It's Not a Doughnut, But It Will Do! UPDATE 1/24/15!!!!!!!!

[archdandy]

Following along. It's always nice to read TR's from other couple's with no children. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with kids but its nice to read TR's with people like us (just DH and I). That poor man on the bus! I would be mortified to get sick in front of people like that.

 

[jash08]

Despite it being such a dreary day you both look so happy to be in your Happy Place! You did a wonderful job describing how awesome it is to be back home in a Disney park.

Boo to the loss of your picture. I lost several pictures from my October trip and one of them was a big family group shot. Fortunately I had it on my own camera.


Ugh to the poor man getting sick on the bus. That stinks.

The pizza looks yummy!

Thank you! We definitely are so happy there. I am always a little afraid it won't be as awesome this time as it was last time. It always is and I could jump for joy!

It was definitely a bummer to not have the picture. I think we were so excited that Mickey was talking that we completely blanked on handing over our camera. You live and you learn.

That pizza was good. It was nice and crispy on the bottom and chewy in the center.

YAYAYAYAY!!! French Quarter is on my list after I had such a wonderful stay at POR. Plus those beignets are to die for!

Oh man, such a bummer they lost your pic! I can imagine it though since I've seen Mickey do that pose before.

OH HEY I'LL BE AT THAT VERY FOOD COURT TOMORROW!!! I won't be DISing much while I'm there but I will catch up when I get home

I am too excited to go. Can't wait. I hope you have an AMAZING time!

Following along. It's always nice to read TR's from other couple's with no children. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with kids but its nice to read TR's with people like us (just DH and I). That poor man on the bus! I would be mortified to get sick in front of people like that.

Thanks for joining! It is a different perspective without little ones. Maybe one day, but right now we are good with just us two. I felt so bad for that man.

 

[jash08]

Hey all! I hope everyone has had wonderful week. It has been hot and humid here! Definitely a stay inside and do an update where the air conditioner is at kind of night. So without further ado, here is our next chapter.



It is our first full day in Disney. I woke up in Florida. What a great feeling. The shower still worked, so that was a good start too. That is where it ended. At least for the morning. We go outside and it is still raining. Not very hard, but enough to get your clothes and shoes wet in a short amount of time. We had eaten our apple slices for breakfast so we didn't need to go to the food court. We headed to the gift shop and bought some ponchos. They will be featured in this report. Several times.

Anyway, we headed out to the bus stop and the tour group was going to Hollywood Studios as well. We had to wait for the THIRD bus to get to Hollywood Studios. And folks, this is one of the main reasons we are going moderate again. Listen, I fully believe everyone deserves to go to Disney World and have a great time. But, Jeremy and I get one nice vacation a year and being surrounded by teenage girls who are screaming and yelling all the time just really rubs me the wrong way. You take up 2 and a half buses, your meeting place IS THE MIDDLE OF THE LOBBY RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE DOORS TO THE BUS STOP, you take over the food court, and you are everywhere we turn at the parks. It just bothered me so much to not have a peaceful place to go back to at night where we could get away from the obnoxiousness. And everyone pretended to not know English when I would say "excuse me" to get around them even though I just heard you speaking English. Ok, rant over!


We finally make it to Hollywood Studios and put our ponchos on. Jeremy had a fast pass for the Tower at 9:05. I sat in the exit by the photos and waited for him. Here are our pictures so far:

















We had a fast pass for Toy Story at 10:50. It was now about 9:20. So needless to say, we had some time to kill. I suggested Starring Rolls for some breakfast snacks. We went inside and looked around and I said, "Cupcakes it is!" Listen, cupcakes are a totally legit breakfast food. Eggs, milk, flour, and cream cheese (for mine) are all breakfast foods. We had never had them before, so we went for it. Jeremy got the Butterfinger one and I got the piece of heaven known as the Red Velvet. I think I died when I took the first bite. It was so amazing. Unfortunately I could only eat a little over half and Jeremy ate about two thirds. I didn't feel like dragging them around all day so we tossed the rest. We used snack credits for them. If we had paid out of pocket, Jeremy would have carried them.




Butterfinger




Red Velvet


Total sugar high. We decided to walk breakfast off. This next picture is for my Momma. She loves all kind of animals and talks to them all. In a high pitched voice. So I waved to the ducks and said in a high pitched nasally voice "hi duckies!" Here you go:





We decided to walk through Pixar Place and look around. These guys were out so we stopped.








We decided to go check out the AFI walk through and the shops over there. After looking around for a bit. it was time for Toy Story. Jeremy won by a small amount.








We had a Star Tours fast pass and headed that way. We got the Pod Race, Death Star, and Asteroid field. This may be the last time we ride Star Tours. It made Jeremy pretty queasy. We decided to go do something calm and watched the Muppets. It was now time to head out. We headed to the boat dock to go to Epcot.


Up Next: Are you kidding me?

 

[courtneybelle]

Yep, the tour groups were in full force at Pop when we were there last week. I felt the worst for the CMs. One told me that the groups would come in with five minutes until closing and start ordering food. Sigh.

Mmmmm red velvet cupcake!

 

[MEK]

Tour groups are no fun! I mean - they are having fun but no one else is! And to have to wait for the 3rd bus is no joke either!

Great start to the morning at HS. Jeremy is grinning and smirking up a storm on ToT. Great pic!

Those cupcakes look pretty darn tempting! Yum!

Fun update!

 

[jash08]

Yep, the tour groups were in full force at Pop when we were there last week. I felt the worst for the CMs. One told me that the groups would come in with five minutes until closing and start ordering food. Sigh.

Mmmmm red velvet cupcake!

Wow, that is so bad! If we go in that close to closing, we get grab and go stuff. Of course, I am Catholic so I have built in guilt.

It was delicious and the perfect choice for breakfast.

Tour groups are no fun! I mean - they are having fun but no one else is! And to have to wait for the 3rd bus is no joke either!

Great start to the morning at HS. Jeremy is grinning and smirking up a storm on ToT. Great pic!

Those cupcakes look pretty darn tempting! Yum!

Fun update!

I wouldn't mind so much, but they act like no one else is around. Being loud and obnoxious and just acting ridiculous. My mother would have jerked me up real quick if I acted like that.

It is his favorite ride, I think. He comes out with the same look!

I figured I behave 51 weeks out od the year and eat cereal or grits or yogurt for breakfast, so I was gonna splurge!

 

[jash08]

Hello all! I was very excited to see they announced this week that 2015 packages will be released July 30th. I will be calling at 6:00 am CST to book. I hope you have had a wonderful week and have great plans for the weekend.



When I left off, we were heading to the boat dock to head to World Showcase. We only waited a few minutes and a boat arrived. We talked on the boat about what we wanted to eat for lunch. We decided we would get Mexican. We arrived shortly at the boat dock and headed that direction. Jeremy had the empanadas and I had the chicken tacos. They were ok. I always want to like this place, but the food is just meh. My chicken was very dry. We both had churros for dessert.


Jeremy needed a potty break so we headed to Norway. While he was in the restroom, I got a friend out for a picture.





Since we were in Norway, we headed to Maelstrom for a quick ride. It was still misting so we decided to head to Future World for a bit and not try to do World Showcase. We headed to Figment, of course. We took this picture on the way.





When we got out of Figment, it was POURING. I mean raining so hard there was standing water every where. We wandered around the store for awhile. We both just decided we were done. We were damp and tired of being in the rain. When it was back down to a drizzle, we headed out. We talked on the bus and decided we would go to the monorail resorts and wander around and get something to eat. But first, dry clothes were in order. Here is the location of our room.








We headed back out to the bus stop. The Magic Kingdom bus was full and an Epcot bus was pulling up so we headed to that line and loaded up. Soon we were at the TTC. The resort monorail and express monorail were both down, so we decided to just walk to the Poly. We headed to Captain Cooks and grabbed burgers and fries and Pineapple Dole Whips for dessert (duh)!


I was cold and did not bring my sweatshirt, so we headed to the gift shop to look around and for me to buy a sweatshirt. A picture on the way.





I found a nice light weight pale pink zip up hoodie with a small embroidered Minnie Mouse with Walt Disney World written under it. We decided to just head to Downtown Disney to shop. We had a pretty lengthy wait for the bus. It had started to sprinkle, again. When we got to Downtown Disney it was still raining. We decided at that time to just give up and go back to the Pop. We walked over to the bus stop and about 5 minutes later a bush showed up. We grabbed some wine from the food court and headed to the room.





Up Next: Aww, how sweet!

 

[MEK]

I have to agree with you that the Mexican QS food is meh. Such a missed opportunity because it could be so much better.

Boo to the super rainy day. We had a day like that in October. Walking around with water up to your ankles is so NOT fun! At least in summer you know its going to end fast.

yay for a new sweatshirt!

 

[jash08]

I have to agree with you that the Mexican QS food is meh. Such a missed opportunity because it could be so much better.

Boo to the super rainy day. We had a day like that in October. Walking around with water up to your ankles is so NOT fun! At least in summer you know its going to end fast.

yay for a new sweatshirt!

I love Mexican food, traditional and Tex Mex. I always want it to be better than it is, and I am always disappointed. Maybe one day...

It really just rained all day. It actually rained several days. I won't complain though. This is the only trip we had this issue and I was still in Disney, so all is good. It was snowing at home at the time.

It is a very nice little jacket. I will definitely take it back with us!

 

[jash08]

Hello!!!! I hope everyone is having an amazing last weekend of July. I went out last night with friends, so I am updating today. Warning, this is a picture heavy update. Let's get this show on the road!




We got up this morning and decided to actually have some breakfast instead of just apples. Jeremy had the bounty platter and I had the bacon, egg, and cheese bagel. Do yourself a favor and get one of these! It was amazing. Nice and hot and the bagel was fresh and chewy. And it definitely fills you up for several hours. We were heading of to Animal Kingdom. It looked overcast still outside so we brought our ponchos (spoiler alert! we needed them).

We took some pictures on the way to our first destination of the day, the Safari!





I love this shop! It has a large variety of items and is so colorful.





Thank you DVC guy! This is one of my favorite pictures.





You can just barely make out a hint of Everest.


And now how this chapter got its title. I only have two pictures to share from the safari. Because it was overcast, several animals were out and we really just wanted to enjoy it. We get to the Hippo section and our guide is doing her thing. She stops mid sentence and says, "oh look over there!" And this is what we see.





KISSING HIPPOS!!!!!!! It was too cute. She then says, "Here at Disney, we think of everything!" We also have the required picture of the lions sleeping.





When we got off the Safari, Planet Watch was opening so we decided to board the train. We had never been back there and wanted to check it out. The train ride is a nice little trip. We got off at the station and the clouds opened up. For those of you who have been there, you know you have to walk to the exhibit. It took us probably 15 minutes to get there as we kept sheltering under the little gazebos. One of the statues:





It was ok, but I am sure I would have enjoyed it more without the rain and soggy shoes. We only stayed 20 minutes and headed out. Jeremy had a fast pass for Everest so we started to head that way.








On the way over, we saw some old friends out. Of course we had to stop.











And we also had to stop for what I am pretty sure are required pictures in front of Everest.








We made it finally to Everest and it was down due to technical difficulties. Jeremy decided to just head over to Dinosaur and wander around. I asked if he was sure as he would miss his fast pass. He was fine with it as it was the start of the trip and it was still raining. After wandering for a bit, it was time for our fast pass for Dinosaur. Jeremy has never ridden it before. We had a great time!





Once the ride was over, it was time to talk. The weather was just crappy and I was tired of being wet. We had talked to a DVC person at our hotel the day before and she said that we could do a tour whenever and get a $50 gift card. Jeremy and I have been considering it, so we thought why not get more info. The decision was made to head to the hotel and eat some lunch then go to the DVC. Some pictures on the way out.














Gotta love magic shots!




Up Next: I will take Cookies and Cream Please!

 

[heaven2dc]

Nice that the animals were out more during your Safari! Loved the kissing hippos lol Too cute!

How did you like Dinosaur? It's kind of a jerky ride but still fun and a little scary. Loved the Photopass pic before you left AK with the magic shot!

 

[courtneybelle]

Daww the Kissing Hippos are too cute!

Such a bummer that the weather was so bad I'm excited to hear about the DVC tour though!

 

[FancyNancy]

Awww I love those kissing hippos! We were there the week before you guys and it was just as rainy and cold. We had maybe 2 nice sunny days.

I'm all caught up and subbing in on your TR

 

[jash08]

Nice that the animals were out more during your Safari! Loved the kissing hippos lol Too cute!

How did you like Dinosaur? It's kind of a jerky ride but still fun and a little scary. Loved the Photopass pic before you left AK with the magic shot!

I always love the safari. This was one of the best I have ever been on. Those hippos were sweet. Whole truck just said "awwwwwwww!!!!!!!"

It was as bumpy as I remembered. Jeremy really liked it and I enjoyed it as well. I think I ended up with a few bruises though.

Wasn't that the cutest? I felt dumb doing it, but it came out great.

Daww the Kissing Hippos are too cute!

Such a bummer that the weather was so bad I'm excited to hear about the DVC tour though!

Hippos= love!

The weather was annoying, for sure. We had a really great DVC rep who set 2 and a half hours with us.

Awww I love those kissing hippos! We were there the week before you guys and it was just as rainy and cold. We had maybe 2 nice sunny days.

I'm all caught up and subbing in on your TR

Welcome! So glad you can join us.

 

[jash08]

Hey y'all! Whew, another week has come and gone. I don't know about y'all, but I am worn out. I am going to apologize ahead of time as this update will be short and only have two pictures.



So when I last left off, we had decided to go back to the Pop from Animal Kingdom to have some lunch. We walked the 75 miles to the Pop bus stop and waited about 10 minutes for a bus. Once the bus arrived, it was Jeremy and I plus one other family. We were able to listen to the music. I will be honest, I started to get sleepy. We arrived shortly at the hotel, went to the food court to grab some grub and headed to the room to eat. I got a tuna fish sandwich and chips and worms and dirt for later. Jeremy had Stromboli and Caesar salad and cheesecake for later.

We took our time eating and watched a little TV. It was nice to slow down a little. When it was time, we called the DVC people and they sent a van to pick us up. The driver was lovely. He was an older gentleman who was retired and working at Disney. I will tell you, he was a hoot. He had a great sense of humor and seemed really interested in our story.

We arrived at our destination in short order. For those of you that don't know, the DVC offices are at the Saratoga Springs resort. We were escorted inside and were given name tags and were shown to the waiting room. We got a couple of glasses of lemonade while we waited. Our guide soon came out to get us. He was a very nice man who loved his job. They had a great mural of the castle in our meeting room. I want one for my house!

He brought us some cookies and we got down to business. We asked all of our questions and listened to his speech. Soon we went and saw the model Grand Floridian rooms. They were beautiful! After we got done with the tour, he left us alone for a bit to talk and run the numbers for financing and points. I will be honest, it was really hard to not sign on the dotted line. But, we had to be responsible adults as we wanted to finish paying for our cars (which is done) and a few items around the house. I am sure we will join soon!


After our meeting, we were taken to the ice cream parlor for treats. We both had a scope of cookies and cream. It was delicious. We also got a $50 gift card to use. When we were done, we had a van take us to the Magic Kingdom. It was still a little rainy still. We stopped for these pictures.








It was pretty busy, so we headed over to Tomorrowland. The Carousel of Progress was in order. After our show, we headed to Cosmic Rays for dinner. Jeremy and I both had chicken nuggets and fries. Jeremy got chocolate cake and I got strawberry yogurt. We took our time and enjoyed people watching. When we were done, we looked at the my Disney experience app and thought the wait times were steeper than we wanted to deal with so out we headed. A bus arrived timely and we were soon at the hotel. We went to the bar and had a couple of frozen margaritas. It was then time for bed. We had an early day the next day.


Up Next: It is so foggy!

 

[jash08]

Hello????? Is this thing on??????

Hopefully everyone has just been busy and I haven't lost all my readers. Because this will be an awesome update with tons of photos. Here we go!




When I left off, we were going to bed early because we had an early day. What were we doing? Cinderella's Royal Table for 8:05 am. We ate there during our honeymoon and since we were celebrating our 5th anniversary we thought why not? When we checked into the hotel, we asked if we could take a bus for this (Magic Kingdom didn't open until 9) or if we needed a cab. She advised we could take a bus, but to be in line no later than 7:05. You have to stand in line though. They have cameras out there and will send a bus when a line forms. We were in line by 7:00 with a few other families. It was very foggy out. A bus was there within 5 minutes and off we went. Jeremy took his yearly picture:





This picture has happened every year. He patiently waits to get a picture of it empty in front. Easy this year due to the time. The line for early reservations was to the left. Soon it was going into the park. Here are all of our pictures on the way in.





So foggy you can't even see the Castle.
































Continued in next post.

 

[jash08]

We checked in and went right inside. There were about 15 groups in front of us, but the line moved quickly. Here are our pictures from the lobby.







Cinderella was lovely. She congratulated us on our anniversary and said she was glad to see us again. After that we headed upstairs. Our table was by the window. Our pastry basket was brought out and drinks were quickly brought. Jeremy ordered the steak and eggs and I got the caramel apple French Toast. Here are some pictures of our view.











We enjoyed our pastries and our food. The French toast was very rich. I could only eat about half, but it was very tasty. The princesses came out quickly and came around.














Our waitress took great care of us and we were soon outside about 5 minutes before rope drop. We went over to the left and waited to head straight to Peter Pan. When they dropped the rope, we headed right there and had a walk on. How often can you say that? Never, that s how often!








After Peter Pan, we went to the Haunted Mansion. I found the engagement ring!





We then went for a ride on the Jungle Cruise.










We then made our way quickly to Pirates ad then over to Under the Sea.








On to Tomorrowland to ride the People Mover. On the way there, we ran into this guy.





Push! So sad he is gone now. This was the first time Jeremy ever saw Push. I am glad he finally got to see him. After the People Mover, we headed to Pooh for a quick ride in the Honey Pot. It was time to eat now. We decided to go to Pecos Bills. Jeremy had cheeseburger and fries and chocolate cake. I had a taco salad and strawberry yogurt. I love the taco salad there. The toppings bar makes it a great choice.


It was time to head back to Peter Pan. We snapped this on the way.





We decided it was time to take a break. It was 84 outside with 93% humidity and it was getting warm. A few pics on the way out.











Now it is time for one of my favorite pictures from the trip. We were by City Hall and saw a family with a service dog. They were sitting on a bench so the dog wasn't working. They saw Jeremy and I look over and smile I waved us over. We talked about dogs for a few minutes (Jeremy's mom had a therapy dog she took to hospitals and schools- she was a 140 pound Rottweiler). We asked if we could have a pic, and they said sure!





So sweet! Where are we headed? Not back to the hotel, that I for sure!



Up Next: I Feel Fancy!

 

[annie170]

Hi Ashley! I've been reading along and enjoying your report!

Even through the fog, you captured some pretty awesome photos! I like that you took pictures of your view in Cinderella's Castle. I never knew there was that dress there, so thanks for that bit of info.

Your castle photo is great! It's a shame the crane was there.

 

[FancyNancy]

What a great view you had from your window at CRT and that rescue dog. So adorable!

I love the window displays at Disney. They are just so perfect

 

[heaven2dc]

Wow - what cool pics of Magic Kingdom in the fog! So eerie yet very neat. I don't think I've ever seen a pic of the Castle in fog like that.

I especially loved the pic of Beast's Castle. Such a cool shot!