Tinkinparis returns to neverland...2011

[tinkaparis]

Tinkinparis Return to Neverlandagain
Travel dates: August 18- August 23
Travel method: DELTA
Resort: Coronado Springs and Caribbean Beach
Disney Resort Experience Represented in Group: Extremely with all Parks in the US and Disneyland Paris (except my brother in law)
Cast of characters and Ages in Group: Me (Tink) 34, Sister (B) cant say, Nephew (C) 7, Brother in law (E) 42, niece #1 (T) 22
Comments: I thought I would start by posting the process leading up to the trip before we go.
Planning
I have evolved into a MousePlanet devout follower and was excited to see back in December 2010, Disney released the free dining dates for 2011. I eagerly called my sister and said: Disney released the dates for free dining!!! Lets book our trip. To which she dismissed my enthusiasm by simply stating: Theyll release another set of them in April, we have time. Of course, I trusted her and what happened? Disney decided to slowly start to phase out discounts. Great.
Im not looking to start another debate of whether free dining was worth it, for us it always worked and by splitting the room, I couldnt argue that my share of around $60 a night, including, a CS, TS and a S, was a good deal.
This year, my sister attended Destination D and thankfully received a bounce back offer which brought our room rate down a little. This has affected my trip planning this year drastically since it will be the trip known as the Counter Service Spectacular! Or the year I skipped most of my favorite restaurants. Most notably, Akershus, which as a 1 table service credit restaurant was a steal but at just over $43, I cant justify.
I am looking forward to trying the following CS: Flame Tree BBQ, Yak and Yeti, The Cantina, Tortuga Tavern, Pinocchio Village Haus, Grand Floridian Quick Service Place (cant remember the name)
And re-visiting the following: Sunshine Seasons, Tangerine Caf, Columbia Harbor House, Captain Cooks
To offset some of the cost of food, I chose 4 must-dos that offered a lunch service and booked reservations for the 3 of us at: Les Chefs de France, Raglan Road, Rose and Crown and Boma (dinner)
A Little Pixie Dust
I like to flatter myself at times and believe that my worldly travels and love of language have minutely influenced my nieces in some of their decisions in life. Both of them have acquired my love for France and were thankfully listening when I shared with them that the 1 thing I regretted the most about my university experience was that I did not make time to do the Disney college program. This summer, my niece #1 got accepted into the CP alumni program at Disneyland and worked in Annual Pass Sales, whereas niece #2 got accepted into the CP alumni program at WDW as both a front of the house CM at Beaches and Cream as well as working at her former haunt; Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique. I know you all know what this means? Thats right! Discounts!!!! Niece #1 will be transferring and working at WDW during our stay and probably will be rooming with us throughout portions of the trip and with me when I have a solo room once my sisters husband joins us later on.
I will keep you all posted as the trip starts to unfold more. Usually both my nieces and sisters go on this tripand for the past several years my second sister G, usually surprises us and flies down.
Will that happen this year?
Will I get C to go on Splash Mountain?
Will I open my eyes on Dinosaur? ( I really havent yet)
Will I get sick of Counter Service?
Will I buy a refillable mug? NahIll just bring my old one. Just Kidding!!!!

Update: Discounts from nieces for the room as cast members are not as good as the general public off season discounts. At least when they eat with us we can get a little discount on our food

Any suggestions on adult beverage or counter service ideas is greatly appreciated

[relaaxedwheniamthere]

you cant bear the rose & crown for some great adult beverages. just try & get gavin for your server. he is one of the better ones. tell him dusty hopes to see him in t-34 working days & counting.

[Pammer]

I L-O-V-E Flame Tree BBQ!!! My favorite is the pulled pork sandwich (the chocolate mousse is tasty too!). I found out last year that if you don't want the beans, they will substitute another side (I got a cookie!).

[tinkaparis]

I will try to remember Dusty!

Can you believe that last year Flame tree was closed? I am so excited to try it!

[TinaMouse]

Aw, I'm so glad that this trip worked out for you. Can't wait to read all about it. My oldest is looking into the Disney CP. I HOPE he gets in!!!!

[tinkaparis]

I"m sure he will Tina! Then you will get to reap all the benefits

Update:

We have consolidated our reservation to be at Coronado the entire time. My sister is currently examining the map of CSR with a magnifying glass to figure out which area to ask for.

[tinkaparis]

So the decision is 8A and 9B. I've never stayed here but it looks really beautiful and I am excited to experience it.

Update on our dining reservations:

I decided to do California Grill instead of Cape May Cafe and our Niece N will be joining us.

Turns out she will be a hostess and the Sci Fi Dine in, if anyone is going in the next few week, make sure to be extra nice to any hostesses seating you

[TinaMouse]

Nice upgrade on Cali!!!

[tinkaparis]

WOW! Where to do I begin?

I have to go to work today but I promise to start the trip report later on today.
I left Florida somewhat unscathed by Irene only to come home now and have to start preparing for her again

Here are some teasers:

-Eventhough our reservation was at Coronado, we didn't stay there.
-I tried another ride for the first time!
-I got to go to Cast property control.
-Magical Moments

And of course a few things I really can't believe I missed...

Stay tuned

[yellowrosedtxn]

I can't wait to hear all about your trip!

[mickeymom5]

I can't wait to hear all about your trip! Don't keep us waiting for too long!

[tinkaparis]

Alright I have put all my receipts in order and are ready to review my notes...

I am all prepared for hurricane Irene and have sufficient food and water

Plus my Professional Development Day this Monday has already been cancelled.

I also have finally caught up on my sleep after all the walking I did this trip!

I promise to post Day 1 and Day 2 tomorrow while hunkered down.

On a side note my sister her husband and my nephew are STILL down in Disney because their flight was cancelled and was moved to Monday. She is texting me updates and I am trying to hold on to the magical feeling as much as possible. I still smell the hotel in my mind and feel the humidity while I drink my morning coffee...must hold on to this for as long as possible.

[TinaMouse]

Thinking about all of you from the NE. Hope you are well. keep writing!

[tinkaparis]

Unfortunately i still have no power and the trip report is stuck on the laptop! Hopefully i can get it to you guys today. I wrote it by candle light last night

[tinkaparis]

The alarm went off at 3:45 a.m. I sent my boyfriend off to work with a hug and a kiss, since he works the early shift and decided to just stay up, finish packing, and start the caffeine drip. I ate my bowl of cereal while watching the news and the whole morning felt surreal to me. It had been 1 year since I was last in WDW and it hadnt sunk in that I was about to be back there.

Now back to the reportI drove to Bradley International Airport which was barely waking up itself when I got there at 5:16 a.m. Thankfully Delta had sent me an email the night prior reminding me that it was time to check in and gave me the option to send the boarding pass to my smart phone in a text, so I did. This ended up saving me time and hassle at the airport and I didnt have to worry about anyone saying my carry-on was too heavy or something.

We boarded on time and landed early. Perfect. The plan was to check-in to Coronado Springs and wait for my niece N to finish her training class since she was starting her job at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Restaurant. She was supposed to finish at 1:00 and we were then going to go to MK.

I walked right onto the DME bus and thankfully Coronado was the first stop. My first impression of the resort was that it was very colorful in a unique sort of way. I guess I am just used to Riverside after years and years of stays there. Our room wasnt ready so I reminded the CM about our preferences including the need for a mold and water issue free room due to allergies. I changed into my Nikes, dropped my luggage off at the luggage room and took the bus to Downtown Disney for some lunch, hoping to wait there until N got out of training.

I quickly realized that I felt the sun blazing on my sunscreen free skin. Now why would I not have any sunscreen you ask? Because I gave it to my sister to check in her bag since I only took a carry-on. Great. I remember that Guest Services usually has a wide array of concoctions and headed on over. The CM was very nice, checked the back room and announced that they didnt have any but would give me a voucher to go get one at the sunglass cart. I had a moment. A moment is something me, my sisters and nieces say when something is just so heartwarming that you could cry. It is a little mushy sentiment that just tugs at the heart strings and I totally had one with this nice CM who was about to literally save my skin from an inevitable sun burn. I thanked her profusely and headed off to get my sunscreen.

With the crisis averted I was ready to do my first new item on this trip: Earl of Sandwich. At this point it was 12:10 and the line was crazy but I remember other forum members saying that they moved efficiently here so I decided to give it a try. I settled on the Cobb salad in a flatbread. I ate it quickly on the patio and was very impressed. N than texted me that training was running over and she had to do some errands and that our meet-up was more likely pushed until 4:30. I decided to change plans for the day and skip the park instead just spending the evening at the hotel pool and eventually pool bar.

I wanted to check out the Polynesian(Ill explain why later) so I took the bus over. I picked up a coffee at Captain Cooks and I cant remember if it was the real brewed coffee or the Nescafe. Anyway, I plopped myself down in a chair near Ohana, plugged in my cell phone charger and promptly proceeded to fall asleep even after the coffee! After my brief siesta, I explored the stores and really fell in love with a pair of fluffy, cut off, beige sweatpants. I shouldve bought them because I couldnt find them for the rest of the trip. I wandered over to the pool and ended up sitting at a table and chatting to a lovely woman from England for quite some time. My sister B then texted me that her flight was delayed and she wouldnt be getting into the resort until 9:30 instead of 6:40! At that moment the skies opened up and I had my first Florida tropical storm encounter.


At this point, the 4 hours of sleep and general excitement of the day was really making me tired. Thankfully N pulled up to the Poly around 4:30 and offered to drive me back to my hotel. It was great to see her again since it had been 2 weeks .

Back at Coronado, I decided to wander around a bit, explore the area, and catch a meal at the Pepper Market. I quickly picked up our room keys at the check in and headed over to the gift shop. The Mexican themeing was really cute in the store and I loved the Donald piatas. Next to the gift shop was a teeny tiny little quick service caf. They served sandwiches, salads, desserts, etc. I noticed that there was no seating in there and that the families were eating their dinners in the bar next door. I thought this was weird but I understood why later. I know this is a convention hotel but it definitely did not feel business like and was definitely filled with families and children. The nightclub/bar next to the quick service caf seemed out of place though.

I headed over to the Pepper Market. By this time it was almost 6:00 and it was totally dead in there. I shouldve taken this as a sign. I visited each of the possible food stations and decided on the Chefs Special chicken cacciatore, which was being offered at the 1 station were 3 people were waiting for fajitas and quesadillas. There was 1 cook there and there were about 15 servers clumped around the tables all just staring at us waiting to sit down. The whole experience was just not my thing and I ended up paying over $15 including the gratuity for the waitress who brought me a water. I am betting that this has something to do with why the little quick service caf ended up being busier than the Pepper Market every time I walked by.

I headed on over to our room in Cabanas 8A. Great location for the pool, which is important to my sister, but not great location for me to get my morning coffee. I noticed that our bath tub leaked but overall I thought the room was OK. I passed out on the bed, listening to Stacey while waiting for B and C to arrive. Finally around 9:40 they arrived! I could tell that my sister didnt like Coronado as much as Riverside but little did we know what would happen the following evening





Lesson Learned #1 Book early to get the resort you really love
Lesson Learned #2 Either pay for the dining plan or get free dining. It is sooo much easier!
Lesson Learned #3 Dont wait for your sister to make a decision to book a Disney reservation, you can always cancel

[tinkaparis]

Since today was going to be my first day in the parks you could say I was mildly excited! We took out our cereal that we brought with us and the milk that I bought at the gift shop. I tried brewing the in-room provided coffee but it didnt go so wellit tasted like chlorine. I didnt feel like waiting to clean the machine by brewing water so I decided to bite the bullet and spend the $14 on the mug. I hoofed it on over to the Pepper Market, around 8A, down the stairs, threw 3 paths, over 2 bridges and then around a bend, to buy a refillable mug and downed 2 mug- fulls of Nescafe. I know it isnt the best coffee but it tastes like Breyers coffee ice cream and I kind of like it.


Back in the room, my sister B and nephew C were still unpacking, getting ready and watching Phinneas and Ferb. I couldnt wait anymore so I decided to head out early without them. To be honest, I didnt plan anything beforehand about where I would be going this trip. I decided on Epcot because of the abundance of yummy lunch options.

I bused it on over to Epcot and headed over to Soarin first. I actually ended up getting there at rope drop and experienced my first Walk over to Soarin in a calm manor. It is times that this that I wish I was a runner. You could totally tell that the dads sprinting by me and not even panting or breaking a sweat, really knew what they were doing. Thankfully I wasnt too far behind and I ended up in the first row with the feet-free view! I dont remember the ride having a pine smell last year for the tree scenes but I loved that this time! I then took a tour on Living with the Land, admiring all of the veggies. Next up was Journey into Imagination with Figment. What can I say about it? I could have a moment if I think about how much I miss the original, enough said.

Next, I met up with C and B and we decided to head on over to Mexico to ride El Rio del Tiempo. (I think it is still called that). I checked out the menus for the new quick service which looked yummy but somehow I never made it back during the tripsomething to save for next time. B and I decided to split a sandwich at the Kringla Bakeri so we headed over. C wanted to wait for food at the American Adventure. We settled on the roast beef sandwich. The beef and cheese itself were yummy but the bread not so much. The best part hands down was our dessert! B had the rollekake and I had the rice cream.



C this year is 7 and a half and asks many questions about the rides. We noticed that this year, rides that he had previously enjoyed, he didnt want to go on anymore. Maelstrom was one of those rides. C now states that he doesnt want to go on anything that goes backwards or has drops. My sisters theory is that it is because he got scared this year when they went to Disneyland and he went on Indiana Jones. Who knows, but we hope that next year he will want to re-add some of his former favorite rides once again. We parted ways so that C could have his American lunch. I was not the first to pass through the Maelstrom ride and was sent back over the falls into a floating oil rig. It was a great ride! I decided to stroll and enjoy the feeling and sounds of being in the park. Everyone knows that I am a Francophile and remember my years living in Paris very fondly, so of course, I headed on over to the pavilion. I didnt want to spoil my upcoming dinner at the California Grill so I decided on a Grand Marnier slushie.



B called and let me know that they were ready to head back to Coronado for a swim so we met up and headed out.
The Dig Site pool was very well themed and right outside our hotel room door. The jaguar slide was a hit with all of us and so was the warm bathwater like pool water. I will forever remember that afternoon as I am standing in, driving through or just cursing at 20 inches of snow this winter.
We all quickly got ready for our dinner and drove over to the Contemporary. We checked in at the California Grill counter and took our beeper with us as we window shopped at the various stores. I really like the vintage Small World throw pillow with the Shag art on it. It was too cute! I shouldve taken a picture of it. Our beeper went off promptly at 5:30 and we were escorted on up to the top floor. Our table was great, right up against the window and we watched the rain come in and over Cinderella Castle. We each enjoyed way too much bread with the sea salt butter. I had the halibut over shrimp pillow, B had the pork dish and C had pizza. No one had a starter because we were set on getting desserts. My halibut was gorgeous! It was very mild, well-seasoned and the shrimp pillow went well with it. For dessert, my sister had the Bananas foster, C had ice cream and I had the citrus goat cheese cheesecake. The best part of the cheesecake was the layer of panna cotta. Of course, I had several cups of coffee as well because it was extra magic hours tonight at Magic Kingdom!




We waddled back into the elevator and my sister and C decided to go out shopping with the rental car to get bottles of water, milk and snacks for the next 10 days. I took the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom and was excited to see my niece N who was working parade control tonight.



I got there around 8:00 and had a moment since this was my first time this trip entering my favorite park. I quickly found N in her beautiful black and white uniform and was so proud of her! I couldnt stop gushing and the other CMs she was with offered to take a picture of the both of us.



It was drizzling a little as I made my way to Adventureland. I rode Pirates, Big Thunder and then walked through Fantasyland and over to Tomorrowland to go on the People Mover.



I dont have clear notes here but I do know that somewhere in there I got a soft serve cone. B then texted me that when she got to our room with the groceries, that it was flooded and our A/C was broken. Turns out our fridge broke and flooded the carpet. I decided to head back to the room to help my sister re-pack everything we just un-packed. Unfortunately Coronado and all other hotels on property were sold out, with no availability for my sisters 10 night stay so the CM gave her the choice of a 1 King bedroom at Saratoga or a 2 queen bed at Grand Floridian. I can only assume that the resorts were all full because free dining had just started while we were down there. Now, I have nothing against Saratoga, but sharing a bed with 2 larger women and a 7 year old is not my idea of a restful vacation. Of course we chose Grand Floridian. By now it was somewhere around 11:00 p.m.

We called Bell Services, quickly threw all of our clothes and groceries into bags or suitcases and drove over to the Grand Floridian. I wont compare the service at the Grand Floridian to Coronado because that would not be fair since not only is the Grand Floridian a deluxe resort, it is the flagship hotel for the property. I have to say however, that the level of helpfulness by each and every CM we encountered that night was wonderful and welcomed. From the valet, to the Bell services, to the CM who checked us in, you can totally feel the level of opulence at this hotel. The entire experience was surreal as it was happening and I couldnt believe that I would be staying at the Grand Floridian. We crawled into our room around 12:00 and found that our beds were already turned down and waiting for us

[relaaxedwheniamthere]

All i can say is wow . Road block & then wow !!!!!!!

[Tater]

Ohhh wow you had a rough start, but staying at GF isn't a bad consolation prize, and you make me very thirsty with your slushy.

[tinkaparis]

All i can say is wow . Road block & then wow !!!!!!!

It was a real road block but I have to say that my nephew managed to keep it cool and we didn't have 1 meltdown despite the moving, packing, unpacking and late nights

NEVER in our wildest dreams did we expect to change resorts let alone get the GF!
I still can't believe it.

[tinkaparis]

Ohhh wow you had a rough start, but staying at GF isn't a bad consolation prize, and you make me very thirsty with your slushy.

Slushy was delish! It kind of tasted like the old orange children's tylenol. It was very good but I think I prefer the margaritas in Mexico. Still have to try the Italian Margarita

[tinkaparis]

I set my alarm for 7:00 am even though we didnt get to bed until 1 a.m. because I wanted to go to Gasparilla Grill and make sure I could use my refillable mug that I purchased at Coronado. Before I go on I just have to mention the bedit was so comfortable that I actually slept through my sister snoring! I donned my yoga pants, quickly stepped out onto the patio to take in the monorail for a moment and then headed down. We were in building 7 Sago Cay which was right next to the main building. It turned out to be a great location. Our building had 7 floors and as I was waiting for the elevator I realized that our carpet and wallpaper had hidden Mickeys. I loved the smell of the hotel. I think it was whatever they used to clean the tile floors every morning.



I crossed over to GG and explained how I switched hotels and showed the CM my receipt and she said it was fine for me to use it during my stay. There was no one there yet this time of morning so I perused the selection. The Mickey waffles looked great as did the pancakes, cupcakes, soft serve and danish  but I wanted to try and stick to cereal in the morning so I could eat bigger lunches and dinners. I noticed that they had real brewed coffee and not the Nescaf machine. It was GREAT!! Tasted a little stronger than Dunkin Donuts but not too strong like Starbucks. I was hooked.



I wiped the morning dew off of a chair and table on the marina and watched the castle and took in the surroundings for almost a half hour.


It was starting to get busy so I headed back to the room to get ready. We all headed out of the room and took the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. I must say that this had to be the best part about staying at the Grand Floridian, 1 stop and you are at M.K.! Coming home was a little long but you still got to sit on the monorail. B and C headed over to Fantasyland and I quickly went on Big Thunder and Splash then met up with them at Peter Pan which was still a walk up. Next we went on Buzz Lightyear and I did really bad, C beat me. After a tour of Tomorrowland courtesy of the TTA, we decided to go get lunch in Epcot. I opted to take the monorail to see how long it would take me while my sister drove the rental. I didnt have to wait too long for either monorail but after it was all said and done it took about 50 minutes. My sister and nephew decided on lunch at the Rose and Crown and I decided to get some quick service Moroccan. I chose the chicken platter. Yummy is all I can say. I cant even describe all the little sides that come with it but they are delicious and range from cous cous to little green bean like things and a parsley salad.

I started to feel like I wanted to curl up into a ball on the chair and not move so I knew I had hit the wall. The heat, the walking, excitement, lack of sleep and general hubbub of the previous night had finally caught up to me. I called my sister and told her I had to sit in Morocco for a while and that I needed to ride home with her in the rental. Thankfully they took their time with lunch and loved it! I tried to drink as much ice water as possible in the meantime. Fortunately I learned that no matter how tired I am, my feet will always walk me into the Bakery in France  I had the chocolate mousse and savored every spoonful. The funny thing is that I am not even a chocolate person.

I crawled into my bed and slept for a little over 2 hours. I dont know what my sister and nephew did but I know they left me to go to Hollywood Studios and tried waking me up to tell me but I think I told them to be quiet. I finally rolled out of bed and took my time taking a hot shower and getting ready for the evening, I even stopped by Gasparilla Grill on my way out to the bus and had some more magical coffee.

By the time I got to Hollywood Studios, B and C had already gone on Star Tours and said it was great. I wanted to try and spend more time this trip here because I havent spent any amount of significant time at the park since I was a teen and it was MGM. I remember I loved to see the shows being taped, the animators working and even the Backlot Tour. I dont know why I had fallen out of love with Hollywood Studios but I am trying to get back into it. Today, my niece N, had picked up a shift busing tables at ABC commissary so we met up with her at the end of her shift.


By this time it was almost 7:00 so we headed over to the Great Movie Ride. We got the shoot -out scene. I really like this ride but I remember how it used to scare me when I was little.

C and B were really tired now since they hadnt napped They decided to head home for a night in the room, I figured that Id join them and maybe go for a dip. As we pulled into the hotel I got a second wind maybe thanks to the soaking from the passing tropical storm, and decided to end the evening at MK instead since N was once again working Parade Control. Can you tell she picks up as many shifts as possible? Unfortunately lightening had struck some power station that provides power to the monorails and they were closed for the rest of the evening. I decided to take the little boat over. I headed over to the dock and got into the long line of other people waiting for the boat. Thankfully I ended up meeting a family from Sarrassotta (spelling?) and spoke to them about Disney. They have annual passes and come every month for a weekend. We made it onto the 3rd boat but I didnt even mind waiting because the view of the castle was great and so was the conversation with this wonderful family.

Magic Kingdom was very crowded that night but I was really just happy to be there. I found N working parade control this time on the other side of the hub and told her Id try to find her for the Magic and Memories Show so we could watch it together.



I headed off and decided to indulge myself since I was on vacation and got a cheeseburger at Pecos Bill. I put onions, mushrooms and ketchup on at the fixins bar and I ate it all! It was soo good, even though it was too well cooked for my own preference. I ate outside the restaurant on the little side terrace and I could hear the Main St. Electrical Parade music so I watched for a little.
Eventually I crossed over to the mountains during a break and went on Splash and Big Thunder. I noticed this trip that many items were not working this year on Splash. The 2 bunnies sweeping werent talking, the gophers that pop out were stuck, the vultures werent telling me to stop laughing, Brer Fox wasnt complaining about Brer Rabbit getting away and several of the mama Chickens with tambourines were just standing there. Who do you tell about this kind of thing? I dont know, but I still loved the ride. Next up was Jungle Cruise and I had a GREAT skipper! I wish I remembered some of the jokes that I hadnt heard before because they were hilarious and the ride is much better at night.

As I was exiting the Jungle Cruise, Wishes was starting so I watched it from behind the castle. What a great view! You really get to see the fireworks themselves. I realized that I missed the Magic and Memories show so I headed back for another ride on Splash. I also never noticed before that right after Wishes, they hose down the buildings that are underneath the fireworks and water is free flowing over all of the roofs. I had never seen that before. The park was still extremely crowded as I made my way shopping down Main Street. Somehow I exited right into N who was directing people how to get home without taking the monorail. There were buses everywhere! I stepped into the line for the GF and Poly just as 200 people or so got in line behind me. It was a little surprising that they always combined the 2 resorts especially on such a busy night but I am assuming it is because they are so close together. N texted me when she finished her shift to make sure I got on a bus or she could drive me home, thankfully I had just stepped onto the bus

I quietly snuck into bed at 12:30 a.m., removed my turn down chocolate and once again, slept through the snoring.

[familymemories]

Wow, love the photos. Thanks for posting those. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip.

[TinaMouse]

Oh my gosh! HOW EXCITING! Best oopsie ever. Admit it: You broke the fridge! LOLOLOL! I don't think I've ever read a trip report from someone who stayed at the GF before. Can't wait to hear all about it.....well, I already read what you have posted, but you know what I mean.

[tinkaparis]

After a restful quick sleep of about 6 hours, I was bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready for my coffee! I once again, donned my semi pajama/semi yoga outfit and headed down to Gasparilla Grill. I did my usual lounge on the marina while looking at the castle and sipping my coffee. The funny thing is that you can totally hear whatever is going on at the Magic Kingdom. I dont know if it has something to do with the water or the shape of the marina inlet but you can hear Wishes music at night and I heard the entire Good Morning show as well. This just made my coffee even that much better.

I headed back up to the room and get ready alongside B and C, with a little Phinneas and Ferb thrown in. We were watching an episode that had other special agents in it, and this one was a fish that would just flop around. His name was Agent F. I dont know why I found this so funny but I had a laughing fit for a good 10 minutes. I really enjoy the humor of Phinneas and Ferb and I can see why just as many adults love the show as kids.

My sister called down to Valet and they always get the car ready for us and open our doors. This was totally worth the extra $12 daily, since the self park is literally across the street and a pretty far walk. We drove over to Epcot and went on Spaceship Earth and Soarin. I love the Welcome to your Future" video and I always get a kick out of it!

Can't figure out how to only post link to video without seeing the entire album Please don't look forward yet!!!!! Wait for the trip report details or you'll spoil the surprise

http://s752.photobucket.com/albums/x...YourFuture.mp4


We headed over to France for our lunch at Les Chefs de France. First we saw the movie Impressions de France and it was Cs first time. He actually like it! Of course I love the movie and cant help but think of my own personal visits to all of the places highlighted. We checked in at the restaurant right at noon and were seated promptly. It was so cold in there, I think I froze. I continued the theme of since I am on vacation, I can eat what I want and ordered the French onion soup and crme frache flatbread. My sister had the savory chicken crepe and C had the childrens hamburger. We were sat in the side area that faces the fountain with all the glass windows. This was great! Usually we sit on the side that face the World Showcase lagoon and it gets really loud in there. We were all so full after eating (and wanted to get a dessert at the bakery) so we skipped it in the restaurant. I have to say that our server was great! and very cute, I was contemplating setting him up with my niece

B already had to do laundry because C was sweating threw clothes at a fast rate so we decided to spend the afternoon at the hotel. I decided that since changing leaves, pumpkins and then snow were in my short term forecast that I would spend as much time as I could swimming in the pool. I took C with me and we headed to the beach pool, after getting a little lost trying to find it. First off we went on the slide. It is very long and winds through a big mountain like structure. You have to wait for the green light to go. I loved it and of course so did C. Next we participated in some beach ball games and danced along to the D.J.s music in the water. What a great atmosphere! Our games leader was super spunky and quite sarcastic with her jokes that I found to be funny. By the time my sister found an empty washer and dryer, we had spent almost 2 hours at the pool. We all had a swim together and I played Name that Tune with a white board. I didnt win The bar next to the pool was also very busy and I wished that I could have a slushy drink but at this point in the trip my sinuses had declared war and I was on Mucinex and Advil so I decided drinking probably wouldnt be a good idea.




After a great afternoon, we headed back up to the room via Gasparilla Grill and a Flordia Sprite ( love the taste Florida water gives it). Our niece N got off of her shift at Sci-Fi and headed over our room to change and freshen up for the evening. Once we were all ready, B called down to the valet and we all hopped into our car and drove to Downtown Disney. We finally found a parking space after following a couple with shopping bags to a spot. We joined the herd of people in line at Wolfgang Puck Express. B had the chicken, I had the Chinese salad, C had the chicken fingers and N ate a little from all of us It took almost a half hour to get our food so dinner took longer than we would have liked. Next up was World of Disney. I did more window shopping and B bought C a new Cars bathing suit. After shopping for a while, we headed out to watch 2 professional YoYo guys. They definitely were interesting characters and did some cool tricks.

We drove back to the Grand Floridian and N went back home to get some sleep as did B and C who went up to our room. And me? Of course I went back to Gasparilla Grill, picked up some chamomile tea and sat at a table in the marina and watched Wishes with about 60 other people. It was wonderful! I crawled into bed at a more respectable 10:30 that night.

[tinkaparis]

My niece N came to meet me around 8 for a coffee at Gasparilla Grill. After admiring the view for a while and making some phone calls, we left for the Disney cast member store. The store carries post season left over merchandise or even current season overstock merchandise. I was excited that I got to go because I had never been there and she could bring 1 person in. We drove to the right of the Magic Kingdom and I never even noticed that road before. There were all kinds of big buildings and she explained what each one was. I even saw where they stored all the Christmas decorations. The store was in a trailor. It definitely wasnt glamorous but I noticed it had good deals on food items for the cast members. Single serving cereals were .33 cents. There was a very small selection of kids clothes and you can tell that Disney sells out of their kids merchandise because there wasnt any there to buy. There was however, a huge selection of really nice mens clothing. Shorts, sweatshirts, polos, tees, you name it, they had it for men. There was also a large amount of graphic tees for women. There was also a property control section where you could buy furniture from hotel rooms, decorations and even cars! N bought me a tee and bought C a Lightening McQueen pajama. The store was definitely interesting but it definitely does not have a comparable selection to the retail stores on property.

Next, we drove over to the Animal Kingdom to meet up with B and C. I love the atmosphere of Animal Kingdom. My goal this trip was to spend more time at Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, unfortunately this ended up being my only day there but I did get to spend more time at the Studios. I will say however, that it is unbelievably hot there. I am all for keeping with the theming of the park but I actually think that the jungle trees make it hotter. Is that even possible?

We found B and C and since C wont ride Dinosaur, N offered to take him into DinoRama while B and I rode. I love this ride and I admit it, it terrifies me. I think I figured out that it is the sound. It sounds like a dinosaur is breathing on me. Anyone else hear that? I did keep my eyes open for the beginning and the final drop but the middle was a total lean into my sisters shoulders with much screaming.









After meeting up with N and C, we decided to get lunch. I wanted the BBQ chicken salad at Flame Tree but C really needed air conditioning. He wasnt handling the heat very well and this was the first trip to Disney World where we didnt use a stroller at some point for him. My sister decided to go to Restarontosaurus. I picked up my salad and we headed over to meet them in the cool air. We all ate and it was all very good. N had to leave for work so we headed out to do the safari on our own. Not many animals were out but we did see some giraffe, elin, elephant and a lion.

We all decided we needed a cold treat after trapping the poachers. C had a Mickey Bar and B and I got a soft serve cone from the ice cream truck. Unfortunately it was so hot that Mickey melted quickly and then fell on the ground. Thankfully, the CM gave C another one which we didnt let him open until we got to the merchandise store of Expedition Everest and had him sit on the floor to eat it. We then did the walking trails and saw the baby gorilla! I also learned more than I ever wanted to know about bats. Did you know they cant stand? Their legs would snap. Did you know that if a bat is knocked out of a tree in its hanging position by another bat that it will fall to the ground and die? It can only fly away if it starts flapping first while hanging. Did you know that all the bats in the exhibit are male? They would kill the females. See? Isnt that interesting?







By now it was almost 3:00 and we were all so hot that we couldnt move another inch. We had dinner reservations at Boma at 4:40 so we decided to go cool down and relax in the lobby at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. The lobby is so beautiful and thankfully the chairs and couches were comfy. C sat in front of the kids T.V. and watched classic Disney cartoons for the entire hour while my sister and I planned the evening, the next day and caught up on some phone calls. We were seated promptly and we promptly went up to the buffet. I think I ate too promptly because after scarfing down my first plate, I was full. Granted on the plate I had quite the array of goodies. I managed to go back for seconds of my favorites and ended with a smattering of desserts. My favorite items were the roast beef, fou fou (?), chicken legs and banana bread pudding. By the time dinner was over, we had all finally cooled down and we headed back home to the room.
Showers after Animal Kingdom are wonderful. Just sayin We monorailed it over the Magic Kingdom and I watched the Main Street Electrical Parade. Great ending to a great day.