Batty familys US Adventure - TR - NOW WIITH PHOTOS!!
- Thread starter battymum
- Start date
Caroline NZ
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2008
Welcome home 
Would love to hear more, when you have rested up.
Would love to hear more, when you have rested up.
battymum
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2010
I couldnt help myself, after getting home yesterday, I kept telling everyone to stay up until at least 6 or 7, but i was the first to sneak into my bed at 2:30, so now it is 4:30am,and I am awake.
I would have ended with a migraine if I had stayed up anylonger. 14hours sleep was heavenly
I dont know what time anyone else went to bed, but they are all sleeping now, DH will be up soon, he is going to work today.
To answer your questions, yes our flight was awful, (well only the connecting one) but I wouldnt have booked it any differently. We were due to arrive at 8:30, so I thought we would be in our beds by 11:00, which would have given us a decent nights sleep. I wouldnt make any plans for the next day though.
I definitely wouldnt overnight in Dallas, you would lose so much time, getting to and from a room with your luggage, easier to dump your luggage at the check through point and keep going, and hope you dont have any delays.
As far as Magical express goes, MCO has 2 sides to the main terminal, A and B, you have to get a train to the gate areas. Anyway the luggage carousels are on level 2 and you go downstairs for ground transportation, Our luggage came in on the different side to the magical express, please check this as I cant remember which side, but we picked up our luggage and went downstairs, and there wasnt any sign of where the magical express was, turns out we had to go back up and over to the B side of the terminal.
Keep in mind, this was midnight, we were tired and stressed
and there were very few people around the airport to ask. I thought there would be signs everywhere to find it. (which there was, on the right side)
Once we were on it, the magical express was great, we had to wait a bit for other people, but then it went straight to our resort.
When I was originally starting to plan this holiday we were going to stay offsite and hire a car, which we would have picked up at the airport - I am so glad we didnt go with this plan
, that would have been a nightmare, and downright dangerous.!!!
I would have ended with a migraine if I had stayed up anylonger. 14hours sleep was heavenly
I dont know what time anyone else went to bed, but they are all sleeping now, DH will be up soon, he is going to work today.
To answer your questions, yes our flight was awful, (well only the connecting one) but I wouldnt have booked it any differently. We were due to arrive at 8:30, so I thought we would be in our beds by 11:00, which would have given us a decent nights sleep. I wouldnt make any plans for the next day though.
I definitely wouldnt overnight in Dallas, you would lose so much time, getting to and from a room with your luggage, easier to dump your luggage at the check through point and keep going, and hope you dont have any delays.
As far as Magical express goes, MCO has 2 sides to the main terminal, A and B, you have to get a train to the gate areas. Anyway the luggage carousels are on level 2 and you go downstairs for ground transportation, Our luggage came in on the different side to the magical express, please check this as I cant remember which side, but we picked up our luggage and went downstairs, and there wasnt any sign of where the magical express was, turns out we had to go back up and over to the B side of the terminal.
Keep in mind, this was midnight, we were tired and stressed
and there were very few people around the airport to ask. I thought there would be signs everywhere to find it. (which there was, on the right side)Once we were on it, the magical express was great, we had to wait a bit for other people, but then it went straight to our resort.
When I was originally starting to plan this holiday we were going to stay offsite and hire a car, which we would have picked up at the airport - I am so glad we didnt go with this plan
, that would have been a nightmare, and downright dangerous.!!!
battymum
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2010
Day2 -
DH is a particularly light sleeper, and is always up as soon as the sun comes up, no matter how late the night, so we were surprised that we all slept until 10:30 and were woken only by housekeeping coming into the room, we were also staying at Pop century, quite close to the main pool.
I had made everyone take no jet lag pills during the flight, you are supposed to get to your destination and then stay up until normal bed time and sleep for 12 hours and you should be right, so I think they had some sort of effect.
We dragged the kids out of bed at 11:00, which was a struggle and headed to animal kingdom around noon. I knew we wouldnt make rope drop on this day, but I thought we would be earlier than this.
We really struggled this day, I dont know if it was the heat or jet lag, but we had no appetite or energy. But we did our best, and I wish we had had another day at this park, one of the first things we did was head to Kali river rapids and I was blown away by the detail in the queuing area,(and thankful that the queue was just about empty) we were a little dissappointed in the actual ride and were hoping to get a little wetter,as we were just so hot.
We went on the safari, which was incredible, and the boys went on expedition everest. Unfortunately we didnt see any of the shows, but we did watch the parade. The boys went for another ride on EE, which they loved. DD and I found a table outside the tusker house restaurant and put our heads down, we were both dead to the world for about 30minutes.
Although I was hot and exhausted I was blown away by the detail of this park - this is what sets Disney apart, I kept telling everyone.
We had dinner reservations at Boma, at 5:30, so we left and headed outside for an AKL bus.
AKL - was simply breathtaking, we had a look around, took heaps of photos - and headed for our ADR. I still had no appetite, so could eat very little,
(I literally,could not force myself to put anything in my mouth) but DH was impressed and my fussy eating children found something to eat, although they made the mistake of asking for lemonade - when a pomegranate lemonade was brought out - they learnt to ask for Sprite when they wanted what they call "lemonade" - this was also our first taste of American hospitality, eating out at home will never be the same again!!
The plan was to head to downtown disney after dinner, but we were too exhausted, so we got a taxi back to Pop century - there was a van waiting that took the five of us, I think it cost about $15.
The kids had a swim, and we had an early night.
DH is a particularly light sleeper, and is always up as soon as the sun comes up, no matter how late the night, so we were surprised that we all slept until 10:30 and were woken only by housekeeping coming into the room, we were also staying at Pop century, quite close to the main pool.
I had made everyone take no jet lag pills during the flight, you are supposed to get to your destination and then stay up until normal bed time and sleep for 12 hours and you should be right, so I think they had some sort of effect.
We dragged the kids out of bed at 11:00, which was a struggle and headed to animal kingdom around noon. I knew we wouldnt make rope drop on this day, but I thought we would be earlier than this.
We really struggled this day, I dont know if it was the heat or jet lag, but we had no appetite or energy. But we did our best, and I wish we had had another day at this park, one of the first things we did was head to Kali river rapids and I was blown away by the detail in the queuing area,(and thankful that the queue was just about empty) we were a little dissappointed in the actual ride and were hoping to get a little wetter,as we were just so hot.
We went on the safari, which was incredible, and the boys went on expedition everest. Unfortunately we didnt see any of the shows, but we did watch the parade. The boys went for another ride on EE, which they loved. DD and I found a table outside the tusker house restaurant and put our heads down, we were both dead to the world for about 30minutes.
Although I was hot and exhausted I was blown away by the detail of this park - this is what sets Disney apart, I kept telling everyone.
We had dinner reservations at Boma, at 5:30, so we left and headed outside for an AKL bus.
AKL - was simply breathtaking, we had a look around, took heaps of photos - and headed for our ADR. I still had no appetite, so could eat very little,
(I literally,could not force myself to put anything in my mouth) but DH was impressed and my fussy eating children found something to eat, although they made the mistake of asking for lemonade - when a pomegranate lemonade was brought out - they learnt to ask for Sprite when they wanted what they call "lemonade" - this was also our first taste of American hospitality, eating out at home will never be the same again!!
The plan was to head to downtown disney after dinner, but we were too exhausted, so we got a taxi back to Pop century - there was a van waiting that took the five of us, I think it cost about $15.
The kids had a swim, and we had an early night.
PrincessInOz
Thanks for my avatar, Mary Jo!
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2010
Glad to see that you've had a good night's rest and I hope you and the family don't have too many issues with jet lag.
Thanks for starting your TR....looking forward to the rest of it.
Thanks for starting your TR....looking forward to the rest of it.
battymum
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2010
Day 3
Normally we are a pretty energetic family, but I think we were still suffering jet lag and the heat drained us - but this morning we struggled getting out of bed again - (this would be a theme throughout our holiday) - we eventually got out at 9:00 and headed to the food court at Pop Century - I still didnt have an appetite and couldnt deal with the crowd that was there so didnt eat, DH and the boys got a breakfast platter -
I have to say that we loved, loved, loved Pop Century resort - we chose it as we had to have two rooms, so anything other than value was out of our budget - but I would definitely stay here again, I think it had a great vibe about the place, even if we were only 4 in our family, I would get two rooms here rather than one room at a more expensive resort. We had connecting rooms, and our only complaint was the beds were only doubles - I wasnt keen on the food court - (I am not a fan of food courts generally) we upgraded to regular dining, so only used it for breakfast anyway.
DD had been feeling unwell before we left Sydney with a sore throat and this morning was really not a happy camper - (i actually offered to arrange early flights home for her) she decided to stay back at the resort today while we headed to typhoon lagoon. We had an ADR at Ohanas that night, I told her to meet us there, (catch the bus to MK and then a monorail to Poly) The great thing about travelling with teenagers is that they can have a bit of independence. She spent the day in bed watching the Disney channel, which was better for everyone.
I was still not well, but headed to typhoon lagoon and found a lounger in the shade and parked myself and promptly slept the rest of the morning. Until it started raining and I had to wake up and gather all the belongings that had been dumped with me and find some shelter.
The boys had a great time and went on most of the slides - I found them, they had already had lunch, DH paid as he was unsure how the dining plan credits worked, I got a caeser salad and fruit cup with a DP credit which was pretty good.
I felt a lot better after finally eating something, but the rain only got worse and then there was an announcement that the slides were closing as there was a fierce storm approaching - We were told to take shelter. So we moved between various shops and sheltered areas and eventually left early to head to the Polynesian resort.
Typhoon lagoon was beautiful, I took a lot of photos and was sorry I didnt get to use any of the slides.
We got a bus easily to the Polynesian, which once again, was stunning, we headed to the beach area and had some drinks, the boys wanted to swim, but I wouldnt let them as it wasnt our resort, but really I dont think anyone would have known or cared - it wasnt that crowded.
DD was to meet us at five, I told her to leave Pop at 4 - she had her phone, but we didnt - so I found a payphone and tried to call - DH gave me all his quarters and waited downstairs - well it seems the sim card had a number that was not FL local - so it cost me $2.50 to call and it went to message bank GRRR!!! I then had to go and buy a $10 phone card to try again - still no answer, by this time it was getting close to our ADR time and I was getting stressed - there was a queue starting to build at the check in desk - we decided to get in it - I still couldnt contact her, DH kept telling me not to worry - next thing, she turns up - "mum, it was easy, I am not 6".
This was the only time I wished we had bought a cheap cell phone as well.
We loved Ohana - I still did not have my full appetite, but loved the atmosphere and did eat a bit of everything - the dessert was awesome!!!
After dinner we headed to MK, as it was an EMH night - I was only intending on having a quick look around and watching the fireworks - but we actually saw quite a bit - it was nice to be there in the cool of the evening.
We headed up through the castle, we actually queued up and went on Dumbo - I didnt think we would do any of these rides as our kids are teenagers, but even DH said, "its the quintessential Disney thing to do" and the queues were not big. So we went on Dumbo, the carousel, the teacups and then headed to Buzz Lightyear and space mountain. I loved Buzz - I thought it was more impressive than toystory mania - with less hype. Space mountain was not operating and by this time it was time to get a spot for the fireworks. We headed over the bridge by tomorrowland and got a pretty spot by the rose garden.
I know this photo is blurry - I so wish that it wasnt - it would be my favourite picture of the trip if it werent
The fireworks were awesome, I was busy taking loads of photos (I have a new camera and am still not good with manual settings) I didnt notice a proposal that took place just in front of us in the rose garden
- how sweet, I would have taken photos.
We walked around a bit after the fireworks and went on some more rides, cant remember which ones - we stayed in the tomorrowland section - As it was an EMH night we could have stayed until 1:00am - but we had Epcot planned for the next day - so we headed back to Pop.
Normally we are a pretty energetic family, but I think we were still suffering jet lag and the heat drained us - but this morning we struggled getting out of bed again - (this would be a theme throughout our holiday) - we eventually got out at 9:00 and headed to the food court at Pop Century - I still didnt have an appetite and couldnt deal with the crowd that was there so didnt eat, DH and the boys got a breakfast platter -
I have to say that we loved, loved, loved Pop Century resort - we chose it as we had to have two rooms, so anything other than value was out of our budget - but I would definitely stay here again, I think it had a great vibe about the place, even if we were only 4 in our family, I would get two rooms here rather than one room at a more expensive resort. We had connecting rooms, and our only complaint was the beds were only doubles - I wasnt keen on the food court - (I am not a fan of food courts generally) we upgraded to regular dining, so only used it for breakfast anyway.
DD had been feeling unwell before we left Sydney with a sore throat and this morning was really not a happy camper - (i actually offered to arrange early flights home for her) she decided to stay back at the resort today while we headed to typhoon lagoon. We had an ADR at Ohanas that night, I told her to meet us there, (catch the bus to MK and then a monorail to Poly) The great thing about travelling with teenagers is that they can have a bit of independence. She spent the day in bed watching the Disney channel, which was better for everyone.
I was still not well, but headed to typhoon lagoon and found a lounger in the shade and parked myself and promptly slept the rest of the morning. Until it started raining and I had to wake up and gather all the belongings that had been dumped with me and find some shelter.
The boys had a great time and went on most of the slides - I found them, they had already had lunch, DH paid as he was unsure how the dining plan credits worked, I got a caeser salad and fruit cup with a DP credit which was pretty good.
I felt a lot better after finally eating something, but the rain only got worse and then there was an announcement that the slides were closing as there was a fierce storm approaching - We were told to take shelter. So we moved between various shops and sheltered areas and eventually left early to head to the Polynesian resort.
Typhoon lagoon was beautiful, I took a lot of photos and was sorry I didnt get to use any of the slides.
We got a bus easily to the Polynesian, which once again, was stunning, we headed to the beach area and had some drinks, the boys wanted to swim, but I wouldnt let them as it wasnt our resort, but really I dont think anyone would have known or cared - it wasnt that crowded.
DD was to meet us at five, I told her to leave Pop at 4 - she had her phone, but we didnt - so I found a payphone and tried to call - DH gave me all his quarters and waited downstairs - well it seems the sim card had a number that was not FL local - so it cost me $2.50 to call and it went to message bank GRRR!!! I then had to go and buy a $10 phone card to try again - still no answer, by this time it was getting close to our ADR time and I was getting stressed - there was a queue starting to build at the check in desk - we decided to get in it - I still couldnt contact her, DH kept telling me not to worry - next thing, she turns up - "mum, it was easy, I am not 6".
This was the only time I wished we had bought a cheap cell phone as well.
We loved Ohana - I still did not have my full appetite, but loved the atmosphere and did eat a bit of everything - the dessert was awesome!!!
After dinner we headed to MK, as it was an EMH night - I was only intending on having a quick look around and watching the fireworks - but we actually saw quite a bit - it was nice to be there in the cool of the evening.
We headed up through the castle, we actually queued up and went on Dumbo - I didnt think we would do any of these rides as our kids are teenagers, but even DH said, "its the quintessential Disney thing to do" and the queues were not big. So we went on Dumbo, the carousel, the teacups and then headed to Buzz Lightyear and space mountain. I loved Buzz - I thought it was more impressive than toystory mania - with less hype. Space mountain was not operating and by this time it was time to get a spot for the fireworks. We headed over the bridge by tomorrowland and got a pretty spot by the rose garden.
I know this photo is blurry - I so wish that it wasnt - it would be my favourite picture of the trip if it werent
The fireworks were awesome, I was busy taking loads of photos (I have a new camera and am still not good with manual settings) I didnt notice a proposal that took place just in front of us in the rose garden
- how sweet, I would have taken photos.
We walked around a bit after the fireworks and went on some more rides, cant remember which ones - we stayed in the tomorrowland section - As it was an EMH night we could have stayed until 1:00am - but we had Epcot planned for the next day - so we headed back to Pop.
aussietravellers
who LOVE disney holidays!
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2008
Loving the report so far.
I had a chuckle when I read you were disappointed about not getting so wet on the river rapids ride
I got off that ride like a drowned rat 
Truely I could wring out my top, my shorts, I was literally dripping for ages after.
Sorry your DD was not well and the jetlag took so long to get over.
I had a chuckle when I read you were disappointed about not getting so wet on the river rapids ride
I got off that ride like a drowned rat Truely I could wring out my top, my shorts, I was literally dripping for ages after. Sorry your DD was not well and the jetlag took so long to get over.
battymum
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2010
Day4
Struggled getting up again, but we made it to Epcot shortly after 9. I was still struggling with jetlag, and was feeling quite nauseaus and had to sit on the pavement while waiting for the bus. When I got off the bus, I really wasnt well and had to make my way to the garden area and as discretely as I could, ...have a little chuck
But the show must go on, and I got some water and we made our way through the gates. We hit up spaceship earth and then had some breakfast in the food court area. I was feeling better after some coke.
we did the boat ride thing, I thought it was interesting. Everyone else thought it was lame. The boys went to test track and DD and I went to Mission space, we rode the tame one and thought it was pretty cool. When the boys were done they headed to mission space and being super tough guys - had to take the harsher version. Well DS (L) (how do I differentiate twins?) came off feeling really unwell - he was green and miserable for quite a while and was unwilling to ride any more simulators for the rest of the trip.
I had bought some wrist band things that are supposed to help with motion sickness, but they were in my bag and not on his wrists
Anyway he put them on, and whether it was psychosematic or not, he reckons they made him feel better.
We went on soarin, (L) sat this one out,
Then we headed to the World Showcase - it was super hot this day, and we made our way around the lake, darting from one air conditioned shop to another.
I wish Hollywood Studios had more of these misting areas!
Even though I had read multiple times on these boards that it was OK to ask for cold water at any outlet, I never saw anyone else do this, and kinda felt cheap if i did. Luckily WDW has plenty of drinking fountains and the ones at Epcot are refrigerated, I was really grateful for these on this day and refilled my bottle at every one.
World showcase is beautiful. Once again I was blown away by the detail. What more can I say!
Even though it was as hot as hades - DS had to wear is Daniel Boon hat!
Late in the afternoon, we could see a storm brewing, it eventually started raining, and I couldnt believe how quickly everyone got their ponchos out,- we were grateful for the cool change - it was barely enough rain to notice but it did cool us down somewhat.
We had an ADR at the San Angel Inn, which is in the Mexico pavillion. I didnt plan this, but this was the last pavillion on the circuit. So the timing worked really well.
Anyway I think this restaurant was our favourite of all the ones we visited in WDW. Not only was it beautiful, the food was awesome as well, we had to have margarita's that were so strong, we both left them pretty much untouched.
Although I did drop my sunglasses in the river as we were getting off the boat ride.
I had to buy an emergency pair in a gift shop, as I couldnt possibly survive in Florida without them. 
We stayed to watch illuminations, I kept looking around and couldnt believe how beautiful this place was. We had positioned ourselves near the futureworld entrance and quickly made it to the exit and bus lines shortly before the finale.
BTW - as a side note - the Disney bus system is awesome - we never had to wait more than a few minutes for a bus
Struggled getting up again, but we made it to Epcot shortly after 9. I was still struggling with jetlag, and was feeling quite nauseaus and had to sit on the pavement while waiting for the bus. When I got off the bus, I really wasnt well and had to make my way to the garden area and as discretely as I could, ...have a little chuck
But the show must go on, and I got some water and we made our way through the gates. We hit up spaceship earth and then had some breakfast in the food court area. I was feeling better after some coke.
we did the boat ride thing, I thought it was interesting. Everyone else thought it was lame. The boys went to test track and DD and I went to Mission space, we rode the tame one and thought it was pretty cool. When the boys were done they headed to mission space and being super tough guys - had to take the harsher version. Well DS (L) (how do I differentiate twins?) came off feeling really unwell - he was green and miserable for quite a while and was unwilling to ride any more simulators for the rest of the trip.
I had bought some wrist band things that are supposed to help with motion sickness, but they were in my bag and not on his wrists
Anyway he put them on, and whether it was psychosematic or not, he reckons they made him feel better.We went on soarin, (L) sat this one out,
Then we headed to the World Showcase - it was super hot this day, and we made our way around the lake, darting from one air conditioned shop to another.
I wish Hollywood Studios had more of these misting areas!
Even though I had read multiple times on these boards that it was OK to ask for cold water at any outlet, I never saw anyone else do this, and kinda felt cheap if i did. Luckily WDW has plenty of drinking fountains and the ones at Epcot are refrigerated, I was really grateful for these on this day and refilled my bottle at every one.
World showcase is beautiful. Once again I was blown away by the detail. What more can I say!
Even though it was as hot as hades - DS had to wear is Daniel Boon hat!
Late in the afternoon, we could see a storm brewing, it eventually started raining, and I couldnt believe how quickly everyone got their ponchos out,- we were grateful for the cool change - it was barely enough rain to notice but it did cool us down somewhat.
We had an ADR at the San Angel Inn, which is in the Mexico pavillion. I didnt plan this, but this was the last pavillion on the circuit. So the timing worked really well.
Anyway I think this restaurant was our favourite of all the ones we visited in WDW. Not only was it beautiful, the food was awesome as well, we had to have margarita's that were so strong, we both left them pretty much untouched.
Although I did drop my sunglasses in the river as we were getting off the boat ride.
I had to buy an emergency pair in a gift shop, as I couldnt possibly survive in Florida without them. We stayed to watch illuminations, I kept looking around and couldnt believe how beautiful this place was. We had positioned ourselves near the futureworld entrance and quickly made it to the exit and bus lines shortly before the finale.
BTW - as a side note - the Disney bus system is awesome - we never had to wait more than a few minutes for a bus
PrincessInOz
Thanks for my avatar, Mary Jo!
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2010
Aww...sorry to hear that you were sick. Was it jetlag or from the food/water? I normally take it easy on drinking tap water and don't have any ice for at least 4 days.
Great updates. Looking forward to more.
Great updates. Looking forward to more.
battymum
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2010
Day 5
I had stressed to everyone how important it was to get up early today, and although we struggled, we managed to get to Hollywood Studios before rope drop
There was a bit of a crowd already and we didnt push our way to the front, but I didnt see any running or pushing, it really was no big deal.
Naturally we headed straight to TSM, we decided to go the standby line and pretty much walked straight on - it was a cute and fun ride, but really, I dont get the hype - When we were done, we grabbed fastpasses, I cant remember the return time, I think it was around 1.
As we hadnt eaten we grabbed some breakfast at starring rolls. The rest of this day is quite a blur - DH and the kids went to the aerosmith ride, DD chickened out at the last minute - but the boys thought it was awesome. They went on tower of terror. I seemed to spend a lot of time waiting for them this day - I spent quite a while laying under a shady tree near aerosmith, having a little nap -
Did I mention it was as hot as the sun,
We went back and used our fastpasses - DH decided to skip it, we never did use that extra FP - I wonder what it was worth??
Frankly by early afternoon we were ready to leave, but we had an ADR at 50s prime time at 5:30 - so it wasnt worth leaving -
We watched the Lights camera action show, which was very similar to the one we saw at Movieworld last year, only worse.
We made our ADR - and loved the theming of this restaurant - Was a little dissappointed that our server didnt play up as much as I hoped - especially since we watched her have a lot of fun with another table - (did she think we wouldnt tip her because we are Australian??) But the food was good - DS (L) said it was the best fried chicken he has ever had.
Headed back to Pop for a swim and early night.
We thought Aerosmith Mickey was hilarious!!
I had stressed to everyone how important it was to get up early today, and although we struggled, we managed to get to Hollywood Studios before rope drop
There was a bit of a crowd already and we didnt push our way to the front, but I didnt see any running or pushing, it really was no big deal.
Naturally we headed straight to TSM, we decided to go the standby line and pretty much walked straight on - it was a cute and fun ride, but really, I dont get the hype - When we were done, we grabbed fastpasses, I cant remember the return time, I think it was around 1.
As we hadnt eaten we grabbed some breakfast at starring rolls. The rest of this day is quite a blur - DH and the kids went to the aerosmith ride, DD chickened out at the last minute - but the boys thought it was awesome. They went on tower of terror. I seemed to spend a lot of time waiting for them this day - I spent quite a while laying under a shady tree near aerosmith, having a little nap -
Did I mention it was as hot as the sun,
We went back and used our fastpasses - DH decided to skip it, we never did use that extra FP - I wonder what it was worth??
Frankly by early afternoon we were ready to leave, but we had an ADR at 50s prime time at 5:30 - so it wasnt worth leaving -
We watched the Lights camera action show, which was very similar to the one we saw at Movieworld last year, only worse.
We made our ADR - and loved the theming of this restaurant - Was a little dissappointed that our server didnt play up as much as I hoped - especially since we watched her have a lot of fun with another table - (did she think we wouldnt tip her because we are Australian??
) But the food was good - DS (L) said it was the best fried chicken he has ever had. Headed back to Pop for a swim and early night.
We thought Aerosmith Mickey was hilarious!!
Franrose
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2011
Bummer that you were not feeling well Battysmum! We did the ask for water thing several times a day every day, nobody batted an eyelid. It was always big cups of iced water, very refreshing. One time, as the CMs passed us the water, (this was at the Pizza place not far in on the left at Animal Kingdom) they also passed us two free cupcakes for our girls - that was really appreciated!!
battymum
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2010
Day 6
Again we tried our best to be up on time, and managed to get to Magic Kingdom shortly after nine, bugger, I really wanted to see the rope drop ceremony.
Anyway we headed on in, and as we hadnt had breakfast, grabbed something at Main St Bakery.
Then we headed to frontierland, we rode BTMRR and Splash mountain, I am not a fan of rides, so was very proud of myself for going on, actually BTMRR was actually quite fun, I think I went on twice.
DD and I made the mistake of wearing caps on Splash mountain, they both flew off, DH managed to catch hers as he was sitting behind, but mine was lost forever.
We walked around a bit, and I was just amazed at the beauty and detail of this place - It really was everything I dreamed of and more. We rode the train around the park - and then headed to our lunchtimeADR at Tonys town square. We contemplated not going, as there was so much to see, but I am glad we did, the break was refreshing and the food was good, we left in a much better mood.
We had decided (well I) that we would have an afternoon break today as we were really not coping with the heat - we had an ADR at Whispering Canyon, but it wasnt until 6:30 - but then DH and the boys said they would prefer to stay and would meet us at WL for dinner. So after lunch DD and I walked around a bit, we had a Dolewhip Float and then headed back to Pop for a swim around 3 - although I would have liked to go all day at the park, this swim was beautiful, and made for a much happier DD.
I have a lot of photos of DD on the phone - I darent post them all - I value my life too much!!
I am so glad we went to MK previously - in the meantime they erected this giant crane on the castle - totally ruined this shot - I dont do photoshop!!
Sorry I always forget food photos - this was Tonys town square - it wasnt very nice! (just this dish)
Tonys Town Square
We headed back to MK around 5, I thought we might have one last look around, but we decided to hop straight on the boat to WL. Once again I was amazed at this resort, Disney really does everything over the top!
We were there around 5:30, I knew DH wouldnt be there yet, I had told him to leave in plenty of time. So we waited and waited and waited, 6:30 came and he was still not there, and we had no way of contacting each other - I was in tears, this was one of the meals that DS (L) was looking forward to the most, he wanted to give that skillet a nudge - I vowed that the only excuse that DH would have that was acceptable would be if someone was injured - "OMG, what if they were and they couldnt contact me"
6:40 came and I went to the desk and told them that I was here for our ADR but DH was not, "no problem, just let us know when your full party is here",
"is that before or after I kill him? " I replied.
He turned up not long after - with excuses about the boat .....yeah, yeah, I told you to leave plenty of time.
So I went back to the desk to let them know we were all here, while waiting I hear an Australian accent, I knew our friend Busy Busy had an ADR here this night, so I turned to this person, a lady all covered in tattoos, not what I imagined Busy Busy to look like, but we are cyberfriends, she could look like anything.
I asked "are you Busy Busy? "
Needless to say, I got a very strange look in response, and then had to explain myself, I didnt even know Busy Busys name
So we got our buzzer and sat in the lobby waiting for it to go off - just as it does, a lady comes up to me "are you from Penrith?"
Oh my friend, Busy you were here, and not covered in tattoos, sadly we only got to chat briefly, and she passed me a note she had written of things to see while we were in NYC as she had just come from there, which was really thoughtful.
Whispering Canyon, was loud and fun, DS (L) gave the skillet a nudge, but really only ate the ribs, DD and DS (S) had the pasta dish, which was huge and really not very nice - they only ate a couple of bites, we also made the mistake of letting them order a milkshake as their drink, there wasnt much room left for food after that, i put my foot down when they were offered refills.
When the server came to pick up their plates, he made comments about how they were $30 meals, and force fed DD a couple of forkfuls. (this is what I was expecting at Primetime cafe,and invited him to our house to teach them some lessons about eating) thank goodness for free dining, we would never have ordered like this had we been paying
DS was sooo looking forward to this meal
Pork - I cant remember who had this!
After our meal we were headed to downtown disney, this was the only time we ever had to wait for a bus, we waited about 40 minutes, but it was WL and 8:30pm and we were the only ones there. Eventually a bus came and we made our way to downtown disney, OMG another assault to the senses - we walked the length and when it came to Disney quest, I said to DH, you guys go in we will meet you back at Pop. As DD hadnt been to Typhoon Lagoon the other day, she didnt have water parks and more on her ticket, and it probably wasnt her thing anyway., so I was being stingy.
We made our way back to the buses, browsing as we went, when we eventually got to the bus line, who was at the front of the line? DH and the boys! Turns out they went into Disney quest, but it closed at 10:30, I thought it stayed open later than that, we never made it back, which was dissappointing.
Are we the only ones that think $45 Ugg thongs is funny?
So we got on the bus on the bus together and headed back to Pop.
Again we tried our best to be up on time, and managed to get to Magic Kingdom shortly after nine, bugger, I really wanted to see the rope drop ceremony.
Anyway we headed on in, and as we hadnt had breakfast, grabbed something at Main St Bakery.
Then we headed to frontierland, we rode BTMRR and Splash mountain, I am not a fan of rides, so was very proud of myself for going on, actually BTMRR was actually quite fun, I think I went on twice.
DD and I made the mistake of wearing caps on Splash mountain, they both flew off, DH managed to catch hers as he was sitting behind, but mine was lost forever.
We walked around a bit, and I was just amazed at the beauty and detail of this place - It really was everything I dreamed of and more. We rode the train around the park - and then headed to our lunchtimeADR at Tonys town square. We contemplated not going, as there was so much to see, but I am glad we did, the break was refreshing and the food was good, we left in a much better mood.
We had decided (well I) that we would have an afternoon break today as we were really not coping with the heat - we had an ADR at Whispering Canyon, but it wasnt until 6:30 - but then DH and the boys said they would prefer to stay and would meet us at WL for dinner. So after lunch DD and I walked around a bit, we had a Dolewhip Float and then headed back to Pop for a swim around 3 - although I would have liked to go all day at the park, this swim was beautiful, and made for a much happier DD.
I have a lot of photos of DD on the phone - I darent post them all - I value my life too much!!
I am so glad we went to MK previously - in the meantime they erected this giant crane on the castle - totally ruined this shot - I dont do photoshop!!
Sorry I always forget food photos - this was Tonys town square - it wasnt very nice! (just this dish)
Tonys Town Square
We headed back to MK around 5, I thought we might have one last look around, but we decided to hop straight on the boat to WL. Once again I was amazed at this resort, Disney really does everything over the top!
We were there around 5:30, I knew DH wouldnt be there yet, I had told him to leave in plenty of time. So we waited and waited and waited, 6:30 came and he was still not there, and we had no way of contacting each other - I was in tears, this was one of the meals that DS (L) was looking forward to the most, he wanted to give that skillet a nudge - I vowed that the only excuse that DH would have that was acceptable would be if someone was injured - "OMG, what if they were and they couldnt contact me"
6:40 came and I went to the desk and told them that I was here for our ADR but DH was not, "no problem, just let us know when your full party is here",
"is that before or after I kill him? " I replied.
He turned up not long after - with excuses about the boat .....yeah, yeah, I told you to leave plenty of time.
So I went back to the desk to let them know we were all here, while waiting I hear an Australian accent, I knew our friend Busy Busy had an ADR here this night, so I turned to this person, a lady all covered in tattoos, not what I imagined Busy Busy to look like, but we are cyberfriends, she could look like anything.
I asked "are you Busy Busy? "
Needless to say, I got a very strange look in response, and then had to explain myself, I didnt even know Busy Busys name
So we got our buzzer and sat in the lobby waiting for it to go off - just as it does, a lady comes up to me "are you from Penrith?"
Oh my friend, Busy you were here, and not covered in tattoos, sadly we only got to chat briefly, and she passed me a note she had written of things to see while we were in NYC as she had just come from there, which was really thoughtful.
Whispering Canyon, was loud and fun, DS (L) gave the skillet a nudge, but really only ate the ribs, DD and DS (S) had the pasta dish, which was huge and really not very nice - they only ate a couple of bites, we also made the mistake of letting them order a milkshake as their drink, there wasnt much room left for food after that, i put my foot down when they were offered refills.
When the server came to pick up their plates, he made comments about how they were $30 meals, and force fed DD a couple of forkfuls. (this is what I was expecting at Primetime cafe,and invited him to our house to teach them some lessons about eating) thank goodness for free dining, we would never have ordered like this had we been paying
DS was sooo looking forward to this meal
Pork - I cant remember who had this!
After our meal we were headed to downtown disney, this was the only time we ever had to wait for a bus, we waited about 40 minutes, but it was WL and 8:30pm and we were the only ones there. Eventually a bus came and we made our way to downtown disney, OMG another assault to the senses - we walked the length and when it came to Disney quest, I said to DH, you guys go in we will meet you back at Pop. As DD hadnt been to Typhoon Lagoon the other day, she didnt have water parks and more on her ticket, and it probably wasnt her thing anyway., so I was being stingy.
We made our way back to the buses, browsing as we went, when we eventually got to the bus line, who was at the front of the line? DH and the boys! Turns out they went into Disney quest, but it closed at 10:30, I thought it stayed open later than that, we never made it back, which was dissappointing.
Are we the only ones that think $45 Ugg thongs is funny?
So we got on the bus on the bus together and headed back to Pop.
battymum
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2010
Day 7
Today we were picking up a hire car, the earliest the Budget guy could meet us was 10:30, so we had the luxury of having a sleep in
We met the budget guy promptly at 10:30 but I didnt realise we then had to go back to their office at the doubletree and complete the paperwork - (I have done this before when someone follows the driver) So it was nearly midday by the time we were free to leave with the car.
We hired a dodge grand caravan, and it was awesome, at home we drive an Aurion, and although we dont often go out as a family of five these days, when we do, three teenagers in the backseat does not make for fun family day trips. DD rolled her eyes when she found out we were getting a bus, but she too loved the space this thing had and her opinion soon changed.
Note to self: lets get a new car!!
DH on the other hand, said it was cramped in the drivers seat, and didnt like it much at all. Anyway we got the GPS going and headed to Premium Outlets, driving on the right side of the road was a challenge, but the roads are awesome, and we soon found the shops.
We split up again here - but at the end of the day when we tallied our purchases - - My teens went nuts - between this day and the next, we ended up with an extra 17 pairs of sneakers to fit in our luggage. I couldnt believe the prices of this sort of stuff, Nike, Addidas, Tigers, Vans all well over $150 at home, but $20-$30 - DD bought a pair of Rayban sunglasses for $150 that she says are $400 at home .
DH bought a Van Heusen suit with shirt and tie for $200 - We bought Levis for $30. I bought some trousers for work and a couple of dresses.
Billabong and *********** T-shirts for $15 -
Some of our shopping!!!
I didnt buy too much for myself, I find it hard to shop with the family in tow, but did treat myself to a pair of Coach sunglasses to replace the emergency replacement pair I had bought in the gift shop at Epcot. This was a gift to myself and I spent more than I normally would on sunglasses.
Sadly, I lost these THE NEXT DAY!!!!!!
"this is why we can't have nice things" is a saying we use often in our house!!
Now, I had a dilemma, we had a coveted 4:50pm dinner reservation at Mama Melrose in Hollywood Studios for the Fantasmic package, but we were having so much fun here, and we had little time in the rest of our trip for shopping, time was ticking on.
The sky was black and soon opened up, (see Karens photos of this day, Thursday 22nd) there was a good chance Fantasmic wouldnt run that night - so we decided to skip the ADR.
I never found out whether Fantasmic was cancelled or not, but we ended up eating McDonalds for dinner. (this was an adventure in itself)
We drove around for a bit, went to Walmart, as we needed to buy a suit bag, (something we couldnt find at Premium) - no none there either, so found a Kmart - we found one and also bought a three piece lugguge set for $29 to hold all our goodies.
NOTE: When buying a three piece luggage set, open it up, and make sure the three pieces are there!!!!! Ours was missing the sports bag, we didnt realise until we were back at Pop and there was no time on our schedule to return it.
Today we were picking up a hire car, the earliest the Budget guy could meet us was 10:30, so we had the luxury of having a sleep in
We met the budget guy promptly at 10:30 but I didnt realise we then had to go back to their office at the doubletree and complete the paperwork - (I have done this before when someone follows the driver) So it was nearly midday by the time we were free to leave with the car.
We hired a dodge grand caravan, and it was awesome, at home we drive an Aurion, and although we dont often go out as a family of five these days, when we do, three teenagers in the backseat does not make for fun family day trips. DD rolled her eyes when she found out we were getting a bus, but she too loved the space this thing had and her opinion soon changed.
Note to self: lets get a new car!!
DH on the other hand, said it was cramped in the drivers seat, and didnt like it much at all.
Anyway we got the GPS going and headed to Premium Outlets, driving on the right side of the road was a challenge, but the roads are awesome, and we soon found the shops.We split up again here - but at the end of the day when we tallied our purchases -
- My teens went nuts - between this day and the next, we ended up with an extra 17 pairs of sneakers to fit in our luggage. I couldnt believe the prices of this sort of stuff, Nike, Addidas, Tigers, Vans all well over $150 at home, but $20-$30 - DD bought a pair of Rayban sunglasses for $150 that she says are $400 at home .DH bought a Van Heusen suit with shirt and tie for $200 - We bought Levis for $30. I bought some trousers for work and a couple of dresses.
Billabong and *********** T-shirts for $15 -
Some of our shopping!!!
I didnt buy too much for myself, I find it hard to shop with the family in tow, but did treat myself to a pair of Coach sunglasses to replace the emergency replacement pair I had bought in the gift shop at Epcot. This was a gift to myself and I spent more than I normally would on sunglasses.
Sadly, I lost these THE NEXT DAY!!!!!!
"this is why we can't have nice things" is a saying we use often in our house!! Now, I had a dilemma, we had a coveted 4:50pm dinner reservation at Mama Melrose in Hollywood Studios for the Fantasmic package, but we were having so much fun here, and we had little time in the rest of our trip for shopping, time was ticking on.
The sky was black and soon opened up, (see Karens photos of this day, Thursday 22nd) there was a good chance Fantasmic wouldnt run that night - so we decided to skip the ADR.
I never found out whether Fantasmic was cancelled or not, but we ended up eating McDonalds for dinner. (this was an adventure in itself)
We drove around for a bit, went to Walmart, as we needed to buy a suit bag, (something we couldnt find at Premium) - no none there either, so found a Kmart - we found one and also bought a three piece lugguge set for $29 to hold all our goodies.
NOTE: When buying a three piece luggage set, open it up, and make sure the three pieces are there!!!!! Ours was missing the sports bag, we didnt realise until we were back at Pop and there was no time on our schedule to return it.
aussietravellers
who LOVE disney holidays!
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2008
Oh NO, I can't believe you lost your new sunnies the next day How frustrating and disappointing for you
Sounds like a successful shopping day though, for the others.
Loving the TR by the way! Looking forward to the next installment
How frustrating and disappointing for you Sounds like a successful shopping day though, for the others.
Loving the TR by the way! Looking forward to the next installment
battymum
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2010
Day 8
This morning we headed to Blizzard Beach, as it doesnt open till 10, again we had time to sleep in. We had an ADR at Boma for 8:00am breakfast, that I had long ago decided we would not make.
We had the car, but DH still wanted to take the bus, (Disney buses are awesome!!) we ended up taking the car as we had plans for afterwards.
When we got there DD tells us she doesnt have her ticket,, I had read that they are able to reproduce these at the gate - but after trying two CMs and producing all our other tickets they were unable to do it. I knew she didnt have the water parks option on hers, and it was our last day, so the easiest option was to buy a one day pass.
DD and I spent most of the time floating in the lazy river while the boys hit up the slides. We had an ADR at Saana at 2:10pm which I wasnt sure we would keep. It got to 1:30 and I asked DH - we decided to go to Saana - we could come back afterwards if we wanted.
We are so glad we went to this meal, again the resort is breathtaking, but the food was good, it wasnt crowded and to look out upon the savannah is something you dont do everyday. As we were leaving DH commented, look at the thatching on the roof - DD misheard and thought he said, "look at the fat chick on the roof" - this became a family comment we would repeat often on our trip, hope we dont offend anyone, but it was pretty funny!!!
After lunch, we could go back to BB or more shopping ? It was a unanimous decision - LETS GO SHOPPING!!!!
We headed to the other premium outlets, closer to Disney. As soon as we got there I headed to the bathroom, I have no recollection of putting them down, or wearing them in, I had a big hat on as well, but as soon as I came out of the bathroom, I reached for my sunglasses as the mall is outdoor it was bright - I am sure I would have been wearing them when I went in, I cant cope without sunglasses. I went straight back to the bathroom, they werent there, there was a cleaner in there when I first went in, and I asked her, - no nothing, she says.
I checked back at the car, they werent there, DH says I definitely had them leaving the restaurant, because he watched and waited for me to pick them up as we were leaving. I checked with centre management, no nothing.
So now I was down two pairs of sunglasses and a hat.
It took me a while to move on, but eventually gave up on finding them, the family had long since left me to it -
Now when I go shopping I often lose track of time, I am not a quick decision maker, so can often spend hours in the mall. Our dinner reservation was at Narcoosees at 7:45, so no hurry.
So I was wandering around, doing my own thing, I knew time was getting on, I didnt have a watch, but now I had to buy another pair of sunglasses, we were going on a cruise and I had no more chances for shopping.
Next thing, I run into DH, "omg, we have been looking for you for hours, its 6:20"
I still hadnt bought the sunglasses, I found the nearest shop and quickly chose a pair.
We made it back to Pop, showered and dressed for our dinner. The kids were staying in, so I gave them a list of chores, they had to do a load of washing and pack their bags.
We drove to Narcoosees, we were only just on time and as I was wearing my high heels, DH dropped me off at the door while he parked. I quickly made my way through the GF lobby to Narcoosees, I had to take the shoes off and run (well walk quickly) I didnt want our ADR to lapse and have to take the walk up option.
Narcoosees was lovely, I had the lobster, DH the surf and turf - we watched the fireworks and it was beautiful.
When we got back the kids had done their chores and eaten at the Pop food court. They commented, "I dont know why you bothered with dinner reservations, we had the best dinner"
Pretty sure they had burgers, which was why I bothered with dinner reservations!!!
This morning we headed to Blizzard Beach, as it doesnt open till 10, again we had time to sleep in. We had an ADR at Boma for 8:00am breakfast, that I had long ago decided we would not make.
We had the car, but DH still wanted to take the bus, (Disney buses are awesome!!) we ended up taking the car as we had plans for afterwards.
When we got there DD tells us she doesnt have her ticket,
, I had read that they are able to reproduce these at the gate - but after trying two CMs and producing all our other tickets they were unable to do it. I knew she didnt have the water parks option on hers, and it was our last day, so the easiest option was to buy a one day pass. DD and I spent most of the time floating in the lazy river while the boys hit up the slides. We had an ADR at Saana at 2:10pm which I wasnt sure we would keep. It got to 1:30 and I asked DH - we decided to go to Saana - we could come back afterwards if we wanted.
We are so glad we went to this meal, again the resort is breathtaking, but the food was good, it wasnt crowded and to look out upon the savannah is something you dont do everyday. As we were leaving DH commented, look at the thatching on the roof - DD misheard and thought he said, "look at the fat chick on the roof" - this became a family comment we would repeat often on our trip, hope we dont offend anyone, but it was pretty funny!!!
After lunch, we could go back to BB or more shopping ? It was a unanimous decision - LETS GO SHOPPING!!!!
We headed to the other premium outlets, closer to Disney. As soon as we got there I headed to the bathroom, I have no recollection of putting them down, or wearing them in, I had a big hat on as well, but as soon as I came out of the bathroom, I reached for my sunglasses as the mall is outdoor it was bright - I am sure I would have been wearing them when I went in, I cant cope without sunglasses. I went straight back to the bathroom, they werent there, there was a cleaner in there when I first went in, and I asked her, - no nothing, she says.
I checked back at the car, they werent there, DH says I definitely had them leaving the restaurant, because he watched and waited for me to pick them up as we were leaving. I checked with centre management, no nothing.
So now I was down two pairs of sunglasses and a hat.
It took me a while to move on, but eventually gave up on finding them, the family had long since left me to it -
Now when I go shopping I often lose track of time, I am not a quick decision maker, so can often spend hours in the mall. Our dinner reservation was at Narcoosees at 7:45, so no hurry.
So I was wandering around, doing my own thing, I knew time was getting on, I didnt have a watch, but now I had to buy another pair of sunglasses, we were going on a cruise and I had no more chances for shopping.
Next thing, I run into DH, "omg, we have been looking for you for hours, its 6:20"
I still hadnt bought the sunglasses, I found the nearest shop and quickly chose a pair.
We made it back to Pop, showered and dressed for our dinner. The kids were staying in, so I gave them a list of chores, they had to do a load of washing and pack their bags.
We drove to Narcoosees, we were only just on time and as I was wearing my high heels, DH dropped me off at the door while he parked. I quickly made my way through the GF lobby to Narcoosees, I had to take the shoes off and run (well walk quickly) I didnt want our ADR to lapse and have to take the walk up option.
Narcoosees was lovely, I had the lobster, DH the surf and turf - we watched the fireworks and it was beautiful.
When we got back the kids had done their chores and eaten at the Pop food court. They commented, "I dont know why you bothered with dinner reservations, we had the best dinner"
Pretty sure they had burgers, which was why I bothered with dinner reservations!!!
PrincessInOz
Thanks for my avatar, Mary Jo!
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2010
Catching up on your adventures and mis-adventures.
Yes, when shopping in the US, it pays to make sure you have EVERYTHING that you expect to have bought especially when it comes to those luggage sets. We've had the same experience....only with a duffle bag
So....did you manage to hang on to your 3rd pair of sunnies?
Yes, when shopping in the US, it pays to make sure you have EVERYTHING that you expect to have bought especially when it comes to those luggage sets. We've had the same experience....only with a duffle bag
So....did you manage to hang on to your 3rd pair of sunnies?
Anne_Aus
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2011
Loving your report so far... have to say though I feel like with the sunnies thing it could be me writing it.. I once lost 4 or 5 pair on a 5 week trip
I must also say a huge thank you cause it has reminded me to get a cheap pair before I go
Can't wait to hear about the nest adventure
I must also say a huge thank you cause it has reminded me to get a cheap pair before I go
Can't wait to hear about the nest adventure
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