Reasons to celebrate…. GaDawgFan’s Spring Break Trip Report

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I just realized I missed a whole round of comments.

Great report!  Z is a such a cutie.  He and Ariel make a cute couple.  ^-^

 

Don't they? ha ha! Too bad he cheated on her later that day.

 

Loving your report!

 

Z was an adorable pirate.  So glad he had a great birthday!

 

Those Easter eggs were amazing.

 

Happy to hear that Jason used a scooter.

 

The eggs are really cool! I was happy about the scooter too. There was no way he would have made it without it.

 

Smart move on the scooter...  Love the expression on Z's face with Ariel! 

 

He makes the best faces! The Rapunzel face is funny too.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

No...the grey stuff is not "yummy"...it's delicious! 

 

For crying out loud, all you have to do is ask the dishes. 

 

And how come Jason has a huge grin on his face after dinner?  :rofl3:  He probaby walked out of the restaurant and thought he was at Epcot.  Did he get a ticket for SWI?  Scooting While Intoxicated? 

 

We were joking about him getting an SWI that night!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

The plan for Wednesday was to sleep in and go to Downtown Disney. We had a lunch ADR at T-Rex, a restaurant we’d never been to. And I had $100 in free gift cards from shopping online through mypoints.com. Whoooo Hoooo!

 

Z loves riding with the Jeep top off.

 

 

Characters in Flight…. Notice it’s not in the air, too much wind. That was a bummer because I had the Groupon, but no worries, we go back another day.

 

 

Time for lunch!

 

 

 

We had never been to T-Rex before. If you like Rainforest Café and dinosaurs, you’ll like it. Z is pretty into dinos at the moment, so it was a hit.

 

 

 

We started with mozzarella. They give you 2 kinds.

 

 

I got an overpriced margarita. Whatever, it’s vacation, right?

 

 

And it was pretty good.

 

The portions here are HUGE. Jason ordered some double burger thing that could have fed a whole family. You can see Z’s ribs in the background.

 

 

I got a sandwich that was chicken and other stuff in fried pizza dough. The picture didn’t turn out, but it was pretty good. It could have easily been split. I could barely eat half.

 

It’s a loud place and the food isn’t gourmet, but it’s pretty good. I would eat there again. Z really liked it. And that’s what it’s all about, right? You could make it a pretty cheap meal by splitting sandwiches.

 

After lunch, we walked over to the Lego store. I love the Lego sculptures.

 

 

 

 

Next it was time for another first. Can you believe we’ve never done the make-your-own-creation at the Goofy Candy Company? We fixed that!

 

Yummy treats in the case

 

 

Z’s creation

 

 

 

Mine

 

 

 

 

We waited to eat them until we got back to the RV.

 

 

That night it rained, so we snuggled and watched movies. Tomorrow, Thursday April 4^th, we head to Hollywood Studios.

[alexwyattmommy 181]

All those m&m's sure look good.  What kinds of chips are on your pretzels?

We too had gift cards from mypoints our second trip for t-rex.  Definitely a good deal for us. :)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

As the official keeper of BOG Grande Slam (BOGGS) statistics, I wish to congratulate Jason for being the second Fiend to have completed the challenge!

 

And, he gets style points for drinking those beers in a Fort Wilderness t-shirt. 

 

I may have missed a photo somewhere, but I believe that is the only time I've seen that man wearing something other than red and black.

 

Good job!

 

Jason has BOGGS bragging rights!

 

TCD

[Southern Blessings 4]

Enjoying your TR!  It was nice seeing pics of the BBQ, I don't think I've seen them before.

 

When my oldest was Z's age he was in love with Ariel too!  He'll be turning 16 next week when we go to DW and I told him I want his picture with her again, lol!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

All those m&m's sure look good.  What kinds of chips are on your pretzels?

We too had gift cards from mypoints our second trip for t-rex.  Definitely a good deal for us. :)

 

My pretzels are white chocolate dipped, with peanut butter chips, and a milk chocolate drizzle.

As the official keeper of BOG Grande Slam (BOGGS) statistics, I wish to congratulate Jason for being the second Fiend to have completed the challenge!

 

And, he gets style points for drinking those beers in a Fort Wilderness t-shirt. 

 

I may have missed a photo somewhere, but I believe that is the only time I've seen that man wearing something other than red and black.

 

Good job!

 

Jason has BOGGS bragging rights!

 

TCD

 

He is very proud that he met your challenge. I didn't notice the Ft. Wilderness shirt until you mentioned it. Bonus points! And you are right. He does own a ton of red and black. I guess that's what happens when you spend every fall weekend in Athens.

 

Enjoying your TR!  It was nice seeing pics of the BBQ, I don't think I've seen them before.

 

When my oldest was Z's age he was in love with Ariel too!  He'll be turning 16 next week when we go to DW and I told him I want his picture with her again, lol!

 

We really enjoy the BBQ. We have a ton of fun there, and I think it will be an every trip meal for a few more years. That's funny about your son. I would make him take the picture too!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Let’s get Thursday 4/4 started….

 

It was a Hollywood Studios day. On our trip of less time in the parks, Hollywood Studios would not be my choice for our 2^nd full park day. But I got out-voted. Jake is Zachary’s favorite character, and he’s only at HS, and Rockin Rollercoaster is Jason’s favorite ride in all of Disney. So that’s where we went.

 

We had a little problem…. Rain was predicted for much of the day, and the scooter couldn’t get wet. I read ways to bag certain parts to protect it, but Jason wasn’t comfortable with that. He didn’t want to own this scooter. Up until now, he’d really babied the knee, and with the extra sitting through shows, etc, he thought he could handle it.

 

I don’t have as many pictures of this day. Because of the rain, the big camera stayed home.

 

A lot of people don’t realize that HS does a soft opening, at least during peak times. We arrived at the gate around 8:20 for a 9:00 RD, and it wasn’t very long before they were letting us in.

 

Z had wanted to do JTA, but during the trip changed his mind, so I decided to go get FPs for TSMM while the rest of the family headed to RnR.

 

So before the 9AM “opening” we had FPs for TSMM and rode RnR twice using parent swap. Well, Jason rode it twice, once with me and once with dad.

 

Who needs coffee?

 

 

And I bet TCD noticed that Jason’s Ft. Wilderness shirt is back. I swear we did laundry on Wednesday.

 

I hadn’t mentioned that my dad had never been to HS. He LOVED RnR!!!!! Z was mad he couldn’t ride it.

 

We headed over to get in line for Buzz and Woody. I’ll have to add some pictures with them when I get my photopass pics. For now, I just have pics of the queue.

 

 

Blast off!

 

 

Yes, he’s posing.

 

 

After meeting them, it was time to go watch my future daughter-in-law’s show, Voyage of the Little Mermaid.  

 

Z remembered Ursula from last year. He’s not a fan.

 

After the show, the family perused One Man’s Dream while I ran to get Star Tours FPs. With all that extra brisk walking I should have lost weight on the trip.

 

I think my dominance on Buzz upset my dad and Jason because they both beat my score on TSMM, and by a lot.

 

On the way to Star Tours, Z saw the training academy. Guess what he wanted to do? Yep. Too late. I guess there’s always next time!

 

Z LOVED Star Tours. He wanted to hop right back in line, but we couldn’t. We had an ADR at Hollywood and Vine.

 

H&V was a splurge for lunch since Z loves Jake so much. He likes the other characters too, but I wish they had more of the Neverland Pirates there.

 

Here are some pictures of him with characters…..

 

 

 

 

 

Jake came back!

 

 

Every once in awhile, they would have the characters dance with the kids.

 

 

And my dessert plate. Yum! Maybe all these desserts are why I didn’t lose weight on the trip.

 

 

Overall, I’m not sure I’d do Hollywood and Vine again, unless the character change. Z LOVES Jake, but he’s pretty easy to meet. The food was pretty good, but nothing really wowed me. It could be that it was third buffet we’d had, and we had just been eating too much. I do recommend it if your kids REALLY like any of the characters. The interaction with them was really good.

 

Usually we’d leave after lunch and come back for a break. But there were supposed to be really bad storms that night, so we decided to stay longer.

 

We watched the Muppets show. At that point it was raining, so we headed to the Art of Animation building just to walk around.

 

Jake was inside! So Z got more pictures, but again, they are on the photopass CD.

 

We were holding 2 FPs for ToT and 2 for RnR. Dad and Jason rode ToT because I’m too chicken to do so. I thought it would be too scary for Z too.

 

At that point Jason was done. His knee was really hurting. Zachary was tired too. And it was raining. He volunteered to take him back which gave my dad and I an evening alone. It was really nice! I’d rather walk around HS in the rain than sit in the RV all evening and night. We had ponchos.

 

We did some things that I usually don’t do because they take too long.

 

We rode the GMR.

 

 

Did the Backlot Tour

 

 

Cashed in our RnR FPs

 

 

And watched the Indiana Jones show

 

 

At some point, it stopped raining. We wandered around some shops and played around with some magic shots and basically just soaked up the atmosphere.

 

Around dinner time, we were getting tired, so we headed back to the Fort.

 

Then, I had an idea. It wasn't raining, and the Characters in Flight balloon was running. And we had those Groupons.

 

Jason and Z were up from their nap, soooooooo we went!

 

It was getting dark by the time we went, so while the experience was cool, the pictures from the air aren’t great.

 

We had pretzel dogs from the slowest pretzel place of all time and some cocktails while we waited.

 

 

 

 

It goes up to 400 feet in the air. I asked our operator, and we went 330. It was a cool experience. If you’ve never done it, I recommend it for sure, especially if you can get a Groupon.

 

That’s all for that day. The next day was Friday, April 5^th…. Our 10^th anniversary. It was a Fort day followed by the best date night EVAH!

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Loving that you had an evening with your father!  Make all the memories with him that you can!  I lost my father 3/1 and so wish I could have more one-on-one memories with him.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

 

And I bet TCD noticed that Jason’s Ft. Wilderness shirt is back. I swear we did laundry on Wednesday.

 

No I didn't notice that.

 

And even if I did, i wouldn't have judged.

 

Y'all were camping.  If anyone ever analyzed my photos- you would see some repeat outfits- and I can assure you I don't do any laundry when we are camping.

 

Great job on making the most of a bad weather day.

 

I agree with Gwen- it's nice you got some time alone with your dad- for both of you.

 

So, with the Groupon, about how much does a ride in that balloon cost?   I've never even thought of doing it, but I'm a sucker for a good deal.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Once BOG starts offering 7 beers on the menu, what will the BOGGS be called?  BOGAPS?  (Be Our Guest Alcohol Poisoning Slam?)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Once BOG starts offering 7 beers on the menu, what will the BOGGS be called?  BOGAPS?  (Be Our Guest Alcohol Poisoning Slam?)

 

With your mad acronym skillz, you should get a job working for the government. :rofl2:

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

No I didn't notice that.

 

And even if I did, i wouldn't have judged.

 

Y'all were camping.  If anyone ever analyzed my photos- you would see some repeat outfits- and I can assure you I don't do any laundry when we are camping.

 

Great job on making the most of a bad weather day.

 

I agree with Gwen- it's nice you got some time alone with your dad- for both of you.

 

So, with the Groupon, about how much does a ride in that baloon cost?   I've never even thought of doing it, but I'm a sucker for a good deal.

 

TCD

 

Ha ha! We have to do laundry because of Z. It never fails that he rolls in mud, paints himself, eats stuff that is totally messy, etc. I always think I bring enough, but I don't. In this case, it was much cooler at night than I thought it would be, and we only had 1 pair of jeans each.

 

Dad and I really enjoyed our afternoon/evening together. When I get the photopass pics, I'll post some from that.

 

For the Groupon, it was 1 person for $11 or 2 people for $20. I got 2 of the 2 person, so we all rode for $40. It's normally $18 each plus tax, so we saved a pretty good bit.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

INC does a lot of laundry at the Fort.  Our last trip was 2 weeks.  There's no way we can pack enough, let alone do we own enough, for 2 weeks without doing laundry.  I wish they would transition the machines to coin-less like they have on the DCL ships.  Swipe your KTTW card and wash away. 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

 I wish they would transition the machines to coin-less like they have on the DCL ships.  Swipe your KTTW card and wash away. 

 

That would be great!!!!!!!

[alexwyattmommy 181]

I think Dave should go talk to whoever is in charge and make it so.  KTTW wash away.

 

So glad you had some Dad and me time on your trip.

The photos are great so far and looking forward to the PhotoPass ones.

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

 I wish they would transition the machines to coin-less like they have on the DCL ships.  Swipe your KTTW card and wash away. 

I third that request!!!!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I third that request!!!!

 

I would think Fort personnel would get tired of fielding complaints about the change machines being empty or broken.  But I guess the ones getting the complaints aren't the ones who make capital expenditure decisions. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

For the Groupon, it was 1 person for $11 or 2 people for $20. I got 2 of the 2 person, so we all rode for $40. It's normally $18 each plus tax, so we saved a pretty good bit.

 

Thanks for the specifics.

 

Ten bucks sounds fair for a balloon ride.  Eighteen bucks sounds like a rip off.

 

I'll keep an eye out for a Groupon.

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Thanks for the specifics.

 

Ten bucks sounds fair for a balloon ride.  Eighteen bucks sounds like a rip off.

 

I'll keep an eye out for a Groupon.

 

TCD

 

I agree about $18 being a rip-off. It was cool though. Z and I see hot air balloons on the way to school almost every morning, and he's been begging to ride one. I'm too scared and cheap to do that, but this satified him.

[Lou... 3,118]

But I guess the ones getting the complaints aren't the ones who make capital expenditure decisions. 

 

I disagree schmuck face.

The head of housekeeping, Sam Gates, would get those complaints and he is a direct report to Doug Lord, the Wilderness Region GM, so I think the person receiving the complaints does have a hand in making the Fort's capital expenditure decisions.

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

Finally caught up!

So much to comment on:

Awesome shots of Z with Jake.

Z should definitely do JTA next time. He would have a blast I think.

Congrats to your DH on the grand slam.

The seven beer slam seems a bit out of reach during one meal.......even for a fiend.

Looking forward to more!

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

INC does a lot of laundry at the Fort.  Our last trip was 2 weeks.  There's no way we can pack enough, let alone do we own enough, for 2 weeks without doing laundry.  I wish they would transition the machines to coin-less like they have on the DCL ships.  Swipe your KTTW card and wash away. 

We would love to see that as well, but there are probably enough guests that don't do "charge privledges" on their KTTW so they couldn't use the machines. I always go to the TP and get a a couple rolls of quarters.

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

I disagree schmuck face.

The head of housekeeping, Sam Gates, would get those complaints

IMHO there in lies the problem.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I'm going to try to update tonight, but photobucket is loading pictures slowly.

 

I disagree schmuck face.

The head of housekeeping, Sam Gates, would get those complaints and he is a direct report to Doug Lord, the Wilderness Region GM, so I think the person receiving the complaints does have a hand in making the Fort's capital expenditure decisions.

 

I can feel the love between you two.

 

Finally caught up!

So much to comment on:

Awesome shots of Z with Jake.

Z should definitely do JTA next time. He would have a blast I think.

Congrats to your DH on the grand slam.

The seven beer slam seems a bit out of reach during one meal.......even for a fiend.

Looking forward to more!

 

We will do the JTA next time for sure. I was upset he backed out, but I didn't want to push the issue.

 

We would love to see that as well, but there are probably enough guests that don't do "charge privledges" on their KTTW so they couldn't use the machines. I always go to the TP and get a a couple rolls of quarters.

 

Good point. Maybe they could make them half and half?