we got in.

We were seated promptly, evidently no one at Disney Springs wanted Asian on this evening. There were lots of empty tables.

We got an order of Edamame for the table.





My Mom and Dad both ordered Miso Soup.





Me, Fran and my Mom shared a few things. I got Maguro (Tuna) Nigiri. Every time I order here it's always been some of the freshest best tasting fish I've ever had.





Mom got a couple pieces of Hamachi (Yellow Tail) and a piece of Aji (Spanish Mackerel).





Fran ordered the Spider Roll as her entree, and then offered to share it with everyone.





So my Mom got the Shrimp tempura Roll, and shared with everyone.





I got dumplings and offered to share, but my Mom was the only one who took me up on it. Evidently I neglected to take a picture of them. Dad's sushi combination, 2 Tuna, ebi, yellowtail, shake, mackerel, halibut, unagi, snapper, tomago, Yellowtail roll.





Fran, myself, and my Mom also shared this Beef Lo Mein. This was so good! Much better than the last time, there were big chunks of marinated beef. Not slivers like the last time.





This is the bottle of Sake that we shared.





We declined dessert, as Fran had again stopped at Ample Hills Creamery while I was at the spa, and got like six cups of Ice Cream to go and they were in the freezer.

It was still pretty busy outside at Disney Springs.





The bus ride home was uneventful, but it was pretty cold for March in Florida. We were back at the resort by 10PM and I was in bed before 11PM. I'm not sure I even stayed awake to watch the 11PM news, I turned it on, but don't remember any of it!


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> That's either really sweet or eerily stalker like....


I'll go with... the latter.







franandaj said:


> She's easy to see cause she's right up front and obvious in her scooter. Me I'm in the second row on the right if you're in the band, left if you're looking at us.


Ah! Thanks. 


franandaj said:


> The Muppets have been gone for years, the space has largely gone unused.


If it's vacant... then I wonder why they took them out?


franandaj said:


> Well we already knew that.





franandaj said:


> Yup. She got me a water bottle, same brand as I already have, again $9.95 instead of $40. Evidently it was a knock off. This bottle sweats when the water inside is cold. My expensive bottles do not.


 


franandaj said:


> Well, donated to Out of the Closet.


I don't know what that is, but can guess.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> I woke up fairly early and since we had nothing much on the schedule today, I just went back to sleep. It was around 7:30 before I got up to take a tub,


You must've gotten up even earlier than usual for you.


franandaj said:


> Everything else was hang drying in the shower!


Would've made for an interesting view while you were bathing.


franandaj said:


> I went up to the Marketplace looking for Mozzarella cheese, but ended up with Babybel instead. I wonder if all that “advertising” at DHS had anything to with my choice, or just the fact that that was the cheapest cheese that would serve my purpose.


I was wondering the same thing as soon as I read you chose Babybel.


franandaj said:


> I made these little meatball sliders.


Whoa, those look good!


franandaj said:


> Fran got the S'mores shake.


That's not been on my radar... maybe it should be. 


franandaj said:


> Dad got the Guiness Float.


Nope! _Definitely_ not on my radar.


franandaj said:


> Fran and I split the grilled cheese and tomato bisque. The grilled cheeses was really good! The tomato soup wasn’t bad, but even still it was a very large portion.


I thought the bisque was okay, but liked the sandwich.


franandaj said:


> Fran and I ordered the Old Fashioned Sundae with three scoops of ice cream, Hot Fudge, Caramel sauce, and no nuts or cherry.


mmmmm…. Yep!


franandaj said:


> My Dad didn't get anything because he was sure that Fran and I wouldn't finish the Sundae. While I did give up about a third of the way through, she persevered. Never underestimate Fran and her ice cream!


 Did he pout? I would have!
No... I would've ordered my own. 


franandaj said:


> As we were leaving Beaches and Cream there was a woman outside doing a photoshoot with her little dog. She was really into it, combing the dog’s hair and getting every last detail just perfect. I asked if I could take a picture cause it was so cute. She seemed annoyed that I was taking up her time, but let me do so. I just snapped my picture quick-like. Not sure why it was such rocket science.


Be interesting to see her photos and compare. See if they were that much better. If at all.


franandaj said:


> We went back to the room with my parents and then left them there!


"Where they still are to this day. Lonely. Alone. In the dark."


franandaj said:


> However, I was able to get a SDD FP for 3:05, so I also found a ToT for 2PM.


Nice!


franandaj said:


> I totally forgot how much better this version is than the one that used to be at DCA. There was none of that part about the car traveling through the Twilight Zone, space dissipating, and plunging you into total darkness before you begin your drops of terror. So much fun!


 It's such a good ride. The drop part is secondary, almost.


Almost.


franandaj said:


> She also got a reusable bag that said Hollywood Studios and the CM made the mistake of telling her that each park had it's own bag, challenge issued!





franandaj said:


> I entered the FP queue at 3:00 on the dot and was done with the ride by 3:12.


Quick!


franandaj said:


> My pictures never showed up on the photopass website.


Not at all surprised. It's starting to sound like they have the bugs worked out, but... lots of people were missing their photos.


franandaj said:


> Even though we still had some of the ice cream sampler and the ooey gooey butter cake ice cream left in the freezer, AND we had just polished off a giant sundae at Beaches and Cream, Fran felt the need to pick up some more ice cream from Ample Farms Creamery.





franandaj said:


> Turns out that I did not need to be there 15 minutes early, and could have rode SDD a second time.


Well... poop.


franandaj said:


> If I had realized that tonight was St. Patty's Day, there is no way that i would have chosen Morimoto Asia for tonight's dinner.
> 
> Raglan Road is right across the way and they had blocked off the entire street between that restaurant and Morimoto Asia.


So... you wouldn't have chosen Morimoto _because_ of the fact it's across from Raglan Rd? Or you would have _gone_ to Raglan Rd?


franandaj said:


> Fran, myself, and my Mom also shared this Beef Lo Mein. This was so good! Much better than the last time, there were big chunks of marinated beef. Not slivers like the last time.


Good to know. Might consider this. 


franandaj said:


> We declined dessert, as Fran had again stopped at Ample Hills Creamery while I was at the spa, and got like six cups of Ice Cream to go and they were in the freezer.


Again!


----------



## chunkymonkey

franandaj said:


> Dad got the Guiness Float.



I've never tried one! Now I'm intrigued!



franandaj said:


> Fran and I split the grilled cheese and tomato bisque. The grilled cheeses was really good! The tomato soup wasn’t bad, but even still it was a very large portion.


I did enjoy this when I got it in Sept last year!


franandaj said:


> My Dad didn't get anything because he was sure that Fran and I wouldn't finish the Sundae. While I did give up about a third of the way through, she persevered. Never underestimate Fran and her ice cream!


LOL it does seem like she loves her ice cream!


franandaj said:


> As we were leaving Beaches and Cream there was a woman outside doing a photoshoot with her little dog. She was really into it, combing the dog’s hair and getting every last detail just perfect. I asked if I could take a picture cause it was so cute. She seemed annoyed that I was taking up her time, but let me do so. I just snapped my picture quick-like. Not sure why it was such rocket science.


Haha how cute! The lady could have probably been nicer but she was probably worried something would happen to her "perfect" shot if she waited. But she should be flattered someone would want a picture of her dog!


franandaj said:


> She also got a reusable bag that said Hollywood Studios and the CM made the mistake of telling her that each park had it's own bag, challenge issued!


Oh yeah I got one in each park, not of every size though. I do like the AK ones the best though, I feel like they are mot neutral and pretty.


franandaj said:


> Then we headed to the next FP, the whole reason we made the trip over here, for me to ride SDD. Originally I would have gone on it twice, but I booked a massage and the only time they could accommodate me was 4PM and the FP was for 3:05. So it was going to be quite the dash back to the BCV after the ride!


That does not leave much time especially when you miss a boat and have to wait for the next one!


franandaj said:


> Fran and I met back up, and we rode the path together back to the hotels. Even though we still had some of the ice cream sampler and the ooey gooey butter cake ice cream left in the freezer, AND we had just polished off a giant sundae at Beaches and Cream, Fran felt the need to pick up some more ice cream from Ample Farms Creamery. So when we got to the split for the Boardwalk and Y&BC, she took the turn for the BW and I headed toward the Y&BC,


Definitely loves her ice cream, that Fran!


franandaj said:


> If I had realized that tonight was St. Patty's Day, there is no way that i would have chosen Morimoto Asia for tonight's dinner.
> 
> Raglan Road is right across the way and they had blocked off the entire street between that restaurant and Morimoto Asia. I got slightly disoriented with all of the new construction and took a wrong turn, taking us a longer way to the restaurant. I expected to come from above and go down the “street” that Raglan Road had blocked off complete with railings and Sheriff's officers.


Haha you mentioned this on my TR!


franandaj said:


> We were seated promptly, evidently no one at Disney Springs wanted Asian on this evening. There were lots of empty tables.


Hence you got your sushi quickly!


franandaj said:


>


Looks amazing! 


franandaj said:


> Fran, myself, and my Mom also shared this Beef Lo Mein. This was so good! Much better than the last time, there were big chunks of marinated beef. Not slivers like the last time.


That does look really good!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> It was around 7:30 before I got up to take a tub, but first I started the load of laundry from last night drying. By 10:30 it was still drying and this was pretty much one pair of pants.



Powerful equipment they have there.



franandaj said:


> Dad got the Guiness Float.



I don't quite understand the appeal of trying to put ice cream and beer together.  I enjoy both...separately.



franandaj said:


> While I did give up about a third of the way through, she persevered. Never underestimate Fran and her ice cream!



That's willpower!



franandaj said:


> As we were leaving Beaches and Cream there was a woman outside doing a photoshoot with her little dog. She was really into it, combing the dog’s hair and getting every last detail just perfect. I asked if I could take a picture cause it was so cute. She seemed annoyed that I was taking up her time, but let me do so. I just snapped my picture quick-like. Not sure why it was such rocket science.



Hey, you can't rush art.



franandaj said:


> I totally forgot how much better this version is than the one that used to be at DCA. There was none of that part about the car traveling through the Twilight Zone, space dissipating, and plunging you into total darkness before you begin your drops of terror. So much fun!



Yes.  Fun.

I did think the effect of the elevator leaving the shaft was cool.  I can see why DCA's version would have been disappointing that way.



franandaj said:


> She also got a reusable bag that said Hollywood Studios and the CM made the mistake of telling her that each park had it's own bag, challenge issued!



 



franandaj said:


> I entered the FP queue at 3:00 on the dot and was done with the ride by 3:12. I debated riding the ride again, but since I had to be at the massage at 3:45, I bailed. My pictures never showed up on the photopass website.



Well, dang.  That was awfully quick.



franandaj said:


> Even though we still had some of the ice cream sampler and the ooey gooey butter cake ice cream left in the freezer, AND we had just polished off a giant sundae at Beaches and Cream, Fran felt the need to pick up some more ice cream from Ample Farms Creamery.



Wow.  Is it possible to get a monopoly on ice cream?  Just wondering.



franandaj said:


> I actually made it in plenty of time. Turns out that I did not need to be there 15 minutes early, and could have rode SDD a second time.



Son of a...



franandaj said:


> If I had realized that tonight was St. Patty's Day, there is no way that i would have chosen Morimoto Asia for tonight's dinner.
> 
> Raglan Road is right across the way and they had blocked off the entire street between that restaurant and Morimoto Asia.



Oh, man.  I never would have thought of that!  Sounds like a zoo.



franandaj said:


> We got an order of Edamame for the table.



Why?







franandaj said:


> We declined dessert, as Fran had again stopped at Ample Hills Creamery while I was at the spa, and got like six cups of Ice Cream to go and they were in the freezer.



Holy crap.  We might need an intervention at this point.


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


> I had leftover meatballs and bread from my parent's first night, so I made these little meatball sliders.


I love meatballs, bread and cheese    


franandaj said:


>


Yum! Was the balance of marshmallow flavour/chocolate/graham cracker good? 



franandaj said:


> Dad got the Guiness Float.


I'm not sure about this- I like Guiness, but have never thought about it with ice cream 



franandaj said:


> Fran and I ordered the Old Fashioned Sundae with three scoops of ice cream, Hot Fudge, Caramel sauce, and no nuts or cherry.


Yes, lay this one on me too. although I'd prob take the nuts 



franandaj said:


>


Well that's odd..the dog looks PO'd to me



franandaj said:


> I totally forgot how much better this version is than the one that used to be at DCA. There was none of that part about the car traveling through the Twilight Zone, space dissipating, and plunging you into total darkness before you begin your drops of terror. So much fun!


I love how the car travels!



franandaj said:


>


Fran ride pic! Yay!



franandaj said:


> actually made it in plenty of time. Turns out that I did not need to be there 15 minutes early, and could have rode SDD a second time.


That's a p*ss off for sure



franandaj said:


> Fran, myself, and my Mom also shared this Beef Lo Mein. This was so good! Much better than the last time, there were big chunks of marinated beef. Not slivers like the last time.



Yum yum!
I'm still learning to like a lot of sushi myself, so prefer a dish like this, then try various sushi from D etc



franandaj said:


> This is the bottle of Sake that we shared.


I've never really drank Sake, gotta give it a try one of these days


----------



## krrrristen

I'm finally caught up! The ice cream pictures inspired me to grab my own Hagen Daasz out of the freezer.

We didn't hit many of the Flower & Garden booths this year; I am regretting it after your photos.



franandaj said:


> Nope, not waiting 45 minutes for a ride that I’m pretty sure will make me sick. I feel ill after riding Tow Mater’s Jamboree and this one is based on that.



I've never been on the Tow Mater ride, and I have _zero_ desire to ride "A.S.S.".



franandaj said:


>



This looks good to me too.



franandaj said:


> I got one of my better scores, and turned out to be “Best in Vehicle” but I wasn't quick enough on the picture since I never expected to hold that honor!



I have never been best in vehicle - it's always Dan  I feel like he should at least let me win once, lol.



franandaj said:


> I had noticed the huge line when we were inside looking for a table and immediately realized that mobile ordering was the way to go.



I seriously love mobile ordering. Speeds up the gluten free order process and I don't have to awkwardly stand at the counter for 20 minutes+.



franandaj said:


> Not only were we on it, but we were right up front and center! I've included a link to the TV coverage. We appear in there right around minutes 3-4, take a listen if you like.



Btw - loved this!



franandaj said:


> I don't think my Mom ever really got onboard with the whole concept of wait to take pictures!



This is why I don't do trip reports . I can never remember to take a picture of the food first!



franandaj said:


> As we were leaving Beaches and Cream there was a woman outside doing a photoshoot with her little dog. She was really into it, combing the dog’s hair and getting every last detail just perfect. I asked if I could take a picture cause it was so cute. She seemed annoyed that I was taking up her time, but let me do so. I just snapped my picture quick-like. Not sure why it was such rocket science.



That picture is cute. Dog moms can be crazy! 



franandaj said:


> If I had realized that tonight was St. Patty's Day, there is no way that i would have chosen Morimoto Asia for tonight's dinner.



Hoooo boy, yeah that's rough. Someone once told me they went to Raglan for St. Patrick's Day and, in describing it to me, indicated that she had never been. "Oh it wasn't that crazy!" Oh, okay lady.



franandaj said:


> I got Maguro (Tuna) Nigiri. Every time I order here it's always been some of the freshest best tasting fish I've ever had.



This and the sake look delicious! I like sake, but honestly know nothing about it.


----------



## Steppesister

And all caught up here too!! YAY!! ToT, my fave!  All that sushi looked divine. Mmm! 

Interesting they blocked off that space for  March 17! That'd  be quiite a sight to see that day!


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> I'll go with... the latter.



 You. Are. A. Freak.





pkondz said:


> If it's vacant... then I wonder why they took them out?



I think it cost more to staff it than guests were visiting. Since locals really feed the park, they need to keep it fresh and changing. Just the evidence of what happened with Galaxy's Edge.  They scared away all the traveling crowds so they are appealing to locals to bring attendance back up.



pkondz said:


> I don't know what that is, but can guess.



It a thrift shop chain in So Cal that gives profits to AIDS Heathcare research.



pkondz said:


> You must've gotten up even earlier than usual for you.



I don't remember, but it was probably 5:30AM.



pkondz said:


> Would've made for an interesting view while you were bathing.



Why? The shower is in the "other bathroom" where the toilet is.  The tub is in it's own bathroom with a sink and the closet.



pkondz said:


> I was wondering the same thing as soon as I read you chose Babybel.



It was also the cheapest, like $3.50 or so, the other cheese were about $6.



pkondz said:


> Whoa, those look good!



I'm a master of leftovers.  I have to do something appealing with them if I'm going to eat them.



pkondz said:


> That's not been on my radar... maybe it should be.



I thought it was pretty good.



pkondz said:


> Nope! _Definitely_ not on my radar.



No, not mine either.  I can see where Guiness would be better than other beers since it is almost chocolatey, but I'll stick with Root Beer.



pkondz said:


> I thought the bisque was okay, but liked the sandwich



I had the same conclusion.  Then again, it's hard for me to go wrong with a grilled cheese. Unless you do something silly like put tomatoes or kale in it.



pkondz said:


> Did he pout? I would have!
> No... I would've ordered my own.



We told him that they had small sized (half portion) sundaes, but he truly underestimated Fran.



pkondz said:


> Be interesting to see her photos and compare. See if they were that much better. If at all.



I would be curious, but I have no idea who she was.



pkondz said:


> "Where they still are to this day. Lonely. Alone. In the dark."



   



pkondz said:


> It's such a good ride. The drop part is secondary, almost.
> 
> 
> Almost.



But that first part is so much better than any part of the DCA one.  It was pretty much all about the drops.  It's so much better now!



pkondz said:


> Not at all surprised. It's starting to sound like they have the bugs worked out, but... lots of people were missing their photos.



Hopefully in October they will work for me.  Mine didn't work on Pirates either.  I still think it's my MB.



pkondz said:


> So... you wouldn't have chosen Morimoto _because_ of the fact it's across from Raglan Rd? Or you would have _gone_ to Raglan Rd?



I would not have even set foot at Disney Springs.



pkondz said:


> Good to know. Might consider this.



I've had it there twice. Very tasty.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> You. Are. A. Freak.


Takes one to know one.








franandaj said:


> I think it cost more to staff it than guests were visiting. Since locals really feed the park, they need to keep it fresh and changing. Just the evidence of what happened with Galaxy's Edge. They scared away all the traveling crowds so they are appealing to locals to bring attendance back up.


Ok. Makes sense.


franandaj said:


> It a thrift shop chain in So Cal that gives profits to AIDS Heathcare research.


Oh! Even better. 


franandaj said:


> Why? The shower is in the "other bathroom" where the toilet is. The tub is in it's own bathroom with a sink and the closet.


Oh, okay. I thought there was just one, so the clothes were hanging (and dripping) just above you.


franandaj said:


> I'm a master of leftovers. I have to do something appealing with them if I'm going to eat them.





franandaj said:


> No, not mine either. I can see where Guiness would be better than other beers since it is almost chocolatey, but I'll stick with Root Beer.


Me too! Root Beer floats are the _best!_


franandaj said:


> I had the same conclusion. Then again, it's hard for me to go wrong with a grilled cheese. Unless you do something silly like put tomatoes or kale in it.


 Why would anyone do something as crazy as that??????


franandaj said:


> We told him that they had small sized (half portion) sundaes, but he truly underestimated Fran.





franandaj said:


> ut that first part is so much better than any part of the DCA one. It was pretty much all about the drops. It's so much better now!


I was expecting to not like Guardians that much, but... dang that was fun.


franandaj said:


> I would not have even set foot at Disney Springs.


Got it.


----------



## franandaj

chunkymonkey said:


> I've never tried one! Now I'm intrigued!



I wouldn't mind trying it, but in a small portion....



chunkymonkey said:


> I did enjoy this when I got it in Sept last year!



It's one of several good entrees they have there.



chunkymonkey said:


> LOL it does seem like she loves her ice cream!



Yes, it does, and there's more!



chunkymonkey said:


> Haha how cute! The lady could have probably been nicer but she was probably worried something would happen to her "perfect" shot if she waited. But she should be flattered someone would want a picture of her dog!



I'm sure she didn't like that I was taking up time for her perfect shot.



chunkymonkey said:


> Oh yeah I got one in each park, not of every size though. I do like the AK ones the best though, I feel like they are mot neutral and pretty.



Now they have them at DL, and Galaxy's Edge.



chunkymonkey said:


> That does not leave much time especially when you miss a boat and have to wait for the next one!



Which is why we planned on taking the path back so that we weren't at the mercy of the boats.



chunkymonkey said:


> Definitely loves her ice cream, that Fran!



Yes she does!



chunkymonkey said:


> Haha you mentioned this on my TR!



It was a total zoo!



chunkymonkey said:


> Hence you got your sushi quickly!



We also didn't order the other food until after the sushi came.  It took us a while to decide on most of our order, but we knew about the rolls and nigiri right away. 



chunkymonkey said:


> Looks amazing!



They do great sushi here!



chunkymonkey said:


> That does look really good!



I'm a sucker for noodles.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Powerful equipment they have there.



I hate that washer/dryer and I'm afraid that I will have it again in October.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I don't quite understand the appeal of trying to put ice cream and beer together. I enjoy both...separately.



I can see Guiness with ice cream more than any other beer, but I'm still not so sure....



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That's willpower!



She's not a quitter!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Hey, you can't rush art.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Yes. Fun.
> 
> I did think the effect of the elevator leaving the shaft was cool. I can see why DCA's version would have been disappointing that way.



Yeah, it was pretty much an up and down dropping.  Now with the various scenes with the GotG and the tunes, it's really fun.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Well, dang. That was awfully quick.



Yeah, it was pretty quick.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Wow. Is it possible to get a monopoly on ice cream? Just wondering.



I have thought about that...but then I would be spending to make profits.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Son of a...



I know.  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Oh, man. I never would have thought of that! Sounds like a zoo.



It never occurred to me either until we walked up on it and the street was blocked off.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Why?



Ask my mom, she loves those things.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Holy crap. We might need an intervention at this point.


----------



## franandaj

DnA2010 said:


> I love meatballs, bread and cheese



Hard to go wrong with that combo!



DnA2010 said:


> Yum! Was the balance of marshmallow flavour/chocolate/graham cracker good?



I imagine so, it was really good, but I didn't consider that when I was eating, just whether or not it tasted good.



DnA2010 said:


> I'm not sure about this- I like Guiness, but have never thought about it with ice cream



I hadn't either.  I'm a little curious now.  Maybe I could try it at home with a shot glass or something.



DnA2010 said:


> Yes, lay this one on me too. although I'd prob take the nuts



Nuts, cilantro, coconut, nope. Well OK, I'll eat the cashews and peanuts in Costco's trail mix, but not in soft things. Brownies, sundaes, nope.



DnA2010 said:


> Well that's odd..the dog looks PO'd to me



I literally LOL'd at this one. Showed it to Fran and she didn't get it.



DnA2010 said:


> I love how the car travels!



Makes the ride so much better.



DnA2010 said:


> Fran ride pic! Yay!



They are very rare.



DnA2010 said:


> That's a p*ss off for sure



Ya gotta roll with the punches.



DnA2010 said:


> Yum yum!
> I'm still learning to like a lot of sushi myself, so prefer a dish like this, then try various sushi from D etc



Because of Fran's arthritis (and her immune system supressing drugs) she avoids the raw sushi. When we go out we usually split cooked cooked rolls, like Shrimp Tempura, Soft Shell Crab (deep fried), She likes the Philadelphia Roll (salmon and cream cheese), sometimes we get California rolls.  I also like the scallop hand roll, that's raw.



krrrristen said:


> I'm finally caught up! The ice cream pictures inspired me to grab my own Hagen Daasz out of the freezer.



Good for you!  We can't keep ice cream in the freezer, cause Fran eats it all!  



krrrristen said:


> We didn't hit many of the Flower & Garden booths this year; I am regretting it after your photos.



That is the highlight for me!  Topiaries are secondary.



krrrristen said:


> I've never been on the Tow Mater ride, and I have _zero_ desire to ride "A.S.S.".



I like Tow Mater better cause of the fun songs he sings.



krrrristen said:


> This looks good to me too.



Not sure when I'm going to get there, next trip we have an ADR for Prime Time.



krrrristen said:


> I have never been best in vehicle - it's always Dan  I feel like he should at least let me win once, lol.



Really! He totally should!



krrrristen said:


> I seriously love mobile ordering. Speeds up the gluten free order process and I don't have to awkwardly stand at the counter for 20 minutes+.



I can totally see that, dealing with food allergies is much easier when it's cut and dried on a computer.



krrrristen said:


> Btw - loved this!



Thanks for watching!



krrrristen said:


> This is why I don't do trip reports . I can never remember to take a picture of the food first!





krrrristen said:


> That picture is cute. Dog moms can be crazy!



So can cat moms!



krrrristen said:


> Hoooo boy, yeah that's rough. Someone once told me they went to Raglan for St. Patrick's Day and, in describing it to me, indicated that she had never been. "Oh it wasn't that crazy!" Oh, okay lady.



It was crazy....there were cops all over.



DnA2010 said:


> I've never really drank Sake, gotta give it a try one of these days



It's good see below.



krrrristen said:


> This and the sake look delicious! I like sake, but honestly know nothing about it.



I've been drinking it for a while, ever since I started eating sushi. However, it was probably somewhere around 10 years ago that I stopped drinking the hot stuff and started with cold sakes.  About that same time my mom did a sake tasting with her wine club. The club has been meeting for almost 50 years now. Once a month they gather at a member's house, they call it "Third Friday Tasting", the member gets to choose the varietal of wine and appetizers.

These were the sakes she served.









There were various Asian themed appetizers served as well.





Edamamme





Rolls





Dumplings





Scallion Pancakes





And Frushi, not the gross kind from Epcot where it's dipped in coconut.





She also had cheese for those who weren't into the Asian appetizers.







Steppesister said:


> And all caught up here too!! YAY!! ToT, my fave! All that sushi looked divine. Mmm!



Yay for being caught up!  I'm trying to get there too!



Steppesister said:


> Interesting they blocked off that space for March 17! That'd be quiite a sight to see that day!



I never even expected it! Hence why I made the mistake of being there on St. Patty's Day.


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> Yay for being caught up! I'm trying to get there too!



All you gotta do to get hopelessly behind is be away for a few short days. Easy. 


franandaj said:


> I never even expected it! Hence why I made the mistake of being there on St. Patty's Day.


It's not usually on my radar. My mom would ALWAYS make the "traditional" St. Patty's Day fare and I did for my kids when they were younger, but it's since fallen by the wayside.


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> Takes one to know one.







pkondz said:


> Oh, okay. I thought there was just one, so the clothes were hanging (and dripping) just above you.



We stay in the swanky one bedrooms, no combination tub/shower for me! 



pkondz said:


> Me too! Root Beer floats are the _best!_







pkondz said:


> Why would anyone do something as crazy as that??????



Remember I live in LA. People do dumb things with food here.



pkondz said:


> I was expecting to not like Guardians that much, but... dang that was fun.



I was skeptical my first time, but it's one of my favorite rides now!



Steppesister said:


> All you gotta do to get hopelessly behind is be away for a few short days. Easy.



Yup tell me about it. I have like five more threads to catch up on. Including yours.



Steppesister said:


> It's not usually on my radar. My mom would ALWAYS make the "traditional" St. Patty's Day fare and I did for my kids when they were younger, but it's since fallen by the wayside.



I never even knew what the Traditional dinner was until I met Fran, never had it before either. Reminds me, I have a couple corned beefs in the freezer. Need to put them in the dining rotation.


----------



## franandaj

Day 7


Fran woke me at 6:25AM today.  It was the day Southwest had postponed booking of flights during our next trip. This time the flights really opened again. Flying is really expensive.  Our tickets were less than $600pp, but not by much! Hopefully we'll get the money for the third seat back. I think we might get money back for our flight here. While it was a fairly full flight I did see a few empty seats here and there.


After that I played with my phone for a little bit before getting in the tub. I was out by 8AM, and played my tablet game for a while before I decided to get dressed and start the day. I wanted to get another couple loads of laundry done (very small machine), so after getting dressed, I started yet another load of laundry. Just to give you perspective, all four loads that I've done so far would have easily fit in my home washer, plus the fifth load.

I got started packing up as well. A lot of the clothes that I wore earlier in the trip were no longer appropriate weather-wise. When we arrived it was hot and the highs were in the mid 80s. Now the highs were in the mid 60s, and while that's not too bad at home, the humidity evidently makes the cold more chilling.


Then I made coffee and breakfast. Today was leftover steak. Fran had hers in a sandwich.







I had mine on a plate with the leftover creamed spinach.







After Fran ate her breakfast she told me that she was feeling kind of sick and wanted to stay in the room instead of going to Epcot for lunch at the Kiosks.  She let my Mom and Dad take her scooter to trade off for the day. We decided to get going around 10:30 AM and were in the UK by 11:00. The crowds were way better than Friday.












We went to the butterfly tent and I was underwhelmed.  I had avoided the place in the past because I had pictured swarms of flying pretty bugs and you were sort of dodging them and trying not to have them land on you. Well this was nothing like that in fact I had to look hard to even find some. Mom said it might be too early and they weren't awake yet. 






















Either way, it wasn't nearly as scary as I thought.  Are there really any butterflies in here?







Oh wait, there’s one!












You really had to be looking for them.







Then it was on to the countries in search of topiaries.  







I had got most of the ones in Future World over the past few days, but had not been around World Showcase at all so we headed off. 







We were already out of Mexico before i realized that i had missed the three Caballeros. So we pushed on, Anna and Elsa in Norway.







The troll.







And then to China, Panda bears.







The Bromeliad Dragon.












And they had these neat little zodiac figures.




















































Fun fact (and this totally gives away everyone's age) me, Fran and my Dad are all snakes.







We checked out the booth in China but nothing really tickled our fancy, so we moved on. 


At the African outpost we found the Simba topiary. 







*[Continued in Next Post]*


----------



## franandaj

*[Continued from Previous Post]*


Our first stop for food was Germany. 












Here we had the two potato pancakes.







I was glad to see that they had changed the applesauce on this one. Last time it was chunky, this time it was pureed.







We also tried the Warm Berry Strudel, it wasn't very warm, but it was still good.







At this point Fran texted me one word. Caramels???  I don't know how she knew we were in Germany, I wasn't transmitting my location to her. I got these.







My Dad got a couple Dark Chocolate salted caramels, and then we got our topiaries in Germany.


We checked out the trains for a while and then moved on to Italy.  It was feeling very cold with the wind chill, and I was glad Fran didn't come along as she would have been miserable. 







We found the topiaries in Germany and then moved on.







We pushed on to Italy where we ordered one each of the food offerings.












The Tri colored Cheese Tortellini were my favorite!







The pizza wasn’t bad.







I skipped the Fried Green Tomatoes with Mozarella.







But the Zeppole were really good!







We were getting full and chilly, so after we found Lady and the Tramp.







We got the last topiary in America and then stepped up our game to get out of the park. My parents were alternating who rode Fran's scooter and who walked.







As we were nearing Morocco and my mom was eyeing the herb Garden I remembered that there was a shirt in France that I wanted. I left them there telling them we would meet in front of Chefs de France. Shirt purchased as well as reusable Epcot bag, we headed back to the room.


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> Yup tell me about it. I have like five more threads to catch up on. Including yours.



Anxiously awaiting!



franandaj said:


> I never even knew what the Traditional dinner was until I met Fran, never had it before either. Reminds me, I have a couple corned beefs in the freezer. Need to put them in the dining rotation.



Yes, and then you can have a delicious hash too!



franandaj said:


> It was the day Southwest had postponed booking of flights during our next trip



And that was what propmted the phone call this morning. 



franandaj said:


>



THat looks really good!!



franandaj said:


> Well this was nothing like that in fact I had to look hard to even find some. Mom said it might be too early and they weren't awake yet.





franandaj said:


> Are there really any butterflies in here?



I think you were there a little early in the Festival. They put the chrysalses in there and they actually have to hatch, so by the time I got there a few weeks later there were hordes of them!! 



franandaj said:


>



I think that was my favorite! 



franandaj said:


> At this point Fran texted me one word. Caramels??? I don't know how she knew we were in Germany, I wasn't transmitting my location to her.


----------



## krrrristen

franandaj said:


> About that same time my mom did a sake tasting with her wine club. The club has been meeting for almost 50 years now. Once a month they gather at a member's house, they call it "Third Friday Tasting", the member gets to choose the varietal of wine and appetizers.



I love this!! My parents host "wine parties" - but not on that frequent of a basis. Usually it's every quarter or so, and they've only been doing it for a year or two. I don't usually make the drive to attend, but next up is a bourbon party so I will definitely be there    I am going to save the picture of the sake menu - for future reference 



franandaj said:


> We went to the butterfly tent and I was underwhelmed.



Yeah, nothing like other butterfly tents I've been to. 



franandaj said:


> Anna and Elsa in Norway.



One of my favorites! 



franandaj said:


> And they had these neat little zodiac figures.



I can't believe I missed those too  I was not very attentive during Flower & Garden this year, apparently. Must have been preoccupied... with a few margaritas 

Hope you guys have stayed safe with the earthquakes this weekend!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> Flying is really expensive. Our tickets were less than $600pp, but not by much!



Yikes.  And it's not like you're even going overseas.



franandaj said:


> Just to give you perspective, all four loads that I've done so far would have easily fit in my home washer, plus the fifth load.







franandaj said:


> A lot of the clothes that I wore earlier in the trip were no longer appropriate









franandaj said:


> Well this was nothing like that in fact I had to look hard to even find some.



So, you guys got any butterflies in your butterfly tent?



franandaj said:


>



Those flower gardens though...



franandaj said:


> The troll.



Probably posting inflammatory comments online as we speak.



franandaj said:


> Fun fact (and this totally gives away everyone's age) me, Fran and my Dad are all snakes.



Snakes.  Why did it have to be snakes?



franandaj said:


> At this point Fran texted me one word. Caramels??? I don't know how she knew we were in Germany, I wasn't transmitting my location to her.



That's truly a gift.  Just be glad she didn't ask for ice cream.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> We stay in the swanky one bedrooms, no combination tub/shower for me!


Yes, ma'am!


franandaj said:


> Remember I live in LA. People do dumb things with food here.


Ah yes. Of course. Silly me.


franandaj said:


> I was skeptical my first time, but it's one of my favorite rides now!


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Flying is really expensive.


Sometimes... sometimes you get lucky. I did recently. 


franandaj said:


> Our tickets were less than $600pp, but not by much!


Ouch.  


franandaj said:


> Hopefully we'll get the money for the third seat back.


Fingers crossed for you guys.


franandaj said:


> Just to give you perspective, all four loads that I've done so far would have easily fit in my home washer, plus the fifth load.


I'm assuming you do _not_ have some kind of heavy duty washer?


franandaj said:


> A lot of the clothes that I wore earlier in the trip were no longer appropriate weather-wise.


You can't wear racy clothing when the weather turns prudish.


franandaj said:


> the humidity evidently makes the cold more chilling.


Humidity sucks.


franandaj said:


> I had mine on a plate with the leftover creamed spinach.


Blech. Pass.


franandaj said:


> After Fran ate her breakfast she told me that she was feeling kind of sick and wanted to stay in the room instead of going to Epcot for lunch at the Kiosks.


Oh, too bad. Sorry to hear that.


franandaj said:


> Well this was nothing like that in fact I had to look hard to even find some. Mom said it might be too early and they weren't awake yet.


There were lots when I was there. Maybe they hadn't come out of their chrysalis yet?


franandaj said:


>


Like this shot.
Forgot to quote it, but really like the butterfly one too.


franandaj said:


> The Bromeliad Dragon.


Dang. Missed that. And it looks cool.


franandaj said:


> And they had these neat little zodiac figures.


Missed _all_ of those too!


franandaj said:


> Fun fact (and this totally gives away everyone's age) me, Fran and my Dad are all snakes.


So you were born in 77, huh?


franandaj said:


> We also tried the Warm Berry Strudel, it wasn't very warm, but it was still good.


Dang, that looks good.


franandaj said:


> At this point Fran texted me one word. Caramels??? I don't know how she knew we were in Germany, I wasn't transmitting my location to her.


 You guys are in synch!


franandaj said:


> We checked out the trains for a while


Because one must.


franandaj said:


> The Tri colored Cheese Tortellini were my favorite!


Pretty dish. 


franandaj said:


> We were getting full and chilly, so after we found Lady and the Tramp.


Missed them too.


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


> I literally LOL'd at this one. Showed it to Fran and she didn't get it.


Glad I could make you laugh  


franandaj said:


> The club has been meeting for almost 50 years now. Once a month they gather at a member's house, they call it "Third Friday Tasting", the member gets to choose the varietal of wine and appetizers.
> 
> These were the sakes she served.



What are great idea! My inlaws do a dinner party once a month with friends- the host picks the main and the theme- the theme can be anything..really fun! When life slows down a bit, I want to start something. 


franandaj said:


> I was skeptical my first time, but it's one of my favorite rides now!


Same!


franandaj said:


>



Pretty, but there were def not that many around hey!



franandaj said:


>



Awww! I like these guys!


franandaj said:


>





franandaj said:


> And they had these neat little zodiac figures.



Neat idea!



franandaj said:


> was glad to see that they had changed the applesauce on this one. Last time it was chunky, this time it was pureed.



Yum, although I prefer applesauce with lots of cinnamon 


franandaj said:


> t this point Fran texted me one word. Caramels??? I don't know how she knew we were in Germany, I wasn't transmitting my location to her. I got these.


She's psychic it seems! Those look delish!


franandaj said:


> My Dad got a couple Dark Chocolate salted caramels


 Mmm I love milk and dark chocolate 


franandaj said:


> The pizza wasn’t bad.



Those book like pretty good indeed.


----------



## jedijill

I HATE the butterfly tent.  Its hot and muggy and packed with people with bugs flying at you...its like my own personal hell.  LOL  You had some good choices of food along the way!

Jill in Co


----------



## Lesley Wake

franandaj said:


> We went to the butterfly tent and I was underwhelmed. I had avoided the place in the past because I had pictured swarms of flying pretty bugs and you were sort of dodging them and trying not to have them land on you. Well this was nothing like that in fact I had to look hard to even find some. Mom said it might be too early and they weren't awake yet.


I think they also try to keep it from being too crowded so people hurt the butterflies? If it was chilly maybe they also weren’t active?


franandaj said:


> At this point Fran texted me one word. Caramels??? I don't know how she knew we were in Germany, I wasn't transmitting my location to her. I got these.


That’s hilarious! I guess you have a telephathic connection? Also, I love those caramel/marshmallow swirls!


----------



## franandaj

Steppesister said:


> Anxiously awaiting!



And then I made your head spin! 



Steppesister said:


> Yes, and then you can have a delicious hash too!



I forgot all about including this. Well I'll need to start a new list again soon. I've reached the bottom of my page already.



Steppesister said:


> And that was what propmted the phone call this morning.



Well I'm glad we got this sorted out.



Steppesister said:


> THat looks really good!!



That's usually how she asks me to fix her leftover steak, even at home.



Steppesister said:


> I think you were there a little early in the Festival. They put the chrysalses in there and they actually have to hatch, so by the time I got there a few weeks later there were hordes of them!!



That makes sense. Then it would have been the swarm of bugs I was afraid of!



Steppesister said:


> I think that was my favorite!



It was definitely high on my list too, but I really liked Piglet and the Cars figures as well.



krrrristen said:


> I love this!! My parents host "wine parties" - but not on that frequent of a basis. Usually it's every quarter or so, and they've only been doing it for a year or two. I don't usually make the drive to attend, but next up is a bourbon party so I will definitely be there  I am going to save the picture of the sake menu - for future reference



Because there are enough people in the club their hosting duties only come around every a6-8 months, so it's not so bad.



krrrristen said:


> Yeah, nothing like other butterfly tents I've been to.



I didnt even know butterfly tents were a thing.



krrrristen said:


> I can't believe I missed those too  I was not very attentive during Flower & Garden this year, apparently. Must have been preoccupied... with a few margaritas



With the parents there, this was a much less "drinkey" trip.



krrrristen said:


> Hope you guys have stayed safe with the earthquakes this weekend!



Yeah, no problem. They were far enough away that we weren't affected, we just felt them. I hope I've used up my earthquake quota for this lifetime and won't be at the center of another one again!


----------



## afwdwfan

Wow... crazy how much of Disney springs was shut down essentially for Raglan Road on St Patrick's day.   Nice score on those fp at DHS that afternoon!

I feel like epcot really is the coldest place to be on a cool day at Disney.   I've noticed that on our December trips.   Seems like the wind blowing across World Showcase Lagoon really cuts through you.


----------



## franandaj

Captain_Oblivious said:


> Yikes. And it's not like you're even going overseas.



I know and I just re-priced it with the most recent sale, and it's still higher than the day we bought them.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> So, you guys got any butterflies in your butterfly tent?



I know. Really?  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Those flower gardens though...



I just wish the sky wasn't so dreary in that picture.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Probably posting inflammatory comments online as we speak.



  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?



*+1*



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That's truly a gift. Just be glad she didn't ask for ice cream.



Oh, she's not done with the Ice Cream yet.  It's down to the bitter end....



pkondz said:


> Sometimes... sometimes you get lucky. I did recently.



Where ya goin'?  



pkondz said:


> Fingers crossed for you guys.



That would be a nice chunk of change to get back!



pkondz said:


> I'm assuming you do _not_ have some kind of heavy duty washer?



I don't think it's anything special....

*LG - 5.7 Cu. Ft. 14-Cycle High-Efficiency Top-Loading Washer with *



It does have the capacity to wash a twin size comforter, along with other items.



pkondz said:


> You can't wear racy clothing when the weather turns prudish.



I don't even own any racy clothing anymore!  



pkondz said:


> Humidity sucks.



Completely



pkondz said:


> Blech. Pass.



I don't understand why you don't like it!  It's bathed in cream sauce!



pkondz said:


> Oh, too bad. Sorry to hear that.



I think she does this to get out of doing things as well, so not sure whether or not she really felt bad or just wanted to sleep.



pkondz said:


> There were lots when I was there. Maybe they hadn't come out of their chrysalis yet?



Could be. We were there less than two weeks after the Festival opened.



pkondz said:


> Like this shot.
> Forgot to quote it, but really like the butterfly one too.



Thanks!



pkondz said:


> Dang. Missed that. And it looks cool.



I think after piglet, this was my next favorite. 



pkondz said:


> Missed _all_ of those too!



I really liked these ones.



pkondz said:


> So you were born in 77, huh?



I laughed when I read this. Partly cause of your joke, and partly cause you know just how old i am.   But I showed it to Fran, and she said, "I don't get it."



pkondz said:


> Dang, that looks good.



Sure was!



pkondz said:


> You guys are in synch!



Evidently.



pkondz said:


> Because one must.



You know that may have been one of the first times I stopped and looked at length. 



pkondz said:


> Pretty dish.



Tasty too!



pkondz said:


> Missed them too.



Sorry....


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> I don't think it's anything special....


Looks like a fairly standard one...


franandaj said:


> I don't even own any racy clothing anymore!


Buy this:



franandaj said:


> I think she does this to get out of doing things as well, so not sure whether or not she really felt bad or just wanted to sleep.


oooohhhhhhhh….


franandaj said:


> I laughed when I read this. Partly cause of your joke, and partly cause you know just how old i am.  But I showed it to Fran, and she said, "I don't get it."










franandaj said:


> You know that may have been one of the first times I stopped and looked at length.


As opposed to girth?


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> And then I made your head spin!



Yes! You did!



franandaj said:


> I forgot all about including this. Well I'll need to start a new list again soon. I've reached the bottom of my page already.



"New cup, move down, move down...!"
-Alice in Wonderland



franandaj said:


> That's usually how she asks me to fix her leftover steak, even at home.



YUM!



franandaj said:


> That makes sense. Then it would have been the swarm of bugs I was afraid of!


Then again, I also saw many escaping out the chain barriers too, so I think it's a constant ebb and flow.


----------



## franandaj

DnA2010 said:


> Glad I could make you laugh



I need it lately!



DnA2010 said:


> What are great idea! My inlaws do a dinner party once a month with friends- the host picks the main and the theme- the theme can be anything..really fun! When life slows down a bit, I want to start something.



I'm smart enough to know that life won't slow down for me until they put me in the ground, or scatter my ashes.



DnA2010 said:


> Pretty, but there were def not that many around hey!



Evidently later in the festival they are hatched.



DnA2010 said:


> Awww! I like these guys!



They had a lot of cute ones!



DnA2010 said:


> Yum, although I prefer applesauce with lots of cinnamon



I'm not sure I've had it that way, but I like cinnamon!



DnA2010 said:


> She's psychic it seems! Those look delish!



Evidently, and yes they are delish!



DnA2010 said:


> Mmm I love milk and dark chocolate



I prefer milk chocolate, but sometimes dark is good too.



DnA2010 said:


> Those book like pretty good indeed.







jedijill said:


> I HATE the butterfly tent. Its hot and muggy and packed with people with bugs flying at you...its like my own personal hell.



See that's what I imagined it would be like and it wasn't.



jedijill said:


> LOL You had some good choices of food along the way!



We did!   



Lesley Wake said:


> I think they also try to keep it from being too crowded so people hurt the butterflies? If it was chilly maybe they also weren’t active?



The consensus seems to be that they hadn't hatched yet, since it was still mid March.



Lesley Wake said:


> That’s hilarious! I guess you have a telephathic connection? Also, I love those caramel/marshmallow swirls!



I suppose after 20+ we must be telepathically linked.  Those swirls are my favorite!


----------



## franandaj

afwdwfan said:


> Wow... crazy how much of Disney springs was shut down essentially for Raglan Road on St Patrick's day. Nice score on those fp at DHS that afternoon!



I was really surprised, and not very happy either!



afwdwfan said:


> I feel like epcot really is the coldest place to be on a cool day at Disney. I've noticed that on our December trips. Seems like the wind blowing across World Showcase Lagoon really cuts through you.



I'm sure that's what was getting to us, it was pretty cold there for a day in March.



pkondz said:


> Looks like a fairly standard one...



Pretty much, which is why the tiny one at the BCV really peeves me!



pkondz said:


> Buy this:



No I got this.







pkondz said:


> As opposed to girth?







Steppesister said:


> "New cup, move down, move down...!"
> -Alice in Wonderland



Hey!  It's my unbirthday today!



Steppesister said:


> Then again, I also saw many escaping out the chain barriers too, so I think it's a constant ebb and flow.



Had any escaped, there would have been none left in there!  And it appears that my Mom has some kind of butterfly habitat in her backyard.


----------



## franandaj

We had just returned from Epcot for a little bit of rest in the room. About an hour went by before I left again with my parents. Fran had been asleep all morning, and she still was asleep, but I was able to coerce her to get up before we actually left. Not sure if she went back to sleep or listed stuff on eBay, but in the end she did join us later that day.

We took off around 2:15 and got to the MK just before our HM FP went into effect. I would ride the scooter on and off the buses, and through security, but once we got through security, my Dad took over riding the scooter.  Once we passed under the train station, there was a problem that the Festival of Fantasy Parade was beginning and we needed to cross several points of it to get to our ride. I realized the best way around it, and we stopped on the TL side of the hub so I could show my parents how we would be traveling. Disney had just started a program with CMs dressed in blue to be a new sort of “helper” to give people information if they needed it.  He came up to us to see if we needed help, but when he heard me say, “And we’ll go up and around the Tangled Tinkle Spot” he realized I knew how to navigate and he stepped back conceding that I seemed to know exactly where I was going. It was nice he was there to help folks who didn't have a clue where they were going.

We rode HM.









The standby queue is the one on the left, we were in the FP line on the right.  Both were pretty long.





I didn’t have my fast lens, so not many pictures came out in here, but it didn’t stop me from trying!

























When we got off the ride, my Dad took the helm on the scooter again. The line for HM had jumped to 115 minutes. Evidently a ton of folks from the parade had jumped in the FP line for HM and it extended back past the CHH all the way almost to the HoP. Glad we dodged that bullet!

Then we went through the breezeway from Frontierland to Adventureland since our next FP was POTC.





















After our little cruise through the Caribbean, my parents wanted a Mickey Bar. The Ice cream thing is a recurring feature....





I was saving myself for our dinner which was less than two hours away. Neither could eat and drive so I rode the scooter, but shortly my Mom said she needed to ride. Around this time I got a text from Fran that she was getting dressed.  The moat around the castle was drained, and it was weird to see pictures from TRs in May where it was still drained.





We headed to Mickey's Philharmagic as they had never seen this and we had some time until our next FP.  It took longer than we expected to get into the theater. Mom sat in the scooter for the show. Fran texted me that she was on the bus while I was in line, and just before the doors were going to open she texted that she was almost to MK. Just as the doors opened she called and I spoke to her.  We agreed that she would come into the MK and we would meet in the Emporium (dangerous thought there). My Mom wanted a sweatshirt if she could find one she liked. Plus we needed to buy something cause now we were committed to collecting all four shopping bags.

After the show, we went to our last FP Peter Pan. Another difficult one to get pictures on.

































The ride was cute and my parents enjoyed it. 

We headed back to Main Street this time with me on the scooter.  The Shake It! Move it! Parade was going on and totally clogged up the hub. Then just as we passed the hub, the parade broke up and crowds starting streaming down Main Street. I ducked into Casey's, my parents were like, “What????” And I told them to trust me. As we passed from the restaurant into the clothing store, we ran into Fran who had already bought some stuff including the reusable bag for MK.

We went through the stores to get to the front of the park and my Mom didn’t find anything along the way, so we headed up to the resort Monorail and I let my Mom ride. Her knee was really bothering her.

*[Continued in Next Post]*


----------



## franandaj

*[Continued from Previous Post]*

We checked in for our ADR at 1900 Park Fare and were seated promptly.  First Anastasia came by. But there was a small problem with the camera. Somehow the lens got switched from Auto Focus to Manual, so most of my pictures came out blurry. After a blurry picture with her, I checked out the buffet. I did take pictures of everything but I’m not going to bore you with those. didn't have time to grab much cause Drizella came around.





I got a small plate of shrimp and Caesar salad, after the picture. 





The Fairy Godmother came by, she doesn’t always make an appearance here. 





The Prince was next and his pictures came out super blurry. But with all the characters having visited, now I was set for some eating! I got a bowl of Clam Chowder.





Then I went back for a plate of Prime rib, mashed potatoes, green beans. I wanted some mac n cheese and corn from the kids station, but they were taking the food away. At first I reached for some and then I realized what was going on and put back the spoonful of mac and cheese I had taken. I never did get that mac and cheese I wanted, they were really cleaning that kid’s station.





I went up for dessert and grabbed a creme puff and some gummi bears, and of course some of the strawberry soup!




I wanted bread pudding, I love that stuff here! But the pan was pretty scraped over and what was left was pretty dry. After asking our waiter about it, a new pan was brought out and I got a nice portion of creamy bread pudding.





We took a couple pictures with Cinderella, the only picture with all of us in it of the trip.  Who you lookin’ at there Fran?





That’s better.





Dad clearly is not really onboard with this whole character photo thing.





I wanted to watch the fireworks and we had talked about going back to MK, but we really didn't have time to get there and stake out a spot. Fran asked someone at the hotel if there was a spot, and they suggested the dock near Narcoosee's, so with my Dad on my scooter we headed there.  However we had a bit of time to kill before we had to be there and the weather had turned really cold. Everyone but me wanted a Hot Chocolate. It makes me slightly sick and sometimes causes verps and no one wants that!  

We stopped into Gasparilla’s Grill and everyone got hot chocolate.  I don’t remember if I ordered a glass of wine or not. We got a table and drank our beverages there since everyone didn’t want to sit out in the cold.  I think my Dad nursed his enough to bring it down to the dock.

We caught the Electric Water Pageant. 

















And then the fireworks.  A guy proposed to his girlfriend while the fireworks went on. 





























The show was nice, but it was really cold with the wind chill, and Fran was happy to get out of there.  We took the Monorail back to the MK and then the bus to the resort. I'm pretty sure I just went to bed when we got back to the room. I was doing a LOT more walking than I was used to.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> I would ride the scooter on and off the buses, and through security, but once we got through security, my Dad took over riding the scooter.


That must have been tiring for you.


franandaj said:


> but when he heard me say, “And we’ll go up and around the Tangled Tinkle Spot” he realized I knew how to navigate and he stepped back conceding that I seemed to know exactly where I was going.





franandaj said:


> I didn’t have my fast lens, so not many pictures came out in here, but it didn’t stop me from trying!


well, of course!


franandaj said:


> The line for HM had jumped to 115 minutes.





franandaj said:


> Evidently a ton of folks from the parade had jumped in the FP line for HM and it extended back past the CHH all the way almost to the HoP. Glad we dodged that bullet!


Nope! I love HM... but not enough to stand in _that_ line!


franandaj said:


> The Ice cream thing is a recurring feature....


As it should be. 


franandaj said:


> The moat around the castle was drained, and it was weird to see pictures from TRs in May where it was still drained.


Yeah, that was... disconcerting.


franandaj said:


> she would come into the MK and we would meet in the Emporium (dangerous thought there).





franandaj said:


> After the show, we went to our last FP Peter Pan. Another difficult one to get pictures on.


That's one's really tough. You're moving and never in a straight line and it's so dark in there.


franandaj said:


> The Shake It! Move it! Parade was going on and totally clogged up the hub.


 I hope they get rid of that and replace it with... anything else.


franandaj said:


> I ducked into Casey's, my parents were like, “What????” And I told them to trust me.


 Done that... often.


franandaj said:


> We checked in for our ADR at 1900 Park Fare


Ah! You've done that before. 


franandaj said:


> Somehow the lens got switched from Auto Focus to Manual


I've done that. A few too many times, actually. I find (on my camera) it's really easy to do when switching lenses.


franandaj said:


> I got a bowl of Clam Chowder.


Yum!


franandaj said:


> Dad clearly is not really onboard with this whole character photo thing.





franandaj said:


> Everyone but me wanted a Hot Chocolate. It makes me slightly sick and sometimes causes verps and no one wants that!


I had to Google "verp".... no. No one wants that.


franandaj said:


> A guy proposed to his girlfriend while the fireworks went on.


Aw...


----------



## dizneeat

*Yeah! I caught this one on time! *



franandaj said:


> The standby queue is the one on the left, we were in the FP line on the right. Both were pretty long.



*Good grief! That line! *



franandaj said:


>



*That one came out pretty good. I never tried to take pics in there, you might have given me an idea here.* 



franandaj said:


> The line for HM had jumped to 115 minutes.



*I am sorry for those poor unfortunate souls (wrong movie, I know), but that is just too long to wait for that ride!*



franandaj said:


> After our little cruise through the Caribbean, my parents wanted a Mickey Bar.



*There should always be time for a Mickey Bar.* 



franandaj said:


> After the show, we went to our last FP Peter Pan



*This made me smile - sounds like FP choices I would make.* 



franandaj said:


> We checked in for our ADR at 1900 Park Fare and were seated promptly.



*We have NEVER eaten there. But it was nice seeing you enjoy the food and characters. *



franandaj said:


> Somehow the lens got switched from Auto Focus to Manual, so most of my pictures came out blurry.



*Tell me about it! Has happened to me ever so often. I sometimes manage to reset my camera (which is quite a few steps to "set" in the first place) just by putting it back in its little bag. *



franandaj said:


>



*That's a great shot!*



franandaj said:


>



*Gummi Bears for dessert.  What are the creme puffs filled with? Vanilla custard or whipped cream?*



franandaj said:


>



*Now, that's much more my kind of dessert! Good choice, Alison. *



franandaj said:


> We took a couple pictures with Cinderella, the only picture with all of us in it of the trip. Who you lookin’ at there Fran?







franandaj said:


> Dad clearly is not really onboard with this whole character photo thing.



*At least he's smiling.* 



franandaj said:


>



*Can you hear the music at this spot? I hope so as for me it is just such a huge part of the fireworks. *


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> He came up to us to see if we needed help, but when he heard me say, “And we’ll go up and around the Tangled Tinkle Spot” he realized I knew how to navigate and he stepped back conceding that I seemed to know exactly where I was going


 Clearly you're a seasoned vet!!!


franandaj said:


> The Ice cream thing is a recurring feature....


as it should be!


franandaj said:


> We agreed that she would come into the MK and we would meet in the Emporium (dangerous thought there)


Uh oh... Fran alone in the Emporium.  That's gonna be hard on the credit card!


franandaj said:


> of course some of the strawberry soup!


 The reason you went there to begin with, right?


franandaj said:


> Dad clearly is not really onboard with this whole character photo thing.


 Hey, he's there and looking at the camera.   He's at least being a good sport!


franandaj said:


> The show was nice, but it was really cold with the wind chill


 At least you got to see the electric water pageant and fireworks.   I can imagine how cold it must have been along the water!


----------



## DnA2010

Disney had just started a program with CMs dressed in blue to be a new sort of “helper” to give people information if they needed it.
[/QUOTE]

Neat idea- WDW is so big that I bet there are lot of people that have no clue



franandaj said:


> The line for HM had jumped to 115 minutes.



Madness, just madness



franandaj said:


> fter our little cruise through the Caribbean, my parents wanted a Mickey Bar. The Ice cream thing is a recurring feature....



Great theme IMO 


franandaj said:


>



Errr a little "un"magical 



franandaj said:


> I went up for dessert and grabbed a creme puff and some gummi bears, and of course some of the strawberry soup!



When I saw where you were going, I immediately thought "oh I hope they haven't changed Fran's strawberry soup!



franandaj said:


>



that looks like great bread pudding, nice and fresh and hopefully without raisins?  I've had it made with croissants - yummm!


franandaj said:


>



Your dad    


franandaj said:


> I wanted to watch the fireworks and we had talked about going back to MK, but we really didn't have time to get there and stake out a spot.



Love fireworks- I wonder which ones they will have in Dec in DL...


franandaj said:


> We stopped into Gasparilla’s Grill and everyone got hot chocolate. I don’t remember if I ordered a glass of wine or not.



Atta girl! Late night vino, why not?



franandaj said:


> We caught the Electric Water Pageant.



this is really neat- hope to see it some day.


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> Once we passed under the train station, there was a problem that the Festival of Fantasy Parade was beginning and we needed to cross several points of it to get to our ride.



Ugh, parade trappings. I hate when that happens! 



franandaj said:


> He came up to us to see if we needed help, but when he heard me say, “And we’ll go up and around the Tangled Tinkle Spot” he realized I knew how to navigate and he stepped back conceding that I seemed to know exactly where I was going.



LOL!! You know you're an expert when....



franandaj said:


> I didn’t have my fast lens, so not many pictures came out in here, but it didn’t stop me from trying!



Tough ride FOR SURE!



franandaj said:


> and it was weird to see pictures from TRs in May where it was still drained.



It was super weird!  Not at all what we're all used to in those views!



franandaj said:


> Plus we needed to buy something cause now we were committed to collecting all four shopping bags.



I have all 4 of the mini ones that I now use for my lunch bags. Although I seemed to have misplaced my DHS one and will have to buy another one. Sucks cuz I think the price was raised since they were $1. 



franandaj said:


> The Shake It! Move it! Parade was going on and totally clogged up the hub.



and again..... 



franandaj said:


> strawberry soup!



One of these days I'm going to try this!



franandaj said:


> Who you lookin’ at there Fran?


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> Disney had just started a program with CMs dressed in blue to be a new sort of “helper” to give people information if they needed it.



I hadn't heard about that, but it makes sense.



franandaj said:


> The line for HM had jumped to 115 minutes.



 So glad you were able to avoid that mess!



franandaj said:


> After our little cruise through the Caribbean, my parents wanted a Mickey Bar. The Ice cream thing is a recurring feature....



It's contagious!



franandaj said:


> Then just as we passed the hub, the parade broke up and crowds starting streaming down Main Street. I ducked into Casey's, my parents were like, “What????” And I told them to trust me.



I feel like they shouldn't even question you at this point.



franandaj said:


> Somehow the lens got switched from Auto Focus to Manual, so most of my pictures came out blurry.



Oh, I hate that!  It used to happen all the time on our old camera lens.  Worse, you couldn't tell when you looked at the photo on the view screen.  It was too small to see that it was blurry.



franandaj said:


> We took a couple pictures with Cinderella, the only picture with all of us in it of the trip. Who you lookin’ at there Fran?



And where is her hand going?



franandaj said:


> Dad clearly is not really onboard with this whole character photo thing.





I feel like I could cut and paste this sentence into my own TR's.



franandaj said:


> Everyone but me wanted a Hot Chocolate. It makes me slightly sick and sometimes causes verps and no one wants that!



Yikes.  Who knew chocolate could be so deadly!


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> That must have been tiring for you.



Well let's just say that with all the food (and ice cream) we ate, I didnt gain any weight on that trip.



pkondz said:


> Nope! I love HM... but not enough to stand in _that_ line!



Me neither, 20 minutes is tops for me.



pkondz said:


> Yeah, that was... disconcerting.



I wonder if they've finally filled it back up.



pkondz said:


> That's one's really tough. You're moving and never in a straight line and it's so dark in there.



A lot if times my camera won't even make the shot cause the auto focus doesn't know what to focus on.



pkondz said:


> I hope they get rid of that and replace it with... anything else.







pkondz said:


> Ah! You've done that before.



And I will do it again!  In just about 8 weeks!



pkondz said:


> I've done that. A few too many times, actually. I find (on my camera) it's really easy to do when switching lenses.



I wasn't even swtching lenses. 



pkondz said:


> I had to Google "verp".... no. No one wants that.







dizneeat said:


> Yeah! I caught this one on time!



Yay for you!    I'm the one who's behind now!



dizneeat said:


> Good grief! That line!



No. Just no.



dizneeat said:


> *That one came out pretty good. I never tried to take pics in there, you might have given me an idea here.*



I try to take pics in all kinds of difficult places!



dizneeat said:


> I am sorry for those poor unfortunate souls (wrong movie, I know), but that is just too long to wait for that ride!



Wrong movie maybe, but that's a good one!



dizneeat said:


> *There should always be time for a Mickey Bar.*



Except for me.  I didn't want to spoil my dinner and strawberry soup.



dizneeat said:


> *This made me smile - sounds like FP choices I would make.*



I had to keep it mellow for my parents. 



dizneeat said:


> We have NEVER eaten there. But it was nice seeing you enjoy the food and characters.



Ever since Fran found out about the Strawberry Soup, she requests to eat there every trip.



dizneeat said:


> Tell me about it! Has happened to me ever so often. I sometimes manage to reset my camera (which is quite a few steps to "set" in the first place) just by putting it back in its little bag.



That might be why I don't like to keep mine in a bag.



dizneeat said:


> That's a great shot!



Thanks! And that was from the phone, one of the few non blurry ones.



dizneeat said:


> Gummi Bears for dessert.  What are the creme puffs filled with? Vanilla custard or whipped cream?



I believe it was vanilla custard. They had a giant bowl of gummi bears on the buffet. It was hard for me to resist!



dizneeat said:


> Now, that's much more my kind of dessert! Good choice, Alison.



This is one of my favorites there. I always like to end my meals with it.



dizneeat said:


> *At least he's smiling.*



True!



dizneeat said:


> Can you hear the music at this spot? I hope so as for me it is just such a huge part of the fireworks.



Yes, they pipe the music in on a speaker system.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Well let's just say that with all the food (and ice cream) we ate, I didnt gain any weight on that trip.


That happens. 


franandaj said:


> I wonder if they've finally filled it back up.


I'll find out in just over a month. 


franandaj said:


> A lot if times my camera won't even make the shot cause the auto focus doesn't know what to focus on.


I've had to switch it to manual. 


franandaj said:


> And I will do it again! In just about 8 weeks!


What are your dates?
I'm thinking we're just going to miss each other.


----------



## franandaj

afwdwfan said:


> Clearly you're a seasoned vet!!!



Thanks!



afwdwfan said:


> as it should be!



The ice cream theme seems like a winner around here.



afwdwfan said:


> Uh oh... Fran alone in the Emporium. That's gonna be hard on the credit card!



Luckily there wasn't a lot of merch that interested her.



afwdwfan said:


> The reason you went there to begin with, right?



 yes it was!



afwdwfan said:


> Hey, he's there and looking at the camera. He's at least being a good sport!



True. But we did have coerce him into the picture.



afwdwfan said:


> At least you got to see the electric water pageant and fireworks. I can imagine how cold it must have been along the water!



It definitely was. We were not expecting such cool temperatures in the end of March.



DnA2010 said:


> Neat idea- WDW is so big that I bet there are lot of people that have no clue



We've been going once or twice a year since 2007, so I've got a pretty good handle on how to navigate. Plus I do my homework by reading other's TRs. I can't imagine how confused someone who hasn't done their research might be.



DnA2010 said:


> Madness, just madness



I know. Seriously. 



DnA2010 said:


> Great theme IMO



Seems to be popular with this crowd!



DnA2010 said:


> Errr a little "un"magical



I hope that situation has been fixed by now.



DnA2010 said:


> When I saw where you were going, I immediately thought "oh I hope they haven't changed Fran's strawberry soup!



I think they'd have to close down and rename/retheme the place if they did that.



DnA2010 said:


> that looks like great bread pudding, nice and fresh and hopefully without raisins? I've had it made with croissants - yummm!



It's the best bread pudding. No dead grapes at all!



DnA2010 said:


> Your dad



Yeah, he's not a big picture or character guy.



DnA2010 said:


> Love fireworks- I wonder which ones they will have in Dec in DL...



Hopefully the same ones they have now. They're really good.



DnA2010 said:


> Atta girl! Late night vino, why not?



 



DnA2010 said:


> this is really neat- hope to see it some day.



It's pretty low tech, but still cool to see.



Steppesister said:


> Ugh, parade trappings. I hate when that happens!



Well it is nice that it gets so many people off the attractions, the HM line after the parade was evidence of that.



Steppesister said:


> LOL!! You know you're an expert when....



 Good one!



Steppesister said:


> Tough ride FOR SURE!



I'm bringing my fast lens in October.



Steppesister said:


> It was super weird! Not at all what we're all used to in those views!



I sure hope it's been fixed.



Steppesister said:


> I have all 4 of the mini ones that I now use for my lunch bags. Although I seemed to have misplaced my DHS one and will have to buy another one. Sucks cuz I think the price was raised since they were $1.



I can see how they would be good sized lunch bags!



Steppesister said:


> and again.....



But this parade is lame....



Steppesister said:


> One of these days I'm going to try this!



If nothing else, I can send you the recipe. It's easy to make.


----------



## franandaj

Captain_Oblivious said:


> I hadn't heard about that, but it makes sense.



I wonder if it was a test thing and if they are still doing it.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> So glad you were able to avoid that mess!



Me too!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> It's contagious!



Except for me, unfortunately.  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I feel like they shouldn't even question you at this point.



I know. Right?  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Oh, I hate that! It used to happen all the time on our old camera lens. Worse, you couldn't tell when you looked at the photo on the view screen. It was too small to see that it was blurry.



Luckily for us it only happens sometimes.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> And where is her hand going







Captain_Oblivious said:


> I feel like I could cut and paste this sentence into my own TR's.



  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Yikes. Who knew chocolate could be so deadly!



How can something so good, be so bad? 



pkondz said:


> I'll find out in just over a month.



But then you're so secretive about things, I'll find out for myself before you tell us! 






pkondz said:


> I've had to switch it to manual.



And then I get blurry shots. Can't win.



pkondz said:


> What are your dates?
> I'm thinking we're just going to miss each other.



I think you're there around the same time as Liesa in September. I'm there the first weekend in October.

It coordinates with this.

http://lgba2019.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/LGBA-Concert-1920x1080-01-1024x576.jpg


----------



## DnA2010

Ohhh replies = an update coming...


----------



## franandaj

So I've sort of fallen off the grid again slightly. I need to get moving on this TR so I can have it wrapped up in the next month and a half. However life has been crazy lately, yet again. One of our apartments went vacant at the beginning of July. It's on the market again, so hopefully it will rent soon. But a little over three weeks ago we realized that we weren't going to have enough liquid cash to make it through August, so we did what any good DINKs (Well we only technically have one income, so we're more like SINKs) with a free and clear building would do, we called our mortgage broker! He is a miracle worker. Not only are we getting enough money to pay of a loan on a different building, and our recently purchased car, but he's getting us a wad of cash for some Capital improvements on our buildings, another new car, and a buffer for some fun stuff! Plus he refinanced our house and for all this our monthly payments have been reduced by $500 per month! For anyone who has taken out a mortgage or refinanced, you know what a pain in the butt it can be, and our situation turns out to be even more complicated. So we have been running around crazy trying to get this completed. And to complicate matters even further, two days into the process my computer screen cracked. Hopefully the hard drive is OK, I bought the protection program, and the box to ship it back to them arrived today, but there was no way I could go this long without a computer, so we bought me a new one at Costco a couple weeks ago. This one is a really powerful one. The last time I did a Carbonite restore it took three weeks.  This only took three days, so I’ve been up and running, but playing catch up like crazy, just on everyday life, so DIS time has slipped.  Also, I still have to resolve my PhotoShop issue.  It seems in June they instituted new pricing and have moved to a subscription basis like Microsoft Office and the price is a little hard to swallow.  But since we can write it off as a business expense.  I suppose I will end up biting the bullet and just going with it.

Also we have had a few days out at Disney, with friends, with just ourselves and that takes recovery time as well!

Then there is that whole pesky vacant apartment thing again.  It never ends. We just put the sign up for the one that went vacant July 1st and we have two more coming up vacant at the end of this month. Thank goodness for the new mortgage!

Then we have another trip coming up in less than 2 months. FP have been made and DISmeets are in full planning mode, not to mention four DISmeets coming up locally throughout the rest of the year!  So I’ve been very busy in planning all over the spectrum.  But I need to have this TR completed before the next one starts.


So let's get this TR wrapping up!



Day 8


Today I woke up about 6:30 AM, caught up on my phone and played on my tablet for a bit before taking a tub. The rain was coming down fairly steadily, it wasn't too intense, but it was more than just a mist.

I had a lot to do today before we were to go to AK, we needed to start the process of packing up the Nautilus and other souvenirs and then figure out the logistics of shipping it. I got dressed and I put together the box we had bought at Home Depot. I told Fran I needed her help in filling it, but she was still asleep.

Today was my day to be a short order cook, so I made the rest of the bacon and prepped everything else. Once my parents were awake I convinced Fran to get up, and we had breakfast. 

Dad's




Fran's, you can tell by all the empty fake sugar packets in the background. She must have needed the extra oomph today since she was actually drinking coffee (with too much cream and fake sugar, as she puts it.)





Mine





Not sure what Mom had for breakfast, probably her usual oatmeal. 

I don't know what was wrong with me, but I could only eat half my breakfast. Fran happily took my bacon and English Muffin and made a bacon muffin sandwich.

Then we filled the HD box with the various mugs, T-shirts and other souvies we had collected. I forgot to plug in my scooter the night before, so the battery was still charging since I only plugged it in that morning. I took Fran’s scooter to the Convention Center on a reconnaissance mission.  I found the Business Center and got all the necessary information on how to streamline the shipping of our package which would be tomorrow. The rain had let up and at this point it was barely a mist.

When I got back to the room, everyone was still getting ready, so I put a few more things in the suitcases.

Soon we were off to AK. After going through security and the tapstiles, I let my Mom ride the scooter. We stopped inside the entrance and watched Devine for a bit.





We headed to our first FP, Flight of Passage. The rain had backed off for now and we didn’t need to protect the scooters with bags on our tillers.

We entered Pandora just as our FP opened.









We left my parents at the ride entrance and I parked the scooter at the end of the ride and covered the tiller with one trash bag. I covered part of the seat and the bag on back with another. The trash bag wasn't big enough to cover the whole seat, but I put my cushion vertical against the back of the seat to protect it, which was a good move. It came down pretty hard while we were on the ride and Fran had taken cover in the gift shop.

My parents and I went on the ride, Fran passed, and everyone liked it. My Dad actually made the comment, "Now that's a ride!"

While in the queue my parents had indicated that they were hungry so I started pulling up menus on my phone, they didn't like the choices at Sautuli Canteen. But were good with Harambe Market which was convenient since our next FP was the Safari. 

After the FoP, my Dad took over on the scooter and we took the trail from Pandora to Harambe. 













If I didn't say it earlier my parents are way into birding and all trip my mom was identifying birds and even reporting them to her birding website. They saw this Green Heron which they seemed to think was sorta special. 





While my parents were admiring all the birds, I was enjoying all the plant life and took some Macro shots along the trail. 













Soon we reached Harambe.






We found a table which my parent's guarded while Fran and I ordered the food.









At Harambe Market my Dad got the chicken bowl.





Mom got the Chicken Gyro.





Fran and I split the Beef and Lamb Gyro. It was pretty messy, but good and hit the spot. 





It was served with Cole Slaw and that was way too spicy for any of us to eat.





I'm going to wrap this up here while I sort out my Photoshop situation, since I was in the middle of editing my safari photos when the old computer died. Hope to be back soon! Only a day and half left to wrap up on this TR!


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> But then you're so secretive about things, I'll find out for myself before you tell us!





franandaj said:


> And then I get blurry shots. Can't win.


<sigh> there's that.


franandaj said:


> I think you're there around the same time as Liesa in September. I'm there the first weekend in October.


Yes. We're hoping to meet up, but haven't finalized when, yet.


franandaj said:


> It coordinates with this.
> 
> http://lgba2019.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/LGBA-Concert-1920x1080-01-1024x576.jpg


I can't see the photo, but get the gist. Are you guys playing? Or just watching/listening?


DnA2010 said:


> Ohhh replies = an update coming...


My thoughts, too.


----------



## franandaj

DnA2010 said:


> Ohhh replies = an update coming...







pkondz said:


> I can't see the photo, but get the gist. Are you guys playing? Or just watching/listening?



We dont spend $1500 in airfare, nearly $1K in hotel rooms just to _listen_ to a band concert! We always get a little extra sightseeing in wherever the conference takes place. It just happens that this conference takes place somewhere I travel a lot!


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> We dont spend $1500 in airfare, nearly $1K in hotel rooms just to _listen_ to a band concert! We always get a little extra sightseeing in wherever the conference takes place. It just happens that this conference takes place somewhere I travel a lot!


Niiiiiice.


----------



## jedijill

AK looked more damp than misty. 

Jill in CO


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Not only are we getting enough money to pay of a loan on a different building, and our recently purchased car, but he's getting us a wad of cash for some Capital improvements on our buildings, another new car, and a buffer for some fun stuff! Plus he refinanced our house and for all this our monthly payments have been reduced by $500 per month!


Whoa! How did she manage that???


franandaj said:


> two days into the process my computer screen cracked


Oh, no. 


franandaj said:


> The last time I did a Carbonite restore it took three weeks. This only took three days


Huh. That's a huge difference.


franandaj said:


> It seems in June they instituted new pricing and have moved to a subscription basis like Microsoft Office and the price is a little hard to swallow.


Sent you a PM.


franandaj said:


> Today I woke up about 6:30 AM


That's almost sleeping in, for you. 


franandaj said:


> I put together the box we had bought at Home Depot.


They sell boxes at Home Depot???
(On second thought... maybe that's only in the US. I'll have to look.)


franandaj said:


> She must have needed the extra oomph today since she was actually drinking coffee


I'd need _lots_ of extra oomph to drink coffee.


franandaj said:


> I don't know what was wrong with me, but I could only eat half my breakfast. Fran happily took my bacon



Someone tries to take my bacon, they're gonna be drawing back a hand with a fork stuck in it.


franandaj said:


> We stopped inside the entrance and watched Devine for a bit.


Lucky! I haven't seen her in several years.


franandaj said:


> We left my parents at the ride entrance and I parked the scooter at the end of the ride and covered the tiller with one trash bag. I covered part of the seat and the bag on back with another.


Smart. Do you always bring bags, just in case it rains?


franandaj said:


> My parents and I went on the ride, Fran passed, and everyone liked it. My Dad actually made the comment, "Now that's a ride!"


Glad everyone liked it! No one felt queasy afterwards?


franandaj said:


> If I didn't say it earlier my parents are way into birding and all trip my mom was identifying birds and even reporting them to her birding website. They saw this Green Heron which they seemed to think was sorta special.


Cool!


franandaj said:


> At Harambe Market my Dad got the chicken bowl.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Mom got the Chicken Gyro.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Fran and I split the Beef and Lamb Gyro. It was pretty messy, but good and hit the spot.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It was served with Cole Slaw and that was way too spicy for any of us to eat.


I'm so glad they changed the menu there. It was _horrid_ before.


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> So I've sort of fallen off the grid again slightly.


It happens.  Looks like you've had a lot going on!  I'm glad you managed to work out the money aspect favorably and I wish you luck in getting your vacancy filled! 


franandaj said:


> She must have needed the extra oomph today since she was actually drinking coffee (with too much cream and fake sugar, as she puts it.)


Whatever it takes to choke the coffee down, I guess?  


franandaj said:


> My parents and I went on the ride, Fran passed, and everyone liked it. My Dad actually made the comment, "Now that's a ride!"


Well, I'm glad they enjoyed it!  Seems like that must be a pretty strong endorsement from your dad! 


franandaj said:


> If I didn't say it earlier my parents are way into birding and all trip my mom was identifying birds and even reporting them to her birding website. They saw this Green Heron which they seemed to think was sorta special.


I don't know how special it is, but she clearly must know!  I'm glad she got to enjoy it!


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


> So I've sort of fallen off the grid again slightly.


No worries, you've been busy..we are always around for when you get on here for updates 


franandaj said:


> Then there is that whole pesky vacant apartment thing again. It never ends. We just put the sign up for the one that went vacant July 1st and we have two more coming up vacant at the end of this month. Thank goodness for the new mortgage!


Glad everything is sorted, fingers crossed the apartments rent quick!


franandaj said:


> Then we have another trip coming up in less than 2 months. FP have been made and DISmeets are in full planning mode, not to mention four DISmeets coming up locally throughout the rest of the year!



Lots of Disney planned- always a good thing   


franandaj said:


>



Glad she's still around



franandaj said:


> They saw this Green Heron which they seemed to think was sorta special.


I always thought of Herons as errr big birds- shows how much I know


franandaj said:


> Mom got the Chicken Gyro.





franandaj said:


> Fran and I split the Beef and Lamb Gyro. It was pretty messy, but good and hit the spot.



Yum those look good!

Looking forward to the next update, fingers crossed for your computer issues


----------



## Lesley Wake

franandaj said:


> Fran's, you can tell by all the empty fake sugar packets in the background. She must have needed the extra oomph today since she was actually drinking coffee (with too much cream and fake sugar, as she puts it.)


Sounds like me when I drink tea! My mom says its just flavored sugar water!


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> Then we have another trip coming up in less than 2 months. FP have been made and DISmeets are in full planning mode, not to mention four DISmeets coming up locally throughout the rest of the year! So I’ve been very busy in planning all over the spectrum. But I need to have this TR completed before the next one starts.



Yes, Let's!! Coming up soon! 

As is our visit! 


franandaj said:


>



WHOA! 


franandaj said:


>



Nice shot! And, I like this area. One of the few remaining areas  in the parks that actually have nice places to sit anymore. 



franandaj said:


>



Sigh.... I never tire of that view!



franandaj said:


> They saw this Green Heron which they seemed to think was sorta special.



It is. Much less common than the Blue.



franandaj said:


> While my parents were admiring all the birds, I was enjoying all the plant life and took some Macro shots along the trail.



And they are all lovely too!! Nicely done!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> Plus he refinanced our house and for all this our monthly payments have been reduced by $500 per month!



Wow!  That's a lot of cash back in your pockets.  Nice work.



franandaj said:


> Then there is that whole pesky vacant apartment thing again. It never ends. We just put the sign up for the one that went vacant July 1st and we have two more coming up vacant at the end of this month. Thank goodness for the new mortgage!



You sound incredibly busy!  Hope you get it all sorted out.



franandaj said:


> I covered part of the seat and the bag on back with another. The trash bag wasn't big enough to cover the whole seat, but I put my cushion vertical against the back of the seat to protect it, which was a good move. It came down pretty hard while we were on the ride and Fran had taken cover in the gift shop.



I had that same issue numerous times with our stroller.  It's funny how fast you become an expert at protecting it!



franandaj said:


> My parents and I went on the ride, Fran passed, and everyone liked it. My Dad actually made the comment, "Now that's a ride!"



  Glad they liked it so much.



franandaj said:


> Only a day and half left to wrap up on this TR!


----------



## franandaj

jedijill said:


> AK looked more damp than misty.
> 
> Jill in CO



  You're catching on to misty!



pkondz said:


> Whoa! How did she manage that???



This guy is a financial wizard.  He has been "getting us money" out of our properties for 10 years now. When her parents died we owned all our buildings "free & clear", but think about it, we have no human children and no one in our family that we wish to leave anything to, so what benefit do we have by being mortgage free?  Besides with interest on our rental properties, that is tax deductible.

Part of it was he was able to get the interest rates reduced from 5.something % to somewhere in the 3.something range.  We paid off one mortgage on a building (that I never liked this particular loan), and moved it to another building. He paid off our new car, so that payment disappeared, and then the other two properties that we had financed (our house, and the duplex), he reduced the payments by several hundred dollars each, I guess mostly from lowering the interest rates and putting us back on a 30 fixed loan. We may be dead by the time they are set to be paid off, but it will be our executor's job to deal with that. In the meantime our total payments for car and mortgage have actually gone down by about a thousand dollars now as he keeps locking in lower rates.  Like I said, this guy is a genius!



pkondz said:


> Huh. That's a huge difference.



This computer is much faster than that previous one.



pkondz said:


> Sent you a PM.



Thanks! As you know everything is all worked out now!   



pkondz said:


> That's almost sleeping in, for you.



Funny, because at home, that's a time of day that I only see for potty breaks and then it's back to sleep!



pkondz said:


> They sell boxes at Home Depot???
> (On second thought... maybe that's only in the US. I'll have to look.)



So did you figure it out? Our Home Depots have full on moving sections with boxes for pictures/mirrors, bubble wrap, shrink wrap, packing peanuts.  Anything you need.



pkondz said:


> I'd need _lots_ of extra oomph to drink coffee.







pkondz said:


> Someone tries to take my bacon, they're gonna be drawing back a hand with a fork stuck in it.



Well, I love her, a lot.



pkondz said:


> Lucky! I haven't seen her in several years.



It had been a while for me too.



pkondz said:


> Smart. Do you always bring bags, just in case it rains?



Yes, we have a box of trash sacks in our owner's locker, and if rain is forecast (which it usually is), we bring them along.



pkondz said:


> Glad everyone liked it! No one felt queasy afterwards?



I don't think so.  At least not this time.



pkondz said:


> I'm so glad they changed the menu there. It was _horrid_ before.



I liked the Chicken Tikka Masala, but that sausage corn dog thing was kinda icky.



afwdwfan said:


> It happens. Looks like you've had a lot going on! I'm glad you managed to work out the money aspect favorably and I wish you luck in getting your vacancy filled!



Still no luck on the vacancy. We may need to cut the price.  But I feel a lot better now with money in my bank account!



afwdwfan said:


> Whatever it takes to choke the coffee down, I guess?



For me it's just a little milk, but she needs more than that.



afwdwfan said:


> Well, I'm glad they enjoyed it! Seems like that must be a pretty strong endorsement from your dad!



Yeah, evidently he wasn't very thrilled with most of the other rides.



afwdwfan said:


> I don't know how special it is, but she clearly must know! I'm glad she got to enjoy it!



Well Liesa said it was less common than a Blue Heron, so whatever that's worth!


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> This guy is a financial wizard. He has been "getting us money" out of our properties for 10 years now. When her parents died we owned all our buildings "free & clear", but think about it, we have no human children and no one in our family that we wish to leave anything to, so what benefit do we have by being mortgage free? Besides with interest on our rental properties, that is tax deductible.
> 
> Part of it was he was able to get the interest rates reduced from 5.something % to somewhere in the 3.something range. We paid off one mortgage on a building (that I never liked this particular loan), and moved it to another building. He paid off our new car, so that payment disappeared, and then the other two properties that we had financed (our house, and the duplex), he reduced the payments by several hundred dollars each, I guess mostly from lowering the interest rates and putting us back on a 30 fixed loan. We may be dead by the time they are set to be paid off, but it will be our executor's job to deal with that. In the meantime our total payments for car and mortgage have actually gone down by about a thousand dollars now as he keeps locking in lower rates. Like I said, this guy is a genius!


Impressive. I wouldn't have thought of that, probably.
Except... now I'm thinking... If you _really _don't like someone, you could put them in your will. 


franandaj said:


> Thanks! As you know everything is all worked out now!





franandaj said:


> So did you figure it out? Our Home Depots have full on moving sections with boxes for pictures/mirrors, bubble wrap, shrink wrap, packing peanuts. Anything you need.


This is funny. I was in Home Depot _yesterday_, getting some light bulbs. I walked by stacks of boxes (flat) on sale. I thought "Oh! There's the boxes Alison was talking about."
Odd how I never noticed them before. 


franandaj said:


> Well, I love her, a lot.


Love conquers all... even... maybe... bacon?


franandaj said:


> Yes, we have a box of trash sacks in our owner's locker, and if rain is forecast (which it usually is), we bring them along.


Like I said. Smart.


franandaj said:


> that sausage corn dog thing was kinda icky.


Not "kinda" icky. Just... icky.


----------



## franandaj

DnA2010 said:


> No worries, you've been busy..we are always around for when you get on here for updates



Things are seeming to slow down a little bit, at least I got caught up on everyone else's TRs.



DnA2010 said:


> Glad everything is sorted, fingers crossed the apartments rent quick!



Still waiting. 



DnA2010 said:


> Lots of Disney planned- always a good thing



It makes the time go by!



DnA2010 said:


> Glad she's still around



It's been a while since I've seen her.



DnA2010 said:


> I always thought of Herons as errr big birds- shows how much I know



I had no idea what they looked like.



DnA2010 said:


> Yum those look good!
> 
> Looking forward to the next update, fingers crossed for your computer issues



Lunch was good!

I got all my computer stuff figured out, update coming soon!



Lesley Wake said:


> Sounds like me when I drink tea! My mom says its just flavored sugar water!



My mom used to tell me that I drank warm coffee ice cream,  but since then I've dropped the sugar.



Steppesister said:


> Yes, Let's!! Coming up soon!
> 
> As is our visit!



  



Steppesister said:


> Nice shot! And, I like this area. One of the few remaining areas in the parks that actually have nice places to sit anymore.



I know a few left in DL....



Steppesister said:


> Sigh.... I never tire of that view!



It is quite a view! They nailed that one.



Steppesister said:


> It is. Much less common than the Blue.



Really? I did not know that!



Steppesister said:


> And they are all lovely too!! Nicely done!



Thanks!


----------



## franandaj

Captain_Oblivious said:


> Wow! That's a lot of cash back in your pockets. Nice work.



Now I just have to keep Fran from spending all of it! 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> You sound incredibly busy! Hope you get it all sorted out.



Eventually it sorts itself all out, but in the meantime my sanity takes a beating! 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I had that same issue numerous times with our stroller. It's funny how fast you become an expert at protecting it!



Yeah, especially since I come from a place where rain is rarely something we ever worry about.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Glad they liked it so much.



Well, I'm not so sure as if they liked it so much more that they thought it was the most impressive ride they had been on so far.



pkondz said:


> Impressive. I wouldn't have thought of that, probably.
> Except... now I'm thinking... If you _really _don't like someone, you could put them in your will.



Well not really.  Lets say each of our buildings is worth $100 (give or take $10) and we own four buildings. The total amount of loan debt that we have is about the same as one building, maybe plus $10.  So you sell one building, pay off the loan debt and you still have the $300 (or so) left from the other buildings.  Now that's highly simplified and condensed because our buildings may just be about 100, or 1000 or maybe even 10,000 times, or even more valuable than the scenario I just painted.  So by potentially putting someone I don't like in the will, I could make an enemy a millionaire!  



pkondz said:


> This is funny. I was in Home Depot _yesterday_, getting some light bulbs. I walked by stacks of boxes (flat) on sale. I thought "Oh! There's the boxes Alison was talking about."
> Odd how I never noticed them before.



Well of course they're flat! If they sold them already assembled they would miss out on selling you the tape! 



pkondz said:


> Love conquers all... even... maybe... bacon







pkondz said:


> Like I said. Smart.



Just experienced. 



pkondz said:


> Not "kinda" icky. Just... icky.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Well not really. Lets say each of our buildings is worth $100 (give or take $10) and we own four buildings. The total amount of loan debt that we have is about the same as one building, maybe plus $10. So you sell one building, pay off the loan debt and you still have the $300 (or so) left from the other buildings. Now that's highly simplified and condensed because our buildings may just be about 100, or 1000 or maybe even 10,000 times, or even more valuable than the scenario I just painted. So by potentially putting someone I don't like in the will, I could make an enemy a millionaire!


Okay, no enemies in the will then. Darn! Thought I had your life (or _after_life) all figured out for you. 


franandaj said:


> Well of course they're flat! If they sold them already assembled they would miss out on selling you the tape!



Maybe that's the _only_ reason they have boxes!
"Boss. The tape isn't really moving. Any ideas?"


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


> update coming soon!




☺☺


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> Okay, no enemies in the will then. Darn! Thought I had your life (or _after_life) all figured out for you.



It's just not that simple!  



pkondz said:


> Maybe that's the _only_ reason they have boxes!
> "Boss. The tape isn't really moving. Any ideas?"



You could be onto something there!



DnA2010 said:


> ☺☺



I thought I was going to be able to post it from my phone this morning, but there were some errors in my Google doc that could mostly only be fixed from the computer.  I just finished so finally here it goes.


----------



## franandaj

IRL Update: No new news to report on the rental front, other than one of the tenants who gave notice rescinded that notice, so one less unit to rent next month. The tenant who vacated left the place so clean that there is really nothing I need to do except maybe touch up a couple spots with paint. And when I say a couple, I mean a couple.

I’m in full swing of planning the next few So Cal DISmeets, and I’ve even scheduled the carpet cleaning prior to the visit of @Steppesister and @Malia78, we’re in single digits until their visit so I’m trying to make my home as clean and inviting as possible!  I’ve also got a trip in less than 45 days and need to nail down the final details like grocery order, what to pack, and all that sort of stuff.  

Now that our loan has funded, we have all sorts of things to fix, our jacuzzi has a big leak, the refrigerator isn’t quite cooling to 40 degrees, my bathroom tub had a leak, and while they are not charging us to fix it, they can’t come out for another two weeks. 

Then there is property related issues, one tenant needs a new oven and they don’t make them in the size of her old one, so there is most likely cabinet rebuilding involved. Then we have to rebuild a Pergola on the building that was tented for termites. We tore it down to save $1000 of covering space that would be destroyed anyways, since it was termite infested. Right now the contractor is rebuilding the deck of one of the vacant apartments because it was built improperly and was leaking into the garages below. Plus we need to start getting estimates on all the roofs of the rental properties since it’s been nearly 25 years since they were resurfaced.  It never ends!

If you remember, we had taken a ride on FoP and made a very slow trip from Pandora to Harambe before stopping for lunch.

By now, our Safari FPs were looming and we got on 40 minutes into the time frame. I rode the scooter through the queue to the special loading area, and we boarded our bus. 

Fran and I sat in a row in front of my parents as we are all too big to fit comfortably in one row. They supplemented the ride vehicle with people from the regular queue and at the last minute two young girls got in the row next to my dad. I turned around a couple times during the ride to take pictures of animals we had passed and I noted them both glued to their phones, and this was at a point where there were giraffes, ankole cattle and all sorts of other animals!
Later I asked my Dad about them and he said they never stopped throughout the entire ride. Why bother? The wait was 75 minutes or they wasted a FP.  But anyways, let's take a look at a few of the animals that I saw.

But first a look back at the next safari vehicle to depart from the special boarding area.




























































Even the Animatronic lion was in his element.













We saw a pretty good amount of animals, evidently the rain suited some of them. After the safari, my mom rode my scooter and we got Fran a couple cinnamon rolls to take home, although we did cut off some ears so me, mom and Dad could try it. She ate the rest that night when we got home.












Then it was time for EE. Me and my Dad rode while mom and Fran rested. As we pulled into the station I asked my Dad if he wanted to take Mom and Fran's bands and go again, and he gave me a firm “No”. Later he called it a one and done.





I wanted an animal selfie, so Fran found a place to sit and let my parents ride the scooters while we did the Maharajah trail. On the way we stopped at the restroom and I realized there was a problem with my mom. She was barely able to walk to the bathroom and was holding on to everything from trees to walls or doors, to stand up. I gave her my arm and guided her in. Evidently her knee had locked up and she was having a hard time bending her legs. So we let her have the scooter for the rest of the day. Some animals along the way.









The Kommodo Dragons were not out because it was too cold. The bats were being retrained to learn to fly and respond to commands, So the first thing we actually saw was a tiger, and he was pretty hidden. 





At the next stop there were some water buffalo and then there were the birds. I had wanted to get a Tiger selfie to send home to a friend that I was texting with, but they weren't cooperating.  So I had to settle for a couple bird selfies, none of which came out good so here’s a bird picture for you.





We met up with Fran and she decided that she was in better shape than my Mom or Dad and she decided to walk. She was slower than my Dad so it took some time to get to the store at the front of the park. My mom didn’t want to drive through the store so I ended up riding my scooter, but then she wanted my Dad to take her elbow so he wanted to leave the scooter. We were heading towards the exit of the park and planned on just driving through the store. My legs were killing me at this point so I didn't want to have to leave mine at the other side of the store come back for this scooter. Luckily my Dad was able to hand it off to Fran and he walked my Mom through the store. She didn't find anything she wanted and left the store pretty quickly. Fran wanted to check out the store across the way. I offered my mom the scooter but she wanted to walk small laps in front of the store to see if she could work out the stiffness in her knee. Fran needed my help getting shirts off the top racks so I went over to help her and in the process I found a nice shirt to wear to dinner the following night. I hadn't realized when I made reservations for Todd English's Bluezoo that it was a Signature. I only brought one signature worthy outfit and I didn’t want to wear that outfit to our after dinner activities, so this shirt was a nice find.

*[Continued in Next Post]*


----------



## franandaj

*[Continued from Previous Post]*

On the way out of the park, my Mom drove the scooter again. We were headed to Disney Springs, this time for dinner at the Boathouse. By the time we were getting in line for the bus it was 6PM and our reservation was for 7PM so we weren't really going to have time to do anything besides get off the bus and head to dinner. I had hoped we might browse some stores or visit the Coke place, I'm not even sure what that is all about. 

Once we arrived, my mom rode the scooter again, and then I parked it for her. It was partially under an overhang, but the tiller was exposed, so I covered that with a trash bag, good thing cause it had rained again when we came out of the restaurant. 

While we waited to be seated, I looked at the oysters in their case and picked out which ones I would be having as my appetizer. But I get ahead of myself. First the menu.

























First off the rolls that are addictive like crack.





We got this bottle of Sancerre for the table, aka Sauvignon/Chenin Blanc.





Here are my oysters, two Saint Simeon, and two Purple Mountain.





Fran and my Mom each had a cup of Lobster Bisque.





My Mom had the Crab cake appetizer as her entree. 





My dad had the fish tacos. 





Fran and I split the Crab Stuffed Lobster, it was very good! 





We also got a side of Mac n Cheese.





We ate almost all the lobster and took home a little more than half the mac n cheese.
I ordered a chocolate martini with my dessert.





Then Fran and I split a Double Chocolate Bundt Cake with Raspberry Coulis. This was really good but super rich. I let Fran finish it. My Dad got the same thing and polished it off.





Fran wanted to go to WoD, but when we asked my Mom she gave an adamant “No.” so instead the three of us went back to the room. I'm not exactly sure what Fran did, but I plugged in the scooters and went to bed. I was pooped from all that walking!


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> one of the tenants who gave notice rescinded that notice, so one less unit to rent next month.


That's good!


franandaj said:


> The tenant who vacated left the place so clean that there is really nothing I need to do except maybe touch up a couple spots with paint. And when I say a couple, I mean a couple.


That's good too. If I hadn't read the rest of this post, I'd have said you were having very good luck with the rentals...


franandaj said:


> I’ve even scheduled the carpet cleaning prior to the visit of @Steppesister and @Malia78,


This will be expected from now on for every visit.
We'll stick our noses up and say "What? No steam cleaned carpet? This simply won't do!" 


franandaj said:


> my bathroom tub had a leak


I didn't think that could happen. Unless you mean it's leaking from the drain or overflow?


franandaj said:


> Then there is property related issues, one tenant needs a new oven and they don’t make them in the size of her old one, so there is most likely cabinet rebuilding involved. Then we have to rebuild a Pergola on the building that was tented for termites. We tore it down to save $1000 of covering space that would be destroyed anyways, since it was termite infested. Right now the contractor is rebuilding the deck of one of the vacant apartments because it was built improperly and was leaking into the garages below. Plus we need to start getting estimates on all the roofs of the rental properties since it’s been nearly 25 years since they were resurfaced. It never ends!



Holy crap!


franandaj said:


> By now, our Safari FPs were looming


Watch out!!!!


franandaj said:


> at the last minute two young girls got in the row next to my dad. I turned around a couple times during the ride to take pictures of animals we had passed and I noted them both glued to their phones, and this was at a point where there were giraffes, ankole cattle and all sorts of other animals!



Maybe... stay home?


franandaj said:


>


Niiiice shot!


franandaj said:


> Even the Animatronic lion was in his element.


 


franandaj said:


>


Smart of Disney to just build the front half of this animatronic.


franandaj said:


> After the safari, my mom rode my scooter and we got Fran a couple cinnamon rolls to take home, although we did cut off some ears so me, mom and Dad could try it.


So what did you think of it?


franandaj said:


> Then it was time for EE. Me and my Dad rode while mom and Fran rested. As we pulled into the station I asked my Dad if he wanted to take Mom and Fran's bands and go again, and he gave me a firm “No”. Later he called it a one and done.


Too rough? Not rough enough? Did he say why?


franandaj said:


> I realized there was a problem with my mom. She was barely able to walk to the bathroom and was holding on to everything from trees to walls or doors, to stand up. I gave her my arm and guided her in. Evidently her knee had locked up and she was having a hard time bending her legs.


Oh, no. Your poor mom. 


franandaj said:


> So we let her have the scooter for the rest of the day.


I've already read ahead, but I was already going to say "Your legs must've been killing you, after."


franandaj said:


> The bats were being retrained to learn to fly and respond to commands,


I had no idea you could do that!!


franandaj said:


> My legs were killing me at this point


Yeah... I thought so. 


franandaj said:


> Todd English's Bluezoo


What is this? Never heard of it!


franandaj said:


> I looked at the oysters in their case and picked out which ones I would be having as my appetizer.


What do you mean when you say that? Did you point to the exact ones you wanted (like picking a lobster from a tank) or just the _type_ you wanted.


franandaj said:


>


mmm Oysters Rockefeller... haven't had that in a long time.


franandaj said:


> First off the rolls that are addictive like crack.





franandaj said:


> Here are my oysters, two Saint Simeon, and two Purple Mountain.


Was the taste difference noticeable?


franandaj said:


> Fran and my Mom each had a cup of Lobster Bisque.


mmmm… want.


franandaj said:


> Fran and I split the Crab Stuffed Lobster, it was very good!


That sounds amazing!


franandaj said:


> I ordered a chocolate martini with my dessert.


Whoa! Decadent!


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> The tenant who vacated left the place so clean that there is really nothing I need to do except maybe touch up a couple spots with paint. And when I say a couple, I mean a couple.


Glad there wasn't much to do, but you hate to lose a tenant that takes such good care of the property.  


franandaj said:


> Why bother? The wait was 75 minutes or they wasted a FP. But anyways, let's take a look at a few of the animals that I saw.


I guess that's their problem...   


franandaj said:


> Even the Animatronic lion was in his element.


Awesome!  


franandaj said:


> As we pulled into the station I asked my Dad if he wanted to take Mom and Fran's bands and go again, and he gave me a firm “No”. Later he called it a one and done.


I love EE, but I can see that.  The backwards part just does some people in.  


franandaj said:


> First off the rolls that are addictive like crack.


I love me some good rolls and those look amazing!  


franandaj said:


> Fran wanted to go to WoD, but when we asked my Mom she gave an adamant “No.” so instead the three of us went back to the room. I'm not exactly sure what Fran did, but I plugged in the scooters and went to bed. I was pooped from all that walking!


I can see that.  AK is a lot of walking for anyone!


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


> one of the tenants who gave notice rescinded that notice, so one less unit to rent next month. The tenant who vacated left the place so clean that there is really nothing I need to do except maybe touch up a couple spots with paint. And when I say a couple, I mean a couple.


That's a bit of better luck 


franandaj said:


> full swing of planning the next few So Cal DISmeets,


Some day I'd love to swing a girls trip with you all ☺


franandaj said:


> I’ve also got a trip in less than 45 day


Coming quick!


franandaj said:


> It never ends!


I'm amazed at how much you keep track of and manage!



franandaj said:


> Later I asked my Dad about them and he said they never stopped throughout the entire ride. Why bother?


Mean parent here would have her teen's phone for the rest of the trip. Mine is good about staying off hers I must say tho. 


franandaj said:


> We saw a pretty good amount of animals, evidently the rain suited some of them


You saw a Lot of animals, great pics!



franandaj said:


>


Those look tasty, no raisins hiding in I hope?



franandaj said:


> he gave me a firm “No”. Later he called it a one and done.


Crazy talk. 


franandaj said:


> She was barely able to walk to the bathroom and was holding on to everything from trees to walls or doors, to stand up.


yikes your poor mom!



franandaj said:


>


Now that's a gorgeous bird!


franandaj said:


> First the menu.


Thanks for showing all the menus...I should have sent you pics of the oyster menu when we were in Vancouver the other week, you could have helped me pick!


franandaj said:


> the rolls that are addictive like crack.


I lurve butter rolls!


franandaj said:


>


Wait is that delicious cilantro on top? I'm a big fan of fish tacos



franandaj said:


> I ordered a chocolate martini with my dessert.


 Spot on


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> I know a few left in DL....



I seriously don't know how they expect people to take breaks. It's not like it's feasible to take a break in a restaurant every single time you need one, like they hope. 


franandaj said:


> I’m in full swing of planning the next few So Cal DISmeets, and I’ve even scheduled the carpet cleaning prior to the visit of @Steppesister and @Malia78, we’re in single digits until their visit so I’m trying to make my home as clean and inviting as possible!



I can't wait!!! We gonna have some loads of fun! 



franandaj said:


> It never ends!



Nope. Exactly why we got out of the rental business. 



franandaj said:


> I turned around a couple times during the ride to take pictures of animals we had passed and I noted them both glued to their phones, and this was at a point where there were giraffes, ankole cattle and all sorts of other animals!
> Later I asked my Dad about them and he said they never stopped throughout the entire ride. Why bother? The wait was 75 minutes or they wasted a FP. But anyways, let's take a look at a few of the animals that I saw.



  Ridiculous.


franandaj said:


> We saw a pretty good amount of animals, evidently the rain suited some of them. After the safari, my mom rode my scooter and we got Fran a couple cinnamon rolls to take home, although we did cut off some ears so me, mom and Dad could try it. She ate the rest that night when we got home.



They are irresistable!





franandaj said:


> Later he called it a one and done.



Well, shoot, it's such a great ride. But, we all have our limits. I'll ride SM with my kids, but only once. 



franandaj said:


> On the way we stopped at the restroom and I realized there was a problem with my mom. She was barely able to walk to the bathroom and was holding on to everything from trees to walls or doors, to stand up.



OH dear, that's NEVER a good sign!



franandaj said:


> The bats were being retrained to learn to fly and respond to commands,



I was sad too this trip when they weren't there. 



franandaj said:


> I hadn't realized when I made reservations for Todd English's Bluezoo that it was a Signature.



I didn't know that either! Never been, but it's always looked interesting. 



franandaj said:


>


There they are!! I couldn't find them on the menu when I did my review a couple weeks ago, and that's why. They are a special not on the reg. menu.


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> That's good too. If I hadn't read the rest of this post, I'd have said you were having very good luck with the rentals...



Well we're down to one vacancy for now. But probably two soon.



pkondz said:


> This will be expected from now on for every visit.
> We'll stick our noses up and say "What? No steam cleaned carpet? This simply won't do!"



Well since we have so much stuff on the floors, they probably won't notice. 



pkondz said:


> I didn't think that could happen. Unless you mean it's leaking from the drain or overflow?



The cold water fixture is leaking. The cold is turned off at the shut off in the tub.



pkondz said:


> Holy crap!



What part of Holy Crap?



pkondz said:


> Maybe... stay home?







pkondz said:


> Smart of Disney to just build the front half of this animatronic.



 



pkondz said:


> So what did you think of it?



It wasn't my favorite type of cinnamon roll. The dough was more croissanty with a light a flaky sort of pastry. The kind I like are the rolls with sort of a thick, unxious, and dense pastry dough. Then I like a lot of icing as well. Thick, goopy icing. We have a bakery/cafe here in So Cal that makes them like that. They are comparable to Cinnabon, if you ve ever heard of or had those.



pkondz said:


> Too rough? Not rough enough? Did he say why?



He didnt say.



pkondz said:


> Oh, no. Your poor mom.



Yeah I was a little worried at that point.



pkondz said:


> I've already read ahead, but I was already going to say "Your legs must've been killing you, after."



Yup. I would have loved to have an actual jacuzzi tub at that point, and not just a soaker.



pkondz said:


> I had no idea you could do that!!



Evidently the guests were not content with watching the bats just hang from the trees and wanted to see them "perform" like in the bird show.



pkondz said:


> Yeah... I thought so.



Let's just say that I didnt gain any weight on this trip even though I ate like a pig!



pkondz said:


> What is this? Never heard of it!



It's a Signature restaurant inside the Dolphin. He is a celebrity chef who started with a show on PBS out of Boston. He's got restaurants around the world, on cruise ships, and high profile resorts. That update will be coming soon enough, but you'll need to google the menu cause my remaining updates may be a little sparse on pictures....



pkondz said:


> What do you mean when you say that? Did you point to the exact ones you wanted (like picking a lobster from a tank) or just the _type_ you wanted.



I wish I had a picture of the entry. Wait hold on a minute <consults the interwebs>





So you can see that the oysters are right there on display. The check-in podium is to the right of the oyster case, so we were waiting right in front of that case. 

Now believe it or not I'm picky about my oysters. When I tried them in New Orleans, I was actually grossed out. I like them small and briny, and the ones in NOLA were huge, like chew them for a whole long time before they make their way to your tummy, huge. I like the ones that take a few chews, and they're on their way to digestion-town.

So when I say that I "chose", I looked at the sizes of their shells in the case and noted the smallest ones. When I sat down, I didnt have to question the server on how large they were, or consult the google doc on my phone where I have a list of oysters I've tried and whether I like them or not. 

My favorites come from a Bay off PEI. Called Malpeque Bay, and coincidentally or not that's the name of the Oysters.



pkondz said:


> mmm Oysters Rockefeller... haven't had that in a long time.



I dont like them as much cooked as i do raw. They get a little tough.



pkondz said:


> Was the taste difference noticeable?



At this point I don't remember, but there are subtle differences in flavor. A lot depends on their "liquor", which is the name for the liquid found inside their shells when the oyster is shucked.



pkondz said:


> That sounds amazing!



It was! One of the reasons we didn't make much of a dent on the mac n cheese we ordered.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Well we're down to one vacancy for now. But probably two soon.


Uh oh!


franandaj said:


> Well since we have so much stuff on the floors, they probably won't notice.


Carpet overtop of the carpet?




franandaj said:


> The cold water fixture is leaking. The cold is turned off at the shut off in the tub.


Oh! So it's not the _tub_ per se that's leaking.


franandaj said:


> What part of Holy Crap?


The sum of all of it. Just a lot.


franandaj said:


> It wasn't my favorite type of cinnamon roll. The dough was more croissanty with a light a flaky sort of pastry. The kind I like are the rolls with sort of a thick, unxious, and dense pastry dough. Then I like a lot of icing as well. Thick, goopy icing. We have a bakery/cafe here in So Cal that makes them like that. They are comparable to Cinnabon, if you ve ever heard of or had those.


That was from Kusafiri? Or...

And... I'm not sure if I've had Cinnabon. It only slightly appeals to me. I actually like my cinnamon buns/rolls with no icing. (but I do put butter on it so I can harden up those arteries really good.)


franandaj said:


> Yup. I would have loved to have an actual jacuzzi tub at that point, and not just a soaker.


Or... an extra scooter.


franandaj said:


> Evidently the guests were not content with watching the bats just hang from the trees and wanted to see them "perform" like in the bird show.



That bothers me a bit. Why can't you just look at the animal and appreciate it for what it is?
Do I enjoy the bird shows? Sure. but... Bats? I dunno. Maybe?


franandaj said:


> Let's just say that I didnt gain any weight on this trip even though I ate like a pig!


win win?


franandaj said:


> It's a Signature restaurant inside the Dolphin.


Ah!


franandaj said:


> He is a celebrity chef who started with a show on PBS out of Boston. He's got restaurants around the world, on cruise ships, and high profile resorts. That update will be coming soon enough, but you'll need to google the menu cause my remaining updates may be a little sparse on pictures....


Oh! Okay, thanks for that. 


franandaj said:


> Now believe it or not I'm picky about my oysters. When I tried them in New Orleans, I was actually grossed out. I like them small and briny, and the ones in NOLA were huge, like chew them for a whole long time before they make their way to your tummy, huge. I like the ones that take a few chews, and they're on their way to digestion-town.
> 
> So when I say that I "chose", I looked at the sizes of their shells in the case and noted the smallest ones. When I sat down, I didnt have to question the server on how large they were, or consult the google doc on my phone where I have a list of oysters I've tried and whether I like them or not.


I do remember the NOLA incident. And see what you mean about picking them now too. 


franandaj said:


> My favorites come from a Bay off PEI. Called Malpeque Bay, and coincidentally or not that's the name of the Oysters.


You're welcome. 
Good chocolate, maple syrup and oysters. That's us.


franandaj said:


> I dont like them as much cooked as i do raw. They get a little tough.


Interesting. I _much_ preferred them cooked.


----------



## franandaj

afwdwfan said:


> Glad there wasn't much to do, but you hate to lose a tenant that takes such good care of the property.



And her rent checks came via mail, two days before the first. It was nice having such a good tenant.



afwdwfan said:


> I guess that's their problem...



Just makes you think, why???



afwdwfan said:


> I love EE, but I can see that. The backwards part just does some people in.



I'll have to ask what part of the ride made it a one and done.



afwdwfan said:


> I love me some good rolls and those look amazing!



They really are. I wish we had a Boathouse at Downtown Disney.



afwdwfan said:


> I can see that. AK is a lot of walking for anyone!



And this trip made me realize how fragile my parents are getting.



DnA2010 said:


> That's a bit of better luck



Now if we could just rent that front unit, I would be happy.



DnA2010 said:


> Some day I'd love to swing a girls trip with you all ☺



Well at least you get to do a trip later this year!



DnA2010 said:


> Coming quick



Now we're less than 25 days! 



DnA2010 said:


> I'm amazed at how much you keep track of and manage!



Someone's got to do it!



DnA2010 said:


> Mean parent here would have her teen's phone for the rest of the trip. Mine is good about staying off hers I must say tho.



Actually you're a good parent for doing that. They need to live in the moment!



DnA2010 said:


> You saw a Lot of animals, great pics!



Thanks!



DnA2010 said:


> Those look tasty, no raisins hiding in I hope?



Nope, no dead grapes in there!



DnA2010 said:


> yikes your poor mom!



I know, she's a lot more fragile than I knew.



DnA2010 said:


> Now that's a gorgeous bird!



I got lucky on that shot.



DnA2010 said:


> Thanks for showing all the menus...I should have sent you pics of the oyster menu when we were in Vancouver the other week, you could have helped me pick!



Oooh! Where did you go? There are some great restaurants in Vancouver!



DnA2010 said:


> Wait is that delicious cilantro on top? I'm a big fan of fish tacos



I'm not sure, but I order mine without cilantro.  



DnA2010 said:


> Spot on


----------



## franandaj

Steppesister said:


> I seriously don't know how they expect people to take breaks. It's not like it's feasible to take a break in a restaurant every single time you need one, like they hope.



Well at least in Disneyland there are plenty of benches all over the parks. When at WDW I usually have my scooter so I dont need to look for benches.



Steppesister said:


> I can't wait!!! We gonna have some loads of fun!



And we did!  



Steppesister said:


> Nope. Exactly why we got out of the rental business.



Then we wouldn't have any income!



Steppesister said:


> They are irresistable!



Well, sort of. I'm a little more partial to what's below.



Steppesister said:


> Well, shoot, it's such a great ride. But, we all have our limits. I'll ride SM with my kids, but only once.



I actually dont ride Space in MK anymore. DL's version is just so much more superior. 



Steppesister said:


> OH dear, that's NEVER a good sign!



No. Its not.



Steppesister said:


> I was sad too this trip when they weren't there.



I wonder if they'll be back soon. I'm probably not going to make it to AK this trip.



Steppesister said:


> I didn't know that either! Never been, but it's always looked interesting.



Well you will find out shortly how it was, sort of. Then again, you will probably not read it until you get back!



Steppesister said:


> There they are!! I couldn't find them on the menu when I did my review a couple weeks ago, and that's why. They are a special not on the reg. menu.



I was wondering why you said you couldn't find it, then again maybe specials aren't listed online.



pkondz said:


> Carpet overtop of the carpet?



Carpet over the boxes on the carpet.



pkondz said:


> Oh! So it's not the _tub_ per se that's leaking.



No but the leak keeps me from _using_ the tub.



pkondz said:


> That was from Kusafiri? Or...
> 
> And... I'm not sure if I've had Cinnabon. It only slightly appeals to me. I actually like my cinnamon buns/rolls with no icing. (but I do put butter on it so I can harden up those arteries really good.)



Yes, Kusafari. And as it turns out, we had breakfast this morning at the place with the yummy cinnamon rolls. Fran ordered Eggs Benedict (Hollandaise looked weird) but you get a bakery item with every order of eggs and such so she got a cinnamon roll to go for hers.





And while we're at it, we picked up a fresh peach pie to take home, but they have many other good options. The place is called Polly's Pies, you know.







pkondz said:


> That bothers me a bit. Why can't you just look at the animal and appreciate it for what it is?
> Do I enjoy the bird shows? Sure. but... Bats? I dunno. Maybe?



I know. I was fine with them just hanging there sleeping.



pkondz said:


> I do remember the NOLA incident. And see what you mean about picking them now too.







pkondz said:


> You're welcome.
> Good chocolate, maple syrup and oysters. That's us.



Chocolate? I know about the candy bars you give us, but I think of Belgium when I think of good chocolate.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Carpet over the boxes on the carpet.


Of course. The cats need boxes. 


franandaj said:


> No but the leak keeps me from _using_ the tub.


Understood.


franandaj said:


> Yes, Kusafari. And as it turns out, we had breakfast this morning at the place with the yummy cinnamon rolls. Fran ordered Eggs Benedict (Hollandaise looked weird) but you get a bakery item with every order of eggs and such so she got a cinnamon roll to go for hers.


Huh. I want Kusafari's…

I did _not_ have a good Beny experience recently.
DW, DD22 and I went for brunch at this new(ish) place. We'd been a couple times before. 
I ordered benies and when the waitress asked how I want my eggs... I was a bit surprised. I mean... who orders benies without soft poached eggs?
Anyways... We had taken separate cars because I had to leave from there to go to work.
I get my meal and... cut into the beny and... hard eggs. For me this _totally_ ruins it. I pushed my plate away and waited for the waitress to come back to ask how our meals were (like they _always_ do).
I waited... and waited... and waited... after about 20 minutes, the other two were finished eating and even if she'd shown up right then, I didn't 1. want to eat alone while the other two waited for me and 2. didn't have time to wait anymore anyway. 
I left for work. I got to eat a few hours later.
(the server apparently apologized. said she was training and got overwhelmed. obviously didn't charge for the meal. (but did charge for the rest.))


franandaj said:


> And while we're at it, we picked up a fresh peach pie to take home, but they have many other good options. The place is called Polly's Pies, you know.


I don't think I've ever had peach pie. Sounds good.
And any pie place is  in my book.
Maybe next time I'm down we can go.  


franandaj said:


> I know. I was fine with them just hanging there sleeping.





franandaj said:


> Chocolate? I know about the candy bars you give us, but I think of Belgium when I think of good chocolate.


Belgium chocolate > Canada chocolate > USA chocolate.


----------



## franandaj

Day 9

Woke up 6:30, worked on phone TR, did some online stuff, and then took my last tub. Another busy morning before hitting the parks, need to ship the package, and wrap up most of the packing, cause we had a busy night ahead!

Once I was dressed the first order of business was to get our package shipped. I put a few odds and ends into the suitcase, but for the most part I concentrated on taping up the package. I took it up to the airplane check in area so that they could weigh it for me. Then I made the label on my computer in the room and emailed it to the business center. I took the package over to the business center and they printed the label for me, put some Fragile stickers on it and had it on the way.





Then I went back to the room where my Dad had made coffee.  I had a cup, some V8, and some of the leftover mac n cheese. Fran ate her second cinnamon roll, V8 and also some mac n cheese. Sorry no pics, we were running a little late. I posted the final installment on my Fantasy Cruise TR and we were on our way to DHS.

On the way to the boat Fran realized that she had forgotten her phone so she went back to the room to get it and had to catch the next boat. As we approached the dock I noticed that the skyway had its gondola cars attached and still wrapped in plastic. I knew @********** was into the progress (he kept posting it in his TRs) so I sent him this pic.





Fran told me that she had made the next boat and I knew that with how slow my parents walked, she would have no trouble catching up to us. Once in the park, we made a stop for the potty ride and there she was able to catch up.
Mom and Fran were reluctant to ride SDD so I made them TSMM FPs while my Dad and I had the previous. It was a fun little ride, I just wish that the photos would have downloaded to my PP account. Thank goodness we had FP cause this was the standby wait.













Since no one really gave me any direction on the rest of the FP,  I made them for my favorite rides. ToT and RnRC. Nobody really had any desire to go on those rides, but everyone had a strong desire for lunch. Since DHS has the worst choice of QS restaurants of all the parks, I suggested that we take the boat to Epcot and have lunch there. We saw these folks in our way out of the park.







France has some good choices, and if not Morocco is pretty good as well. France was a winner and soon we were on our way. The boat could only take one scooter, so Fran opted to take the trail, and she beat us by a substantial amount, in fact she was already in the restaurant securing a table as we were unloading from the boat.

Dad and I went up to the counter, there was a good size line, but nothing unusual. As we were waiting, he asked, “Why am I just now, on the last day, finding out about this place?”









I dunno? You coulda done your own homework...but I just replied that with over 200 restaurants at WDW, I only concentrated on telling them about the ones we had to reserve months in advance. I didn't realize he had such an affinity for French street food. My mom said it was all the desserts!
Fran and I split a Croque Monsieur which was just perfect.  Mom got the Quiche Florentine in this picture, which she liked very much.





Dad got the Jambon Buerre which was a ham and cheese sandwich on a baguette with butter mustard. He also liked this very much.





For dessert he got a chocolate tart. It disappeared so he must have liked it too!





We also had a Macaron with Raspberries and Lime cream, this probably would have been enough, but I also went for a Creme Brulee and I think that ended up putting me over the top, but more on that later. 









I also got a chocolate croissant for Fran for breakfast.





This Bacon and cheese roll was for my breakfast. 





Fran wanted to do more shopping. I needed to finish packing so she took off and the rest of us went back to the room. While in the room, I got us fairly well packed. When you have to get dressed the next morning, there is only so much you can put away. I mean who wants to travel without applying their deodorant first. There are certainly some people, I have been seated in their general direction, but I'm not one of them!
Once we were as packed up as we were gonna be, we all dressed up for our last dinner of the trip. We were having dinner very early for us, 5PM, and I think that kinda started Fran's cranky phase. But we'll get to that in a moment.

We headed out to the boat once again and the captain could only take one scooter. Because of her shopping excursion and having taken the path from DHS to Epcot, her charge was already low, so instead of riding her scooter over to the Dolphin, we switched and she rode mine while I took hers on the boat.

I plugged her scooter in outside the restaurant and we were seated. I was not feeling so good. Remember? The Creme Brulee may not have been the best idea? I don't always handle dairy really well. Ice cream often makes me sluggish. Today I was feeling really bloated and like I wanted to burp or worse, so after we were seated, I excused myself to the restroom so as not to do anything embarrassing in a somewhat classy restaurant. Never mind the kids playing tag behind the pillar to our left.  

I wasn't feeling all that much better when I got back so I took a few of the indigestion pills that I keep in my “in-purse-pharmacy” and hoped that would help. What didn’t help is that as I was sitting down I see Fran covertly texting under the table. I got a message, “Who wanted to eat here?”
I sent back, “Dad”.

At some point before the bread arrived, she mouthed to me, “Can we have more than one opinion next time?” She had forgotten that we had looked over the menu and at that time, she had found things she could eat. But now she was unhappy. She didn’t say so, but those of you who've been married a long time know what I'm talking about when your spouse is peeved. Heck! If you know Fran you probably know what I'm talking about!

We placed our orders and they brought us the bread service. 





I picked up the big camera to take a picture and realized that the battery I had taken the care to charge fully that morning, was never replaced in the camera. While it wasn't a big deal at dinner, it was kinda crucial for our after dinner plans. At this point Fran offered to take my scooter to go back to the room to get the battery. I figured that was the best solution for her crankies and she did end up coming back in a much better mood.

They brought my parent's entree which they had split, it was a Hawaiian Sea Bass with a Miso Mero sauce and sounded really good, but it was so small a piece so I didn't dare ask for a bite.





I got the seared sea scallops which were served over a braised beef short rib. It sounded to me like a strange combination, but it was actually a fantastic version of surf and turf. And turned out to be just the right amount of food. Because I was feeling icky, I ate very slowly.





The waiter kept Fran's entree (which was the ribs appetizer) hot while she was on the way back. When I saw her enter the restaurant, I was going to flag him down, but he was already on top of it and had her entree ready for her as she sat down. He got a small additional tip for that. I say small additional tip because we were using the TIW card so he was guaranteed 18% as it was, so the additional tip probably put it a little over 20%.

I was still nibbling away at my food and forgot to take a picture of her ribs, but she liked them!
Because everyone ordered small dinners we all had room for dessert. 









Everyone ordered the Raspberry filled Beignet. This had to have been the strangest presentation of a dessert I have ever seen! We had to crack open the top (which was hardened sugar).





Inside was the beignet and there was raspberry sorbet and some other tasty little morsels inside. Everyone totally loved it!





Once the check was paid, we headed out to the bus stop. We had a heck of a time finding it and actually had to ask for directions twice, but eventually we got there and just as we did an Animal Kingdom bus pulled up!

*[Continued in Next Post]*


----------



## franandaj

*[Continued from Previous Post]*


If you read about our trip in October of 2017, it was our first time visiting Pandora. Also Rivers of Light had recently opened, and it was during the Food & Wine Festival. We were torn in so many directions that we didn't get to do everything. Let's face it, when do you get to do everything you want on a WDW trip? It's why we all keep coming back, right?

Anyways, I had not had the opportunity to see the after dark bioluminescence at Pandora, so we specifically planned the early dinner to get there after dark.





























It was cool, and I'm glad that I got to see it, but now I'm good.

Fran offered her scooter to my parents (they had already been switching off riding mine) and she walked out. I made her ride down the hill after we passed through Discovery Island, and when we stopped at the restroom at the bottom of the hill, she insisted on walking again while my parents rode to the spot at the busses where we parted company.

There was a DVC Moonlight Magic event going on at Hollywood Studios. I had registered us for it nearly as soon as it opened up (within 20 minutes).  While I registered for four guests, my parents had zero interest in attending. They are not folks who appreciate the value of “Free”. The words “If it's free, it's for me” have resonated throughout many a TR! I remember as a young adult when I would visit my parents (when home from college) there was a winery circuit within easy driving distance of their house.  On a given afternoon you could visit as many as five different wineries who may pour anywhere from four to eight tastes of various wines, all for free! I would try to explain this concept to my mom and she just never got on board.

Same with this Disney event. Free Mickey bars and all the rides you want just didn't entice my parents, they were more interested in this thing called sleep. 

So they went to the bus stop for the Y&B Club while we went to the bus for Hollywood studios. They had opened the new bus drop off area only days earlier and we got to try it out. Also the vehicles that were hanging from the skyway earlier that day were gone now. Interesting. 

We felt like we were swimming upstream as hoardes of crowds were streaming out of the studios as people without wristbands were turned away from various areas of the park and encouraged to leave. By the time we got there, security had been moved back to a single table about 10 ft in front of the tapstiles. At the bag check we realized that we still had my Dad's sweatshirt in Fran's backpack.

Soon we were inside the event and our first order of business was to get some Mickey bars. They were handing them out at various stations throughout the park. These were pretty darned popular, I mean literally CMs were holding boxes of Mickey bars and walking around the crowds who started trying to form a clump outside the booth and just passing them out like trading cards.

Mickey bars secured we headed to SDD, which must have been everyone else's game plan because it had a 40 minute wait, which never let up as long as we were there. I wasn't willing to wait that long, even if it was ½ to ⅓ the wait it was during the day. I had already been on it twice, and it’s not like we were never coming back. I checked the app and ToT and RnRC were only 10 minute waits.

Fran wanted to check out Star Wars Launch Bay. While the stuff was new, I wasn't really thrilled to be sitting there looking at stuff when I could be riding. We could have met Chewie, Darth Vader, Captain Phasma, BB8, and a couple other characters, but it was getting late and I could feel the bags under my eyes. I didn't want my picture taken and I didn't feel like engaging in witty banter with them. So we headed towards RnRC. We ran into Scott and Vinny outside the roller coaster and chatted for a while.

The ride experience was surreal, I walked completely through the queue, the preshow room door was open as was the door out to the immediate ride queue. The preshow was running, but there were only two people standing there watching. There was no line and I literally walked up to the front, there were a handful of people waiting for the front car and I decided that it wasn't worth it to me. I did decline the last car as my head just got too banged around when I rode that Saturday. In the end I got the second car.





It was a great ride, but the long day had taken a toll on me and I just couldn't do it again. I was tired and running out of oomph. I could have gone on ToT, but Fran didn’t want to go with me. She was feeling as weird and tired as me thought some food would help. We had meal vouchers for a QS meal and three of the places the vouchers were valid were just around the corner. In the end we chose Rosie's All American Diner for a cheeseburger and fries. 







Fran ate most of her burger and I ate about half of mine before we gave up. It was 11PM and we did have to get up early to finish packing and get our plane. We headed out of the park, but not before Fran got another Mickey bar.







She really did need more Ice Cream!


We headed to the Friendship boat, and the current boat already had two ECVs so we had to wait for the next one. We had a pretty full boat despite the fact that this was a limited event.

Back in the room, my Dad had also realized that we had his sweatshirt and he left this little “note” for us. My family is definitely odd.







We put some more things in the suitcase and I think it was about 2AM when my head finally hit the pillow.


Day 10


The alarm went off at 6AM, we had set three different alarms and then last one went off around 6:20. I almost dozed back off, but I caught myself and got up and dressed. The rest of the process was a blur, we got everything packed up, I drank some V8, ate the last piece of Babybel cheese, and Fran grabbed herself some food. We called Bell Services at about 8:10AM. 

I was really sad at the amount of food that we left in the fridge. My dad way over ordered on his berries and yogurt, and I overestimated on the V8. It's hard when you're guessing for other people. My mom suggested we put an unopened V8 in our owner's locker for our Fall trip, she clearly did not understand the degree of packing it takes to close said owner's locker.

Our bags were brought up to the airline check in area and once I flashed my ID, I went and got a cup of coffee in the Solarium around the corner. By the time I got back, my parents were also on their way to check their luggage, and ours was going on the carts. We said our goodbyes and Fran and I went to wait for the Magical Depress.  Actually I was ready to go home. Not that it wasn't fun, but I was feeling a lot like we were tour guides 24/7 and it was a little tiring. Plus I missed the kitties. I always do.

Once on the bus I mostly played my Mahjong game, but as we were leaving the Caribbean Beach resort I saw these gondola cars waiting to go into use. 







By the time we go back the Skyway will be yet another form of transport between some of the resorts and parks. At least I think so….

And then we were on the way to the airport.  We were well in advance of our flight and calmly went through security and waited at the gate for our flight. I ate about half of my bacon cheese roll, but it was just too much for me. It probably would have been better warmed as well.







The first flight wasn't full, and I tried to sleep but I don't think I ever completely drifted off.

There was no drama when changing flights either. We changed planes in Indianapolis and our gate where we got off the plane was right across from where we would be boarding. In fact it was a longer walk to the restroom than it was between gates. Back in the air I got out my computer and bought the WiFi since this flight was over 4 hours. We were served snacks and I think this made up my lunch ffor the day.  What a sorry last picture for my Trip Report!







We landed at about quarter to 5, but didnt end up getting home until almost three hours later.  Between restroom stops, LAX changing the location of the parking lot shuttles, traffic, and a stop at the grocery store, it seemed like forever before I was walking in the front door to greet all my kitties.

Another fun trip in the books!


And so to end this TR on a sad note, but cute pictures, one of "the white things" aka little old lady cats passed away over the weekend of the EPIC West coast mini meet. So here's a few pictures. She came to us as a little kitten and had a long and fulfilling life.


----------



## skier_pete

So sorry to hear about your kitty. We came back from out DLR/D23 trip to a dead pet bird, and even worse - our "pet sitter" had neglected to feed the pets a couple days - so she had starved to death. (The kitties were OK.) We found out about this on the trip...but is still a rough homecoming. (BTW - that pet sitter will not be sitting our pets no more.)

Thanks for sharing the skyliner picture - there's been a lot of conjecture over it, I'm so glad it's going on line soon. We are excited to ride it next month, and then likely we'll also use it in February as we have a dinner ADR at Topolino's @ Riviera. 

Seemed like you had a very busy last day! Three different parks and one of them twice!


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> and then took my last tub


This sounds chillingly final.

No. Wait.
It would be hot.
This sounds toasty warmly final.


franandaj said:


> Then I made the label on my computer in the room and emailed it to the business center.


Oh! I never would've thought of that.
(Files away for future reference.)


franandaj said:


> Fran told me that she had made the next boat and I knew that with how slow my parents walked, she would have no trouble catching up to us.


Because she drives that scooter like she's in the Indianapolis 500?


franandaj said:


> we made a stop for the potty ride





franandaj said:


> I just wish that the photos would have downloaded to my PP account.


Tons of people were having that problem with SDD. I wonder if they (Disney) finally got it resolved?


franandaj said:


> Thank goodness we had FP cause this was the standby wait.





franandaj said:


> Nobody really had any desire to go on those rides, but everyone had a strong desire for lunch.


 The spirit isn't really willing, 'cause the flesh is on the BBQ?


franandaj said:


> The boat could only take one scooter,


Really? I didn't know that. seems... inadequate.


franandaj said:


> so Fran opted to take the trail, and she beat us by a substantial amount, in fact she was already in the restaurant securing a table as we were unloading from the boat.


See???? Indy 500!


franandaj said:


> “Why am I just now, on the last day, finding out about this place?”
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I dunno? You coulda done your own homework...


 

Also the same type of person who says "Don't worry. We'll make a reservation when we get there."
(That's _my_ dad.)


franandaj said:


> Dad got the Jambon Buerre which was a ham and cheese sandwich on a baguette with butter mustard. He also liked this very much.


mmm... that sounds good.


franandaj said:


> For dessert he got a chocolate tart. It disappeared so he must have liked it too!


Or he dropped it on the floor and was too embarrassed to pick it up so just kicked it under the table.
You should ask him.


franandaj said:


> I mean who wants to travel without applying their deodorant first.


Ew...  


franandaj said:


> I was not feeling so good. Remember? The Creme Brulee may not have been the best idea?


Oh dear. Sorry about that.


franandaj said:


> What didn’t help is that as I was sitting down I see Fran covertly texting under the table. I got a message, “Who wanted to eat here?”
> I sent back, “Dad”.


Um... Someone is none too pleased with the dining arrangements!


franandaj said:


> She didn’t say so, but those of you who've been married a long time know what I'm talking about when your spouse is peeved.


 


franandaj said:


> Heck! If you know Fran you probably know what I'm talking about!



We love you Fran!


franandaj said:


> I picked up the big camera to take a picture and realized that the battery I had taken the care to charge fully that morning, was never replaced in the camera.


But the good news is that I bet it's fully charged by now!!


No? Not so good?


franandaj said:


> At this point Fran offered to take my scooter to go back to the room to get the battery. I figured that was the best solution for her crankies and she did end up coming back in a much better mood.


Sure! She got to zoom around Disney running over the unwary and un-swift.


franandaj said:


> I got the seared sea scallops which were served over a braised beef short rib. It sounded to me like a strange combination, but it was actually a fantastic version of surf and turf.


Huh! That does sound... a bit odd. But it worked out!


franandaj said:


> The waiter kept Fran's entree (which was the ribs appetizer) hot while she was on the way back. When I saw her enter the restaurant, I was going to flag him down, but he was already on top of it and had her entree ready for her as she sat down. He got a small additional tip for that.


That's good service. 
I would've tipped more too.


franandaj said:


> Everyone ordered the Raspberry filled Beignet. This had to have been the strangest presentation of a dessert I have ever seen! We had to crack open the top (which was hardened sugar).


That thing looks... weird.
But it sounds like it was good. 


franandaj said:


> Let's face it, when do you get to do everything you want on a WDW trip? It's why we all keep coming back, right?


Never and...
Yes.


franandaj said:


> Anyways, I had not had the opportunity to see the after dark bioluminescence at Pandora, so we specifically planned the early dinner to get there after dark.


Yes.
I recommend it over ROL.
Now _that_ I find boring.


franandaj said:


> It was cool, and I'm glad that I got to see it, but now I'm good.


It definitely loses its luster after the first time.

(See what I did there?)


franandaj said:


> The words “If it's free, it's for me” have resonated throughout many a TR!





franandaj said:


> they were more interested in this thing called sleep.


Sleep? what is that?


franandaj said:


> Soon we were inside the event and our first order of business was to get some Mickey bars. They were handing them out at various stations throughout the park. These were pretty darned popular, I mean literally CMs were holding boxes of Mickey bars and walking around the crowds who started trying to form a clump outside the booth and just passing them out like trading cards.


Holy crap! It's a Mickey Bar extravaganza!


franandaj said:


> Mickey bars secured we headed to SDD, which must have been everyone else's game plan because it had a 40 minute wait, which never let up as long as we were there. I wasn't willing to wait that long, even if it was ½ to ⅓ the wait it was during the day.


I get that. I think I'd be tempted to ride it just to see the standby queue, though.


franandaj said:


> The ride experience was surreal, I walked completely through the queue, the preshow room door was open as was the door out to the immediate ride queue. The preshow was running, but there were only two people standing there watching.


I've never seen that!


franandaj said:


> She really did need more Ice Cream!


But of course. We _all_ do. 


franandaj said:


> Back in the room, my Dad had also realized that we had his sweatshirt and he left this little “note” for us. My family is definitely odd.





franandaj said:


> My mom suggested we put an unopened V8 in our owner's locker for our Fall trip, she clearly did not understand the degree of packing it takes to close said owner's locker.


Well... neither do I, actually.


franandaj said:


> Actually I was ready to go home. Not that it wasn't fun, but I was feeling a lot like we were tour guides 24/7 and it was a little tiring.


I totally get that too. 
I need my alone time to recharge. When you're a tour guide, you don't get that time.


franandaj said:


> By the time we go back the Skyway will be yet another form of transport between some of the resorts and parks. At least I think so….


Slated for end of September now.


franandaj said:


> We landed at about quarter to 5, but didnt end up getting home until almost three hours later.



Holy crap!


franandaj said:


> one of "the white things" aka little old lady cats passed away over the weekend of the EPIC West coast mini meet.


Oh, gee. I'm sorry to hear that Alison.


franandaj said:


> She came to us as a little kitten and had a long and fulfilling life.


----------



## ljcrochet

So sorry about your white kitty!


----------



## pooh'smate

Sorry about your kitty


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


> And while we're at it, we picked up a fresh peach pie to take home, but they have many other good options. The place is called Polly's Pies, you know.


Wow those all look delish, I Love pie!



franandaj said:


>


It's a neat idea for sure. 



franandaj said:


>


120 yikes!



franandaj said:


>



The theming/colours really are lovely! 



franandaj said:


>


We saw these guys at DL- fun!



franandaj said:


> Dad and I went up to the counter, there was a good size line, but nothing unusual. As we were waiting, he asked, “Why am I just now, on the last day, finding out about this place?”



Umm because there are like a zillion restaurants at WDW lol!



franandaj said:


> We also had a Macaron with Raspberries and Lime cream,



Ohhh! I love raspberry but I extra love lime things!



franandaj said:


> This Bacon and cheese roll was for my breakfast.



I was going to ask was it yummy and did you heat it, but I learned later you didn't get a chance 



franandaj said:


> I took a few of the indigestion pills that I keep in my “in-purse-pharmacy”



Like the magic golds ( I think they are gold)  right 



franandaj said:


> I figured that was the best solution for her crankies and she did end up coming back in a much better mood.



You know her oh so well!



franandaj said:


> it was a Hawaiian Sea Bass with a Miso Mero sauce and sounded really good, but it was so small a piece so I didn't dare ask for a bite.



That looks oh so good, but oh so tiny!



franandaj said:


> but he was already on top of it and had her entree ready for her as she sat down.



Nice work Mr. Server  


franandaj said:


> Inside was the beignet and there was raspberry sorbet and some other tasty little morsels inside. Everyone totally loved it!



That looks rather odd, glad it was yummy!



franandaj said:


> Anyways, I had not had the opportunity to see the after dark bioluminescence at Pandora, so we specifically planned the early dinner to get there after dark.



I really gotta see Pandora!



franandaj said:


> there was a winery circuit within easy driving distance of their house. On a given afternoon you could visit as many as five different wineries who may pour anywhere from four to eight tastes of various wines, all for free! I would try to explain this concept to my mom and she just never got on board.



Back when wine tasting was free! Here now they waive the tasting fees once you buy a bottle...



franandaj said:


> Also the vehicles that were hanging from the skyway earlier that day were gone now. Interesting.



How odd!



franandaj said:


> Mickey bars and walking around the crowds who started trying to form a clump outside the booth and just passing them out like trading cards.



Yum! The "like trading cards" made me giggle- I can totally picture this!



franandaj said:


> not before Fran got another Mickey bar.



I probably would too! I love ice cream. 



franandaj said:


> think it was about 2AM when my head finally hit the pillow.
> 
> 
> Day 10
> 
> 
> The alarm went off at 6AM,



That is NOT a lot of sleep!!



franandaj said:


> one of "the white things" aka little old lady cats passed away over the weekend of the EPIC West coast mini meet.



So very sorry 



franandaj said:


>



This is such a lovely picture xx


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> I turned around a couple times during the ride to take pictures of animals we had passed and I noted them both glued to their phones, and this was at a point where there were giraffes, ankole cattle and all sorts of other animals!



 



franandaj said:


> Even the Animatronic lion was in his element.



Good to see he's back up and running.  Well, not literally.  You know what I mean.



franandaj said:


> Then it was time for EE. Me and my Dad rode while mom and Fran rested. As we pulled into the station I asked my Dad if he wanted to take Mom and Fran's bands and go again, and he gave me a firm “No”.







franandaj said:


> Fran wanted to go to WoD, but when we asked my Mom she gave an adamant “No.” so instead the three of us went back to the room. I'm not exactly sure what Fran did, but I plugged in the scooters and went to bed. I was pooped from all that walking!



Sounds like everyone is just about done!



franandaj said:


> I took the package over to the business center and they printed the label for me, put some Fragile stickers on it and had it on the way.



Fragile, huh?  Must be Italian.



franandaj said:


> Thank goodness we had FP cause this was the standby wait.



Yeah...no thanks.



franandaj said:


> Dad and I went up to the counter, there was a good size line, but nothing unusual. As we were waiting, he asked, “Why am I just now, on the last day, finding out about this place?”



Well, if you make somebody else do the research...



franandaj said:


> I dunno? You coulda done your own homework...



Exactly!



franandaj said:


> Fran wanted to do more shopping.



Whoa!  You gotta wait till I'm sitting down before you spring something like that on me.



franandaj said:


> I mean who wants to travel without applying their deodorant first. There are certainly some people







franandaj said:


> At some point before the bread arrived, she mouthed to me, “Can we have more than one opinion next time?” She had forgotten that we had looked over the menu and at that time, she had found things she could eat. But now she was unhappy. She didn’t say so, but those of you who've been married a long time know what I'm talking about when your spouse is peeved.



There's nothing we enjoy more than Monday Morning Quarterbacking.



franandaj said:


> I was still nibbling away at my food and forgot to take a picture of her ribs, but she liked them!



Oh, so she likes it now.



franandaj said:


> It was cool, and I'm glad that I got to see it, but now I'm good.



Yeah, sounds about right.



franandaj said:


> While the stuff was new, I wasn't really thrilled to be sitting there looking at stuff when I could be riding.



Amen to that!



franandaj said:


> The ride experience was surreal, I walked completely through the queue, the preshow room door was open as was the door out to the immediate ride queue. The preshow was running, but there were only two people standing there watching.



Wow.  I've never seen it like that!



franandaj said:


> She really did need more Ice Cream!







franandaj said:


>



 I guess you're not going to miss that one!



franandaj said:


> I was really sad at the amount of food that we left in the fridge.







franandaj said:


> Actually I was ready to go home. Not that it wasn't fun, but I was feeling a lot like we were tour guides 24/7 and it was a little tiring.



Yeah, I get that.  I wanted to go back with just my family and not any extended family who didn't know how to properly have fun at WDW. 



franandaj said:


> We were served snacks and I think this made up my lunch ffor the day. What a sorry last picture for my Trip Report!



Breakfast of champions!



franandaj said:


> And so to end this TR on a sad note, but cute pictures, one of "the white things" aka little old lady cats passed away over the weekend of the EPIC West coast mini meet.



Oh no!  I'm sorry to hear that, Alison.


----------



## tammy

I'm so sorry to hear about your kitty.  Sounds like a wonderful trip.  Thanks so much for sharing.


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> Since no one really gave me any direction on the rest of the FP, I made them for my favorite rides.


As you should do!  


franandaj said:


> The boat could only take one scooter, so Fran opted to take the trail, and she beat us by a substantial amount, in fact she was already in the restaurant securing a table as we were unloading from the boat.


Fran's got a hot rod!  


franandaj said:


> Never mind the kids playing tag behind the pillar to our left.


Not many games are as classy as tag...  


franandaj said:


> At some point before the bread arrived, she mouthed to me, “Can we have more than one opinion next time?” She had forgotten that we had looked over the menu and at that time, she had found things she could eat. But now she was unhappy. She didn’t say so, but those of you who've been married a long time know what I'm talking about when your spouse is peeved. Heck! If you know Fran you probably know what I'm talking about!


 


franandaj said:


> Let's face it, when do you get to do everything you want on a WDW trip? It's why we all keep coming back, right?


Good point! 


franandaj said:


> It was cool, and I'm glad that I got to see it, but now I'm good.


Kind of how I feel about it too.  


franandaj said:


> Free Mickey bars and all the rides you want just didn't entice my parents, they were more interested in this thing called sleep.


Well, as you mentioned there's the old saying If it's free it's for me.  But I always say I can sleep when I'm not at Disney World.  Both of those point toward free Mickey Bars and more rides!!! 


franandaj said:


> Mickey bars secured we headed to SDD, which must have been everyone else's game plan because it had a 40 minute wait, which never let up as long as we were there. I wasn't willing to wait that long, even if it was ½ to ⅓ the wait it was during the day. I had already been on it twice, and it’s not like we were never coming back. I checked the app and ToT and RnRC were only 10 minute waits.


Oh, definitely a good call.  I like SDD, but I wouldn't wait 40 minutes for it.


franandaj said:


> The ride experience was surreal, I walked completely through the queue, the preshow room door was open as was the door out to the immediate ride queue. The preshow was running, but there were only two people standing there watching. There was no line and I literally walked up to the front, there were a handful of people waiting for the front car and I decided that it wasn't worth it to me. I did decline the last car as my head just got too banged around when I rode that Saturday. In the end I got the second car.


Is this Heaven?  I'd just walk right back on this ride all night long!!!!  


franandaj said:


> She really did need more Ice Cream!


  Doesn't everyone?  Well, maybe aside from you with how you felt at dinner, but I'd eat as many Mickey Bars as I could get!  


franandaj said:


> Back in the room, my Dad had also realized that we had his sweatshirt and he left this little “note” for us. My family is definitely odd.


All families are.

But are the knives intended as a threat?    


franandaj said:


> Actually I was ready to go home. Not that it wasn't fun, but I was feeling a lot like we were tour guides 24/7 and it was a little tiring.


I can totally relate to that feeling... hate to end a trip feeling that way too.  


franandaj said:


> We changed planes in Indianapolis and our gate where we got off the plane was right across from where we would be boarding.


What????  How on earth do you have a layover in Indy?  I can never even find a direct flight from Indy to anywhere!  


franandaj said:


> And so to end this TR on a sad note, but cute pictures, one of "the white things" aka little old lady cats passed away over the weekend of the EPIC West coast mini meet. So here's a few pictures. She came to us as a little kitten and had a long and fulfilling life.


Sorry for your loss.


----------



## irene_dsc

Wow - I finally got back to your TR, and it just ended!  What timing!

Yeah, tour guiding is tiring.  Tho I still would need someone to help me find stuff.  

I'm with your dad on the French street food love.  I generally love street food, but French street food is special.  Although, Disney versions probably wouldn't live up to my memories.  I know the crepe stand didn't.

Sorry to hear about your kitty.  Rough way to end your trip.


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> Of course. The cats need boxes.



We put empty ones around the house and call them cat traps.



pkondz said:


> Huh. I want Kusafari's…



So did you? How was it?



pkondz said:


> I don't think I've ever had peach pie. Sounds good.
> And any pie place is  in my book.
> Maybe next time I'm down we can go.



They only have it for a couple months in the Summer, but they always have something good. Sure we can put it on the list!



********** said:


> So sorry to hear about your kitty. We came back from out DLR/D23 trip to a dead pet bird, and even worse - our "pet sitter" had neglected to feed the pets a couple days - so she had starved to death.



Oh my! That's awful!



********** said:


> (The kitties were OK.) We found out about this on the trip...but is still a rough homecoming. (BTW - that pet sitter will not be sitting our pets no more.)



Yeah. We had a cat locked in a garage once and the pet sitter didn't notice. He didnt come back either.



********** said:


> Thanks for sharing the skyliner picture - there's been a lot of conjecture over it, I'm so glad it's going on line soon. We are excited to ride it next month, and then likely we'll also use it in February as we have a dinner ADR at Topolino's @ Riviera.



I somehow doubt that it is scooter friendly so I doubt that we will be riding it.



********** said:


> Seemed like you had a very busy last day! Three different parks and one of them twice!



I didn't even realize we had done three different parks. For us that's amazing!



pkondz said:


> This sounds chillingly final.
> 
> No. Wait.
> It would be hot.
> This sounds toasty warmly final.



And in two more weeks I'll be taking my first tub of the trip!



pkondz said:


> Oh! I never would've thought of that



We've done it on quite a few trips....



pkondz said:


> Because she drives that scooter like she's in the Indianapolis 500?



This seems to have become a recurring theme.



pkondz said:


> Tons of people were having that problem with SDD. I wonder if they (Disney) finally got it resolved?



I hope so! I have a FP for my upcoming trip!



pkondz said:


> The spirit isn't really willing, 'cause the flesh is on the BBQ?



Is this a movie quote I'm not getting?  



pkondz said:


> Really? I didn't know that. seems... inadequate.



Well they can take two scooters but there was already one on the boat.



pkondz said:


> See???? Indy 500!



Either that or the boat is slow and makes multiple stops.



pkondz said:


> Also the same type of person who says "Don't worry. We'll make a reservation when we get there."
> (That's _my_ dad.)



Yup. And this is part of what I meant about being the tour guide.



pkondz said:


> mmm... that sounds good.



I may like to try it sometime, but there are so many other things to eat, I may never get there...



pkondz said:


> Or he dropped it on the floor and was too embarrassed to pick it up so just kicked it under the table.
> You should ask him.



I think I'll pass...



pkondz said:


> Ew...



   But you know it happens!



pkondz said:


> Oh dear. Sorry about that.



Yeah, I'm starting to watch it a little more about dairy based desserts. Unless it's late at night and I can just go to bed in a food coma.



pkondz said:


> Um... Someone is none too pleased with the dining arrangements!



Yeah...  



pkondz said:


> We love you Fran!



You _do_ know her!



pkondz said:


> But the good news is that I bet it's fully charged by now!!
> 
> 
> No? Not so good?



Well yes, it was fully charged!



pkondz said:


> Sure! She got to zoom around Disney running over the unwary and un-swift



I think she enjoyed that.



pkondz said:


> Huh! That does sound... a bit odd. But it worked out!



Yeah, it turned out to be pretty good.



pkondz said:


> That's good service.
> I would've tipped more too.



 



pkondz said:


> That thing looks... weird.
> But it sounds like it was good.



We were a little bit confused, the server had to clue us in how to eat it.



pkondz said:


> Never and...
> Yes.







pkondz said:


> Yes.
> I recommend it over ROL.
> Now _that_ I find boring.



Yes. That's what we did last time. We chose poorly.



pkondz said:


> It definitely loses its luster after the first time.
> 
> (See what I did there?)



 



pkondz said:


> Sleep? what is that?



Actually something I plan on catching up on when we go there. Not too much, but these last couple months have been sort of crazy. I'm looking forward to slowing down for the Disney part, cause the band part is going to be hard work.



pkondz said:


> Holy crap! It's a Mickey Bar extravaganza!







pkondz said:


> I get that. I think I'd be tempted to ride it just to see the standby queue, though.



Someday the hype will die down. Maybe when RotR opens.



pkondz said:


> I've never seen that!



It probably only happens at these special events.



pkondz said:


> But of course. We _all_ do.



Well, except me.



pkondz said:


> Well... neither do I, actually.



Well it's a plastic box about 1 meter long and half a meter wide, I'm sure you've seen similar ones at Home Depot. We've got a ton of stuff in there like my large coffee mug, an oven safe stove top pot, a butter dish, a set of knives, measuring cups, napkins, baggies of multiple sizes, trash bags, pepper grinder, salt, my special pillow, and a bunch of other stuff. There's no way a big bottle of juice is going to fit in there. As it is I have to sit on the thing to get the zip ties (they give you a set each trip) on it to close.



pkondz said:


> I totally get that too.
> I need my alone time to recharge. When you're a tour guide, you don't get that time.



And everyone looks to you for what's next. It gets tiring.



pkondz said:


> Slated for end of September now.



So we'll be there after it opens.



pkondz said:


> Holy crap!



Well, between retrieving the car, LA rush hour traffic, and needing a few groceries, it all takes time...

And now I'm reminded that my parking lot of forever is gone or seriously reduced in size. I need a new plan for two weeks from now.



pkondz said:


> Oh, gee. I'm sorry to hear that Alison.



Thanks. Unfortunately it was time.


----------



## skier_pete

Too lazy to quote - but yes the Skyliner will be scooter friendly, at least at the Epcot, CBR transfer and DHS stations. I am not sure how it will be handled at the Riviera station - but at all the other stations there are two loops where the gondolas detach. The main loop the gondolas slow to a slow walking speed, which is slow enough for people and strollers to enter. The second loop will take gondolas off and will bring them to a complete stop. The seats on one side even flip up, so they can load an ECV onto a gondola. Now, it's only one ECV per gondola, but I would bet the line for ECVs will generally be fairly short so they will be able to get you on pretty quick. Observers say they are pull off about every 12th gondola to the ECV/Wheelchair loop.  Even with the stop to transfer at CBR it may be a quicker route to get from DHS to Epcot than the boats, especially if there are other ECVs in front of you in line at the boats!


----------



## franandaj

ljcrochet said:


> So sorry about your white kitty!



Thanks. 



pooh'smate said:


> Sorry about your kitty



Thanks. 



DnA2010 said:


> Wow those all look delish, I Love pie!



Polly's does a good pie!



DnA2010 said:


> It's a neat idea for sure.



And I just saw that Pete posted that they will be ECV friendly. So one day on our trip I'll walk to the Int'l Gateway and we can take it somewhere.



DnA2010 said:


> 120 yikes!



Yeah, I'm not waiting in THAT line!



DnA2010 said:


> The theming/colours really are lovely!



I thought the area was pretty cute.



DnA2010 said:


> We saw these guys at DL- fun!



I wonder if they'll still be marching around with Batuu open now.



DnA2010 said:


> Umm because there are like a zillion restaurants at WDW lol!



Yeah, and I certainly wasn't going to try and educate them about every QS place in addition to all the TS places I thought they would like.



DnA2010 said:


> Ohhh! I love raspberry but I extra love lime things!



This was quite good, nice tang with a sweetness to it still.



DnA2010 said:


> I was going to ask was it yummy and did you heat it, but I learned later you didn't get a chance



I think it would have been better if I had warmed it and maybe put some butter on top.



DnA2010 said:


> Like the magic golds ( I think they are gold) right



Those are in there too....there are five little compartments on one side, and one large compartment on the other side.  I keep the big side full of Pepcid Complete pills, that's what I took.



DnA2010 said:


> You know her oh so well!







DnA2010 said:


> That looks oh so good, but oh so tiny!



It turns out that it was the perfect portion for them.  Just enough to sate them, but not enough to be too full for dessert.



DnA2010 said:


> Nice work Mr. Server



 



DnA2010 said:


> That looks rather odd, glad it was yummy!



Yeah, we were all perplexed as to how to eat it.



DnA2010 said:


> really gotta see Pandora!



It is pretty cool, but after you've seen it a couple times, it's OK.



DnA2010 said:


> Back when wine tasting was free! Here now they waive the tasting fees once you buy a bottle...



I haven't been in so long, I'm not sure how it works, but I remember the last time there was a nominal fee.



DnA2010 said:


> Yum! The "like trading cards" made me giggle- I can totally picture this!



I tried to use words that would illustrate just how strange it seemed.



DnA2010 said:


> I probably would too! I love ice cream.



I love ice cream, it just doesn't love me.



DnA2010 said:


> That is NOT a lot of sleep!!



No, I am used to far more than that at home.



DnA2010 said:


> So very sorry



Thanks.    Then again it was time.



DnA2010 said:


> This is such a lovely picture xx



Thank you.  She was very cute!


----------



## franandaj

Captain_Oblivious said:


> Good to see he's back up and running. Well, not literally. You know what I mean.



Yeah, I think he was down for refurb on either your or my last trip. I remember having that discussion.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Sounds like everyone is just about done!



Yeah, I think we all were feeling it quite a bit.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Fragile, huh? Must be Italian.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Yeah...no thanks.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Well, if you make somebody else do the research...



I was so impressed with him finding Todd English's Bluezoo in his own....



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Exactly!



But he obviously didn't go much farther than that.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Whoa! You gotta wait till I'm sitting down before you spring something like that on me.







Captain_Oblivious said:


> There's nothing we enjoy more than Monday Morning Quarterbacking



Yup.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Oh, so she likes it now.



She did agree in the end that the food was excellent. There just weren't a ton of choices that appealed to her. I believe when we looked at the menu before making the reservation, her words were, "I can find something to eat there."



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Yeah, sounds about right.



Seems to be the consensus.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Amen to that!



I wasn't there to shop....and I was fading fast after a long day.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Wow. I've never seen it like that!



And I may never see that again!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I guess you're not going to miss that one!



No, pretty much not.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Yeah, I get that. I wanted to go back with just my family and not any extended family who didn't know how to properly have fun at WDW.



I'm looking forward to taking it pretty easy on this upcoming trip...



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Breakfast of champions!



It worked for me.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that, Alison.



Thanks, but she did have a long and steak filled life.



tammy said:


> I'm so sorry to hear about your kitty.  Sounds like a wonderful trip.  Thanks so much for sharing.



Thanks. It was a nice trip.



afwdwfan said:


> As you should do!



As we say, "Silence is compliance"



afwdwfan said:


> Fran's got a hot rod!



Seems like that's the consensus.....



afwdwfan said:


> Not many games are as classy as tag...







afwdwfan said:


>



I feel like you have experience with this....



afwdwfan said:


> Good point!







afwdwfan said:


> Kind of how I feel about it too.



Another consensus.....



afwdwfan said:


> Well, as you mentioned there's the old saying If it's free it's for me. But I always say I can sleep when I'm not at Disney World. Both of those point toward free Mickey Bars and more rides!!!



I'd heard so many reports from people who went to these Moonlight Magic events and got all sorts of free snacks, and such while riding tons of rides, so I had to check it out for myself!



afwdwfan said:


> Oh, definitely a good call. I like SDD, but I wouldn't wait 40 minutes for it.



There's not a lot that I would wait 40 minutes for.



afwdwfan said:


> Is this Heaven? I'd just walk right back on this ride all night long!!!!



If I wasn't stupid tired, I would have gone on it a few more times.



afwdwfan said:


> Doesn't everyone? Well, maybe aside from you with how you felt at dinner, but I'd eat as many Mickey Bars as I could get!



I could have also had a non dairy bar option, but I was pretty full after we ate the hamburger.



afwdwfan said:


> All families are.
> 
> But are the knives intended as a threat?



I never thought of it that way!  



afwdwfan said:


> I can totally relate to that feeling... hate to end a trip feeling that way too.



Looking forward to doing a chill trip in a couple weeks.



afwdwfan said:


> What???? How on earth do you have a layover in Indy? I can never even find a direct flight from Indy to anywhere!



I don't know how it came up.  Normally they offer Dallas, Denver, or some other place in the middle of the country.



afwdwfan said:


> Sorry for your loss.



Thanks.  I really think it was time.


----------



## franandaj

irene_dsc said:


> Wow - I finally got back to your TR, and it just ended! What timing!



But I've got plenty of Bonus features to post!



irene_dsc said:


> Yeah, tour guiding is tiring. Tho I still would need someone to help me find stuff.



I just keep reading TRs and I find _plenty _of things I want to do!



irene_dsc said:


> I'm with your dad on the French street food love. I generally love street food, but French street food is special. Although, Disney versions probably wouldn't live up to my memories. I know the crepe stand didn't.



I don't think I ever ended up having any street food in Paris. We ended up doing mostly sit down on my trips. One of them I stayed at a friend's house, so I did get the family experience with wine and cheese though.



irene_dsc said:


> Sorry to hear about your kitty. Rough way to end your trip.



Actually the trip ended six months ago, almost to the day.  She passed just a couple weeks ago.



********** said:


> Too lazy to quote - but yes the Skyliner will be scooter friendly, at least at the Epcot, CBR transfer and DHS stations. I am not sure how it will be handled at the Riviera station - but at all the other stations there are two loops where the gondolas detach. The main loop the gondolas slow to a slow walking speed, which is slow enough for people and strollers to enter. The second loop will take gondolas off and will bring them to a complete stop. The seats on one side even flip up, so they can load an ECV onto a gondola. Now, it's only one ECV per gondola, but I would bet the line for ECVs will generally be fairly short so they will be able to get you on pretty quick.



This is good to know.  Perhaps on one of our trips to DHS, I'll leave my scooter in the room and walk to the International Gateway so we can ride on a Gondola together.



********** said:


> Observers say they are pull off about every 12th gondola to the ECV/Wheelchair loop. Even with the stop to transfer at CBR it may be a quicker route to get from DHS to Epcot than the boats, especially if there are other ECVs in front of you in line at the boats!



That sounds like a pretty fair trade.  Now I'm looking forward to trying this!


----------



## franandaj

Before we get on to more bonus features, I’m gonna do a nickel version of a PTR.  In a couple weeks, we will be back at WDW. 

Now this really wasn’t a planned trip to WDW, it’s just kind of a bonus. Those of you who have been following my TRs know that we play in a concert band. You may also recall that there is a National Band Organization which holds conferences each year. In the past few years, we have traveled to Kansas City, MO, Palm Springs, CA, and Ft. Lauderdale, FL to name a few. The 2017 conference in Houston was cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey. The concert venue was flooded only one week before the conference was scheduled and the city was in such disarray there was no way the host band wanted to subject guests to that mayhem. Next year we will be in Portland, OR and the rumor is that this year we will vote to give Houston another chance at the conference in 2021. But you really don’t care about all that...So here’s what I’m getting to, guess where the 2019 conference is located?  

You guessed it.  Orlando.

Because the group is a non-profit 501c3 organization all expenses related to the conference are tax deductible. Items such as airfare, car rental, meals, hotel rooms at the conference, can all be written off as charitable expenses. So we are already flying to MCO, why not take a side trip for a little fun and R&R? The Conference starts on a Thursday, and we are flying in the Saturday beforehand. We’re not going to go all crazy doing things like rope drop and tiring ourselves out this trip at Disney. We are just going to take it easy and relax because the end of the trip is going to be quite taxing. As usual, Fran and I are among the only people from our home band (Los Angeles) in attendance, so we get signed up to do the “business” part of the trip in addition to the concertizing. That means 9AM Delegates meetings to hear about and vote on the goings on in the overall organization, In addition to the 8-9 hours of rehearsals to prepare for the concert. But enough about the dull and boring parts, let’s get to the itinerary in a nutshell!

*Saturday 7PM:* Arrive at MCO, have dinner at Chili’s or Macaroni Grill, DME to Beach Club Villas. Unpack, take a tub, go to bed.

*Sunday:* Sleep in because our body time clocks will be three hours behind. FP for RnRC, Lunch @ 1:15 at Prime Time, Star Tours after lunch, then Oga’s Cantina @ 4:10PM. Once we’re done there (which will be before 5PM since they only let you stay 45 minutes), we’ll head back to the room to drop off our souvenir mugs. Yes, I know Fran and if there are any left in stock, she’ll be buying them. Then we’ll catch a bus from the BCV to MK, and hop on the monorail to the Poly for more mugs at Trader Sam’s.

*Monday:* Today we’ll have a little bit of an earlier start. We’ll need to be at the bus stop by 9AM, for a MK bus. Again hop on the monorail, this time to the GF for Strawberry soup breakfast! I made us FP in the afternoon for Test Track, Mission Space and Spaceship Earth, so hopefully Fran will be up for using some of them. If nothing else we'll need to stock up on our stash from Karamel Kuche. Who knows maybe we'll hit a kiosk or two. For dinner we have an ADR at Jaleo in Disney Springs. I’ve heard good things about it too. We will also meet former DISer Scott and his partner Vinny for that meal.

*Tuesday:* This is our Halloween party day so the morning is going to be quite leisurely. Maybe we'll do some kiosks when they open, we don’t have to be to MK until about 1 or 1:30 PM, so maybe we'll get to the bus stop about 12:30ish or take the Monorail. We have FP for HM and 7DMT before our late lunch/early dinner at Tony's. If Fran doesn't want to ride the Mine Train, the specialty merchandise will be open so she can go fight that while I ride twice. After our meal, I plan on getting in line for the Dwarves. I've got a tablet with a game so I won't mind the wait. When they come out at 7PM, I'll be right at the front of the line and free to do whatever else we want. I want pictures, mostly cool pictures! The candy lines, parades and fireworks are my lowest priorities, I want magic shots!

*Wednesday:* Because we will have had a late night the evening before, I’m not even planning on getting up remotely early. I’ll probably sit in bed watching TV, playing Mahjong, before taking a nice bath. We actually have nothing scheduled until 5:00PM which is the Frozen Sing Along, then at 6:30PM we have a Slinky Dog Dash FP, followed by a 7PM reservation at Oga’s Cantina. The afternoon will be our only opportunity to check out the F&W kiosks in detail, so we’ll fill up our bellies there before heading over to DHS for the evening activities. After the Cantina, I suspect Fran will want to check out Ample Creamery, as if we won’t have already hit that a few times!

*Thursday: *This is our last Disney day. Hopefully we will have mostly packed up the day before and will be all ready to go. We’ll check our bags with the bellmen around 9AM, before heading over to Ale & Compass for some hearty breakfast. We’ll have a shuttle pick us up around 12:00 to take us to our next Destination, the Doubletree Hotel Downtown. All the conference events besides the final concert take place here. Our band (there are two because so many people sign up for these events) rehearses from 3-5:30PM. We have free time after that to get some dinner. There are three restaurants in proximity to the hotel which sound good.

*Friday:* We have a Delegates meeting from 9-11AM followed by presentations and workshops until 1PM.  At least lunch is included. The other groups rehearse this afternoon, so we can take a nap! Our band rehearses from 5:15-7:15. So dinner will probably be after that.

*Saturday:* Our band rehearses from 9-11AM, and we are DONE after that!  Pam and her Mom are planning on coming out and we are going to a fun and new location.  I have to save some surprises for the TR!

*Sunday:* We start off with another Delegates meeting from 9-11AM, and then after that we get transported to the concert venue. There is a Tech Rehearsal from 12:00-3:30PM, but I'm sure we will only be involved for about an hour. There are two Concert bands and one Jazz band, so all of us will need time on the stage. The concert starts at 4PM and lasts about two hours or so. After the concert it will be time to get some much needed dinner!

*Monday: *Our plane doesn't leave until 4:35PM which gives us plenty of time to check out of the hotel and catch our shuttle to MCO. We will have more than enough time to get some lunch since Southwest doesn't have actual meal service. We change planes in Las Vegas and have a 2 hour layover.  Maybe we’ll get lucky and win some money.

So that’s our plans for the next trip.  Mostly I want to arrive at the conference well rested and ready to play. The last couple months have been tough with vacancies and such. I mentioned in the last update that we refinanced one of our buildings and got some cash out.  Meet Pascal, we picked him up over Labor Day weekend.





What color?  Well sometimes brown, but depending on the light maybe purple, like a chameleon. The great thing about this van is that we can lift the scooter into the back and just let it ride there, no need for the scooter lift on the back of the car.

We also put in an offer (and it was accepted) on a contract of 100 points at Bay Lake Tower, so now we’re only 12 points away from the 1000 point club!  




So let's back track a little bit here. Before we went to Batuu, for the previews in May, we hung around at Disneyland waiting for our time to enter. Upon arrival we went to the Disneyana store. It's a must on Fran's list, most of the time we don't buy anything, but not today. Normally I am the one who is putting the kabash on new purchases, but I walked into the gallery and knew that we were in trouble immediately.  I rushed to find Fran, and told her so. As soon as she saw this picture, she knew we had to have it as well.

We still need to find a place on the wall for this, but I really love it!





While they were packing up/ringing up my purchase, Fran took a spin around the gallery and spied this one. The artist was there. He told her if she bought it now (as opposed to when we came back to pick up my picture), that he would autograph the picture. Sold!






Now that we had blown the budget (before even stepping foot in Galaxy's Edge) it was time for lunch. Where else would we rather dine than the Plaza Inn? Winner winner chicken dinner!





After lunch we picked up our wristbands. It was about 3:30 and we couldn't get into Galaxy's Edge untill 5PM, so we rode the Mark Twain while waiting for our time to enter.





































If you’ve been to the bonus features on my past TR you’ve already read about my trips to Galaxy’s Edge during the Previews.  However we were also there on the last day before the Preview period ended. I believe that was the time that we went again with Jenny, Michael and their daughter. We picked up our wristbands right at 12 noon.





We almost headed directly to the line up point. First we stopped at the Bengal Barbeque for a little sustenance since we knew that the food offerings inside Galaxy’s Edge were subpar.









Then we headed over to the queue area. We sent Michael and daughter ahead so that they could participate in the “running of the bulls” to get to the Cantina line. Fran, Jenny and I just kind of sauntered in leisurely fashion. After Michael secured the Cantina reservation, we rode Smuggler’s Run, I got the Engineer spot. I think I have since decided that is my most favorite spot. It has the least amount of pressure.





We looked around at the shops for a bit, and pretty soon it was our turn in the Cantina.  These were our little cards that showed we had checked in and were waiting for a table spot instead of a standing spot. I think the cards for a standing spot were a different color. 





We perused the menu while we waited, and made up our minds of what we wanted to eat and drink.





We got the Batuu bites again. They're OK, but it's good to have something to offset the alcohol.





I tried the Outer Rim, and the Dagobeh Slug Slinger. The Outer Rim was the one with the foam. It was pretty good, but then foam was a little weird, I think I liked it better than the other drink.





Fran got more souvenir mugs before they all sold out. The beer flight.





And she got a Yub Nub. I think Disney purposely made the most desirable drink a "souvenir mug only". Lots of people have indicated that this is the only one that appeals to them, but don't want to spend 50 bucks on a drink.





Drinks in hand we were a happy bunch. 





After the ride and our trip to the Cantina, honestly there just isn't that much to do in SWGE, unless you want to drop a couple hundred dollars on a light saber or a Droid. 

But that wasn't the end for our mug acquisition that day. It was barely 5PM and the evening was still young, so we headed off to Trader Sam's. I had a Tangaroa Cooler which was very good for a drink made with Gin





while Fran had a Piranha Pool





For our second round I had the a Safari Swizzle.





She had the shipwreck on the rocks.





I ordered the Pupu platter for my meal (from right front, clockwise, panko crusted green beans, chicken wings, gyoza, edamame). This Is always a winner for me. You get your protein and veggies, and breaded and fried almost always makes your veggies better!





She ordered the Angus 1/2 lb Hawaiian Cheeseburger

with Grilled Pineapple, Applewood-smoked Bacon, Havarti Cheese, Butter Lettuce, Tomato, Onions, and Sweet-and-Spicy Spread, served with Fries





And thus wrapped up our Disney Travels for the month of June.


----------



## irene_dsc

franandaj said:


> But I've got plenty of Bonus features to post!



Cool!  And now that I'm a bit more caught up, maybe it won't take me as long to get back!



franandaj said:


> I just keep reading TRs and I find _plenty _of things I want to do!



Oh, I didn't mean needing help figuring out *what* to do (tho I do also keep learning more from TRs, too).  I meant, I need help navigating when I'm there!



franandaj said:


> I don't think I ever ended up having any street food in Paris.



I was a broke college student when I was there, so I pretty much lived on street food.


----------



## Flossbolna

I might have to have a Shipwreck in the Rocks soon...


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


> then Oga’s Cantina @ 4:10PM


I wonder if there will be any differences 


franandaj said:


> If nothing else we'll need to stock up on our stash from Karamel Kuche.


Oh man you are going to tempt me with pictures I'm sure- the marshmallow wheel and dark salt caramel I think are the ones that look the most yumm for me 


franandaj said:


> When they come out at 7PM, I'll be right at the front of the line and free to do whatever else we want. I want pictures, mostly cool pictures! The candy lines, parades and fireworks are my lowest priorities, I want magic shots!


I bet you will get some fun ones!


franandaj said:


> Fran will want to check out Ample Creamery,


I like a lot of Fran's decisions :nod: 


franandaj said:


> I have to save some surprises for the TR!


Ohhhhh!


franandaj said:


>


Looks purple to me in this picture


franandaj said:


> we’re only 12 points away from the 1000 point club!


soo close!


franandaj said:


>


That seems very perfect indeed for you two!


franandaj said:


>


Yumm! Can't wait for this!


franandaj said:


> The Outer Rim was the one with the foam. It was pretty good, but then foam was a little weird, I think I liked it better than the other drink.


It does look very unique


franandaj said:


> most desirable drink a "souvenir mug only". Lots of people have indicated that this is the only one that appeals to them, but don't want to spend 50 bucks on a drink.


The mug looks very cool, I don't even want to think about the cost in Canadian dollars...gullpp


franandaj said:


> I had a Tangaroa Cooler which was very good for a drink made with Gin


This one looks right up my alley!


franandaj said:


> Pupu platter



Nothing like  a good Pupu platter!


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> ou guessed it. Orlando.
> 
> Because the group is a non-profit 501c3 organization all expenses related to the conference are tax deductible. Items such as airfare, car rental, meals, hotel rooms at the conference, can all be written off as charitable expenses.


Sounds like a winner!!  


franandaj said:


> So we are already flying to MCO, why not take a side trip for a little fun and R&R?


Was there even any question?  


franandaj said:


> Oga’s Cantina @ 4:10PM. Once we’re done there (which will be before 5PM since they only let you stay 45 minutes), we’ll head back to the room to drop off our souvenir mugs. Yes, I know Fran and if there are any left in stock, she’ll be buying them. Then we’ll catch a bus from the BCV to MK, and hop on the monorail to the Poly for more mugs at Trader Sam’s.


So how big is the extra empty suitcase that you're taking for Fran to fill with souvenir mugs?  



franandaj said:


> So that’s our plans for the next trip. Mostly I want to arrive at the conference well rested and ready to play.


Looks like a great plan... getting plenty done, but still not running yourselves ragged.  


franandaj said:


> The artist was there. He told her if she bought it now (as opposed to when we came back to pick up my picture), that he would autograph the picture. Sold!


Awesome!  


franandaj said:


> And she got a Yub Nub. I think Disney purposely made the most desirable drink a "souvenir mug only". Lots of people have indicated that this is the only one that appeals to them, but don't want to spend 50 bucks on a drink.


Maybe if free refills are included...  


franandaj said:


> ou get your protein and veggies, and breaded and fried almost always makes your veggies better!


Breaded and fried fixes a lot of things!


----------



## franandaj

irene_dsc said:


> Cool! And now that I'm a bit more caught up, maybe it won't take me as long to get back!



Well the TRs will always be here, that is unless I reach my maximum number of images. PB is now limiting people to 25,000 images.



irene_dsc said:


> Oh, I didn't mean needing help figuring out *what* to do (tho I do also keep learning more from TRs, too). I meant, I need help navigating when I'm there!



Ah, OK I guess I can understand that. We seem.to keep going to a lot of the same places and stay at the same places, so we're slightly in a rut, but we do try new things too.



irene_dsc said:


> I was a broke college student when I was there, so I pretty much lived on street food.



I've always been afraid of street food. It could be that growing up in CA we have such strict health department laws, I sort of assimilated their fears.



Flossbolna said:


> I might have to have a Shipwreck in the Rocks soon...



We should go there the first night! Either that or Friday afternoon.


----------



## franandaj

DnA2010 said:


> I wonder if there will be any differences



That's what we are wondering as well.



DnA2010 said:


> Oh man you are going to tempt me with pictures I'm sure- the marshmallow wheel and dark salt caramel I think are the ones that look the most yumm for me



There will definitely be some of those!



DnA2010 said:


> I bet you will get some fun ones!



I hope so!



DnA2010 said:


> I like a lot of Fran's decisions



A lot of people do!



DnA2010 said:


> Looks purple to me in this picture



In the sun it looks purple. In the dark it looks brown.



DnA2010 said:


> soo close!



We'll see. We still have to pass ROFR.



DnA2010 said:


> That seems very perfect indeed for you two!



I would like to get it on the wall so we could see it daily!



DnA2010 said:


> Yumm! Can't wait for this!



We must dine there! I may do it in November as well.



DnA2010 said:


> It does look very unique



I gotta start thinking about what drinks I want when we are there, less than a week now!



DnA2010 said:


> The mug looks very cool, I don't even want to think about the cost in Canadian dollars...gullpp



I haven't been paying attention to the exchange rate. When I used to travel to Canada it was like the land of 30% discounts.



DnA2010 said:


> This one looks right up my alley!



We'll have to visit there as well!



DnA2010 said:


> Nothing like a good Pupu platter


----------



## franandaj

afwdwfan said:


> Sounds like a winner!!







afwdwfan said:


> Was there even any question?



The question was how many days.



afwdwfan said:


> So how big is the extra empty suitcase that you're taking for Fran to fill with souvenir mugs?



We're going to pack a box. There's packing tape in the Owner's Lockers, and I just send the label to the business center and they ship it home for us!



afwdwfan said:


> Looks like a great plan... getting plenty done, but still not running yourselves ragged.



I hope so, cause the last part may make us ragged.



afwdwfan said:


> Awesome!







afwdwfan said:


> Maybe if free refills are included...







afwdwfan said:


> Breaded and fried fixes a lot of things!


----------



## franandaj

In July the closest we got to a Disney park was having dinner at Tortilla Jo's in DTD and then sampling the new Salt and Straw Ice cream shop, but I have no photographic evidence of this, so you'll have to take my word on it.


August  


It had been over a month since our last visit to Batuu and I was definitely looking forward to spending more time there. Galaxy's Edge opened to the public officially in the last week of June. Disney expected overwhelming numbers of people to be clamoring to get in. They set up an intricate system of boarding groups which included a virtual queue to get into the land once it had reached capacity. Also they limited reservations at the Cantina and Build a Light Saber workshop, to same day reservations only, but at least they dropped the long queues, and running to get a reservation.

However, by noon on the first day they hardly needed the boarding groups. By the end of the week, social media posts were reporting record low level crowds. Pretty soon Disney was offering incentives like, AP holders can bring a friend for only $99 for a park hopper. 

Then near the end of July, they expanded reservations for the Cantina and Light Saber Workshop to 14 days in advance of your visit. We were well with 14 days of our next visit, so I hopped on the app and scored a reservation for our party at 3:45 on the day of our next visit. Jenny was slammed at work so she also asked if I would make a light saber building reservation for her son, which I got for 3PM.

This next visit had been planned since March of earlier this year when Jill had come out for F&W. We bought into the hype and wanted to wait a sufficient amount of time from the general opening so that the crowds would subside. Turns out, we didn't need to wait so long, but Jill had already purchased airline tickets for the first weekend in August, so we stuck with the plan.

She flew in Saturday morning, and while I would have loved to spend the day with Jenny and Jill, having a vacancy, and what I thought was two more coming up, I had work to do in the daytime. We did meet up for dinner at SuperMex and it was super good! The next day the two of them went out to the park in the morning to ride all the Fantasyland dark rides. Again we met up for dinner, this time at a waterfront location so that we could watch the sun set over the ocean while dining. 

Then it was time for the big day. We started off by riding Soarin'. Fran got stuck at the bag check, where we switched scooters, you see my scooter bag had a tear and she had bought this industrial strength tape that she was prepared to fix the bag with. Well they wouldn’t let her in the park with the tape and security was telling her to take it back to the room. She was objecting on principle and asked to see the lead. She was going to argue it out with them and needed my bag with the tear to prove her point.  The rest of us just wanted to get on with riding rides!

So we went to Soarin’ which was still over California at the time. In the queue I noticed that something wasn't right with Fran's scooter it wasn't staying in gear and sort of slipping into free fall mode, but I was able to make it work and didn't think too much of it.

Next we rode Guardians and got, We got the funk





Fran met up with us at the end of Guardians and we switched back our scooters. I’m not sure how she solved her problem and I don’t think I want to know.

Then went on to RSR. 



 

We wanted to ride Incredicoaster, but it was down so we did TSMM instead. 





By then the Incredicoaster was open, but some of us were hungry and others wanted to ride Grizzly. Jill got corn dogs at the Palace for Fran and herself, 





Margaret and I got something from the Paradise Garden Grill. Mine is the Beef Kefta, Margaret got the Beef Kebab.









The group riding Grizzly showed up looking like drowned rats. They ordered and scarfed down their lunch and we headed out of the park having done most of what we wanted in DCA. There wasn't a lot of time as we wanted to ride the Falcon both before and after our Cantina experience, so we had to pick one ride. Either Hyperspace Mountain or Splash Mountain. Jenny and her family chose the west one while the rest of us conquered the Empire.





We all met back up in Batuu, and by this point Fran's scooter was starting to have issues.  It kept stopping and beeping, but I didn’t pay attention to how many beeps it made (troubleshooting). We traded scooters at that point and headed towards a charging location in Batuu near the marketplace. 





We plugged in her scooter and waited for Jenny and Co to join us. Fran wanted to try the popcorn and we got a bag, but it wasn’t all that great and we didn’t even finish it or come close to it.

Jenny’s son was making a lightsaber, and I had signed him up for the experience cause she was slammed the day reservations opened so I went over to the workshop with them and got things all squared away before I came back to Fran who wanted assistance.

We got the scooter all unplugged and decided to head to Smuggler’s Run where we all rode. 





There was this cool little bird nest made from wires on the ship.





I tried my hand again at Pilot and completely sucked.  By this time our reservation for the Cantina opened so we stopped in and got a drink.

















I think I got a Jedi Mind Trick...





And a Bespin Fizz





Leonard got a Blue Bantha, it was Blue Milk served chilled with Bantha-inspired Vanilla-Butter Sugar Cookie





Margaret got a Cliff Dweller (it was the Souvenir Porg mug drink) and did not like (it has coconut in it) so Leonard opted to finish it for her.









We rode Smuggler’s one last time. No one was at the chess table.





Then Fran and Margaret wanted to go shopping.  I found another plug and sat with Leonard and chit chatted.  I don’t know what happened to Jenny, Michael and Jill.  I had to "nurse" the scooter the whole way out of Galaxy's Edge.  It kept stopping and beeping. We have since taken it to the shop and haven't been able to replicate the problem, so before we take it out in public again, I have to ride it all around the neighborhood and try to get it to malfunction. Until then, it is grounded in the garage.

Eventually we all met back up to get some drinks and snacks.





By this time I was ready for a real drink, so I got my Belvedere Gibson up.





We ordered a round of these potato rolls for the table.





They come with this cheese sauce, the combination is absolutely delicious!





Leonard ordered the fancy schmancy cheeseburger on the menu, which he shared with Fran and I.  It was very delicious, but way too much food!  Splitting it between Fran and myself we would have had a hard time to finish it, which is probably why this was the first time we had ever tried it.





I ordered the Heirloom Tomato Salad, which was quite good (for the first time having it).  I’ve had it a few more times since then.





Fran got the Chilled Fruit Soup, which had watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew melon.





I don’t know what this was now, but it’s some kind of chocolate cake with Ice Cream and stuff.





I got the Peach Upside Down Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream.  It was good, but not "OMG I have to come back and eat this" good. 





I’m going to wrap it up here, although the day was not over.  We watched the MSEP and the fireworks, but I’m going to save that for the next update, since I did the same thing (different events during the day though), just two weeks later.


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> Then it was time for the big day. We started off by riding Soarin'. Fran got stuck at the bag check, where we switched scooters, you see my scooter bag had a tear and she had bought this industrial strength tape that she was prepared to fix the bag with. Well they wouldn’t let her in the park with the tape and security was telling her to take it back to the room. She was objecting on principle and asked to see the lead. She was going to argue it out with them and needed my bag with the tear to prove her point. The rest of us just wanted to get on with riding rides!


Really?  Tape?  That's crazy!  I guess I could see it being a concern about tape ending up in unwanted places around the park, but they actively ban selfie sticks and even publish that and I still see them in the parks.  But they made a big deal about tape?  

So, did she win?


franandaj said:


> Then Fran and Margaret wanted to go shopping. I found another plug and sat with Leonard and chit chatted. I don’t know what happened to Jenny, Michael and Jill. I had to "nurse" the scooter the whole way out of Galaxy's Edge. It kept stopping and beeping. We have since taken it to the shop and haven't been able to replicate the problem, so before we take it out in public again, I have to ride it all around the neighborhood and try to get it to malfunction. Until then, it is grounded in the garage.


Good luck!  I'm glad it at least got you through the day and didn't make you really have to miss out on any plans.  Hopefully you can get it figured out and fixed!


franandaj said:


> I’m going to wrap it up here, although the day was not over. We watched the MSEP and the fireworks, but I’m going to save that for the next update, since I did the same thing (different events during the day though), just two weeks later.


Looks like a pretty awesome day, thus far.  Anything else is just going to be icing on the cake.


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


> I haven't been paying attention to the exchange rate. When I used to travel to Canada it was like the land of 30% discounts.



Ya, we're still on sale for sure - come visit


----------



## Lesley Wake

franandaj said:


> We ordered a round of these potato rolls for the table.


Oooh, this looks yummy! All the foods look good!


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

franandaj said:


> You guessed it. Orlando.
> 
> Because the group is a non-profit 501c3 organization all expenses related to the conference are tax deductible. Items such as airfare, car rental, meals, hotel rooms at the conference, can all be written off as charitable expenses.



That's a pretty sweet deal!



franandaj said:


> Meet Pascal, we picked him up over Labor Day weekend.



I dunno, he looks more like a Guido to me.



franandaj said:


> We also put in an offer (and it was accepted) on a contract of 100 points at Bay Lake Tower, so now we’re only 12 points away from the 1000 point club!



Nice! 



franandaj said:


> Now that we had blown the budget (before even stepping foot in Galaxy's Edge) it was time for lunch. Where else would we rather dine than the Plaza Inn? Winner winner chicken dinner!



Always a great choice. 



franandaj said:


> I got the Engineer spot. I think I have since decided that is my most favorite spot. It has the least amount of pressure.



That's good to know.



franandaj said:


> And she got a Yub Nub. I think Disney purposely made the most desirable drink a "souvenir mug only".



 Corporate Disney is annoying.



franandaj said:


> After the ride and our trip to the Cantina, honestly there just isn't that much to do in SWGE, unless you want to drop a couple hundred dollars on a light saber or a Droid.



Um...no thanks.  Hopefully the new ride will be as awesome as they say it is.



franandaj said:


> I ordered the Pupu platter for my meal (from right front, clockwise, panko crusted green beans, chicken wings, gyoza, edamame). This Is always a winner for me. You get your protein and veggies, and breaded and fried almost always makes your veggies better!



And you can make endless pupu platter jokes!



franandaj said:


> It had been over a month since our last visit to Batuu and I was definitely looking forward to spending more time there.



But I thought there wasn't much to do...



franandaj said:


> However, by noon on the first day they hardly needed the boarding groups. By the end of the week, social media posts were reporting record low level crowds.



My theory is that everyone was so worried about the crowds that no one actually went.



franandaj said:


> Well they wouldn’t let her in the park with the tape and security was telling her to take it back to the room.



Really?  Tape?  That one baffles me.



franandaj said:


> So we went to Soarin’ which was still over California at the time



So, the good version, then. 



franandaj said:


> There was this cool little bird nest made from wires on the ship.



I like that touch.  Neat.



franandaj said:


> Until then, it is grounded in the garage.



Time off for bad behavior!



franandaj said:


>



Ooh, those look really good.



franandaj said:


> They come with this cheese sauce, the combination is absolutely delicious!



 Even better!  That sounds amazing!


----------



## dizneeat

franandaj said:


>



*Yeah! Familiar faces in a familiar place. *



franandaj said:


>



*I remember that! *



franandaj said:


>



*Looks good! I could do with the fries right now!*



franandaj said:


>



*Or better have this one. That looks DELISH!!!*



franandaj said:


> We watched the MSEP and the fireworks, but I’m going to save that for the next update, since I did the same thing (different events during the day though), just two weeks later.



*Miss DL!*


----------



## rentayenta

Loving the updates!  Great pics!


----------



## rentayenta

And I am sorry about sweet Alto.


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> Then there is that whole pesky vacant apartment thing again.



Ugh... ongoing... 


franandaj said:


> Also we have had a few days out at Disney, with friends, with just ourselves and that takes recovery time as well!



YAY!!! I'm one of the lucky ones! Always love hanging with you two!!



franandaj said:


> We stopped inside the entrance and watched Devine for a bit.



I love to stand for a bit and just watch her!



franandaj said:


>



One of my very favorite places to sit!



franandaj said:


> The tenant who vacated left the place so clean that there is really nothing I need to do except maybe touch up a couple spots with paint. And when I say a couple, I mean a couple.



WHOA!! Exceptional!



franandaj said:


> I’m in full swing of planning the next few So Cal DISmeets, and I’ve even scheduled the carpet cleaning prior to the visit of @Steppesister and @Malia78, we’re in single digits until their visit so I’m trying to make my home as clean and inviting as possible!



It was a perfect room for us! Thank you again for all the work and care you put out for us!



franandaj said:


> Since DHS has the worst choice of QS restaurants of all the parks,



This is a truism. 



franandaj said:


> Dad and I went up to the counter, there was a good size line, but nothing unusual. As we were waiting, he asked, “Why am I just now, on the last day, finding out about this place?”



LOL!!! I've  done that a few times.... "Where has this been all my life?!"



franandaj said:


> Dad got the Jambon Buerre which was a ham and cheese sandwich on a baguette with butter mustard. He also liked this very much.



I think that's the choice I'd have gone with too. Looks so yummy!



franandaj said:


> Never mind the kids playing tag behind the pillar to our left.


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> Once we’re done there (which will be before 5PM since they only let you stay 45 minutes),



They were only kinda checking. Our tablemates had been there an hour and still hadn't gotten their bill. 


franandaj said:


> Yes, I know Fran and if there are any left in stock, she’ll be buying them.



And I saw she did. Still miffed. I wanted the Rancor Mug more than anything and they were gone. Both parks. 



franandaj said:


> hop on the monorail to the Poly for more mugs at Trader Sam’s.



I see that they were back in stock. I wanted a Nautilus SOOOOo bad. Every. Single. Mug. was sold out. #peeved



franandaj said:


>



Come to me, My Little Beauts! Love those suckers.



franandaj said:


> Fran, Jenny and I just kind of sauntered in leisurely fashion



As it SHOULD be done!



franandaj said:


> I think I have since decided that is my most favorite spot. It has the least amount of pressure.



Preach it, Sis. 


franandaj said:


> Lots of people have indicated that this is the only one that appeals to them, but don't want to spend 50 bucks on a drink.



Ya think...?!  


franandaj said:


>



Crap, shoulda got that one too!



franandaj said:


>


Oh to be sitting at that table!



franandaj said:


> Fran got the Chilled Fruit Soup, which had watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew melon.


Heaven in a bowl!


----------



## jedijill

Caught back up again!  Can't wait to DL with you again in 2 months!

Jill in CO


----------



## dizneeat

jedijill said:


> Caught back up again!  Can't wait to DL with you again in 2 months!
> 
> Jill in CO



*So you are going to DL at Christmastime? Ah ...... must be AWESOME to be able to go back so often. You are one lucky lady, dearest Jill!   Still keeping my fingers crossed for DLRP with you next year. *


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> We put empty ones around the house and call them cat traps.


 I like that!!


franandaj said:


> So did you? How was it?


I did! And I have two words...
Yu-um!


franandaj said:


> They only have it for a couple months in the Summer, but they always have something good. Sure we can put it on the list!


Yusss!!!

Love pie.


franandaj said:


> And in two more weeks I'll be taking my first tub of the trip!


Rub a dub dub, Alison in a tub.


franandaj said:


> This seems to have become a recurring theme.





franandaj said:


> Is this a movie quote I'm not getting?


No. Just a spin on "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."

Which I had not idea was a quote from the bible!


franandaj said:


> Well they can take two scooters but there was already one on the boat.


Ah! Okay, makes more sense now.


franandaj said:


> Either that or the boat is slow and makes multiple stops.


Nah. She's just fast. Indy 500.


franandaj said:


> Yup. And this is part of what I meant about being the tour guide.


Yup. Get that.


franandaj said:


> But you know it happens!





franandaj said:


> You _do_ know her!


Actually... not _nearly_ as well as I'd like.
I haven't talked to her enough yet.
But would like to.


franandaj said:


> We were a little bit confused, the server had to clue us in how to eat it.


Not at all surprised.


franandaj said:


> Someday the hype will die down. Maybe when RotR opens.





franandaj said:


> Well it's a plastic box about 1 meter long and half a meter wide, I'm sure you've seen similar ones at Home Depot. We've got a ton of stuff in there like my large coffee mug, an oven safe stove top pot, a butter dish, a set of knives, measuring cups, napkins, baggies of multiple sizes, trash bags, pepper grinder, salt, my special pillow, and a bunch of other stuff. There's no way a big bottle of juice is going to fit in there. As it is I have to sit on the thing to get the zip ties (they give you a set each trip) on it to close.


Ah! Okay, got it. 


franandaj said:


> And everyone looks to you for what's next. It gets tiring.


Totally get that.


franandaj said:


> So we'll be there after it opens.


Which is maybe not so great... if you wound
up being on it when it went down and people
wound up being stuck on it.


franandaj said:


> And now I'm reminded that my parking lot of forever is gone or seriously reduced in size. I need a new plan for two weeks from now.


What happened?


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Meet Pascal, we picked him up over Labor Day weekend.


Nice! Hope you're happy with it. 


franandaj said:


> The great thing about this van is that we can lift the scooter into the back and just let it ride there, no need for the scooter lift on the back of the car.


Even better. 


franandaj said:


> We also put in an offer (and it was accepted) on a contract of 100 points at Bay Lake Tower, so now we’re only 12 points away from the 1000 point club!


Question. How do you feel about not being able to use resale at future DVC resorts like the Riviera? Has that changed anything for you?


franandaj said:


> As soon as she saw this picture, she knew we had to have it as well.


I like it. 
I thought I quoted about the print you wanted... and I'm _completely_ not surprised you did! It's perfect!


franandaj said:


> Where else would we rather dine than the Plaza Inn? Winner winner chicken dinner!


Yum! Yes please!


franandaj said:


> we rode the Mark Twain while waiting for our time to enter.


I enjoyed doing that. Something I've yet to do in Florida.


franandaj said:


> First we stopped at the Bengal Barbeque


This place was on my list, but... chicken dinner!


franandaj said:


> we rode Smuggler’s Run, I got the Engineer spot. I think I have since decided that is my most favorite spot. It has the least amount of pressure.


Interesting. I had a different take on it.


franandaj said:


> After the ride and our trip to the Cantina, honestly there just isn't that much to do in SWGE, unless you want to drop a couple hundred dollars on a light saber or a Droid.


Yes. Not cheap at all!


franandaj said:


> I had a Tangaroa Cooler which was very good for a drink made with Gin


Would I like it?


franandaj said:


> I ordered the Pupu platter for my meal (from right front, clockwise, panko crusted green beans, chicken wings, gyoza, edamame).


Yum! That looks good.


franandaj said:


> She ordered the Angus 1/2 lb Hawaiian Cheeseburger
> 
> with Grilled Pineapple, Applewood-smoked Bacon, Havarti Cheese, Butter Lettuce, Tomato, Onions, and Sweet-and-Spicy Spread, served with Fries


Hmmm... interesting toppings. Not sure if I approve or not. 
Only one way to be sure, of course. 


franandaj said:


> In July the closest we got to a Disney park was having dinner at Tortilla Jo's in DTD and then sampling the new Salt and Straw Ice cream shop


How was that?


franandaj said:


> By the end of the week, social media posts were reporting record low level crowds.


Really! I didn't know this. And am surprised!


franandaj said:


> Again we met up for dinner, this time at a waterfront location so that we could watch the sun set over the ocean while dining.


Sounds wonderful! 


franandaj said:


> Fran got stuck at the bag check, where we switched scooters, you see my scooter bag had a tear and she had bought this industrial strength tape that she was prepared to fix the bag with. Well they wouldn’t let her in the park with the tape and security was telling her to take it back to the room. She was objecting on principle and asked to see the lead. She was going to argue it out with them and needed my bag with the tear to prove her point.


1. Weird. Why can't you bring in some tape?  
2. Did she win?


franandaj said:


> In the queue I noticed that something wasn't right with Fran's scooter it wasn't staying in gear and sort of slipping into free fall mode, but I was able to make it work and didn't think too much of it.


Uh oh...


franandaj said:


>





franandaj said:


> Fran met up with us at the end of Guardians and we switched back our scooters. I’m not sure how she solved her problem and I don’t think I want to know.


So she had or didn't have the tape?


franandaj said:


> Jill got corn dogs at the Palace for Fran and herself,


Still want to go to the wagon for one. Some day. 


franandaj said:


> Mine is the Beef Kefta, Margaret got the Beef Kebab.


Not sure about the Kefta but the Kebab sure looks good. 


franandaj said:


>


You ride two by two! I didn't know that!


franandaj said:


> There was this cool little bird nest made from wires on the ship.


Cool!


franandaj said:


>


Nice group and nice shot of said group. 


franandaj said:


> We rode Smuggler’s one last time. No one was at the chess table.


That's a rarity.


franandaj said:


> We ordered a round of these potato rolls for the table.


Those look amazing! And with that sauce????


franandaj said:


> Leonard ordered the fancy schmancy cheeseburger on the menu,


something I could see myself doing.


franandaj said:


> I don’t know what this was now, but it’s some kind of chocolate cake with Ice Cream and stuff.


----------



## franandaj

OK folks, I've totally dropped off the grid for the last week+. We're on the way to the airport now for our trip home. I hope to catch up on all your TRs in the next couple days, post an update here, and then start my new TR.

It's been quite a week, kind of like no other! See you when we're back in California!


----------



## dizneeat

*Wow! That trip went by quick! Looking forward to your TR.  *


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> OK folks, I've totally dropped off the grid for the last week+.


I'm sorry, who is this?


franandaj said:


> We're on the way to the airport now for our trip home. I hope to catch up on all your TRs in the next couple days, post an update here, and then start my new TR.


See you later, then!


franandaj said:


> It's been quite a week, kind of like no other!


Oh? Looking forward to hearing all about it.


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> OK folks, I've totally dropped off the grid for the last week+. We're on the way to the airport now for our trip home. I hope to catch up on all your TRs in the next couple days, post an update here, and then start my new TR.
> 
> It's been quite a week, kind of like no other! See you when we're back in California!


Welcome back!!! Looking forward to this as that's quite the lead in!


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


> post an update here, and then start my new TR.



Looking forward to both


----------



## franandaj

dizneeat said:


> *Wow! That trip went by quick! Looking forward to your TR.  *



And I'm still catching up on everyone else's TRs......



pkondz said:


> I'm sorry, who is this?



   At this point, I'm not even sure either!



pkondz said:


> See you later, then!



Looks like much later!



pkondz said:


> Oh? Looking forward to hearing all about it.



And what I didn't know then.....but you'll have to wait for the TR for all that!  I pulled a pkondz and kept my mouth shut!



Steppesister said:


> Welcome back!!! Looking forward to this as that's quite the lead in!



Yeah and I like I said above, what I didn't know then......



DnA2010 said:


> Looking forward to both



I'm getting there.  Picture editing has begun.

Will be back to respond to the previous comments soon!


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> At this point, I'm not even sure either!





franandaj said:


> And what I didn't know then.....but you'll have to wait for the TR for all that! I pulled a pkondz and kept my mouth shut!


I'm rubbing off on you....


Um... that sounds vaguely dirty.


----------



## jedijill

Yay!  I didn't miss much!  Waiting for details from the new trip too!

Jill in CO


----------



## franandaj

afwdwfan said:


> Really? Tape? That's crazy! I guess I could see it being a concern about tape ending up in unwanted places around the park, but they actively ban selfie sticks and even publish that and I still see them in the parks. But they made a big deal about tape?



Evidently any kind of tape is not allowed. I just checked their prohibited items list and they have changed it. The list used to be exhaustive and even said "cremated remains" on the prohibited items. Now they just have a blanket statement of something like "anything we deem unsafe".



afwdwfan said:


> Good luck! I'm glad it at least got you through the day and didn't make you really have to miss out on any plans. Hopefully you can get it figured out and fixed!



It's been two and a half months and we still haven't had time to ride it around the neighborhood and get it to malfunction.  



afwdwfan said:


> Looks like a pretty awesome day, thus far. Anything else is just going to be icing on the cake.



It really was!



DnA2010 said:


> Ya, we're still on sale for sure - come visit



I would love to, but our dance card is filling up, 2020 is pretty much booked now!



Lesley Wake said:


> Oooh, this looks yummy! All the foods look good!



It was very good. I think I need to go back!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That's a pretty sweet deal!



Works out nicely as long as the Accountant can spin it.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I dunno, he looks more like a Guido to me.



   If you say so.... what movie is Guido from?



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Nice!







Captain_Oblivious said:


> Always a great choice.



  I see a visit there in the nearish future when an International Super Couple come to visit.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> That's good to know.



Evidently others do not share my view.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Corporate Disney is annoying.



Disney for uber profit is annoying.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Um...no thanks. Hopefully the new ride will be as awesome as they say it is.



I hope so!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> And you can make endless pupu platter jokes!



Well, I guess you can....



Captain_Oblivious said:


> But I thought there wasn't much to do...



But that doesn't mean the two things there are to do aren't fun! I mean, it's cool to take newbies to the Cantina. I'm doing that twice next month.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> My theory is that everyone was so worried about the crowds that no one actually went.



My theory is they just overestimated how many people wanted to lose their shirts on over price merch vs actual ride experiences. 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Really? Tape? That one baffles me.



I know. Me too  



Captain_Oblivious said:


> So, the good version, then.



Yes. 



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I like that touch. Neat.



On subsequent trips a few more were pointed out to me!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Time off for bad behavior!



And I still have to take it for a scrape around the neighborhood to make it error.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Ooh, those look really good.
> 
> Even better! That sounds amazing!



They are! Which means that they will take them off the menu soon.


----------



## DnA2010

Ohh replies!

This means an update is coming yay!


----------



## franandaj

dizneeat said:


> Yeah! Familiar faces in a familiar place.



You need to come and join in with those faces!



dizneeat said:


> I remember that!



Yes, I do have them somewhat often!



dizneeat said:


> Looks good! I could do with the fries right now!



I could probably use some too!



dizneeat said:


> Or better have this one. That looks DELISH!!!



This is delish!  I've had it quite a few times since then as well!



dizneeat said:


> Miss DL!



You need to make a return trip!



rentayenta said:


> Loving the updates!  Great pics!



Thanks!   



rentayenta said:


> And I am sorry about sweet Alto.







Steppesister said:


> Ugh... ongoing...



It never ends.....



Steppesister said:


> YAY!!! I'm one of the lucky ones! Always love hanging with you two!!



And you get to again!



Steppesister said:


> I love to stand for a bit and just watch her!



Yeah, my parents weren't at all interested.



Steppesister said:


> One of my very favorite places to sit!



Don't you get wet?



Steppesister said:


> WHOA!! Exceptional!



Yeah, I've only had that happen one other time!



Steppesister said:


> It was a perfect room for us! Thank you again for all the work and care you put out for us!



I'm glad that you liked it.



Steppesister said:


> This is a truism.



And sadly it's becoming the park with the most headliners in rides....



Steppesister said:


> LOL!!! I've done that a few times.... "Where has this been all my life?!"



I keep doing that at the Disney food festivals!  



Steppesister said:


> I think that's the choice I'd have gone with too. Looks so yummy!



Perhaps I'll have to try that one someday.



Steppesister said:


> They were only kinda checking. Our tablemates had been there an hour and still hadn't gotten their bill.



Interesting how they do the checks so different on the two Batuus



Steppesister said:


> And I saw she did. Still miffed. I wanted the Rancor Mug more than anything and they were gone. Both parks.



Well, we are going the day you fly down and if they don't have them then, we are going about 10 days later.



Steppesister said:


> I see that they were back in stock. I wanted a Nautilus SOOOOo bad. Every. Single. Mug. was sold out. #peeved



Wow!  That sucks!  Just about every mug was in stock when we were there.



Steppesister said:


> Come to me, My Little Beauts! Love those suckers.



Best way to eat veggies ever!



Steppesister said:


> As it SHOULD be done!







Steppesister said:


> Preach it, Sis.







Steppesister said:


> Ya think...?!



Pretty much everyone that I've sat with at a table has said that.



Steppesister said:


> Crap, shoulda got that one too!



There's always November!



Steppesister said:


> Oh to be sitting at that table!



Yeah.....about that.....but you were there in September!



Steppesister said:


> Heaven in a bowl!



She enjoyed it!



jedijill said:


> Caught back up again!  Can't wait to DL with you again in 2 months!
> 
> Jill in CO



Yeah, we need to figure out how that "weekend" is going to work....probably not on a public forum.....



dizneeat said:


> *So you are going to DL at Christmastime? Ah ...... must be AWESOME to be able to go back so often. You are one lucky lady, dearest Jill!   Still keeping my fingers crossed for DLRP with you next year. *



A quick trip for too much eating and drinking......


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> Yusss!!!
> 
> Love pie.



Well we need to make a list of places to go when you come down for your "annual" visit! 



pkondz said:


> Rub a dub dub, Alison in a tub.



And my walkin is still not fixed.   I got so desperate that we cleaned all the boxes and storage stuff out of the jacuzzi tub in the hall bathroom.



pkondz said:


> No. Just a spin on "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."
> 
> Which I had not idea was a quote from the bible!



I would not have known that either, being the heathen that I am.



pkondz said:


> Nah. She's just fast. Indy 500.







pkondz said:


> Actually... not _nearly_ as well as I'd like.
> I haven't talked to her enough yet.
> But would like to.



Well somewhere in these threads i saw you saying something about being overdue for your annual visit.  



pkondz said:


> Ah! Okay, got it.



I even took pictures on this last trip for you!



pkondz said:


> Which is maybe not so great... if you wound
> up being on it when it went down and people
> wound up being stuck on it.



Funny you should mention something like that.



pkondz said:


> What happened?



Lot C (where I have parked my car longer than I've known Fran) has been turned into a satellite rental car location.  I believe that you even mentioned something about a cluster$*@% when picking up or returning a rental car from LAX.  They are streamlining everything so that there is only one bus for rental cars, and all the companies are in a centralized location.  That way instead of 10 companies with shuttles driving around the terminals there will be one central one. And they're going to put in a fake-o-rail eventually. 



pkondz said:


> Nice! Hope you're happy with it.



I like it! Both our new cars are nice. I'm trying to keep Fran from trashing them like our old car, and it's a losing battle. 



pkondz said:


> Question. How do you feel about not being able to use resale at future DVC resorts like the Riviera? Has that changed anything for you?



Well they actually made a similar rule about 7-8 years ago, and I purchased my BCV and BRV (used to be WLV) just before the restrictions kicked in. I've got 888 points that I CAN use for the Riviera, because the rules are moving forward from a set date and not retroactive.  If they are retroactive, i still have 290 points that were purchased direct from Disney that I could use there. Besides I haven't seen anything about the Riviera that makes me overly excited to stay there. I want to stay in the Copper Creek cabins more.



pkondz said:


> I like it.
> I thought I quoted about the print you wanted... and I'm _completely_ not surprised you did! It's perfect!



We need to play museum curator, and rotate our collection so it is on display!



pkondz said:


> Yum! Yes please!



I can't wait to have it again in just a few weeks when we stay out there with some DIS friends!



pkondz said:


> I enjoyed doing that. Something I've yet to do in Florida.



You know I haven't either!



pkondz said:


> This place was on my list, but... chicken dinner!



It's best as a snack option, for when you just want something little.



pkondz said:


> Interesting. I had a different take on it.



I'll be curious to hear yours, although I vaguely remember reading something in more detail about your experience. 



pkondz said:


> Yes. Not cheap at all!



Maybe instead of Batuu it should have been called Buxtoo!



pkondz said:


> Would I like it?



Possibly. It wasn't sweet though.



pkondz said:


> Yum! That looks good.



It was one of my favorites until they had a menu change about a month ago. It's still on the menu, but theybadded some better stuff. Coming soon in an update near you.



pkondz said:


> Hmmm... interesting toppings. Not sure if I approve or not.
> Only one way to be sure, of course.



Mark says pineapple on a burger is awesome.



pkondz said:


> How was that?



Which? Tortilla Jo's or Salt and Straw?



pkondz said:


> Really! I didn't know this. And am surprised!



So was everyone else!



pkondz said:


> Sounds wonderful!



It was! 



pkondz said:


> 1. Weird. Why can't you bring in some tape?
> 2. Did she win?



I have no idea. On both counts. 



pkondz said:


> So she had or didn't have the tape?



I plead the fifth. (If you know what that means).



pkondz said:


> Still want to go to the wagon for one. Some day.



I had one just two months ago. It was basically identical to the Corn Dog Palace except there was no cheese dog option.



pkondz said:


> Not sure about the Kefta but the Kebab sure looks good.



I really like the kefta. Could be that in my old age I like things that are easier to chew. Ground meat vs. Steak chunks.



pkondz said:


> You ride two by two! I didn't know that!



Did we not ride it when you were here?



pkondz said:


> Nice group and nice shot of said group.



Thanks! 



pkondz said:


> Those look amazing! And with that sauce????



Yeah, they are pretty good. I'm afraid they might take them off the menu. 



pkondz said:


> something I could see myself doing.



Another thing for the list when you come back!


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> I'm rubbing off on you....
> 
> 
> Um... that sounds vaguely dirty.



You're right it does.  I'm oddly OK with that!  



jedijill said:


> Yay!  I didn't miss much!  Waiting for details from the new trip too!
> 
> Jill in CO



I've been kinda MIA, still working on the pictures for the new trip.



DnA2010 said:


> Ohh replies!
> 
> This means an update is coming yay!



Hopefully.  At least over here.  I'm not quite ready for the new TR yet.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Well we need to make a list of places to go when you come down for your "annual" visit!


I do love my pie...  


franandaj said:


> And my walkin is still not fixed.  I got so desperate that we cleaned all the boxes and storage stuff out of the jacuzzi tub in the hall bathroom.


Oh dear. Any time-frame on that?


franandaj said:


> I would not have known that either, being the heathen that I am.


And fire and brimstone shall rain down upon thee!!!!

Which sounds pretty good if it's cold out.


franandaj said:


> Well somewhere in these threads i saw you saying something about being overdue for your annual visit.


Semi-annual?


franandaj said:


> I even took pictures on this last trip for you!


Thanks!


franandaj said:


> Funny you should mention something like that.


 


franandaj said:


> Lot C (where I have parked my car longer than I've known Fran) has been turned into a satellite rental car location. I believe that you even mentioned something about a cluster$*@% when picking up or returning a rental car from LAX. They are streamlining everything so that there is only one bus for rental cars, and all the companies are in a centralized location. That way instead of 10 companies with shuttles driving around the terminals there will be one central one. And they're going to put in a fake-o-rail eventually.


Huh. 
tbh, I don't remember if it was a mess or not... I do remember being stuck in traffic _going_ to the terminal.


franandaj said:


> I like it! Both our new cars are nice. I'm trying to keep Fran from trashing them like our old car, and it's a losing battle.


Oh dear. Good luck!


franandaj said:


> Well they actually made a similar rule about 7-8 years ago, and I purchased my BCV and BRV (used to be WLV) just before the restrictions kicked in. I've got 888 points that I CAN use for the Riviera, because the rules are moving forward from a set date and not retroactive. If they are retroactive, i still have 290 points that were purchased direct from Disney that I could use there. Besides I haven't seen anything about the Riviera that makes me overly excited to stay there. I want to stay in the Copper Creek cabins more.


They did? (the rule 7-8 years ago) I didn't know that. 
I did a DVC tour of WL while I was there last trip.
Thought briefly about re-sale, but... 

Still pondering. But leaning towards "no"... I see myself doing other things than Disney a bit more in the future.


franandaj said:


> I can't wait to have it again in just a few weeks when we stay out there with some DIS friends!


Is that with Liesa? I saw just up above that you mentioned November?


franandaj said:


> It's best as a snack option, for when you just want something little.


No! I wants *ALL THE CHICKEN*!!!!!


franandaj said:


> I'll be curious to hear yours, although I vaguely remember reading something in more detail about your experience.


It'll probably be in my second chapter of the new TR... which I've got the first chapter about half written.


franandaj said:


> Maybe instead of Batuu it should have been called Buxtoo!


 Perfect!


franandaj said:


> Mark says pineapple on a burger is awesome.


Well, Mark _is_ an authority on burgers, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
But so am I, and will just have to see for myself. 


franandaj said:


> Which? Tortilla Jo's or Salt and Straw?


Salt and Straw.


franandaj said:


> I have no idea. On both counts.


Ask her and tell her pkondz wants to know. 


franandaj said:


> I plead the fifth. (If you know what that means).


I do.
(From memory, no Googling)
Basically it's your right to not say anything so as not to incriminate yourself.

Right?


franandaj said:


> Did we not ride it when you were here?


I don't think so.


franandaj said:


> Another thing for the list when you come back!


 I hope _you're_ keeping track!


franandaj said:


> You're right it does. I'm oddly OK with that!


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> Oh dear. Any time-frame on that?



Well they were supposed to come out the week we got back from WDW, but the part they had was broken.  Now they're scheduled for next week.  But this week I broke down and cleaned all the boxes and stuff out of the jacuzzi tub in the hall bathroom.  It's not a walk in tub, but it is a tub nonetheless.  I've been in there every night since I cleaned it out.



pkondz said:


> And fire and brimstone shall rain down upon thee!!!!
> 
> Which sounds pretty good if it's cold out.



Which it IS NOT here.  



pkondz said:


> Semi-annual?



More like bi-annual....



pkondz said:


> Huh.
> tbh, I don't remember if it was a mess or not... I do remember being stuck in traffic _going_ to the terminal.



There's always traffic somewhere here!



pkondz said:


> They did? (the rule 7-8 years ago) I didn't know that.
> I did a DVC tour of WL while I was there last trip.
> Thought briefly about re-sale, but...
> 
> Still pondering. But leaning towards "no"... I see myself doing other things than Disney a bit more in the future.



The rule from 7-8 years ago was that you couldn't use resale points to trade out for hotel stays (at non DVC hotels) or towards Disney Cruises.  I generally don't do that anyways.  I rent out my points and make twice as much as you would get towards a cruise.



pkondz said:


> Is that with Liesa? I saw just up above that you mentioned November?



Well Liesa is tagging along, but it's actually with @Flossbolna and her husband.



pkondz said:


> It'll probably be in my second chapter of the new TR... which I've got the first chapter about half written.



I've got just about my whole TR written, minus some little tweaks in the verbage and to accommodate certain pictures.  It's getting the pictures resized, in order and such that takes all the time!



pkondz said:


> Well, Mark _is_ an authority on burgers, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
> But so am I, and will just have to see for myself.



Personally I'm not a huge fan of pineapple on burgers, but a lot of people seem to like it.



pkondz said:


> Salt and Straw.



The ice cream was of very high quality.  I enjoyed my flavor which I believe was salted caramel something.  They had a lot of really weird flavors there though....I'm more of a traditionalist when it comes to Ice Cream.



pkondz said:


> Ask her and tell her pkondz wants to know.
> 
> I do.
> (From memory, no Googling)
> Basically it's your right to not say anything so as not to incriminate yourself.
> 
> Right?



So guess what?  I'm not going to tell you on a public forum.  You can wait until your bi-annual visit!  



pkondz said:


> I don't think so.



Huh.  I could have sworn that I convinced you to do it because it was way smoother than WDW's version.



pkondz said:


> I hope _you're_ keeping track!



Sort of....I'll remember the places _I_ want to go!


----------



## franandaj

Since my last bonus feature update I've been to the world and back. I’ll be starting that TR pretty soon.  I think I’ve caught up on everyone’s TRs and I’ve got this update taken care of so that one will be next on the agenda. It’s been a wild time since we got back. We had a Masquerade Ball, two band performances, and in the process of the performances I put my back out. I have not felt pain like this in any other time in my life that I can remember. Every day I wake up thinking today is the day I feel better. And then I get out of bed.


No real IRL updates. The 3 bedroom unit is still vacant and last Tuesday the tenant in Apartment 2 turned in her keys. It's a lousy time of year to have vacancies, but what can we do? Just hope that some good tenants come along soon!


Oh well back to the bonus features! 


Two weeks after my last Bonus Feature update, @********** and his family were in town. I knew that I wouldn't have the oomph for another long day like we did with Jill and the Jenny fam, so instead I met them out at the parks around 2 o'clock. They had just returned to the park after their midday break and were having lunch at the Cucamonga Cucina. After lunch, while his wife and daughter waited in the shade, Pete and I rode the Incredicoaster. 





All of us went to ride RSR.





He convinced his family to ride guardians but they were one and done. 





He and I rode it again. It was very hot out and I needed a break. Everyone else agreed and we stopped for a drink and some AC.





Then we rode Soarin which was still over CA. So much better than the new one.

We hopped over to DL and went for a spin on Buzz lightyear, and I think we rode one other thing somewhere in there, but I can't remember. We grabbed seats for the Electrical parade and Pete picked us up some corn dogs to eat while we waited.

The parade was great, but since I took pictures just a couple weeks before, I just sat back and relaxed. From our vantage point we also had a good view of the fireworks. I’ll show you some of the pics I took two weeks ago now since this update has been light on pictures.









































































After the parade we got to see the fireworks too!  By the time it was all over, I was all tuckered out. Even with starting around 2PM it had been a long day filled with rides and fun. I said good night to Pete and his family. They had a fun week ahead of them with more park time and the D23 Expo too!


----------



## franandaj

New TR link here.  I'll send out bat signals tomorrow,


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Well they were supposed to come out the week we got back from WDW, but the part they had was broken.





franandaj said:


> It's not a walk in tub, but it is a tub nonetheless. I've been in there every night since I cleaned it out.


OMG! DO YOU NEED US TO CALL THE EMTS TO GET YOU OUT???????


franandaj said:


> Which it IS NOT here.


I took a quick peek.

You're high this week is mid 80s. Nice. 
Ours is _slightly_ lower with a high on Thursday of 39!! Oh boy!





franandaj said:


> More like bi-annual....


 


franandaj said:


> There's always traffic somewhere here!


It's your State Sport!


franandaj said:


> Well Liesa is tagging along, but it's actually with @Flossbolna and her husband.


Ah!


franandaj said:


> I've got just about my whole TR written, minus some little tweaks in the verbage and to accommodate certain pictures. It's getting the pictures resized, in order and such that takes all the time!


Yeah, the photos take a lot of time. Some more than others.
Interesting how our writing styles differ so much, though.
I never write until I've gotten all the photos for an update edited, uploaded to photobucket and downloaded to the DIS.
Well... most of them. Sometimes I am in the middle of writing and decide I need another photo for some reason or other.


franandaj said:


> The ice cream was of very high quality. I enjoyed my flavor which I believe was salted caramel something. They had a lot of really weird flavors there though....I'm more of a traditionalist when it comes to Ice Cream.


Add it to the list!


franandaj said:


> So guess what? I'm not going to tell you on a public forum. You can wait until your bi-annual visit!


You _really_ want me to come down, don't you?
(The feeling is mutual. )


franandaj said:


> Huh. I could have sworn that I convinced you to do it because it was way smoother than WDW's version.


I really don't remember? I'll have to ask K. Her memory is better than mine.


franandaj said:


> Sort of....I'll remember the places _I_ want to go!


 Good enough!


franandaj said:


> We had a Masquerade Ball, two band performances, and in the process of the performances I put my back out. I have not felt pain like this in any other time in my life that I can remember. Every day I wake up thinking today is the day I feel better. And then I get out of bed.


Oh, no!!!!
I'm so sorry to hear that.
Throwing your back out is _never_ fun. I haven't done it (well, not to the point where I couldn't move, anyways... some tweaks though) in a couple years and I _really_ don't want to again.


franandaj said:


> The 3 bedroom unit is still vacant and last Tuesday the tenant in Apartment 2 turned in her keys. It's a lousy time of year to have vacancies, but what can we do? Just hope that some good tenants come along soon!


Good luck with that. 


franandaj said:


>





franandaj said:


>


Yep. Driving in the dessert is thirsty work. 


franandaj said:


> He convinced his family to ride guardians but they were one and done.


Not a fan of drops, I take it.


franandaj said:


> Then we rode Soarin which was still over CA. So much better than the new one.





franandaj said:


> I’ll show you some of the pics I took two weeks ago now since this update has been light on pictures.


Got some good ones. Although they spelled "honour" wrong again.


----------



## pkondz

I just asked Kay and she said we didn't ride Space Mountain in DL. She remembers when we rode it (previously) in WDW, but didn't even know there was one in DL.


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> And sadly it's becoming the park with the most headliners in rides....


Then they'd better up their game. However, here are the winners:

HBD- Cobb Salad
Ronto Roaster Hot Dog (yes, I'd get it again)
Prime Time Chicken Dinner (you can get food at the Tune-In as well)
Woody's- not tried it yet, but the Tochos are getting great reviews as is the cheese sammie and tomato soup
Baseline has that nice pretzel



franandaj said:


> Well, we are going the day you fly down and if they don't have them then, we are going about 10 days later.



here's crossing my fingers!



franandaj said:


> Wow! That sucks! Just about every mug was in stock when we were there.



Of *course *they were. 



franandaj said:


> Yeah.....about that.....but you were there in September!



But  not with those great peeps!


----------



## tammy

Sooo jealous!  Looks like you guys had a ball.


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


>



Well technically you aren't drinking and drinking as you aren't anywhere near the drivers seat 



franandaj said:


> He convinced his family to ride guardians but they were one and done.



Mine is wondering if they can manage to get all of the songs   



franandaj said:


> We grabbed seats for the Electrical parade and Pete picked us up some corn dogs to eat while we waited.



Yumm!  They are generally pretty darn good!



franandaj said:


>





franandaj said:


>



Some of my earliest Disneyland memories are these two fellows!


----------



## skier_pete

franandaj said:


> Since my last bonus feature update I've been to the world and back. I’ll be starting that TR pretty soon.  I think I’ve caught up on everyone’s TRs and I’ve got this update taken care of so that one will be next on the agenda. It’s been a wild time since we got back. We had a Masquerade Ball, two band performances, and in the process of the performances I put my back out. I have not felt pain like this in any other time in my life that I can remember. Every day I wake up thinking today is the day I feel better. And then I get out of bed.
> 
> 
> No real IRL updates. The 3 bedroom unit is still vacant and last Tuesday the tenant in Apartment 2 turned in her keys. It's a lousy time of year to have vacancies, but what can we do? Just hope that some good tenants come along soon!
> 
> 
> Oh well back to the bonus features!
> 
> 
> Two weeks after my last Bonus Feature update, @********** and his family were in town. I knew that I wouldn't have the oomph for another long day like we did with Jill and the Jenny fam, so instead I met them out at the parks around 2 o'clock. They had just returned to the park after their midday break and were having lunch at the Cucamonga Cucina. After lunch, while his wife and daughter waited in the shade, Pete and I rode the Incredicoaster.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> All of us went to ride RSR.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> He convinced his family to ride guardians but they were one and done.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> He and I rode it again. It was very hot out and I needed a break. Everyone else agreed and we stopped for a drink and some AC.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Then we rode Soarin which was still over CA. So much better than the new one.
> 
> We hopped over to DL and went for a spin on Buzz lightyear, and I think we rode one other thing somewhere in there, but I can't remember. We grabbed seats for the Electrical parade and Pete picked us up some corn dogs to eat while we waited.
> 
> The parade was great, but since I took pictures just a couple weeks before, I just sat back and relaxed. From our vantage point we also had a good view of the fireworks. I’ll show you some of the pics I took two weeks ago now since this update has been light on pictures.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After the parade we got to see the fireworks too!  By the time it was all over, I was all tuckered out. Even with starting around 2PM it had been a long day filled with rides and fun. I said good night to Pete and his family. They had a fun week ahead of them with more park time and the D23 Expo too!



That was such a fun afternoon. We really got a lot done that day even where we had a 3 hour break and then spending the afternoon with you. DW and DD still talk about how much they HATED Guardians of the Galaxy. Poor DD16 was practically shivering from fright on the ride. I thought it was great though - the ride not them being afraid. So glad we got to ride twice and got two different show scenes. It was definitely a warm one but the break in the afternoon made it tolerable. 

I also agree that Soarin' over CA is better than World of Soarin' - mostly for me all the CGI stuff distracts me from the "real" of some scenes. That and the wonky Eiffel Tower when seen from the edges. 

The ride you missed was we also rode Star Tours after Buzz Lightyear but before the parade. We really got a lot of rides in that day! It was great fun to spend that time with you.


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> OMG! DO YOU NEED US TO CALL THE EMTS TO GET YOU OUT???????



Funny. Funny. Funny.



pkondz said:


> I took a quick peek.
> 
> You're high this week is mid 80s. Nice.
> Ours is _slightly_ lower with a high on Thursday of 39!! Oh boy!



We're still in the 80s.  Hoping we get down into the 70s later this week when I'm back at the parks.



pkondz said:


> It's your State Sport!







pkondz said:


> Yeah, the photos take a lot of time. Some more than others.
> Interesting how our writing styles differ so much, though.
> I never write until I've gotten all the photos for an update edited, uploaded to photobucket and downloaded to the DIS.
> Well... most of them. Sometimes I am in the middle of writing and decide I need another photo for some reason or other.



Well with my advanced age, I can't remember little nuances about the trip when I go to write it up any more.  About four years ago I started taking notes, at first I used WordPad or Notes or something on the phone.  Then I discovered Google Docs, and since then I just write about what happened in the document.  Then when I add in the pictures, I can expand upon what I was thinking about when I get to that point at home on my computer (or more often than not on my phone )

I'm not as witty as you or Liesa and I don't come up with little back stories behind my visits.  I'm more of a "tell it like it was" person, with some sarcasm and cynicism thrown in for good measure.



pkondz said:


> You _really_ want me to come down, don't you?
> (The feeling is mutual. )



I always enjoy having my DIS friends visit!  Especially the fun ones who come bearing exotic chocolate!



pkondz said:


> Oh, no!!!!
> I'm so sorry to hear that.
> Throwing your back out is _never_ fun. I haven't done it (well, not to the point where I couldn't move, anyways... some tweaks though) in a couple years and I _really_ don't want to again.



Oh. My. God.   I don't think I've had that much pain at any point in my adult life that I can remember. Probably in my entire life.  It was just a few minutes of improper posture that screwed me up for nearly 10 days.  I don't handle pain well, and I was quite unhappy and unproductive in that time period.



pkondz said:


> Good luck with that.



Still waiting.  



pkondz said:


> Yep. Driving in the dessert is thirsty work.



Must be all that chocolate....   



pkondz said:


> Not a fan of drops, I take it.



I guess not.  They didn't want to ride Incredicoaster either.



pkondz said:


> Got some good ones. Although they spelled "honour" wrong again.



Silly Canadian.  



pkondz said:


> I just asked Kay and she said we didn't ride Space Mountain in DL. She remembers when we rode it (previously) in WDW, but didn't even know there was one in DL.



Interesting.  Well there's something else we need to add to that list.  So far I have pies from Polly's, Burgers and milkshakes at Dales, and now Space Mountain.


----------



## franandaj

Steppesister said:


> Then they'd better up their game. However, here are the winners:
> 
> HBD- Cobb Salad



Yes, this is definitely good and you can get it in the lounge, no?



Steppesister said:


> Ronto Roaster Hot Dog (yes, I'd get it again)



I didn't find it to be all that....



Steppesister said:


> Prime Time Chicken Dinner (you can get food at the Tune-In as well)



Yes!  This I love!



Steppesister said:


> Woody's- not tried it yet, but the Tochos are getting great reviews as is the cheese sammie and tomato soup



I would be anxious to try both of these too!  Next trip we are not making a ton of reservations and doing more QS or walk ups at less popular restaurants, plus the Festival of the Arts booths.



Steppesister said:


> Baseline has that nice pretzel



I'm not a huge pretzel fan....



Steppesister said:


> here's crossing my fingers!



I'm sure we'll get it for you.



Steppesister said:


> Of *course *they were.







Steppesister said:


> But not with those great peeps!



True!



tammy said:


> Sooo jealous!  Looks like you guys had a ball.



We had a very fun time!


----------



## franandaj

DnA2010 said:


> Well technically you aren't drinking and drinking as you aren't anywhere near the drivers seat



Exactly!



DnA2010 said:


> Mine is wondering if they can manage to get all of the songs



I'm willing to try for that!



DnA2010 said:


> Yumm! They are generally pretty darn good!



So many great things to eat there!



DnA2010 said:


> Some of my earliest Disneyland memories are these two fellows!



Funny my earliest memories of DL were running away from this parade to ride the rides while everyone was on Main Street!


----------



## franandaj

********** said:


> That was such a fun afternoon. We really got a lot done that day even where we had a 3 hour break and then spending the afternoon with you. DW and DD still talk about how much they HATED Guardians of the Galaxy. Poor DD16 was practically shivering from fright on the ride. I thought it was great though - the ride not them being afraid. So glad we got to ride twice and got two different show scenes. It was definitely a warm one but the break in the afternoon made it tolerable.



We did get a lot done.  I was exhausted when Fran picked me up that night!  The mid day break was definitely good for our stamina!



********** said:


> I also agree that Soarin' over CA is better than World of Soarin' - mostly for me all the CGI stuff distracts me from the "real" of some scenes. That and the wonky Eiffel Tower when seen from the edges.



I totally agree.  I will generally wait to get the upper middle row rather than have to see that.



********** said:


> The ride you missed was we also rode Star Tours after Buzz Lightyear but before the parade. We really got a lot of rides in that day! It was great fun to spend that time with you.



Ah, thanks for filling in that gap in my memory!  And I didn't really even have that much to drink!


----------



## franandaj

So it was nearly another two weeks after my last update when the next meet up happened. Some of you may be familiar with the EPIC girls meet that happened in WDW last May. Most of the gals involved in that meet were still polishing up their TRs from said meet when a West Coast Epic Mini Meet began to take shape. 

It started that @chunkymonkey was going to be passing through CA in the beginning of September. She wanted to know if @Lesley_Wake could hang out with us being that she's a local and all. Well then @Steppesister got word of this and then @Malia78, and pretty soon it was a EPIC mini meet!


Liesa and Kari arrived Saturday morning and went right to DL while Fran and I slaved to make the house as presentable as possible. Later that afternoon we picked them up off the floor at Trader Sam's (just kidding, but they had been awake since 2AM). We had dinner at Yuzu Shabu, photo recycled from a previous trip.







The following Sunday, Liesa and Kari left for the parks between 8-9AM via Uber or Lyft and who knows what they did, but you can read about that on Liesa's TR!


We all ended up meeting around 5PM and after a group shot, we headed upstairs for some refreshing libations! 





There were some special drinks available in honor of the Haunted Mansion's 50th Anniversary.





I ended up going with the Blushing Bride which I believe had rum, some kind of cream liqueur and either cranberry or grenadine to mimick the blood.  It was very good, a little sweet and not too strong, if I had the chance again, I would have ordered the one with the fog and tree branches pictured in Liesa's TR.





They also had these really cool HM bust mugs, but I had picked some up a couple weeks before when we visited for the HM actual 50th Anniversary.













Pretty soon we were taken to our table in the main dining room. I don't know why we didn't get another picture of our group! But at least I got the menu!





Our Amuse Bouche was almond and green grape gazpacho





Kari got the Chilled Shrimp, Cucumber Relish, Dill Creme Fraiche





Fran and I got the Artichoke Gratinee, Sorrel, Red Pepper Hollandaise. This was very tasty!





We were served some Brioche and butter





I believe that Kari and a few others had the Roasted Tomato Bisque en Croute, Summer Zucchini, Basil. The soup was not as creamy as most of them would have liked, but the presentation was interesting. 





Fran and I both had the Heirloom Tomato Salad, Basil Pesto, Balsmic Crouton.  This was very tasty as many of you know we like our tomatoes and cheese.





I think Liesa got this for her third course, White Cheddar Potato Ravioli, Fava Bean, Thyme.  I had been considering getting this one as well.  I had it a few weeks later, and I have to say that I made the right choice this night.  It wasn’t bad, but the fish was much better!





Sauteed Saint Pierre, Tomato Concasse, Leek, Summer Truffle.  This was very good!  The fish was cooked just perfectly and had just the perfect amount of flavor in the sauce.  Both Fran and I got this.





Intermezzo - pomegranate sorbet with a pomegranate and mint relish.  Also excellent!





Then we came to the point where I am almost always regretting how much I ate of the previous courses.  I was starting to get full.  We decided to split the Lobster Thermidor.





And the Veal Oscar





Both were tasty, but I think in the long run, I’m going to stick with the Beef or Lamb options that they have. I liked them both but since I get so full when the main comes around it might be better from a leftover perspective to go with the steak option. Which is what Liesa did.





They were serving a special dessert Mansion Ice Box cake. It was only available in the dining room. It was raspberry based and pretty tasty!





After this we settled up our checks and waddled over to the hub to watch the MSEP. Check out Liesa's pictures, they came out way better than mine ever have!


Up next a whirlwind day of park hopping.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Funny. Funny. Funny.


 


franandaj said:


> We're still in the 80s. Hoping we get down into the 70s later this week when I'm back at the parks.


70s. That's my temperature preference, too.


franandaj said:


> Well with my advanced age, I can't remember little nuances about the trip when I go to write it up any more. About four years ago I started taking notes, at first I used WordPad or Notes or something on the phone. Then I discovered Google Docs, and since then I just write about what happened in the document. Then when I add in the pictures, I can expand upon what I was thinking about when I get to that point at home on my computer (or more often than not on my phone )


I am finding that taking notes is a necessity, not a luxury. I'm also finding that by the time I get around to actually writing about the trip... sometimes the notes... well...
"What does "That kid with the banana was hilarious!" mean?


franandaj said:


> I'm not as witty as you or Liesa


I beg to differ. Well... I can't speak for Liesa, but you're easily as witty (or more) as me.


franandaj said:


> I'm more of a "tell it like it was" person, with some sarcasm and cynicism thrown in for good measure.


Love the sarcasm. 


franandaj said:


> I always enjoy having my DIS friends visit!


I always enjoy visiting my DIS friends!


franandaj said:


> Especially the fun ones who come bearing exotic chocolate!


I'll bring you some of these!!!!




​


franandaj said:


> Oh. My. God. I don't think I've had that much pain at any point in my adult life that I can remember. Probably in my entire life. It was just a few minutes of improper posture that screwed me up for nearly 10 days. I don't handle pain well, and I was quite unhappy and unproductive in that time period.


Ya.....
I am overly familiar with this... and live in constant fear of it returning, especially at an inopportune time. Like when I'm travelling.
I won't live my life afraid of "the next one", but... 

Remind me to tell you the story of the time I was in the hospital... nsf-DIS


franandaj said:


> Must be all that chocolate....


Caught that, didja? 


franandaj said:


> Silly Canadian.





franandaj said:


> Interesting. Well there's something else we need to add to that list. So far I have pies from Polly's, Burgers and milkshakes at Dales, and now Space Mountain.


That's a pretty good list.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Some of you may be familiar with the EPIC girls meet that happened in WDW last May.





franandaj said:


> pretty soon it was a EPIC mini meet!


I really like this! Glad you guys had your own little epic meet. 


franandaj said:


> Later that afternoon we picked them up off the floor at Trader Sam's





franandaj said:


> (just kidding, but they had been awake since 2AM).


Looong day!


franandaj said:


> We had dinner at Yuzu Shabu, photo recycled from a previous trip.


That looks really interesting. I've never done that.


franandaj said:


> you can read about that on Liesa's TR!


I did!


franandaj said:


>


OMG. 
I just noticed...
Liesa said something like decorum prevented her from doing a chunkydump… but it's Lesley! She's holding her up and stopping her!


franandaj said:


> I ended up going with the Blushing Bride which I believe had rum, some kind of cream liqueur and either cranberry or grenadine to mimick the blood.


I really like the description and the look, but... <sigh>… rum.


franandaj said:


>


1. Those are much bigger than I thought! I wasn't interested before, but I was wrong!
2. Love the dress. 


franandaj said:


> Our Amuse Bouche was almond and green grape gazpacho


Interesting combo. How was that?


franandaj said:


> Kari got the Chilled Shrimp, Cucumber Relish, Dill Creme Fraiche


I think I might've ordered the same.


franandaj said:


> The soup was not as creamy as most of them would have liked, but the presentation was interesting.


Yes it is... So much so that I'm considering trying to make it myself.


franandaj said:


> Fran and I both had the Heirloom Tomato Salad, Basil Pesto, Balsmic Crouton. This was very tasty as many of you know we like our tomatoes and cheese.





franandaj said:


> Sauteed Saint Pierre, Tomato Concasse, Leek, Summer Truffle.


While it looks good... this description sounds amazing.


franandaj said:


> Intermezzo - pomegranate sorbet with a pomegranate and mint relish. Also excellent!


mmmmm… sorbet.


franandaj said:


> We decided to split the Lobster Thermidor.


Interesting...
I've only had lobster thermidor once. And it looked _nothing_ like that. 


franandaj said:


> And the Veal Oscar


Drool...


franandaj said:


> Check out Liesa's pictures, they came out way better than mine ever have!


I did! And they're really good!


----------



## DnA2010

franandaj said:


> I'm willing to try for that!



I will tell her (I thought I quoted the whole thing, but apparently not- this was about getting all the songs on Guardians)


franandaj said:


> Funny my earliest memories of DL were running away from this parade to ride the rides while everyone was on Main Street!


I think that will be us when CP is on!



franandaj said:


>


So coordinated! Love the mugs!


franandaj said:


>



I'm getting hungry reading this!



franandaj said:


> We were served some Brioche and butter



I truly love bread and butter  


franandaj said:


>



This does look interesting 



franandaj said:


> White Cheddar Potato Ravioli, Fava Bean, Thyme. I had been considering getting this one as well. I had it a few weeks later, and I have to say that I made the right choice this night. It wasn’t bad, but the fish was much better!



Those do look good, but I think I'd have had the fish 


franandaj said:


>



This looks pretty perfect too!


----------



## Lesley Wake

pkondz said:


> OMG.
> I just noticed...
> Liesa said something like decorum prevented her from doing a chunkydump… but it's Lesley! She's holding her up and stopping her!


Hahaha! I think we were going for a Prom pose, but I like your version better! @Steppesister


----------



## jedijill

Caught back up again.  Your lunch at the Club looked amazing!

Jill in CO


----------



## Captain_Oblivious

Just catching up on your threads...



franandaj said:


> Then we rode Soarin which was still over CA. So much better than the new one.



I couldn't agree more!



franandaj said:


> It started that @chunkymonkey was going to be passing through CA in the beginning of September. She wanted to know if @Lesley_Wake could hang out with us being that she's a local and all. Well then @Steppesister got word of this and then @Malia78, and pretty soon it was a EPIC mini meet!



That is quite the epic meet.  I'm sure it was a great time for everyone.


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> It started that @chunkymonkey was going to be passing through CA in the beginning of September. She wanted to know if @Lesley_Wake could hang out with us being that she's a local and all. Well then @Steppesister got word of this and then @Malia78, and pretty soon it was a EPIC mini meet!



IT WAS EPIC!!



franandaj said:


> I slaved to make the house as presentable as possible.



Any hospitality offered by friends is always perfect. Stop worrying! Our accomodations were beyond awesome!! 



franandaj said:


> Later that afternoon we picked them up off the floor at Trader Sam's



 

Did I mention the power nap on the cushy chairs at the outdoor area? 



franandaj said:


> who knows what they did



We were definitely  up to no good! 



franandaj said:


> Sauteed Saint Pierre, Tomato Concasse, Leek, Summer Truffle. This was very good! The fish was cooked just perfectly and had just the perfect amount of flavor in the sauce. Both Fran and I got this.


That fish!!


That fish was unbelievably good!



franandaj said:


> Which is what Liesa did.



I did, and yet... 

your cats loved them. 

 



franandaj said:


> waddled over to the hub to watch the MSEP.



better than staggered. I've done that too. 



franandaj said:


> Check out Liesa's pictures, they came out way better than mine ever have!



Awww, thanks,  Alison. 



pkondz said:


> OMG.
> I just noticed...
> Liesa said something like decorum prevented her from doing a chunkydump… but it's Lesley! She's holding her up and stopping her!



Buahahahahahahahaha!






Lesley Wake said:


> Hahaha! I think we were going for a Prom pose, but I like your version better! @Steppesister



Too funny!!!


----------



## franandaj

pkondz said:


> I am finding that taking notes is a necessity, not a luxury. I'm also finding that by the time I get around to actually writing about the trip... sometimes the notes... well...
> "What does "That kid with the banana was hilarious!" mean?



That's why I write full on paragraphs.  There is plenty of time while I'm waiting for Fran to get up or while we are loaded in on the buses. Or waiting for the buses. We dont have the VIP bus pass you know!



pkondz said:


> I beg to differ. Well... I can't speak for Liesa, but you're easily as witty (or more) as me.



Aw, shucks.



pkondz said:


> Love the sarcasm.



It's my superpower!  



pkondz said:


> I always enjoy visiting my DIS friends!



Then it's a win win!



pkondz said:


> I'll bring you some of these!!!!



Fran loves those. Everytime we run across a retro type candy store she picks up a few.



pkondz said:


> Caught that, didja?



I is smarts! 



pkondz said:


> That's a pretty good list.



I made sure my google doc is up to date.



pkondz said:


> I really like this! Glad you guys had your own little epic meet.



It was Su-Lynn... Every little thing she do is Epic (sung to the tune of the Police song). Just dont sing the second line, cause that would be....weird.



pkondz said:


> That looks really interesting. I've never done that.



Going on the list! This is currently my favorite dining experience, when going out to dinner. Jenny



pkondz said:


> OMG.
> I just noticed...
> Liesa said something like decorum prevented her from doing a chunkydump… but it's Lesley! She's holding her up and stopping her!



I think Liesa settled this one...



pkondz said:


> I really like the description and the look, but... <sigh>… rum.



I know, rum is always against you. 



pkondz said:


> 1. Those are much bigger than I thought! I wasn't interested before, but I was wrong!
> 2. Love the dress.



The mugs are bigger than you thought, or something else????

It was a tank top not a dress.



pkondz said:


> Interesting combo. How was that?



Since I ate it and didn't seem to mind, I'm guessing it was good.



pkondz said:


> I think I might've ordered the same.



Well except we've had problems with shrimp there that were not properly cleaned.  If you're aware there is a specific vein that must be cleaned/removed.  I think it may not have been taken care of properly before we were able to warn Kari when she ate that bite.  Fran made sure the manager was aware of her concern even if we had not been able to warn her before her consumption.



pkondz said:


> Yes it is... So much so that I'm considering trying to make it myself.



Hmmm...I have several recipes, but so far I'm OK with the canned version.



pkondz said:


> While it looks good... this description sounds amazing.



That's one of my favorite dishes that I've had there so far.



pkondz said:


> mmmmm… sorbet.



Yes, it is good, especially as a palate cleanser.



pkondz said:


> Interesting...
> I've only had lobster thermidor once. And it looked _nothing_ like that.



Same here.



pkondz said:


> Drool...



Glad you like it.  I thought is was....OK.



pkondz said:


> I did! And they're really good!



Much better than my own.  I have to talk with her about her settings!


----------



## ACDSNY

Nice Mini Meet in September and your dinner looked fantastic.

We'll be down March 22nd - 25th for a few days after the WBPC cruise to celebrate our anniversary and catch the new ride in Galaxy's Edge.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> That's why I write full on paragraphs. There is plenty of time while I'm waiting for Fran to get up or while we are loaded in on the buses. Or waiting for the buses. We dont have the VIP bus pass you know!


Waiting for busses? I don't understand...





franandaj said:


> It's my superpower!





franandaj said:


> Then it's a win win!


Yes it is! 


franandaj said:


> It was Su-Lynn... Every little thing she do is Epic (sung to the tune of the Police song). Just dont sing the second line, cause that would be....weird.


I automatically sang it to the tune of the Police song even before I read your note! 
And... I had to Google, since I couldn't remember the next line.  But... um... perhaps it would be just a tad...


franandaj said:


> The mugs are bigger than you thought, or something else????






   

The mugs! The mugs!! I meant the mugs!!!!


franandaj said:


> It was a tank top not a dress.


Nice tank top!


franandaj said:


> Well except we've had problems with shrimp there that were not properly cleaned. If you're aware there is a specific vein that must be cleaned/removed.


I am aware. Ask me how I know.


----------



## franandaj

DnA2010 said:


> I will tell her (I thought I quoted the whole thing, but apparently not- this was about getting all the songs on Guardians)



How many did you end up getting? 



DnA2010 said:


> I think that will be us when CP is on!



Did that work out for you?



DnA2010 said:


> So coordinated! Love the mugs!



Thanks!



DnA2010 said:


> I'm getting hungry reading this!



It always happens to me too!



DnA2010 said:


> I truly love bread and butter



I like dense bread, not the briochey stuff they serve.



DnA2010 said:


> This does look interesting



Doesn't it?



DnA2010 said:


> Those do look good, but I think I'd have had the fish



I think I'm sticking with the red meat for my main. Fish is good for the earlier courses.



DnA2010 said:


> This looks pretty perfect too!


----------



## franandaj

Lesley Wake said:


> Hahaha! I think we were going for a Prom pose, but I like your version better! @Steppesister







jedijill said:


> Caught back up again.  Your lunch at the Club looked amazing!



I'm glad that it is again!



Captain_Oblivious said:


> Just catching up on your threads...



Glad to see you here even though I'm only talking about foo foo food right now. Next update will have more substance.



Captain_Oblivious said:


> I couldn't agree more!







Captain_Oblivious said:


> That is quite the epic meet. I'm sure it was a great time for everyone.



I think so. Even if it ended up being exhausting.


----------



## franandaj

Steppesister said:


> IT WAS EPIC!!



 



Steppesister said:


> Any hospitality offered by friends is always perfect. Stop worrying! Our accomodations were beyond awesome!!



Thank you.  That makes me feel better!



Steppesister said:


> Did I mention the power nap on the cushy chairs at the outdoor area?



Yes.  Yes you did!  



Steppesister said:


> We were definitely up to no good!







Steppesister said:


> That fish!!
> 
> 
> That fish was unbelievably good!



It was!  I really loved that!



Steppesister said:


> I did, and yet...
> 
> your cats loved them.







Steppesister said:


> better than staggered. I've done that too.



I have too, but at those prices, rarely.....



Steppesister said:


> Awww, thanks, Alison.



You're welcome. I need to pick your brain on settings!



Steppesister said:


> Buahahahahahahahaha!







Steppesister said:


> Too funny!!!


----------



## franandaj

ACDSNY said:


> Nice Mini Meet in September and your dinner looked fantastic.



Thanks!  It was!



ACDSNY said:


> We'll be down March 22nd - 25th for a few days after the WBPC cruise to celebrate our anniversary and catch the new ride in Galaxy's Edge.



I don't know what our schedule is, but if you'd like to get together for some beverages or something let me know.



pkondz said:


> Waiting for busses? I don't understand...



Not a thumb -->    



pkondz said:


> I automatically sang it to the tune of the Police song even before I read your note!
> And... I had to Google, since I couldn't remember the next line.  But... um... perhaps it would be just a tad...



Good for you!



pkondz said:


> The mugs! The mugs!! I meant the mugs!!!!



OK!   



pkondz said:


> Nice tank top!



or did you mean mugs?    Although that would be flattering myself.   



pkondz said:


> I am aware. Ask me how I know.



Other than the fact that you are a cook, I would like to hear the story if it's DIS friendly!


----------



## franandaj

So by now this day has become a distant memory, but it was an overall good day with some fun times!  I’ll try to do my best to piece together what we did based on the pictures!


We all met up in the lobby of the Grand Californian and then went directly to Disneyland.  We stopped in front of the Great Pumpkin for a picture.  I stole this from Liesa.






Our first stop of the day was BTMRR.





Next up was Pirates, sorry no pics.  For most of this day I was enjoying the moments!

Then we went on HM where they had the overlay. I wished I’d gotten a picture of the Gingerbread house, but just never ended up doing it.  Everyone else wanted to go on Splash, but I don’t do water rides because of IBS (Liesa’s term), So instead I got the seafood boil which was a special offering at the time.  Su-Lynn came with me since she didn’t want to get wet either.





Even though you can’t tell there are shrimp in there!

We met them at the end of the ride, and here they are on the ride.





Some were still a bit peckish so we got some Churros.  Some got the traditional Churros while others got the special “Groom” Churro which was coated with chocolate.  The Bride Churro was available in New Orleans Square and was coated with vanilla.





We headed on into Galaxy’s Edge and rode MF:SR.  Here we are ready to get some Coaxium.





And here we are ready to kill each other!





By this time we were all hungry.  Liesa made the request that we eat at either Bengal Barbeque or Tropical Hideaway, so we kind of did both. Some people picked up bites at Bengal Barbeque while others of us went on to secure seats at the Tropical Hideaway. I went with a light lunch.  Someone grabbed me a bacon wrapped asparagus skewer.





And I got my favorite raspberry dole whip swirl.





I was flabbergasted to find out that it is hollow!





Then rode Indiana Jones.  And that wrapped up our time at Disneyland.  Jenny didn’t sleep well the night before and decided to go home at that point.  She needed a nap and said her goodbyes on the Esplanade.

The rest of us hopped over to DCA, we rode Racers and evidently lost the race, but me, Su-Lynn and Steve Spoke no evil, heard no evil and saw no evil.





No clue what the rest of those crazies were doing!  

Next up we rode Guardians. Su-Lynn rode against her better judgement and I think she regretted that choice. 





Most of us were pretty tired by this point and we decided to head to 1901 for some grub and drinks.






Evidently most folks just got regular drinks, I got my standard Martini with vodka and onion, but I also got some Braised Wagyu Beef Sliders. They were good, but not OMG good.









Liesa had an early flight to catch so she was the first one to bow out, but not before we did an obligatory Chunkydump.





I was pooped after all that fun, so I went home, but the young pushed on. I think they went for one last ride on RSR. 

On my way out I checked out this chocolate masterpiece on which they were putting the final touches.









And that was it for September trips to Disney.  You can read about the next Disney chapter in my story here. 


But I'll be back with more bonus features from Disneyland that take place after the current TR.


----------



## ACDSNY

You have me drooling over the bacon wrapped asparagus and the raspberry dolewhip.  Must get these on the next trip.

Yes let's plan to get together in March.


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Not a thumb -->


 





franandaj said:


> or did you mean mugs?  Although that would be flattering myself.


 


franandaj said:


> We stopped in front of the Great Pumpkin for a picture. I stole this from Liesa.


Thief! Thief!


franandaj said:


> Next up was Pirates, sorry no pics. For most of this day I was enjoying the moments!


Totally okay. Sometimes you... well, at least _I_ get a bit tired of touring with trip reports in mind.


franandaj said:


> So instead I got the seafood boil which was a special offering at the time.


Yum! Yes, please. I so enjoyed when we did that. 


franandaj said:


> Some were still a bit peckish so we got some Churros.


That's a regret. I keep hearing how DL's churros are so much better...


franandaj said:


> We headed on into Galaxy’s Edge and rode MF:SR.


Hmmm... I keep seeing that ride written as MF or SR and everyone's confused... that certainly makes it clearer, but...

I read it slightly differently at first... read it with the M standing for Mother...  


franandaj said:


> And here we are ready to kill each other!





franandaj said:


> And I got my favorite raspberry dole whip swirl.


I've never tried that... I think I should.


franandaj said:


> Next up we rode Guardians. Su-Lynn rode against her better judgement and I think she regretted that choice.


Not a fan of drops...


franandaj said:


> Liesa had an early flight to catch so she was the first one to bow out, but not before we did an obligatory Chunkydump.


Of course!


----------



## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> Most of the gals involved in that meet were still polishing up their TRs from said meet when a West Coast Epic Mini Meet began to take shape.



  Another EPIC Trip!!!


franandaj said:


> The following Sunday, Liesa and Kari left for the parks between 8-9AM via Uber or Lyft and who knows what they did, but you can read about that on Liesa's TR!



Liesa's TR

Pp. 20-30




franandaj said:


> Thank you. That makes me feel better!



Of course; I meant it. 



franandaj said:


> I have too, but at those prices, rarely.....



Yeah, for sure! But at least at those lounges you get your money's worth, IYKWIM. 




franandaj said:


> You're welcome. I need to pick your brain on settings!



Pick away, as long as  it's not your nose. 



franandaj said:


> We all met up in the lobby of the Grand Californian and then went directly to Disneyland. We stopped in front of the Great Pumpkin for a picture. I stole this from Liesa.



Steal on!!



franandaj said:


> Everyone else wanted to go on Splash, but I don’t do water rides because of IBS (Liesa’s term),



... of which I got a nasty case. Kari and I were absolutely, completely soaked!



franandaj said:


> So instead I got the seafood boil which was a special offering at the time.



Nom nom nom. That was heavenly!



franandaj said:


>


l look like I'm trying hard not to soil myself. 



franandaj said:


>



 Okay, that's super funny!!



franandaj said:


> No clue what the rest of those crazies were doing!



Our own thang, I guess. ?? 


franandaj said:


> Liesa had an early flight to catch so she was the first one to bow out, but not before we did an obligatory Chunkydump.



It had to be done. 



franandaj said:


> I was pooped after all that fun


Well, yeah! You DID just ChunkyDump!


----------



## tiggrbaby

Looks like it was a great day!


----------



## Lesley Wake

franandaj said:


> We met them at the end of the ride, and here they are on the ride.


OMG I totally forgot about that pic! So crazy!


----------



## jedijill

You ladies looked like you had a blast!  Sad I wasn't able to join in on that adventure. 

Jill in CO


----------



## Steppesister

Lesley Wake said:


> OMG I totally forgot about that pic! So crazy!


That was  seconds before Kari and I got completely doused and were dripping wet the entire rest of the day.


----------



## afwdwfan

franandaj said:


> And here we are ready to kill each other!


Forget letting the wookie win, apparently we should be worried about letting these ladies win!  

Looks like a fun time at Disneyland with quite a rowdy group of Disers!  Look forward to reading about any and all Disneyland updates you have since I haven't been out there in several years!


----------



## chunkymonkey

franandaj said:


> We all ended up meeting around 5PM and after a group shot, we headed upstairs for some refreshing libations!


I love this picture! We're all dressed so nicely and not in our usual park gear!



franandaj said:


> I ended up going with the Blushing Bride which I believe had rum, some kind of cream liqueur and either cranberry or grenadine to mimick the blood. It was very good, a little sweet and not too strong, if I had the chance again, I would have ordered the one with the fog and tree branches pictured in Liesa's TR.


I really enjoyed this drink but I forgot to take the stirrer!


franandaj said:


> I believe that Kari and a few others had the Roasted Tomato Bisque en Croute, Summer Zucchini, Basil. The soup was not as creamy as most of them would have liked, but the presentation was interesting.


I thought it was really great - it's actually good that it wasn't so creamy as the pastry was really buttery and it would have been too rich paired with creamy soup IMO.



franandaj said:


> Then we came to the point where I am almost always regretting how much I ate of the previous courses. I was starting to get full. We decided to split the Lobster Thermidor.


This was delicious! Sometimes lobster can be tough when it's out of the shell, but this was really well done and I loved that there was a mashed potato filling.


franandaj said:


> They were serving a special dessert Mansion Ice Box cake. It was only available in the dining room. It was raspberry based and pretty tasty!


OMG loved this dessert. In fact this meal ranks as one of the best Disney meals I've ever had. Everything about all these flavors were completely up my alley. I'd just love to have this menu again, although the likelyhood of them having the exact same items on the menu in the future would be rare!



franandaj said:


>


Aww what a cute pic!



franandaj said:


> Then we went on HM where they had the overlay. I wished I’d gotten a picture of the Gingerbread house, but just never ended up doing it. Everyone else wanted to go on Splash, but I don’t do water rides because of IBS (Liesa’s term), So instead I got the seafood boil which was a special offering at the time. Su-Lynn came with me since she didn’t want to get wet either.


Getting wet is no bueno. I don't like the feeling of wearing wet clothes!



franandaj said:


> We met them at the end of the ride, and here they are on the ride.


I just realized that Splash DL and WDW are different? Is the seating different? I never go on Splash so I never paid attention!



franandaj said:


> Some were still a bit peckish so we got some Churros. Some got the traditional Churros while others got the special “Groom” Churro which was coated with chocolate. The Bride Churro was available in New Orleans Square and was coated with vanilla.


I got the bride churro but should have stuck with regular churro because I'm a churro purist at heart.



franandaj said:


> Someone grabbed me a bacon wrapped asparagus skewer.



This was tasty!



franandaj said:


> And I got my favorite raspberry dole whip swirl.



OMG this past weekend in MK, at Aloha Isle they had an amazing Cherry and Pistachio swirl over iced hot chocolate. It was the most amazing thing ever. If you like that Cherry - almond - frangipane flavor combo, you'd love this.  It was huge and I finished the whole thing and I rarely can finish a dole whip float myself. If they have it in Feb, you should try it!



franandaj said:


> The rest of us hopped over to DCA, we rode Racers and evidently lost the race, but me, Su-Lynn and Steve Spoke no evil, heard no evil and saw no evil.


I love that we did that. 


franandaj said:


> No clue what the rest of those crazies were doing!


Vogue-ing?


franandaj said:


> Next up we rode Guardians. Su-Lynn rode against her better judgement and I think she regretted that choice.


100% REGRET
I'm still traumatized.


franandaj said:


> Liesa had an early flight to catch so she was the first one to bow out, but not before we did an obligatory Chunkydump.


Every Epic Trip now has to have one (or a few) chunkydump!


----------



## franandaj

ACDSNY said:


> You have me drooling over the bacon wrapped asparagus and the raspberry dolewhip. Must get these on the next trip.



Both are excellent choices, and in close proximity. 



ACDSNY said:


> Yes let's plan to get together in March.



What are your dates again? We just. Booked some tasting seminars of March 15, and a couple Winemaker receptions as well.



pkondz said:


> Totally okay. Sometimes you... well, at least _I_ get a bit tired of touring with trip reports in mind.



At DL, I'm rarely thinking about writing TRs, but I should cause I almost always do and I struggle for remembering what I did! 



pkondz said:


> Yum! Yes, please. I so enjoyed when we did that.



Now I want that again. 



pkondz said:


> That's a regret. I keep hearing how DL's churros are so much better...



I'm not sure I've ever had one at WDW. They're not my favorite sweet snack.



pkondz said:


> Hmmm... I keep seeing that ride written as MF or SR and everyone's confused... that certainly makes it clearer, but...
> 
> I read it slightly differently at first... read it with the M standing for Mother...



I think Andy had that same thought  



pkondz said:


> I've never tried that... I think I should.



It's very good!



pkondz said:


> Not a fan of drops...



No. She says she is still traumatized.


----------



## franandaj

Steppesister said:


> Another EPIC Trip!!!



 



Steppesister said:


> Yeah, for sure! But at least at those lounges you get your money's worth, IYKWIM.



Well, sort of. Yeah.



Steppesister said:


> Pick away, as long as it's not your nose.



Next time we get together we'll have to talk aperture and film speed. Should be a riveting conversation. 



Steppesister said:


> ... of which I got a nasty case. Kari and I were absolutely, completely soaked!



The reason I dont rides things like Splash.



Steppesister said:


> Nom nom nom. That was heavenly!



  And as I told Pkondz now I want to go back to that restaurant. Either that or go to Ale & Compass on my trip and order that!



Steppesister said:


> l look like I'm trying hard not to soil myself.







Steppesister said:


> Okay, that's super funny!!



We look like we're in a bar fight!



Steppesister said:


> Our own thang, I guess. ??







Steppesister said:


> It had to be done.



Well....I guess so....



Steppesister said:


> Well, yeah! You DID just ChunkyDump!



So I would be unpooped?  



tiggrbaby said:


> Looks like it was a great day!



It was quite fun!


----------



## pkondz

franandaj said:


> Now I want that again.


Sorry! 


franandaj said:


> I'm not sure I've ever had one at WDW. They're not my favorite sweet snack.


Well, I've never had one at DL. So we're even?


----------



## franandaj

Lesley Wake said:


> OMG I totally forgot about that pic! So crazy!



But certainly fun!



jedijill said:


> You ladies looked like you had a blast!  Sad I wasn't able to join in on that adventure.



Yeah but you got to go to London and all sorts of other fun things, so you kinda had a trade off.



Steppesister said:


> That was  seconds before Kari and I got completely doused and were dripping wet the entire rest of the day.



As I said, the reason I don't ride Splash.


----------



## franandaj

afwdwfan said:


> Forget letting the wookie win, apparently we should be worried about letting these ladies win!



Like that! 



afwdwfan said:


> Looks like a fun time at Disneyland with quite a rowdy group of Disers! Look forward to reading about any and all Disneyland updates you have since I haven't been out there in several years!



I'll have to pay more attention to details when I'm out there. I often forget to take pictures of even the general stuff since I get out there often and only take pictures of food, but there's plenty more I could take pics of!


----------



## franandaj

chunkymonkey said:


> I love this picture! We're all dressed so nicely and not in our usual park gear!



We clean up pretty nice!



chunkymonkey said:


> I really enjoyed this drink but I forgot to take the stirrer!



If you want one, I have a few...although I dont remember which one it was there were two that season.



chunkymonkey said:


> I thought it was really great - it's actually good that it wasn't so creamy as the pastry was really buttery and it would have been too rich paired with creamy soup IMO.



I can see that. Later in the year they paired that presentation with a different soup. Coming in a later update.



chunkymonkey said:


> This was delicious! Sometimes lobster can be tough when it's out of the shell, but this was really well done and I loved that there was a mashed potato filling.



It was very tasty. But I'm going to stick with meats for my main course, just because I'm so full by that point and they make better leftovers!



chunkymonkey said:


> loved this dessert. In fact this meal ranks as one of the best Disney meals I've ever had. Everything about all these flavors were completely up my alley. I'd just love to have this menu again, although the likelyhood of them having the exact same items on the menu in the future would be rare!



This was really food, but there was one in December that I think even topped this one!



chunkymonkey said:


> Aww what a cute pic!



It looks like Liesa is resisting doing a Chunky Dump.   



chunkymonkey said:


> Getting wet is no bueno. I don't like the feeling of wearing wet clothes!



Same here. That's why we both passed on the ride!



chunkymonkey said:


> I just realized that Splash DL and WDW are different? Is the seating different? I never go on Splash so I never paid attention!



I couldn't tell you I dont go on either!



chunkymonkey said:


> I got the bride churro but should have stuck with regular churro because I'm a churro purist at heart.



Actually you must have got the Groom Churro because we didnt go to the stand with the Bride Churro. Not sure why they didnt have them both at the same stand but there was only a choice for the chocolate covered and standard churro where we bought them.



chunkymonkey said:


> This was tasty!



One of my all time favorites in the park!



chunkymonkey said:


> OMG this past weekend in MK, at Aloha Isle they had an amazing Cherry and Pistachio swirl over iced hot chocolate. It was the most amazing thing ever. If you like that Cherry - almond - frangipane flavor combo, you'd love this. It was huge and I finished the whole thing and I rarely can finish a dole whip float myself. If they have it in Feb, you should try it!



I'm not a huge fan of cherry flavored stuff. I'm not sure if I would have been all that gung ho for that. Plus chocolate drinks tend to make me sick. I have to be careful with them.



chunkymonkey said:


> I love that we did that.



Rarely do I have people to coordinate a pose with!



chunkymonkey said:


> Vogue-ing?







chunkymonkey said:


> 100% REGRET
> I'm still traumatized.







chunkymonkey said:


> Every Epic Trip now has to have one (or a few) chunkydump!


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## franandaj

pkondz said:


> Well, I've never had one at DL. So we're even?



Even Steven.


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## franandaj

So folks, this TR is officially DONE!  I have more bonus features but they take place after the current TR and really I have a good segue into the next bonus feature after the last update on the TR. 

If you're not already following along you can find it here. Theres one more chapter coming in about three days, and then the bonus features will resume there!

Hope to see you over there if you aren't already!


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## pkondz

franandaj said:


> So folks, this TR is officially DONE!


Thanks for taking us all on another fun adventure, Alison!


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## Steppesister

franandaj said:


> It looks like Liesa is resisting doing a Chunky Dump.


Always  tough to resist a good ChunkyDump! 

Wonderful TR, Alison! Thanks for all the time and effort you put into bringing us stories and photos!


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## franandaj

pkondz said:


> Thanks for taking us all on another fun adventure, Alison!



Thanks for following along! It's no fun without your friends chiming in on the fun!



Steppesister said:


> Always  tough to resist a good ChunkyDump!
> 
> Wonderful TR, Alison! Thanks for all the time and effort you put into bringing us stories and photos!



I'm glad you were along for the journey. The more the merrier!


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## tiggrbaby

Another great TR!  I just love reading about all of your adventures!


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## franandaj

tiggrbaby said:


> Another great TR!  I just love reading about all of your adventures!



Thanks for following along!


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## franandaj

Just in case you missed the link to the newest TR on the other one, we're already a couple days in.

You can find my most recent TR here.


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## cccory

Looks like a great time!


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