BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted January 6, 2021 Report Share Posted January 6, 2021 Late to the party but I'm in - thanks for writing this, Gwen! 19 hours ago, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said: So let's get this TR rolling again. That evening we went over to Olivia's for dinner. Dining reservations, even with lower crowds overall, were much harder for me to come by. And then the restaurants have limited menus. Each restaurant always has a vegetarian option. And then a fish option (not a seafood option but fish, like mahi mahi or tuna or "catch of the day"). Which only leaves 3-4 options for people like me who don't like vegetarian or fish options, and lots of times one of the remaining options is pasta, which I don't eat since I'm a low carber. Bottom line: we didn't have too many options to choose from. And that was one of the reasons we chose to go Olivia's that night. We each had a great Caesar salad, and then we split this 14 ounce serving of deliciousness: We followed it up by splitting this little jewel: A key lime tart. With no artificial taste or color. The real deal. It was so good! That all looks/sounds amazing! Olivia's has never been on my radar, but it is now. 🙂 19 hours ago, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said: Love that! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted January 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2021 NaCole, David and I have had such long discussions about this ... we are convinced this has evolved into not a political or societal issue but rather a spiritual one. When we finally get to see each other again, I'll explain! Mo, welcome! That ornament takes the award for the most original one we saw. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ependydad...Doug 176 Posted January 6, 2021 Report Share Posted January 6, 2021 We had Olivia's for Thanksgiving a few years back. The food was great and we really liked the atmosphere. Glad you had a good meal there! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted January 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2021 Under our original reservations we would have been at WDW on my birthday. But since we deleted the first two weeks I decided to celebrate my birthday two weeks late on December 3. Our tradition is that I pick a Disney restaurant we've never been too before. I wear my Disney ears that I've worn every year for the past 15 years or so on my birthday (even to work!) And this year I totally ignored my low carb diet and ate things I haven't had since 2002. And loved every single bite without feeling one sliver of guilt! No signature or fancy restaurant for us this year! Where did we go? The place doesn't look great. I was looking forward to the cute decor I'd seen in photos. Well, it's white cafeteria-style tables now. It's nothing special now. A couple of the waffle cone tables have been moved out onto the sidewalk. But that didn't detract from the food! Oh my! Roll me out in a wheelbarrow! We each had: The tomato soup was very good, but the grilled cheese sandwich was the best I've ever had! And then we split a No Way Jose. It was appropriately named. It was huge. There was no way we could eat all of this sundae, even splitting it. But it was the best thing I had to eat the entire trip! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpy and Grandma 740 Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 5 hours ago, BradyBzLyn...Mo said: That all looks/sounds amazing! Olivia's has never been on my radar, but it is now. 🙂 One of our favorites and you won't regret it, but it is a little noisy if crowded since the acoustics aren't the best. BradyBzLyn...Mo 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LONE-STAR 370 Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 On Castle color we agree, I don't know how anyone really likes it. The dark grey looks nice, and the blue roof is really pretty, but that pink is just awful. My wife and daughter felt the same way and they like pink. Just not on the castle. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ivy 36 Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 15 hours ago, twiceblessed....nacole said: .we desperately miss the innocent days of our greatest “problem” being how we’d get a reservation or make rope drop...we desperately miss our country. Yep! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted January 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 20 hours ago, Grumpy and Grandma said: One of our favorites and you won't regret it, but it is a little noisy if crowded since the acoustics aren't the best. One of the few good changes due to COVID is that many of those once-noisy restaurants are much quieter now that seating is spaced so far apart now. I'll bring that up again later in my TR. 17 hours ago, LONE-STAR said: On Castle color we agree, I don't know how anyone really likes it. The dark grey looks nice, and the blue roof is really pretty, but that pink is just awful. My wife and daughter felt the same way and they like pink. Just not on the castle. Great! I'm not alone! 16 hours ago, Ivy said: Yep! Words can't express what I'm feeling for our country right now ... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ependydad...Doug 176 Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 On 1/6/2021 at 5:04 PM, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said: The place doesn't look great. I was looking forward to the cute decor I'd seen in photos. Well, it's white cafeteria-style tables now. It's nothing special now. A couple of the waffle cone tables have been moved out onto the sidewalk. But that didn't detract from the food! Oh my! Roll me out in a wheelbarrow! That 100% fits what we feel like they did to Beaches & Cream. They took a cute shop/experience and ruined it. But, we love the food and ice cream and have a favorite server there. We've had him over the years and he remembers us each time we come in. At least I hope he's still there... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted January 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 1 hour ago, ependydad...Doug said: That 100% fits what we feel like they did to Beaches & Cream. They took a cute shop/experience and ruined it. But, we love the food and ice cream and have a favorite server there. We've had him over the years and he remembers us each time we come in. At least I hope he's still there... We didn't find one server anywhere who was working at their pre-COVID restaurant. As I said earlier, Joy from TE is working at Olivia's. Our server at The Wave said she is a new hire because of none of their previous servers would come back there. We found out Ken from TE is now working at Le Cellier in Canada. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 On 1/6/2021 at 3:30 PM, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said: NaCole, David and I have had such long discussions about this ... we are convinced this has evolved into not a political or societal issue but rather a spiritual one. When we finally get to see each other again, I'll explain! Oh my sweet friend, I agree completely. The evil we are seeing in our country, is most definitely a physical sign of a spiritual battle. I am praying for our country and for the globe. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 Oh... and the castle.... I’m not a fan either 😕 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 On 1/6/2021 at 7:35 PM, Grumpy and Grandma said: One of our favorites and you won't regret it, but it is a little noisy if crowded since the acoustics aren't the best. I find very few Disney restaurants have great acoustics and seem noisy when they're crowded. On 1/6/2021 at 5:04 PM, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said: I wear my Disney ears that I've worn every year for the past 15 years or so on my birthday (even to work!) Love this!!! 19 hours ago, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said: We found out Ken from TE is now working at Le Cellier in Canada. Very glad Ken was able to move elsewhere but talk about a complete change in atmosphere! Put me in the "don't love the pink on the castle" group too. Fresh coat of paint, maybe a little extra silvery/gold bits would have been enough in my book. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted January 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 20 hours ago, twiceblessed....nacole said: Oh... and the castle.... I’m not a fan either 😕 2 hours ago, BradyBzLyn...Mo said: Put me in the "don't love the pink on the castle" group too. Fresh coat of paint, maybe a little extra silvery/gold bits would have been enough in my book. Wow! If I went out on FB and said I didn't love the new castle colors I'd be crucified! But then of course some of those nuts think it's heresy to criticize Disney about any little thing at all ... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted January 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 Finally Friday arrived. We started the day with breakfast at Whispering Canyon. This meal was $23 per adult, not including beverages. David selected the Heritage Skillet (biscuits and gravy not pictured): and I ordered the Carnivore Skillet: The food was good, but it didn't compare to our breakfast at Chef Mickey's. After we ate we went to Publix in Celebration and then went back to the motorhome to clean it up because we were having some very special guests that afternoon! Grumpy and Grandma came to visit! It was great spending time with them. The afternoon passed all too quickly! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpy and Grandma 740 Posted January 9, 2021 Report Share Posted January 9, 2021 2 hours ago, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said: Grumpy and Grandma came to visit! It was great spending time with them. The afternoon passed all too quickly! It was good to see you and David too! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted January 10, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2021 Our First Park Day! Finally Saturday arrived. We had survived 6 days without going to a park. Would I want to do it again? A definite no! We had reservations for Magic Kingdom. Oh happy day! We had heard horror stories about it taking 1 - 1.5 hours waiting in line to get onto the boat at the marina, so we drove to the TTC and took the ferry over to the MK. Big mistake. It took us forever. After getting our temperature checked and going through security, we finally got into the park at 10:30. But finally we were there. I was home. i could breathe. And the crowd looked really light. We spent about 20 minutes making our way down Main Street. Suddenly we heard music and i knew to watch for a cavalcade. Cast Members started telling people to move onto the sidewalk. Just a few minutes later, more music ... The reindeer were followed by Santa. And just a couple of minutes later, even more music. So within 15-20 minutes, we had already seen 3 of the cavalcades. It was a little bit much. See how bright sunlight washes out the colors on the castle? We got behind the castle and suddenly the crowd was terrible. I checked the lines -- the carousel was almost 60 minutes. IASW was almost 60 minutes. The more popular rides were 75 - 90+ minutes. And the park was supposed to be no more than 35% full. Didn't make sense. Characters do pop unexpectedly throughout the park. I knew the Rivers of America had been drained but was still shocked at how it looked; I thought the new paint on the castle looked garish, like a comic book version of the real thing. On our way out one of my favorite characters was waving from the railroad station. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpy and Grandma 740 Posted January 10, 2021 Report Share Posted January 10, 2021 41 minutes ago, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said: Our First Park Day! The more popular rides were 75 - 90+ minutes. And the park was supposed to be no more than 35% full. Didn't make sense. Because of the limited seating as well as the fact that there are no FAST PASS lines. We have also heard that the times listed are not accurate, lines are moving faster. Our daughter and family just left and her longest wait was for SDMT. When they went to EPCOT there was no line for SOARIN and they also waited less than 45 minutes for TEST TRACK. At AK they got on both Pandora attractions in about 60 minutes Unrelated, but hey still have X-MAS decorations up in parts of AK and when we went to P&J's to pick-up dinner (they were in a cabin) the X-MAS music was still playing at the Settlement. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted January 11, 2021 Report Share Posted January 11, 2021 20 hours ago, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said: On our way out one of my favorite characters was waving from the railroad station. Edited 19 hours ago by CCIntrigue...aka Gwen Oof - seeing the river empty is pretty jarring. LOVE the Eeyore photo!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Okieatheart 33 Posted January 11, 2021 Report Share Posted January 11, 2021 Gwen, those pictures are gorgeous! They make me feel as if I'm right there with you. Good job!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted January 11, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2021 On 1/10/2021 at 4:28 PM, Grumpy and Grandma said: Because of the limited seating as well as the fact that there are no FAST PASS lines. We have also heard that the times listed are not accurate, lines are moving faster. The only long line we waited in was for Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway. It was posted at 60 minutes and took us around 50. 7 hours ago, BradyBzLyn...Mo said: Oof - seeing the river empty is pretty jarring. LOVE the Eeyore photo!! Yeah, that empty river is quite a jolt. It looks like they are repairing the riverboat track. Huge chunks of it are missing. 5 hours ago, Okieatheart said: Gwen, those pictures are gorgeous! They make me feel as if I'm right there with you. Good job!! If all goes well, we will be together there soon! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted January 11, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2021 Well, guys, I found out this afternoon that I will have surgery on my elbow a week from tomorrow, 1/19. My surgeon won't know how extensive the work will be until he actually gets into it. I'm praying for the short version rather than the long version and the much more complicated recuperation it entails. Anyway, I'm going to try and get as much of this TR finished as i can before Tuesdsay! The next day was reserved for Hollywood Studios. The one attraction I really wanted to experience since it had opened since our last visit was: We waited about 50 minutes in line, which in itself was an engineering marvel! Once we were inside the building, the line was separated by plexiglass panels: Shorttly we boarded the train and were on our way. On the way to their picnic Mickey and Mickey apparently go to a carnival and get caught up in a twister: which causes them to go on some crazy adventures. First they go underwater: And then we stopped. We waited. And we waited. And then the recordings started. They ones that tell you to remain seated and the ride will resume shortly. Only it didn't. Finally after about 20 minutes Cast Members brought out stairs for us to climb out of the ride vehicles. And wheelchairs for those of us who couldn't walk all the way back to our ECVs. And by that point it was a long, long way. We got the standard spiel about no photos or videos. I was in a wheelchair being pushed by a very nice cast member, but I couldn't resist just one stealth photo. I know, it kinda demystifies the ride. But even more, the CM knew exactly which ECV was mine. She took me directly to it without asking. A little too much big brother-ish for me. Then we were given fastpasses for any ride except for the new one in the Star Wars area. So we walked the rest of the way around DHS, enjoyed TSMM, and by the time we got back to M&MRR it was operating again. So we whipped out those fastpasses and rode it again. We saw the rest of M&M's adventures including Daisy's dance studio: And all too soon our adventures were over and we were thrust out into the real world again. Next up was our meal at Hollywood Brown Derby. Something we always look forward to. Our first course consisted of splitting the cobb salad entree. The next course we ordered was filet mignon. David would have the potatoes, and I would eat the haricot verts. It arrived. I asked our server for steak knives. His response in a not-so-nice voice was, "I already gave them to you." My response was, "If you had, I wouldn't be asking for them." The meal went downhill from there. It was tasteless. The steak wasn't tender, and it wasn't seasoned at all. Even David, who rarely exhibits any taste buds, felt the same way. We were so disappointed with the meal that we didn't order order our planned dessert. Bottom line: bad food,worse service. Strolling around before we left: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LONE-STAR 370 Posted January 12, 2021 Report Share Posted January 12, 2021 We loved Runaway Railway,we rode it several times over our trip and we got stuck on Rise of the Resistance. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted January 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2021 I thought Runaway Railway was great too, but David not as much. I think the long wait really got to him. It was so much easier for me since I was sitting in my scooter. The next day was another no-park day. David develops what to me is a weird affliction while at the Fort. He has an allergic reaction to the Disney bubble. The longer he's in contact with it, the worse his reaction becomes until he just has to escape for awhile. But to me, once inside the bubble, it's almost heresy to even suggest I extend even one toe outside that bubble. And we'd already ventured out three times -- once to the Disney outlet, another time to a Camping World a couple of hours away to get some special fluid we desperately needed for our HydroHot (and they were the only place we could find it), and a trip to Publix. But noooooooooooo, that didn't cure him. So we got in the car and he started driving with no destination in mind. He just wanted to see a part of Florida he'd never seen before. We ended up in Frostproof. We saw a lot of this: We eventually found a pretty lake in the center of 'town." We stopped for a snack at what has to be the oldest McDonald's still in existence in America. Wish I had taken a picture of it. It hadn't been remodeled. It looked just like the ones that were built back in the sixties. No computerized ordering there! And the employees were so friendly! On the way back to the Fort we stopped at the Florida's Natural Visitor's Center in Lake Wales. https://floridasnatural.com/about/visitors-center It's a great place to stop and stretch your legs for a few minutes. And it relieved my boredom. Finally we got back to the Fort. I COULD HAVE KISSED THE GROUND! Home again, home again! I got on my scooter and went up to the Meadow Trading Post to immerse myself in Disney. I was in desperate need of a Mickey fix. And there he was! One of the things we really wanted to do was visit the new horse barn, so we headed up there, only to find out that it closes to the public at 3 pm. That includes pony rides. We went back to the motorhome and pulled dinner from the freezer. Ate early and stayed in. As usual, once the sun set it was too cold outside to ride the golf cart. BradyBzLyn...Mo 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted January 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2021 The next day was Tuesday, December 8. It was cold, cold, cold. Even David was cold. It was our Animal Kingdom day. When it's hot, AK is really hot. We found out when it's cold, AK is REALLY cold. And with all the shows closed, there's no way to stay warm without going from one restaurant to the next. We rode the safari, walked both trails, and ate at Flame Tree in the small sliver of sunshine we could find. Here's a few photos: DID I SAY IT WAS COLD? BradyBzLyn...Mo 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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