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Walt Disney World and Florida Trip Reports Trip Reports and Videos |
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4 Jan 18, 07:09 PM |
#201
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VIP Dibber
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You mean I got all excited thinking there was another post to read and now... let down. Oh well, at least you've written yours, my trippie is still waiting and I haven't started writing it yet
I had a great Christmas thankyou - lovely one with the family and then I had to come back to NL. Back at work now, at least it's nearly at the end of the first week. That Beef Wellington looks smashing. As for January salad plans, I hear you, my tea was steak, garlicky green veg and some roasted roots (and not the nice potato type roots). Oh yes and Happy New Year to you and the family Liz x Edited at 07:24 PM. |
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4 Jan 18, 07:23 PM |
#202
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Earning My Ears
Join Date: May 15
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Happy New Year April and all! Your beef wellington looks delicious. It's making me hungry as I warm up soup.
Looking forward to reading more of your adventures. |
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4 Jan 18, 07:41 PM |
#203
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Imagineer
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Happy New Year all!
Only one more instalment? That's disappointing! Well done for dragging it out an extra week though Glad you had a lovely Christmas, that beef wellington looks very impressive! We had a lovely break but it went far too quickly and was very busy with visiting the hordes of family. I thought of you April, as I was busy preparing the bedroom floor for hoovering - yep, I have to brush it with a pet brush first, to gather all the gigantic hair balls that I leave behind after combing the mane it was genuinely horrifying the amount that came up! |
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4 Jan 18, 07:52 PM |
#204
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VIP Dibber
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Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you all had fun times in the holidays and fingers crossed we all have a fabulous 2018.
__________________
Abby New pre trip report - Summer 2024 Link to all my completed trip reports 2017: NYC and Orlando. Salzburg. Boston. 2018: Orlando. Berlin. 2019: DLP. Orlando. Washington DC. 2020: DLP. 2021: Jamaica. Rome. 2022: Orlando. 2023: Orlando. Niagara and Toronto. |
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5 Jan 18, 10:19 PM |
#205
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Guest
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Sorry, Liz (hangs head in shame). Not only did I let you down...I'm a BAD EXAMPLE.
Beef Wellington is my absolute favourite food - we have it as a special treat on Christmas Eve with dauphinoise potatoes and creamed spinach. YUM. It's been funny...making all these "new traditions" - just the three of us. When Poot was four, and R.C. and I first decided that we were no longer going to fly to America every year for Christmas, I felt sad - but with the hours R.C. works, those few days at Christmas (spent just we three) every year have become something I look forward to enormously. This year we even went to the CINEMA (for the first time in years) - to see Poot's first proper "grown-up" fill-em, "Singin in the Rain". They don't write 'em like that anymore, Sister! It's been a soup sort of week, hasn't it (sigh)? But tonight I splashed out and made polenta. Thanks so much for checking in! Lol, Tara - I was thinking of you this morning, as I priced () the special "thickening" shampoo that Helen recommended. WOWZA...if I start buying that we'll be eating beans on toast three nights a week! Dragging it out, indeed. Sniff! I intended to be done by now...but frankly it was so nice having DH around that I didn't want to shut myself away to type and upload photos. |
11 Jan 18, 09:51 PM |
#206
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Guest
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The Uttermost Parts of the Sea - Florida - October 2017
We are a family of three, consisting of… Me, April (the grateful one): My husband, R.C. (the food critic): Our son, Poot - aged 10 (the sanguine one): There’s a fair bit of planning chat in the next few paragraphs. Now I find planning chat interesting (that’s why I joined the Dibb in the first place)...but if you don’t - feel free to skip down to the picture of the pool hustler. Recap: This holiday was really only meant to be (gymnastics in) Canada. But as time passed, I kept thinking about our Universal annual passes (last year it ended up being cheaper for us to buy annual passes than “normal” park tickets) - which would be valid until December... It was easy (all too easy ) to talk myself into a few post-Canada days in Orlando...“to get some more use out of those APs”. But last year’s room at Portofino had increased in price by more than $100 per night (the Volcano Bay effect?) - so we ran some numbers and decided to stay at Port Orleans French Quarter instead. We’d sneak in a night at the Halloween party - and then Uber over to Universal for a couple of days. Five nights at POFQ ran me £518. I snapped up a couple of cheapie one-way one-stops to MCO, booked two more one-way tickets back from MCO to Gatwick - and we were set. And then - on the Fourth of July - I got a call from Disney. POFQ had been oversold for our dates. We were offered a free upgrade - to the Grand Floridian. Woo-hoo! But THEN...while we were in Canada, I got a job offer - in Miami. With R.C.’s medical expenses looming large in my mind (Have we had a sniff of any reimbursement money yet? We have not.), I called him to see if he thought I should take it. By now, he was out of the sling (because they didn’t spot his torn rotator cuff until LAST MONTH, grr) and feeling pretty positive - so we agreed that I’d take the Miami job. Especially useful for our finances? I have family in Miami (for that, read: relatives upon whom I can presume ) - so I could keep my per diem instead of spending it on a hotel! BUT...the days of the job didn’t fit in with either our G-Flo stay - or our flight back to London. Hmm. So I called Disney. And (just like on the cruise) they were AWESOME. We ended up with two nights at POFQ and then two nights at Wilderness Lodge - for which I would be charged my original POFQ per-night rate. They then SWITCHED my five nights at the G-Flo to five nights over Halloween (WOWZA!). I was stunned - and enormously thankful. The “Disney Difference”, indeed. We had non-refundable, non-changeable tickets on Norwegian - but I’m a great believer in “You don’t ask, you don’t get” - so I thought I’d chance my arm... ...and they were great, too - switching our dates for £50. Maybe they took pity on a half-caste, who knows? We did have fly back to London a few days later than I wanted...but in the end I decided that extra time in Florida was a GOOD THING. Though as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t justify booking the “extra time” at the Grand Floridian - so we decided (read: I DECIDED) to try out Cabana Bay instead. Next I rang my (unsuspecting) cousin Nap in Miami... ...because YONKS AGO, when I was single, I was nominated by my bossiest aunt to host one of my cousins by marriage (visiting from Nicaragua for the summer). “You’re STILL not married - you’ve got plenty of room in your house for him, I’m sure.” I did, obviously (thanks for pointing it out!) - but that didn’t mean I wanted a housemate for three months, either. But as I worked to sort out all the Florida logistics from our Montréal hotel room, I was glad I had given in to my dictatorial auntie all those years ago… ...because (yep) my erstwhile housemate now lives in Miami - and he was going to get to host me (...erm...well...Poot AND me) this time. And if he did it as grudgingly as I did all those years ago - well, you wouldn’t have known it to hear him. Me: Cousin Nap? Cousin Nap: April! How are you? Me: Well enough, I suppose. But I need a favour... CN: Of course, of course! My house is your house (and all that stuff that I SHOULD say when people want to stay with us...when what I REALLY want to say is that we all have the plague and the house is under quarantine). That’s right. Me: My Perfect Cousin: Nap’s a doctor - he practices at a (sort of) community clinic for Spanish-speakers - and Poot even got to go to work with him on two occasions, where he learned lots of useful things… “Mother, do you know how to say ‘yellow phlegm’ in Spanish? Because I DO!”* I harbour secret (or perhaps not-so-secret ) hopes of Poot becoming a doctor...I wondered if his “work experience” (lol) with my cousin might have made him think about a future career in medicine...but no. It’s still all volcanology, meteorites and airplane crashes chez Gopher. Sorry, I digress. Also in Miami - living near my perfect cousin - are his mother and two sisters (and their kids!). And Poot and I were just sort of absorbed into their pack. Words fail to describe how grateful I was to have people with whom I could leave Poot while I went to meetings. I never needed to be gone for more than a few hours at a time - but still. It was a great relief - I couldn’t have taken the job if there hadn’t been somewhere for Poot to go. I love my cousins by marriage. I love Latins in general. And I solemnly swear that I will be more hospitable in future. (Though Miami is definitely on my “Places I Would NEVER, EVER Want To Live” list. It is just straight-up not for me.) Irritatingly, 3’s “Feel at Home” doesn’t work in Canada. I was whining about this to one of the Loews’ clerks - and he was all “TELL ME ABOUT IT!” - as apparently mobile phone roaming/contract reciprocity is an ongoing challenge for Canadians... ANYWAY...to sort out all the date/hotel changes I was out about twenty quid in roaming costs - but it was twenty quid well spent. OK, sorry - I’ve been bouncing around in time here...before we got to Florida - and its yellow phlegm - we had to leave Canada. There are non-stop flights from Montréal to Orlando - all on Air Canada, I think - but we opted for Delta (Don’t Expect Luggage To Arrive) via LaGuardia, as it was one-third the cost. LaGuardia (as always) was insanely crowded (and none too clean) but the journey was easy enough. DME took us to POFQ, and we settled in for a few (no park ticket) days of fun. I said this last year, too - but I absolutely LOVE no park ticket Disney stays. You can do all the things you normally skip because you’re not worried about “wasting park time”. Pool learned to shoot pool (yep, I’m the BAD parent ) - - and we visited a bunch of the other resorts - for hidden mickeys… ...photo ops… …wildlife-spotting (how ADORABLE are the tree frogs?)... ...and pin trading. Poot traded for some good ones, including: We did the Premium Outlets (for Disney tat and PEANUTS VANS (!)) - Disney tat: (Poot’s) Slug Mug ($5): Tatooine Luggage Tag ($4): Tiki "Art" (posh postcard): $1 MORE Pins ($2-$6): I photographed Poot’s pins in situ (on his pin board). Sorry if they’re blurry. DCL Photo Album ($5): DCL Magnet ($4): There were ten thousand things from the Disney Wonder’s Alaska sailings (we noticed that last year, too) - but nothing that was Magic-specific. Nevertheless, I was DELIGHTED to find some generic DCL stuff at the Outlet - as the prices on the ship had been mad. We did buy the special 2017 Transatlantic pins on board… ...but that was it. Back at the outlet, we also bought a Grand Floridian zip-up fleece ($25) for The Queen (sorry, I didn’t photograph it - and I can’t find a snap on Google Images, either). I would have ABSOLUTELY bought one for myself, too - it was darling - and a lovely shade of purple. But they only had it in size small. Boo. On to the Vans shop! Peanuts Vans (Yay!) for Poot ($30): - (I don’t ever wear flats - or t-shirts, for that matter - so how excited was I to see that the Vans Peanuts collection included FROCKS?!) I bought this Snoopy one (£30 from Amazon): ...and am waiting to see if THIS ONE - - gets any cheaper. More shopping at Target (the fifth theme park ) - - and the Dollar Tree: (Poot may love the Dollar Tree even MORE than Target). We enjoyed some (dirt cheap) off-site dining at Freddy’s… (Patty Melts and Frozen Custards )...and Poot’s beloved Olive Garden: (I didn’t object - it was delicious). We also had a couple of good wanders around Disney Springs. This year there was a zombie band - - and these ladies were at work in the shops. Food-wise at DS, we went for our old favourite, the Earl of Sandwich (where my loyalty card got me a free brownie AND $5 off our bill this time)... ...and (the new to us) D-Luxe Burger. We shared the Southern Burger (pimento cheese! )... ...and a salted caramel milkshake: I know salted caramel is the pulled pork of the pudding world (i.e. absolutely EVERYWHERE)...but it’s scrummy (unlike pulled pork, bleurgh) - so I don’t care. The food at D-Luxe was so tasty (and they’ll do your burger RARE [no lectures, CRP ]) that we went twice! Oh - and one of the D-Luxe chefs has recently taken over at the Sci-Fi (or so I heard on a DFB video) - so the burgers should be good there now, too. Sorry - if I can go back to the Earl for just a second - I’ve decided Poot is right. The Holiday Turkey is their best sandwich. I found a copycat recipe for it on YouTube...but I just can't get the link to work - you can search for "Family Fudge Holiday Turkey Sandwich" if you share our views on matters sandwich and want to try and make it at home. We finally went to Ample Hills Creamery (at the Boardwalk) - - and I was right about this one - the sundaes here were much nicer than at Ghirardelli. We had Oatmeal Lace ice cream… ...on an ooey gooey butter cake base - - topped with caramel sauce and whipped cream. Bowl-lickingly good, this was - and had I not been aware that too much ice cream would make my own “hills”...more ample...I would have gone straight back inside for more. And it’s a nicer spot to enjoy an ice cream than Ghirardelli, too. On the Boardwalk, watching the boats putter across the lake...who needs park tickets? To burn off our burgers, shakes and ice cream, we tried out the pools at Riverside (Poot swears the slide at Ol’ Man Island is WAY better than the one at POFQ): Oh - and I don’t have anything to really SAY about this photo (taken en route to Disney Springs) - I just liked it: I also had my birthday while we were at Disney. R.C. sent flowers (which I did NOT photograph, sorry) - they arrived a day late (Disney’s fault) and with no accompanying message. Instead, THIS was clipped into the card holder: Yep. Product: ≈≈≈≈≈. Love you too, dear. I saved the “card” for my scrapbook. Who says romance is dead? At POFQ we had a room that “overlooked” the pool, but at Wilderness Lodge we were assigned a room RIGHT above the boat dock. So from 6:00 AM ‘til 1:00 AM...it was non-stop honking. Thanks for the upgrade Disney - but I sure hope that people paying rack rate get better rooms! As you can see, we could watch the Electrical Water Pageant from our balcony. On our first night at the lodge, I was in the shower when it pulled up… Me (turning off the shower and whisper-yelling at Poot through the bathroom door): What is WRONG with you?! Turn that unholy din off RIGHT NOW! This is a hotel! People are SLEEPING! Poot: Um, Mother...that’s the water pageant. So NOT the telly, then. Oops. Wilderness Lodge has a massive pin board in the lobby. And Poot was able to find one or two real pins here - but on the whole he thinks (and I agree with him) that the situation with the ebay fakes just keeps getting worse and worse. Please don’t buy fake pin lots on ebay, people. When you do you spoil it for everyone. As I mentioned up in the planning chat, our no park ticket stay DID include one visit to Magic Kingdom - for the Halloween Party. This was such a massive high for Poot last year I just couldn’t resist booking again. Now, as I may have mentioned, I love matchy-matchy - whether it’s themed family shirts (Is this you? Hello!) ... ...or fancy dress (I knew you were waiting for more darts snaps, Liz ) - - so I’m super grateful that Poot is still willing to do matching costumes with his old mother. His first choice was Mowgli and Baloo - - but I thought that Disney might not allow...loincloths. I then suggested Elliott and Pete… ...but Poot wasn’t keen. In the end he had a rummage through his hat box - and decided to put his fez to good use as Aladdin. I would be Genie. Total cost for both costumes: £7 (£3 for charity shop togs that I worked into Poot’s costume - and £4 for my blue eyeshadow (WHAT?! I didn’t already own blue eye makeup?!)). Poot’s idea turned out to be a good choice. Last year we were the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat - and Alice costumes were (as always) EVERYWHERE (much to Poot’s disappointment) - but we never saw ANY other Aladdins or Genies. Which seems strange, but there you go. I think I took this snap on the Speedway... We did have an awkward costume moment in the park, when a Fantasyland CM thought we were Aladdin and JASMINE. “Ooh - so cute! Aladdin and Jasmine! (...and then in song) A Whole New World….” Poot: Um...no. This is my MOTHER. She’s meant to be the Genie. Don’t you think if she were dressed as Jasmine that would be weird and creepy? I think it would even be illegal in most countries. Poot didn’t want to wait for characters this year. Not even Moana: (I won’t lie - that surprised me. ) But at the end of the night, he did agree to wait five minutes to see Jafar. Poot is most definitely aging out of character meets (the occasional selfie notwithstanding) - but this was a fab one. Jafar kept pretending to strangle “Aladdin”, hex him - it was great. We also stumbled on a no-wait M&G with the gravediggers: Now...I’m sure that some of you who remember last year’s MNSSHP parade controversy will be wondering if I caused an international incident at this year’s party, too. Um...yes. You can see from these snaps… (Grr...WHY can’t I get a decent photo of the Headless Horseman?)...that for the parade we were right across from the Liberty Square bridge. We positioned ourselves between a big Cajun family and a sweet newlywed couple...but none of us were sure about the floats’ turning radii - so I found a lovely Puerto Rican cast member (Oscar) and asked him if he’d show us where we could (for certain) sit. I didn’t want to pick out a “good” seat only to have to move and stand behind three rows of people. Oscar was so kind. He patiently fielded Poot’s half-dozen questions about what the hurricane had done to his hometown (you know Poot’s fascination with natural disasters!) and made sure that all of us were in “safe” spots. While we waited for the (Hocus Pocus show and) parade, all the folks in our little area got to talking. The groom (half) of the newlywed couple was deaf - so he was very pleased he would be in the front row for the parade (as - OBVIOUSLY - he wouldn’t be able to hear it). Why am I telling you this? You’ll see. The Cajun family included a boy of around Poot’s age - who kindly traded an extra-special pin… ...with Poot. Their family had been lucky enough to score a few of these amazing Headless Horseman pins at Fort Wilderness. I offered his mother some cash, but she wouldn’t take it. While the boys talked pins, the matriarch of the family (let’s call her Mama Cajun) and I got to talking about “parade manners”. Mama Cajun: Well, we’re from Baton Rouge - we’re used to doing Mardi Gras. Nobody’s going to get past us! So...the Hocus Pocus show started. And I stayed seated on the ground (I saw the show last year, I was fine with just listening this time) to hold our two seats. I knew the Cajuns would be looking out for their spots...but I forgot to keep an eye on the newlyweds. And OF COURSE, they weren’t watching their spots with eagle eyes (as they were trying to make sure that the groom could SEE the show). And as the show ended and people scrabbled back into their places, a lone American woman (whom I had seen looking for - and failing to find - a “front row seat” earlier) noticed that the newlyweds were NOT QUITE at the edge of the kerb - and she did something I’ve never seen before. She perched the heels of her feet on the front of the kerb...and then stuck her backside out and pushed - until the young bride was forced to step backwards - or fall over. She chose step - and in a flash - the rude woman had PLONKED herself down on the kerb - and the newlyweds were now behind her. And the rude woman was not exactly a sylph. It wasn’t like they were sitting behind a child. She PROPERLY blocked their view. Well, this did not go unnoticed by the Cajuns and me. But by now people were well and truly “jostling” for parade spots - and there wasn’t a square inch of space on the kerb to be had. I asked the bride (who by now was crying) if she wanted me to say anything on her behalf. Bride: You know it won’t matter. She got what she wanted. I guess we’ll just make the best of it. But I tried anyway. And she was right. It didn’t matter. When I tried to explain (in my friendliest way, I swear!) to the horrible woman that the groom was deaf - and that being up front was important to his experience of the parade, her response was, “Well, too bad. I noticed YOU made sure to keep YOUR feet in front of the kerb. But they didn’t. You snooze, you lose, Buddy.” I knew the Cajuns were listening to our little chat - and I exchanged a glance with Mama Cajun. I then stretched Poot’s legs out across my spot - and went across the street to get Oscar. Me: I don’t know if there’s anything you can DO about this...but as you know we’ve all been waiting...and then she just SHOVED herself...can you help in any way? I could tell Oscar didn’t really want to get involved, but to his credit - he tried. The Horrible Woman saw us coming. Horrible Woman: You TATTLED on me?! Me: No, I went to see if there’s a way that these nice young people can watch the parade that they’ve been waiting more than an hour to see. HW (to Oscar): I don’t know what she’s talking about. I’ve been sitting in this spot since seven o’clock. Oscar: No, you haven’t. I spoke to all these people (about Hurricane Irma, lol) before the Hocus Pocus show. So I know that they were here - but you WEREN’T. HW (sensing Oscar wasn’t buying what she was selling): Where are you FROM, anyway? You’re not even AMERICAN! Who are you to tell me what I can do in my own country? You’re some FOREIGN THING! Oh, dear. Here’s where it all really went trough. Poot saw red - but not as fast as Mama Cajun did. Mama Cajun (to HW): You are GARBAGE. You make me embarrassed to be an American. You are pure WHITE TRASH. Poot (who until that point was all het up and ready to take on HW for Oscar) just froze and stared at Mama. As for Oscar, he looked down his nose at HW, turned around and walked off - but he came back after a minute or two to take the lovely newlyweds with him to a Priority/Premium seating area (where they watched the parade from a nice bench). But HW wasn’t going anywhere - and we had to watch the parade sitting next to her. When the parade was over, we shook hands with the Cajuns. But I could tell Mama was waiting for something… And the second HW turned away from us - Mama flung her cupful of iced something at HW’s back. You could tell she was a pro, because that cup disappeared...somewhere...faster than anything. And by the time HW turned around to see who had...erm...watered her, Mama was deep in conversation with Poot about pins. Oh, dear. Racist ranting, name-calling, water-flinging...this was worse than last year’s troubles. At least Poot was happy. He got a fancy new pin. But I was bothered (and indeed am still bothered). I REALLY hope that the nasty woman didn’t try to make trouble for poor Oscar. I should have tweeted (?) a cast compliment for him...but I’m old - and that social media stuff never occurs to me until it’s two weeks too late. We did talk to him after the fireworks ( I apologised for dropping him in the stew) - but he told me not to worry - that people say horrid, racist things to him all the time. “And hey, at least she didn’t CURSE at me.” NOW, let me just say...Mama Cajun’s way of handling things is NOT the way I handle things - and not the way I want Poot to manage hard situations in the future. We had a couple of frustrating, interesting (and rewarding, I suppose) conversations about revenge and resolution NOT being the same thing. Poot: But I LIKED Mama Cajun. She got even. Me: Hmm... Is anybody remembering “[Bats] should have punched him in his fat, French face!”? Yeah, me too. Let’s move on, shall we? Back at the party, we found a spot closer to the castle to watch the fireworks - and this year (in our little area) everyone SAT DOWN. It was great. Back at POFQ, Poot sorted all his Halloween loot: Oh, wait - you know, let’s put the other (post-Miami) Halloween story here, too. While we were thrilled to be upgraded to the G-Flo, Poot - upon finding out that our stay in Florida would be over Halloween “proper” - asked if we could go over to Port Orleans for their costume contest (he entered in 2016, but lost). Now I wasn’t sure if that would be kosher - but we asked at the POFQ concierge desk - and they told us that MANY non-resort guests come to participate in the contest. Poot was relieved. So on Halloween night, we left the Grand - and traipsed over to POFQ… ...where we watched all the different age divisions of the big fancy dress contest. How cute are the Disney babies? I’m NOT sorry we didn’t take Poot to Florida until he was five..but...SO CUTE! (Sorry, I didn’t take any snaps of the younger kids’ contests...taking pictures of other people’s kids feels weird to me.) Finally, it was the turn of the 10-12 year olds… ...and the winner was… ...the ten year old Aladdin in the (£3) homemade costume! The prize? A fidget spinner (we’d seen MOUNTAINS of these at the outlets, lol) - and a Donald Duck emoji pillow. Poot gave the pillow to a very pretty pirate lass (who was sad about not having won a prize) - but kept the spinner. OK, let’s go back in time again. After our truncated stay at POFQ and Wilderness Lodge (HONK!), we were off to Miami for the job. What can I say - it was work. I’m not a contortionist or a forensic pathologist (or anything else interesting) - so I’ll spare you the details. But after hours we did have some delicious meals in Little Havana (I paid - I’m a good [enough] houseguest) - and food from someone’s (garage) joint in Little Haiti (mmm...goat-y). We did NOT get over to the beach to look at the Art Deco hotels (the one thing I thought I might actually like to do in Miami) - though we may one day, as Poot wants to go back and hang out (or pass the rat, as the Spanglish apparently has it ) some more with his primos. R.C. (who has no Spanish and who DEFINITELY isn’t a “garage goat” sort of chap) is less keen. Snob. continues in next post Edited at 11:33 PM. |
11 Jan 18, 10:33 PM |
#207
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Guest
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continued from previous post
Back to Orlando! Last year’s Orlando trippie was so long, I’m going to try not to repeat things I said then. But we did enjoy a few new (to us) Disney experiences on this holiday (because you know once I had that job booked I couldn’t resist buying park tickets...I told you back in the first post that I was the feckless one). And there may be minor ride/attraction spoilers in these next few paragraphs - so if you want to go into Avatarland (or anything else new since 2016) totally blind - skip down past the blue pudding photo. Pandora: Aside from the fact that a few of the “plants” in this area looked like something Poot might have seen at my perfect cousin’s medical clinic… ...this new land is AMAZING. One thing, though - I think James Cameron may be the only man alive who uses more punctuation marks than I do. So many APOSTROPHES, Jim! Flight of Passage: I’m not sure that I would now class FOP as my “favourite” ride at WDW (no, wait - I am sure - I wouldn’t) - but it is an absolute game-changer for American theme park attractions. From the different pre-show sequences to the ride tech...WOW...just WOW. We rode three times - once with FPs and twice without. This video is helpful if you can’t get a FP: Oh...and in case you are wondering about size issues, I’m a UK 14/16 (American 10/12) and I was absolutely fine. My calves are rather...tree trunk-ish, so I was a teensy bit worried - but I needn’t have been. PLENTY of room. The first time we rode I went up on my tiptoes (per the YouTube tips I’d read) - but it was unnecessary. No Pandora souvenirs, but Poot has asked if we can start a pound coin jar (that’s how we saved for his Harry Potter wand) to put aside cash for these: Hmm...I’m *pretty sure* I’ll never be able to make myself spend $25 on a MUG...but Poot adores his HP wand, so perhaps I’ll pony up for the banshee. If nothing else, it would make for good Avatarland photos… Na'vi River Journey: Readers of my Boston trippie may remember that I do NOT think much of Mr. Cameron’s dialogue...but ANY dialogue would have been much appreciated on this one...as it’s a STUNNING ride: ...that has absolutely NO story. Come on, Disney - give us SOMETHING! Even if it’s only “Welcome to Pandora, we’ve arranged a journey for you down the Pretentious River…” When we debarked our boat, there was a big American dad giving it to the rest of his family with both barrels… “I can’t believe you made me wait TWO HOURS for THAT piece of...ahem…” My reaction wasn’t quite as strong as THAT GUY’S...but it was frustrating that Disney clearly spent real cash on this ride - and then didn’t even provide a voiceover (they’re cheap!) - or pre-show signs - or ANYTHING. Bah! Rivers of Light: This is a beautiful show… But in addition to being INSANELY crowded (we sat in the FP section) - the producers seemed to have gone to the Na’vi crew for plot tips. Because - yet again - NO PLOT! I enjoyed the music, though - and indeed I picked up the CD (a good choice; it also includes the music from the Tree of Life Awakenings). Some random Animal Kingdom snaps… Has this sign (in Dinosaur!) always been there? Because it made us laugh out loud...scary dinosaurs, indeed. Poorly-executed selfie (but dig my AK dress! I don’t Disneybound like HEMANCLOFTY, but I do try...a little): Oh - and who wants to see NEXT YEAR’S Animal Kingdom SHOES? ...I got these in the Plumo sale...and because I live with chaps - who don’t care about shoes - you get to admire them! Yes, you guessed it - Poot saw this one… ...on a YouTube video (BookishPrincess, I think) - and wanted to recreate it. Good to see the vultures had gotten into the Halloween spirit: ...appropriate, I thought! And now back to the new... Star Wars Fireworks/Projections Thing at DHS: This was really fun! And the little pre-show was good, too. My only complaint? Not enough Lando. I think this: ...was it. Boo! Speaking of Lando (just in case there are one or two other Lando ladies out there…) - the one thing I regret NOT buying on this holiday? Lando socks (from Stance at Disney Springs): Where would I wear Lando Calrissian socks? I’ve absolutely no idea. But I want them all the same. Despite the fact that they cost $20. How can a pair of socks cost $20?! Now...you all know I love a good shopping report - so this seems as good a place as any to stick in what we bought in the parks (not much - other than pins - I’m a total convert to Disney outlet shopping). CD ($19): I would have bought the “Happily Ever After” CD, too - but it wasn’t out yet. Has anybody been able to lay hands on it? Rice bowls (these are going to be ice cream bowls chez Gopher) ($15 for three): (Mitsukoshi) kimono (to wear in Qatar) ($75): Mr. Toad Glass (I ADORE Mr. Toad - WHY isn’t there more Toad tat?) ($15): MY Pins ($9-19): I had such luck with the (gorgeous stained glass) “Royalty” reveal/conceal set last year - - that I thought I’d try this one… ...in the hopes of getting Brutus and Nero (from The Rescuers) for my ‘70s collection. But no. I got the eels from The Little Mermaid instead. Does anybody out there want to trade? Please? Love this Epcot 35th pin: Ichabod Crane (!) “Fall” pin: Such a “Discoveryland” look to this “Nautilus and Squid” choice: Old friends know my feelings on matters P.C., so this one should come as no surprise: Christmas Baymax: Poot’s Pins: I also got him the Christmas Baymax. I don’t know that we’ll ever be in the parks at Christmas (You know I will NOT be able to sell that one to DH) - but both Poot and I have Christmas lanyards and several pins...so should the moment come - we’ll be ready! ...and (at Poot’s request) I got him THIS park-style button which we saw on another park-goer (Disney doesn’t sell it, obviously - I had to buy it from ebay): Off-site, some toffee bits… ...were acquired at Target (and I’ve read so much about The Pioneer Woman magazine… ...that I grabbed one of those, too.) That is a lot of information about one woman’s life! Not for me, I fear. I’m going to stick with my old favourites: Oh, and I bought the next thing back in Montréal at a charity book sale - but since it made me scream with laughter - I thought I’d show it here with my other loot. Ladies, I give you… Are there any Canadians reading this? If there are, PLEASE tell me that Captain Canuck was popular (or - better still - is popular now). Please. And just how many “Captains” are there, anyway? Captain America, Captain Britain, Captain Canuck - any others? Sorry for the shopping digression there. Back to “new to us” things at Disney! Happily Ever After: As I know I have mentioned in the past, I was not a “Wishes” crier - so I was EXCITED to see Disney announce a new fireworks show at Magic Kingdom. And it was good - not EMOTIONAL in any way - but good. We watched once from RIGHT in front of the castle (because I knew we could walk up to that spot five minutes before the show), and while we missed some of the perimeter displays and side-turret projections...no one held up a tablet in front of us, we were lovely and close to MOST of the projections - and I got my best ever snap of flying Tinkerbell. Yes, I know - but I didn’t say it was a GOOD snap - just that it was MY best snap. Old hands will know those are rarely the same thing. Us after Happily Ever After: ...we’re in our macs - so it was obviously raining that night (but I don’t remember that - welcome to middle-age!). We also watched HAE from the G-Flo Marina. They piped in the music; it was really a lovely experience. At DHS, we happened to stumble on a clutch of rare-ish characters one day… Yes - it’s Robin Hood! Oo-De-Lally! I know, he’s not NEW Disney...but I really love Robin Hood...so there you go. And some more character photos I wanted to post ()... ...Oh - and the aforementioned selfies: Now I’ve only seen Guardians of the Galaxy once, and it was on a tiny airplane IFE screen - so I can’t be sure - but THIS Star Lord ^^^ looks...strange to me. Finally, those of you who suffered with me last time while Poot made ENDLESS trips to the firehouse to collect Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom cards...you’ll be glad (though not as glad as I AM) that Poot finished his ultimate (Level Three) SOTMK “mission” on our final day at Disney. Last time Poot just couldn’t get enough of Sorcerers, but this year was different. Like the character meet and greets - I could see that he was aging (and maybe HAD aged) out of the game. And he was a little sad when at the end of ALL THOSE battles - and victory - he was rewarded (as all are) with the rank of...Novice. Surely Disney could come up with something better. I did (secretly) get him this: ...and put it in his Christmas stocking - it now has pride of place on his pin board. He has kept one of every card (including the extra-special cards that were a gift from a lovely Dibber) - but gave all his duplicates to a family coming out of the firehouse as we left Magic Kingdom for the last time. They were gobsmacked - and delighted - so that was a fun moment for all concerned. Disney (Theme Park) Food: Satu'li Canteen (Yep, another superfluous apostrophe - we must be in Avatarland): Poot had watched a Disney Food Blog video about SC - and he was determined to try the cheeseburger pods ($11 with chips and slaw, but $4.50 on their own): ... and the blue mousse thing (around $5): The pods were...a lot of dough around a wee bit of mince that tasted vaguely of ketchup and yellow mustard - but the blue dessert was lovely. I whine that most Disney puddings just taste vaguely of “sweet” - but this was really good - nice and fruity. And - you know - blue. PS: I definitely did not laugh when Poot and another lad waiting in the queue decided these puddings should be called “blue ball$”. BOG: We were able to score TWO day-before rezzies for lunch at Be Our Guest. Thank you for the soup tip, Colette - we had that both days. Yum. On our second visit chez Beast, Poot had some more accent drama. We shared a big table with a lady doctor and her two kids, and we were all having a nice small talk-y chat while we ate...until she found out we were going to Universal. Lady Doctor (to Poot): Ooh, and you’re from the REAL Harry Potter-land. Say “Harry Potter” for my daughter. Poot: Um...Harry Potter? LD: NOOOOO, you’re not supposed to say it like that. You’re supposed to say “HAIR-REE POT-UH”. Poot: Ma’am...you know...English people don’t actually speak like that. And anyway, I’m only half-English. LD (irritated): Oh, come ON - I bet you could do it if you TRIED! Me: That’s enough, I think. Time to go. We went. People are SO WEIRD. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party: As I have mentioned, Poot loves the DFB YouTube videos...and he had his heart set on trying a SPECIFIC (only available at MNSSHP) Haunted Mansion pudding… ...the Chocolate and Peanut Butter Quicksand Stretching Room Tart. Apparently, this was “a crisp chocolate tart shell filled with creamy chocolate ganache, topped with a fluffy swirl of peanut butter icing”. If you say so, Disney. Ah well, at least it was cute. Not $6 worth of cute (OBVIOUSLY) - but cute. To finish up this (entirely unexpectedly) never-ending holiday, we had a few nights at Cabana Bay. I tried to see it with honest eyes - and not with the eyes of someone who’d come straight from the G-Flo (which was AMAZING, by the way - much better than I expected)...but that was hard. OK, typing that has made me want to put some Grand Floridian snaps in this post… I saw more than a few mothers taking “posh frock” photos of their daughters on the G-Flo stairs...and I *toyed* with the idea of making Poot put his tux on (because we had it with us in the cruise suitcase)...but in the end I just let him wear his Halloween t-shirt and sit down on the landing. I must be getting soft. But seriously, it was wonderful just to sit in the lobby and listen to the orchestra… …this would have been RIGHT up R.C.’s street - I’m so sorry he missed it. We are still organising The Queen’s big 70th birthday holiday at the GF (2019) - and our short stay did get me pretty keyed up for it. I had PLANNED that The Queen and Hans would stay at the Grand - and that we would choose somewhere cheaper for our family. But now, having STAYED at the G-Flo...I am starting to waver. Poot on the hotel grounds... (and for those of you wondering…) You can get really good value boys’ tuxes on zulilly for like £25. They don’t feel like Armani up close - but they’re great for cruise/wedding photos. They come with jacket, trousers, waistcoat, tie - and a pintucked shirt. I always buy one size ahead for Poot so that we’re prepared for any formal dos that might sneak up on us. continues in next post |
11 Jan 18, 10:53 PM |
#208
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Guest
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continued from previous post
OK, NOW Universal! What we liked about Cabana Bay: Location It’s a longer walk to the theme parks from CB than it is from any of the front-of-the-line-pass hotels, but you CAN walk (it took us twenty minutes) - and the buses run VERY frequently (ten minutes was our longest wait - and that was at park closing). You can also make the short walk to Sapphire Falls (5 minutes) and then catch the water taxi to the parks from there. Cost CB (for a theme park hotel) is CHEAP. We paid $89 per night - around what I paid the time we stayed at Pop Century. And Cabana Bay has interior hallways - and many more amenities. Like... Bowling! I hadn’t bowled since I was nine; Poot had never bowled at all. And I didn’t want to embarrass Poot, but I also didn’t want him to throw all gutterballs, either - so how cool is it that the bumpers can “pop up” for kids - and then retract again for adults? Fab! And it’s a great thing to do in the heat of the day - as bowling is discounted in the afternoon. The lazy river and pools (mostly) Our room overlooked the lazy river… ...and that was lots of fun. Loews did have a couple of lifeguards stationed at each pool - and the river - but they somehow manage to seem more “part of the atmosphere” (and less spy-ish) than they do at Disney. I’m not sure why that is… I hadn’t thought to pick up inner tubes/pool floats at Target - but I didn’t think the ones that CB was selling were outrageously priced. I *think* the tubes started at $9 - but you may want to pick up a couple of tubes at Target if you can get a good deal. When I was a kid, my father would take us to a truck stop and we’d get proper inner tubes for lake-swimming… (NOT me as a kid, obviously) ...but I don’t suppose Loews allows them. Which is a bummer, ‘cause they were ace. We used to lash them together to make towers and then jump off them. Good times. Um...OK, then. BUT...back at CB, we saw trash (food wrappers from the diner, etc…) floating in the pools more than once. And the Jacuzzi looked a little...suspect. Things on the whole appeared less clean than at Disney...which leads me to: What we did NOT like about Cabana Bay: Even though CB only opened in 2014, it’s starting to look a bit scruffy. If you’re going to have pool tables, please replace the baize every now and then. Hole-y baize (Batman) may make for more challenging games, but I don’t think that was Loews’ intention. Our building (Americana) had rust (?) stains running down the exterior walls. And there were abandoned luggage trolleys absolutely everywhere. Come on, Loews! Send a bellhop out every couple of hours to tidy up the corridors. ...and the staff was (usually) enthusiastic, but not terribly...polished. Maybe Loews starts them here now and then moves them up to the more expensive hotels when they’ve acquired some hospitality experience? OK, this last one isn’t Loews’ fault - but it just seemed to “fit” with what the hotel felt like to me…(it’s definitely time to send the kids away if they’re reading with you...I’ll wait). Kids gone? Good. So, while we were waiting in the (long) queue to check in, I was sort of wool-gathering and people-watching. It was a quite a wait, and eventually my eyes settled on the woman in front of me in line. She was probably my age - and was wearing a crop top...with low-rise shorts. So I could see a lot of her. And on her lower back she had a MASSIVE tramp stamp...of a giant downward-pointing arrow. Under the words…“For Your Pleasure.” Now you know I’m no prude. I grew up surrounded by strippers and...ahem...ladies of questionable virtue. But really? That is something you feel the need to show strangers? And then, JUST as I read the end (fnarr, fnarr) of her tattoo, Mrs. Pleasure (and her husband - who looked remarkably like Danny DeVito - which DID NOT HELP) - turned around and struck up a conversation with me. MP: Is this your first time staying here? Me (smiling awkwardly): Yep. MP: Ours, too. I can’t wait to get into the Jacuzzi! Me: Uh-huh... It’s hard to articulate exactly...but clientele-wise, there was definitely a different “vibe” to the resort than I have experienced at either Portofino or Royal Pacific. Maybe we were just unlucky - but while I’d go back to CB to bowl, I wouldn’t stay there again. From the trash in the pools to the language we heard around the property - to the complete inability of the staff to deal with a tiny business center-ish issue I needed to sort out...it didn’t really feel like a Loews hotel to me. Too bad. The Universal Parks: OK, I wrote this deep in the comments in Helen’s 2016 trippie...but it makes me NUTS - so I’m going to say it here, too. How is it that Universal can get you through security in 90 seconds but at WDW it's like queueing for bread in Soviet Russia? And NO, I don't want to talk to the bag search chap about where I'm from or whether I'm having a good time. Just put up the conveyor belts and metal detectors and ruddy well GET ON WITH IT! Staying at Cabana Bay we had to clear Universal’s “main security” (unlike at Portofino, where you clear security before you board the water taxi or at a private-ish gate near the entrance to Universal Studios) - and I wondered how time-consuming it would be...but really - I don’t think we ever waited more than a minute or two to get through. ARE YOU LISTENING, DISNEY? No, I didn’t think so. ANYWAY… Our APs didn’t include Volcano Bay, so despite being able to see it from our room’s window - we skipped it. That meant the only new to us attraction this visit was the Jimmy Fallon experience. Maybe if I knew his characters better (or indeed, at all) I would have enjoyed this one more - but I don’t think so. I think it’s rather that Jimmy Fallon...just isn’t very funny. I’d rather have Twister back, no lie. Cheesy Universal snaps: Universal Booty We bought very little at UO. I couldn’t resist this hourglass pin (the sand really trickles down): ...and Poot plumped for this one: (he’s trying to collect all the Weasley “products” pins). And that’s it - other than a few boxes of Harry Potter sweets for our invalid back home - and my neighbour, who had been keeping an eye on him. R.C. is a great at-first recipient of gifts. “Oh, how lovely. Look at all the clever names.” But for those of you who’ve missed R.C.’s dining reviews (), here’s what he thought of the actual TASTE of the candy… “Utterly vile. Who would put CINNAMON on fudge? I hope you didn’t PAY for this...WHAT? SEVEN DOLLARS?! Mad!” “This isn’t PROPER nougat (i.e. FRENCH nougat, sigh).” “Oh, this is a lovely, fat piece of chocolate. I shall enjoy this one.” For my neighbour we brought back: ...and… ...I assume he liked them. He’s never said otherwise. Universal Food Last year at Toothsome we filled up on savoury things, so were too full to order a milkshake. But this year...at last! My long-longed for Key Lime Pie Milkshake… …(and a ham. Sigh - he takes after his mother.) I was looking forward to this milkshake SO MUCH...and while it was fine (though the sliver (SLIVER) of pie wasn’t very nice, actually) - I wouldn’t spend $12 on a milkshake again. Poot was excited that he got to keep the cup, though. Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety-Jig MCO-LGW was our third flight of the year on Norwegian - and I was singing its praises to the English family waiting to board next to us...all too soon! We were an hour late to board...and then...there we sat on the tarmac. The captain came out of the cockpit...disappeared back into economy...then went back in the cockpit. Three times. Finally, he made an announcement. Apparently we were having a “passenger management situation”. ? At last...up the jetway marched the (well-armed) Orlando police. At which point what seemed like half the passengers whipped out their mobile phones to start filming. A stewardess was forced to make an announcement… “Ladies and Gentlemen...PLEASE put your phones away and allow the police to do their jobs.” Sigh. I have low (VERY LOW) expectations of people - but still. We must plumb new depths every day. ANYWAY...once the morons put away their mobiles, the police took two chaps (I think) off the plane. One of the stewards said they were drunk - but another said they were “talking crazy”. So who knows. When we got back to to Europe, I Googled “Norwegian Orlando Flight Police - and the date” (or some such) - but nothing. So drunk it was, I suppose. And that was it - we landed an hour late at Gatwick, where we met R.C. and hopped on the City Flyer for St. Albans. From there we were ferried home by R.C.’s friend with the car service. R.C. then went to work. Poot and I stayed up all day and made a start on the disaster that was our house. Now you know normally I just crash into bed after a long-haul flight, but I really did feel WAY less jet-lagged after flying back on the Dreamliner. Maybe it was the placebo effect (I’m sure that works on feeble minds )...but by the time we got back to England we’d been on American time for more than six weeks - yet I hadn’t coped with jet-lag that well since I was in my twenties. And that’s it. End of this (not quite highs-and-lows, not quite a trippie)...well, whatever this is. Many thanks to those of you who took the time to reply to this thread. Per usual, your kind, funny and insightful remarks are the reason I finished what will be my last Dibb trippie. I’m going to READ more of them - but I’m not going to write any more. See you ‘round the forums! *The Spanish for “yellow phlegm”? Flema amarilla. You’re welcome. |
12 Jan 18, 06:45 AM |
#209
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VIP Dibber
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Didn't want to read and run - will comment properly later but I have to go to the gym in a few mins. OMG you got upgraded to the GF, how lucky were you. SF is newer than CB but you can tell it will go the same way. I really must write up more than 1 page of my trip report but lots of things going on at the moment (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it). Great report, made me smile.
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12 Jan 18, 10:35 AM |
#210
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Guest
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Sad to hear that about Sapphire Falls...we had a sneaky peek at the lobby - and it was pretty - I also liked that spiral staircase area with the big bowl. Having stayed at several Loews hotels in the past couple of years, I just don't think they're a good fit with the "budget" market. Eager to hear your thoughts!
And OOH - you started your trippie? "Well-begun is half-done" - and all those encourages clichés! |
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