HEY MICKEY YOU'RE SO FINE,YOU'RE SO FINE YOU BLOW MY..MONEY. MAY'19 Day:19:T'LAGOON,B'&CREAM,EPCOT

[gjdjud]

HEY MICKEY YOU'RE SO FINE,YOU'RE SO FINE YOU BLOW MY..MONEY. MAY 2019 Day:19:TYPHOON LAGOON,BEACHES AND CREAM, EPCOT

HEY MICKEY YOU'RE SO FINE,YOU'RE SO FINE YOU BLOW MY..MONEY. MAY 2019 Index


SO FINALLY WE ARE BACK HOME! WE ARE ALL SETTLED INTO OUR LOVELY FINISHED HOUSE AFTER A VERY STRESSFUL 6 MONTHS. THE HOLIDAY IS UNFORTUNATELY A DISTANT BLUR BUT I'M DETERMINED TO FINISH THIS. SORRY FOR THE DELAY BUT SHOULD GET THESE LAST FEW DAYS UP WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO. I'M REALLY HOPING THAT WHEN I RE READ THIS REPORT IT BRINGS BACK THE MEMORIES.

So where were we? Day 19. This was a bit more of a casual day although we still had a fair amount planned. We were all up and dressed by 8.30am so we could head out for breakfast. I was disappointed we hadn't been doing this more often but I couldn't force feed the girls! I was putting my foot down this morning and we WERE going out this morning. My choice was Cracker Barrel.

Please excuse the quality of photos in this one.

This has been on the to do list for a while. On previous visits we’d never been located close to one so now we were situated on the 192 the gave us a perfect opportunity to try it. When I pictured Cracker Barrel in my head I saw something from backward, out in the middle of nowhere Town, USA. Perhaps it’s the penchant for grits on the menu or maybe just because I’m slightly odd.

The girls weren’t that happy about going out to breakfast and this reflected in the meal itself.

When we tried to go the other day on Memorial Sunday and there was a queue out the door but when we turned up at 8.30am Wednesday morning it was very quiet. I was hoping to see an old timer with no teeth sitting on one of the rocking chairs outside, whittling away while drinking moonshine but sadly not. No Duelling Banjoes on the speakers either.

We walked through the shop to be seated in a very quiet restaurant.The girls were bickering and arguing so I wasn’t in the best of mood because of this. This unfortunately comes out in the lack of photos. Food photo fail.

Our sever came quickly and took drink orders while we had a look at the menu. The girls weren’t particularly happy about the kids menu so we just ordered them a couple of pancakes each with some fruit. Both didn’t like their pancakes. They said it was the oil they were cooked with but I don’t know.

A grumpy Lily.

Kelly ordered apple and cinnamon pancakes. She really liked hers. She thought the pancakes were good and found them much nicer to eat than the ones at Keke’s(I duck as write this incase Keke’s apostles throw forks at me.)

The cool little bottles the maple syrup is served in. Kelly would drink this neat.

As I seem fixated with old timers, I went for the Old Timers breakfast. I went sans eggs though as I don’t like them. I had pancakes, hash brown casserole, bacon and sugar ham. I really enjoyed mine. The hash brown casserole was particularly good. Both me and Kelly enjoyed the pancakes and had no idea what the girls were on about to be honest.

I thought the food was good and I liked Cracker Barrel. The kids behaviour ruined it a little bit but I’d definitely like to try it again one day. Strangely being so quiet was a little off putting as well. It cost $58 with tip.

Once we’d finished we had a little look in the shop before heading off for the day.

Without the kids it would have been good but probably sadly relegated to less memorable meals.

So from here we were splitting up a bit. The girls and I were heading to Typhoon Lagoon were Kelly would be going back to the Encantada to start to pack up. This isn't something I wanted but Kelly didn't want to go to Typhoon Lagoon and wanted to get a start on packing rather than leaving it to the last day. I felt guilty about this but she insisted. So me and the girls headed off after dropping Kelly off. We would only be going for a couple of hours just to show our faces at Typhoon Lagoon as not to offend the Disney Water parks by not going to either. Sorry Blizzard Beach

We arrived a couple of minutes before opening. The car park wasn't busy which was nice to see.

It was another baking hot day so I was expecting to see a few more cars. Once through the Magic Band readers I made the girls(Evie) pose for some photos before heading in.

People ahead were still being held back from going into the park properly. It was just a noise of Brit voices everywhere. Always the same at Typhoon Lagoon. The mad Brits all there for opening to do the mad dash to bag the the best spots. I've done my fair share of this over the years. I wasn't joining in this time. We'd grab the first bed we saw as a base as we'd be off on the slides. I enjoyed watching the dads limbering up before the start of the race barking out orders to their partners about following them once the rope was dropped. It was hilarious to see once they were off. I held the girls back once the race began.

We found a spot, unshaded on the beach in front of the wave pool. It was only to put our stuff on. I remembered my dadly duties and made sure the girls had lotion on before we headed off. The thing with all the water parks is that I have no idea where anything is or how to get there! I had a general idea of what we should ride first and roughly where it was so we headed to in the general direction. Ferdinand Magellan I am not so we went the wrong way.

We eventually found what we were looking for and that was Miss Adventure Falls. This is a family raft ride that we'd done before.

The lines for this are normally pretty big so this one is a good one to do first. we pretty much walked straight on which was good. Once on I got told off for trying to take a photo with my phone which once again inside the waterproof case.

The ride was fun and a nice way to start off. Next on the to do list was the Crush 'N' Gusher. I new it was close by but still managed to get lost. Once again my navigational skills were letting me down. Sir Ranulph Fiennes won't be inviting me on his next expedition. We got there eventually. The girls would ride together and I would go single. The dreaded raft carry started. The girls somehow managed theirs.

I was limited to going on only one of the 3 slides as a single rider. I believe the Pineapple slide. I went first so I could wait at the bottom for the girls and to try and take some photos. It was only a 5 minute wait. We all really enjoyed so we went back on again. The girls went a 3rd time on one of the other slides.

From there we just decided to have a walk around to see what else was around. Eventually we found the Storm Slides. We had a little wait for this one but we all enjoyed it.

It was getting much busier now. We made our way around to the Gangplank Falls. This took a while and was totally not worth the wait.

So from here we jumped on the lazy river but onced round was enough for us as it was a bit tame after Roa's Rapids.

We were now keen to get to the real reason we here. The Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool. We all love this but it always feels stupidly dangerous.
I got Lily a life jacket but annoyingly they don't have bigger ones for Evie which is a bit mad. She of course was delighted as she doesn't like them. They were going in on my rules that we wouldn't be going out too deep. Evie had a good moan about this. Low and behold the first wave wiped her out! Its fun but so dangerous!

We spent about half an hour in there before too many wipeouts caused Evie to cry off. She just wanted to swim somewhere. There's not much chance of doing just swimming here but you can do a little bit neat the Crush N Gusher so we headed there. We had a little swim but its not great in there. By this time we'd done what we wanted to we headed back to our stuff to make our way out. We been about 2 and a half hours and it flew past. We grabbed a drink and some mini donuts before collecting our stuff.

We were heading back to Encantada so we didn't worry about getting changed. As we were heading out we saw Stitch doing a meet and greet. There was no wait so Lily jumped straight in much to the annoyance of Evie who wanted to leave. Lily has had good luck with Stitch this holiday which is great as Stitch is her favourite.

We enjoyed our short visit but I definitely feel that the Disney Water Parks have fallen well behind for us compared to Aquatica and Volcano Bay.

Once back we saw Kelly had made great progress. I felt guilty being out enjoying myself while she was doing that but she was happy to have got lots done. We had A LOT of stuff!

We had about an hour to chill out before we headed back out again. So after a chill out and getting dressed we were soon off again. The next venue was The Beach Club. We had a late adr at Beaches and Cream before heading back to Epcot for the remainder of the day.

Our adr was 3.55pm but we arrived around 3pm so we could have a nose around the Beach Club. This resort has always appealed to me but of course cost prohibits that! Once again I came away thinking that actually French Quarter is the place I'd go back to. We valet parked and it was very clear that it was busy in the lobby. Not Polynesian busy but still too busy for me.

We had a nose around, of course the shop before heading outside. Once outside we saw they were setting up for a massive event outside. I though initially a wedding but this turned out to a corporate event for a big company in the evening. It was a massive set up and I would have hated this had I been staying there.

We got lost on our way to finding Beaches and Cream(no surprise). We walked past the the much famed Stormalong Bay. This is widely reported to be the best pool on Disney property. This did look great bar two things. One, pretty much everyone ever was in there. It was packed. Two, you had people like us standing round the sides gawping at the people inside. Again I'd hate that.

So on to Beaches and Cream.

Another first for us. This actually is a place I’ve booked several times before but I’ve always cancelled for one reason or another. I’m not going to lie that I also nearly cancelled this one a couple of days in advance. Although I had spent less so far on spends I was a little reluctant to pay the Disney prices. As we missed out on BOMA I decided we’d stick with it. In the end I was really pleased we did.

Like stated earlier we had a little trouble finding Beaches and Cream but we soon did. Everyone says it, but I was surprised how small it was. We checked in and took a seat outside.

We waited about 10 minutes before we were called. I was hoping for a booth but we were shown instead to the first round table by the door. It was wonky as well so not ideal. Our server came quickly and she was a lovely lady. I wish I took note of her name but I didn’t. I got the impression that everyone knew her as people popped into say hi to her.

We had a look at the menu before ordering. This was going to a main and dessert affair today! The menu isn’t massive but there was definitely enough on there to interest me.

Lily Belle went for a hot dog and fries. Fairly standard stuff but she enjoyed it.

Kelly went for the Angus Beef Burger. Blend of ground Angus Brisket and Short Rib with Cheddar Cheese, Lettuce, and Tomato on a Freshly Baked Bun. She really liked this and declared it her best burger of the holiday.

I surprised myself by going the chicken route. I’m not sure why but I’ve not been in much of a burger mindset this time around. I went for Cheddar-Bacon-Ranch Chicken Sandwich. Grilled Chicken Breast, Smoked Bacon, Sautéed Onion, and Cheese on a Multigrain Bun. The server chose my side for me by saying “Daddy wants onion rings.” She was correct, Daddy did want onion rings. This was all really good and I was pleased with my choice. The onion rings were really good but I did find it a bit weird being called Daddy buy a lady considerably older than me.

Evie went for another Patty Melt. Blend of ground Angus Beef Brisket and Short Rib served with Swiss, Sautéed Onions, and Garlic-Peppercorn Dressing on Rye Bread. She thought this to be the best one yet. I thought it looked the best one. I did have a taste and it was lovely.

So onto desserts! The kitchen sink was tempting but there was no way we’d get anywhere close to finishing it.Lily Belle for some odd reason doesn’t like ice cream so didn’t want anything. Kelly said she didn’t want anything either but we knew full well she’d be hoovering up mine and Evie’s so getting 2 for nothing,

Evie went for a Classic Banana Split. A ripe Banana, Three-scoops of Ice Cream (Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry), Pineapple, Strawberry, and Marshmallow Topping finished off with Hot Fudge, Caramel, Toasted Almonds, Whipped Cream, and a Cherry. This was massive. She really enjoyed it and did a good job of it aided by the Hoover waiting in the wings

There was only one thing I was going for. D pre planned this bad boy. I went for the No Way José. A Peanut Butter and Hot Fudge delight featuring Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Morsels, Whipped Cream, and a Cherry. Again this was pretty massive but it was really good. Me and the Hoover finished it with no problem.

Kelly also noticed in the take out section of Beaches and Cream they sold the Mickey and Minnie Kitchen sinks. Kelly wanted one of each but empty. She wanted to use them in some kind of fashionable way at home to store things. An idea nicked from Pinterest no doubt. We enquired with our server and they could be bought for $9.99 each. We added one of each to our bill.

Disclaimer: not my photo. I forgot to take one. They are now packed away for when the house is done.

So overall we all really enjoyed Beaches and Cream. Pricey at $130 including tip(not including kitchen sinks) but definitely a place we’d go to again. It will be hopefully a bit easier to get an adr soon now they are making it bigger.

So the plan now called for us to head to Epcot via the International Gateway. again another first for us. We'd never used this entrance. I could see straight away how convenient it was if staying at one of the nearby resorts. Lots was boarded up due to Skyliner station. After the short walk we were in. There wasn't a definite plan for the rest of the day. We turned left into the UK. We always find it hilarious in here as its nothing like the UK I know. Lily was desperate to get a Bohemian Rhapsody t-shirt. Queen are currently her favourite band. She wants to see the film but seeing as she is 10 I don't think the exploits of Freddie Mercury are suitable for her yet! The CM who served had spoke in a accent like the Queen's butler but once he heard our British accents it suddenly dropped to one that belonged in the Rovers Return.

We just had a general mosy around. Nowhere in particular. We wanted to get the Walt Disney Vision picture we'd seen earlier in the holiday but this was by the Art Shop near Spaceship Earth. We headed in that direction pausing every so often to have a look at things. We stopped off in the butterfly enclosure for a little look where the girls enjoyed seeing the butterflies.

We couldn't resist Club Cool again so once more we sampled it wares. It was boiling hot though so we needed a drink.

We made our way to the Art shop but we couldn't see any on display. It was very busy inside. Someone, I forget who was desperate for the toilet so I queued up in the shop to see if I could get the picture. Annoyingly they didn't but they said the shop on Main Street in The magic Kingdom had several. We'd be there tomorrow so could get it then.

MouseGear was once again visited before we made our way back towards the World Showcase.

When we arrived in Mexico I was keen to go the Gran Fiesta Tour with the Three Caballeros. No one else was but tough we were doing it. I really enjoyed all the dark rides this holiday and had a real appreciation for them. I enjoyed the ride anyway.

From here it was on to Norway as I'd made a fastpass for the Frozen ride much to the girls annoyance. When Frozen came out it was "THE BEST THING EVER.tm" Now a few years later Frozen was alongside homework for things they disliked. We had a little wait so we had a little look in the shop there before heading on to the ride.

We got on fairly quickly with our fastpass unlike last trip which took ages. The ride itself was ok. The girls secretly liked it and I'm sure will pretend they don't want to see Frozen 2 but they will.

From here it was just a general mosy around at nowhere in particular. I've said before that the World Showcase is my least favourite part of Disney. Kelly enjoys but we definitely don't do it justice. The girls start to get bored and moan so we tend to skip most of it. I really am determined one day to explore it properly for Kelly as much as anything. I always have the World Showcase after we've done something but next time I'm going to make sure it has its own proper slot. No meals to interfere with it as well so we can enjoy the snacks in the different places. Next time World Showcase, next time.

We gradually made our way back towards the International Gateway. En route we got Lily a giant donut as she didn't have dessert.

We made our way back to the Beach Club. We had managed to rack up some steps in this Epcot visit though which was needed after Beaches and Cream. The corporate event was in full swing complete with a DJ but it looked horrific like a mandatory work party with guests forces to attend. I was glad we had gotten parked early as Im guessing parking would have been a nightmare.

Soon enough we headed back to Encantada. Tomorrow our last full day.

Thanks for reading.

George

[ronnieroobs]

Really pleased to see you’ve started again. Looking forward to reading the last couple of days

[gjdjud]

Originally Posted by ronnieroobs

Really pleased to see you’ve started again. Looking forward to reading the last couple of days

See more...

Thank you

[Floridafour]

Aaah, glad you are back. We have never made it Beaches & Cream think I’ve cancelled the last 3 visits, definitely one for next time. A great day despite the breakfast grump, we’ve got twin girls, I feel your pain 😂

[gjdjud]

Originally Posted by Floridafour

Aaah, glad you are back. We have never made it Beaches & Cream think I’ve cancelled the last 3 visits, definitely one for next time. A great day despite the breakfast grump, we’ve got twin girls, I feel your pain 😂

See more...

Thanks for reading I definitely recommend Beaches and Cream.

[collybird]

So glad to hear that you are finally back home, what a stressful time it has been for you all.

I am so gutted Beaches and Cream will be closed this year for our visit, your pictures had me drooling.

What a fab evening in Epcot.

[gjdjud]

Originally Posted by collybird

So glad to hear that you are finally back home, what a stressful time it has been for you all.

I am so gutted Beaches and Cream will be closed this year for our visit, your pictures had me drooling.

What a fab evening in Epcot.

See more...

Thank you. we are so pleased to be home as it was incredibly stressful. that's a shame about beaches and cream as I think from now on it will be a must do for us if we go again.

[Jake71]

We did a more in-depth World Showcase visit the last time we were there, just the 2 of us. We agreed to do one entertainment or eat/drink thing in each country and we saw things that we'd never seen before. It was amazing, I can't wait to go back.

I'm gutted that Beaches&Cream is closed for refurb when we're go in October!

[Jules32]

Looking forward to the rest of your blogs they kept me going on my long countdown, we've been home two days now and have serious Disney depression but reading these makes me smile.
we managed the kitchen sink between 4 of us only just with not eating beforehand but it was absolutely gorgeous and funnily we sat at the same wonky annoying table as you guys ha ha

[LottiesLot]

Ah sad your report is almost at an end. I've really enjoyed reading along. You packed so much in it's been very interesting. Thanks for writing 👍