Let Them Eat CAKE!!! Trip Report

HollyBelle · Aug 25, 2011

Loving the trip report, Sandy. All the impromptu shots of the girls are just fabulous. And the character shots are sooooo good. It looks like it was a magical morning at the Kingdom. After seeing the video (priceless), I can really picture Kendall's excitement on BTMRR. Awesome!

Ariel484 said:
I'm guessing your husband has never written a trip report before??? :lol:

Ain't that the truth?! It's not until after writing the first one, that you realize you have to start taking way more pictures to incorporate with the text.

HouCuseChickie · Aug 25, 2011

Raven66 said:
Loving the trip report. Can't wait to read more. And your daughters are so adorable.

Thanks!!! I will definitely be posting more this evening! THanks for reading!

usd2bmd said:
I am loving the TR so far. Especially the comments about DH and the lack of photos from him. My husband still doesn't quite understand my desire to take photos (and we've been to WDW about 7 times). an't wait to read more:sohappy:

What's really funny, he'd have a night towards the end of the trip where he turned into a bit of a shutterbug. I was completely shocked! - in the good way of course. I'll be posting more this evening- thanks for reading!!!

bmarkelon said:
Uggh, we have that Joovy too which nobody has ever napped in! We looked into a stroller rental too late for this trip and there were no cozier doubles left.

I agree with you about Small World, it's my DD6's favorite attraction, always has been. I bought her the tee shirt and pin on this trip. I do the same thing on that, Tiki (the newly refurbished one) and Carousel of Progress...sit there thinking of Walt and how truly amazing he was.

I was so surprised that I was able to get a rental. We didn't book until the night before we left and they delivered it to bell services the night before we arrived.

A pic of that shirt will make it into this TR- I just LOOOOOVED it!!! I personally feel that all of those rides that Walt created or inspired are a big part of the spirit of the place and being there...and I'm so glad the kids love them

derelicte19 said:
Loving all the pics of the girls!! My sister and Mom give me flack for always taking so many pictures when we're on vacation and honestly I never take as many as I'd like!

So exciting that Kendall loved BTMR and Splash

My dad used to take lots of pics, but in the digital world- you can take so much more. Pictures also enable us to remember all of the little things, but I know that feeling- never taking as many as you'd like - and I still took a TON!

Kendall is a bit of a scaredy cat...so we were super thrilled that she loved these things. It's just so much fun to see her embrace things like this.

mamamouse said:
I always love reading trip reports,and it gets me really excited,however I can really relate to yours because I've got 2 young girls also,and as I read it n see the smiles I get more anxious for our upcoming trip:sohappy:

It is fun having girls! There's lots more stuff with the girls to come. I'm sure your upcoming trip will be great and the kiddos will LOVE it!!! I mean- who wouldn't love Disney?!?!?

HollyBelle said:
Loving the trip report, Sandy. All the impromptu shots of the girls are just fabulous. And the character shots are sooooo good. It looks like it was a magical morning at the Kingdom. After seeing the video (priceless), I can really picture Kendall's excitement on BTMRR. Awesome!

Ain't that the truth?! It's not until after writing the first one, that you realize you have to start taking way more pictures to incorporate with the text.

Thanks! A very wise friend of mine who is a mom of 5 gave me several good pieces of advice when I was expecting Kendall...one of which was to take as many candid pics as possible. Lord knows it's easier than posing them! We have a bunch of character pics to come too- we did a whopping 7 character meals this trip!

As amazing as this morning was, I can't wait to post the pics from her bday breakfast.

fractal said:
Loving the pics! Especially this one.

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You are going to cherish the pictures and this report in the years ahead. Our first family trip was in 2000 and we took about 20 pictures. It's still hard for me to fathom.

Thanks! I think that's a big part of why I take so many pics. I think DH and I took less than one roll of film the first time we went to WDW together. The me of today would like to smack some sense into the me of back then! :lol:

Neverland Girl said:
I love all of your pics of the little details around the park. Oh, and your oldest daughter is soo adorable!

THanks!!! A coworker asked me why I take pics of all those little details...it took me a little bit to figure it out, but then I realized it was all those little details that set Disney apart from other parks and attractions...just a bunch of little reminders on how magical it really is there. Thanks for reading!!!

HouCuseChickie · Aug 25, 2011

We made the journey all the way back to the room for a rest/nap (we'd later find a quicker route). Kendall was up again, but she'd thankfully fall asleep soon after. We loved the room- it was HUGE compared to our room at Wilderness Lodge. It's kind of funny that we wouldn't discover that the tile looking area under the tv lights up until just before check out.

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You probably can tell that we're in the garden wing in a garden view room. I was happy since I'd requested a first floor room- soley for the patio. I was also hoping for waterfront, but that wasn't in the cards. We still had a nice view...it comes up later in the TR, so nothing pic wise for now...but we had a garden area right out in front of us, the pool diagonally to our right, a little bit of a water view if you stepped out on the patio, and pretty much a full view of the tower. As a kid, the tower was the first thing that really made me go WOW at Disney- so while I wasn't staying in it, seeing it all the time kind of brought back the awe I felt as a child.

The girls napped, DH rested, and I went exploring and grabbed a few more bags out of the car. I love the print just outside of our door- reminds me of Klimt.

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(exit leading off to beach about 2 doors away from our room)

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(storms across the water- thankfully never impacted us)

HouCuseChickie · Aug 25, 2011

After nap time, I surprised the girls with their princess dresses (they didn't know I'd packed them and never checked their closets to see they were missing) and new accessories. I felt bad for opting not to do BBB this trip, but I don't think we can do it again until Sams is old enough. Either way-They didn't quite grasp that this meant dinner in the castle.

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I'd also miss out on another balloon opportunity on the way in...still kicking myself!

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(oops- I think I got my balloon pics backwards...hence the time on the clock. OH well, you get the point)

So, we made our way towards the castle (by now the girls kind of figured it out- not as excited as I'd hoped, but it was a pretty overwhelming day).

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(adr isn't until 7, so we've made good time!)

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Unlike last trip, CRT would not permit us to check in until 10 min before our official check in time (I actually overheard this as someone else was trying to check in early), so we returned to the carousel to burn 10-15 minutes.

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Last time I just stood while everyone rode, but this time they convinced me to get up on a horse. It's been eons since I've ridden a carousel horse, and I have to say...it was oddly awesome!!! I had that “I'm a kid” wave come over me.

I tried getting DH, Sams, and K all in one pic, but Kendall was just too close and I couldn't adjust well on the horse, so this is what I got of the ride...

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*WARNING* The CRT portion of this TR is probably the only time where you're going to hear me sound like a real Debbie Downer. The princess stuff was great, but there were other issues.

We headed back to CRT and checked in 10 min ahead of time on the dot. We waited the full 10 minutes outside, but I had a nice talk with a woman about Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and costume quality. Once we were let into the castle- we were greeted with chaos. The park crowds never really felt bad, but CRT was madness compared to our December trip. We walked right up to Cinderella, but there were people EVERYWHERE waiting to be seated. It was so much chaos that the girls wouldn't go near Cindy on their own. So, DH and I went up there with them – then found a small square of space to wait. I recall a space finally opening up right in front of us just to have a grown man jump in front of us. All I wanted was a spot for the girls- they all could have fit there had he not sprawled himself out over 2 spots. grrrrrr

I snapped a few pics while we waited hoping to help keep the kids sane...praying our name would be the next to be announced. Funny- last trip it was so quiet they didn't even announce names. I felt bad b/c the family next to us had been waiting for 25 min and our name was called in only about 5-10 min.

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HouCuseChickie · Aug 25, 2011

We made our way upstairs and were seated right in the center of the dining room. Not exactly nice for views of Fantasyland, but it was a pretty section of the dining room.

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Sadly, the madness downstairs was a sign of things to come. The chef first came out to talk to us about allergy issues. Kendall's stuff was a breeze, but for me – she wouldn't let me have shrimp. Mind you, I didn't want shrimp, but my shellfish allergy is bivalve specific. i.e. I can't eat things like clams, oysters and mussels, but I can eat shrimp, crabs, calamari, etc. This was the only time where I was told they weren't going to permit me to eat something.

So, the girls had fruit for an appetizer, DH had a salad, and I had the cheese plate. I can't begin to tell you how much I LOVE cheese...all kinds of cheese. While the presentation of the cheese plate was nice and the flavors were good, you could tell the cheese had sat too long. Portions of it were reminiscent of supermarket samples that had been sitting for a few hours. At least the raisin garnish was very tasty and helped make up for the partially dried out texture.

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DH at least seems to be enjoying his greens...

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In the middle of all of this, we had princess stopping by. We had Snow White come to the table before we got our entrees. Looks like I was also playing with camera settings (or maybe it was one of the many times the camera would fall pre-pics and a setting would shift).

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As you can see from the pic above, Sammie has a piece of castle confetti on her head. It was all over the table! Even DH got in on the act...

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Next up- the entrees. DH had the pork, which he really enjoyed but my tenderloin made me sad. Sure, I like it rare with a cool red center, but it should be cool- not cold- and the rest of the food on the plate should be hot or at least warm. The potatoes were so cold that they were pretty much crust.

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DH would later ask why I didn't send it back...and it's because I wanted to get out and find a spot for MSEP. Little did I know the meal would take forever and ever!

Next up was Aurora...of course Sammie and I were away from the table at the time.

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(still not sure why Kendall looks so serious here...she was a good Sleeping Beauty and K said there was nothing wrong)

Then it was Belle...and then the girls went nuts.

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HouCuseChickie · Aug 25, 2011

Nobody wanted to sit- all they wanted to do was dance in the dining room...and you can see how I felt about it.

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(you can also see where DH missed me with the sunscreen!)

This all happened in under a minute and DH snapped this just seconds before I pushed my seat out and ushered the girlies back to their seats...again! It's tough though when they're constantly getting down to meet characters.

Thankfully, Ariel came by and was AWESOME! I know we talked about Flounder and something pertaining to Philharmagic. She and Sammie also admired each others' dresses.

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Sleeping Beauty then doubled back because she wanted to make sure she met Sammie before we left. Very cool!

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Food issues aside...this is the issue that still bugs me...In the middle of all of this, Kendall and I both felt like we were getting wet. At some point we realized it was the ceiling dripping on us- for the ENTIRE meal. It was part of why Kendall didn't want to stay in her seat...part of her dress was actually quite damp from it as were the top portions of my dress. I said something to the server about it and I did not appreciate her reply. She said something along the lines of “oh yea, it's summer and it's hot so the a/c drips.” I didn't think about this until after we returned home, but aside from constantly getting wet from the dripping...you have to wonder how much of this dripped into our food and if the dripping water was safe for consumption – since it was coming off of the a/c system. I guess on the bright side... at least we got the normal wands this visit (last time we got pink feathery beaded things)...of course I think Sammie wanted a sword. She is soooo Pirate's League material!

Next up was desserts. Kendall got a bday build your own cupcake plus ice cream and of course a candle. I have no clue what DH got, but I got the trio and it was probably the best part of my meal.

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This would also mark the first time singing happy birthday during the trip...

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We had such an awesome lunch at CRT back in December, so everything felt pretty deflated from this...still, the pics show the girls had a good time and that was the #1 goal- so still a success.

HouCuseChickie · Aug 25, 2011

I had all of these wonderful plans for finding a good spot for MSEP, but we got to CRT around 6:50pm and didn't get out until a whopping 8:40pm!!! We settled for a spot on a walkway sort of in front of Casey's facing the castle.

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I got some interesting glowing pics of the kids...

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...but my parade pics were pretty sad- especially since I held Sammie through most of it. The bright spots...ha ha ha...1) the top was back on Big Ben (wasn't there in December), 2) Cpt. Hook was fighting Peter Pan on the pirate ship (we only saw Peter in December) 3) they've recently gotten into Pete's Dragon- so that part of the parade totally excited them this time and 4) Snow White didn't walk with the Dwarfs back in December but she was there for this trip.

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OK- I'll spare you the rest...really not the best viewing spot, but it was still enough to enjoy it.

I couldn't wait to see the Magic the Memories and You show. We only took 1 set of Photopass pics during the day, but I was super exited to see the show and at least managed a few semi decent pics even with an partly obstructed view. I totally teared up when they showed the segment with Walt up on the castle. I had wanted to take pics of that part- but I was just trying to hold it together at that point...I guess it had been a long emotional roller coaster of a day for me too.

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Just LOVED this show!!! Soooo glad we restructured the trip to see it.

HouCuseChickie · Aug 25, 2011

It was about this time that I realized Kendall had lost her tiara. This was not her Disney BBB tiara...this was her first birthday tiara. I was going to put it on Sammie b/c she always asks to take it off- hence keeping it safe, but Kendall wanted it tonight. We searched everywhere, but it was gone. We even looked some more later, but no trace of it. It's not like it was expensive...only a few dollars down at a bridal shop in the Harwin area of Houston, but it had sentimental value. Oh well, maybe it's a sign she's graduated to a bigger tiara...but this is the last picture of it- just minutes before it disappeared.

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I bought a remote and tripod for my camera hoping to get better fireworks shots this time...I even did some test pics with light up toys the week before when my dad was in town, but come Wishes time...I had no desire or energy to mess with any of it. The pictures are hardly perfect, but these are quite an improvement...so I'm happy. Here's a sample...

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This show has quickly become my fave and I think it's Kendall's as well. She always asks for me to sing the music to her. Either way, everyone was happy and now we had EMH until 2am. We had no plans to stay that late, but at least we could wait for the exiting crowds to die down.

It took forever to get across the street, but when we did...we made our way over to Tomorrowland...finally!

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HouCuseChickie · Aug 25, 2011

We wanted to be a bunch of spinning Space Rangers, but the line was around 45 min long so we motored to Carousel of Progress (even the Peoplemover had a big line).

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I think we were all just happy to sit and relax, but this is also one of my faves... and the girls instantly loved Rover. So, I sat there playing with my camera settings trying to get better flashless pics.

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Towards the end, it hit me that I haven't ridden this attraction since they used the “Now is the time” song. That's OK since the kids were telling us it's a great big beautiful tomorrow for quite some time + that's the song on my Disney CDs at home.

There was no line on the Peoplemover by this point so we headed back that way and snapped a few more pics.

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(sorry it's so fuzzy)

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Of course the Peoplemover broke down just before we were ready to get off. We didn't sit long, but it was annoying being so close and confined to our car...especially when you've made that decision to call it a day.

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HouCuseChickie · Aug 25, 2011

After this it was time to go. The second showing of MSEP was going on and there were spots open to view, but we were done. And of course there were no monorails operating during EMH, so we hoofing it back to the Contemporary. It really didn't make a huge difference since we were already on the other end of the Garden Wing, but I felt bad for some of the families I met who didn't know in advance that the monorails were shutting down an hour after park closing. In fact, many of the resort signs hadn't been updated to reflect the change.

I shot a couple of pics on the way "home"---

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...and then it was off to bed b/c we have an early morning at DHS coming up next!!! :sohappy:

***I'll post more tomorrow after the girlies are all settled. Time for me to pack some snacks and lunches and hopefully get some sleep! :snore::snore::snore: This new schedule has got to get easier at some point- I hope!

Thanks for reading! :wave:

mamamouse · Aug 25, 2011

they are just so precious I love it!!!!and I'm totally with you about the princess stuff,I find the dresses and accessories from the disney store are actually better quality,and cheaper.Also the In park gowns are very plain and less sparlky.Really hoping that the jasmine purse doesn't disappoint because thats on the wish list for my youngest this time around:lookaroun

Ariel484 · Aug 26, 2011

HollyBelle said:
Ain't that the truth?! It's not until after writing the first one, that you realize you have to start taking way more pictures to incorporate with the text.

Yep, I think Will was just getting the gist of things partway through our most recent trip!

Anyhoo...

The girls look so adorable in their dresses! SO sorry about your less-than-magical CRT dinner though. Hopefully the girls had fun, but I'm sure it was frustrating that the food was not so good.

You know, every time I hear about someone meeting Ariel they always say that she's the best princess...totally in character the entire time. Love it!

Can't wait for more! :wave:

fractal · Aug 26, 2011

Great Pics!

I really like the castle ones of Magic, Memories and You. It's a cool show! Enjoying the report.

PolynesianPrincess · Aug 26, 2011

Super bummed your CRT dinner was less than stellar

The girls looked really adorable in their dresses though

silver1113 · Aug 26, 2011

So sorry it was a less than magical day. Hope the rest was better. Can't wait to keep reading.

sweetpee_1993 · Aug 26, 2011

Awwww...your girls are so totally adorable! What sweet little princesses!

I hate to hear your CRT dinner ended up a bit of a bust. Our first experience there was breakfast and it felt like we were being herded like cattle up to meet Cindy. It kinda drained the magic from the experience. Any restaurant that has a gazillion people waiting around for a table then some guy with his head up his tookus who pulls what the guy did when you were waiting for your table always frustrates me, too. I can soooo sympathize with the pic of you while the girls were dancing. Been there before! We used to catch all sorts of criticism from Tracey's siblings about how strict we were with the boys. But then it was kinda nice to go to a restaurant with everyone together and have our boys be the only kids left at the kids' table while all 6 of the other grandkids were up running. LOL! I have a feeling you like the orderly thing the way we always did...especially in public. That's when all the hard work totally pays off! The chef's decision to not serve you any sort of shellfish when you know the difference in what you can/can't have just says to me that she didn't know the difference so she was playing it safe. Okay, that food they served you looked totally pathetic. I wouldn't have eaten that either. Ick! The a/c dripping is totally unacceptable. If they have a condensation problem who's to say they don't have a mold problem? Ya know? And mold is no joke! I'm sorry you didn't re-capture the magical experience from before. I hope it doesn't curb you from going back ever. Our first CRT experience was chaos paired with terrible service. I swore it off. Tracey & I went back for a late dinner without the boys on our kid-less trip and the experience was like you said: completely opposite! When meeting Cindy we were almost completely alone. It was so sweet! We were seated in a half-empty, quiet dining room sort of close to the window where during our meal we watched a young couple get engaged. So adorable! The food was spectacular. The service was spot-on. It's the only reason we took the boys back at all. We love the dinner. Still not so sure we'd ever brave the morning craziness. :wave:

Everything I'm hearing about the Magic Memories & You show is getting me so excited to see it next month! I can't wait! :sohappy:

HouCuseChickie · Aug 26, 2011

mamamouse said:
they are just so precious I love it!!!!and I'm totally with you about the princess stuff,I find the dresses and accessories from the disney store are actually better quality,and cheaper.Also the In park gowns are very plain and less sparlky.Really hoping that the jasmine purse doesn't disappoint because thats on the wish list for my youngest this time around:lookaroun

The girls princess gear from the parks from last trip actually held up very well... although I wish the dresses had more glitter. The stuff from this trip...well, the jury is still out on that. If you're looking for Jasmine- I'd try and buy the previous version of the park authentic bag on ebay. In fact, I found one on there... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Disney-Stor...871?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item336b178def

Ariel484 said:
Yep, I think Will was just getting the gist of things partway through our most recent trip! Anyhoo...

The girls look so adorable in their dresses! SO sorry about your less-than-magical CRT dinner though. Hopefully the girls had fun, but I'm sure it was frustrating that the food was not so good.

You know, every time I hear about someone meeting Ariel they always say that she's the best princess...totally in character the entire time. Love it!

Can't wait for more! :wave:

Thanks! I still can't believe I managed to "steal" their dresses and hide them from them. The girls definitely had fun, and while we had our issues...it could have been much worse.

This would be Ariel 1 of 2 this trip...and both topped our princess experiences this time around. In fact, we met Ariel twice last trip as well and she was always very fun and charismatic. I think it may be her overall princess character compared to the others...i.e. she's more of a free spirit and less...I hate to say it, but demure than say a Snow White or a Sleeping Beauty.

Definitely will be posting more in a little bit!

fractal said:
Great Pics!

I really like the castle ones of Magic, Memories and You. It's a cool show! Enjoying the report.

Thanks! I really hope they continue this show past 2011. I know it fits with this year's theme, but it is so special.

derelicte19 said:
Super bummed your CRT dinner was less than stellar The girls looked really adorable in their dresses though

Thanks! The girls were feeling a bit down earlier seeing all of the other little princesses wearing their finest princess attire...so the surprise definitely perked them up. While still a bit sad about CRT, it could have been much worse- so just counting my blessings with all of it.

silver1113 said:
So sorry it was a less than magical day. Hope the rest was better. Can't wait to keep reading.

Thankfully it was really just the meal- so it was an awesome day in the grand scheme of things and the trip was a total blast. I'll be posting more in a little bit- thanks for reading!!!

sweetpee_1993 said:
Awwww...your girls are so totally adorable! What sweet little princesses!

I hate to hear your CRT dinner ended up a bit of a bust. Our first experience there was breakfast and it felt like we were being herded like cattle up to meet Cindy. It kinda drained the magic from the experience. Any restaurant that has a gazillion people waiting around for a table then some guy with his head up his tookus who pulls what the guy did when you were waiting for your table always frustrates me, too. I can soooo sympathize with the pic of you while the girls were dancing. Been there before! We used to catch all sorts of criticism from Tracey's siblings about how strict we were with the boys. But then it was kinda nice to go to a restaurant with everyone together and have our boys be the only kids left at the kids' table while all 6 of the other grandkids were up running. LOL! I have a feeling you like the orderly thing the way we always did...especially in public. That's when all the hard work totally pays off! The chef's decision to not serve you any sort of shellfish when you know the difference in what you can/can't have just says to me that she didn't know the difference so she was playing it safe. Okay, that food they served you looked totally pathetic. I wouldn't have eaten that either. Ick! The a/c dripping is totally unacceptable. If they have a condensation problem who's to say they don't have a mold problem? Ya know? And mold is no joke! I'm sorry you didn't re-capture the magical experience from before. I hope it doesn't curb you from going back ever. Our first CRT experience was chaos paired with terrible service. I swore it off. Tracey & I went back for a late dinner without the boys on our kid-less trip and the experience was like you said: completely opposite! When meeting Cindy we were almost completely alone. It was so sweet! We were seated in a half-empty, quiet dining room sort of close to the window where during our meal we watched a young couple get engaged. So adorable! The food was spectacular. The service was spot-on. It's the only reason we took the boys back at all. We love the dinner. Still not so sure we'd ever brave the morning craziness. :wave:

Everything I'm hearing about the Magic Memories & You show is getting me so excited to see it next month! I can't wait! :sohappy:

Thanks! It's a blast to dress them up. I tend to go over the top a bit b/c both of them are limited to school uniforms the bulk of the year- so a day out in princess gear is a real treat for them.

Thanks for mentioning the mold- an EXCELLENT point! At some point this weekend I want to email Disney about the CRT water dripping issue and with all of the mold concerns these days- that's one more thing to add to the list of why they need to fix it. Most of my friends say I'm way too strict with the girls. The dancing away from the table took place in such a short period of time- camera was on continuous mode, but I still hate it when they behave this way in public. Sammie being only 2 gets a little more of a pass (a little), but we dine out enough for them to know the rules. At least they were on their best behavior the night of my bday meal (towards the end of the trip). We'd still return to CRT, I just think we may wait a while.

The show is AWESOME!!! I really hope it stays beyond this year. When I wasn't too caught up in the show, I could hear a chorus of hushed "wow." I'm sure you guys are going to love it! :sohappy:

HouCuseChickie · Aug 26, 2011

Day 2 at WDW - DHS

It was another early day...we had an 8:05am adr at Hollywood & Vine and we needed to get a move on.

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(girls were afraid it was still dark out, so they wanted some glowing insurance)

I was still a little bummed about the previous night- even thinking I should have double treated myself this trip and eaten at Citrico's, but decided it was best not to dwell on it. It was really pretty to see the sun coming up and it felt like the only ones on the move were us and the joggers.

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(I really wanted to use some Windex on this all trip!)

I just wish I knew what these were going down the back of the Contemporary.

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(sorry, camera fogged up every time we left the room)

Next was a stop by Contempo Cafe to refill our mugs. I forgot about these last trip, but these were a lifesaver this trip...I think the mugs were DH's favorite part of the Deluxe Dining Plan. We made our way down to the bus stop and only waited a few minutes for a bus to DHS. We had a stop at the Poly along the way – hoping the Tiki G-ds are smiling on us today –

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-and after nobody hopped on we were on our way.

Our driver was very quiet, but what seemed really odd...he dropped us off in a spot that seemed really far away. The last time we'd been here we were dropped off in a different area- closer to the entrance. This time, we were dropped off in the area behind the line of trees.

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Oh well- we were there with plenty of time to spare...and that's really what matters.

Once up to the entrance, we snapped a few pics of the empty entry area...

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and then waited on line to be let in for breakfast.

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(not much of a line)

Once in, I got the pics of the hat I didn't get last time...with an empty park all around ...

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HouCuseChickie · Aug 26, 2011

... plus some pics around Hollywood and Vine before going in.

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Thankfully, it wasn't a long wait b/c Sammie was little miss crabby this morning. It seemed like everyone was being seated on the right side of the dining room – closer to 50's Primetime, but we were seated all by our lonesome on the other side for some time. Our server as well as the chef came to the table almost instantly. We were given the green light for most of the buffet and got a visit from Handy Manny before grabbing any food. DH had to jump into the pics just to convince Kendall to get up. Sammie wanted nothing to do with him for now. I felt bad...I wound up talking to Manny a bit about tools to help ease the situation.

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After Manny left, Sammie and I got up for food and a mini walk to cheer her up. While we were gone, Oso stopped by the table. I'd heard Oso was the superstar of this meal as far as interaction goes and Kendall said he was really fun. Sammie saw him from the buffet but still wasn't ready.

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By the time we got back, Leo was on his way over. I know a number of people complain about having the Little Einsteins in the mix since the shows don't air in their region, but we get Little Einsteins every day- sometimes multiple times per day. In fact, Sammie is quite the fan so I was hoping she'd enjoy meeting Leo and June. It was rough going at first...Kendall made cranky faces...

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...and I wound up being the first one to fly to the rocket with Leo (it's a darn good thing I'd practiced recently), but as soon as Sammie snapped out of her funk...she ran from the table to Leo and he gave a huge hug.

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After that, we had a decent meet and greet...even DH joined in.

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June on the other hand was not as much of a hit for Sammie- at least this visit. So, K did all of the pics- with a Mickey through her face that I first thought was a bruise (took me a while to figure out what it was- I kept checking K and the camera and DH though I was losing my mind!).

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The characters and Playhouse Disney crew got up to dance.

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The girls wanted no part of that, so it was time to eat. Sammie had her own plate of food, but like usual – she wanted some from mine and of course the first thing to go was the chocolate muffin.

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HouCuseChickie · Aug 26, 2011

The restaurant wasn't full and it was only about 8:30am, so we got round 2 from all of the characters except Leo. There was more love for Manny and June this time...

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...but Oso really rocked round 2. I was nearly in tears b/c the table next to us had a little boy, maybe 2, who had his “very loved” plush Oso with him. It was just so sweet watching this little one meet his favorite. Oso spent so much time with them and it was his first time there that I truly expected just a little hi, but spent just as much time with us even though it was round 2. I seriously have more Oso pics than I know what to do with - it was just soooo much fun!

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Even DH got snugs from Oso.

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(one of my most favorite pics from this trip - it's part of a series of 3)

I talked to Oso a bit about his "3 special steps" before he moved on. If you've ever contemplated this breakfast- Oso alone makes it worth it! I'm still so happy I booked this vs. doing Brown Derby for lunch.

Right after this, the Playhouse Disney crew came out again and called everyone up who was celebrating a bday. Kendall may not have wanted any part of this earlier, but she was loving all of the attention her bday button was bringing her and she wasn't going to pass up a bday opportunity.

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And their new friend Oso would be right there waiting!!!

Sammie wound up following her, but they of course let her dance and play along. I think they would have stayed there if I didn't tell them we had to go.

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*Side note- the "human" Playhouse Disney cast members were PHENOMENAL! The guy to the left was so much fun!

After a few hi/low-fives and hi-five fake outs at the door (plus some birthday stickers)...

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...DH got the girls in the stroller and I started positioning myself to make the “run” for TSMM fastpasses. I'm still amazed that we had such a full breakfast loaded with character interaction and dancing yet still made it outside with 5 or 6 minutes to spare before rope drop. I'm sure the staff deals with it daily, but still, major props to everyone at Hollywood & Vine for the best breakfast of our trip. In fact, the only issue for the girls was no Mickey. I of course knew this wasn't a Mickey meal, but they were confused because there is Mickey Playhouse Disney signage and songs in the restaurant. When I told Kendall they just put those up b/c he's part of Playhouse Disney, but wouldn't be part of the meal...she started going on and on about how they lied. Kids. What they really need to do is add Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates. I know the show is wildly popular and I saw that they recently debuted a walkaround Jake character costume.

I didn't get to do the TSMM run last time, so this was a new thing for me. I saw a couple of ducks along the way...

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Let Them Eat CAKE!!! Trip Report

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