It's been 549 days but we are finally home! ~ an August '21 birthday celebration! New PTR link 01/02

[vamassey1]

I'm so sorry your morning in MK was cut short. Your lunch at GP looks like it made up for it. Those chicken wings sound soooo good.

I was stressing with you about you DS time.

Hoping the next day was better.

 

[suse66]

I'm so sorry your morning in MK was cut short. Your lunch at GP looks like it made up for it. Those chicken wings sound soooo good.

GP always makes everything better! Those chicken wings were the bomb!

I was stressing with you about you DS time.

It was SO stressful! And my charming 21 year old did not make it easier.....

Hoping the next day was better.

It definitely was!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Jack was feeling "Disneyed out" and wanted a chill day the next day while I felt some solo park time was calling my name.

It was SO stressful! And my charming 21 year old did not make it easier.....

Definitely been there in both these scenarios. Sometimes as much as I love my children I need to run away to a disney park

In September we were in Uniqlo waiting to check out and they asked the lady behind me to either put on a mask or leave. I appreciated that they did that but she put on quite the show screaming how Governor Desantis has told her her rights and she didn't have to put on a mask. She threw down her stuff and stormed out. Me and several others applauded

Brilliant! I'd have clapped (and possibly hollered) too. I have had a lady (I use this term in order to comply with the etiquette code here on the dis-she really was something else entirely) shout at me and tell me that "she'd no idea how I could even think of wearing a mask and she wouldn't do so even if she wasn't exempt!". She was blimin lucky I was in a queue for the bathroom and in need or she might have gotten a much more detailed answer than I gave her. Bearing in mind that it actually the law here to wear masks moving about indoor public places (unless medically exempt (which I really doubt she was). Suffice to say I very nicely told her I wore it to protect those vulnerable people who, for whatever reason, could not have the vaccine or were exempt due to genuine medical conditions and not to protect those who just don't fancy it or can't be bothered but I will cross my fingers for you that if you contract covid you don't end up in ICU because my dearest friend works there and they are overstretched as it is without any more patients landing in just because they couldn't do the right thing! I will not type what I was saying in my head

I adore a good rainstorm from a Disney porch or outdoor area.

Me too.

I am the same way. I will tip 25% or more when service is excellent but if service is bad then my tip goes down accordingly.

Snap!

Geyser Point saved us!

Glad GP was able to fix you both

Sweet! Bill has about another 2 years and I have 4 more school years after this one. The Orlando area is high on our list for part of the year. We are allowed to be in the US for six months at a time so that should cover most of the nasty weather here!

My husband's Canadian cousins do this. They rent a place near the Florida beaches for the worst of the Canadian winter months to escape the cold. Sounds like heaven to me.

 

[suse66]

The happiest MK morning!

I was up bright and early this morning as I was determined to beat the crowds at MK. Jack elected to stay back at the resort to enjoy some time relaxing. This was a good decision for both of us as we needed a little break from each other. The launch over this morning was spectacular and I enjoyed the light reflecting on the water.


Arriving at MK, I had one thing on my mind and that was beating the line at Jungle Cruise. I walked right on and enjoyed a fun cruise. Splash was next on my agenda and I was happy to only have a 10 minute wait.




I did a little Hidden Mickey hunting and was happy to cross this one off my list....


I was feeling snackish and headed over to the Cheshire Cat cafe where I enjoyed a perfectly warm and gooey Cheshire cat tail.


Then a little spin on the People Mover and a showing of Carousel of Progress rounded out the perfect morning. I had to get back to the resort as we were heading out for our Covid tests at Walgreens.



The pharmacy we were booked at was about 1/2 hour drive away and I was more than a little nervous navigating Florida highways. The procedure itself was easy, quick and free! For fellow Canadians travelling back from the US, the Rapid ID now test is a NAAT test accepted by Health Canada. We used the hotel address as our address and presented our passports as ID. Everything went smoothly and we had our results an hour after arriving back at the Lodge. I was never happier to see a negative result!



Yay! I popped down to the to go counter at GP and grabbed the kids finger food sampler (smoked turkey breast, cheddar, cucumber, quinoa salad and toast points). This was a perfect light lunch and oh so yummy!


We decided to relax this afternoon and enjoy a little pool time before heading over to AK. This evening, we were planning to head back to Kimonos. Would the restaurant be open? Would we get the meal we had been hoping for? That's next!
​

 

[suse66]

Suffice to say I very nicely told her I wore it to protect those vulnerable people who, for whatever reason, could not have the vaccine or were exempt due to genuine medical conditions and not to protect those who just don't fancy it or can't be bothered but I will cross my fingers for you that if you contract covid you don't end up in ICU because my dearest friend works there and they are overstretched as it is without any more patients landing in just because they couldn't do the right thing! I will not type what I was saying in my head

What is wrong with some people????? We have some anti-vax/anti mask families at school and to say they are special friends is putting it mildly!

My husband's Canadian cousins do this. They rent a place near the Florida beaches for the worst of the Canadian winter months to escape the cold. Sounds like heaven to me.

Exactly what we are hoping for. Interspersed with mini breaks to Disney using our DVC points. What could be better!

Definitely been there in both these scenarios. Sometimes as much as I love my children I need to run away to a disney park

Yup! A little time apart makes everyone happier!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

What is wrong with some people????? We have some anti-vax/anti mask families at school and to say they are special friends is putting it mildly!

oh she was definitely special! She is so lucky my friend Aoibhin wasn’t with me or she’d have given her the “rounds of the kitchen” and then some!

Yup! A little time apart makes everyone happier!

Absolutely! Jack would melt mind you on one of our trips that are always at least 14 days . If we didn’t split up every now and then I reckon no-one would be speaking to each other

 

[pkondz]

I was up bright and early this morning as I was determined to beat the crowds at MK.

Only way to go.
Mind you, I can only manage the "early" part... the "bright" part tends to elude me.

This was a good decision for both of us as we needed a little break from each other.

Oh, I get it.

Pretty.

Splash was next on my agenda and I was happy to only have a 10 minute wait.

Not bad! Basically a walk on, on what is frequently the longest line in the park.

I did a little Hidden Mickey hunting and was happy to cross this one off my list....

hmmm... Kinda hard not to have a Mickey head there.

I was feeling snackish and headed over to the Cheshire Cat cafe where I enjoyed a perfectly warm and gooey Cheshire cat tail.

I'm not a fan of chocolate in the morning, but... the one I got was neither warm, nor gooey. Might have to revisit.

There it is!

we were heading out for our Covid tests at Walgreens.

<sigh> The joys of travel.

The pharmacy we were booked at was about 1/2 drive away

As opposed to a full drive?

For fellow Canadians travelling back from the US, the Rapid ID now test is a NAAT test accepted by Health Canada.

Really! That's the first rapid test I've heard of that was NAT as well. Huh!

Everything went smoothly and we had our results an hour after arriving back at the Lodge.

Wow! That's great. I need to look into this some more, for other trips to the US.

I was never happier to see a negative result!

I bet!

Not bad for when you just want a simple snack.

This evening, we were planning to heading back to Kimonos. Would the restaurant be open? Would we get the meal we had been hoping for? That's next!

 

[suse66]

Oh, I get it.

Not bad! Basically a walk on, on what is frequently the longest line in the park.

I was using the Lines app from Touring Plans which I found to be very helpful and quite accurate.

As opposed to a full drive?

Haha, good catch! I went back and edited.

<sigh> The joys of travel.

Right???? Really hoping they will review the testing requirements before our trip in March.

Really! That's the first rapid test I've heard of that was NAT as well. Huh!

Yes! It's fabulous. But you have to be careful when booking. It is the "Rapid ID now" NOT the Rapid Antigen test. Not every Walgreens offers the tests. You need to book three days out for your slot. So for our Friday appointments, I booked early Tuesday morning.

Wow! That's great. I need to look into this some more, for other trips to the US.

Practice on the Walgreens website to see if it is available in your preferred travel area.

Not bad for when you just want a simple snack.

It was perfect as I wanted to have a good appetite for dinner!

 

[pkondz]

I was using the Lines app from Touring Plans which I found to be very helpful and quite accurate.

Funny... I've subscribed to Touring Plans for years... but never use the Lines app. Not sure why.

Haha, good catch! I went back and edited.

Right???? Really hoping they will review the testing requirements before our trip in March.

I sure hope so. I know there's a push to make it like the US. No test required for fully vaccinated. Heck, I'll have 3 shots soon. Eligible early December.

Yes! It's fabulous. But you have to be careful when booking. It is the "Rapid ID now" NOT the Rapid Antigen test. Not every Walgreens offers the tests. You need to book three days out for your slot. So for our Friday appointments, I booked early Tuesday morning.

I saw that it was ID now, but thanks for the reminder.

Practice on the Walgreens website to see if it is available in your preferred travel area.

I don't think Walgreens in Fargo has it, but will double check.

 

[suse66]

I don't think Walgreens in Fargo has it, but will double check.

I was just on the Walgreens site checking availability in Buffalo for a possible getaway weekend. I pulled the map over to Fargo and found a Walgreens in Moorhead, MN with appointments available. So that might work for you if you are heading down that way.

 

[kastoney]

Looks like a peaceful and blissful morning to yourself in MK. I'm sure after so long it was nice to have a little time to yourself. And any day that includes splash, the pooper, and Carousel of Progress is a winner in my book.

 

[suse66]

Looks like a peaceful and blissful morning to yourself in MK. I'm sure after so long it was nice to have a little time to yourself. And any day that includes splash, the pooper, and Carousel of Progress is a winner in my book.

It was exactly what I needed. I was reminded of how much I love solo trips (which I haven't done in over 2 years) so I booked one for next August! Plus the day got even better when we received our negative test results!

 

[KathyM2]

I was feeling snackish and headed over to the Cheshire Cat cafe where I enjoyed a perfectly warm and gooey Cheshire cat tail.

This is one of my fave snacks. So delish.

Glad you both got a morning to do what you wanted! Also glad the covid testing went smoothly - I hate the way we have to add that layer of stress to any travel these days. Ugh.

 

[pkondz]

I was just on the Walgreens site checking availability in Buffalo for a possible getaway weekend. I pulled the map over to Fargo and found a Walgreens in Moorhead, MN with appointments available. So that might work for you if you are heading down that way.

That would. it’s just across the river.

 

[vamassey1]

I was up bright and early this morning as I was determined to beat the crowds at MK.

This is the way to do it. When you're alone it's much easier to accomplish.

I was feeling snackish and headed over to the Cheshire Cat cafe where I enjoyed a perfectly warm and gooey Cheshire cat tail.

One of my favorite snacks!

I was never happier to see a negative result!

Yeah!!!

 

[suse66]

This is one of my fave snacks. So delish.

Glad you both got a morning to do what you wanted! Also glad the covid testing went smoothly - I hate the way we have to add that layer of stress to any travel these days. Ugh.

I love those Cheshire cat tails. There is a version of it in Animal Kingdom too. Did you see the government is making an announcement tomorrow that PCR testing is not required for trips under 72 hours? A step forward! Next they need to end PCR testing for all fully vaccinated travelers.

That would. it’s just across the river.

Glad it will work out for you!

This is the way to do it. When you're alone it's much easier to accomplish.



One of my favorite snacks!




Yeah!!!

A good solo morning is just the ticket when you need a little break.

 

[suse66]

A dinner worth waiting for!

After enjoying some down time at the resort, we headed out to Animal Kingdom. Our whole purpose of this trip was to try to ride FoP with a minimal wait at the end of the park day. Surprisingly there wasn't even anyone at the parking booth and we easily found a spot to park. Of course, I had to get a photo at the Tree of Life!


It was really fun to experience the stand by queue at FoP as I had always used a fastpass for it before. The level of detail and immersive theming is unbelievable. The only thing that we found annoying was three little girls in front of us who would NOT stop talking. They seemed really young to be on their own in the line and I was surprised they were allowed on the ride without an adult. I really enjoyed the ride as always but it fell flat for Jack. He doesn't see in 3D as he is blind in his left eye due to rare disease called Coats Disease ( https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/coats-disease/ ). He could see the images but then there were all these blue and red lines all over the screen which spoiled the whole thing for him. I felt really badly as I didn't anticipate this happening.

Leaving the park, we were super excited for our dinner. As we headed towards the Swan I accidentally ended up in the lane heading for the I4 towards Tampa. To say this was stressful in a huge understatement. It took 1/2 hour in standstill traffic to make the exit back to Disney property. We finally arrived at the Swan and made our way to Kimonos. Happily they were open and we were soon seated at a lovely 4 top and had a beverage in hand. The ambiance and service were top notch and we felt the stress of the afternoon melt away.

We started with some appetizers and went for the Tempura platter (shrimp and seasonal veggies) as well as the chicken katsu. Both were absolutely delicious!

Next up was two orders of their California rolls. These were fantastic and just stuffed with crab.

Jack decided to go for some sashimi and enjoyed the salmon and crab.

I chose the vegetarian salad rolls next and they were perfect!

We then split the Alaskan roll (crab salad, avocado and salmon). This was fantastic and we practically licked the plate clean.


Our bill for the whole meal including 2 beers for Jack and a glass of wine for me was $117!!!! How was that even possible? Perfect food, awesome service and a great price....run, don't walk, to Kimonos. You won't regret it.

Heading back to the Lodge, we were just in time to catch the Electric Water Pageant. Could there be a better ending to a perfect evening?







​

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Gorgeous photo of you at the Tree of Life!
Sorry to hear the ride fell flat for Jack but other than that it sounds like you had a perfect day.
I've never eaten sushi but your photos make all the food look fresh and appetising (except I'd have to get past the raw fish thing lol). Happy you finally got to dine at Kimono's-great price too

 

[pkondz]

Surprisingly there wasn't even anyone at the parking booth and we easily found a spot to park.

Lucky little break.

It was really fun to experience the stand by queue at FoP as I had always used a fastpass for it before.

I keep hearing that, but haven't done anything but the FP line.

The only thing that we found annoying was three little girls in front of us who would NOT stop talking. They seemed really young to be on their own in the line and I was surprised they were allowed on the ride without an adult.

How old would you say they were? Like are you talking 12? Or 6?

I really enjoyed the ride as always but it fell flat for Jack. He doesn't see in 3D as he is blind in his left eye

Oh! Hadn't anticipated that.

He could see the images but then there were all these blue and red lines all over the screen which spoiled the whole thing for him. I felt really badly as I didn't anticipate this happening.

That's such a shame! It's (otherwise) such a terrific ride.

As we headed towards the Swan I accidentally ended up in the lane heading for the I4 towards Tampa. To say this was stressful in a huge understatement.

It took 1/2 hour in standstill traffic to make the exit back to Disney property.

The ambiance and service were top notch and we felt the stress of the afternoon melt away.

Sounds wonderful! And the food looked really good.

Perfect food, awesome service and a great price....run, don't walk, to Kimonos. You won't regret it.

Okay! Okay!

Heading back to the Lodge, we were just in time to catch the Electric Water Pageant. Could there be a better ending to a perfect evening?

 

[kastoney]

t was really fun to experience the stand by queue at FoP as I had always used a fastpass for it before. The level of detail and immersive theming is unbelievable.

I think one of the only positives to having to wait in line without FP is finally being able to experience the ride queue. After all these years we just did the FoP line too for the first time too and it is definitely immersive.

He doesn't see in 3D as he is blind in his left eye due to rare disease called Coats Disease ( https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/coats-disease/ ). He could see the images but then there were all these blue and red lines all over the screen which spoiled the whole thing for him. I felt really badly as I didn't anticipate this happening.

So sorry to hear this. I'm sure he (and you) was disappointed that he couldn't experience it as intended.

Yum this looks delicious. Love me some tempura.

That salmon looks incredibly fresh. What is that roll next to it?

Our bill for the whole meal including 2 beers for Jack and a glass of wine for me was $117!!!! How was that even possible? Perfect food, awesome service and a great price....run, don't walk, to Kimonos. You won't regret it.

That is definitely good for Disney. Knowing the sushi-fiend that is my child we will most definitely need to give Kimono's a go sometime.