fladogfan aka Gretchen 259 Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 6 hours ago, caveat lector said: I want to be an "epic free loading" aunt!!!! where is the sign up sheet? Do I need a secret password? Me too! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 8 hours ago, BradyBzLyn...Mo said: I fudged the Jesse a bit - it was too bloody hot to wear a long-sleeve shirt. That's the first thing that hit me when I saw that costume... Mo is trying to avoid being Melty!!! BradyBzLyn...Mo 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted November 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 8 hours ago, caveat lector said: I want to be an "epic free loading" aunt!!!! where is the sign up sheet? Do I need a secret password? 1 hour ago, fladogfan aka Gretchen said: Me too! No secret password but you must... 1. love Dole Whips 2. ride all coasters (bonus points for ARMS UP!) 3. wear your mouse ears on your way TO the airport and for the entire flight 4. learn to speak giraffe 39 minutes ago, mouseketab.....Carol said: That's the first thing that hit me when I saw that costume... Mo is trying to avoid being Melty!!! Hahahaha.. you know it! The costume came with a full yarn "wig" which, aside from being too small to stay on easily, was going to be waaaaaaaaay too hot. Solution? Cut the braid off and sew it directly to the hat. :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 14 hours ago, BradyBzLyn...Mo said: I knew this trip would be different, and I was up for whatever they wanted to do. It was a blast and I think everyone had a great time. I usually behave like a 7 year old at WDW anyway, this trip I had an actual 7yo as a partner in crime. Haha... Tom always says that I like a kid at WDW and that he should really get one of those backpack/harness things for me BradyBzLyn...Mo 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Momof6....aka Marty 769 Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 People who just don't "get it" often ask me what I love about WDW. I tell them that as soon as I drive onto the property, I feel like I am five years old again. (And yet, through the magic of Disney, old enough to drink!) fladogfan aka Gretchen 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted November 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 2 hours ago, twiceblessed....nacole said: Haha... Tom always says that I like a kid at WDW and that he should really get one of those backpack/harness things for me LOL!! 1 hour ago, Momof6....aka Marty said: People who just don't "get it" often ask me what I love about WDW. I tell them that as soon as I drive onto the property, I feel like I am five years old again. (And yet, through the magic of Disney, old enough to drink!) That's it in a nutshell, Marty! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Momof6....aka Marty 769 Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 22 minutes ago, BradyBzLyn...Mo said: LOL!! That's it in a nutshell, Marty! 105 days!!!! BradyBzLyn...Mo 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted November 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 Rolling along (hey I'm actually making progress on this baby!)... Good morning Magic Kingdom! Hey wait – what’s that ferry doing there?? It did eventually turn back towards the TTC, but the mystery of why it was off course was not solved. So prior to this trip I’d never had breakfast at Kona – we are NEVER up early enough to make that happen. This trip I got to have it twice. Sadly I have to report I did not get the Tonga Toast as both times we were heading to Epcot and I knew it would be too filling to enjoy F&W (oops… planned that wrong!) But what I did have was the Samoan – pulled pork hash with poached eggs and hollandaise. It was so good I had it both times. That green stuff is arugula. I love arugula in general but it was really good here as well. Time to hop a couple of monorails… Epcot Day #1 began with a margarita from the QS. Short of going inside to La Cava, these are your best bet IMO. Although now that they’ve upgraded the tequila (choices of Avion or Patron) they’re a bit spendy. On the up side, you don't need to drink too many of them. Oh and that's a water. Because, you know... hydration is important! We had a FP for Frozen Ever After. I have to say my expectations weren’t super high, but I really enjoyed this. https://www.flickr.com/gp/bradybzlyn/5CfXY6 In the “we have a whole bunch of dining credits to use” department, we had lunch at Teppan Edo. My volcano roll (yummy!) One note here – the kids meal is huge. B loves the show here, but the food not-so-much, so I had his meal and could barely finish it. I don’t have a lot more pics from Epcot this day, but it was hot and we’d had breakfast, so I didn’t do a ton of eating/drinking around the world this time (I know, I know, but I told you this trip was different and I wasn't in charge ). We did do the Remy Hide and Squeak game. We all got into it and it really was fun. We eventually headed back for dinner at Kona (tofu noodle bowl was terrific and too big to finish)… …and then it was back to the room to catch the fireworks. There was more to this day than it seems, but it was hot and I was doing my best to stay in the shade and not be cranky about it. Seriously though… this view never got old, even early in the morning. The collection is growing! In addition to the stuffies he packed, and the Mickey he got the morning we left, we've now added Everest the snow leopard, "Sticky Arm Tall" (aka backup giraffe with the velcro arms/legs that was given to Pepere when B got home so that he could wrap him around his neck and use him as a pillow when he's napping in his chair ) and "Roxy" - that's the griffon-ish dude with the blue spots. I'm told he has something to do with Princess Elena? All I know is that he's named Roxy because one of B's teachers has a dog named Roxy and she recently "grew puppies" - and apparently that made a lasting impression. Funny story about Roxy... after their dinner in Cinderella Castle, and while they were waiting for me to rejoin them, SIL took B into that princess shop right behind the castle figuring "it's a princess shop, we're safe." What's that we always say around here? Oh yeah... Disney always wins. Today was a downtime day, so we decided a trip to Disney Springs would be a good idea. Lego car racing is serious business! Oh as an aside – if anyone is still looking for the Lego Castle, they had a few at MouseGears in Epcot and at the Lego Store. At the Lego Store the sign said “no discounts” – I didn’t notice any such sign at Epcot. As you can imagine, the 7yo talked mom and dad into some Legos… and Tante Q got a little something for herself… By this time B was insisting I take pictures of his food too. (heeheehee) Monkeying around, just because… This was the face we texted Memere to get her to cough up Spaceship Earth for the monorail playset SIL had promised to buy B. This was the what we texted Memere when she replied “get it.” (yeah… I totally aided and abetted working my poor mother over) Back at the room, it’s monorail time!! I'll have you know this won out over pool time. It's also when the grown ups realized that the 7yo already knew most of the monorail schpiel! After more pool time, B was heading to Lilo’s Playhouse for some kid time, while the grownups went to play too. We started at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto. We had about a 10 minute wait before we were buzzed in to grab a seat. Sadly I missed out on getting one of the Haunted Mansion tiki mugs by about 5 days and they said they won’t be getting any more. L We then hopped a boat to our dinner reservation at Narcoosees. Any day I can take a boat to dinner is a good day - doesn't matter if dinner is a hot dog, some good fried chicken, or some delicious seafood. This display when you walk in is made entirely of chocolate. At this point they realized they were going to have a few extra dining credits, so we all went all out this night. Most amazing scallops. This is how they’re described on the menu… “Pan-seared Georges Bank Day Boat Scallops Trofie Pasta, Marcona Almonds, Sultana Raisins, Herb Crème, Grilled Elf Mushrooms, Haricot Verts, Lemon-Mustard Jus” What they came on was as delicious as the scallops themselves. If we hadn’t been pretending to be grownups I’d have licked the plate. Another upside to staying at the Poly – EWP!! Fun fact: if you're using the main pool at the Poly, it closes at 9pm. The EWP gets to the Poly at 9pm. As soon as the lifeguards hear the music start, they blow the whistle and announce the pool is closed. No watches required! LOL Additional fun fact: there is another pool nearby that does not close at 9. It's basically the Poly equivalent of the cabin pool at the Fort, although bigger, and it does also have a hot tub. Technically the sign says it closes at 11, but we were told by CMs that as there are no lifeguards on duty, as long as you're not raising a ruckus, no one bothers you. We did use this pool one night after 9pm and there were probably a dozen or so people there. During the day this appeared to be where most of the grown-ups hung out, as there's now a bar/counter service location right there. Since monorail time trumped pool time, we didn't get a chance to try that. We picked up B at the kids club. He had a BLAST, didn’t want to leave, and made us all crafts – mom got a jewel-encrusted picture frame, dad got a picture and I got a bracelet that I wore for the rest of the trip (which he loved). While playing with his monorail back at the room and waiting for fireworks, he said "When I work for Disney..." then proceeded to describe the ride he's going to build in Hollywood Studios in great detail. Highlights include flying saucers in real space, lots of characters (including Kermit) , many Monorails, annnnnnnd... ends in a gift shop. (not even kidding) #FutureImagineer Waiting for Hallowishes. “The big finish!” https://www.flickr.com/gp/bradybzlyn/BJ73NW Next up... is it Friday already?!?! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 What a great update! It is good to be B! Poor Memere. She didn't stand a chance. I hope there are photos showing how you got all of B's loot on the plane home. I can't believe all of the nice restaurants you got to enjoy in one trip. Wow! TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sherryberry 35 Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 Wow! What a trip! I'm glad you had such a great time. We were at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Kidani a couple of weeks ago. B would definitely enjoy that resort. I woke up in the mornings, waving at all of the animals that were out (and giggling when kids around us came out and started talking to the animals from their balcony). And that tofu noodle dish at Kona is so good - I wish I was having that for lunch today! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 Great report wonderful pictures. We did the find the rat game again this year and it was a lot harder, or we were just miserable from having heat stroke! We have another one to do with the granddaughter that didn't go last time. I think I remember where most of them are so it shouldn't take as long. The France one was the hardest, and Morocco was tricky also. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dblr....Rennie 224 Posted November 4, 2016 Report Share Posted November 4, 2016 Reading this trip report and really enjoying it, nice that you got to enjoy the trip with them also great seeing WDW again thru a the eyes of a child, and also have adult time. Have to agree with TCD on getting all his loot home. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fladogfan aka Gretchen 259 Posted November 4, 2016 Report Share Posted November 4, 2016 3 hours ago, dblr....Rennie said: Reading this trip report and really enjoying it, nice that you got to enjoy the trip with them also great seeing WDW again thru a the eyes of a child, and also have adult time. Have to agree with TCD on getting all his loot home. I've been known to mail a box of 'valuable' stuff home so I didn't have to carry it with me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith_h 420 Posted November 4, 2016 Report Share Posted November 4, 2016 1 hour ago, fladogfan aka Gretchen said: I've been known to mail a box of 'valuable' stuff home so I didn't have to carry it with me. I used to do that when I was still working and would take business trips back to my old office in California. At the time there were some things you just could get in NC no matter how much you tried. So each time I went I would load up a box or two then run down to UPS to send them home. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted November 5, 2016 Report Share Posted November 5, 2016 19 hours ago, keith_h said: I used to do that when I was still working and would take business trips back to my old office in California. At the time there were some things you just could get in NC no matter how much you tried. So each time I went I would load up a box or two then run down to UPS to send them home. Pot? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted November 5, 2016 Report Share Posted November 5, 2016 Love the pics! Tons of good food! Z is a huge fan of Lilio's Playhouse. He comes back with BAGS of stuff and begs to return pretty much every day. On 11/3/2016 at 8:44 AM, Momof6....aka Marty said: People who just don't "get it" often ask me what I love about WDW. I tell them that as soon as I drive onto the property, I feel like I am five years old again. (And yet, through the magic of Disney, old enough to drink!) I love that description. So true! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted November 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2016 On 11/3/2016 at 11:26 AM, Tri-Circle-D said: Poor Memere. She didn't stand a chance. No she did not. But then when it comes to B, she rarely does. On 11/3/2016 at 0:33 PM, sherryberry said: Wow! What a trip! I'm glad you had such a great time. We were at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Kidani a couple of weeks ago. B would definitely enjoy that resort. I woke up in the mornings, waving at all of the animals that were out (and giggling when kids around us came out and started talking to the animals from their balcony). And that tofu noodle dish at Kona is so good - I wish I was having that for lunch today! I have a feeling SIL is going to find a way to snag a stay at AKL. I'll have to find a way to tag along on that trip too. LOL Agreed on the noodle dish. I expected it to be good, but it was super delicious. On 11/3/2016 at 2:14 PM, Travisma said: We did the find the rat game again this year and it was a lot harder, or we were just miserable from having heat stroke! We have another one to do with the granddaughter that didn't go last time. I think I remember where most of them are so it shouldn't take as long. The France one was the hardest, and Morocco was tricky also. We had 4 people hunting and some of them were pretty darned tricky! But it did keep B entertained while the adults indulged in some F&W. On 11/4/2016 at 7:20 AM, dblr....Rennie said: Reading this trip report and really enjoying it, nice that you got to enjoy the trip with them also great seeing WDW again thru a the eyes of a child, and also have adult time. It really was a great balance of kid and adult fun. On 11/4/2016 at 10:50 AM, fladogfan aka Gretchen said: I've been known to mail a box of 'valuable' stuff home so I didn't have to carry it with me. That's exactly what my brother did. They'd had a case of water shipped to the resort the first day and were smart enough to keep the box. The day before we left to come home, he packed it up. They also maxed out the number of bags Southwest allows, so the big bag that was only partially full on the way down, was packed up solid for the trip home. 18 hours ago, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said: Love the pics! Tons of good food! Z is a huge fan of Lilio's Playhouse. He comes back with BAGS of stuff and begs to return pretty much every day. I love that description. So true! Oh-so-much good food! B was a little hesitant about Lilo's when we dropped him off and SIL thought they might get a call. Hah!! Same as Z, he asked to go back every day after that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith_h 420 Posted November 6, 2016 Report Share Posted November 6, 2016 On 11/5/2016 at 7:24 AM, DaveInTN said: Pot? No. I partook a bit in high school but it never worked for me. Always ended up putting me to sleep. Mainly food items. When we first moved here in 1992 Red Lobster was considered fine dining. Mentioning Sushi got you that "Your not from around here are you?" look or someone breaking into a rendition of the Tubes tune. Forget trying to find real Asian or Hispanic ingredients. Since I was in CA several times a year I would hit the Asian and Hispanic markets we used to shop at to load up on those hard to find items. I'm happy to say that hasn't been the case in some time and I can now find everything I need locally. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted November 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 Friday was our Hollywood Studios day. We all rode RnRC. The 7yo said it was “scary but awesome!” :) Lunch today was a new one for me – Mama Melrose. I was very pleasantly surprised! Calamari appetizer… Fish of the day – seared black grouper on a sweet corn succotash – VERY yummy! Dessert trio – cheesecake with passion fruit pearls, tira misu, blood orange cake Cheesecake was great, passion fruit pearls kind of popped in your mouth. Tira misu was yummy. Blood orange cake was … meh. Goofy child devouring all the rolls. The Muppets part of the park is looking very strange as the Streets of America is coming down. March of the Storm Troopers. Later we also caught a good chunk of the stage show, which was fun. In between there somewhere, we had a FP for the Frozen Sing-a-long. It was super fun!! One of the “historians” (narrators) was Six Bits from Hoop Dee Doo fame, and he was HI-freakin-LARIOUS! There were way more jokes in the show for the adults than the kids and it was just an all around good time. I’ll let you in on a little secret – I’ve never seen Frozen. I somehow know all the music (LOL) but I’ve still yet to see the movie. I still really enjoyed this show a lot. :) Dinner tonight was at the Brown Derby. B and I were bored waiting for our food while mom and dad perused the wine list. This resulted in “The Many Faces of B” “Tante Q, take a picture of me with a picture of me.” Little did we know, while playing a game on dad’s phone, he took a photo of his dessert and posted it to dad’s Facebook page with the post “I'm just going to give up my. Ice cream to my dad.” He even managed to tag it with Disney’s Hollywood Studios!! I almost fell out of my chair laughing. Yes, he’s a goofball. And yes, I totally enable his goofballery. (Cue my brother logging out of Facebook on his phone LOL) Hidden Mickey in my alcohol-laced coffee! Apparently Kermit was being removed from the park against his will. Kermit went a little wild on the bus – and the dude in the background is not amused. Back at the Poly… what’s this? A ferry heading over towards the Grand Floridian? You can’t really see it in the photo, but this was no ordinary ferry. There were all kinds of colorful blinking lights on it, and it did indeed go around the lagoon and outside the normal ferry route. I’m pretty sure it was one of those snazzy $100+ fireworks cruises. Next up... our last day... one more trip around the World and dinner for 2 goofballs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Momof6....aka Marty 769 Posted November 7, 2016 Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 Loving every bit of this TR! Great work, Tante Q! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PureTcrazy...rita 380 Posted November 7, 2016 Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 It's good to be B! Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted November 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2016 On 11/7/2016 at 2:23 PM, Momof6....aka Marty said: Loving every bit of this TR! Great work, Tante Q! Thanks Marty! On 11/7/2016 at 4:56 PM, PureTcrazy...rita said: It's good to be B! Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk Oh it is indeed! :) Ok, time to wrap this trip report up (hey, I've never said those words before LOL!!) Our last morning of seeing this in the daylight. Another breakfast at Kona. Hey we haven’t ridden this color yet! Random selfie of our motley crew. We sent this to my sister to wish her a happy birthday. A gorgeous – if what would prove to be an uber-crowded – day at Epcot. We skipped the first few booths as they were already jammed with people and wanted to get out ahead to get in as much as we could before it got too crazy. Schoferhoffer Zitrone - this is the lemon version of that funky colored grapefruit beer. I like the grapefruit (especially on tap) but I like the lemon even better. So… somehow I clearly missed that they reopened the pizza window at Via Napoli! Gelato in Italy Spicy sushi roll (tuna and salmon) - delicious as always. Random photos while waiting in line for pork belly. Brazil’s oh-so-delicious crispy pork belly with Xingu black beer (equally delicious) A trip to France wouldn’t be complete without a macaron. On our way out of France it looked like a stadium rock concert had just let out. We’d finally hit the early crowds coming counter-clockwise around World Showcase. It was nuts. And not really fun. We waded our way through to Canada, pulled over to take a break, and decided it was time to head out. We did manage to hit the out-of-the way booths up by Future World along the way, as they were less crowded (that duck confit was super tasty), and rode Spaceship Earth without much of a wait. Back at the Poly, one last panoramic view in the daylight. Ahhhhhhhh..... Our last day also happened to be my brother and SIL’s wedding anniversary. So they were headed to California Grill for a lovely dinner, while B and I had a reservation at The Wave. My dinner date perusing the menu. Yummy scallops (yes I like scallops) Not a surprise, B ordered the Build Your Own Sundae for dessert. It came with vanilla ice cream, chocolate chips, sprinkles and chocolate sauce. He told me he didn’t like chocolate sauce (ok). He then drizzled a little on his ice cream. I figured he was just playing around as I knew he wouldn’t finish it all anyway. Then he stuck his finger in the sauce. Then he poured it all over the place and dug in. Apparently he now likes chocolate sauce! LOL I’d texted the pic to his mom and she said “are you sure you’re eating with my son?” B and I got back to the room in time to change quick and hit the pool one last time before it closed. We all watched Wishes one last time and went to bed, knowing we had to be up before dawn to catch an early flight. Ever wonder what the Poly lobby looks like virtually empty? I still do kind of miss the water feature that was here, but it really did always smell weird and the revamp of the lobby is pretty great. A quiet, Tragic Express ride back to MCO, watching the sun come up, and we were on our way home. We had a nice smooth flight back – until we hit the gusty wind just in time to land. Honestly, it was pretty rough. One of those landings where no one is talking and everyone applauds when the wheels finally touch the ground. But… this kid. Final thoughts… - Be a goofball. Being a grownup is over-rated and where better to behave like a 7 year old than at Disney (even better with a 7 year old). - If you ever get a chance to stay at the Poly, just do it. This was a terrific trip, totally different for me, but made even more terrific by getting to tag along with a great kid, and I’m so grateful and fortunate to have been able to do it. Holy crap on a cracker – I think I just finished a trip report! Thanks for reading along. :) Beckers 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted November 9, 2016 Report Share Posted November 9, 2016 Great job! I'm so glad you finished it. Your last update perfectly illustrates why trip reports are the best part of this site- I did not know about this lemon beer or that they reopened the pizza window. That gives me two things to do the next time I'm at Epcot. So thanks for that! TCD BradyBzLyn...Mo 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted November 9, 2016 Report Share Posted November 9, 2016 Signs of the Apocalypse.....Mo finished a trip report. And it was good! And I just have to say....I love scallops too. BradyBzLyn...Mo 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted November 9, 2016 Report Share Posted November 9, 2016 Great trip report, Mo! Thanks for sharing your experience with us. One question: what did you eat at the Brown Derby? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.