ABCs of a Nursing School Grad Trip + FL Keys Mini Report;D is for: Dang! Last Chapter of this TR...

Well, at least I am while at Disney. And around here too, so that's Your Highness to you.

Yes, Your Highness.

Ok, fine, I’m a royal pain in the you know whatty. Take it or leave it.

(afraid to say anything)

So, what does one do when they are staying Concierge Level at AK?


Laundry, duh.

That's just what I was going to say!

I mean, yes, I did actually go commando this trip, (ONCE People! ONCE!) because a girl has to have clean socks. Yeah, yeah, clean underwear are pretty nice too.

(afraid to say anything)

“But what about the FREE food in the CL Lounge??!!”, you may be asking yourself. Keep your shorts on; I’m getting to that.

Well, yeah. If it's free, it's for me! And no, I'm not going commando.

Because we are firm believers in 2nd Breakfasts when the getting’s good. Or free. This was both.

Ah, I see. You're all hobbits.

IMG_2920.jpg

Man, I love that building.

No, the view never gets old.

::yes::

I have no idea how long we waited for my Royal Footman to show up (I really need to either behead him or offer him more pay- still deciding on whether to be more tyrannical or to promote capitalism and productivity through wage incentive) but do know that we waited.

I will be happy to serve as the Royal Footman on any future Disney trips.

Sir Marv and Lady Pat provided perfectly wonderful company for the remainder of our afternoon and we all enjoyed our time spent together!

Yay! I'm hoping to meet them myself in a couple of weeks.

Random question: how many times does the PoTC dog, who's apparently named "Poochie", appear in the ride.

:confused3

As your queen reviews the photographs, it is obvious that a campaign against human trafficking needs to be given serious thought.

I guess Disney is way ahead of you...

Somehow a dude with personal hygiene and disturbing dental cleanliness issues has sneaked in.

Sorry. I'll show myself out.

Let me repeat that: These were free Disney souvenirs.

:eek::eek::eek:

Hey, Guys, I read in the fine print that you get the Redhead as booty.

The best kind of booty!

It’s called coffers because one generally gets choked up when they open their statement following a Disney vacation.

:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

Hence, the reason I got this pretty okay photo, but also the reason no less than 4 fewer rides/attractions were seen.

Hey, you did better than me. I screwed up capturing the fireball.

Your arteries, waistline, and blood sugar levels will all thank you.

Well, who cares what they think?!

No, the gray stuff wasn’t delicious. It was meh, and the Queen is contemplating making all the silver into Boho jewelry to sell at a local art fair. The other stuff we got was okay

We had the same feeling about the QS food there. Good atmosphere, ok food.


Nice one!

(By the look on her face, she must have just opened up her own credit card statement after staying on a Disney property.)

::yes:::rotfl2:

(Don't believe me? Google it. I dare you.)

:scared1:
 
Hi
Looks like your photo of the red head is going to be one to keep for prosperity it will be gone soon if he rumours are true . Good that your African adventure is coming together .Be our guest for a quick service wasn't very fast and the food just ok for yourselves maybe it will be better the next time you go.Still at least there was the dole whip to make up for it.
 
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Day came early. It always does when in Disney. So much to do, so little time!
It always does come too early.


Laundry, duh.

Can't escape laundry even in Disney.

I’d been wanting for quite some time to try the African-inspired foodstuffs at the Mara, so we went down there and got these:

Yum, looks good.

“But what about the FREE food in the CL Lounge??!!”, you may be asking yourself.

I was really asking myself that. I love free.

Because we are firm believers in 2nd Breakfasts when the getting’s good. Or free. This was both.

and,

I agree totally with this.

They were there to give us a free print as a momento of our stay. "No, we’re not buying in to DVC, but thank you."

Very nice and once I again, I love free.


Sir Marv and Lady Pat provided perfectly wonderful company for the remainder of our afternoon and we all enjoyed our time spent together!

Another Dis meet is always good.

Plenty of drunken, hoarding, plundering debauchery was enjoyed.

I can just imagine. You got a really great photo of the Red-head.


We flitted here and there, with one stop being a foray into here…

We had a wonderful afternoon break in here in May.

Too soon after a grand tea party on the Puke Cups it was time to say good bye to Sir Marv and Lady Pat.

IMG_3058.jpg

Great photo of Marv and Pat! I really like the motion too. Of course I would not be caught dead on the Puke Cups.
 
Day came early. It always does when in Disney.

Stoopid alarms...

So much to do, so little time! Especially if there is relaxing and lounging to be done.

There's an oxymoron if I've ever not seen one.

And especially if one happens to be royalty. Like me.

Yes, ma'am!

so that's Your Highness to you.

Whoops! I mean, Yes Your Highness!

And you too!

I did! I said it!


er... Your Highness.

Ok, fine, I’m a royal pain in the you know whatty. Take it or leave it.

Yes, Your Hindness.

(6 more updates! Yes, yes, I know you couldn’t be more thrilled…)

Actually... yes. :)

So, what does one do when they are staying Concierge Level at AK?


Laundry, duh.

Of course. This makes total sense.

Did I ever tell you the time I let a hotel do my laundry?
We were in Cologne, Germany. We had some laundry... Oh! Look! Laundry bags. We can just have them done! Yay!"

So we did.


And it came out to about $100.

ouch.

I mean, yes, I did actually go commando this trip,

Woot!!!! All Right!!!!!! This TR just got good!!!

(ONCE People! ONCE!)

That's all it takes. And.....


Sure it was.

Another probably saw a similar fate when I practically wet myself when Anara pantsed herself in the Coral Reef.

:laughing:


Okay... what is all that?


Hold on. I remember you saying you didn't like breakfast type foods. That looks pretty breakfast to me.

“But what about the FREE food in the CL Lounge??!!”, you may be asking yourself. Keep your shorts on; I’m getting to that.

Is that what you said to Anara?

And don't tell us to, when you aren't even wearing any.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Mara may have pretty good food, but good coffee they do not!

But they do have.... zebra domes!!!!!!!!!!! :hyper:

(How many of you forgot I still have a FL Keys vacation to Report on?)

Not me! Looking forward to it! :)

After sashaying in like we owned the place, <“Excuse me, you seem to be encroaching on my table and are taking far too long at my espresso machine. Yes, thank you, if you could just step over there while I adjust my tiara a bit and fix my latte foam….”>

Point of order. Shouldn't Her Highness have a serf to do that for her?


Stunning.

No, the view never gets old.

No kidding. That's really beautiful.

Soon, there was a knock on the door. <Knock, knock!>

Thank goodness you wrote that! I was thinking it was <kerfuffle, kerfuffle!>

Yep, a DVC Team Member. They were there to give us a free print as a momento of our stay.

This is a thing? Maybe only if you stay concierge?

The choco is gone; the print is still sitting in a pile of crap under my bed. No, not that kind. The clutter kind of papery-stacks-of-junk crap.

Thus indicating it's relative worth.

Royalty isn’t accustomed to having the entirety of their belongings heaped on a closet floor.

I would imagine that royalty has far more than would fit in a single closet.

we got our mostly dry clothes <insert mild grumble of irritation here for only mostly dry clothes>,

Why mostly? Did you interrupt the dryer? Or did it just not have enough oomph to complete the job?

How’s that for a pretty leisurely morning?

Well, except for laundry and walking aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal the way back and forth..... not bad!

I have no idea how long we waited for my Royal Footman to show up (I really need to either behead him or offer him more pay- still deciding on whether to be more tyrannical or to promote capitalism and productivity through wage incentive)

Do both.
Behead one and pay more to the replacement. Instills loyalty and terror. A good combination.

We always waited. With no exception. Ever.

This is a thing?


:rolleyes1

I couldn’t tell, but some may have cowered in fear.

Of this I have no doubt.

Others looked as if they may have broken out in a sweat at the sight of me. Then again, perhaps it was because the fact that it was 900 degrees out with 90% humidity. Hard to tell.

Nah. They're Floridians. They're used to that.

It was you.

Sir Marv and Lady Pat provided perfectly wonderful company for the remainder of our afternoon and we all enjoyed our time spent together!

Oh! Very nice! You had company for the day. :goodvibes

After strolling the red carpet along Main Street, we turned left and spent some time in Adventureland…

You sure it wasn't right?

Plenty of drunken, hoarding, plundering debauchery was enjoyed.

With Pat and Marv along?
Of this, I have no doubt.


Please Disney. Leave this alone.

(Random question: how many times does the PoTC dog, who's apparently named "Poochie", appear in the ride. Photographical evidence suggests at least twice!)

No idea. Good question. Now I'll be looking for him.

As your queen reviews the photographs, it is obvious that a campaign against human trafficking needs to be given serious thought.

No it does not!!!

And clearly, the royal treasury needs to be fortified and more heavily guarded. Somehow a dude with personal hygiene and disturbing dental cleanliness issues has sneaked in.

Oh? I thought the women swooned for ol' Jack.

Let me repeat that: These were free Disney souvenirs. Run, do not walk to play this game. It’s fun!

::yes:: Did you play them all? I've only done two, I think.

Hey, Guys, I read in the fine print that you get the Redhead as booty.


Haha, made ya look!

Don't do that!!!!

Just kidding, but it is a no-brainer that a proper treasure to be plundered is from here:

IMG_3025.jpg

::yes::


Did you have her pose like that on purpose? :)

And the money magically comes out of the royal coffers. It’s called coffers because one generally gets choked up when they open their statement following a Disney vacation.

:lmao:

the Royal PITA Parade.

Praise It To Allah?
You must really like it!!!

Hence, the reason I got this pretty okay photo, but also the reason no less than 4 fewer rides/attractions were seen.

D'oh!

Sir Marv said we must. No, we didn’t get a cinnamon roll.

So.... what did you get? Surely you didn't go in there as a way to BOG. It's out of the way!

The Queen must eat. And what better place to be a guest than the very place where they ask you to. (Be their guest, of course.)

Seems legit.


That is a particularly difficult, yet seemingly simple, shot to get.

No, the gray stuff wasn’t delicious. It was meh,

Agreed.

The other stuff we got was okay, but then again none in the Queen’s party ordered the French Onion Soup either.

Total fail. I would go to Disney just for that soup.

Dark photog takes time, a commodity of which there is precious little in Disney.

Go solo. Take all the time you want.


Hand held? Tough one.

Every queen needs a throne, no?

IMG_2962_1.jpg

:laughing: And a place to leave her camera, no?

I told her I’d trade a snotty little mermaid for her really cool eel pets.

Wait! Wait! You're trading mermaids???? How do I sign up???

As you can see, Ariel is quickly given legs, something of which my kids have forgotten they have this summer. Hands may be an equally forgotten commodity when the Royal Gardens, dishes, room cleaning or anything else that closely resembles work comes up for discussion.

Oh, Lord. How this sounds familiar.

As you can also see, she is perfectly reposed. Again, much like my teens at 10:00 on any given summer morning.

Yep.
Well. 50/50.

Elle is up and out fairly early for work. But I don't see Kay typically until after noon.

Eventually, the subjects stepped aside to allow your humble monarch to ride this:

Yesssssss......

(By the look on her face, she must have just opened up her own credit card statement after staying on a Disney property.)

:laughing: That would do it!

Probably more than a few idiots who took flash photos of her and her deadbeat pals, a few lovers making out, and on the rare occasion someone trying to get away with disposing the remains of their loved one in the graveyard. (Don't believe me? Google it. I dare you.)

Who makes out on HM? There's so much to see!
Well... okay. I suppose if you have a couple of young kids who are crazy about each other then maybe that takes priority...


And yes. I knew about the ashes to mansion thing.
I wonder if those who are doing it know their loved ones wind up in a vacuum and ultimately a garbage dump?

Too soon after a grand tea party on the Puke Cups it was time to say good bye to Sir Marv and Lady Pat.

IMG_3058.jpg

Pretty good photo for being on the cups.
I presume you weren't spinning it quite as fast as when the three of us rode?
 


Ugh. I had a bunch of multi quotes, and then the DIS freaked out and now I don't remember. OK I went back (twice now) and grabbed a few that I remembered. And this is on my phone nonetheless.

Laundry, duh.


Did you miss the “We’re on our 9th day” part? I

Since 9 days is about as long as my trips get, laundry happens halfway through. I may even have been on my second load!

Because we are firm believers in 2nd Breakfasts when the getting’s good. Or free. This was both.

2nd breakfast is good on vacation....

Excuse me, you seem to be encroaching on my table and are taking far too long at my espresso machine.

Yeah, don't get between me and my caffiene!

I thought it odd it was of the Poly Villas, and not something more Kidani-ish.

They're not selling Kidani any more....

That’s how it works. You tap, you pay. And the money magically comes out of the royal coffers. It’s called coffers because one generally gets choked up when they open their statement following a Disney vacation.

Which is why we never use them. It's so easy to just tap the band. When your budget is on a gift card, you can reign in spending.

The other stuff we got was okay, but then again none in the Queen’s party ordered the French Onion Soup either. I CAN tell you the Quiche was okay, the sandwiches were sandwiches

Yeah, I have to say that dinner is better than lunch, but the soup is the best thing they have there.

On the way out, a random photo...

Nice random photo.

someone trying to get away with disposing the remains of their loved one in the graveyard. (Don't believe me? Google it. I dare you.)

I believe you, Fran has made a similar request of her ashes.

And yes. I knew about the ashes to mansion thing.
I wonder if those who are doing it know their loved ones wind up in a vacuum and ultimately a garbage dump?

That's why Fran wants to be dumped in the garden of the DL version.
 
A friend of mine sprinkled her mom's ashes across all 4 parks. I say hi there in all the places i know. :)

Jill in CO
 


This lady is now in the planning phases of another dip into the Happy Spaces Where Trips of Dreams are made.

Specifically, I am headed to The World mid-November for Dapper Days, which is November 18th. It's an event I've wanted to hit up for several years, and the time seems ripe for such an occasion. Yes, I like to dress up in period clothing. Yes, I am aiming to be at Disney once a year now that I have a bona fide job. Yes, I am inviting anyone who wants to join me for the 18th for a bit.
Sounds fantastic! And just a day after my birthday. I'd love to be there too... but that ain't happening.

Forensics were employed to re-create what might have taken place on one his little adventure-seeking outings. I will let you be the judge on what Tate was up to, and to discern the levels of Spudly Debauchery he indulged in.
Uh oh...

After gathering up his loot, he found ways to spend it on completely useless crap made in China.
Well, that's Disney for ya.

Eventually, he found Steppe and the others and hopped his fat little tipsy self back into his bag, desolate that he’d missed his sweet little Briar Tatum. He yearned for her a-peeling touch, and hoped that she will be home this November for a little mash up.
I'm not sure whether this deserves a :sad2: or a :rotfl2:.

I am looking for partners who will stand behind me in financial aid and prayer.
I can, and will, offer more in the way of prayer.

Ok, fine, I’m a royal pain in the you know whatty. Take it or leave it.
Well, I'll give you that one!

Yep, a DVC Team Member. They were there to give us a free print as a momento of our stay. "No, we’re not buying in to DVC, but thank you."
We got one of those... and left it in the room.

(Random question: how many times does the PoTC dog, who's apparently named "Poochie", appear in the ride. Photographical evidence suggests at least twice!)
I think 3? Any answers? I'm too far behind to read all the replies.

No, we didn’t get a cinnamon roll. Yes, they are delicious. If you have not tried one, take a friend and split.
Nope... I'm not sharing with anybody! Get your own!!!!!

As you can see, Ariel is quickly given legs, something of which my kids have forgotten they have this summer. Hands may be an equally forgotten commodity when the Royal Gardens, dishes, room cleaning or anything else that closely resembles work comes up for discussion.
:rotfl2:

(By the look on her face, she must have just opened up her own credit card statement after staying on a Disney property.)
That could drive someone to kill...
 
(afraid to say anything)

<realizes she may have struck a bit too much terror in her reader's hearts>

That's just what I was going to say!

I actually thought of you when I wrote that.

(afraid to say anything)

This could be a first for you.

Well, yeah. If it's free, it's for me! And no, I'm not going commando.

My motto?

Free is good; free with chocolate is better. See how spectacularly well Disney listened to me?! They actually delivered on this!

You're boring.

Ah, I see. You're all hobbits.

Hairy feet and all.

Man, I love that building.

It just never disappoints does it?

I will be happy to serve as the Royal Footman on any future Disney trips.

You pay your way, and I'll provide the car.

Yay! I'm hoping to meet them myself in a couple of weeks.

I suspected you might be. YAY!!! They're just really awesome to hang with.

I guess Disney is way ahead of you...

I will be sorely disappointed if they do this. But it looks like a done deal.

Sorry. I'll show myself out.

:lmao:

Hey, you did better than me. I screwed up capturing the fireball.

As you well know, I have mixed successes with this and that in the photog dept at Disney. Everything is either moving too fast, too dark, I'm too crowded, don't have a tripod, or....?

Well, who cares what they think?!

Good point!

We had the same feeling about the QS food there. Good atmosphere, ok food.

I will try again, but know to order a bit differently. Live and learn.

Hi
Looks like your photo of the red head is going to be one to keep for prosperity it will be gone soon if he rumours are true . Good that your African adventure is coming together .Be our guest for a quick service wasn't very fast and the food just ok for yourselves maybe it will be better the next time you go.Still at least there was the dole whip to make up for it.

It's sad but true. Such a shame to see an iconic scene go to the way of PC. So stoooooooooooopid.

Africa is sloooooow. Having a really hard time finding a source for the vaccines. I'll keep plugging away, but ugh!

I'll give BOG another chance, but with adjusted expectations. ;)

Yes, Dole Whips make everything all better, don't they?
 
It always does come too early.

Disney vacations are not for the faint of heart.

Can't escape laundry even in Disney.

Not with longer trips for sure. Suitcases are only so big. And Disney can only break them so many times. (And do.)

I was really asking myself that. I love free.

All the free things!!!!

Another Dis meet is always good.

I always try to squeeze one or two in each trip. Meeting new people (and old friends too!) is great fun. :)

I can just imagine. You got a really great photo of the Red-head.

Thanks! I can't tell you how many I have, but this one was by far the best one I've gotten. Good thing too; might be my very last one.

Great photo of Marv and Pat! I really like the motion too. Of course I would not be caught dead on the Puke Cups.

They're such a cute couple! Love them to pieces. :)

I've been working on that technique some and even have visited my local carousel to practice a couple of times. I go on them for nostalgia's sake and to appease the kids. Fun once, torture twice.
 
There's an oxymoron if I've ever not seen one.

I don't even understand that. :upsidedow

Whoops! I mean, Yes Your Highness!

That's better!

Yes, Your Hindness.

That's better too. Perhaps my new title!

Of course. This makes total sense.

Did I ever tell you the time I let a hotel do my laundry?
We were in Cologne, Germany. We had some laundry... Oh! Look! Laundry bags. We can just have them done! Yay!"

So we did.


And it came out to about $100.

ouch.

OH dear! Pretty steep... methinks you were taken for a ride.



Woot!!!! All Right!!!!!! This TR just got good!!!

I made sure my dress was long enough....

That's all it takes. And.....


Sure it was.

You like that huh?

Okay... what is all that?

African Inspired Breakfast Platter - scrambled eggs, sausage, pap, chakalaka and grilled tomatoes $9.49

Hold on. I remember you saying you didn't like breakfast type foods. That looks pretty breakfast to me.

Bounty Platter - scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, bacon, sausage, pap, chakalaka, and a waffle $10.49

For the most part it was, although, potatoes don't count. Nor do stewed tomatoes. I LOVE stewed tomatoes. My Mama makes the BEST ones. Plenty of brown sugar, bell pepper, worcestershire, mmmmm....! I learned to love that as a teen when I went to London when we were served toast, baked beans, stewed tomatoes, and tea. Yumm!

Plain scrambled eggs. Barf.

Is that what you said to Anara?

And don't tell us to, when you aren't even wearing any.

No, I just laughed.

Party pooper.

But they do have.... zebra domes!!!!!!!!!!! :hyper:

I know how you love those. You tout them with due justice on your TR!

Not me! Looking forward to it! :)

Eventually...

Point of order. Shouldn't Her Highness have a serf to do that for her?

Are you applying?

Thank goodness you wrote that! I was thinking it was <kerfuffle, kerfuffle!>

That sounds.... naughty.

This is a thing? Maybe only if you stay concierge?

I guess? I should have left it there. Now I can't because I feel guilty. @franand are they worth listing on eBay?


Thus indicating it's relative worth

See ^^

I would imagine that royalty has far more than would fit in a single closet.

Yes, royalty fairly frequently raids the other 2 closets of her serfs who are the same size in the household.

Why mostly? Did you interrupt the dryer? Or did it just not have enough oomph to complete the job?

They just don't quite get the job done. And I refuse to pay another $25 for another spin.

Do both.
Behead one and pay more to the replacement. Instills loyalty and terror. A good combination.

I may be crazy, but schizophrenic I am not.

This is a thing?


:rolleyes1

Some of us.... wait.


Nah. They're Floridians. They're used to that.

It was you.

Good. My campaign of instilling terror is working.

You sure it wasn't right?

Only you would have noticed that.

With Pat and Marv along?
Of this, I have no doubt.

paging @Poolrat and @GoofyFan1515 ... you are being disparaged.

Please Disney. Leave this alone.

I have a bad feeling about this.

Oh? I thought the women swooned for ol' Jack.

Not this one. I cannot even IMAGINE his breath.

::yes:: Did you play them all? I've only done two, I think.

No, we only got through 2.

Don't do that!!!!

Awww, now you feel deprived? Besides, you have to choose... mermaids or redheads.

Oh wait...

Next you'll want to add fairies to you harem.

Did you have her pose like that on purpose? :)

Probably. ?? If so, she seemed game.

Praise It To Allah?
You must really like it!!!

LOL!!

So.... what did you get? Surely you didn't go in there as a way to BOG. It's out of the way!

Nothing but photos. I think it was a quick side trip on the way to a FiP? Or??

That is a particularly difficult, yet seemingly simple, shot to get.

It is! Seems like a fairly straightforward one, but nope.

Total fail. I would go to Disney just for that soup.

Then you should.... In November.

Hand held? Tough one.

Yeah, no empty tables nearby to use as a surface. Like I said, hard to do dark photog with so many people around.

:laughing: And a place to leave her camera, no?

yes. :rolleyes2

But, I DO tend to get my stuff back.

Wait! Wait! You're trading mermaids???? How do I sign up???

Isn't Ariel handful enough?

:laughing: That would do it!

Madame Leota sees all.

Who makes out on HM? There's so much to see!
Well... okay. I suppose if you have a couple of young kids who are crazy about each other then maybe that takes priority...


And yes. I knew about the ashes to mansion thing.
I wonder if those who are doing it know their loved ones wind up in a vacuum and ultimately a garbage dump?

Kids these days. :sad2: They have their priorities all....

RIGHT!!

Maybe?? I have no idea, but that's a good point.

Pretty good photo for being on the cups.
I presume you weren't spinning it quite as fast as when the three of us rode?

Hmmm, I'm thinking about the same? I think we took it easy as we were all in the Geezer Cup (as opposed to the teenager cup).
 
Ugh. I had a bunch of multi quotes, and then the DIS freaked out and now I don't remember. OK I went back (twice now) and grabbed a few that I remembered. And this is on my phone nonetheless.

You are one dedicated DISser! I know full well how big of a PITA the phone quoting is!

Since 9 days is about as long as my trips get, laundry happens halfway through. I may even have been on my second load!

I think anything less than a say... 5 day? trip you can get away with no laundry; anything more, and yeah you're gonna see some cash outflow to machines.

2nd breakfast is good on vacation....

.... with a snack tucked in between them. Might I suggest a Dole Whip?

Yeah, don't get between me and my caffiene!

<typed as she sits in $ixbucks sipping a latte>

They're not selling Kidani any more....

I'm definitely deficit in my DVC knowledge. I have no idea what's open or anything. Thanks for the factoid upgrade!

Which is why we never use them. It's so easy to just tap the band. When your budget is on a gift card, you can reign in spending.

Odd you should say that. A few weeks ago, I bought a couple of gift cards from my son who didn't spend it on the last trip. I'll use it to pay for stuff. It is a good way to go for sure.

Yeah, I have to say that dinner is better than lunch, but the soup is the best thing they have there.

Okay, totally making it a point to get that. For sure!

I believe you, Fran has made a similar request of her ashes.



That's why Fran wants to be dumped in the garden of the DL version.

This is GENIUS!!

Fran is super smart.

A friend of mine sprinkled her mom's ashes across all 4 parks. I say hi there in all the places i know. :)

Awww, that's such a beautiful way and place(s) to remember someone special.
 
Welcome back, Andy!! We've missed you!!!

Sounds fantastic! And just a day after my birthday. I'd love to be there too... but that ain't happening.

Well, that's a bummer! It'd be fun to have you join up!!

Well, that's Disney for ya.

I wished they'd kept the original spirit of World Showcase at least. Sad.

I'm not sure whether this deserves a :sad2: or a :rotfl2:

both??

I can, and will, offer more in the way of prayer.

That's equally, if not more, valuable, Andy! Thanks!!

Well, I'll give you that one!

Oh sure. Be that way!

We got one of those... and left it in the room.

Which is precisely what I should have done.

I think 3? Any answers? I'm too far behind to read all the replies.

No one really answered. I think it's 3. But it's on my list to actively LOOK for in November. I'll let you know!!

Nope... I'm not sharing with anybody! Get your own!!!!!

You're so generous.

Fine. Not sharing my Dole Whip.

That could drive someone to kill...
 
You're boring.

:lmao: :rotfl:

I don't even understand that. :upsidedow

My job here is done.
<Drops mic. Walks away.>

That's better too. Perhaps my new title!

::yes::

OH dear! Pretty steep... methinks you were taken for a ride.

No. Just didn't read the not so fine print.

I made sure my dress was long enough....

You're boring.


:rolleyes:

For the most part it was, although, potatoes don't count. Nor do stewed tomatoes. I LOVE stewed tomatoes. My Mama makes the BEST ones. Plenty of brown sugar, bell pepper, worcestershire, mmmmm....! I learned to love that as a teen when I went to London when we were served toast, baked beans, stewed tomatoes, and tea. Yumm!

Plain scrambled eggs. Barf.

Gotcha.

I know how you love those. You tout them with due justice on your TR!

I may have mentioned them once.

Are you applying?

Moi?

That sounds.... naughty.

"kerfuffle" sounds naughty??? :laughing:

I guess? I should have left it there. Now I can't because I feel guilty. @franand are they worth listing on eBay?

Try @franandaj instead.

Yes, royalty fairly frequently raids the other 2 closets of her serfs who are the same size in the household.

Convenient. Is that why you had them?

I may be crazy, but schizophrenic I am not.

Totally sounds like something a schizophrenic would say.

I have a bad feeling about this.

Hoping it won't happen in my lifetime.

Thinking it will... :sad2:

Not this one. I cannot even IMAGINE his breath.

But I thought you liked rum!

Next you'll want to add fairies to you harem.

Good idea! You can pick up your application at the door.

Then you should.... In November.

I wish!
By the time I get my dates, there won't be any ADRs left.

Yeah, no empty tables nearby to use as a surface. Like I said, hard to do dark photog with so many people around.

Yep.

But, I DO tend to get my stuff back.

I know! It's like you have a mutant super power or something.

Isn't Ariel handful enough?

Can always use more.
 
V is for Visiting “Home” for a Very Artistic Meal

Way back at the conception of this trip, when once upon a time I mentioned we were going to WDW to the Wine Lady, I had a moment of shared Disney enthusiasm. I was informed quite emphatically that she, The Wine Lady, is the personal rep and saleschick to the Chef and Sommelier of Artist Point as a heavy distributor of Willamette Valley Vineyards located a few miles from my house. Not a small portion of those bottled grapes come from my own hood. Furthermore, she was pretty sure she could get a comped meal for us there with a phone call.


A phone call that never happened. But we’ll get to that….



Nevertheless, the idea of trying Artist Point grew on me. In all trips prior, I shunned the notion of visiting a place that too closely resembled any commonplace dinner I could get on any night of the week or simply cook at home. Steak? Got that covered. Salmon? At least once a month. Wild mushrooms? Hubs brings those home fresh from the forest floor every Autumn. Gourmet Cheese from the Willamette Valley? Yep, Willamette Valley Cheese Co. is about 4 miles down the road. So, I really resisted going to a place that was for us so… ordinary. I guess for me, going to Disney is all about visiting “exotic” new decors, themes, and menus. I want to be immersed in "somewhere else". Wilderness Lodge, a Disneyfied copycat of Timberline Lodge, just wasn’t high on the list.


But…



A free meal?


Sign me up.


I’ve said it many multiple times before on this and other TRs: Free is good; free with chocolate is better.

I also have this inane goal of trying as many Disney Property restaurants as I can. A lofty (and expensive) goal to be sure, but one I keep chipping away at each trip. Almost there.


Haha, just kidding.


Not.

Even.

Close.


So, free + never been there = OK, sure, let’s try it.



I had planned it for an evening we’d be going from MK. That’s a no brainer.

As we left:

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We hopped a boat to WL <toot, toot> (oh, sorry, that was Casey’s still in action) and made it with plenty of time for us to stop and watch the Geyser. We spent a long time watching it. So long, in fact, it turned into ridiculous, but… “has camera, will linger” was the modus operandi this particular evening. It was cool that the light cooperated and I could catch a rainbow in it.

IMG_3153.jpg


We eventually got our fill of fancy fountains with faux finishes, and moseyed up to the bar. Why? For me to continue my Drink Through the Alphabet Quest of course! Did I find a way to continue?


Yes. I present to you… Letter ‘T’: A Tanqueray Twist- Gin and Cranberry Juice:

IMG_3173.jpg


Yes, I asked my bartender to come up with Letter T, and that’s what I got. Not a gin girl in the least, but the show must go on. It was refreshing, and surprisingly okay for gin.


It wasn’t too long that we needed to head on into the cavernous interior of the Lodge itself passing scenes like this along the way:

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We pretty much howled out loud at the name of the “falls” here. They are a blatantly named after our very own Silver Falls, one of our favorite places to hike which, in reality, look like this:

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If you’ve not visited the PNW, please do so soon. You won’t be sorry.


Really, it is a very lovely resort, even if very familiar to those of us from the PNW. Someday, perhaps I’ll be lucky enough to stay there and get a tour from Ranger Stan. This trip would have to suffice with a meal from Chef Someone O’Rather. (Yes, I could Google; no, I’m not going to.) I love the Mission-style décor blended with a touch of Arts and Crafts and accent pieces reminiscent of Lewis and Clark’s expedition. I didn’t take too terribly many photos, so please enjoy the ones I did get.

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(You did see the Hidden Mickeys in those last 2 pix, right?)

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We were seated quite quickly and I had decided about a year prior on the one dish I simply had to try. Our server came over and took our order. Hmmm….. needed to proceed to Letter…

Uhh, wait! What’s this? Remember the Mickey and the Minnie Books? The little planning jobbies I made to guide my trip, take notes in etc…? I really do use them. And it was in this little book that I was keeping my notes and cocktail plan and hadn’t gotten it out at the Trout Pass Pool Bar earlier. I got it out to jot down some things, and I THOUGHT I was Letter “T” at that point, but was actually still on Letter “S”. Shoot had to backtrack. Easy peasy! Lots of choices for THAT letter!! And even ones that I enjoy quite a lot: (And besides @franandaj already told me it was okay to go out of order a bit. Hence “Z” was imbibed before U-Y. Thank you for enabling my irresponsible behavior, Alison! :laughing:)


Let’s go with a red wine (no brainer choice for red med) and how about this! Perhaps one from a winery that is a mere 18 miles or so from my house! If you’re ever up my way, lemme take you there; it has the most beautiful tasting room that overlooks a huge vineyard covered hillside… just lovely! Sokol Blosser if you want to Google it.

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Anywho, we got our wine order in, and then focused on the food. We split the:
Smoked Mushroom Bisque - wild nettle pistou, sunflower seed, salsify $12

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( I adore how they made the garnish look like a Douglas Fir and the stem of sword fern is a nice touch!)

And the:

10 oz. Prime Strip Loin - crushed new potato, roasted carrot, watercress, herb vinaigrette $49

No photo... use our imagination to conjure up a..... steak.

For your reference:

IMG_2870.jpg


At this point, I mentioned that I wanted to speak to the Sommelier and to give greetings from my neighbor, The Wine Lady. He apparently wasn’t there, but a manager did come over and chatted us up for a little bit. She thanked us for dining there and returned the greetings to The Wine Lady. I was pretty sure we weren’t going to see a comped dinner coming our way, but never fear, Dear Reader. Good things come to those who wait. And are polite.

Our meal was truly quite fantastic. But the King of the Night was that soup. I could swim in that soup with my mouth open and be a very happy woman. Holy smoke dogs! If you like mushrooms and creamy based yummies, do not die without having this soup. No wonder it gets such consistent reviews on the Dining Report Boards.

About that time, I had to do what little girls do. The powder room was past the check-in desk and as I passed, the same manager was there. She stopped me and asked for my name, The Wine Lady’s name (You mean you want more than Wine Lady?) and who she worked for and she wrote it all down. I graciously provided the deets and finished up my business.

Soon enough the steak came. We consistently fight over how our steak is prepared, and this time Mr. McWrecktheSteak won- medium. In Steppe’s nomenclature, that simply means burnt. Or destroyed. So, basically it was a well-seasoned hunk of leather. Whatever, I had a wine flight and a gin twist; I didn’t really give a crap. I ate a bit of steak, half the soup, and some of the taters that came as our side. Plenty. And now is when being nice, polite, etc… pays off. About the time we’d have ordered our dessert course, which we would have, this showed up at or table:

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The totems smiled down on this cheese loving girl and heaven opened its floodgates with all the good stuff. “The manager wants to thank you again for dining with us tonight and the Sommelier will make sure to send his personal greetings to the Wine Lady and mention your name.” I’m sure she made a phone call to someone after I spoke with her the 2nd time and confirmed we weren’t just blowing smoke, which is a prudent managerial thing to do.

BAM! No, my Wine Lady neighbor hadn’t called, but really, she didn’t need to. This was such a delightful and truly unexpected bonus, I couldn’t have been more thrilled. We devoured every morsel of soft, salty, and stinky cheese with every pairing on that board, and I can neither confirm or deny that I stopped short of licking the thing.

As an additional little favour, we here handed this:

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You can call it advertising for The Ganachery if you choose. I call it not-so-subtle back scratching and solid business relations, because you know darn well they will get some very positive word of mouth and that I’ll go home and tout the service and wine selections to The Wine Lady who will continue to steer paying customers their way.

The bill came and we still spent about as much as 2 nights concierge level at AKL, but it was less than it would have been with a fancy pants (personally crafted above and beyond the one on the menu) cheese plate and $20 worth of chocolate on it. It was worth it. The meal was very lovely. My only complaint, if you can even call it that, was that the restaurant itself was a bit loud and some of the tables seemed exposed for a quiet fancy dinner. I'd ask for a booth next time.

We took the boat back to the MK to grab a bus and saw that it was another Party night:

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With that I'll say adieu and meantime, m
y motto stands, and certainly rang true at Artist Point:


Free is good; free with chocolate is even better!
 
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That seems like a wonderful meal! I agree that I tend to avoid things I can get at home when traveling, but that soup does look scrumptious. (And since I'm *not* in the PNW, it is slightly more exotic for me.)

So cool that your mention of The Wine Lady got you that lovely cheese plate and chocolate.
 
Wilderness Lodge is the resort I want to see most but haven't been able to yet. It looks wonderful.

Been very busy at work lately so I haven't had as much time for comments lately. I do read along though.:blush:
 
I’ve said it many multiple times before on this and other TRs: Free is good; free with chocolate is better.
Can't argue with that kind of sound logic.

I also have this inane goal of trying as many Disney Property restaurants as I can. A lofty (and expensive) goal to be sure, but one I keep chipping away at each trip. Almost there.


Haha, just kidding.


Not.

Even.

Close.
I feel ya...

(And besides @franandaj already told me it was okay to go out of order a bit. Hence “Z” was imbibed before U-Y. Thank you for enabling my irresponsible behavior, Alison! :laughing:)
She's such an enabler... :sad2:

We consistently fight over how our steak is prepared, and this time Mr. McWrecktheSteak won- medium. In Steppe’s nomenclature, that simply means burnt. Or destroyed. So, basically it was a well-seasoned hunk of leather.
Ok now... medium is ok. If the steak is a good quality steak it should still be juicy and tender. But if you go well done... then you're turning anything you put on that grill into leather.
 

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