3 Trips in 1 year with a Side of Baseball and Scotland - Updated 10/3 The End

HI great update photos are good. Like yourself recognised the name of the group I went to YouTube and searched Wilson Philips and recognised the song Hold On. read some of the comments one of the lead singers is the daughter of Brian Wilson who is one of the beach boys probably the reason they did a few beach boys songs.
 
HI great update photos are good. Like yourself recognised the name of the group I went to YouTube and searched Wilson Philips and recognised the song Hold On. read some of the comments one of the lead singers is the daughter of Brian Wilson who is one of the beach boys probably the reason they did a few beach boys songs.

Carnie Wilson and her sister are in the trio with Chynna Philips, her parents were in the Mamas and Papas so I recognized California Dreaming too. At least I think that was the song they sang. I like seeing the groups that perform but more when I actually recognize them.
 
Ok while my computer and the DIS are cooperating with each other let's try and at least finish the 2nd day.

When I last updated I had just watched Wilson Philips. I texted Scott to turn around so we met up again. Of course since I was in the back I was able to head into Germany to wait for Scott and Vinny. Of course I took pictures, but I went for details


And the statues on the one building







Vinny was done with the parks for the day. He wanted to head back to the resort and relax so Scott and I decided to hang out together for Illuminations and the Extra Magic Hours. We walked with Vinny for a bit and I stopped for a picture in Norway


That area looked so lonely without Maelstrom and the Frozen update was taking forever. My hope was that it would be worth it when it was finally finished.

Scott and I stopped at a few food booths along the way. The first one was Farm Fresh and I totally forgot to take a picture. I had the Loaded Mac 'N Cheese which I did enjoy.

A picture of the Food and Wine décor


Next up was Greece. I love some Greek food, more the vegetarian options as I am not a fan of lamb. I got the Greek Salad in a cone.


This was not a favorite at all. There were HUGE chunks of onion, and more onion than anything. I nicknamed it Greasy Onions in a cone.

I also got the Spanikopita

That was amazing. Flaky and lots of spinach.

Took a pic of Mickey and his grill.


And one of my favorite types of shots. The sunset with the monorail reflected in the water


The Cranberry Bog. I like seeing this but to be honest cranberries are hit and miss with me. I love the canned sauce over my brothers fresh cranberry orange sauce and I love dried cranberries. I just find them to be incredibly sour


The picture would have been perfect without the people in it. Scott wanted to watch or rather take pictures of the water show. I wanted to play with my camera settings.




We took a ride on Living with the Land. It is a much different experience when it is dark outside




Then we stopped for pics of the fountain outside the Imagination Pavilion. I played with the settings again


I was actually happy as I got the silky look I was going for

Saw the Wine Bottle light fixture all lit up and was really convinced my daughter would love it for her deck


And then we looked for a spot for Illuminations.
 
We found a great spot and I tried to set my camera up on the portable tripod I had with me. That was a waste of time as the camera was way to heavy. I did use a trashcan for support.

Our view looked great




We had a great spot to see the globe move into position


Or so we thought


I was still happy as the pictures came out great




After Illuminations we took our time strolling around and taking pictures. Scott takes even more pictures than I do so it works out really well for us both. Scott also treated me to a drink. It was a hot cider tea of some sort. I can only say it was horrible. I tried to drink it but it was just really bad and I love cider, chai tea that sort of drink. This was just bad.

Italy - all with no flash as I have really been going off of Auto and trying different settings. Flash gives a false picture to me




And the creepy fish theme continues


I have been to Disney countless times and I never noticed the gondolas before


We had to wait for the drawbridge


Then we were off to China




Mexico


A pretty night time shot. I think Scott was taking pictures of trees. I like reflections


Then we went on Test Track since it was Extra magic Hours. We designed a vehicle together


Some pictures as we left


You are welcome




With that we headed back to the resort. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
It was a great second day. The rain was heavy but it is Florida, I expect rain. The crowds were more than I expected for the time of year. I did what I wanted though so a good day.
 


Nice update your fireworks photos were very good the one with the island in the middle of the shot is great.
 
I haven't forgotten this report just busy and having a lot of issues with the boards. I switched to chrome for this message and it seems to be working much better so hopefully a new update will be on here soon.

The good news is I have booked yet another trip for the beginning of March and the Flower and Garden Festival. I am calling it a fact finding mission for a huge trip next year. My husband bought it so who am I to argue when he says go!
 


I hope some people are still out there and interested in the rest of this TR. I lost all of my notes and my husband broke his foot. This has turned into a serious issue and we are still waiting on surgery. He actually was scheduled last week but his BP was stroke levels so it was postponed.

I have all my pictures loaded, notes completely redone and another March trip to add so I will be going at a whirlwind pace to finish this over the next few weeks.
 
As promised I am finishing this thing.

Day 3

This was a Magic Kingdom day and I had an early ADR at Crystal Palace. I was up early, filled my drink bottles and was off to the bus stop. I did take a few pictures in the lobby


It is eerily quiet that early, or it was on this day anyway



I didn't have a long wait for the bus and soon was snapping pictures at the Train Station and down Main Street



I really love the scarecrows and Halloween décor this time of year








I have to get the baseball scarecrow. We live for baseball season in my family




The Roy Disney and Minnie Mouse bench was completely isolated and empty




As was Goofy




I just took my time heading up Main Street. The one thing about solo trips is you can go as slow as you want, taking time to take things in. Then I was at the castle




And my destination


I checked in and got my buzzer. While I waited I took some pictures of the flowers and the area. In no time my buzzer was going off and I was being seated. I ordered my juice and coffee and before I could get my food I had my first characters at the table. The CM's were nice enough to take the pictures
My favorite - Eeyore



and Pooh




Had a small break so I got my food, I love the Puffed French Toast and there was Tigger


And Piglet. I love Piglet, always great interactions


I finished eating and was off to start my day.
 
I'm still here! We love baseball in our family too! We went in March and of course saw a couple of Braves Spring Training games while we were there. Looking forward to the rest of your report.
 
Day 3 Part 2

My destination




And my first ride of the day was with some Pirates. I love this ride but I can never resist taking pictures. One of the best




Then it was off to fly around England with Peter Pan. Another ride I cannot resist pictures on. This one actually wasn't that bad.



Next up one of my favorite rides and I hear the groans. It's a Small World, a sentimental favorite and this will forever be Gloria to me


A Hidden Mickey


Then it was time to see a Mermaid Under the Sea. I took a ton of pics on the rides but am only posting 1 or 2 for each


Stopped for a picture of the fountain


Rapunzel's Tower



and I was looking for some Hitchhikers. I did find another Hidden Mickey


And there was a party going on


And I had a ghost try and catch a ride with me


I did have a FP+ for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train but I am still working on pics in the mine.

I headed to Jungle Cruise but the line was really long. I just grabbed a return FP and decided to call my husband.

We had a problem with our gas company a year earlier and after filing a complaint we lost. I filed an appeal but they were threatening to shut us off immediately. The issue was a $6,000+ bill. We had replaced our hot water heater, house heater and stove with high energy efficient units all in one winter. The new heater worked so well that I dropped the thermostat from 73 to 67 degrees. My new bills were lower and said they were actual readings. I didn't think anything of it. The gas company replaced the meter and sent me a bill for over $6400. I complained. Evidently the meter was defective and this was what they decided I owed for the 5 years it didn't work. Jim told me they were giving him a really hard time and I needed to call. I was really stressed and angry.

I headed over to Buzz Lightyear but that didn't help I am really lousy on it. I tried calling the gas company and kept getting disconnected so I just gave up and headed back to the resort.

I finally got through and got a really NASTY woman on the phone who said pay it now or it is off tomorrow. I told her I knew that she couldn't do that as we had an appeal filed with the public utility commission. She told me to call them then. When I tried explaining I was in Florida she got REALLY, REALLY nasty. I hung up. I was in tears I was so frustrated. I grabbed my camera and walked around the resort taking pictures and thinking.

Found a Wild River Hog


And a view down on the lobby


I called Jim back and said I wanted this settled even if it meant taking a loan out. He said a supervisor called and told him to have me call when I got home. They wanted to work this out. They actually did. I agreed that I owed something just not what they wanted. We compromised and they lowered the price and gave me a 5 year repayment schedule since that was how long the meter proved to be defective. Win/Win for everyone.
 
Day 3 Part 3

Much calmer I headed out to EPCOT after refreshing my drinks. Love getting the monorail in my pictures


Then the cranberry bog. I love dried cranberries and canned sauce. My brother makes a fresh sauce that is horrible it is so sour


After all my stress earlier I was getting hungry so off to the Food I went.

First stop was Hawaii and the Kahlua Pork Slider with sweet and sour pineapple chutney for $4.00.



This was really good what I had of it, I dropped it. But I had a really nice view


Next up was Canada and the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup - $4.25



and the "Le Cellier" wild mushroom beef filet with truffle butter sauce - $7.50



I didn't like the soup. It was OK but very spicy which I didn't expect. The filet was heaven. Very tender, cooked perfectly and seasoned well. It was worth every penny.

Next stop was France and the Bouef Bourguignon: Braised short rib in cabernet with mashed potato - $5.95


And the Crème Brulee vanilla chocolat - $4.25



The beef looked a little like dog food and was horrible. It was nothing but fat. The crème brulee was runny and flavorless. Both were a complete waste of money. I did find this - a hidden Remy


After France I just wandered around for awhile. I made my way to Hops and Barley and had the Florida grass fed beef slider with pimiento cheese - $4.25
and the Fresh Baked carrot cake with craisins and cream cheese icing - $3.75


The slider was good but the cheese was spicy. The carrot cake was really good, very moist although the icing was a tad too sweet.

I stopped to watch Christopher Cross


Only listened to 1 or 2 songs and moved on. Stopped to watch Sergio in Italy. I just love his facial expressions


Took a quick ride on Spaceship Earth



Then I decided on one more food Booth - the Dominican Republic. I got the Lechon Asado: Roasted pork with mangu, pickled onion and avocado - $4.50



And the Caramel Flan with rum-roasted pineapple - $3.25


These were both 5 star favorites. I would get them again they were so good.

With that I just decided to head back to the resort. I was up early and it had been a stressful day. I just wanted to lay in bed, watch a little TV and read.
 
I'm still here! We love baseball in our family too! We went in March and of course saw a couple of Braves Spring Training games while we were there. Looking forward to the rest of your report.

Thanks for hanging in there. It has been a tough couple of months getting this together. I did manage to see a Braves game which will be in the March TR when I get to it. I plan on adding one or two days til I get this done. I have a really BIG trip to get ready for this year.
 
I'm here!! Loving all of your photos!! I'm so glad you got things worked out with the gas company. I would love another trip for Food and Wine, but now that the kids are older, I have the hardest time getting them out of school. Looking forward to more!!
 
I'm here!! Loving all of your photos!! I'm so glad you got things worked out with the gas company. I would love another trip for Food and Wine, but now that the kids are older, I have the hardest time getting them out of school. Looking forward to more!!

That issue with the gas company was stressful but I'm happy to have it behind me. Food and Wine is OK, I really prefer the Flower and Garden. I understand the school thing though, we are taking the kids out in November/December but it will be the last time. Thankfully I can go whenever the mood strikes.
 
Day 4

I was exhausted from all of the turmoil the day before and actually slept like the dead. I needed it and woke up feeling totally recharged.

After showering and getting dressed I grabbed my camera and headed out to see what animals I could find up and about. My lens was foggy so they weren't the best pics. I am short so I have been known to climb to get a picture. I was spotted by Vinny. He told Scott who had to get a picture of me. I spotted them also.


I headed back to the room to grab my bottles to get my drinks for the day. I do love the room


I was off to


It looked crowded, I hoped it was just because I got there as the park opened.


I headed straight back for one of my favorite rides - the Safari
found an Okapi


Think this is a Bongo but I could be wrong


One very chilled out Crocodile


A giraffe spotted us
98 by Lorrie Knotwell, on Flickr

Along with her babies



The mandrill was being shy


A different approach to the Flamingoes


The king of the jungle


And the queen


After returning to civilization I decided to find Rafiki. I haven't done that for a few trips. Liked the elephants


Saw a baby skink getting checked out


Then back to Harambe where I just wandered around


This was more for the saying on the wall. I liked the message


Tree of Life


And I reached my destination.
 
Day 4 Part 2

I was heading to


And specifically a new experience


I was meeting Scott, Vinny and company for lunch. I arrived a little early and found a spot to park the scooter and plug it in. I couldn't remember if I had charged it the night before so I wanted to be safe and charge it a bit while we ate. They arrived shortly after and we were quickly seated.

I had the lo mein, vegetarian and without bean sprouts


That was huge!!! I ate about half, it easily could have been shared with someone else. Then for dessert I got


The wontons were amazing. I offered to share but was glad no one took me up on it. I ate that entire thing it was so good.

After lunch we parted company although Scott and I talked about meeting later in the day. I headed to


I was hoping to see some tigers and not just on a wall


And I was rewarded with this guy


Some deer


And then the birds. I can't resist them. As much as I am afraid of birds I am fascinated with them


A nesting Nicobar Pigeon






Moving on I found a Siamang just hanging around


The construction walls for the Rivers of Light


And I managed to get a look at the construction


Found a Horseshoe Crab on the Tree of Life


I had a FP+ for the Safari so that was my next stop. And after the Safari I wandered the Pangani Exploration Trail. And more birds.




A

And Gorilla



With that I headed out of Animal Kingdom and back to the resort to drop off the charger.
 
Day 4 Part 3

I texted Scott and he decided to just hang around the resort so I headed back out on my own. I was off to EPCOT, I still had food to sample.

Your welcome



First stop was the Chew Lab. I had the NY Strip with parsnip silk balsamic glaze and arugula foam $6.75


The Liquid Nitro Chocolate Almond Truffle with warm whiskey caramel $4.00


They were both really good. I wasn't sure what to expect with the truffle as I had to wait for it but it was well worth the wait. I people watched for a bit and then went to Sustainable Chew for Pork Spareribs with red wine, fennel and cheesy mascarpone grits $5.50


And the Vanilla Panna Cotta with fresh figs and pistachio brittle $4.25


The ribs were a tad fatty and on the bone which I have a personal issue with but they were good and the grits were outstanding. The Panna Cotta was excellent with a wonderful balance of flavors and I love figs. I had a nice conversation with the woman sitting on the bench while she waited for her family. I have gotten friendlier in my old age.

I wandered on after awhile and came upon Brazil. This was by far my favorite booth of the whole festival. I had the Escondidinho de Carne: Layered meat pie with mashed yucca $5.00


and the Crispy Pork Belly with black beans and tomatoes $5.50


These were both amazing. The meat pie was Brazilian shepherds pie it was awesome. The pork belly was crispy and just the right balance of beans and tomatoes. I would get them again and again.

I moved on to Germany and the trains. I love how they decorate the trains with miniature decorations


I was starting to head towards Mexico and head out for the night. I wanted to beat the crowds. Got a beautiful view


Stopped at the Mexico Food Booth for Pastel de elote con queso: Sweet corn cheesecake $3.75


This was a triumph. I wasn't sure what to expect again but this was really good.

Got a sunset





A family tradition - a lizard


And one last night picture


I headed back to the resort to begin the sad business of packing. My last day was coming up, I was going home tomorrow.
 
I haven't forgotten this although it seems like it. My husband finally went in for his foot surgery last week. The surgery was a success thankfully. Unfortunately he fell out of the bed and no one knew it til they heard him screaming and sometime the next day he had a stroke. The hospital has been dodging all my questions and things kept going downhill from there. Thankfully he has regained all movement but he still has some vision issues. Got to rehab yesterday so hopefully they will get him strong enough to come home soon. I will update when I get a chance.
 
Trying to get some more of this done and at least finish September.

My last day had arrived sadly. I showered and packed up the last few things. I took my suitcase down to the airline check in desk and then got a call from Walker that they were there. Turned over my chariot so I would be on foot today. I prefer Walker Mobility but they are a non-preferred company which means you need to meet them for delivery and returns. I like to take the latest flight home that I can get on my last day and don't want to leave the p-ark early for a scooter return so I just take it easy that last day. I did a last check of the room to make sure I remembered everything, I get a little OCD about that, and headed to bell services. I dropped off my carry on and was off to the bus stop.

I did take a few pictures first. View from the room


The Savannah




I ran into Scott, Vinny and friends at the bus stop and we were all headed to EPCOT. We split up at The Land pavilion as 3 were headed on to Soarin. I went on Living with the Land with Renee. I still don't think these are edible


We were all done around the same time and headed off to Journey into the Imagination with Figment. I stopped for a picture of natural wildlife


We were split up and I wound up in my own ride vehicle. Got a picture of Scott


Tried to get them all in the vehicle but my camera didn't cooperate. I did make my own Figment


We headed here next


I'm not a fan of it and Michael Jackson's music was always just OK to me.

I had a little more fun outside taking pictures


Went artsy here for the reflections


We split up after this and I was off to find some fish.


I finally got a few pics in the queue


One of my favorite shots as I wandered towards the World Showcase


And finally got the monorail


Continued in next post
 

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