1/5-1/12 - Danny and Melissa mosey about the Disney World tundra.

Howdy, fellow World travelers! I've just returned from a fantastic Disney vacation and thought I'd dive right in to my very first trip report. In posts to come, you'll see a few photos and read all about the anomalous cold, some belated Christmas decorations, our trying new things and our laid-back approach to navigating the parks this year, but first, introductions:

I am Melissa. I'm 24 and this was my fourth trip to the World.

Here I am in Disneyland in for my birthday in 2008. I'm a sucker for the ears.

My travel companion is my boyfriend, Danny. His 30th birthday was our reason for celebrating and choosing this particular week to travel.

Danny obliged my taking many, many teacup photos that trip.

Last but not least, we have Simon, the Travel Monkey. He's originally from Duluth, Minnesota. He showed up in our house one Christmas day and became rather attached to us. After exploring his way around the place, he set his sites on more far-flung adventures.

Simon on a flight from New York City to Sacramento.

We woke at an ungodly hour. Our flight was to depart from the Westchester Country airport in White Plains, NY at 6:05 AM. We were using U.S. Airways for this flight. It was our first experience with both that airline and that airport. We weren't sure what to expect from the drive or airport security, so we decided to wake at 2:20 AM and be on the road by 3:00. The airport is 48 miles from our house, but we were parking at a nearby hotel as their long-term parking was about 60% cheaper than the airport's. And so the adventure begins.

We left the house a few minutes before 3:00 AM, Google Maps directions in hand. We got a little turned around when Google's directions conflicted with our instincts and we chose to follow the printout rather than logic. A minor setback, considering how much time we had. We arrived at the hotel about 15 minutes before their first shuttle to the airport was scheduled to depart. In no time at all, we were at the tiny White Plains airport, waiting to drop off our checked bags. This, by the way, was supposed to happen at 4:30 AM, but U.S. Airways opens their counters 30 minutes after the other airlines there. We didn't actually get to the security line until 5:15. Luckily, TSA was quite efficient at moving the people through this morning. We got through security with enough time grab bagels for breakfast and sit for a moment before boarding.

The Westchester County airport is one of the smallest I've ever seen. So was the plane that we boarded. It was a Canadair CRJ-200LR, a 50 passenger little beauty flown by Air Wisconsin, who have a contract with U.S. Airways. Our flight attendant was Jackie Brown. Seriously, she bore a striking resemblance to Pam Grier in both appearance and voice. She even had a little of that foxy attitude that makes Jackie Brown one of my favorite movies. Danny laughed when I made the comparison, but he wasn't so happy when it resulted in me singing "Long Time Woman" and "Across 110th Street" throughout our layover at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. By the way, this was another downside to flying out of White Plains: no direct flights. We resolved to stick to JetBlue for service to Orlando from now on. The advantage to this layover was the nice view as we landed. We could even see a couple landmarks from the terminal.

Here is a fuzzy photo of the U.S. Capitol.

And just beyond the plane here is the Washington Monument. It's always bothered me that the marble on this structure is two different colors, but what can I say? I'm retentive.
​

The second leg of the flight was fairly uneventful. We were in a Boeing 737-400, which means three seats on either side of the aisle. I gave Danny the window seat since Simon was in his backpack and Simon likes to see out the window. I shared the middle seat with the Kent State sweatshirt-clad arm of the man in the aisle seat. The families in front of and behind us were all going to Disney as well, but I didn't strike up conversation with any of them because they were all absorbed in their own conversations and excitement. Plus Kent State guy was asleep and I was trying not to disturb him, lest he take up more of my space.

Before too long, we were landing. We experienced a happy occurrence in that our airline occupied the terminal closest to the Magical Express counter, so there was no opportunity to run to the wrong side of the airport searching for it, as we are known to do. We got in line and were loaded onto a bus almost immediately. Our bus would be stopping at Saratoga Springs and Old Key West before dropping us off at Port Orleans French Quarter. Its final stop was, to my surprise, not Riverside but Fort Wilderness. I don't think I'll ever fully grasp the intricacies of Disney's transportation systems.

Almost home! We were so excited. Except for Simon. It was a little too cold for him.

A little note about the ride to French Quarter: I'm so upset with myself for not writing down our Magical Express driver's name so that I might appropriately sing his praises. He had the whole bus in stitches both before and after the video. He really was great at amplifying our excitement -- as if we didn't already have enough, right? The family sitting in front of us on the bus were first-timers and their two adorable daughters were ecstatic. But more on them later. He was also incredibly informative, delivering a bit of bad news: This week, temperatures would be cold. They would stay that way for the duration of our trip. He said that Florida hadn't seen a week this cold since the 1970s. Boo.

We got to French Quarter and disembarked as quickly as possible. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Christmas decorations were still in place. I really hadn't expected to see any at all by the time we arrived.

The framed photos on the tree were stills from The Princess and the Frog. There was quite a bit of movie theming in the main building of the resort. More on that to come.

We checked in and Danny received his birthday button. We opted not to do online check-in because we wanted to be able to reiterate our room requests to a person as we checked in. Our only request was that our room not overlook a parking lot. We received room 2317, which I thought was pretty ideally located. For those of you not familiar with the French Quarter, we had a courtyard view in building 2, and our third-story room was adjacent to the stairs and mere steps from the elevator. That came in handy at the end of a few particularly long days. Our building was also the closest to the boat launch on the Sassagoula River, where one can take a boat to Downtown Disney. I regret that we hardly used that service during our stay because it was so cold outside. Nor did we use the pool, which was also right next to our building.

It was about noon by the time we got to our room and we were famished. We dropped off our carry-ons, left a tip for the bellmen who would be bringing up our checked bags when they arrived, and ventured back out to grab lunch before heading to the Magic Kingdom. Simon elected to stay in the room and watch Phineas and Ferb as it was just too cold for him. We headed down to Sassagoula Floatworks for a bite to eat. I took photos, but they don't look particularly appealing, so I won't be posting them. Lunch was serviceable, but we were quite hungry and didn't care to admire the meal the way that we would others during the week.

Up Next: The Magic Kingdom and dinner at the Kona Café.
​

 

[Sweet Melissa]

Great Safari shots! And that Salmon BLT looks so good :slurp:

Thanks. I can't help but think morose thoughts when I look at the hippo one because of all the vultures hanging around, but I did like a lot of the photos I took on the safari. And that salmon BLT was outstanding. :slurp:

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

I just looked at the trip countdown and saw that you posted days! I didn't know you had planned another trip, that's great! :sohappy: When are you going? Where are you staying?

 

[Sweet Melissa]

1/8 - EPCOT, Dinner at Coral Reef and a Birthday Surprise for Danny

After lunch, we trekked back to Future World to hunt for some survey markers.

This one is on the path between the Mexico pavilion and Future World. It's not the one we were hunting. After about 30 fruitless minutes searching for one that was supposed to exist somewhere between Innoventions West and the Land, Danny looked up its precise location on his iPhone. Some sources said that the marker we were looking for was removed during a 2005 refurbishment. Mission: Aborted. We rode Honey I Shrunk the Audience instead.

Earlier in the week, we'd overheard a little boy asking a little girl, "Do you want to go to Honeykids with me?" The mother of the boy explained to the mother of the girl that he meant the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground in Hollywood Studios. We thought that was adorable, though, and referred to both the walk-through in Hollywood Studios and Honey I Shrunk the Audience as "honeykids" after that. Honeykids. They sound delicious, don't they?

After the ride, we decided that we'd pretty much seen everything we wanted to see in Future World (save the missing survey marker), but had some unfinished business at the World Showcase, so we went back. We tried stopping in to the Rose & Crown Pub so that Danny could have a Scotch flight, but the place was packed to the gills and standing room only situations are not ideal for enjoying three tastes of Scotch, so we moved on. Our next stop was to Les Vins des Chefs de France kiosk for something slushy. I had a terrible time deciding between the Grey Goose Citroen Lemonade and the Grand Mariner, but finally chose the former. It was nice, but I do like the Italian Margherita better. I'll try the other one next time. In Morocco, Danny got an odd slushy drink called a Sultan Colada. It's basically a Piña Colada with amaretto. It was creamy, slightly spicy (like a warm spice, no heat) and sickly sweet. I don't care for Bols amaretto. It's syrupy and cloying. I prefer amaretto to have a little bitterness, which this drink could have used. We decided that the best way to cleanse the palate was with some sake, so we went back to the Mitsukoshi store in Japan.

We looked at some treats for Simon. They have the monkey Seal of Approval right on them!

We ended up purchasing a bottle of mild, dry sake and a cute EPCOT shot glass. It might have been more appropriate to get a set of sake glasses, but we get a shot glass from every place we visit. We couldn't break tradition just for propriety. Booze in hand, we decided to say Hallo to the Germany pavilion, which we had somehow managed to overlook thus far.

We bypassed the Italy pavilion this time around, but took some pictures as we walked by. Note the luscious overcast sky. The rain had stopped momentarily.

Danny was making strange faces at me. Jiminy didn't seem to notice.

Although snickerdoodles and marzipan usually entice me, we didn't by any German treats this time around. Instead, we stopped at the Africa Coolpost for a Coke.

Right after I took the above photo, I received a text message. Danny's surprise was on its way.

I really wanted to see the Dragon Legend Acrobats this trip, so we headed to China. The next show was about 25 minutes away, but it was beginning to drizzle again so we had no problem waiting in the warm, dry Temple of Heaven for a while. The show was entertaining. The kids were cute and showcased some impressive physical abilities. I thought my flash might be distracting, so I don't have any photos. This is a show best seen in person anyway.

We still had more than an hour before our 7:55 dinner reservation at Coral Reef, but we decided to head over to the Living Seas anyway.

"Nemo!" Every time a small child sees Nemo, he is compelled to exclaim the name in the cutest voice imaginable.

We boarded a clamobile and rode the Nemo ride. It's kind of a sweet, soothing ride that seems like it would have the effect of easing frazzled nerves. Television programming for preschoolers strikes me as being the same way. I enjoy the ride for a bit of relaxation and entertainment, but I can't fathom riding it if it had a long wait. The queue is huge. I just can't imagine much of it ever being utilized.

We spent a long time looking at the aquariums and various exhibits in the area after we exited the ride. The manatees had already been removed to wherever they sleep for the night, but everything else was still available to view. After looking at lots of different fish, we decided it was time to go eat some. This was our fourth time dining at the Coral Reef and history led us to expect a long wait before we were seated; but our buzzer went off about 30 seconds after it was handed to us.

We were led to a table for two right next to the aquarium. Our server, Tim, went over the whole menu with us, offering insights and opinions on the dishes and the changes to the menu since our last visit. We asked him about the beloved blackened catfish entrée that recently disappeared from the menu. His response was that Chef Marco never really explained his decision to remove the catfish from the menu, but that he thought the reason was that Disney was no longer farming catfish. The catfish tanks were replaced with tilapia not long ago. He says that the catfish might return as a seasonal dish, but he thinks that Chef Marco removed it because he's dissatisfied with the catfish he's been able to obtain recently. With that question behind us, Danny and I ordered.

I had the roasted Scottish salmon with orecchiette pasta, leek fondue, asparagus and a red wine reduction. Yes, my second salmon dish of the day and another fine selection if I do say so myself. The fondue added a nice salty taste and the wine reduction balanced that with a little tartness and acidity. I also had a glass of the Cupcake Vineyards chardonnay that the menu recommends be paired with the dish. It was nice and refreshing, but a little light on the oak for me.

Danny chose the seared rainbow trout with warm white bean salad, arugula, crispy bacon, aged balsamic vinegar and browned butter. To drink he had a 22oz. Reef Amber Ale. For some reason, Danny's commentary on his dinner is absent from my notes. He says that he doesn't remember much about the ale, but that his dinner was delicious. He particularly loved the browned butter with the fish.

For dessert we ordered our "usuals", the Chocolate Wave for Danny and the butterscotch crème brûlée for me. I almost deviated from tradition and ordered the almond gelato, but the passion fruit sauce deterred me. We enjoyed our treats, as usual, and left the restaurant quite satisfied.

The only complaint I have about our meal was that the restaurant was a little more noisy than it has been on our previous visits. My impression might have been slightly tainted by the family of four behind me, however. One of the two very young children was screaming as we sat down and his parents were frantic to placate him. Their ideas for this included pleas, bribes and attempts at distraction, but none of it worked. It wasn't until we were eating dessert that the mother took the boy out of the restaurant, leaving the father and daughter alone at the table. It was at this point that I head the father ask his daughter, "Why did you just spit in my food?" Are you kidding me? I can't even imagine what would tempt such an action. When we left, the father had taken the daughter to the restroom or something. The table still held the daughter's shoes, the mother's purse, the son's stroller and the rest of the party's belongings, but the four members of the family where nowhere in sight. I felt bad for the parents. Kids having meltdowns is a part of life, but this must have been a very trying, stressful night. I felt even worse for Tim and the other staff members who were juggling this family along with their other tables.

Danny and I left EPCOT after dinner and traveled by bus back to French Quarter. On the bus, I got another text message. Danny's surprise had arrived. When we got to our hotel, I asked Danny if he'd like to have a drink in Scat Cat's, knowing that the surprise was waiting for him there. Between the jazz musicians and the crowded bar, it took him a few moments to realize that his best friend, Casey, and Casey's girlfriend, Mara, were waiting for us at a table. Casey and Mara live in Tallahassee, and we'd all done our best to plan a weekend together while keeping Danny in the dark.

Here are Danny, Casey and Mara at a Mets game last summer. The men grew their Keith Hernandez mustaches especially for that game, which the Mets lost spectacularly.

Danny was surprised and happy that his closest friends would be with us to ring in his 30th year. We got their parking pass sorted, moved their weekend bags to our room and headed to Downtown Disney for drinks at Raglan Road. Amy and Kev, a couple that we know from another website, were driving down from the Atlanta area for the weekend and we would be meeting them for the first time that night. The six of us had a great time chatting and drinking. We stayed until closing and then moved over to Fuego, the cigar bar next door. Saying that we had a drink in Fuego would not be entirely accurate. Of course, we knew what to expect from a cigar bar, but none of us were planning on smoking so it was a bit overwhelming. Mara and I went directly to the back patio without ordering any drinks. Despite the temperature hovering in the mid-30s, we found it preferable to staying inside. Once the others had their drinks, they found their way out to us as well. We people-watched a little. Our entertainment was mostly people stumbling out the back door of Fuego and in to the nearby public restrooms. I couldn't help but see their slightly green complexions and think of the comparisons between Pinocchio's Pleasure Island and ours. After the last drinks were consumed, Kev and Amy said goodnight and headed back toward their hotel, while Danny, Casey, Mara and I boarded a bus back to French Quarter for the night.

Up next: Danny's birthday!

 

[Sweet Melissa]

I just looked at the trip countdown and saw that you posted days! I didn't know you had planned another trip, that's great! :sohappy: When are you going? Where are you staying?

Ah, yes. We booked a bounceback while we were down there. I was going to include that in the report, but since you asked, we're going back for a quick Monday-Friday trip in November. We'll be staying in the Boardwalk villas and mostly hanging out at the EPCOT Food & Wine festival. It's our favorite time of year to go. We're too too excited already.

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

Ah, yes. We booked a bounceback while we were down there. I was going to include that in the report, but since you asked, we're going back for a quick Monday-Friday trip in November. We'll be staying in the Boardwalk villas and mostly hanging out at the EPCOT Food & Wine festival. It's our favorite time of year to go. We're too too excited already.

Ooo that's wonderful! Those bounceback offers are nice, huh? And November is a great time to visit. Congrats!

 

[ClemsonTigger]

Ah, yes. We booked a bounceback while we were down there. I was going to include that in the report, but since you asked, we're going back for a quick Monday-Friday trip in November. We'll be staying in the Boardwalk villas and mostly hanging out at the EPCOT Food & Wine festival. It's our favorite time of year to go. We're too too excited already.

When in November? "Jersey Week" or later in the month? We have been talking about Tgiving week this year. :shrug:

 

[Sweet Melissa]

Ooo that's wonderful! Those bounceback offers are nice, huh? And November is a great time to visit. Congrats!

Thank you! Yeah, the bounceback was a fantastic incentive to re-book. Otherwise we might not have planned to go back so soon at all.

When in November? "Jersey Week" or later in the month? We have been talking about Tgiving week this year. :shrug:

I guess it would be "Jersey Week." We booked from Monday, the 1st to Friday, the 5th. We've been during that week before and never noticed an influx of New Jerseyans. We'll mostly just be hanging out in EPCOT for the Food & Wine festival this time.

 

[heartodisney]

Great thread and pics! Thank you for sharing!

 

[Sweet Melissa]

1/9 - Danny's birthday.

This day was light on action and photos, so I'll keep it brief. We woke up early but lazed about in the morning. Now that there were four in our room, the getting-ready routine had to be adjusted a little. Danny and Casey went down to the food court and came back with an assortment of drinks, an order of beignets and two bananas. The bananas went to Mara and me, and the beignets were split by the boys and Mara. They all seemed to enjoy them. Danny checked the messages on the phone in our room and got to hear Mickey and Minnie sing "Happy Birthday" to him. That was a pretty cute way to kick off his birthday. The weather was not. Danny says that in his history of living in Florida, his birthday has always been one of the worst days of the year, weather-wise, and this year was no exception. The reports were forecasting a high of 39°F this day. I really felt for the people running the half marathon that morning. Bundled up against the elements, we all headed out.

We met up with Kev and Amy in Downtown Disney around noon. None of our weekend visitors had planned on spending any time in the parks, so we thought we'd just window shop a little in Downtown Disney and then show Amy, who had never been to the World before, and Kev, who was last there when EPCOT was still under construction, some of the sights. After lunch at Earl of Sandwich, we took a bus to the Grand Floridian. The gingerbread house had already been dismantled by this point, but we still enjoyed wandering around the lobby and seeing what the hotel has to offer. After we had looked around the shops and stopped for complimentary cups of hot apple cider, we hopped on the Monorail and went over to the Contemporary. This gave Amy her first ever glimpse of the Magic Kingdom and Cinderella's castle. She was elated and she and Kev are already planning on coming back to the World in the summertime with Amy's three kids. In the Contemporary, we went down to the Wave lounge. We sat in one of their large blue rooms and drank Cokes while still trying to muster up the energy we would need for the night and the courage to brave the cold again. If you've never been to the Wave, you should at least stop in their lounge for a drink some time. The decor is really interesting and atmospheric. It's pretty dark, so no photos can really capture the mood. You'll just have to see it.

After our little pit stop at the Contemporary, we took the "scenic route" to the Boardwalk. The first leg was a Monorail to the Ticket and Transportation Center. We transferred there to the EPCOT line and rode the "new" Monorail Teal to the park. We kept morbid comments to a minimum while on board, but it was a little strange to ride Teal, knowing of its conception. At EPCOT, we took a bus to MGM, where we boarded a Friendship boat for the hotels. With that, Amy had a chance to see the front of three different theme parks! :lol: We exited the boat at the Swan and Dolphin dock and walked over to the Boardwalk. Our total travel time was a good two hours, I think. It was late afternoon at this point. Amy had really been looking forward to seeing the Boardwalk, so she and Kev parted with us and checked out the area's shops and restaurants. They had their own plans for dinner that night, but we'd see them again later. Danny and Casey wanted to have a beer and watch a little of the football game currently in progress, so we went to the ESPN club, which was packed to the rafters. After the guys had a beer or two each, we were all getting hungry, so we decided to walk to the Yacht Club for our 5:55 PM reservation at the Yachtsman Steakhouse.

Once checked in, we were given a pager and went to the Crew's Cup lounge, where Danny and Casey each had another beer while Mara and I struck up a conversation with another woman sitting at the bar. She was enjoying a solo dinner from the Yachtsman before turning in early for the next day's marathon. We didn't know that the full Yachtsman menu is available to order at Crew's Cup, but that might be useful information to us on future trips. We must have been out of range for the pager to work, because a host came to fetch us when our table was ready. We were seated at an expansive table for four and greeted by our server, Thomas, who gave Danny a special keepsake menu with "Happy Birthday!" printed at the top.

We all ordered drinks and picked some appetizers that piqued our interest. Mine was an heirloom pear and prosciutto salad with field greens, Parmigiano-Reggiano and vanilla vinaigrette. I was absolutely floored by how delicious this salad was. The vanilla vinaigrette in particular was outstanding. I decided at my first bite that even if my entrée was terrible, this salad would make the Yachtsman Steakhouse one of my favorite restaurants of the trip. I must try to make my own vanilla vinaigrette in the future. Danny chose the seared Maine diver scallops with blue cheese grits, red watercress and sherry-bacon vinaigrette. He really enjoyed his appetizer and thought that the blue cheese grits were an unexpected hit. Mara and Casey shared the lobster bisque, which was a smart move. It was a large serving and even between the two of them they didn't finish it. Both of them were impressed with the flavor of the bisque. Mara was excited at just how large and abundant the chunks of lobster were. Casey remarked that the soup had a nice, strong brandy flavor.

Don't those faces just advertise lobster satisfaction?

The Yachtsman was not originally on our list of ADRs for this trip, but some scheduling conflicts with our original choices had me inquiring about the Yachtsman for Danny's birthday dinner. He was surprised at my choice when I first told him of it, but he returned quickly with, "That will be a nice birthday dinner. I'll have a Scotch and a Cowboy steak." And Cowboy he did. Since he'd known for months that he'd be having the rib-eye, I wasn't surprised at all by his order. This particular rib-eye was served with fried onion and red wine butter. The chef's suggestion was that the steak be cooked medium-rare, so that is how Danny had it. He said that the steak was really tender and the red wine butter was a nice touch, but that he'd had better cuts of steak elsewhere, particularly Shula's. The bite that I had was outstanding and I thought that the red wine butter was really interesting too. Casey ordered the braised beef short ribs with celery root mash, julienne vegetables and natural jus. He pretty much loved every element of the meal. None of us had ever tried celery root before but we had all been curious about it prior to this dinner and we all liked it. Mara and I both had the potato and leek ravioli with bell pepper ragoût, goat cheese fondue and buttered spinach. Each dish had two giant raviolis which were rather like pierogi given their savory potato and leek filling. The difference, for me, was that the pasta was very thin and delicate. The fondue was excellent, though I would have liked it if the goat cheese were even more ... goaty. Overall, we both thought that we'd made a good choice as we enjoyed our ravioli and would eagerly order it again.

We finished our entrées and had just decided that we were too full for dessert when Danny was brought a vanilla cupcake with a candle in it. Tom led us in a chorus of "Happy Birthday" and Danny blew out his candle. He's not fond of that kind of attention, so that might have something to do with his flushed face in this photo.

After dinner, we went to one of our favorite places on property, Jellyrolls. We had determined that this would be our meeting place that evening and the four of us were there early enough to get a table right in the front with chairs to spare for Amy and Kev. We ordered giant hurricanes that came in 32 ounce Solo cups and got to work on our requests. Danny and I had gone to the bank prior to our trip to exchange some $20s for two dollar bills, which we find to be convenient bar tips. They also worked really well for getting our songs noticed at Jellyrolls that night. At least at first. The novelty wears off pretty quickly, I'm sure. Especially when we were requesting strange songs from the likes of Michael Jackson and David Bowie. In the middle of "Summer Lovin'", Mara ran a request up to the stage. Scott, one of the evening's performers, stopped playing and announced to the room, "That girl just gave me $5 and a request for "no more Grease." He then gave the room an option: "I can stop playing the song, or I can finish the last verse, but sing it sexy." Obviously, sexy won with that night's crowd, which consisted largely of birthday girls, bachelorettes and marathon runners.

Here is one such birthday girl.

And here she is, being serenaded by many eager fellows.

We stayed for a few hours, leaving when our request for "no more Grease" was again dishonored with a performance of "Greased Lightning." The six of us caught a bus to Downtown Disney, where Kev and Amy parted ways with the rest of us. In a stroke of luck, our bus for the French Quarter arrived just as we stepped off the one from the Boardwalk. We couldn't wait to get back to the room and went to bed quickly once we were there.

Up Next: Sunday in Downtown Disney.

 

[DecWDW]

This has been such a fun TR so far! Your food observations are terrific, very detailed. I'm hungry!

 

[Sweet Melissa]

Great thread and pics! Thank you for sharing!

Thank you ... and you're welcome! :lol:

This has been such a fun TR so far! Your food observations are terrific, very detailed. I'm hungry!

Thanks! The detailed food observations were born of me reading dining reports on another Disney message board. I kept finding really prominent users whose descriptions were often no more helpful than "this was good" or "that was bad." When I came home from this trip, I took Blossom Dearie's advice and unpacked my adjectives first.

 

[ClemsonTigger]

My mouth was watering as you described your evening at Yachtsman. Saw in Holly's report that she was somewhat underwhelmed...so it was good to hear from someone that enjoys it as much as we do.

Really enjoying your report!

 

[lpet11984]

Back to enjoy the latest installments-- will definitely have to try the Yachtsman at some point after that review. For some reason, we haven't hit that restaurant. It certainly sounds like my fiance would love it there. Jellyroll's sounds like a blast too-- might have to take the girls there for the bachelorette party in a couple weeks!

Thanks so much for your detailed report- thoroughly enjoying it! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[Sweet Melissa]

My mouth was watering as you described your evening at Yachtsman. Saw in Holly's report that she was somewhat underwhelmed...so it was good to hear from someone that enjoys it as much as we do.

Really enjoying your report!

Thanks so much. I suppose it's time for me to quit slacking and get back to it, eh?

Back to enjoy the latest installments-- will definitely have to try the Yachtsman at some point after that review. For some reason, we haven't hit that restaurant. It certainly sounds like my fiance would love it there. Jellyroll's sounds like a blast too-- might have to take the girls there for the bachelorette party in a couple weeks!

Thanks so much for your detailed report- thoroughly enjoying it! Can't wait to hear more!

Thank you and best wishes! Enjoy your bachelorette party.

 

[Sweet Melissa]

1/10 - Downtown Disney

We woke up on Sunday morning and said goodbye to Casey and Mara. They wanted to hit the road early so that they could visit some local relatives before heading back up north. It was sad to say goodbye so quickly as we only get to see them once or twice a year, but hopefully our travel plans will include each other more often in the future. After they left, we tidied up the room a bit and looked through some of our purchases from Friday. We had completely forgotten about our Vinylmations in the excitement of the weekend! We opened them to see what we got.

I was so excited to get the bee. My name apparently means "honey bee" and so I've always had a soft spot for them.

We left the room and headed to Downtown Disney a little before 11 that morning. We knew that Kev and Amy would also want to hit the road shortly, so we planned to have an early lunch with them at Wolfgang Puck Express before they had to take off. We met just as the café began serving lunch and Amy was sweet enough to bring Danny a birthday present. She and Kev gave him a collection of Alfred Hitchcock films on DVD and a University of Georgia ball cap. She understands that as an FSU grad, he can never wear it, but she said that he should have a hat representing the best football team ever. Her superlative, not mine. :lol:

I don't have photos from that meal, but we enjoyed the café. It's good a decent layout and something about the morning sun coming through the windows and pleasant pop music playing as we ate brightened my mood. I had a chicken aioli pocket. The pita itself was delicious and it was overstuffed with lettuce, red onions, chicken and aioli. It was also purported to have mozzarella and tomatoes, but I didn't really taste much of them. The aioli itself had a horseradish taste that I found unpleasant. My taste buds are broken, though. Horseradish burns me in a way that reminds me of chlorine. Danny had a pesto chicken sandwich on focaccia. He said that it had a tasty basil flavor, but that the pesto was not too overwhelming. We both thought that our sandwiches were a little too big and could have used less lettuce as the chicken to lettuce ratio was a little skewed. Amy and Kev both had roast beef and cheddar sandwiches, which they seemed to enjoy. I don't have more insight to offer on that sandwich as I didn't grill them on their thoughts of the meal the way I had done with Danny in anticipation of this report. Not everybody would understand my mania, though I'm sure that Amy would forgive me.

After lunch, we said goodbye to Amy and Kev and did some shopping. I stopped myself from buying too much in Mickey's Pantry, but we did pick up a couple boxes of Mickey-Roni and Cheese. I know that processed mac and cheese is terrible for you (and in this case, expensive), but they're so cute and tasty that we can't resist getting a box or two. We then returned to Tren-D. I love that there are lots of unique items in the store and that they feature characters on their feminine merchandise other than Tinkerbell and Minnie Mouse. That said, Minnie was on both the tee shirt and the keychain I bought. So much for my support of more obscure characters. I was amused to see that the Evil Queen shirt with the homophone trouble was still on the racks. I wonder if anybody has alerted Disney to it yet.

We visited the toy store, but left empty-handed. We usually go there to shop for DVDs, but their selection seemed to have dwindled significantly from previous trips. World of Disney had the same problem. They may have just been picked over after Christmas. I hope it was just a fluke. We did buy one of the collections of Goofy shorts, but didn't find much else that piqued our interest. We also try to get at least one shot glass every time we go on vacation. It was lucky that we got one earlier in the week in EPCOT because that was another area where World of Disney had a disappointing selection. That is a trend, though. Disneyland had the same problem when we visited there last.

We walked over to the West Side, making a stop on the way at Paradiso 37 to make a reservation for dinner later that evening. We get passes to AMC theaters through Danny's company and decided to use a couple of them to see The Princess and the Frog. Port Orleans was promoting the film pretty heavily so we decided it would be a good use of our time and a nice tie-in to the vacation. When we entered the theater, we were the only people there, but by the time the trailers began we had a full house.

I thought that the art and animation of the film were beautiful. The plot was charming, but it really did take a backseat to the delicious visual showcase. There was one sequence in particular that I really loved, where Tiana is fantasizing about opening her restaurant and the drawings changed completely for the fantasy sequence musical number. It was kind of Mary Blair-esque and really fun to watch.

Tiana was a well-grounded character that I found far more suitable as a modern role model than preceding princesses. Prince Naveen's arc was not quite as realized, but I wouldn't be able to resist Tiana's charm either. The sidekicks were far less annoying than I feared they would be after seeing the trailers. I actually was a bit surprised at the G rating, as there were definitely some scary and intense moments that I think might upset more sensitive kids (like me). All in all, it was standard Disney fare as story lines go, but it did give the animations fans craving the return to hand-drawn exactly what they hoped for in really beautiful imagery. Having a strong female lead also earned the film points in my esteem.

Really, the theater is the only thing we ever visit on the West Side, so after the movie we went back to the Marketplace and shopped some more. We don't trade pins, but we always buy some anyway. This time we got a set of cameo-style pins with Mickey and Minnie's silhouettes and a "surprise" package that contained two "hidden mickey" pins resembling food. One was a head of lettuce and the other looks like a buckeye. They might make an appearance on our next trip.

Next, we went to the Christmas store where we bought a set of ornaments. We usually go to Disney World in late October or early November, when buying Christmas ornaments is a little more timely. Knowing that Christmas was 349 days away didn't deter us, however. We still left with an ornament set and a mental shopping list of many more that we'd like to have in the future. It was nearing the time of our reservation, so we meandered back through the Marketplace toward Paradiso 37, where dinner was awaiting us.

After the break: Dinner at Paradiso 37 and Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom.

 

[Sweet Melissa]

A little intermission ... back to the report shortly.

I'd like to apologize for being away for so long. I do intend to finish up this trip report soon. Life does have a way of interfering sometimes. The good news is, I just got home from an interview and I have a new job! I'm starting on Friday, so my posts might be a little less frequent as I get settled there. In other news, Simon is in Aruba with Danny's parents right now. He's probably hanging out on the beach with a banana daiquiri while we're preparing for a big snowstorm that is supposed to hit us in a few hours time. My next trip report post will be up later tonight unless we lose power.

 

[tiaragirl]

I'd like to apologize for being away for so long. I do intend to finish up this trip report soon. Life does have a way of interfering sometimes. The good news is, I just got home from an interview and I have a new job! I'm starting on Friday, so my posts might be a little less frequent as I get settled there. In other news, Simon is in Aruba with Danny's parents right now. He's probably hanging out on the beach with a banana daiquiri while we're preparing for a big snowstorm that is supposed to hit us in a few hours time. My next trip report post will be up later tonight unless we lose power.

Congrats on the job =) I'm excited to read the rest of the TR! You do write a good one!

PS: Simon is just living the life.. what I wouldn't give to be a cute little monkey.. especially at midterm time!

 

[Sweet Melissa]

Congrats on the job =) I'm excited to read the rest of the TR! You do write a good one!

PS: Simon is just living the life.. what I wouldn't give to be a cute little monkey.. especially at midterm time!

Thanks! Simon is back home now. I don't think he spent much time out of the hotel room, but Danny's parents assure us that he had a good time.

I'm sure he's wishing he was back lounging in the sun right now. We're enduring our fifth snow day since my last post. It just keeps coming down. But I'm making the most of it by pulling out my notes and finishing up the report.

 

[Sweet Melissa]

1/10 - Dinner at Paradiso 37 and some Extra Magic

We arrived at Paradiso 37 fifteen minutes early and short one member of our party. Danny's uncle had originally planned to meet us for dinner, but he fell ill that weekend and couldn't make it. Despite being two instead of three, the hostess seemed to know that we were the party with the 5:30 reservation. It makes me think that many people don't bother making reservations here, as it's outside the normal Disney Dining system. In any case, the restaurant was not busy and we were seated immediately.

I didn't get to see much of the restaurant as we were seated near the front doors, but it looks like it could be a fun place during peak hours. The restaurant was playing Latin-style music at an audible but not-too-loud level. Our server, Katerina, came by to introduce herself and take our drink orders. I asked for a pisco sour. Danny had a margarita.

If you're familiar with pisco sours and enjoy them, I can't recommend this drink. This one was full of Midori, which made it too sweet and completely overwhelmed the pisco. I wouldn't have even known there was pisco in the drink by taste. Danny's margarita was pretty standard, but tasted better than my drink. We told Katerina that we were ready to order appetizers, but were undecided on entrées. So she took our order and told us to take our time. We had the Crazy Corn and the queso dip.

I think the base cheese in both is some kind of Oaxaca, which is a soft, mild pulled cheese. I found it to be too creamy with a slight eggy taste that put me off a little. I couldn't really taste much else in the queso. I know it had tomatoes, but their flavor was lost. The cilantro too was mild enough that it wouldn't bother its detractors (like Danny, who normally can't stand that particular herb). The appetizers were finished and Katerina walked past us three times before Danny finally got her attention and put in our entrée orders. I was a little disappointed at her inattentiveness, but maybe she was just trying to give us some time and privacy.

I had trouble deciding what to order. I wanted something with Latin-American flavors, but most of the dishes that sounded good to me were big, heavy meals with large servings of meat, and I just wasn't in the mood for something so substantial. In the end, I went with the most unoriginal thing I could have: the steak quesadilla from the appetizer menu. Danny was just as unadventurous with a pineapple bacon burger.

Katerina asked Danny at this point if he wanted another drink, but didn't notice that I was nearly ready for another as well and left before I could ask for something else. When she came back with Danny's beer, a Dos Equis, I ordered a Cor-Zinger, which is a tequila drink with muddled strawberries and St. Germain elderflower liqueur.

The Cor-Zinger ended up being the highlight of the meal. It was sweet and delicious, with wonderfully ripe strawberries. Dinner itself left something to be desired. I didn't notice until I bit in to my first quesadilla that they had chicken instead of steak. They tasted pretty good and the price was the same, so since I didn't pay for something I wasn't getting, I didn't really mind. The quesadilla had the same cheeses as the appetizers, but I liked the flavor of the cheese much better in this application than I had earlier. The salsa and sour cream that came with the quesadilla were good compliments, though it was great alone too.

Danny enjoyed his burger less. He said that he didn't taste any pineapple on his burger. I think that the piece speared on top of the bun might have been its only appearance on the plate. He was also disappointed that he felt the need to add ketchup to the burger. He said it wasn't dry — it just wasn't very flavorful. Live musicians were setting up right as we were finishing our entrées. We might have stayed, but they were playing fairly uninteresting covers of 90s alternative songs from the likes of Tracy Chapman and Sheryl Crow. Besides, we wanted to take the day's purchases back to our room before enjoying evening Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom. Overall, I think that Paradiso 37 was the most disappointing meal for me of the week, but I also think that Danny and I ordered the wrong things and didn't have a very good server. We'll go back in a few years, after the restaurant has a chance to iron out some kinks. One thing that I'd definitely like to see change is the exceptionally limited drinks menu. I expected more selection from a place boasting nearly 40 types of tequila.

We got to the bus stop at the West Side at 6:15. We must have just missed the bus to Port Orleans, because we didn't get another until 6:50. We piled on the standing-room-only bus, which stopped at the four Riverside stops before dropping us at French Quarter. We quickly ditched the shopping bags in our room and went back to the bus stop to catch a ride to the Magic Kingdom. It came after 30 minutes or so, and we arrived at the Magic Kingdom at 8:05. It just goes to show that one should always heed Disney's advice of allowing up to 90 minutes for travel time, if not more, even in the lowest of the low season. The whole journey took us close to two hours, though I think we could have arrived in under that advised 90 minutes had we not dropped off the shopping bags in our hotel room.

The park was all but deserted. We had no plan of attack, so we meandered from land to land as we saw fit. We knew we wanted to check out the refurbished Space Mountain, but chose to ride the Haunted Mansion first and make our way across the park. We did so by crossing Fantasyland, where we rode Peter Pan's Flight with only a ten minute wait. I don't think I've ever seen the line for that ride so short. I can't figure out why it's so much more popular than the other dark rides in Fantasyland. It must be because the gondola mechanism is rather novel.

After visiting a few Fantasyland favorites, we headed for Space. I liked the new queue, but didn't get a chance to play any of the games because there was no wait. I didn't find the track any different, but Danny said it felt different to him. I'm much less familiar with the Magic Kingdom's Space Mountain than I am with Disneyland's, so I'll have to take his word for it. I liked the few visual changes that I did notice, though. We rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority afterward. I don't mind the new voice as much as some, but I'm disheartened by the lack of character in the monologue. It's still a fun ride, but not one for which I'll ever wait in line. As that's generally not a problem with the Blue Line, I don't think I'll get a chance to miss it. Back on the ground, we headed to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. Danny's trigger wasn't working at first, then the ride stopped. I was able to shoot while we were stuck, but his gun didn't work until after we got going again. I won 198,000 to 91,000. It was my first time beating Danny at any ride game, and it will probably be the last. Thanks for the help, Buzz!

Although we were only halfway through the evening's Extra Magic Hours, we decided to head back early rather than waiting until the very end of the night and shuffling on to another fully packed bus. We stopped at the Main Street Bakery and bought an array of desserts and milk to enjoy back in the room, including the most wonderful cinnamon roll I've ever had. Now, let me leave you with some parting words: maple icing on a cinnamon roll is pure genius.

In the next installment: Our last full day in the World

 

[erstwo]

. I was amused to see that the Evil Queen shirt with the homophone trouble was still on the racks. I wonder if anybody has alerted Disney to it yet.

/I]

Thanks for your trip report! I've loved it.

I CAN NOT BELIEVE no one caught this before it was printed on a million shirts! "Whose?" Really? That's just sad.

Maybe it should be added to the "Their, there, they're" debate?