Oh the Places We Go, The People We See Photo TR

[jenseib]

This place was just really neat inside. I loved it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We made our orders and bread was served. I have to say I was slightly disappointed we had a female server. I had heard how hansom all the men were there and I was hoping for a little eye candy. LOL!

 

 

Before long our appetizers arrived.

 

Claire got the fruit dish which had many of her favorites in it.

 

 

I believe I got the Arancini - fried risotto balls filled with mozzarella and meat ragu.

 

 

These were fantastic and I could’ve eaten a whole plate of just these.

 

After a bit our entrées came out. Claire went with basic pizza. I had heard they really don’t allow changes to what’s on the menu, so we just got her cheese pizza.

 

 

I am not sure if that is true, but I didn’t want to upset the balance of things.

 

 

I got a pepperoni pizza.

 

 

I took some of my pepperoni and put it on Claire’s pizza for her. The waitress saw it and worried she had brought Claire the wrong pizza, and I assured her it was right and that I just added a few pieces of my pepperoni to it.

 

The pizza was awesome. We loved every bite. I don’t know how I have read some bad reviews of the place because everything was heavenly too me. But I guess if you like a thicker crusted pizza (which I don’t) then this might not be that great for you.

I don’t think we could eat all of our pizzas. It was a lot, but I know I packed away as much as I could in my big ole gut! (no wonder I gained weight this trip).

 

We made dessert orders and I ran up to take a few pictures of the ovens.

 

 

 

 

 

I guess I didn’t take a picture, but they were pulling out a pizza that was HUGE! I couldn’t believe the size of it. It would take up a table. I have since been told it’s called a meter pizza (I am sure it has a fancy Italian name) because it is 1 Meter long. I did the conversion and a meter is over 3 feet long.

 

I sat back down and told Claire about the huge pizza and soon our desserts arrived.

I believe Claire got the Vanilla Gelato.

 

 

I got the Zeppole di Caterina - Ricotta cheese fritters, served with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. YUM!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

My Dis Friend Karin has had these a time or 2 when she has visited and they always look so yummy and it was on my bucket list to try. They did not disappoint at all. VERY GOOD! I just wish I had more room to eat them all.

 

We did have a wait for our bill. Our waitress was a little slow and I had a hard time understanding her and I think she had a hard time understanding English. Perhaps she was new. She wasn’t bad, just a little slower than I like.

 

While waiting to pay the bill the Meter pizza came by and I pointed it out to Claire whose eyes got really big. It was delivered to the table next to us and there were only 3 people sitting there. They had to put it on a stand as it was so big for the table. We couldn’t imagine how they were going to eat it all. Maybe next year when I go with my parents we can order one too.

 

We finished up and got ready to roll out of the place. We were so stuffed and it was one of our favorite meals of the whole trip. This is now a must do place for me.

 

We left Via Napoli and back into the beautiful sunshine.

 

 

 

I know I have said it several times, but I am a huge fan of Disney at Christmas time with all the decorations.

 

 

 

I think Claire had to go to the bathroom, so we went in search of one and found one in America, which was the first time we ever used them there. I have to say, we still have not made it into the pavilion yet and I hope to remedy that someday.

 

I think this next picture is funny. The theatre is closed, but evidently the birds stand guard to be sure no one enters. One looks like he might be a little bored.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think we just wandered around a bit till it was time to head up front for our Soarin’ Fastpass time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And now it was getting closer to our Fastpass time so we headed that way.

 

 

 

[jenseib]

Continuing our journey to Soarin’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think we stopped and had a seat here for a bit.

 

 

And then on to Soarin’.

 

 

The line moved quickly and before long we were Soarin’ over California and having a great time.

 

We then headed over to the Seas with Nemo and Friends.

 

 

 

 

 

Claire always loves this ride.

 

 

 

And after the ride we went and got in line for Turtle Talk with Crush. Another favorite of Claire’s.

 

 

 

Claire kept pointing out fish for me to take pictures of while we waited.

 

 

We took Mr. Rays Pop quiz and sent the certificate to my email.

 

 

We were then let into Turtle Talk and we enjoyed the show. Claire was slightly disappointed that he didn’t talk to her, but she has had interaction before and I reminded her that you don’t always get chosen every time.

 

Back out we went for a few more photos.

 

 

 

Claire wanted to do another Agent P mission, so we headed towards the UK.

 

 

I pulled the phone out of my back pack and we found it no longer worked. Some we found a kiosk and they told us that they are only good for about 15 minutes after a mission ends. After that you have to get a new one. Good to know. I guess I thought they would keep working when you clicked on it and would give you a choice of another country.

So we got a new communicator and headed to the UK for our next mission.

 

 

 

Again, I took pictures as we went around, so of the special effects and some just randomly, but I can’t tell which are which in most photos. I will say this mission was much better than the one in Mexico.

 

 

 

 

This mission had us going in and out of different buildings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The phone booth gave us a golf ball.

 

 

I believe later we had to exchange the golf ball in the Tea Shoppe. (Either that or we had to deposit it somewhere else, I no longer remember for sure) They gave us a packet of tea there. We don’t drink tea, so it’s probably still in the pantry somewhere now.

 

 

Hmmm……looking at the picture I just posted, that might’ve been where we deposited the golf ball.

 

 

 

This is around the back of the Toy store and the end to the mission. Doesn’t he look creepy?

 

 

 

And then we took a picture of ourselves in the window.

 

 

And we turned around and who do we see? Pooh and Tigger walking by.

 

 

 

After that we deposited the phone as we were done with all the missions we would be doing that day.

 

 

 

 

This mission was so much better. I liked that we had a bigger area to do things in and we were in and out of several of the buildings. Claire liked that we had to actually handle physical things too. She thought that was so much fun.

[jenseib]

We headed out towards the main drag after our fun mission and caught a glimpse of Characters in Flight up in the distance.

 

 

 

Believe it or not, we kind of felt ready to leave. Yes we really shortchanged Epcot this trip, but we had done all we cared to do. Test Track was still getting refurbished, so we wouldn’t have a chance to ride that.

 

We stopped for our first photopass pictures of the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Claire asked if we could stop in Club Cool one more time before we left though.

 

 

We enjoyed a couple more drinks and Claire tried her favorites once again.

 

Claire also wanted a snack before we left so we stopped off and got her one. I might’ve gotten a pretzel or Mickey bar at this point too, but I didn’t take a picture.

 

 

On our way out we stopped for another photopass picture. This guy was so much fun.

 

 

He said it was so nice to have some normal people as for the last few months he has been taking pictures of drunks from the Food and Wine Festival (which had just ended the day before).

 

 

Then we decided to get silly.

 

 

 

He was totally cracking up.

 

 

 

I have no clue now why we made this face. But we were having a good time with this guy.

 

 

 

And after those pictures we headed out towards the bus stop.

 

 

We made it back to AoA in good time.

We were greeted with some water art.

 

 

 

 

 

Claire and I had not been over to the Cars section yet and we planned to remedy that right this very moment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Claire then realized she should be in some of these pictures.

 

 

Though the area was kind of quiet, there were 2 other families doing the same thing we were, and they were kind of rude about it. One was foreign and played dumb …the other…was just dumb. As you can see in the next picture I tried to get the picture without the kid in it, but it was impossible. They would NOT move from the spot, even though it was obvious I was trying to get a picture of the car.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really think this is the best themed area of the resort. They really went all out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jenseib]

How cute are these cone cabanas by the pool?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was like a character meet and greet. All these movie characters just right there and you could easily go up and get your picture with them.

 

 

 

 

 

I guess we were getting a little silly here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think nature was calling for Claire, so we headed over here to use the restroom.

 

 

 

 

 

I believe there was a laundry room in there as well. I am not sure why I didn’t take a picture of it.

 

Back out to check out the pool.

 

 

 

 

Time for a quick break, which lasted a nano-second.

 

 

 

 

 

And back out we went.

 

 

I think Claire was dancing away as we walked.

 

 

Oh wait Mom! I didn’t get my picture taken with him!

 

 

 

And back to the Nemo area to look around a bit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jenseib]

Claire wanted to play on the little slide and tunnel, so I just stood around and took a few pictures while she ran around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Claire was having a good ole time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I finally told Claire we had to move on.

 

 

 

 

We then headed back to our room.

 

 

We had to stop and check out Rafiki and see that his butt surgery had been successful.

 

 

 

It was about 5:30 now and we decided it was time to go and get freshened up for our dinner ADR.

[robbalvey]

We are huge fans of Via Napoli. Glad you guys enjoyed it!

[edrho64]

We ate there in March and loved it also. The pizza was probably the best we have ever eaten.

[jenseib]

We are huge fans of Via Napoli. Glad you guys enjoyed it!

 

 

Yes, I totally loved it. It is one of my favorite spots in all the parks now.

[jenseib]

We ate there in March and loved it also. The pizza was probably the best we have ever eaten.

 

I agree. Everything about it was just so tasty! It's on our list for next year already.

[jenseib]

We spent about an hour in the room. We freshened up for dinner; Claire changed her clothes and went off to play a bit with her legos while I packed up most of our stuff. Sadly this trip was coming to an end and I wanted to have as much as I could packed and ready to go in the morning.

 

After that was done, we headed out to our dinner destination.

 

 

We were a bit early, so I made a stop in the arcade to take a look.

 

 

Claire obviously looks thrilled about that decision. LOL

 

 

 

 

And then we headed to the bus stop.

 

 

 

Our dinner tonight was the Spirit of Aloha. We have never done this show and I have heard mixed reviews on it. We decided since we were doing deluxe dining for this last segment of our trip, that we would give it a try. We bused to MK and then took the monorail over to the Poly.

 

 

 

 

 

I think we were still early, so we shopped a little bit and there were a few things I wanted, but in the end I couldn’t justify the price and we left empty handed.

 

 

We then made our way to check in.

 

 

 

A quick stop for a goofy picture.

 

 

While waiting in line, I realized that we never got a message about picking up tickets for the event. We always have gotten a call message in our room in the past for Hoop Dee Doo tickets and I never even gave it a 2nd thought about this one till we got in line.

 

No worries. They had our tickets at the booth and we were checked off without any issues. We then had to wait a bit before we were let in. We received leas and walked a bit around the area, which was fairly crowded.

 

 

 

We did sit down in a small area after a bit to wait.

 

 

 

 

After a bit of waiting they finally were letting people in to be seated.

 

 

We were seated far off to one side and towards the back of the table. At first it looked like it was a decent seat, but as the night went on I realized this was an AWFUL spot.

 

Our first course was delivered right away.

 

 

Pineapple-Coconut Bread

Asian Apple Pear Slaw

Hawaiian Potato Salad

 

The bread was the same bread as ‘Ohana served, and we are not a fan of that. Of course we gave it a try again, but once again we just didn’t care for it. The only thing that I even slightly liked was the slaw. The rest was just not my thing. Claire did not eat any of it.

I don’t remember what Claire had to drink, but beer was included and I did have that and enjoyed a couple of glasses throughout the night.

 

This was the view of the stage. It doesn’t look too bad, does it?

 

 

The area we sat had a roof over it and was slightly enclosed. Most of the stage area was open air. These were venting panels to let in air.

 

 

The band got started and warmed us up a bit. Still the view looks good.

 

 

And then the performers came out and got started. I soon realized that my view was a side view and most of the action happened center stage, which was blocked by a pole for us.

 

 

On top of the pole blocking my view most of the night, there were some heads in my way. One couple in particular were constantly moving and in our way the whole night. I really got annoyed by the end of the evening.

 

The main course then was brought out.

 

 

Island Pork Loin

Roasted Chicken

Polynesian Rice

Fall Harvest Vegetable Medley

 

We gave it a try, but honestly we didn’t like anything. It was very similar to ‘Ohana’s food and it had sauces that we did not care for. We did not eat much at all. I think the chicken was the only thing we both ate without complaint. If I remember right, they did bring Claire out a hotdog. I shoud’ve asked for one as well.

 

 

More of the show.

 

 

I think they called up people who were celebrating something.

 

 

I will say this show really didn’t make much sense to me in the way of a storyline. It had some great parts, but it had some VERY slow parts as well. It had been a long 2 weeks and I was tired, so I was fighting sleep sitting there. Also the pole was in my way and I tried to take pictures, but many were just awful. And the couple whose heads kept getting in my way just annoyed me even more. Every time I had even a chance of getting a good shot, they moved and got in the way.

I will admit, I spent a good amount of time on my phone checking emails and reading facebook. It was REALLY fighting sleep and it was the only way to keep me from dozing off. Claire seemed to enjoy the show more than I, but even she wasn’t super impressed.

 

Then dessert came. It looks good, doesn’t it? Milk Chocolate Macadamia Nut Mousse.

 

 

Well there was one problem with it for me….the darn nuts in it. I can’t stand nuts in things. I like them plain or not at all (well except in chocolate and caramel). I ate part of the mousse, but I couldn’t get past the texture of the nuts in it. So I didn’t enjoy that either. Claire was given an option of the mousse or cake pops and she choose the cake pops.

 

 

I think I took a bite and wasn’t all that impressed with those either. But I am not a big fan of cake pops because they are so dry normally.

 

The show did get a little more exciting towards the end and I perked up for parts of it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jenseib]

One of the guests was called up to the stage to dance. I honestly don’t remember how she was chosen, except perhaps it was a birthday or something along those lines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fire guy was pretty interesting to watch.

 

 

 

 

 

This picture would’ve been great….if the heads weren’t blocking half of the guy out.

 

 

 

The show started to wind down then.

 

 

 

 

Soooo…. My thoughts on Spirit of Aloha. It was by far the worst meal I have ever eaten at Disney World. It was just not our taste at all. I also feel that if I had gone to this show earlier in the trip, I probably would’ve have enjoyed it more. But at this point I was running on very little sleep and it was slow in spots and I had to fight to stay awake. I think if I was more rested and excited about the trip beginning, I would have a better appreciation of the show. The actors were great, don’t get me wrong, but at times their just was not enough action to keep my attention.

Where you sit can make or break the experience as well. We had awful seats. The pole was always in the way and if I could see something, others in front moved their heads and that blocked my view as well. I enjoy taking pictures and when I can’t do it, it kind of puts a damper on my mood. There were times I just set the camera down and that is not like me at all.

I am not sure if we will ever give it another try. For one, I would have to ask about a different menu as this was just not for us at all. Secondly, taking the chance of seating ……. if I got horrid seats again, I don’t know if I could sit through it again. It does seem a bit on the long side as well. If Claire wants to go again, I may think about it, but only if Skip is with us as well. I think we have enough “other” places and things to try that it this will be down low on the list of going back to.

 

After the show ended, Claire had to use the restroom, which of course they only have one small one. We actually waited a while to let the place empty out a bit and then went and got in line for the bathroom, which was still fairly long.

 

After that we slowly made our way back to the Poly. It was pretty empty at this point in the show area and we saw some of the cast members walking around and talking. Once we got back into the Poly we headed to the monorail. During the show I had been talking with another Dis friend on facebook who had just arrived and we wanted to meet up before I left. She was at the Magic Kingdom, so we decided to head over there and meet her while we had the chance.

 

 

We quickly arrived at the Magic Kingdom and my Dis friend was doing something else at the moment, so Claire and I decided to get in line for the Princesses because the line was very short ….AND Rapunzel was listed as one of the Princesses in there. That was a plus, as Claire wanted to meet her and at this point we had not found her.

 

We got in line and were let into the room right away with just a short wait in there. I texted my Dis friend, Joy, and let her know where we were.

 

 

It didn’t take too long and we were ready to meet Rapunzel. Now I never said this to Claire, but Rapunzel was NOT pretty at all. I do find her pictures are actually pretty good though, but in person, especially from one side, she looked awful. I texted my friend Janet as we waited and showed her a picture of her from the bad side. We had a good laugh because it seemed like we were getting all the ugly princesses this trip. Now Rapunzel made up for it with personality though. She was great with Claire and by the end of the meet, I liked her a lot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a lot of chatting going on between the 2 of them. Claire really enjoyed her meet with her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rapunzel then came over and had to look at my hair. She said she wanted to “paint” her hair the same way.

 

Next up was Aurora. And she was beautiful!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jenseib]

More of Aurora.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Cinderella was our final Princess.

 

 

 

By this time, Joy and her daughter Maddie had texted and said they were in line for the Princesses too, but they never came in the room while we were there.

 

 

 

 

I love this picture of Claire!

 

 

She just looks so happy to be there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Darn! Another blink. She was doing that a lot this evening.

 

 

 

 

 

After our Princess meet and greets we headed out to the gift shop and waited for Joy and Maddie. We shopped around while we waited. Claire found more things she wanted, but I told her there was no way it would fit in our suitcases.

 

 

 

After a few minutes Joy and Maddie came out from their Princess meet and it was like we were long lost friends. It was great to finally meet her after talking to her for so many years. The girls hit it off immediately too.

 

 

Claire seemed to lose all her shyness she had at the beginning of the trip. She and Maddie started talking like they had known each other forever.

 

As we were talking, a CM came by and offered to take our picture.

 

 

I have to laugh at Claire’s face. She looks scared.

 

The 2nd one was a little better.

 

 

We chatted for a while and the girls tried talking us into buying things for them. Joy was telling Maddie no because they had just arrived and had lots of time to look at things and I was telling Claire no because we already bought so many things and space was limited in our suitcase.

We wandered outside after a bit and chatted a bit more.

 

 

 

It was now getting close to midnight, and if I remember correctly, the park was closing then or at 1, but either way it was late…..

We said our goodbyes and headed off as Claire had one more thing she wanted to get and I said she could …as long as they had them. …..the Mickey Popcorn buckets. Yes the very same one that Abby had turn into some kind of possessed evil spirit over. Claire knew they may not have them and was Ok with that, but we wanted to try.

So we headed off towards Tomorrowland.

 

 

We did stop for the final photopass pictures of the trip.

 

 

 

And luckily we found a popcorn bucket!

 

 

We then took a seat on some steps and just enjoyed the night and ate some popcorn. I couldn’t believe our time was coming to an end. I really felt this was such a fabulous vacation and now I am a Holiday snob. I can’t imagine seeing the castle without it’s lights in future trips. It’s just so much more magical with them.

 

 

Finally we did have to leave though.

 

 

 

 

We grabbed a bus for AoA and before long we were back. I am pretty sure Claire fell asleep in the way back this time. She fights it, but at times you just gotta give in. The hard thing is waking her. Once she is out, she is really out.

She did get up though and we made our way back in through the lobby. But wait! ….What is it that I see?

 

 

They were starting to decorate AoA with the Holiday décor! Woo Hoo! We weren’t going to completely miss it after all.

 

 

 

 

Claire did a quick pose for me.

 

 

 

At the time, no one knew how AoA would be decorated for the Holidays. I was one of the lucky first few to see it for the first time and as it was going up. Of course I posted a picture on facebook immediately. I really liked the white tree and garland theme they went with.

 

 

Joy was staying at Pop and she responded to my facebook post saying that Pop was decorating as well when they got back. Hmmmmm….. I love Pop and have never seen the tree in person, so I might have to go over there tomorrow before we leave.

 

 

 

More coming in.

 

 

After a bit, Claire got a bit tired, so we headed back to our room and immediately passed out for the night.

 

It was another great day with new experiences. We got to meet up with Joy and Maddie, something I had really been looking forward to. Oh the People We See!

And we tried out the Spirit of Aloha, the Agent P missions in the World Showcase and now came back to the Holiday décor going up at our resort! Oh the Places We Go!

Sadly this was our last sleep at Art of Animation.

[jenseib]

Nov. 14, Wednesday, Day 14

 

I can’t even believe it, but this trip was coming to an end. Luckily I was smart enough to book a flight for later in the day. Skip is famous for wanting to get home early. I, on the other hand, try to make the vacation last as long as I can. The only thing waiting for me at home is laundry! And about 500 plus emails in my inbox. LOL!

 

Claire was good about getting up today. She knew we had limited time left and a few things on our list to do yet. I believe the first thing we did was haul the luggage down to the resort airport check in …if I remember right. I think we were down there by 8 AM. There was a line, but it was moving OK. A funny thing though, while waiting in line, a lady came in and just walked in front of everyone and said “I was already here, but they made me go get my ID to check in. I have to hurry as I have a flight today” and then she just cut in front of everyone. I laughed and the couple in front of me did too. The guy said, “Oh hey, can I get in front of the line too since I have a flight today.” The lady heard him and then she went on to say that Magical Express was waiting out front for her. UM Lady…first off, ME is NOT going to wait for you. You will catch the next bus. Secondly, if you are cutting it this close, there is a chance your bags aren’t gonna make it anyways. We all let her go, because CLEARLY she was better than all of us!

 

Now this is the first time I have ever used the resort check in. Typically we have flown with Allegiant, which means we rent a car and go in and out of Sandford. The other times we have flown into MCO, we have either rented a car or have not used a participating airline. Let me say, I LOVE resort check in. It was so easy! They took our bags, gave me my boarding pass and it was just a breeze to do.

I believe we also took our carry ons to bell services to store as well till it was time to leave.

We explored the resort a bit then to see the new Christmas décor and we filled our mugs up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I loved this white shirt, but the price was just way too high. I think it was over $40. So I never did get it.

 

 

 

And then we headed back to the room to gather our bag for the day and to make sure we left nothing behind.

 

 

 

With a stop here and there for pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we made sure we had everything we then headed to the bus stop.

Of course we still had to look around a bit more at the new Christmas décor and take a few pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We really liked the way the Art of Animation Lobby was done and with Christmas decor, it made it even more fun to look around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, I was in the mode…..you know the one where you know you are leaving and not sure what things you took pictures of earlier in the trip, so now is the time to get everything and anything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time to move on!

 

We had an ADR at ‘Ohanas for breakfast this morning. I actually made this one not too long before our trip. With the deluxe dining I had tried to make a few 2 credit meals to try, but I kept playing around with things and I ended up canceling one that just was not going to work. It was on our Osborne Lights night and I just knew running around was going to be hard and I didn’t want to be rushed. I decided ‘Ohanas on our last morning would be nice to try as it is one of the few character meals we had yet gone to.

 

We arrived at MK and transferred over to the monorail.

 

 

 

[jenseib]

We arrived at the Poly PLENTY early, so we decided to walk around a bit and take some pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A lot of these pictures are blurry. For some reason I had a wrong setting on my camera and didn’t notice it till later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A lot of people I know just love the Poly or it is their dream resort to stay at. I am not that impressed. The plus side is that it is on the monorail, but I just don’t think it’s beautiful. Don’t hate me, but I actually kind of think it looks dated. And though I have never been in an actual room there, I have seen pictures, and I don’t think they look all that impressive. Now would I ever stay there? Heck yeah. It’s got a great location, but I would need to really good deal to do so.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we were wandering by the pool I noticed this.

 

 

And this pad near it.

 

 

 

So I pushed the button and to see what would happen. It was a splash area.

 

 

Some people were sitting near the pool and watched me do that and as soon as we walked away, I heard the Mom ask the kids if they wanted to play in the water. She must’ve not know it was there either.

 

 

I like this next shot because you can see a boat in the mirror reflection. Had I know I would capture that; I would’ve tried harder at getting the boat centered in there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really wish I had paid attention to my camera settings. It annoys me how many of these pictures have a blur to them.

 

 

 

 

This is just so cute and would be great if it was in focus….the little ducks were heading to the pool for a swim.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jenseib]

We decided to see if we could retrace our steps from the night before and head back to where the Spirit of Aloha was located.

 

 

 

 

 

I did think the grounds out here were really pretty and it would be neat to stay here just to roam around.

 

 

 

And here was the waiting area for the show. It looks so different in the daylight and empty.

 

 

 

This tree is so unusual.

 

 

And this explains it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Claire got a little antsy back there. She was worried we would be in trouble for being back there, which I assured her we were just fine, but she wasn’t believing me, so we headed back, trying to take a different route.

 

 

 

 

 

We headed inside then and made a quick stop in the bathroom.

 

 

 

 

We then made our way to check into ‘Ohanas.

 

 

I don’t think we waited more than a couple of minutes before they took us to our seats.

 

 

 

We got that darn bread again, but also another bread as well….but it had raisins in it, which I also do not care for.

 

 

The menu today was basically this ….

Basket of sweet breads

 

Seasonal Fruit Bowl for na Keiki (Kids)

 

Breakfast platter for the table which includes:

 

Hua Paka (Scrambled Eggs) - made fresh, hot & delicious

Uala Kahiki (Fried Potatoes) - island-style potatoes, caramelized onions & scallions

Pua'a (Pork) - pork breakfast sausage links & smoked bacon

Biscuits

Mickey Waffles - brought tableside by a server

 

Unlimited Juice, Milk and Coffee included

The juice is a blend of passion fruit, orange and guava.

 

 

Our waitress wasn’t too fabulous. Not bad, but she was too busy to pay attention to a table of 2. We both got juice, but I asked for milk as well and it never came. She was slow to refill the juice and I reminded her about the milk, but again it never came.

 

We did enjoy our food though.

 

 

Claire pretty much had a breakfast of Mickey Waffles.

 

 

A parade came around, but Claire would not join.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our first character was Lilo. I think Claire has an idea who she is, but I don’t think she has ever seen Lilo and Stitch as a movie. I know I haven’t. She has seen the cartoon a few times though.

 

 

 

My flash was wonky and both pictures I took of Claire have her in shadow. I tried to fix them, but it didn’t work to well.

 

 

 

Soon Pluto arrived.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We sure do enjoy this juice.

 

 

Stitch came over next. He was a lot of fun!

 

 

 

 

I think this might’ve been the first time we ever met Stitch.

 

 

 

And then our main man Mickey made his way over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

With it just being the 2 of us, it didn’t take long to get filled up. Sadly our waitress seemed more interested in other tables. I had to flag her down to get the check and then it still took a bit before she came back with it. After she took our card, and we again waited, I actually stood up next to the table with my backpack on to give the universal signal of “We are ready to leave”.

Finally she came back and we headed off again.

 

 

I tried to take a few quick pictures as we left, but most came out pretty blurry.

 

 

 

Our thoughts on ‘Ohana for breakfast….. The food was decent. Not fabulous, but good and there were enough things for both of us to like. The character interaction was decent, with Stitch being the best. Our waitress was slow and I never did get my milk and because I reminded her twice I reflected my dislike in her tip, which was less than I would normally give. Would we go back? Yes…In fact in March we have a reservation. But the reason we do is because my cousins are going down the week before us and we have a day where we both can meet up and this was a breakfast she wanted to do for her boys, so I made it for all 8 of us to get together. It’s their last FULL day and our first FULL day at the parks.

 

 

I took a quick peek at Kona….we do have a reservation for her next year at this point, but I may have to cancel it once I get my plans more set.

 

 

 

So we decided to head to the monorail.

 

 

 

Looking down.

 

 

Here it comes!

 

 

A little closer…..

 

 

Here it is.

 

 

[simon8899]

Always great to see your pics. On battling fatigue on evening shows: Had the same in Vegas and decided this spring at WDW to not do shows in the evening. Waking up at 7am so to be there at park opening at 9am, then all day on foot an evening show is IMO just too much to tackle. I mostly fell sound asleep after 15 minutes back in my hotel in front of the TV after less than 15 minutes shortly after 9pm...

[jenseib]

Always great to see your pics. On battling fatigue on evening shows: Had the same in Vegas and decided this spring at WDW to not do shows in the evening. Waking up at 7am so to be there at park opening at 9am, then all day on foot an evening show is IMO just too much to tackle. I mostly fell sound asleep after 15 minutes back in my hotel in front of the TV after less than 15 minutes shortly after 9pm...

 

I know. I guess I am not as young as I try to think I am. And a long trip with waking early and staying up late really starts to get to you after a while!!!

[jenseib]

Our Next Stop! Magic Kingdom!

 

Now I mentioned this before, but it was quite a few days ago on this report, that when I booked our trip I booked 7 days worth of tickets. But after getting plans all in place I really only needed 6 days. BUT the ticket price had increased since I booked and to take a day off would actually cost me more than to keep that days tickets, so I just kept them. Since we still had time I figured let’s use them or lose them. I knew we wouldn’t have much time in the park, but going in would give us that one last fix.

 

 

We headed straight to the Candy store as we still had several snack credits left with the deluxe dining plan.

 

 

 

We picked out several bags of candy and Claire made a “make your own” pixie stick, which was marked right there which sizes were included in the dining plan.

 

 

 

When we went to check out, the CM told us pixie sticks weren’t included. I told her yes they were and 2 sizes were actually listed. She still told me no and I again said yes they are, and it was the only reason I allowed her to get it. If it’s not included, we aren’t getting it. So she said she would “try” to put it through and guess what? I was right. (Don’t ever doubt me!)

 

With our package in hand, we left and headed down Main Street. I had one other thing planned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had to have one last dole whip float before going and I saved a snack credit just for that.

 

 

Of course the line was moving slowly.

 

 

But finally we had that precious snack in our hand.

 

 

We sat down and shared one last yummy treat. I think I called Amanda again to confirm her picking us up later and to talk about my car and its tire.

Nothing like Pixie stick and dole whip float.

 

 

 

We had been conversing a bit over the last few days and it was just a mess. She had the tire changed by AAA to the spare and then drove it to a couple of different places to have the flat one fixed. They said the wheel was bent and there were some other issues and it was going to cost several hundred dollars to replace it…and it would have to be ordered. I talked to Skip and he made a call to his buddy who owns a tire shop and he said to just drive it home on the spare and just to not go over 55. This made me a little nervous, but they assured us we would be fine if we didn’t hot rod it.

 

I put that to the back of my mind for now. I wanted to enjoy my last moments.

 

Claire and I discussed what to do. She wanted to either do Carousel of Progress or the Laugh Floor. Though we had time, I was still worried about how the buses would run and how long the wait would be. In the end I decided we should head back up front and get back to AoA. It made me nervous to think if something went wrong and we missed the bus or flights. I am sure we would’ve been fine, but I just didn’t want to test my luck.

 

 

And this was a first for us…some MK streetmosphere!

 

 

I can’t recall seeing any in the past, but we usually walk through her pretty fast. We did stop and watch.

 

 

This girl was walking around in the area and we asked for a picture.

 

 

And then we headed on towards the front.

 

 

 

 

 

It didn’t take long and the bus was there and we headed back to AoA.

 

Back at AoA we made a quick bathroom stop.

 

 

 

And then we roamed around since we made such good time and still had quite a bit of time to waste.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had not been by the bridge yet this trip, so we headed over there.

 

 

It was neat being on this side of it after so many stays at Pop Century with this end being closed off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We decided we had time to take a quick wander around Pop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jenseib]

We have always been big fans of Pop! It was our first onsite Disney stay and we have stayed there several times. In fact it’s the only onsite spot Skip has stayed at so far.

 

 

 

 

The pool games have been added since our last stay there.

 

 

 

This guy totally cracked me up. He was hard at work spraying and checking his phone.

 

 

 

 

 

This used to be the smoking area and a lot of people complained that it was right out the door that everyone walked through. I see it is gone now.

 

 

 

We had to go inside to see the Christmas décor.

 

 

 

Finally I get to see the Pop tree! I have always wanted to see it.

 

 

 

 

 

I liked the decorations, but I liked AoA’s better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have no clue why Claire is making that face.

 

 

 

I really thought this tree was cute!

 

 

Thinking back now, I am not sure why I didn’t take any close ups of some of the decorations.

 

A quick peek outside.

 

 

 

Claire felt the need for another picture.

 

 

 

 

Look at all those lucky people going to a park…and we would be leaving soon.

 

 

 

We then headed in and checked out the gift shop, which is always one of my favorites on property.

 

 

 

 

 

 

See that security guard in the next picture. We saw her quite a bit and we think she was following someone, though I never figured out whom.

 

 

She talked on her radio quite a bit though.

 

 

 

Again I eyed this shirt, but again, I couldn’t justify the price.

 

 

Out to look at the arcade.

 

 

 

There she is again. We watched her for a bit. I also wondered if we looked suspicious since we kept seeing her. LOL.

 

 

We made our way around the pool.

 

 

 

 

Lots of work was going on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I tried to get this bird, but my focus was completely off.

 

 

Pop had a few plant issues as well.

 

 

 

Time to head back. A view to the right as we got off the bridge.

 

 

And a view to the left.

 

 

 

 

A little bit of running around once again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jenseib]

For those who wanted to read about my Williamsburg Virginia trip, I have started the intro to it today.

 

You can find it here.

 

http://themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=66494

[TBpony414]

That was a little bit of an abrupt ending. What ever happened with your car tire? I'm sad to see this TR come to a close! The security guard may not have been tailing you originally but after you took her picture a few times she probably added you to her watch list LOL. For how long are you going to be in DW in March?

[jenseib]

That was a little bit of an abrupt ending. What ever happened with your car tire? I'm sad to see this TR come to a close! The security guard may not have been tailing you originally but after you took her picture a few times she probably added you to her watch list LOL. For how long are you going to be in DW in March?

 

I am not done yet...... I just decided to start the other one now too since I am so close to being done! Sorry to make your head spin!

LOL. I know, she probably though I looked crazy.

 

Right now the March trip is a week, but I am looking to possibly extend it and add a cruise to it.

[jenseib]

Time was starting to tick down unfortunately now.

 

 

 

Another quick bathroom stop.

 

 

And we then went back outside to have a seat for a few more minutes and just take it all in.

 

 

While sitting there I noticed a group of people walk by. Hey, that’s Rita!!!! (in the blue shirt). I had done a convention a few years ago and she was one of the leaders and she and her partner Timmy took us on tours of resorts. She must be leading a tour! I looked around, but didn’t see Tommy.

 

 

We decided to head back in and took one more look around the gift shop where I debated on a couple of shirts once again. I didn’t buy them, but I did buy an AoA magnet that was really cute. I think Claire bought something too, but I no longer remember what. We then went to go get our carryons and who do I see outside?????? Tommmy! (he’s in the yellow shirt with his back to us)

 

 

Tommy was the one that led my particular group and he was fabulous!!!!

 

 

We had a seat on the bench to wait for unMagical Depress.

 

 

 

 

Backside of entrance sign.

 

 

 

While sitting there I saw Tommy and his group walk by and get on their tour bus. I said hi to him and told him I had done this program in 2011. He asked how I liked it and I told him it was awesome. He said he didn’t remember my face, but was better with names and so I told him and he did seem to remember that…or so he says at least! He then introduced me to his group and told them to ask me any questions. LOL. Basically I just told them that it was a fun trip and I learned a lot and got to do new experiences. Tommy asked if I had been staying at AoA and I said yes and told him about my long trip and how sadly this was our last day and introduced him to Claire, who just stared at him…because she is shy and not friendly when she should be!

 

I sat back down with Claire, who had pulled out her popcorn bucket and proceeded to eat what was left.

 

 

 

Finally the bus pulled up and we got our front row seats for the 3rd time in a row! SCORE!!!!!

 

Claire’s thoughts about leaving!

 

 

We did have to wait a few minutes for stragglers.

 

 

 

Claire sat patiently waiting for the movie to start, though I told her it wouldn’t for awhile.

 

 

Here we go! Good by Art of Animation!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think we had a full bus. I kind of remember someone asking if they could ride this one instead of the next and they guy told them no. I also don’t think we stopped at any other resorts. If we did, then I didn’t take pictures, but I am pretty sure we headed straight to MCO.

 

We made good time getting to the airport and let me just say it was sooooo wonderful not to have to go and check our bags in, or struggle with them for that matter.

Since we were early, we headed in to a few shops to have a look around. We really liked the Sea World shop.

 

 

I would love to go to Sea World on a Holiday trip.

 

 

Claire thought we should get one of these guys……Um no!

 

 

We then moved on and made a quick stop to see Snow White.

 

 

And then we wandered around the Disney store, and Claire tried to talk me into buying something there and again I said no.

 

 

And then we went to get in line for security. HOLY! CRAP!

 

 

It was insane! But we got in line and finally got through. I did have a few moments of panic, thinking we may not make our flight after all, but we did get to the gate with time to spare.

 

That is the last picture I took of the trip.

The rest was of this day was fairly uneventful. We made it on the plane on time and we dozed off and on, worked on a bit of homework and Claire watched a movie on her ipod touch (which we have since lost in no mans land).

 

Amanda was there promptly to pick us up. I think we swung into a fast food place to get something to eat to bring back to her place for dinner. We told her about the trip and laughed and talked a bit till it was time for bed. There was no way I was going to drive home tonight. I had done that after my Sept. cruise and I was about to fall asleep by the time we got close to home. That was too much travel in one day.

 

Amanda had gone to Sears automotive and they did move the spare tire of my car to the back and put the good tire on the front, at the suggestion of Skip‘s friend. So we were good to go for the morning. I was going to let Claire sleep in and Amanda had to work, so she gave me a key to lock up.

 

We said our good nights finally and went to sleep in yet another bed….the first bed that we had slept in at the beginning of this trip almost 2 weeks earlier.

 

Nov. 15, Thursday, Day 15……..

 

Amanda headed off to work and I let Claire sleep in and I just lounged around a bit. Once she got up we set off for home. We barely made it out of Amanda’s condo complex when I noticed a weird sound coming from my front tire…the good tire. I drove down the road a bit and it sounded awful and I was nervous. I noticed an AAA repair shop on the corner and we stopped in. I talked to the guy and told him the long story about the tires and how I had to drive back to Toledo and was worried something else was wrong. He said my car would be next, but it might be about 30 minutes, so Claire and I walked across the street and got some lunch while we waited.

When we returned, he told us that the wheel dust cover was bent and rubbing on the tire. It’s nothing major and they just took it off and all was good to go and to just drive slowly. Good deal. And it didn’t cost me a dime!

The guy was so friendly and he is a big Disney fan (Had a picture of his daughter in her princess costume on his desk) and we talked about our trip a bit before heading off once again.

We now were officially on the road and I gave Skip a final call to let him know we were on our way.

I kept the car at 55 the whole way and we did fine, though at times I felt nervous. More so because I know I was holding up traffic at times, but I needed to be safe. It took us a little longer to get home, but not by much, which impressed me.

It was good to be home and of course the unpacking and laundry started then.

Skip ended up ordering a used rim from a junkyard that was only about $50, compared to the several hundred dollar charge for a new one and the tired itself was never actually damaged…. in a few days everything was fixed good as new.

 

Sadly life went right on after we got home …with school for Claire and work for me. I do love my job, but it took a few days to get back in the swing of things.

Up next, my recap and thoughts of the trip.

[jenseib]

My thoughts…..

 

This was the longest trip I have ever taken, and even with all the extra time, I still felt I didn’t do as much as I wanted to, but that’s just me. It was one of the best vacations we have ever been on. We did so many new things, tried so many new places to eat and resorts to stay at. We also did some old favorites. It was a very Magical trip being there with so many family members. Something I hope Claire remembers for a long time. I had worried how it would be with so many strong willed family members on one trip, but it worked out fine and we did things together and apart with no issues at all.

 

The Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of our new favorite resorts and we hope to stay there again. Sadly, my cousin Katie stayed there as well and did not like it. She had a few issues and she got less than stellar service when she inquired about them. Actually one CM was quite rude and she wrote a letter and was given a partial refund.

 

The cruise was fabulous. It was even better than I could have hoped. I really hope in a few years time we can do it again, because it was just that much fun with so many people we knew on the ship.

 

The Parties were so much fun. I am so lucky and happy to have been able to enjoy both the Halloween party and the Christmas party all in one trip. It was totally an amazing experience.

The décor for both seasons was just amazing, but I have to admit, the Christmas stuff totally blew me away and I MUST get back for a holiday trip again in the future. NOTHING compares to seeing the castle lit up at night.

 

The Beach Club Villas were nice, but not a place I would rush back to. I did not like the room décor. The pool was fabulous, however, but we just didn’t have enough time to use it much.

 

Art of Animation was fabulous. The theming is just so amazing. I did not like the walk to the Little Mermaid rooms however and I do not see us staying there in the future without a fantastic deal, and then I would still have to think about it. If I could get a deal on a suite, I would be more likely to stay, since its closer to the main buildings. That walk could be a killer at times.

 

We tried many new places to eat this trip. Some were very successful. We have 2 new favorites, T-Rex and Via Napoli. And now we have some places that I don’t think we’ll ever go back to, but I am glad to have tried them.

 

We also got to try out the New Fantasyland TWICE!!! I had been bummed that it wasn’t going to be officially open for our trip, but now knowing what I do, we actually were fortunate it wasn’t. Crowds and wait times were insane when it did open and I was lucky enough to basically have no wait for them …AND I got to try out BOG when I didn’t think it would be in the cards for us this trip.

 

Gail said that a few days after being home, she asked Alexis what she wanted for dinner and Alexis replied she would like crab legs. Gail told her no, that was vacation food and not something she makes at home. So Alexis thought about it and said she would like Shrimp then. LOL. She loved eating like a queen on the ship and the parks!

Gail says that Abby will still randomly ask if they can go visit the princesses today. She is just such a stinker and so darn cute.

 

I am one who believes that no trip is ever going to be 100% perfect, but how you go about it and your frame of mind can make or break the trip as well. This one had its ups and downs, just like any other trip, but it was still super fabulous and I would love to relive every moment of it. Ok….maybe not the part where my Dad took the wrong suitcase at the airport and we had a very tense morning till we got Mom’s suitcase back….

 

For the most part, everyone had a great time. Even Aunt Mary and Geoff said they would love to cruise again, and they weren’t sure about the cruise part from the start. They like to lounge around and were able to just hang out in the room and do nothing if they chose to.

We also wondered how my Dad would like it…as he can be a bit whacky when things are completely planned and going the way he thought they were supposed to go. And though I had told him before the trip that with cruising, there is a lot of “go with the flow” he said he wasn’t going to go with any flow. LOL

When asked when he got home by his friends if he liked it, he said he wouldn’t trade it for anything. It was one of the best vacations he had been on as well.

 

The only downer we had was with Dollar rentals. Some of the family members were charged for the insurance. They had accidently checked yes to it because the counter people tell you to check yes to everything. Luckily I read everything as I checked and checked the no box and I didn’t have that issue. My Aunt has written several letters/emails and as far as I know it still has not been resolved. I now warn everyone I know who rents with Dollar to really check everything and double check that they are NOT charging you for something you don’t agree to. They are slick!

 

The only thing that might have made it even more special is if Skip had come along, for even part of the trip, but he was being stubborn. He told me that the next trip would include him, but that was not the case, because my next trip was with my other sister and parents to Williamsburg.

 

We are now at over 1 ½ years since Skip has traveled with us and I keep trying to bat my blue eyes and convince him to do a holiday trip. It’s not working as of yet, but I never give up hope.

The next trip most likely will be with my parents again in March of next year and we will be staying offsite at their timeshare. It will be a different experience, but lots of fun too.

 

Thanks so much for reading along and sharing in all the fun we had this trip!

[jenseib]

I just wanted to let you all know I have started a Trip Report about my Feb. trip to Disneyland.

 

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=67685

 

Please come join me!