A Very Merry Un-21st-Birthday to Me! May 2015 Trip - Updated 10/27**

[Gracefulskinny]

I wore my Minnie bow!

Cute!!

What lovely empty shots!

They spent a lot of time with us this year, and their attendant and to keep yelling at them to behave. It was pretty funny. They saw my birthday button, and asked if it was today. I had to say no, and Kenny came in with this usual “we’re celebrating all year.” Chip wrote me a happy birthday message, and then Dale got angry and decided to grab the marker out of Chip’s hand and my signature book and walk about 20 ft away. Through all of this, we took pictures with Chip and he kept unzipping Kenny’s backpack. I got a nice “Happy acornday! Love Dale” in my signature book too!

Fun! Yay for fun Meet and Greets!

She ended up grabbing my arm and pointing at my bow and giving me another hug!

 

[kadrachb]

Cute!!

Sadly, it ended up falling off its clip mid-day! I'm hoping to superglue it back together before our next trip.

What lovely empty shots!

I think there was one other family of a mom and her son coming in when Kenny switched with me to take the pictures.

Fun! Yay for fun Meet and Greets!

Chip and Dale are normally always fun!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Sadly, it ended up falling off its clip mid-day! I'm hoping to superglue it back together before our next trip.

Hot Glue should do it just fine.

 

[kadrachb]

Epcot – Day 3 – Part 2: Around (half) the world we go!​

When I left off, we had just stopped at Pineapple Promenade! We had ordered the Pineapple Soft Service with Coconut Bay Rum, which was absolutely delicious, and the Ace Pineapple Hard Cider, which was also great! I’m actually looking for places in PA or MD that a distributor might sell it, but I’m only finding their pumpkin hard cider….

Next up! Canada and the UK pavilion! We spent little time here last year, so we explored more. Other than that, nothing really caught our eye here next to the Peter Pan topiary.

And then onto… France! My plan was to go straight to get in line to meet Belle, but, when we got to her meeting place the character attendant said she was not meeting at 12, and she might be out at 1 but they weren’t really sure. So, we decided to head back over to look around the wine shop and then we met Aurora!

She was great! We talked about her fairies.


Also, you’ll noticed how awkward Kenny looks with the Princess, he doesn’t like how they end up taking his arm. So I’ve been telling him to put his arm out first, and up not down! However, this advice didn’t really kick in until our last day….


We then decided to stop by the F&G France booth. We got the strawberry marshmallow macaron.

We also got some pictures with the topiaries.

We headed back to see Belle, and there were probably 10 people in front of us, but because we were ahead of schedule we deiced to wait to see if she’d come out at 1. A women and her daughter, who had just started college ended up behind us and we talked with them in line. It was a good way to pass the time! Belle ended up coming out about 20 minutes late.

Then it was off to Morocco! We met Aladdin and Jasmine.

Walked around Morocco for awhile, and then to Japan!


We grabbed lunch at Katsura Grill. I got the salmon teriyaki and Kenny got the chicken teriyaki, along with the green tea cheesecake (which was actually DELICIOUS) and green tea icecream.

We walked around the department store, and then stopped at the F&G booth for the teriyaki curry bun and frushi! Both delicious.

Then it was time to head back to the resort for a nice break! We'd be coming back for dinner with some very special princesses anyways!

 

[KathyM2]

I want that spiked Dole Whip...yum!!! And that macaron in France!! You got some great pics...funny about the arm trick lol...I get that it might be a bit awkward though.

 

[kadrachb]

I want that spiked Dole Whip...yum!!! And that macaron in France!! You got some great pics...funny about the arm trick lol...I get that it might be a bit awkward though.

It was so good! I found out you can also get the spiked Dole Whip in Animal Kingdom!

 

[nilla]

LOVE the first flower and garden photo. Wow.

This was the first time we've been to Epcot when it wasn't F&G in over a decade. Still beautiful, but definitely missing something.

You ate at Boma, but didn't get the carrot ginger soup? What?

 

[kadrachb]

LOVE the first flower and garden photo. Wow.

This was the first time we've been to Epcot when it wasn't F&G in over a decade. Still beautiful, but definitely missing something.

You ate at Boma, but didn't get the carrot ginger soup? What?

My aunt and my uncle, and their 4 children who are all grown, and then their 3 (now 4) grandchildren (who are part of DVC, they bought in right when OKW opened) go every year in March, and one of their favorite things is F&G. I think they do an absolutely amazing job! Its beautiful, and great opportunities for pictures.
(Fun fact that doesn't have to do with the TR: They actually live in Allentown, and my mom and her brother and sisters grew up in Bethlehem)

I didn't see that soup! But I'm not a huge fan of ginger.... But I probably would have tried it anyways. I have a thing for trying things I know I won't like. No one seems to understand it. We were pretty full by the time we have one plate, soup just wasn't in the cards for us that day

 

[kadrachb]

Epcot – Day 3 – Part 3: Dinning With Royalty!

After having a relaxing nap back at our resort, it was time to head back to Epcot for dinner! Of course we were about an hour early, so we browsed through Mouse Gear.

Then off to Akershus! I think its funny how they corral you into this small roped off area. There were two groups of 8 waiting to be seated, and two groups of 6! That place was packed. But we got seated with about 10 minutes of checking in.

We got our picture with Belle….

And then headed to our table! Funny story – Our table was the exact same one has last year!

Our server was GREAT, we actually emailed guest services or whatever to tell them how great she was. They got back to us to tell her she would be rewarded.

We then went up to the apps buffet. I got a little bit of everything – but I have to say I really liked the house vinaigrette dressing.
I ordered the goat cheese ravioli and Kenny got the tradition meatballs. We enjoyed both of them!

Our first princess was Snow White! She was probably our best interaction at this dinner.

And the rest of the princesses followed suit!

The desserts were the same as last year, which we loved all 3 of them still! We didn’t make it out until illuminations was over, so we kind of missed it. We could see some of it from the window next to our table.

I ended up going to one of the stores at the front of the world show case and buying a mug. It has a bunch of Disney sayings on it and Sleeping Beauty’s castle in white, while the back ground is black.
There was EMH, but since we still had another whole day we decided to go back and get showers and much needed sleep!

Life Update:
I started studying for the GREs and I took a practice test today… lets just say it’s a good idea that I’m studying now.


Disney 2016 Update:

Since packages came out yesterday, I ended up booking ours! We will be going May 17th – 25th. I was going back and forth between Lagoon and Garden views at the GF, and decided with Lagoon at first, but later in the night I changed it back to Garden.

 

[nilla]

Did the server force Kenny to order the meatballs by name? Ours did.

I have too many moderation points to get into why I'm asking

Also, the big question.....did you try the brown cheese?

 

[KathyM2]

Looks like a great dinner!! I'm confused though...so there's an appetizer buffet and then you order your entrees off the menu? Is that how it works? I'm usually leary of dinner buffets but that might be ok if that's how it is...I'm still playing around with ADR's and that might be something to think about. So funny that you got the same table...what are the odds? How nice of you to write to guest services about your awesome server...I'm sure she will be thrilled.

 

[kadrachb]

id the server force Kenny to order the meatballs by name? Ours did.

I have too many moderation points to get into why I'm asking

Also, the big question.....did you try the brown cheese?

No, she didn't. He was just kind of like "I'm not even going to try and pronounce it..." and she knew what he was taking about.
Yes I did, and I did not like it.

Looks like a great dinner!! I'm confused though...so there's an appetizer buffet and then you order your entrees off the menu? Is that how it works? I'm usually leary of dinner buffets but that might be ok if that's how it is...I'm still playing around with ADR's and that might be something to think about. So funny that you got the same table...what are the odds? How nice of you to write to guest services about your awesome server...I'm sure she will be thrilled.

Yes, it's a fixed price menu. So, at dinner (and I think lunch too, not sure about breakfast) you order your entree and drink, and then you can get appetizers from a buffet, and the dessert is a trio sampler.

 

[DisneyKates]

I started studying for the GREs and I took a practice test today… lets just say it’s a good idea that I’m studying now.

You can do it!!! I was in your shoes about a year and a half ago. The studying was intense, but the exam really isn't all that bad. Studying and taking practice tests makes it much less intimidating! I suggest wearing mouse ears. Nothing is too intimidating with mouse ears. j/k (mostly...)

 

[kadrachb]

You can do it!!! I was in your shoes about a year and a half ago. The studying was intense, but the exam really isn't all that bad. Studying and taking practice tests makes it much less intimidating! I suggest wearing mouse ears. Nothing is too intimidating with mouse ears. j/k (mostly...)

Thanks! The practice test wasn't ALL that bad. I mean, I forgot scratch paper so I know I could have gotten a better score on some of the math. I ended up with a 140 on math and a 148 on verbal. Going to try to get them both to a 155! It actually doesn't even seem as bad as the SATs. I just have learning disabilities (ADD and dyslexia) so standardized tests aren't my thing, even though I can easily get great grades in classes.

 

[DisneyKates]

Thanks! The practice test wasn't ALL that bad. I mean, I forgot scratch paper so I know I could have gotten a better score on some of the math. I ended up with a 140 on math and a 148 on verbal. Going to try to get them both to a 155! It actually doesn't even seem as bad as the SATs. I just have learning disabilities (ADD and dyslexia) so standardized tests aren't my thing, even though I can easily get great grades in classes.

The good news is that for most grad programs a GRE score is just one tiny piece of the application. I think my final math score was only a 148 (I seem to remember getting a 130 on my pre-test ) and I was accepted tino a top 10 program in my field. I did better in the verbal section by a lot, and the key to that was actually reading the NYTimes - the NYT uses the right level of vocabulary for the test.

I think there should be GRE bonus points for mad disney planning skills....creating the perfect trip schedule shows excellent reasoning skills, right?

 

[kadrachb]

I did better in the verbal section by a lot, and the key to that was actually reading the NYTimes - the NYT uses the right level of vocabulary for the test.

I think there should be GRE bonus points for mad disney planning skills....creating the perfect trip schedule shows excellent reasoning skills, right?

I never heard of reading the NYTimes! Thats great advice!

I might as well get into all the programs I apply to if bonus points were added!
I mean I probably spend about as much time creating the perfect trip as I do/will be studying for the GRE...

 

[kadrachb]

Animal Kingdom – Day 4 – Part 1: IS THAT A LION? But he’s not a lion in the sun….

Animal Kingdom is probably my second favorite park! I know some don’t really like it, and even though it is really a half-day park, still my second favorite.


We had an 8:30am reservation at Tusker House, and not knowing how long it would take for an AK bus to come, we were down at the bus stop by 7:45am… well, only four of us got on the bus, two men, who we later saw at breakfast, and us. Our bus driver was really friendly, and actually talked to all of us about the new Avatar land, and pointed it out when we drove by it.


So we got to the park at like… 7:55am. We were so early, and I had read reports that they won’t let you in until like 10 minutes before your reservation, so we sat around after bag check until 8:05, and then decided to just give it a try. Well, they let us in! So we had a leisurely stroll back to Africa. And then even sat us 20 minutes early!


And like you do at character breakfasts, we took pictures!

The food was good, and we liked it just as much as we did last year! One of our favorite meals is at Tusker House.

We got done right around 9:00am, we had to wait for Daisy to come around after we got our check. I also got a birthday card signed by the characters, and a cupcake. However, we were waaay too full to eat the cupcake, we split it though… and somehow got it down.


Next up was the Safari! We had a fastpass for it at 9:10am, so we got straight on it. There was already a line, so it wasn’t a complete waste of a FP. We ended up sitting in the back row, and it was BUMPY! I didn’t remember it being this bumpy before…


And we saw all your standard animals, but not a lot of giraffes were out. However, we did see a lion!

And that’s were the title comes from! After the Safari, we walked around the Pangani forest trail. We got to see the baby gorilla, and some zebras close up. Other than that, nothing super exciting.


After this we would head to Rafiki’s Planet watch!

Reason for title: So the part about "he's not a lion in the sun.." is actually reference to the beach house my friends family rents (I go with them) and is named A Lyin' In the Sun, with a big picture of a lion on the sign... I thought it was funny, Kenny, didn't understand it.

 

[nilla]

There are actually TWO baby gorillas

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Good Updates!

 

[KathyM2]

What a fun AK morning so far!! Love your pics with the characters!! Also...a coveted ADR for sure!! I especially love Mickey in that outfit.