AC's Fort/Bay Lake Tower February 2013 Trip Report

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Can't wait to see how you like the new TT

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Your date night sounds great so far.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Well done on the date night!

Hello Kitty hell? Big whoop. Word to the wise: make sure your kids never find out about the pick-a-pearl in that store. You'll be sorry if you do. Nothing worse than paying $30 for some small pearl that will end up at the bottom of some dresser drawer.

Are those flowers pansies?

If so, well done!

TCD

[Lou... 3,118]

Funny you call the Epcot entrance the graveyard, because it's referred to as Tombstone by the Epcot bus coordinators at night when they're clearing the park.

Why in world did you go into the Hello Kitty store? Were you handcuffed to your wife?

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

I have been in Hello Kitty Hell.... all I can say is avoid avoid avoid

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Hello Kitty makes some yummy candy though.

[Big Kahuna aka John 71]

Love the USC shot. Great choice on Rose and Crown for date night. Be careful around Ms.White she is quite jealous and possessive, I still think she is trying to get INC out of the way and steal Dave.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

We alway baby swap on the coasters. And get fp. So this is how that works out. Arrive with 3 fp. Show baby. Receive baby swap pass. Which means an additional ride plus 3 guests. Use fp. So now we have 2 fp and a swap+3 left. Use fp. Show baby. Receive swap pass. Ride. Left with 1 fp and 2 swap+3s.

I could go on all day long.

I've read about doing this, but have never tried. Does it always work? Does the CM with the swap pass realize it's you again?

Great update! Sounds like a fun night so far.

And thanks for the heads up, TCD. Zachary must never find out about the pearls.

[Family of Bears 98]

I've read about doing this, but have never tried. Does it always work? Does the CM with the swap pass realize it's you again?

Great update! Sounds like a fun night so far.

And thanks for the heads up, TCD. Zachary must never find out about the pearls.

Ya but they don't mind. We are playing by the rules. We really do have a baby. We just also have fast passes. From what I understand, this is fair game :)

[BuckeyeFortMama 43]

The scotch egg has to be one of my favorite Epcot foods. My husband always gets a hard cider drink with black currant juice that he loves. I've figured out how to replicate the scotch egg after quizzing enough of our servers but the black currant juice makes that drink and I haven't found it anywhere.

[Lou... 3,118]

We decided to hop the monorail, soon to be renamed the Star Wars Episode Seven-o-rail.

Nope, it's "Iron Man 3" next.

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Great update! And date night. I didn't even know there is a hello kitty store. Where is the hello kitty store? No don't tell me I might let it slip out and I'll end up in that hell.

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

Great update! And date night. I didn't even know there is a hello kitty store. Where is the hello kitty store? No don't tell me I might let it slip out and I'll end up in that hell.

It's actually the Japan pavillion in Epcot. They also have Transformers and some Gundam and Anime stuff. Which is why I am usually in there.

[momof3kids-Yvonne 594]

It's actually the Japan pavillion in Epcot. They also have Transformers and some Gundam and Anime stuff. Which is why I am usually in there.

That's his story and he's sticking to it. :rofl2:

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

Can't wait to see how you like the new TT

Coming right up!

Your date night sounds great so far.

It is always nice. We don't get out much (like almost never) without the kids so we look forward to it.

Well done on the date night!

Hello Kitty hell? Big whoop. Word to the wise: make sure your kids never find out about the pick-a-pearl in that store. You'll be sorry if you do. Nothing worse than paying $30 for some small pearl that will end up at the bottom of some dresser drawer.

Are those flowers pansies?

If so, well done!

TCD

There will be no pick a pearl allowed and yes those are pansies. I couldn't find any flowers called "Cheating Losers" so I had to settle for the pansies.

Funny you call the Epcot entrance the graveyard, because it's referred to as Tombstone by the Epcot bus coordinators at night when they're clearing the park.

Why in world did you go into the Hello Kitty store? Were you handcuffed to your wife?

Handcuffed? No comment.

I have been in Hello Kitty Hell.... all I can say is avoid avoid avoid

I agree wholeheartedly.

Hello Kitty makes some yummy candy though.

I would not know. I will take your word for it though.

Love the USC shot. Great choice on Rose and Crown for date night. Be careful around Ms.White she is quite jealous and possessive, I still think she is trying to get INC out of the way and steal Dave.

USC SMB.

Ms. White did seem like she had a screw loose.

I've read about doing this, but have never tried. Does it always work? Does the CM with the swap pass realize it's you again?

Great update! Sounds like a fun night so far.

And thanks for the heads up, TCD. Zachary must never find out about the pearls.

Thanks Kelly. Say no to Pearls.

Ya but they don't mind. We are playing by the rules. We really do have a baby. We just also have fast passes. From what I understand, this is fair game :)

If it works and there is no specific rule against it......sounds fair to me.

The scotch egg has to be one of my favorite Epcot foods. My husband always gets a hard cider drink with black currant juice that he loves. I've figured out how to replicate the scotch egg after quizzing enough of our servers but the black currant juice makes that drink and I haven't found it anywhere.

You are welcome to come to Gettysburg or the possible Michigan GG and make me one!

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

Nope, it's "Iron Man 3" next.

Emerald Oz-o-rail would have been cool.

Great update! And date night. I didn't even know there is a hello kitty store. Where is the hello kitty store? No don't tell me I might let it slip out and I'll end up in that hell.

I am not going to tell you.

It's actually the Japan pavillion in Epcot. They also have Transformers and some Gundam and Anime stuff. Which is why I am usually in there.

But Jason is.

That's his story and he's sticking to it. :rofl2:

Yeah. I think it was really the Hello Kitty stuff too.

:)

[kampfirekim 260]

Mary walked away from your interrogation b/c MPR means she never has to explain anything.... Of course she knows what it means silly, she coined the phrase. ;D

Way to go on the date night. The closest we've ever come to a date night was an Anniversary sammie and cupcake at Roaring Fork while my parents kept the kids for a bit.

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

2-8-13 (Date Night Continued):

We had just been to one of our favorite shows being the patriots that we are. What better way to celebrate America than to jump into a fast Chevy and cruise the test track?

After all, Chevy runs deep.

And it's The Heartbeat of America.

and it's Like a Rock.

At least that's what I heard.

Dale Earnhardt drove a Chevy.

His son still does.

So if it's good enough for them.........

Here is DW designing our car:

More TT pics:

That is me next to a bunch of flying hair:

Test Track was good as always. We were indifferent to the changes. Didn't hate it but didn't love them either. It was no better ride than what it was before. The actual ride hasn't changed, just the visuals. I can see where it will be cooler for the youngsters, but in the showdown between new and old versions, I would call it a draw.

Next we went to see Judi's place:

We had not been on SE since 2001. The ride is bumpy and jerky and sucks for anyone with a bad back. I won't be going on it again for at least another 12 years. Maybe they could gut the golfball and put a new ride in there? This ride sucks. For being sort of the flagship attraction, I feel like it has always sucked; even when I was a kid.

Anyway, here are some more SE pics:

Conga!!!

And it couldn't come soon enough.

After Jerky Judi, we headed through the graveyard where I was hoping to see the Emerald Oz-o-rail, but alas we had to take an unwrapped version instead.

We were now looking forward to the second leg of our date night. Where were we headed? You'll have to tune back in tomorrow to find out.

I would like to do another update today but I have some work to do and then some events to watch:

Nascar Winston Cup Race

WBC- USA v. Canada

#7 Michigan v. #2 Indiana Basketball

That is a good sports day...........so the next update will have to wait.

[alexwyattmommy 181]

The golf ball ride should be something a little be more, I don't know, wow, maybe? It just doesn't feel like a tomorrow world feature ride.

Date night is going pretty good so far. Hoping it ended that way too.

Waiting until tomorrow.

[BuckeyeFortMama 43]

You are welcome to come to Gettysburg or the possible Michigan GG and make me one!

We'd consider Gettysburg if we weren't already booked at our 2nd home for Easter.

Still checking the Michigan GG dates against work and play schedules.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Wow Aaron...so much to comment on that I'm sure I'll forget something.

First off....Fish and Chips and Black and Tan? Well done my man! That would be my meal of choice there as well, including the scotch egg. Delish.

Hello Kitty? Really?? I guess I owe you a pass seeing that you did so well with dinner. Plus the USC joke redeemed you too.

Snow White still SMB. Your wife is a brave woman. That crazy apple muncher is not to be trusted if you ask me. But it was a nice pic nonetheless.

And can I just say....Jerky Judi made me LOL. And interestingly, that woman is so old and dried out that you could've just as easily named her Judi Jerky....the low carb British treat! Maybe they could gut the golfball and put in a Giant Judi Jerky store.

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

Mary walked away from your interrogation b/c MPR means she never has to explain anything.... Of course she knows what it means silly, she coined the phrase. ;D

Way to go on the date night. The closest we've ever come to a date night was an Anniversary sammie and cupcake at Roaring Fork while my parents kept the kids for a bit.

I think she knew we were on to the real story behind MPR.......or she was in a hurry to meet up with OJ and find the real killer.

You should have a date night. It is good times. Curt's daughter is offering her sitter services now on their business site.

The golf ball ride should be something a little be more, I don't know, wow, maybe? It just doesn't feel like a tomorrow world feature ride.

Date night is going pretty good so far. Hoping it ended that way too.

Waiting until tomorrow.

Hoping to get an update done this afternoon after I take DD for her first ever dentist appointment. She is not excited.

We'd consider Gettysburg if we weren't already booked at our 2nd home for Easter.

Still checking the Michigan GG dates against work and play schedules.

Completely understand. Enjoy your home away from home.

Wow Aaron...so much to comment on that I'm sure I'll forget something.

First off....Fish and Chips and Black and Tan? Well done my man! That would be my meal of choice there as well, including the scotch egg. Delish.

Hello Kitty? Really?? I guess I owe you a pass seeing that you did so well with dinner. Plus the USC joke redeemed you too.

Snow White still SMB. Your wife is a brave woman. That crazy apple muncher is not to be trusted if you ask me. But it was a nice pic nonetheless.

And can I just say....Jerky Judi made me LOL. And interestingly, that woman is so old and dried out that you could've just as easily named her Judi Jerky....the low carb British treat! Maybe they could gut the golfball and put in a Giant Judi Jerky store.

If there was a giant jerky store inside the golf ball, it would be a "must do" every trip........instead of an every 12 years thing.

Maybe the Dublin General Store in Northern Michigan could supply them.......they have a huge variety of type of flavor and type of animal. Very tasty!

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

2-8-13 (Date Night continued)

When we left off, we were headed away from Epcot on the highway in the sky.

When we arrived back at the TTC, we hoofed it to the other side of the platform and boarded the resort monorail.

We had a good plan in mind for the remainder of the evening............drinks around the Lagoon.

We had never been to any of the bars in the monorail resorts.

So we decided to have a few drinks and enjoy each other's company.

We didn't have to drive.

Heck, we didn't even have to pull the lever.

We just had to be able to get back to our room at the end of the night.

Our first stop is my favorite Disney Resort, other than the Fort.............

We walked around the Poly grounds for a bit, and then headed for the Tambu Lounge; which is adjacent to the Apostrophe Catastrophe. The AC was hopping and the hunks of meat smelled really good, but we took a seat at the lounge.

I had a Kona Longboard Lager:

It was smooth and tasty.

DW decided on the Superfruit Margarita:

She loved it. She offered me a taste and I have to say it would be very easy to drink a ton of those before you realize that you drank a ton of those. It is smooth and sweet. It tasted a lot like candy; pez candy maybe? It was delicious.

We also watched the bartender make the Lapu Lapu drink which is mixed inside a hollowed out pineapple. I think it was like eighteen dollars, but if you have ever seen how much liquor goes into one........

Lets just say in bar terms and prices, you are getting your money's worth in liquor and then some. It was actually fun to watch the bartender mix them.

The bartender also told us stories about all the cheerleading moms that kept frequenting the bar day and night. He stated he would listen to them saying all kinds of mean-spirited things about the other moms and coaches, and then five minutes later watch them act like best friends with those people when the unsuspecting gossip victims showed up. He was funny though. He said it was sad but entertaining. He said they got drunk fast and tipped well too as a result; so it was good business for him.

After we finished our drinks and cheerleader mom story time, we hopped back on the monorail and stopped at the Grand Floridian:

I don't even remember the name of the bar, but it was what I would call "stuffy." From unintentionally hearing other people's conversations, It seemed this was the place to take other people to talk about yourself in high regard and try to impress others.......not really my thing. We won't be back.

Anyway, I had one of these:

DW was still feeling her first couple drinks, so she passed and just had a water.

We walked around for a bit inside the GF:

We then headed back to the monorail.

Our last stop was the Contemporary, where we were headed to the Outer Rim.

The Outer Rim was closed, so we headed to the Wave and sat at the bar.

I had an old reliable:

Afterward, we walked back to BLT. We retrieved a couple things from our truck and then headed upstairs.

The rest as they say is history..............

Tomorrow we were headed to accomplish another family first......and morning was going to come very, very early.

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

2-9-13

This morning we had 8:05 reservations for Cinderella's Royal Table.

That means we would get to enter the MK before it opened.

Prior to the trip, we bought DD4 a Cinderella dress and my brother bought her a Merida dress......so she would have options when we got to WDW.

Alas, when we got to the morning of our breakfast reservations, she did not want to wear either of them.

Oh well. It was not a big deal. Here she is getting ready:

It was a bit chilly this morning so as you can see, she was wearing a coat on the way out:

It was weird seeing nobody walking around inside the gates:

Here is the line of people waiting at the breakfast reservations gate:

A couple more pics while waiting to enter the park:

After we went through the ticket gate, they lined us up next to the store on the far left, prior to the tunnel into MK. I asked the CM if I could walk the kids around the rope and over to the front of the train station for a pic and she smiled and said of course:

Soon thereafter they let us in and we headed for a must do photo opp:

We enjoyed taking our sweet little time walking up Main Street and taking it all in:

Emporium at Sunrise:

I call this one "How long does it frigging take to take down the Dreamlights?"

Looking back at the train station:

Dream Crane:

Dream Crane over Walt, Mickey, and the kids:

No Mas Crano....much better:

Sunrise on Mr. Disney:

To be continued.............

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Monorail Bar Tour! Genius!

That was a great way to finish off the date night!

I love all the early morning MK photos! Can't wait to hear about breakfast.

TCD