*Bye Bye black out dates & HELLO summer of Disney! EPCOT CARB-A-THON! [12/8/13]

[Linda67]

Good Morning!!
I am still trying to catch up with everyones reviews - getting there slowly!
As always your photos are wonderful. I can't believe the shots you get with just an iPhone
Emme just gets cuter!
The mimosa looked delicious - what a great idea to pop in there for breakfast. I am so doing that in December

 

[emmebear]

Good Morning!!
I am still trying to catch up with everyones reviews - getting there slowly!
As always your photos are wonderful. I can't believe the shots you get with just an iPhone
Emme just gets cuter!
The mimosa looked delicious - what a great idea to pop in there for breakfast. I am so doing that in December

Hello Linda. Thanks for reading along & the nice comment about Emme.

The mimosa was awesome & $7.00. Pretty good deal by Disney standards. Barb says she's starting with a mimosa first. Ha ha!

The pictures of test track were with my small point & shoot as I didn't want my phone flying out of my hands but the rest were from my iPhone.

 

[Linda67]

Hello Linda. Thanks for reading along & the nice comment about Emme.

The mimosa was awesome & $7.00. Pretty good deal by Disney standards. Barb says she's starting with a mimosa first. Ha ha!

The pictures of test track were with my small point & shoot as I didn't want my phone flying out of my hands but the rest were from my iPhone.

Good for Barb
I will probably join her in this awesome way to start a day

 

[FancyNancy]

Awww Emme is so cute! Loving your dining reviews and subbing in!

I hope you don't mind me posting this but I have the same pic of my daughter April and I at POR

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[Kaykool101]

Joining in!

Love the reviews.

That croissant looks really good. I love ham and cheese croissants. I am going to have to try one on my trip.

 

[kanadar]

What a great way to spend some alone time! My sister worked at Disney for her DCP in 2006 and then went back to work for a year in 2008, when she was there in 2008 I went to visit her by myself and she had to work a few days. I had SO much fun going around the parks by myself. You have no one to discuss what rides to go on or what to do next (not that you get a whole lot of that with Emme yet lol). Sounds like a great start to your solo day!

 

[princess aleya]

Omg that ham and cheese crossant looks amazing!!! I'm definitely. trying that on my next trip. Can't wait to hear more about your solo trip.

 

[emmebear]

Good for Barb
I will probably join her in this awesome way to start a day

i'm definitely getting one in august when we return! i'm taking my cousin to disney for the first time. so excited!!

Awww Emme is so cute! Loving your dining reviews and subbing in!

I hope you don't mind me posting this but I have the same pic of my daughter April and I at POR

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i don't mind at all! i loved POR! it was a beautiful resort.

thanks for joining in!

Joining in!

Love the reviews.

That croissant looks really good. I love ham and cheese croissants. I am going to have to try one on my trip.

welcome!!!

the croissant is amaaaaaaaaazing! it's worth every calorie.

What a great way to spend some alone time! My sister worked at Disney for her DCP in 2006 and then went back to work for a year in 2008, when she was there in 2008 I went to visit her by myself and she had to work a few days. I had SO much fun going around the parks by myself. You have no one to discuss what rides to go on or what to do next (not that you get a whole lot of that with Emme yet lol). Sounds like a great start to your solo day!

i really enjoyed my time alone. it was remarkable how easily i could go from place to place. it was a total blast! i just wish i had more time.

Omg that ham and cheese crossant looks amazing!!! I'm definitely. trying that on my next trip. Can't wait to hear more about your solo trip.

it's EPIC! i love that croissant. it's something i will probably get at epcot each time i go. let me know what you think!

 

[emmebear]

updated 7/8/13


SOLO TRIP part 2!

after epcot, i made my way to animal kingdom. the drizzle had stopped & off i went. not having to pay for parking was awesome. now, despite my pass saying "annual passholder" in the front, they also ask for ID & some CM's even swipe your card. it's kind of a pain but it doesn't take too long.

total mom moment: i have a car seat but no kid. i did turn around a couple of times forgetting emme wasn't there. it was so weird!



i arrive at animal kingdom!

i made my way to dinosaur. the last time i tried to ride dinosaur was back in november and emme was not tall enough to ride. i've never made an attempt to ride it again. but before getting to the ride, i made a pit stop for a tasty beverage.

Bud Light


yeah, it's not a stella but it was really cold & refreshing...especially in the heat. it made my walk to dinosaur all the more enjoyable.

RAWR!

i thought the ride was super fun. i waited less than 10 minutes which was super awesome.


look who i ran into!

after dinosaur, it was time for expedition everest! i did grab a FP but then i asked a CM if there was a single rider line. to my delight there absolutely was.

i waited less than 5 minutes for the ride. i could not believe my luck so far. i was waiting in line behind this really nice (and cute) guy who had disney tattoos galore.

horrible picture but mickey was super cute.



i sat next to a kid who loved this rollercoaster so much. he was really funny. he told me to hold on tight & enjoy the ride. ah, youth. gotta love it.


here are some pictures from the ride. i'm glad i documented the ride as i can hardly see without my glasses. HA HA.

YETI!

YETI!



the ride was over so quick. i think out of all the thrill rides, this would be my second to last favorite with space mountain being my least favorite.


i did not want to ride kali river rapids. i've ridden that as a teenager & all i remember was being soaking wet afterwards.

i did the 2 things i wanted to do at animal kingdom. now, it was time to say farewell.

i thought this guy was so neat.



all this running around was making me hungry. i boarded the tram back to my car & made my way to lunch. it did feel weird not having to toss my stroller into the tram. i just opened the door & sat down. just me. i was still getting use to being by myself. the silence was really nice but i'm not going to lie, i did miss my munchkin. i even felt a slight pang of guilt for being at disney without her.

two parks down. two to go!




up next, LUNCH @ landscape of flavors at AOA.

so pretty!

 

[rustyanchor]

the silence was really nice but i'm not going to lie, i did miss my munchkin. i even felt a slight pang of guilt for being at disney without her.

you shouldn't feel guilty!!! it's good to have some time to yourself every now & then. plus emme has had some great disney trips with many more to come i'm sure!

looks like you were having a great time hitting the thrill rides!

 

[FancyNancy]

Believe me I KNOW how you feel! I'm a single mother and my daughter is always with me (when I'm not working) so whenever I have a girls night with some friends or even a weekend away I get those guilt pangs. Of course it doesn't help that she begs to come with me the few times I do go out without her!

 

[emmebear]

you shouldn't feel guilty!!! it's good to have some time to yourself every now & then. plus emme has had some great disney trips with many more to come i'm sure!

looks like you were having a great time hitting the thrill rides!

you are absolutely correct but it was hard not to feel guilty!

i managed to still have a really super fun time.

Believe me I KNOW how you feel! I'm a single mother and my daughter is always with me (when I'm not working) so whenever I have a girls night with some friends or even a weekend away I get those guilt pangs. Of course it doesn't help that she begs to come with me the few times I do go out without her!

agreed! but we deserve it!!

i just felt pretty guilty at magic kingdom. that was the worst.

 

[emmebear]

updated 7/13/13



SOLO TRIP... part 3!

i headed over to the art of animation for lunch as i wanted to try the "buttered chicken". when we were at disney in may, i saw that this was a new item & was offered. however, because it was so late, the world station was closed so i was unable to try it.

as luck would have it, the buttered chicken is only offered during dinner. i was pretty bummed. i stared at the menu for about 5 minutes hoping that i would see buttered chicken.

i love me some indian food & i think it's exciting that i can eat indian food for a decent price while at disney. i've been to sanaa twice & even though i enjoyed it, it's so over-priced compared to the real world.

anyways, i digress. this is what i ordered:

Tandoori chicken thigh w/ buttered naan, roasted cauliflower & spinach w/paneer (cheese).



i also got a side of the coriander chutney to dip my naan into. naan is so made for dipping! back home, i love dipping my naan into some raita. yummy!

here is a close up of the tandoori chicken thigh:

so, it was 3 pretty puny pieces of chicken. not really what comes to mind when you think "thigh" or a piece of chicken. it was probably the smallest piece of chicken i've gotten when ordering this meal (i've had it 5 times now) but with the combination of everything else, i was pretty full.

the chicken was a tad bit dry but i smothered it in the coriander sauce. yummy.

the cauliflower this time was not dry or undercooked. it had a slight crunch to it & was pretty tasty.

i've always had issues with the spinach & paneer. when you think spinach in terms of indian food, i think about saag. mmmmm spicy saag with chunks of paneer mixed into it. the saag is amazing when placed on top of some warm naan.

however, disney's version of spinach & paneer is a literal translation. it's sauteed spinach with paneer mixed into it. this time, i had quite a bit of paneer which made me pretty happy. i've grown to like this side. it's healthy & gives me less guilt for devouring the naan & the rice.

another view of my meal.



overall, i love this option for food while at disney. i don't eat much american food in my real life so this food choice makes me really happy. i sometimes get bored with the options at disney (blasphemous, i know) but it's pretty different from what i normally eat in my day to day life.


the best part of eating at landscapes of flavors? if you have a TIW you save 20% off your meal. no gratuity is added either. i also used my disney gift card (which i saved an additional 5% by using my target red card) to pay for the meal. with that, this particular meal was a total bargain.

20% OFF!!



and btw, i totally hated my meal.

look at pretty ariel found in the bathroom:

some random shots as i was leaving to walk back to my car:

btw, i had indian food for lunch today. today was my cheat day so i enjoyed my meal totally guilt free.


plate #1

plate #2

plate #3

after a good meal, i made my way to my next destination:

taking the tram to the front.

park #3...i have arrived!

 

[rustyanchor]

yeah, your indian food back home looks better than the AoA indian food... from everything i have read/seen that food court does look interesting though. we are going back to disney in september w/ friends & as the official "trip planner" i had to decide between AoA & pop for all of us (we have never stayed at either) and i almost chose AoA JUST for the food court!! i ended up picking pop, but i guess we could walk over to AoA to check it out if needed.

 

[buckeev]

Ok...fess up.....where'd ya get the Indian grub?....looks yummy!

 

[emmebear]

yeah, your indian food back home looks better than the AoA indian food... from everything i have read/seen that food court does look interesting though. we are going back to disney in september w/ friends & as the official "trip planner" i had to decide between AoA & pop for all of us (we have never stayed at either) and i almost chose AoA JUST for the food court!! i ended up picking pop, but i guess we could walk over to AoA to check it out if needed.

i've never eaten at POP century (despite staying there) but i do love the food court at AOA. there are so many options there. even though i complain about the indian food i'm really glad that there are diverse options available.

plus the 20% TIW discount is fantastic. it's a total bargain!

Ok...fess up.....where'd ya get the Indian grub?....looks yummy!

it was totally yummy!

it's from my favorite indian place in town: 5th element! $8.99 for buffet which has more vegetarian options than meat. it's amazing!! it's south indian so there are some chinese influences in their food as well. i love it there!




also, if anyone wants to follow me on instagram, my handle is: nurse_patty

 

[FancyNancy]

Such a shame to let all that food go to waste!

 

[emmebear]

updated 7/17/13



SOLO TRIP...part 4!!!

after my meal at AOA, i made my way to hollywood studios. it totally sucked with parking as i parked at the very end of the lot which was a long walk to the tram. BUT i was happy not to pay for parking as i had upgraded to an annual pass.


i grabbed this first:

then made it here:

i got in the single rider line. the AC wasn't working in this place & it was so humid & hot....not to mention stinky. people were smelling FUNKY. this was probably the longest i've ever waited in a single rider line. i waited about 25 minutes. there was an entire family of 12 in front of me...all in the single rider line.

i finally was strapped in. the kid next to me was on a "make a wish" trip to disney. he was really energetic, very sweet & so enthusiastic. he made my experience all the more fun.

oh yeah....awesome photo! ha ha



i really liked this roller coaster a lot! i wanted to ride it again but i didn't want to wait in that line in the heat again.



so i made my way here:

in all my years visiting disney, i've never been on this ride. i was really excited!

i had a seat in the very front row. there was an older couple next to me. i let them know that this was my first time on this ride & they were really excited for me. their enthusiasm was great until she warned me of every drop that was to come right before we were dropped. it kind of ruined the moment for me but overall, i enjoyed the ride. she offered me their fast pass so i could ride it again but i said "no thanks" as i had other things to do.



after the ride, i stopped by here:

i ordered this:

Frozen Golden Margarita


this drink was refreshing the first few sips. then the excessive sugar hits you. i'm surprised i didn't become diabetic after ingesting this. i think the super yellow color should've warned me but a frozen alcoholic beverage seemed like a good idea at the time. i finished maybe a 1/4 of it & then threw it away. i should have gotten a beer instead!


i made my way to the character meet & greet area. i've never had my picture taken with sorcerer mickey & i really wanted to see wreck it ralph. the area was so cute & air conditioned. my kind of place!

fix it felix!!

so clever & funny.

i'm a huge video game nerd so this made me chuckle. i used to be OBSESSED with street fighter & mortal kombat.

YAY!! i finally got to meet them.



after ralph, i made my way to sorcerer mickey. this was probably one of the only times were a CM seemed a bit confused that i was here by myself. just me, only me. party of 1.

mickey gave me a thumbs up sign.



after the meet & greet, i decided to call it a day at DHS. i had an ADR @ kona cafe that i needed to get too!

as soon as i hopped back into my car, the weather went from cloudy & over cast to torrential down pour.


so far, i am 3/4 disney parks. it was now time to eat!

hello magic kingdom!

 

[Kaykool101]

Wow, you are really tearing through the trill rides

Sorry you didn't enjoy Expedition Everest though. We rode it on a trip in 2008 (before the yeti broke) and LOVED it. We rode again in 2011 (after the yeti broke) and it just wasn't as good as we remember it.

I really think the yeti not working makes a difference. The way they have changed the lighting and everything really takes away from the big finish. And without that, the build up of the ripped tracks and shadow just kind of fall flat.

 

[rustyanchor]

i LOVE the wreck-it ralph meet & greet area!! it's so cute!

that's great that you got to ride tower of terror for the first time!! i think it's the only disney ride that actually scares me a little bit... i've ridden it tons of times but still feel anxiety every time before the drops. i don't know why. it's really fun though & the theming is amazing.

the single rider line for rock 'n' roller coaster is always so long compared to others, i don't know why!