Where are we, Jersey? Bye, Phoenicians! An August 2017 TR * NEW DINING/TR LINKS*

Well you made the smart choice lol! Did you enjoy Ample Hills? We had their ice cream once. OMG I suppose after the cold lunches they were serving and being cooped up, the pizza might not seem so bad to people, but even in that situation no way would I eat it again.
How did you guys fare at Yacht during Irma? I hope you were still able to enjoy most of your trip :)

We did enjoy Ample Hills. I had the ooey gooey butter cake and pb wins the cup and it was a great dinner!! The hurricane wasn't as bad as they were originally predicting which was good. We had a room all the way near the dolphin but our balcony faced the east where the wind was coming from which made for a loud night. Our room also had a leak and the paint on the wall had multiple bubbles from water... I guess a renovation issue. We did a full week trip which is why we decided to still go. We figured it would be a couple days where the parks were closed but wouldn't ruin the whole trip. Plus the crowds were low the Tuesday and Wednesday after!
 
Wow the Kaki Gori looks great I think Kathy would like those. So without the sweet milk on top is it more like a slushy?
Tell Cris I agree love those hot towels :thumbsup2
All your pictures from the BW area are getting me more excited for our trip. I love how you are so close to the IG.
I'm glad you tried the Minnie Vans looking forward to trying them as well but oh how I miss the Express Transportation :sad:
I forgot WL CL had the cobblers yummy!
Nice touch with the chocolate and note card at turn down.
Now tell me you and Steve went mid evil on management about your keys/MB's not working >:(
 
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I love seeing the NYC skyline in the background!

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Yes, none of us had ever had this before! Ricky got cherry and Chris got watermelon, but neither got the sweet milk on top. They both loved this and asked my why I never had them get this before........I don't know, you guys are so deprived that you only go to Disney ever year, excuse me for showing you tons of things each trip and forgetting shaved ice? I did smile smugly after they showed enthusiasm for the new treat I was able to point out to them :snooty:
Ha! I know, our children have such a hard life! I want to have the girls try this as well. I am sure they will love it.

I decided to try the PINEAPPLE MARGARITA: 100% Agave Tequila Reposado, ginger liqueur, caramelized pineapple nectar, fresh lime juice and gave nectar, served on the rocks:

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Hmm... not a stellar review but not terrible. I would totally go for Pineapple, too!

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A nicely tucked in remote, some Ghirardelli chocolates to go with our fancy WL ones, and a cute little notecard with a Native American proverb on it.
I love that they tucked in the remote! Too funny!

I hope your bands worked in the morning. That is kind of crazy. It was just for the room not your actually tickets, as you go into EPCOT ok. So, weird.
 
Glad you had a good experience here. We went for the first time in August, and while it wasn't my favourite Disney meal, or even my favourite buffet, we both really enjoyed it.
Yeah not my favorite meal or buffet (I think my favorite buffet is Boma :love:) but still decent. Glad you liked it!

Yay Minnie van!! I've heard great things about the drivers people have had in these :)
So have I! Our driver when we got the plain old Lyft wasn't bad but he was nothing compared to our fab Minnie Van driver!

The lengths you won't go to for those boys... and here they are berating you over shave ice :laughing:
I tell them ALL the time how lucky they are to have me :p

I would have judged you if you HADN'T tried this - it looks OMG AMAZING. I don't care how full I am, if something looks good, something gets eaten.
That's my problem,even when I'm full I don't want to miss out on something that's probably OMG delicious!

Nicotine? That sounds so appetizing! I don't do salted rims with my margaritas anyways but Disney always has the strangest choices for salt.
LOL, that's just the best thing I could think of to compare it to! I smoked until I found out I was pregnant with Ricky, and the way whatever they put on the rim stuck in my mouth reminded me how pieces of tobacco used to stick to my lip sometimes. Whatever it was wasn't disgusting but it wasn't good; it definitely wasn't salt or sugar!

Yum those look so good! I always forget they're there. Those would be perfect on a hot day!
I always forget too, but I guess seeing the boys' disappointment at the Morocco slushies being gone triggered something in my mind. Glad it did because it'll give them something else to look forward to next time we're in Epcot :)

So they're actual CMs? I thought they were just Lyft or Uber drivers.
Yup, CM's. I didn't realize this either until a fellow TA who lives in Orlando pointed it out. I think it's a good idea because in general they're friendlier (maybe?) than Lyft drivers. Not that anything was wrong with the Lyft driver we had when we got the plain grey SUV on our first try for a Minnie Van, but this CM was over the top friendly and fun :banana:

I rode FoP once so I wouldn't feel like I was missing out on what some are calling their favourite ride ever...yeah...never again. :sick: But I'm glad I experienced it once!
I'm glad you got to ride once, I do think it's an amazing ride and everyone should experience it. It's beautiful! However I did feel a bit nauseous after riding last month as opposed to feeling fine after riding in May so I can imagine how you felt. Were you able to open your eyes at all?

LOL Chris on the boat.
:rotfl: I know!

Hope hey get those MB worked out.
They did, but it was still annoying. I wish they'd fixed it sooner rather than later!
 


Popping in to say I'm enjoying your TR. Such a bummer about the MB's not working. It's so nice to finally have the kids old enough to be able to do some things without you (and you without them!) and then a glitch makes that plan fly out the window! Although I have to say that my two DS's would usually opt to hang with us even when given the option of going it alone, which was nice. They are adults now (21, 24) but even on our trip last year when one wasn't ready to go when the rest of us were, we said he could meet us later. Magically he ended up getting ready and met us at the bus stop!

I know I've read your other reports and dining reports, but not sure I ever spoke up and said "hi". I show up late to the party many times, so the report may be over and done, but I thought I'd let you know that I enjoy them!

Sounds like we will be at WDW at the same time this fall. I'm staying at the Poly for the first time! I'm looking forward to my first deluxe stay. I think I need to add Wilderness Lodge to my wish list--it looks beautiful! I'll be there with DH and DS2. I'm excited to be back for F&W and taking note of all the delicious adult beverages (and that mickey cinnamon bun Chris had--mmmm).
 
I can't believe there wasn't a line! We actually haven't had anything from La Cava in ages because the lines are always insane
This is the 3rd time out of I think 6 tries that we found either no wait or a short wait; the others it was insane. I thought for sure it would be crowded in there this time because of the disgusting heat but, surprise!

Yum, I'll have to try and remember to let Casey get one of these while she is driving me crazy around the world showcase too.
I'll remind you! Too bad they don't make adult kaki-gori but I'm sure we'll find something ;)

But why did you hold out on the poor kiddos for so long :P
#badmomsclub


He most certainly does. Nothing like a quick bath in the middle of a restaurant.
:laughing:

Woohoo!!!!! Do they all have CMs driving them?
Yup! I didn't realized that right away but they are, which I think is better than having plain ol' Lyft drivers.

When we did CL we didn't miss it any night. We'd load it into some coffee cups and then sit on our balcony and enjoy it with our wine (also conveniently in coffee cups because more :-))
lol. We unfortunately only made it back to the resort like one other night by 10 which is when the lounge closed, and that night we did the cobbler was all runny with none of the awesome crunchy top left on it. I think it had been sitting out for quite awhile without being replenished.....

I think it's funny that you took all those drinks from the cooler back up to your room.:P I bet you showed them!!!! LOL!!! They should have given you some extra fast passes or something...
:laughing: Technically it appeared you're allowed to take stuff back to your room; lots of people walked away with a drink or a plate of food. However we didn't really see people walking away with like 6 drinks at a time lol. At that point I didn't care! For the rest of the trip we'd take a bottle of water and a soda at the same time but that was it.

The hurricane wasn't as bad as they were originally predicting which was good. We had a room all the way near the dolphin but our balcony faced the east where the wind was coming from which made for a loud night. Our room also had a leak and the paint on the wall had multiple bubbles from water... I guess a renovation issue.
From everything I read it didn't seem to hit WDW as bad as some thought, although I'm sure it had to be super nerve-wracking actually being there! If the water bubbles in the paint were from the refurb and not just the hurricane that stinks and is shoddy lol.

Plus the crowds were low the Tuesday and Wednesday after!
I think if it were us and we had at least a week we might have stayed also. I heard the parks were empty those days! My friend Whitney @Whit64130 was there those days and sent me pictures to prove it lol plus she was bragging about getting on headliners multiple times with no wait :P

Wow the Kaki Gori looks great I think Kathy would like those. So without the sweet milk on top is it more like a slushy?
Yes like a snow cone/slushy exactly :thumbsup2 I kind of wanted one of them to get the sweet milk because I'm interested as to what that's like but didn't want one myself, but neither wanted it.

All your pictures from the BW area are getting me more excited for our trip. I love how you are so close to the IG.
As much as I LOVE the WL, being so near Epcot is fantastic and walking from Epcot back to the BW area at night, I think, is lovely with the BW all lit up :goodvibes

I'm glad you tried the Minnie Vans looking forward to trying them as well but oh how I miss the Express Transportation :sad:
I miss it, too :( Especially for our short Nov. trip it would come in handy so often.....

Now tell me you and Steve went mid evil on management about your keys/MB's not working :(
lol!! We did not, but I DID back in 2015 at the BWV! We till got screwed though. Luckily this issue was resolved the next day but I wish it hadn't been an issue at all.

I love seeing the NYC skyline in the background!
I love that too and I think it's great to see that as you sail off and then when you return to port :love:

Ha! I know, our children have such a hard life!
Oh yes, I lose sleep many nights with the guilt of the deprivation they suffer every day :charac2:

I want to have the girls try this as well. I am sure they will love it.
I bet they will. Not that I think they don't enjoy walking WS, but it's something to get them excited when there and keep their interest while walking around :) Of course this trip they have all the goodies from the F&W booths (minus the wine) to enjoy!

Hmm... not a stellar review but not terrible. I would totally go for Pineapple, too!
 
Right?
Hmm, the CM didn't give you a confirmation # when you booked? They should have, although since opening back up Tuesday so many of the calls are going to Arise agents and they pretty much suck. As for not being able to do it online, the online system has been messed up since their stupid upgrade over the summer and constantly has issues, not good for anyone and really a pain for us TA's.
Did you get a confirmation yet by any chance? Another thing going on since they're backed up from Irma is that they are very slow sending confirmations after bookings, moreso for RO bookings. They are coming faster for package bookings.

I did have the confirmation written down at home for the record...and it did eventually show up via email and I've linked it...so all good for December at NEW-TO-US CBR. Of course, I'll continue to scout other places so we'll see if that sticks. I was really more irritated with the hard-sell that phone operator was doing for me on the dining plan. Lady I KNOW what I want and need...stop trying to upsell me!

Glad you had another good day despite your transportation issues to EPCOT. My kids have had the shaved ice once...they enjoyed it from what I remember. Way to go having a short line at La Cava...that is a VERY rare thing these days, we are also sad about it. I'm sure we'll still be in that line next month though!

Sounds like dinner worked out well too. Haven't been to Cape May in years either.

Can't wait for the next installment!
 


We have to try the Katigori it does get rave reviews, I'm sure Andi would love it. Chris sure likes himself some hot wet towels lol! We have been twice to Cape May in the past for the dinner buffet and did enjoy! The entertainment on the Boardwalk is so fun.
 
Trying to get caught up around here, for some reason the DIS is super slow today for me, or maybe it's my own internet...who knows...anyway...

I wasn't a fan of the old Soarin' at all; it made me extremely nauseous and I had to keep my eyes closed the entire time. I didn't have high hopes for new Soarin' but to my surprise and delight I handle it much, much better and know I enjoy it. I think the new film is beautiful, even when it's bent o_O

I agree! The old Soarin' made me way more nauseous than this one. Glad you liked it! I love all the new smells too!

WHEE! This time we got an ACTUAL Minnie Van!!! Our driver was awesome, she was a CM originally from Long Island so I sad in front with her and we had a great conversation about all the foods that aren't good outside of NY :P

So cool! And how fun that you got to chat with a CM about NY. Now you've got me curious...like what...pizza? bagels? :))

Sorry about your MB issues... I do hope they got resolved soon after this! That's the thing about the MB's...when they work the whole thing is really awesome...but when they don't...ugh!!
 
Today I finally went to link our reservations because you know, I do our stuff after clients, and somehow our POR reservation got cancelled and the $ refunded. Huh :confused3 No POR available now, so on arrival night we're here:

Awesome that you'll be at The Poly! Maybe we can DisMeet there on that day!

I left off with us finishing a delicious lunch at WCC and going to do some Wilderness exploring. The boys hadn't seen much of the lodge except the lobby and the pool from inside, so although it was about 125 degrees out we went to see the main pool and the new DVC pool:

Looks beautiful :love:

I looked at the toiletries in our room as there were a few extra ones than we normally get:

Nice! Is that only for fancy, club-level people? DVC members have to share a giant jug of soap :rotfl: Not really…not yet, anyway :rolleyes1

That's right, they had no more, so they could only give us one. He said ok and walked away but I was like OH NO, not happening. I nicely said to her " I'm sorry, but that just won't work for us." I went on to explain how a huge reason we booked CL was so that the kids could come and go as they please, and with one key and no real access to the lounge that couldn't happen. At first she said she was sorry but there was nothing she could do. I politely yet more firmly reiterated that for the price we paid ( not mentioning the discount we got) to not have access to the lounge and to have to share one key between 4 people including a teenager and pre-teen who expected to stay at the resort while their parents went to parks was not acceptable. Again she apologized and gave us $100 off our bill as well as pulling another key out of somewhere...........................I thanked her and moved on.

Good for you. That is totally unacceptable. I can't wait to hear how this all turned out...

This brought out Chris's attitude so he decided he didn't want to sit with us on the boat:

Chris with his new boat friends. We started laughing when the guy on the end sat next to him because he also hates being in the middle of people, but he just turned his head farther away from the direction we were in......he kinda looks related to the guy in the yellow hat from the back!


OMG! :rotfl2: How awful are you people that he'd rather be squished between two sweaty man strangers?! I'm dying!


In the end I decided to try the PINEAPPLE MARGARITA: 100% Agave Tequila Reposado, ginger liqueur, caramelized pineapple nectar, fresh lime juice and gave nectar, served on the rocks:

That looks refreshing :thumbsup2

I'm not sure what they put around the rim but it tasted like nicotine

Maybe they're trying to make the smokers happy :confused3

Not as good as the Avocado, but good enough to drink on a disgustingly hot Epcot evening.

Maybe I'll just try the Avocado one then, stop confusing me! :rotfl:

WHEE! This time we got an ACTUAL Minnie Van!!!

So cute!!

A nicely tucked in remote, some Ghirardelli chocolates to go with our fancy WL ones, and a cute little notecard with a Native American proverb on it. We'd get one of these cards almost every night. This is one of the CL touches we liked!

Nice touch. Maybe I'll stick some chocolates in my bed when I make it so I can be fancy like you :laughing:
 
I did a lot of my catching up on my phone, and wrote up all these comments and then of course they wouldn't post and deleted :mad:

I didn't rewrite them, sorry :sad1:

But I just finished catching up so here's the rest of my thoughts:

somehow our POR reservation got cancelled and the $ refunded. Huh :confused3 No POR available now, so on arrival night we're here:

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So strange that the reservation cancelled, but hey - all's well that ends well and staying another night deluxe is great!

In that case, the kids would be able to hit the lounge, Roaring Fork, whatever while we were gone. As it was now with one key, either we wouldn't have one with us or we'd have to leave them without one, and either way they'd have to call a lounge CM if they wanted to get in.

"Welcome to Club Level! But you can't get into your room or the lounge and sorry there's nothing we can do about it!" :furious:

At first she said she was sorry but there was nothing she could do. I politely yet more firmly reiterated that for the price we paid ( not mentioning the discount we got) to not have access to the lounge and to have to share one key between 4 people including a teenager and pre-teen who expected to stay at the resort while their parents went to parks was not acceptable. Again she apologized and gave us $100 off our bill as well as pulling another key out of somewhere...........................I thanked her and moved on.

I'm glad you insisted that this was not okay because this is NOT OKAY! I'd be fuming... And funny how she suddenly finds another key

It was 5:20 when we finally walked off the monorail at Epcot; needless to say we took the bus to Epcot the rest of the trip!

This is why the men shouldn't make the transportation decisions :rotfl:

I'm not sure what they put around the rim but it tasted like nicotine

:eek:

I don't know, you guys are so deprived that you only go to Disney ever year, excuse me for showing you tons of things each trip and forgetting shaved ice?

:rotfl2:

Ricky won a basketball and was nice enough to let Chris pick it out and have it.

Awwww brotherly love

WHEE! This time we got an ACTUAL Minnie Van!!

:woohoo:

So for our troubles we took like 3 sodas and 4 waters out of the cooler when we went back to the room and figured we'd get up in someone's face about it in the morning if they weren't working lol.

Good plan!
 

Hey all, some of you saw this on my dining report so you can skip it here. I'm sorry about the lack of updates but the last week has been a bit rough. Ricky tore his ACL last weekend in his football game and has to have surgery. He won't be playing basketball, his true passion, this season and it's killing him, and every time I look at him my heart breaks. Luckily his coach is being extremely supportive and has guaranteed him a spot on Varsity next year, and he'll also be part of the team this year even though he won't be playing. I'll go into a bit more detail and I promise another update asap, just haven't been feelin' it lately. Thanks all for being patient, I promise I'll see ya real soon ::yes::
 
As I said in your Dining Report, I'm so sorry. So happy to hear about the coach being supportive and guaranteeing him a spot next year on Varsity. Let's hope Ricky sets a record for quickest recovery! :thumbsup2
 
Hey all, some of you saw this on my dining report so you can skip it here. I'm sorry about the lack of updates but the last week has been a bit rough. Ricky tore his ACL last weekend in his football game and has to have surgery. He won't be playing basketball, his true passion, this season and it's killing him, and every time I look at him my heart breaks. Luckily his coach is being extremely supportive and has guaranteed him a spot on Varsity next year, and he'll also be part of the team this year even though he won't be playing. I'll go into a bit more detail and I promise another update asap, just haven't been feelin' it lately. Thanks all for being patient, I promise I'll see ya real soon ::yes::
Haven't been following your dining report, so no, I didn't know this.:sad:
Take care of you and your family. We are way less important.
My prayers are with you and Ricky.
 
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Oh I am so sorry about Ricky I hope he has a speedy recovery and feels better soon.
 
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Popping in to say I'm enjoying your TR.
:welcome: and thank you! It's always nice to hear that someone is enjoying your writing :goodvibes

Such a bummer about the MB's not working. It's so nice to finally have the kids old enough to be able to do some things without you (and you without them!) and then a glitch makes that plan fly out the window!
Exactly! We've had a couple trips where Ricky has stayed behind and met up with us, and we've let them go to the arcade along or hand down on the BW while we've walked in a different area, things like that. But this was going to be the first time we were letting BOTH of them hang back if they wanted to.......

Although I have to say that my two DS's would usually opt to hang with us even when given the option of going it alone, which was nice. They are adults now (21, 24) but even on our trip last year when one wasn't ready to go when the rest of us were, we said he could meet us later.
Love that! Actually, Ricky is usually the same. He rarely doesn't want to do what we're doing, it's more Chris lol and we won't let him stay alone in the room yet while we go to a park. Only once this trip did Ricky stay in the room and it was because he had a little stomach thing going on, and he really wanted to do what we were doing later in the day so chose to rest a bit in the morning.

I know I've read your other reports and dining reports, but not sure I ever spoke up and said "hi". I show up late to the party many times, so the report may be over and done, but I thought I'd let you know that I enjoy them!
I truly appreciate it! As I mentioned above, I have so much fun writing these reports and it means a lot to know others enjoy them :thumbsup2

Sounds like we will be at WDW at the same time this fall. I'm staying at the Poly for the first time! I'm looking forward to my first deluxe stay.
Looks like we will! Maybe we can meet up quick and say hello. And congrats on your first Deluxe stay, once you try one it'll be hard to go back lol. We were in Morea our last Poly stay as we'd rented DVC points. Did you make a request for a certain building?

I think I need to add Wilderness Lodge to my wish list--it looks beautiful!
That you do, it's breathtaking :cloud9:

I'm excited to be back for F&W and taking note of all the delicious adult beverages (and that mickey cinnamon bun Chris had--mmmm).
I can't wait for F&W, we haven't been there since 2010!

I did have the confirmation written down at home for the record...and it did eventually show up via email and I've linked it...so all good for December at NEW-TO-US CBR
Great :thumbsup2 I always enjoy trying new resorts even when it isn't one I'm dying to stay at.

I was really more irritated with the hard-sell that phone operator was doing for me on the dining plan. Lady I KNOW what I want and need...stop trying to upsell me!
I hate that! Even on the TA line, sometimes the CM's will talk to me like I have no idea what I'm doing. Sorry Bambi, it's not my first rodeo!

Way to go having a short line at La Cava...that is a VERY rare thing these days, we are also sad about it. I'm sure we'll still be in that line next month though!
Unfortunately you probably will! My short line was probably pixie dust for our stupid MB issues lol

Chris sure likes himself some hot wet towels lol
LMAO he does! He's even asked at a couple restaurants at home if they have them :rolleyes:

I was going to say the margarita sounds good, but that just sounds ew :crazy2:
lol, I think I made it sound worse than it was. But whatever it was it certainly wasn't that appetizing.

Trying to get caught up around here, for some reason the DIS is super slow today for me, or maybe it's my own internet...who knows...anyway...
Not just you, I know you commented like a week ago but the DIS has been slow for me for awhile now :headache:

So cool! And how fun that you got to chat with a CM about NY. Now you've got me curious...like what...pizza? bagels? :))
You got it! Pizza, bagels, and the lack of deli's anywhere in the south lol

Sorry about your MB issues... I do hope they got resolved soon after this! That's the thing about the MB's...when they work the whole thing is really awesome...but when they don't...ugh!!
That's how I feel about anything technology-wise. Great when it works but when it doesn't, it totally screws you!

Awesome that you'll be at The Poly! Maybe we can DisMeet there on that day!
Definitely!! I'll PM you when our trips get closer because I want to meet you regardless of whether it's at the Poly or elsewhere. We won't get in until probably 7ish on the 4th, and then I need to run to MK to get my TA ticket so I think we're just going to eat at Capt. Cooks. I need to go back to your PTR and see what your plans are :)

Nice! Is that only for fancy, club-level people?
Yup, only for us :snooty: No lol I'm actually not sure, from what I've heard it's only club and at the GF.

OMG! :rotfl2: How awful are you people that he'd rather be squished between two sweaty man strangers?! I'm dying!
We're pretty bad, you sure you want to meet up :laughing:
Maybe they're trying to make the smokers happy :confused3
Epcot's Pineapple Margarita, satisfying Disney's smokers since 1982 :D

I did a lot of my catching up on my phone, and wrote up all these comments and then of course they wouldn't post and deleted :mad:

I didn't rewrite them, sorry :sad1:
Ugh, no worries, I hate when that happens. I'll quote tons of things from someones TR and then they all disappear, and I just don't have the energy to requote so I simply comment what I can remember. Laziness on my part, lack of time on your part since you have a toddler and a FT job!

"Welcome to Club Level! But you can't get into your room or the lounge and sorry there's nothing we can do about it!" :furious:
The way Disney promotes many of their high points lately unfortunately :rolleyes:

This is why the men shouldn't make the transportation decisions :rotfl:
Or any decision of importance really :P

Awwww brotherly love
Yes, the rare and elusive brotherly love!

Hey, I found your trip report. Fantastic!!
YAY, :welcome:
 

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