"SON OF A ^!#$@ I FORGOT MY SHAMPOO" Disney World Trip Report 2015 Day 15

January 12, 2015

We were starting off our morning right!  We were having breakfast at a place I had been wanting to try for a few trips now.  1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian resort.

This place is surprisingly HUGE.  It's a monorail resort and it was cool to see the monorail zooming around.

We actually went in the wrong building at first but saw this fountain which was adorable.  The Grand Floridian is all about Mary Poppins and Alice In Wonderland.  Mom had her picture taken with the penguins.

We found the building we needed to be at.  The pathways between buildings had a roof above.  Disney understands Florida rain showers!

Off to 1900 Park Fare we go!  There was a photopass photographer here but I gotta say she was either having a bad day or just wasn't a Disney person.  She was a bit rushy, impersonal and a little grumpy.  It's a really strange thing at Disney World!

This place is a character breakfast buffet.  I love doing character meals because it saves time meeting them in parks where lines are long.  Alice, Mad Hatter, Mary Poppins, Pooh, and Tigger circled through while we ate.  The menu here far exceeds Mickey Waffles and features signatures like Strawberry Soup and Lobster Eggs Benedict.  I had chocolate milk, coffee, and my personal favorite offering Orange/Passion Fruit/Guava Juice.  It was amazing!

I felt sorry for Tigger.  The group next to us kept aggravating him by calling him Tony.  "Hi Tony!"  "I like your cereal Tony"  College kids!

Mary Poppins was the best character interaction at 1900 Park Fare.  Mom was gone the first time around and she actually sat and talked to me & Feav awhile.   Mom was back her second trip through and she told Mom what good children we were.  You know it, Mary!  You're Supercalifragilistic too!

After breakfast we explored a little more.  This place is sooooo fancy!  Look at that elevator!  We went up and shopped a bit.  I couldn't help but feel like we were on Titanic.

Need I say more?  We were kinda feeling out of place and decided to head outside.

I love the Alice in Wonderland water play area they have.  When the hat filled with water it would tip over and splash down.

The beach there is pretty amazing too.  It was getting very cloudy though so we got on with our plans.

We were going to puttputt golf!  We had passes so we decided to try Fantasia Gardens.  There was actually a long wait!  We hung out in the arcade and waited.  We didn't mind considering it had Star Wars.  Goodbye quarters!

Finally it was our turn!  Fantasia Gardens was wheelchair accessible throughout however there were some tight spots.  Proceed with caution, adventures!

The theming was nice so anyone who's a fan of Fantasia should check it out.  Definitely glad we gave it a try!

In the end, Feav won!  It was a nice way to spend an afternoon since there wasn't much on the Hollywood Studios to do list!  With 18 holes behind uswe headed to the Studios.

We caught a photographer right before she was leaving because... it started to rain!  It wasn't bad, just sprinkles, so we headed in.  We window shopped a lot looking for a Marie boggin & mittens I had saw at Epcot.  There was one at Epcot but by the time decided to get it, it was gone.  We had been looking since but had no luck! A shop at Hollywood Studios said Downtown Disney had one in stock,  We decided to check later, now we were heading to the Writer's Stop to get the famous Carrot Cake Cookie.

That's when the monsoon came!  It rained so hard complete with high winds.  We had to break down and wear ponchos.  Glad I got hot chocolate at Writer's Stop because it was chilly once you got wet.  I had a poncho on but then the rain ran down it and poured on my feet & lower jeans.  Wheelchair problems!  We were close to Muppet's 3D so we ran for it since the Writer's Stop was getting overcrowded.  Rain wouldn't last long, right? Wrong! We got out of the Muppets & still raining. We spent a good hour sitting in Pizza Planet waiting for our dinner reservations.

We survived the flood!  Well except my glasses which had water spots everywhere.  We were happy to be at Mama Melrose's where it was nice and dry.

 

I had a cappuccino to keep staying warm.  It was delicious. The worst part of food pictures is seeing them 8 months later and craving them.  The things I do for you guys!

Feav and Mom had Chicken Campanelle.  It was ok but nothing over the top amazing.

Desert was next.  Feav had the Cannoli and Mom had the Panna cotta.  Again, nothing fantastic but not bad either!

The atmosphere was great.  At Disney it always is though.  Those Christmas lights!  It was perfectly themed.

The new Hollywood Studios picture with the Sorcerer Hat coming down.  Definitely a different look.  

One last picture before we said goodbye to the Studios.  Now to talk Feav into checking Downtown Disney for my Marie boggin...

"SON OF A ^!#$@ I FORGOT MY SHAMPOO" Disney World Trip Report 2015 Day 14

January 11, 2015

It's always a little unnerving to see a monorail stopped on the tracks.  Apparently it had been happening the last few days.  January is the maintenance month atleast!  We hoped it wasn't a bad omen.

When we entered Main Street we were greeted by Marie!  Monorail troubles definitely weren't a bad sign.  Marie is my second favorite character and I was wearing a necklace with her on it.  The photographer pointed it out to her.  Extra interactions are always fun.

We had a whole half of a kingdom to expole today!  Adventureland, Frontierland, and Liberty Square all had to be conquered, but first...

 

Disney Ducks!  The ducks at the Magic Kingdom are not shy at all.  Anytime these guys are near a crowd they stop to say hello!  Can't stay and chat Sir. There are adventures to be had!

Why yes, those are flying carpets!  I have been wanting to ride this since I found out it's (ready for this?) WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE!  You read that right!  No transfers required to fly on a magic carpet. Take that Dumbo!

After a quick loading procedure, I was airborne!  Since it takes a few minutes to load/unload I got 2 rides back to back.  Ofcourse I want to fly twice!  It was amazing.  I'm used to parks and fairs with nothing that's wheelchair accessible to ride.  At Disney that's completely different.

After the carpets, we stopped off for a quick snack.  I finally ran into Sunshine Tree Terrace and got a Pina Colada Slush and the popular Citrus Swirl.  The Pina Colada was amazing.  I'm actually craving one now!  The Citrus Swirl... not a fan.  The orange was too sour and there was too much of it compared to the vanilla ice cream.  With snacks done it was time to head to a tropical hideaway.  You lucky people you!

The birds sing words and the flowers bloom in the Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room!  This is corny and fun and that makes it a must do every trip.  Speaking of corny and fun...

We checked out the Country Bear Jamboree for the first time in years!  We always seem to skip this, but not today!

It's as silly as ever.  I will say that before a show it looks super crowded but don't let that scare you off.  The auditorium is big so there's plenty of room!  It's also indoors under the A/C so it's a perfect break on hot days!

Nothing like singing bears to make you hungry.  Good thing it was time for our dinner reservation.  Normally I get us late dinner reservations but today was an early one.  I'm not sure why.  I can't remember if they were full later or if I was just feeling super good, but either way it was time for a feast!  Basically it's Thanksgiving dinner served family style.  Big bowls of Mac and cheese, potatoes, green beans, different rolls and breads, and gravy.  A big platter of turkey, beef and pork.  It's a favorite of Feav.

For desert it was Johnny Appleseeds cake and vanilla ice cream.  Ofcourse Mom had a special birthday cupcake.  The chef hooked me up with an orange sherbet drink and a vanilla shake.  Pretty good stuff.

 

With dinner over there was only one thing left to do. FLY!  Yeah I could've easily rode this all day.  I was and still am amazed with the carpets.  Years of not being able to ride Dumbo  and finally some satisfaction.

After exploring a bit and Feav riding Big Thunder Mountain, we headed back to Main Street and actually scored an empty rocking chair up against the railing near the Main Street Theater.  No one would stand in front of me now!  Oh, but they tried!  As you can see in the picture, Bryan had to block the area between my chair and the rocking chair beside me. 

The Main Street Electrical Parade started and for once I got to see it.  People were still trying to squeeze by me or push their kids in.  Feav wasn't moving though!  Take that entitled rude people!

I missed the dragon in yesterdays parade, but I wasn't missing Pete's dragon tonight.  I love the Electrical parade.  I'm a sucker for Christmas lights anyway so it's pretty magical.

We decided to get ahead of the fireworks crowd and go ahead and head back.  Fireworks on the ferry are amazing but here's another tip for you:

The docks where you get on the ferry actually play the music that the fireworks are set to.  It's called "Wishes" and it's piped through the speakers here just like in the park.  So we had the music and a great view of fireworks blasting above the castle and reflecting off the lagoon.  You can click on the small picture for a better look.

Fireworks without a crowd!  It was magical but it was time to go.  Tomorrow was a big day!

"SON OF A ^!#$@ I FORGOT MY SHAMPOO" Disney World Trip Report 2015 Day 13

January 10, 2015

We needed a big breakfast today!  Since we didn't go to the Magic Kingdom on the super cold day, we had a lot of catching up to do.

Beautiful sight!  If you stay at a Disney resort parking is free.  We just show them our parking slip and pass on through.

To get to the Magic Kingdom you either ride the ferry or monorail across from the parking lot.  I always pick the Ferry!  I LOVE riding this thing!  It's relaxing and there's always this cool breeze.

After sailing across, we were here!  Those Christmas decorations... sigh... perfect!  We always end up with so many Christmas Card worthy photos.  We headed in.  I love entering Main Street!  There's so much nostalgia it's overwhelming.  You smell the fresh popcorn, hear the old timey music, and see the vendors holding big bunches of Mickey balloons.  It just feels like magic.  We noticed there was a short wait time to see the new talking Mickey Mouse.

I'm not going to sugar coat it.  As an adult, a Mickey Mouse that talks is both awkward and a little creepy.  It was amazing watching him interact with different children and it did seem magical to them.  If you have kids, definitely check this out. I'll personally skip talking Mickey in the future.  I prefer the strong silent type.

We scored an empty bench in front of the theater.  It was almost parade time and this bench was perfect.  Since the theater's porch is about 3 steps up, I would be able to see above the crowd on the streets head.  CM's (Cast Members for you non-Disney addicts) told everyone wandering up they couldn't stand on the steps.  This means I could actually see the parade!

That is until these people strolled up half way through the parade.  These people saw me.  These people got the official "Short's dirty look".  These people's vacation were obviously more important.  Don't be these people.  I fully understand everyone's vacation is as important as mine and if they were there first I wouldn't complain a bit.  However, coming in late and blocking someone's view is rude.

Atleast Mom got a picture of the fire breathing dragon for me.  This was the only part I was really wanting to see anyway.  After the parade we headed to Cosmic Ray's for lunch.

I promise there's a burger under there!  There's 2 quick serve restaurants at Magic Kingdom with an amazing toppings bar, Cosmic Ray's and Pecos Bill's.  Both places are typically pretty packed.  You can see why!

Mom had hers bun free to lower the carbs.  I had a chocolate gelato which was delicious but so so rich and an iced coffee.  Gotta keep that energy up!

We headed back out to the park and stopped by Monsters Inc Laugh Floor.  This place never ceases to amaze me with the interactions with the crowd.  It's different every visit.  How do they do it?

Feav rode Space Mountain and Mom and I explored Future World while we waited.  It was getting dark which means I was getting harder for people to see.  Why people don't watch where they walk I'll never understand.

Problem solved!  You can't miss glowing Mickey ears.  Feav returned from space and we ventured on to New Fantasy Land.

We went under the sea on the Little Mermaid ride.  I was impressed at the boarding procedure for wheelchairs.  I was on in seconds!  After we finished our ride, we headed to do some window shopping at the Beauty and the Beast gift shop & Big Top Souvenirs and Mom rode Goofy's Barnstormer.  After all that it was time for our dinner reservations.

Th right, Be Our Guest dinner reservations!  These were hard to get.  Poor Mom had to get up at 4:45am to get them and they were all gone 2minutes after Mom got ours.  There's always a few that open up but it's never a sure bet unless you get them early.

We were excited to see what all the fuss was about.  Was it really worth the advanced planning you need?  Soon we'd know!

Mom had the layered ratatouille.  It was really good.

Feav had pan seared Chicken Breast.  It was good too.

I had French Onion soup broth and well...  it wasn't a good idea.  I think if it was full soup with bread or something it would've been fine.  By the time I had drank around half I was feeling sick and stopped.  Also the chef here seemed confused at liquid only and it wasn't strained well.  I'm assuming because it's new but still not my typical experience.

The scenery was great and definitely well themed.  It was "snowing" outside the windows.

You can also meet the Beast during your dinner and have pictures made.  All and all we felt like it was nice but it wouldn't be a must do on future trips.

We stopped by a few photo pass photographers but started making our way to the front.  I still felt nasty from the soup so we decided to call it a night.

We would be back tomorrow to finish off the to do list at the Magic Kingdom!