Trip Report Relaxin' on the Rue D'Baga *COMPLETED*

Another school year is winding down and students are being tested on what they have learned. Have they mastered what was taught? A good teacher will ensure that most will pass with flying colors. Experience in itself can be a good teacher. We learn what works and what doesn't. We learn patience. We learn to adjust our expectations. And hopefully, we learn from our mistakes.

Those of you who read my last trip report ~
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/go-with-the-flow-its-spring-break-you-know-completed.912354/
know that I am a planner who doesn't always adapt well when my plans go awry. But I am learning to be more flexible (though will always be a work in progress!) And what better environment to learn in than Walt Disney World?! :happy:

So on with the show!
Cast: Tuvalu and Woody

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(Wait, no Em? She's one of the teachers doing the testing! :joyfull:)

Dates: May 3-8, 2016
Location: C'mon, the title gives it away!

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Join us as we spend extended time at the Flower and Garden Festival (the main reason for this trip) and find pleasure in slowing down to stop and smell the roses (literally and figuratively :inlove:.)
 
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Tony the Tigger

Tony the Tigger

Well-Known Member
Tuvalu said:
We didn't read the menu. Don't worry....we didn't need to. We were here for the buffet!

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The buffet has its own room. How great is that??!!!
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The buffet does not have custom omelets or a carving station like other Disney buffets which keeps the cost down. However there are a variety of egg dishes (scrambled, hard boiled, frittata, quiche) and meats (Applewood bacon, sausage, turkey sausage); fruit and yogurt; cereals; pastries; biscuits and gravy; Bananas Foster French toast; and Mickey waffles with a choice of toppings. If you leave hungry, it's your own fault!

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Side note: The buffet has the best chocolate chip mini muffins I have ever tasted! Seriously addictive :hungry:.
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I was going to save up all my comments to post at the end, but I have forgotten half of them already LOL.

First of all, I think you are a lovely person.

Second: Bananas Foster French toast!!

That's when I forgot about everything else LOL. We have enjoyed A great dinner at YS and a great lunch at CG - did not know about the breakfast buffet – yet another tip learned from Tuvalu!

And I have never seen the opening show at any park, so I guess I will have to make that a priority before it's possibly gone!
 
Tony the Tigger

Tony the Tigger

Well-Known Member
MinnieM123 said:
I really enjoyed all your pictures. Because you covered so many topics in your TR, I'll comment (on one topic) each day, and add a few of my experiences as well.

FOOD (we all love food!! :joyfull: )

Happy to see all the pix of TS and buffet meals that you enjoyed. (To keep my price point down, I tend to go to the QS for the most part.) But seeing the wonderful variety of meals you had, allowed me and others to vicariously chow down, too, at your table! :happy: It was especially fun to see places like the new Boathouse (I walked past that the other day). I'm always curious to see what the new restaurants serve. I like the laid-back, yet upscale atmosphere in the background of those pictures. (All I could see from walking by was the bar area--nicely themed as well.)

So here are my two top meals I had this past week:

1. The Mara (at AKL) -- Since I was at AK Monday morning, I decided to head over to AKL to The Mara for lunch. They've revamped their QS menu and I really liked it. Had a delicious, hand-carved turkey (no packaged stuff) sandwich, with a few slices of cheddar, and an interesting cranberry spread (sort of a very light mayo mix). They also gave you a choice of a side (not just a standard french fries either, thank goodness), and I chose the chilled, couscous salad. That was yummy, too!! :hungry: There was plenty of seating and the place was clean. I met a very nice CM--a gentleman who was semi-retired, just working part-time, and he was sweeping the floors and cleaning tables. Said he enjoyed being around people. We chatted for a few minutes, and that was pleasant.

2. Tune-In Lounge at 50's Prime Time -- Got a tip from a fellow member of the forums that the bar area also serves lunch, and it wasn't too expensive. So I went there early (a bit after 11 AM) one morning and sat at the bar. I had a delicious meal (it was the Sampler plate--meatloaf, pot roast, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans), and I devoured the whole thing! :p (Note: I'm always up early around 4-4:30 AM, so I'm ready for lunch shortly after 11.) I also had a glass of Zinfandel (not something I generally do at 11:00 AM, but heck, this is Disney!! :D ) The bartender was a great guy, and there was a (wait staff) woman also at the other end of the bar, and she was hilarious. It's very relaxed in there and the people around me were friendly. :happy: Outside of Disney, I don't go to bars; but this place was family-friendly, and far from a "dive" if you get my drift!! ;)
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Yes, yes, yes! I'm thinking it was probably me who recommended the tune in lounge because I adore it and go every time and post about it. The woman at the other end of the bar was probably our favorite Julie and I'm guessing the guy was David. We love it and often split the sampler platter. Yay!
 
W

Woodywrkr

Well-Known Member
Tuvalu said:
We had a little time to kill before our next FP, so we decided to ride a full loop on the MPB. The Frontierland station was closest to LTT and we headed that way. The timing worked out perfectly for us to witness the stupidest stroller incident we have ever seen. I did not get my camera out quickly enough to capture the terror on the little boy's face as he hung down facing the bottom of the stairs. But you can imagine it as you look at the picture.

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Two men lifting a double stroller up the steps to the train station with a little boy and a baby inside!!! :jawdrop: Congrats, gentlemen, you are today's winner of the "Poorest Parenting Choice" award. Did you guys not see the ramp beside the stairs where you could have safely pushed the stroller up to the platform??!!! :facepalm:

Sadly, that was not the only dumb stroller incident on our train ride. After we pulled into the Fantasyland station, we watched a woman fold her jogging stroller and put it on the little platform in-between the train cars. Then she climbed aboard onto a seat with the rest of her family.

Woody and I knew that a stroller would not be allowed to be stowed outside the train car. Sure enough, as soon as it was spotted by a cast member, the stroller was removed from the little platform. That, in turn, caused stroller mama to become absolutely IRATE with the cast member. She let a few choice words fly and continued to loudly complain as she tried to figure out where to put the stroller. There was no room on the bench where her family sat. So guess who got to be the lucky recipient of a jogging stroller and angry mama?
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FYI...my phone is in my hand in the train picture because I was tweeting the picture of the double stroller stupidity to WDW Today. Couldn't send it fast enough before the incident on the train occurred. I guess you could call it a double stroller double play. ;)
 
MinnieM123

MinnieM123

Premium Member
Tony the Tigger said:
Yes, yes, yes! I'm thinking it was probably me who recommended the tune in lounge because I adore it and go every time and post about it. The woman at the other end of the bar was probably our favorite Julie and I'm guessing the guy was David. We love it and often split the sampler platter. Yay!
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Well, not only was it a great tip from you, but also one of our other favorite forum members, @ajrwdwgirl highly recommended Tune-In Lounge! :happy: I don't know what it was about that place, but I just loved the fun and casual atmosphere, and the sampler plate was delicious. From now on, it's a "must visit" for my yearly trip to WDW. :joyfull:

As a side note, what I love about these forums is all the great tips that people pass along to each other. And, as you noticed, @Tuvalu is one of the best sources for information here!! :cool:
 
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Sunday, May 8
I got the best of both worlds on this Mother's Day ~ waking up at WDW and arriving home for a delicious homemade meal provided by my 4 children (my DIL counts!) :inlove:

To be honest, I wish we didn't have to awaken at 4:30 a.m., but our flight options were limited (chose to go cheap with Southwest). We checked our bags at the Resort Airline check in desk and waited for the 6 a.m. Tragical. We were surprised at how many other folks were leaving at that early hour ~ after stops at Old Key West and Saratoga Springs, our bus was full!

Woody and I grabbed breakfast at the airport before boarding. I had a window seat and was super excited when our plane flew directly over Epcot and the MK! It was our last bit of "pixie dust" :). I have seen parts of WDW from the sky before, but never as up-close-and-personal as this. So cool!

Thanks for following along! I will be on the lookout for @TheMouseFan, @blgauger, @Betsyboo, @bethymouse and @JohnnyDollaz89 on our next trip..."School's out for summer!"
 
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
Tony the Tigger said:
I was going to save up all my comments to post at the end, but I have forgotten half of them already LOL.

First of all, I think you are a lovely person.

Second: Bananas Foster French toast!!

That's when I forgot about everything else LOL. We have enjoyed A great dinner at YS and a great lunch at CG - did not know about the breakfast buffet – yet another tip learned from Tuvalu!

And I have never seen the opening show at any park, so I guess I will have to make that a priority before it's possibly gone!
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Awww, Tony you make me blush :happy:.

MK is the only park left with an opening show...such a shame...the ceremonies at DHS, AK and Epcot were fun too!
 
gobstoper27

gobstoper27

Well-Known Member
Tuvalu said:
We had a little time to kill before our next FP, so we decided to ride a full loop on the MPB. The Frontierland station was closest to LTT and we headed that way. The timing worked out perfectly for us to witness the stupidest stroller incident we have ever seen. I did not get my camera out quickly enough to capture the terror on the little boy's face as he hung down facing the bottom of the stairs. But you can imagine it as you look at the picture.

View attachment 143673
Two men lifting a double stroller up the steps to the train station with a little boy and a baby inside!!! :jawdrop: Congrats, gentlemen, you are today's winner of the "Poorest Parenting Choice" award. Did you guys not see the ramp beside the stairs where you could have safely pushed the stroller up to the platform??!!! :facepalm:

Sadly, that was not the only dumb stroller incident on our train ride. After we pulled into the Fantasyland station, we watched a woman fold her jogging stroller and put it on the little platform in-between the train cars. Then she climbed aboard onto a seat with the rest of her family.

Woody and I knew that a stroller would not be allowed to be stowed outside the train car. Sure enough, as soon as it was spotted by a cast member, the stroller was removed from the little platform. That, in turn, caused stroller mama to become absolutely IRATE with the cast member. She let a few choice words fly and continued to loudly complain as she tried to figure out where to put the stroller. There was no room on the bench where her family sat. So guess who got to be the lucky recipient of a jogging stroller and angry mama?

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Can I add that the child who used this stroller was 7 or 8 years old?! :banghead:
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I love it, you have no shame in snapping pictures of idiots who grace the gates of DW with thier moronic tendencies!!!
 
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Original Poster
I am able to share this now ~

On my first visit to the Magic Kingdom (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth) I bought a Dumbo. I was big into stuffed animals and this Dumbo was by far my favorite!

When my oldest son was born, he received a small stuffed elephant with a wind-up music box inside. We kept it in his crib (oh the horror!) and the music lulled him to sleep each night.

So when I saw this adorable Dumbo bib I just had to buy it.

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Because my oldest and his sweet wife are expecting a baby girl in November. :happy:

WOODY AND I ARE GONNA BE GRANDPARENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:inlove: :) :D :joyfull: :geek: :happy: :p :cat: :inlove: :) :D :joyfull: :geek: :happy: :p :cat: :inlove:
 
LisaBelle

LisaBelle

Well-Known Member
MinnieM123 said:
@Tuvalu , (or others here), any of you ever try the various Spas at WDW? My one luxury I cave to each trip is a massage. Usually, I go to the Mandara (Balinese) Spa at the Dolphin. It's so peaceful in there and themed beautifully. (I went one afternoon last week.) Years ago, I used to go to the spa over at the GF, but haven't been there since the rehab to Senses. One time, I also tried the spa over at Saratoga, and that was very nice, too, but really out of the way in location, compared to the other two.

Having no connection whatsoever with the above, I thought I'd share a lovely picture of rhinos in AK. :hilarious: (I imagine they look at each other and think they're gorgeous. :p )

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@MinnieM123, my sister and I visited the Senses spa at GF back in February. I have no prior experience with Disney spas but this was THE BEST massage I ever had. The spa was a bit crowded with people pampering themselves before and after the Princess Half Marathon weekend events. The one negative was that we did not have a place to sit in the relaxation room while awaiting our massage. Other than that (which was minor) it was heavenly!
Tuvalu said:
The MSEP was making its way through Frontierland and we were trapped.

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But we knew (after years of experience) that we would be able to cross over to Adventureland once Big Ben passed by.

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The CMs opened the ropes and we were on our way. It was a bit of an obstacle course once we reached the hub, as people were staked out waiting for "Celebrate the Magic". The show started when we were mid-way down Main Street. Woody suggested watching Wishes from atop the train station.

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A sparse crowd!

When Jiminy began speaking, Wanda began weeping. What a way to end a perfect MK day!
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If you haven't figured it out by now, Wishes is my favorite nighttime show. And I cannot wait to wear this shirt Em gave me for Mother's Day on our next trip!

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She bought one for herself too! Now the Weeping Wandas can match. :joyfull:

After the finale we made our way to the bus. We have to be up early to catch our 6 am Tragical Express!
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LOVE your Wishes shirt!!!!! Wishes is my favorite too. Count me in as another Wanda who starts to cry as soon as Jiminy Cricket begins to speak.
Tuvalu said:
I am able to share this now ~

On my first visit to the Magic Kingdom (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth) I bought a Dumbo. I was big into stuffed animals and this Dumbo was by far my favorite!

When my oldest son was born, he received a small stuffed elephant with a wind-up music box inside. We kept it in his crib (oh the horror!) and the music lulled him to sleep each night.

So when I saw this adorable Dumbo bib I just had to buy it.

View attachment 144343

Because my oldest and his sweet wife are expecting a baby girl in November. :happy:

WOODY AND I ARE GONNA BE GRANDPARENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:inlove: :) :D :joyfull: :geek: :happy: :p :cat: :inlove: :) :D :joyfull: :geek: :happy: :p :cat: :inlove:
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Congratulations to you and Woody and the whole Tuvalu family.
As always, I loved your TR. Anxiously awaiting your next TR to see if you cross paths with any of the others from these forums who will be there at the same time. Enjoy! (I know you will!)
 
MinnieM123

MinnieM123

Premium Member
LisaBelle said:
@MinnieM123, my sister and I visited the Senses spa at GF back in February. I have no prior experience with Disney spas but this was THE BEST massage I ever had. The spa was a bit crowded with people pampering themselves before and after the Princess Half Marathon weekend events. The one negative was that we did not have a place to sit in the relaxation room while awaiting our massage. Other than that (which was minor) it was heavenly!

LOVE your Wishes shirt!!!!! Wishes is my favorite too. Count me in as another Wanda who starts to cry as soon as Jiminy Cricket begins to speak.

Congratulations to you and Woody and the whole Tuvalu family.
As always, I loved your TR. Anxiously awaiting your next TR to see if you cross paths with any of the others from these forums who will be there at the same time. Enjoy! (I know you will!)
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Thanks for the info. on Senses. (I'm sure that the only reason the waiting area was crowded was due to the crowd from the P. Half Marathon weekend. Although I haven't experienced Senses yet, I had gone a few times (years ago) to the previous spa at the GF, and the waiting area only had a few people in it each time--it was very quiet and peaceful. I don't visit WDW during any higher-crowd times.) Glad to hear that the massage therapist was professional, and that you felt better afterwards. Maybe next year when I go back to WDW (hopefully--I say that every year and still manage to scrape together the vacation dollars!), I'll check out Senses, too. :)
 

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