Notices
Walt Disney World and Florida Trip Reports Trip Reports and Videos

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 31 Dec 14, 06:53 PM  
Link to this Post
#1
WileyCoyote
I am not a shopaholic
 
WileyCoyote's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 11
Our Wedding,Shopping,Park Hopping Trip Day 3: PART 1: Eat Hash, Spend Cash,See Mickey's Xmas Bash

Day 3 Friday 14 November

Hash House A Go Go, Shopping and the afternoon at MK

I have decided to split this into two parts as its taking longer than War and Peace to write and I realise that I have bazillions of piccies of the Parade and Fireworks so I will put them in the next thread

Apologies for the delay - I could say I have been really busy with Christmas stuff, sale shopping and generally getting my head around the fact that I start a new job in 5 weeks time - and all of this is true BUT I also was so determined to complete the Holiday Quest on Minion Rush that I have given myself repetitive minion syndrome and a sore index finger from swiping my ipad screen a gazillion times in order to complete the quest.

Sad, I know, but totally true.

Was it worth it ? not really, I just had it in my head I would not be beaten by the blasted game.

Man I took some stick from Andy and the boys these last few days because of course they NEVER have their noses stuck in computer games, EVER

Anyhow, on with the holiday ...

We were awake a number of times in the night – we just couldn’t seem to get it right with the aircon and alternated between being frozen and boiling.

We should have stuck to the freezing part as practice for this evening

We give up on notion of sleep around 0500 and have a coffee watching good old Wesh news again – its only our second proper day but already we are becoming hooked on Kelly and Michael after the news finishes. Still it’s a fun way to start each day as we (I) go through the day plan and gather up the right tickets and papers for the day.

We don’t set off until about 1000. We have fast passes booked for later today so it is nice not to be rushing off

The original plan for today had been lunch at the Grand Floridian, followed by dinner at Tony’s Town Square. This was on the grounds we would only make one trip to MK and we would go into the park before the Christmas party start time.

We had decided yesterday that we would make another trip so we would have time to take in all the decorations – and so based on that we would now not arrive at MK until 4pm and the ADRs I had booked were just not going to work for us so I had cancelled them.

Our first FP for SDMT was in a 3.30-4.30 window so we also knew that we would need to be there for 4pm prompt and make a swift trot ( pegging it) to SDMT before the FP window expired.

Anyhoo, back to today, no ADRs then and our only commitment now to be at MK for 4pm. So what to do in between ?

Ah, that’s it, shopping ….. but this time at the outlets up near Universal as HHAGG was decided on for a brunch stop.

We made a quick stop at one of the retail parks on the way to the Outlets but it looked like a complete building site ( it’s the one that has an Adidas outlet) so we didn’t stop long. Then it was on to get something to eat .

I wish I had taken more pics of the inside, its really cool inside with lots of memorabilia and well laid out. There was a large party celebrating a birthday and I think I felt a bit self conscious with my camera.




Andy chose the fried chicken with bacon waffles . $17.99
In hindsight he would have been better picking the one with mash and gravy as he isn't a big waffle fan and so found this a bit dry. The chicken was amazing though. Meal was enormous , would have easily fed two people ...



I was a complete wimp and went for the baby cheeseburger $10.99



I wish I had been more adventurous but with a day ahead of us going on rides I just didn’t want to make myself ill with indigestion

We had 2 coffees for $5.98

Total bill before tip was $37.23

The food was delicious, so fresh and very flavoursome. Just the initial plateful was a bit overwhelming !

No surprises that Andy announced later as we were driving away that he felt sick he was so full .

And no surprises that despite thinking we would grab a hot dog in the park, We didn't eat again that day ... Still digesting lunch .

Well, we rolled ourselves out and set off to the Outlets, managing to waddle round and get in another good haul.

After a chat with one of the staff in the Lacoste outlet Andy went to buy the $5 Coupon booklet and we have to say it was excellent for us – I don’t know why we haven’t done this before ( I saw that Debidee recommended this too in her last report) – it really worked for us for the shops that we tend to visit and certainly for Lacoste, it made a big difference .

We both got some great buys in Levis ( thank goodness, the jeans were to be well used by the end of the holiday), Calvin Klein,Lacoste , Nike and I eyed up a few things in Mandarina Duck for our return visit on another day ( but the moral here is , if you see it buy it, as when I went back, one of the bags had gone ).

I was a bit disappointed not to pick up anything for the boys in Vans or Converse but we saw some jumpers in Ralph Lauren that we earmarked for later.

So we shopped a lot and had a bootful of bags – including jeans and jumpers for Andy ( remember this later on when he is doing his best Olaf impression)

About 3.15 we are on our way to MK and seem to be in the slowest traffic ever with various roadworks but we are pitching up just after 4pm







Right after taking that picture I did one of my infamous bag firkles to take out my bride ears and my Xmas ears which were in the same bag must have got caught and fallen out as by the time I got off the monorail I realised they were missing .

Sad face– I did have to laugh though as every person that went past Andy would say really loudly – “ are those your ears then” – ssshhhhh, I mean its not like I am the only person to have these blessed ears is it !

We were fortunate to walk straight on to a monorail and up to the entrance for the party

It was all really speedy - we soon had our wristbands and were on our way in







Not sure about the Christmas shirts myself ….



It was busy but for as many people arriving, lots seemed to be leaving too so I had high hopes the crowds would be light











We took a few pics but as time was ticking on our mine train Fast Passes, we were walking quite quickly – I had pointed out that these FPs were as valuable as rocking horse doo doo and not to be squandered lightly by being late ! We got on with about 10 minutes left on our window. The standby line was at 75 minutes – the ride was fun but my its very short if you have waited over an hour to get on it !

I only managed this pic on the way in



I didn’t get any ride pics as I took my glasses off – a] so I didn’t lose them flying round a corner and b] so I cant see whats coming next !

We must have caught the end of a show at some point – Minnie was flashing her frilly knickers !





We then had a quick stop in Gaston’s Tavern at 1630 – the theming is superb but I only got this crummy picture !



What a poor effort – it’s a spectacular light fitting though, trust me



You have to lol at the Dude doing the power ranger arm movement there !



I really liked the new Fantasyland area




Edited at 06:58 PM.
WileyCoyote is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 31 Dec 14, 06:54 PM  
Link to this Post
#2
WileyCoyote
Thread Starter
I am not a shopaholic
 
WileyCoyote's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 11
It was getting dusky now – I thought the pics were quite atmospheric





We made our way over to Tomorrowland as we had fast passes for Buzz Lightyear – it was showing as 30 minutes on Standby at 1705



Now these are the faces of concentration ( and also of someone who didnt link this to the photopass , oops)



Straight across onto Andy’s absolute favourite – the Carousel of Progress . Unsurprisingly there was no queue and whilst its often a chance for a quick snooze in the cool, I did really enjoy it this time round. And yes, we did sing along to the song. Its so cheesy .

Then a spin on the perennial favourite of the people mover – I just love this.





Ah, just love it

As we were going round, Andy had debated whether to go back to the car to get his jeans as it was definitely cooling down and we still had some hours left to go.

Of course going back to the car in MK is a bit more of an effort ( faff) than the other parks so , being hardy, he decided he would be ok.

He would REALLY regret this later.

We had a little time on our hands now. At 7pm we were due to meet up with Rebecca - she is fellow disneyite that I have been in touch with since our first trip in 2010 – we were both members of the TGM site and then latterly easywdw- as it happened, she was coming in from Colorado Springs to DisneyWorld for a short visit for her sisters birthday celebrations and we had arranged to meet in MK as she would be waiting for her sister’s flight to arrive later that night and as luck would have it, was at a loose end for a hours. It was a bit daunting meeting up with someone that you have only ever corresponded with but I was sure with my bride ears on that I would be easily spottable.

I digress

We made our way over to the hub to see the Castle lighting ceremony at 6pm – sheesh, I really hate people pushing me , grrrr.:angry: It wasnt really a pleasant experience with quite frankly multitudinous rude people arriving at the last minute and using elbows, strollers, selfie sticks and any other appendages to barge in to people who had been waiting patiently .

It was spectacular though even though we couldn’t see or hear much of the show and the whole Frozen thing is a bit lost on us as we hadn’t seen it











This is where being short really is a pain - Andy has an advantage of being able to see and also not have all his photos edged with other people's hairdos ( see fireworks pics in next installment )

- we had about 40 minutes before we were due to meet Rebecca so thought Hall of Presidents might be the answer.

We had just got seated when we realised the show would be quite long and we would then be late so had to sprint out before it started – I was also getting a bit worried about being caught up in roped off areas for the parade and not being able to get back to Fantasyland where we had arranged to meet.

Instead we had a quick stop in the Christmas shop which was pretty packed out by now.



Continued HERE

Edited at 04:28 PM.
WileyCoyote is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 31 Dec 14, 07:12 PM  
Link to this Post
#3
mossyflossy
Imagineer
 
mossyflossy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 08

mossyflossy's Reviews
Restaurant Reviews: 1
your tales do make me smile, is this the new job with a hideous commute or is it another one? And wishing you all a very Happy & Healthy New year, Amanda and Andy & Co, with lots of drama and fun xx
mossyflossy is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 31 Dec 14, 07:54 PM  
Link to this Post
#4
WileyCoyote
Thread Starter
I am not a shopaholic
 
WileyCoyote's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 11
Originally Posted by mossyflossy View Post
your tales do make me smile, is this the new job with a hideous commute or is it another one? And wishing you all a very Happy & Healthy New year, Amanda and Andy & Co, with lots of drama and fun xx
Thank you Ruth and Happy New Year to you all too xx

Yes it's the cowpig of a commute but a fabulous job, great people and a really brilliant opportunity for me so I just have to see the travelling as newly found reading time

We have had to re think our holiday plans for next year so that means lots more opportunity for drama on the home front

Will post the end of the day tomorrow . On a roll now
WileyCoyote is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 31 Dec 14, 08:06 PM  
Link to this Post
#5
gtyrel10
VIP Dibber
 
gtyrel10's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 13
Aww Amanda your poor Christmas ears! You got some fab photos of the castle all lit up but such shame about all the pushing and shoving, i don't understand why people do that i can't imagine they like being pushed themselves so why do it to others?!

HHAGG looks amazing, your little tiny burger did make me laugh though. The coupon booklets at the outlets are amazing we had them to, but if you go on the outlet website you can print off a coupon that gets you that little booklet for free, i ended up with a mountain of printed off coupons and the coupon booklet for every outlet.

Looking forward to the next instalment xx
gtyrel10 is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 31 Dec 14, 08:33 PM  
Link to this Post
#6
KittyBlackDog
Imagineer
 
Join Date: Dec 12
Another great day. Loving your castle photos, beautiful. So sad about your Christmas ears, I'd be gutted to loose any of my (DD) ears.

Sounds like good bargains were had or at least scoped out if not bought. Shame they weren't there when you went back.

I think I would be rolling on the floor after that chicken dish..wow..huge!

Happy new year to you both and I'm looking forward to reading your part 2 from today 😀
KittyBlackDog is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 31 Dec 14, 08:52 PM  
Link to this Post
#7
beck_loz
Imagineer
 
Join Date: Oct 11

beck_loz's Reviews
Restaurant Reviews: 2
Great day x
beck_loz is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 31 Dec 14, 10:34 PM  
Link to this Post
#8
meandmyboy
Relaxing at the Grand Floridian
 
meandmyboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 13
What a shame about losing your Christmas ears - I always think they look fab and wish I had some myself! Looking forward to reading the rest about the party night.
__________________
Nov 2013 - POFQ, Clearwater Beach & Rosen Inn PO
Nov 2014 - All Stars Music Trip Report
Oct/Nov 2015 - Pop Century & Bradenton condo
Oct/Nov 2017 - SoCal and Hawaii Adventure Trip Report
meandmyboy is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 1 Jan 15, 12:07 AM  
Link to this Post
#9
Pussycat Doll
Imagineer
 
Join Date: Jun 09

theDIBB Guidebook
Pages Created: 1
Loving your trippie Amanda, puts mine to shame I fear! Pussycat
Pussycat Doll is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 1 Jan 15, 01:53 PM  
Link to this Post
#10
WileyCoyote
Thread Starter
I am not a shopaholic
 
WileyCoyote's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 11
Originally Posted by gtyrel10 View Post
Aww Amanda your poor Christmas ears! You got some fab photos of the castle all lit up but such shame about all the pushing and shoving, i don't understand why people do that i can't imagine they like being pushed themselves so why do it to others?!

HHAGG looks amazing, your little tiny burger did make me laugh though. The coupon booklets at the outlets are amazing we had them to, but if you go on the outlet website you can print off a coupon that gets you that little booklet for free, i ended up with a mountain of printed off coupons and the coupon booklet for every outlet.

Looking forward to the next instalment xx
I know , to losing the ears.
It was worse for the fireworks and it just reminded me why we stopped going these night time things. It just shocks me how blatantly rude and aggressive people can be for such a trivial thing. And it really gets Andy's back up and then I get stressed as he gets cross and it all gets a bit

Yes it does look like a happy meal doesn't it, what a fail on my part there. I will make a note about the email vouchers for next time. You know how he likes a bargain

Originally Posted by KittyBlackDog View Post
Another great day. Loving your castle photos, beautiful. So sad about your Christmas ears, I'd be gutted to loose any of my (DD) ears.

Sounds like good bargains were had or at least scoped out if not bought. Shame they weren't there when you went back.

I think I would be rolling on the floor after that chicken dish..wow..huge!

Happy new year to you both and I'm looking forward to reading your part 2 from today 😀
Ah, thank you . I was sad too about the ears, still, gives me an excuse to replace them
We deffo got some bargains and I learned that if I wanted it, I needed to buy it there and then as there was definitely less stock than when we visit in summer.

Andy is a bit " tired" after new year so while is is napping I will finish part two

Originally Posted by beck_loz View Post
Great day x
It was , thank you . Mind you, it did start to go downhill a bit mainly as it was sooooooooo cold (there is no icon for teeth chattering )

Originally Posted by meandmyboy View Post
What a shame about losing your Christmas ears - I always think they look fab and wish I had some myself! Looking forward to reading the rest about the party night.
I know, I had lots of ear envy that evening

Originally Posted by Pussycat Doll View Post
Loving your trippie Amanda, puts mine to shame I fear! Pussycat
Noooo, yours is fab, just the sort of trip we will take " sans sprogs". Although at first Andy did think it was Naples in Italy when I showed him the pic, tsk tsk, .
WileyCoyote is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:07 PM.


Powered by vBulletin - Copyright © 2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
DIBB Savings
AttractionTickets.com

Get £10 off each Disney Ticket with the code ATDIBB10

Get up to £50 off per room at Disney or Universal with the code DIBBHOTELS


theDIBB Blog
One of the the five worlds found in Epic Universe, How to Train Your Dragon... Read More »
Disney announced that a new nighttime show, “Disney Dreams That Soar,” will run nightly at... Read More »
Walt Disney World Resort guests can get ready to have a “glowing’’ good time when... Read More »


theDIBB Menu


Exchange Rates
US Dollar Rates
ASDA  $1.2347
CaxtonFX  $1.2320
Covent Garden FX  $1.2445
FAIRFX  $1.2350
John Lewis  $1.2380
M&S  $1.2178
Sainsburys  $1.2337
TESCO  $1.2343
Travelex  $1.2353
Updated: 15:00 28/03/2024
Euro Rates
ASDA  €1.1426
CaxtonFX  €1.1407
Covent Garden FX  €1.1511
FAIRFX  €1.1432
John Lewis  €1.1457
M&S  €1.1263
Sainsburys  €1.1419
TESCO  €1.1425
Travelex  €1.1435
Updated: 15:00 28/03/2024

DIBB Premium Membership
Did you know you can help support theDIBB with Premium Membership?

Check out this link for more information and benefits, such as...

"No adverts on theDIBB Forums"

Upgrade Now



X