"Can I see your pins?" 12 Days of Disney Fun: Oct. 2011 3/13 It's the end.

[DisMomAmy]

Ouch! I hope the finger heals up fast! It can't be fun to type with that big bandage on!

 

[DisneyCrafter]

Yikes! Hope your finger is better soon!

And I actually BOUGHT The Magic Kingdom game a few years ago brand new from like Toys R Us or something! I had no idea they stopped making it!

It's a really fun game, especially for us Disney lovers!

Ouch! I hope the finger heals up fast! It can't be fun to type with that big bandage on!

Thanks. My typing is okay...I get to put a new, smaller bandage on it this evening and i am looking forward to that. It's still really sore so I'm not sure I'll be using it just yet.

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear about your finger! I hope it heals quickly!

 

[DisneyCrafter]

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear about your finger! I hope it heals quickly!

I'm down to only two regular bandaids now.

 

[DisneyCrafter]

Saturday, October 8:
It’s time for a TR update! I am going to apologize in advance for the lack of pictures in this update; it was raining ALL DAY so I didn’t want to get my camera soaked.

The forecast called for rain and more rain when we watched the forecast while we were getting ready but we didn’t want to spend one of our last two days in WDW inside so we put on our ponchos and headed out.

We started the day off by going to Epcot because we wanted to revisit our favorite booths for the Food & Wine Festival. The first thing we did, though was go to The Land to grab FP’s for Soarin’. We were already pretty wet so we decided to just hang around pavilion until our FP time became available as I think it was only about 45 minutes away. Here’s three of the four pictures I have from this day and they’re of our breakfast at Sunshine Seasons:

We didn’t get much b/c we wanted to save room for the booths in just a little while.

After breakfast, we saw the Circle of Life. It was decent but like a lot of other DISers have said, it isn’t something I need to do every trip. Afterwards, we used our Soarin’ FPs and put the ponchos back on to head on over to the World Showcase.

Could you believe that there were LINES at the booths? When I say it was still raining, it mean it was REALLY raining. Not torrential downpour but a steady rain. I still shiver when I think about how wet we were getting. We did stop at many of the booths because darn it, we were going to enjoy our last trip to the Food and Wine Festival this trip! We even made a pit stop in Germany to get two of these delicacies:

We attempted to browse through the shops throughout the countries but we were just too wet to enjoy it. Once we (fairly quickly) made it through the World Showcase, we headed back to Pop.

I took a nap and I’m sure Greg played his DS or read or maybe this is the afternoon that he napped with me. Once I woke up, we checked the weather and saw that it wasn’t going to stop raining anytime this evening. I used Greg’s tablet to log on to the DIS to find the number to the DISer we were scheduled to do the Illuminations cruise with that evening to touch base about that evening. We never heard back so I hope I sent it to the right number. In fact, we never heard back at all (even on the DIS). I’m assuming the cruises were cancelled. I’m not sure how they were able to do any fireworks in the rain that was coming down.

Anyway, we made a new game plan for the evening and that was to go see a movie in Downtown Disney. We took the bus to the Pleasure Island stop and purchased tickets for Moneyball. I was interested in the dine-in theatre but for some reason, we decided against it. After the movie was over, it was STILL raining. We decided just to head back to Pop and have dinner there. My shoes were soaked through to my socks, puddles were up to my ankles and the wind kept blowing my poncho up and the hood off of my face. It was a miserable time waiting for that bus that seemed to take forever.

Eventually, we made it back to Pop and both had some meals that were just not good. I think I had a sandwich and I’m not sure what Greg had. They were getting ready to close up for the night so many of the stations were closed and they literally had NO desserts stocked. At this point, I was ready to call it a day and that’s exactly what we did.

Up next: We meet the Cake Boss! (Our last full day.)

 

[DisneyCrafter]

March/April Trip:

Well, I *think* I've finally gotten our itinerary together for our quickly approaching trip! We'll have 7 nights and 6 days in Orlando. I think I have a nice balance of active/relaxed activities.

Wednesday, March 28:
-Breakfast at Boma (Any tips on the best viewing areas of the safari?)
-Massage (I purchased a Groupon for a place about 30 mins. outside of Orlando but it was only $69 for a 60-min. couples massage!)
-Daytona Beach (We'll relax on the beach, have dinner and catch the sunset. )

Thursday, March 29:
-Hangout at the Grand Floridian & Polynesian (I'd like to get a couple frozen drinks from the pool bars and sit on the beach.)
-Downtown Disney (Shopping and have dinner/see a movie at the Dine-in theater.)

Friday, March 30:
-Magic Kingdom! (I'd like to see the opening ceremony. I'm predicting large crowds so we'll plan on a break around lunch time and we'll come back in the evening (it's open until 12a.m.). I made a dinner reservation at Tony's. I'm skeptical but for some reason in the mood to try it again.)

Saturday, March 31:
-Cocoa Beach (I want to get "sunkissed" and have lunch at a restaurant right on the beach.)
-Dinner at Greg's aunt and uncle's house. (We'll also visit with his cousin and wife.)
-Miniature golf at Winter Summerland (If time.)

Sunday, April 1:
-Typhoon Lagoon
-Late lunch at Beaches & Cream
-Drinks at Mizner's Lounge (Grand Floridian) (I want to listen to the piano player.)
-Dinner at Narcoossee's
-Drinks at 'Ohana's bar
-Watch wishes from the Polynesian beach

Monday, April 2:
-Epcot (I mainly want to walk (read DRINK) around the World Showcase. We have a dinner reservation at Les Chefs, too.)​

 

[DisMomAmy]

Bummer that you had such bad weather! But the plans for your upcoming trip look great! Just two Disney park days?

 

[Nermel9]

Ughhhh...October 8 was our departure day, except we were in Epcot for a few hours and the rain was awful! I would call that torrential downpour, it did NOT let up, it was soooo annoying! We were so annoyed with the rain that we left for the airport so much earlier than we had to, just because we wanted to change out of our soaking wet clothes!

Your March/April trip sounds great! I knew you'd crack and do a few Disney days!

Oh, I started a PTR for our May trip, come on by if you get a chance! There's a link in my sig!

 

[DisneyCrafter]

Bummer that you had such bad weather! But the plans for your upcoming trip look great! Just two Disney park days?

We've had fabulous weather in the past, so I think it was finally catching up with us. On our honeymoon, we didn't have any rain, on our xmas time trip later that same year we had one evening of rain (for MVMCP), and in 2010 we had NO rain.

We actually both said we didn't want to do ANY park days this trip, then Greg told me his top 3 things included Magic Kingdom. Well, if he gets to go to my favorite park, then I do too! and if you count Typhoon Lagoon, it's 3 parks.

Ughhhh...October 8 was our departure day, except we were in Epcot for a few hours and the rain was awful! I would call that torrential downpour, it did NOT let up, it was soooo annoying! We were so annoyed with the rain that we left for the airport so much earlier than we had to, just because we wanted to change out of our soaking wet clothes!

Your March/April trip sounds great! I knew you'd crack and do a few Disney days!

Oh, I started a PTR for our May trip, come on by if you get a chance! There's a link in my sig!

We were trying to get our food and then find some shelter but all the shelter was taken. I was wet the entire day, it was horrible.

 

[Joyciemc]

The plans for your upcoming trip sound wonderful! Very relaxing

 

[Simba22]

Ugh! I know EXACTLY what kind of rain you had that day! When we went a few years ago, it rained the night we were going to the Pirate & Princess Party...It was just a steady downpour all night long! We were soaked completely through and COLD. In retrospect, we still had a good time but I really hate it when it rains in WDW! They should put a bubble around the entire property so it never rains while people are on vacation!

Your plans for your upcoming trip look great! What an awesome deal you got on that massage! Overall, it looks like a really relaxing trip!

Can't wait to hear about your meet & greet with Buddy!! We love Cake Boss!

 

[DisneyCrafter]

The plans for your upcoming trip sound wonderful! Very relaxing

I hope it's not too relaxing. I'm afraid we'll do something drastic and spend another day in Disney!

Ugh! I know EXACTLY what kind of rain you had that day! When we went a few years ago, it rained the night we were going to the Pirate & Princess Party...It was just a steady downpour all night long! We were soaked completely through and COLD. In retrospect, we still had a good time but I really hate it when it rains in WDW! They should put a bubble around the entire property so it never rains while people are on vacation!

Your plans for your upcoming trip look great! What an awesome deal you got on that massage! Overall, it looks like a really relaxing trip!

Can't wait to hear about your meet & greet with Buddy!! We love Cake Boss!

That bubble would have been great! I'm just glad it wasn't our last full day or I would have been sad.

Cake Boss update coming right up!!

 

[DisneyCrafter]

Up until now, I was actually looking forward to finishing this TR! Then I started uploading the final batch of pictures to PhotoBucket and by stomach did a flip-flop. Just this morning I got really excited because I thought to myself, “I’ll be in Disney World this month!” While I’m excited and I look forward to getting to see a little bit more of Florida on this upcoming trip, we won’t be completely “immersed” in Disney as we were on this trip. Oh well, I need to finish and I promise this update will be exciting because it was an exciting day for us.

Sunday, October 9:

We woke up early and I was crossing my fingers that it would have stopped raining overnight. Wait, what’s that I hear? Rain? REALLY?! At least our morning plans wouldn’t be affected by the weather and I could only hope that the weather would get better as the day progressed. We got ready, put on our ponchos and slightly damp shoes and headed out to the bus stop to go to Epcot.

We’d be spending the morning here:

The doors weren’t quite open yet but we only waited a few moments before a couple of CMs came to let us in. We had tickets to the Sweet Sunday event featuring Buddy Valastro aka THE Cake Boss! We had never done an even like this, nor had we ever been in the Festival Center so we had no idea what to expect. Check-in was actually easy and I’m glad we got there early as seating was assigned in a first come, first served manner.

This was where the event took place:

This was our table:

Front row, oh yeah! We walked around the Festival Center exploring and that’s when we found out that in order to guarantee a meet & greet/autograph with Buddy after the event, you needed to purchase his book and get one of 25 wristbands. Say what?! I booked it over to the gift shop and stood in line and missed getting the bracelet by two people! The guy in front of me was upset (not in an angry way) and we both said that we’d still get in line after the event anyway and hope for the best!

When it was time to be seated, this is what our table looked like:

Before Buddy came out we were able to visit the buffet:

OMG, everything on that plate was absolutely delicious but my favorite was the sausage patties and the French toast with homemade whipped cream and chocolate hazelnut sauce! What I wouldn’t do for a piece of that right now…

Before long, Buddy came out. Here’s some pictures from his demonstration:

We also got served three desserts, made by Carlo’s Bakery:

I can’t choose which dessert I liked best! The cannolis were absolutely amazing, they were so flavorful and smooth tasting. The frosting on the cupcake was out of this world and the chocolate cake was seriously like heaven on a plate.

We left full to say the least!!! It was totally worth the price and I’d love to do another event like this.

Well once we stood up we saw the crowd that had formed behind the fenced in area…they were booking it over to the meet and greet line. Oh no! I deserted Greg and didn’t stop until I was in the line. We got right behind the guy that I missed getting a wristband by *this much*. We chatted and hoped that Buddy would be nice enough to get through the line. Guess what? He stayed!

He was very friendly. He asked us where we were from and said that whenever he goes to Chicago he has to get an Italian sausage (or was it beef) sandwich!

We walked out of the Festival Center full and happy! We had an amazing brunch, got to meet the Cake Boss, got to taste desserts made by him (and his bakery staff) and we even got the recipes for those desserts! We also got to see his wife and youngest child (they were a few tables over). I know that this morning will be one of our greatest memories of Disney World. I just don’t think anything could have made it any better.

Up next: Will it ever stop raining? Epcot afternoon and It’s our last night in Disney World, what are we going to do???

 

[Angelrose]

I'm so glad you got to get his autograph and a picture. What an amazing time you've had this trip. Weather notwithstanding. Hope it did clear up for you.

 

[DisneyCrafter]

I'm so glad you got to get his autograph and a picture. What an amazing time you've had this trip. Weather notwithstanding. Hope it did clear up for you.

We did have a great trip, even despite the rain.

 

[smile4stamps]

How Awesome you were able to meet The Cake Boss! I am hoping there are some good Pastry Chefs for the Sweet Sundays this year as we plan to attend at least one of them!!!

Hope the rest of your Epcot day is just as Magical!!

 

[Simba22]

Wow! What an awesome morning! We're so jealous that you got to meet Buddy! (and over that cannoli! ) When we go back to F & W next year, I definitely want to try and sign up for some of those presentations! VERY cool!

 

[DisneyCrafter]

How Awesome you were able to meet The Cake Boss! I am hoping there are some good Pastry Chefs for the Sweet Sundays this year as we plan to attend at least one of them!!!

Hope the rest of your Epcot day is just as Magical!!

It was about $75 per person but definitely worth it not only for the experience but also for all of the GOOD food they provide.

Wow! What an awesome morning! We're so jealous that you got to meet Buddy! (and over that cannoli! ) When we go back to F & W next year, I definitely want to try and sign up for some of those presentations! VERY cool!

Yeah, I can't even explain that cannoli. They use impastata, which is a creamier ricotta, and cinnamon oil instead of ground cinnamon and it makes all the difference in the world.

If Greg and I don't get to the World this fall, we'll definitely be there next fall! I'm really trying to work on scheduling a long weekend so we can go to F&W and MNSSHP!

 

[smile4stamps]

It was about $75 per person but definitely worth it not only for the experience but also for all of the GOOD food they provide.

If Greg and I don't get to the World this fall, we'll definitely be there next fall! I'm really trying to work on scheduling a long weekend so we can go to F&W and MNSSHP!

I think I saw the price was $90 last year but I could be mistaken! With all the F&W events I am hoping to attend its going to be $$$ But if it makes my hubby feel some Disney love than it will be worth it!

 

[DisneyCrafter]

I think I saw the price was $90 last year but I could be mistaken! With all the F&W events I am hoping to attend its going to be $$$ But if it makes my hubby feel some Disney love than it will be worth it!

No, I think you're right because I think we paid somewhere around $200 with tax.