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

[franandaj]

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

There are three up there...one for $8, one for $12.99 and one for $16.99. I didn't look at the listings themselves. They may offer a cocktail napkin from the Tambu lounge or something, maybe a cocktail stirrer. People do that to get you to pay a higher price or perhaps purchase theirs over someone else's.

I'll probably be back next week to read and comment on the update....now off to find me some more elk and bison for sustenance!

 

[glennbo123]

Caught up. Loved the pictures of Animal Kingdom Lodge. Oh, how I'd love to stay Concierge Level someday.

Very cool on the comp'd cheese tray! And they looked like some nice-sized hunks. Gosh, I hope the tag fairy doesn't isolate that last sentence.

 

[Mac Brew]

Hi Liesa
We stayed at the wilderness lodge last time in the world but have never eaten at artist point did use the wispering canon once though. At lest you got some free chocolates to compensate for having to pay for your meal. You can't beat the boat ride to the magic Kingdom.The room we had overlooked the wildlife pond, once we seen a couple of deer in the morning, The pond and trees have now been destroyed for a few cabins that only the milionaires and lottery winners will be able to use.As half the hotel rooms have now been given up for time share I wonder how hard it will now be to book a room in the lodge in the future due to the reduced available rooms for the people who don't have DVC. I managed to spot the hidden mickeys in your two photo's.

 

[Steppesister]

I see I have so responding to do...

BUT!!!

I'm here in Seattle with Karilynn (@Malia78) for the Pacific Morthwest Mouse Meet. Fun to be around so many Disney Nerds. Taking pix for you all....

Meanwhile enjoy your weekend!!

 

[KathyM2]

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.

Hilarious. Even with a medium cooked steak it sounds like a pretty great meal. And of course the free cheese and chocolate didn't hurt matters.

 

[pkondz]

Way back at the conception of this trip,

Ah yes, that's when I had a preconception which was actually a misconception of this trip.

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.

Nice!!

Furthermore, she was pretty sure she could get a comped meal for us there with a phone call.

Even nicer!!!

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

oh

Salmon? At least once a month.

Me too!
Except it's once a year... or decade... or so.

Wild mushrooms? Hubs brings those home fresh from the forest floor every Autumn.

Wow! Really! I wouldn't know a poisonous one from an edible one, so I'll never have that experience. So cool!

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.

I get that.
I'm not really all that interested in going in the Canada pavilion in Epcot.

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.

Keep at it! You'll get there!

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.

I am very familiar with that "modus".

It was cool that the light cooperated and I could catch a rainbow in it.

Look closer. You have a double rainbow.

We eventually got our fill of fancy fountains with faux finishes

Bravo.

For me to continue my Drink Through the Alphabet Quest of course! Did I find a way to continue?

I'm surprised you made it home with your liver intact!

Pretty! Nice photo!

Much better.

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

It's on my list!
That's part of my "grand road trip" plans.

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

I had decided about a year prior on the one dish I simply had to try.

You didn't specifically say. Was it the bisque? I presume? You didn't say much about the steak.

Let’s go with a red wine (no brainer choice for red med)

Actually no.
I've heard that red wine with red meat or white wine with fish is no longer "de rigueur".
Drink what you wish.

Perhaps one from a winery that is a mere 18 miles or so from my house!

For a lady who was eschewing local... you can't get more local than that!

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!

It's a date!

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,

Well.... crap.

I could swim in that soup with my mouth open and be a very happy woman.

About that time, I had to do what little girls do.

Tease little boys?

We consistently fight over how our steak is prepared, and this time Mr. McWrecktheSteak won- medium.

You shared a steak... that was overcooked?


Why??????

In Steppe’s nomenclature, that simply means burnt. Or destroyed.

Correct.

So, basically it was a well-seasoned hunk of leather.

Yuck. Pass.

Yum! Nice score!

This was such a delightful and truly unexpected bonus, I couldn’t have been more thrilled.

Oh? How about that plus the meal is on the house?

I can neither confirm or deny that I stopped short of licking the thing

Although I can't blame you.

As an additional little favour, we here handed this:

Very nice! Were they good?

The bill came and we still spent about as much as 2 nights concierge level at AKL

Ouch

personally crafted above and beyond the one on the menu) cheese plate

Oh! I didn't realize it was something that you couldn't even order! Excellent!

 

[pkondz]

I'm here in Seattle with Karilynn (@Malia78) for the Pacific Morthwest Mouse Meet. Fun to be around so many Disney Nerds. Taking pix for you all....

Sounds like fun! Have a great time!

 

[Princess Leia]

I'm here in Seattle with Karilynn (@Malia78) for the Pacific Morthwest Mouse Meet. Fun to be around so many Disney Nerds.

Hope you are having a fantastic time.

Specifically, I am headed to The World mid-November for Dapper Days, which is November 18th.

That sounds really good - I would enjoy that.

Yes, I am inviting anyone who wants to join me for the 18th for a bit.

Thanks for the invite - I don't get anytime off in November. I'll need to wait until my retirement.

I received word last night that I am being offered a position on a team going to W. Africa for a survey trip and yet to be determined medical work.

This is fabulous news and so needed.

Well Friends, I'm back from an almost week-long camping trip. If my back didn't know it, my neck certainly does. Not to mention my sleep deprivation. But hey, a relaxing week out in the wilderness, right? <insert extreme cynicism here>

For some unknown reason we bought a large tent the other year. It has only been used once when Hannah had a sleepover in the garden. As Hannah was younger at the time I slept in one of the rooms. I really didn't sleep much. There were too many animals snuffling round the tent. At least in Scotland I knew it wasn't a bear. When I finally got to sleep I was awoken by the dawn chorus. I do like the great outdoors which I can get to after a night indoors.

I did get to finally get myself up in the air:

Well done, you! That's a great achievement.

I think this should stay. I remember a few years ago a cast member at Pirates shouted over to me "Here comes a red headed wench. Maybe I could take her as my bride". It was really funny.

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.

That totally makes sense.I would never dream of dining at the Rose and Crown as I could probably get much better versions at home.

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

After our road trip to Canada visiting British Columbia and Alberta it does have a certain lure. We will get back out West when funds allow.

Really, it is a very lovely resort,

I really loved our stay at Wilderness Lodge.

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

I did indeed!

Our meal was truly quite fantastic.

We really enjoyed our meal at Artist Point. I had the cedar plank salmon. I recall it being much quieter than a lot of Disney restaurants.

Someday, perhaps I’ll be lucky enough to stay there and get a tour from Ranger Stan.

I'm sure you'll get to stay there at some point. I believe Ranger Stan has retired.

 

[Malia78]

Seattle with Karilynn (@Malia78) for the Pacific Morthwest Mouse Meet

Hope you are having a fantastic time.

We had a great time-it was am...... oh, wait, don't want to spoil the trip report

 

[pkondz]

We had a great time-it was am...... oh, wait, don't want to spoil the trip report

Ambivalent?

 

[franandaj]

I know I said that I would be back next week with comments, but we're at Jill's house having dinner tonight and the two of them are in the living room watching Game of Thrones. I am not a fan, so Fran had brought her computer to work on eBay before dinner while I did some laundry. I'm using her computer to catch up a bit on the DIS while they watch that show that doesn't interest me!

I mentioned we were going to WDW to the Wine Lady

So remind me, who is the Wine Lady to you? Is she a friend, a consultant at a store you shop at, or do you just frequent the winery for tastings so much you are on a first name basis?

and moseyed up to the bar

After looking at your cup, it appears you went to the pool bar and not the restaurant bar.

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.

Cool shot with the rainbow!

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

After you mentioned it, I went back and looked.....

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!

I'm always happy to endorse irresponsible behavior when it comes to alcohol!

We split the:
Smoked Mushroom Bisque - wild nettle pistou, sunflower seed, salsify $12

Excellent choice!

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.

Yes, this is a must do at this restaurant!

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.

I'm so glad that Fran and I agree on Medium Rare at most places and Rare at a Teppan Yaki restaurant.

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:

Yummy! I am convinced that the next time we dine here, we need to order a full bowl of soup each, a cheese course and the Berry cobbler for dessert.

“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.”

So did they comp your meal?

As an additional little favour, we here handed this:

Oh My Gosh! Those are soooooo good! We were there like a day or two after they opened and the chocolates were fantastic and incredibly priced!

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 bill was $2000 Yikes! Even with the discount? That's more than V&A's!

 

[Steppesister]

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls:

Due to uncontainable excitement, Steppesister is now preparing an action-packed, humdinger of a Bonus Chapter for you. Please, keep your hands and arms inside this Trip Report at all times, and take small children by the hand.


Some of you know already that I, and fellow DISer and good friend @Malia78, got to meet some pretty darned cool people this weekend, shop for some outrageously cool stuff, and generally get our Mouse on.

The Pacific Northwest MouseMeet is the largest unofficial Disney Fan gathering in the nation and we got to be part of it. <insert gigantic huge smile here>

Here is a sneak preview of what went down... if you don't know who these folks are, please engage your fingers in a Google search immediately. Trust me, I have some hugely cool stuff to share with you about this Meet. We heard some unbelievable stories and eh hmmm, made a few of our own.





But first, 4 chapters to go, and of course the Grand Reveal of the Winner of THE CONTEST.

 

[pkondz]

I had to Google. Cool!
Glad you had fun and I can't wait to hear all about it!!

 

[jedijill]

Caught up again. I love the soup at AP....well done steak? Glad you love him. LOL That was so cool to get teh cheese and chocolate! Very nice touch!

The Mouse Meet looked fun!

And Game of Thrones was awesome....@franandaj is a wuss! ROFLMAO!

Jill in CO

 

[Steppesister]

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

WAIT! Come back! I have so few readers left!

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

Oppsies!

You're boring.

Clearly, I need to up my game and add more fun stuffs.

I may have mentioned them once.

Or twice.

Or thrice....

Moi?

Toi!

"kerfuffle" sounds naughty???

One notch down from hufflepuff.

Try @franandaj instead.

Thanks, AJ!

Convenient. Is that why you had them?

Well... yeah.

Totally sounds like something a schizophrenic would say.

He said that once. That one in the corner.

But I thought you liked rum

Fresh rum without the dental caries, please.

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

Formulates ideas.

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

Best get on it then!

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

This is a pretty good one to have.

Can always use more.

You're going to stretch yourself too thin and leave them all crying in the lagoon.

 

[Steppesister]

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.

It was a very nice one. Not the absolute best I've had at Disney (by a long shot) but quite lovely. The food was good and it was fun seeing it for the first time. They have some pretty cool murals on the walls and ceiling and some neat genuine artifacts to see too.

More comments down below on the follow up to that.

Wilderness Lodge is the resort I want to see most but haven't been able to yet. It looks wonderful.

I really hope you get there, Jeff. It is very lovely and, while not quite as "grand" as AKL, it is HUGE and equally awe inspiring.

Been very busy at work lately so I haven't had as much time for comments lately. I do read along though.

No worries! I know that job transitions are tough under the very best of circumstances. I was wondering the other day if you are missing your former country of work? Do you miss that team who certainly must have been friends? I'll bet it's great seeing the girls more though!

Can't argue with that kind of sound logic.

Once in a very great while I have an opinion worth repeating.

She's such an enabler...

She is!!!

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.

Agreed 100%. Just NO. Steak is WAY too expensive to screw around with and overcook it willy nilly.

 

[Steppesister]

I did... But the real question is did you see the one in this picture?

I missed one?!

And no! I looked and looked but STILL don't see it!

Good eye!

One bonus point for you!

There are three up there...one for $8, one for $12.99 and one for $16.99. I didn't look at the listings themselves. They may offer a cocktail napkin from the Tambu lounge or something, maybe a cocktail stirrer. People do that to get you to pay a higher price or perhaps purchase theirs over someone else's.

Ok, I will get a few "extras" on my trip and offer a package on eBay this winter. Thanks for the recon!

I'll probably be back next week to read and comment on the update....now off to find me some more elk and bison for sustenance!

Nice!! I see you're having a great time in and around the Mile High.

Caught up. Loved the pictures of Animal Kingdom Lodge. Oh, how I'd love to stay Concierge Level someday.

I think you'd enjoy it! (I mean who wouldn't!?) Lots of eats and plenty of upscale service.

Very cool on the comp'd cheese tray! And they looked like some nice-sized hunks. Gosh, I hope the tag fairy doesn't isolate that last sentence.

YUM!

You may regret that sentence someday...

 

[Steppesister]

Hi Liesa
We stayed at the wilderness lodge last time in the world but have never eaten at artist point did use the wispering canon once though. At lest you got some free chocolates to compensate for having to pay for your meal.

And that's another I've never done. Just too much food for us! Plus, we have some fabulous BBQ right here at home, so that one is a bit further down the list.

You can't beat the boat ride to the magic Kingdom.

What I didn't share, because my photos were horrible due to: A) a moving boat, B) only a small lens, and C) dark, was that we were treated to a HUGE full moon rising over the
Contemporary as we made our way back to MK. It was spectacular and a lot of people were standing on the bow watching it as we sailed along. Magical!!

The room we had overlooked the wildlife pond, once we seen a couple of deer in the morning, The pond and trees have now been destroyed for a few cabins that only the milionaires and lottery winners will be able to use.

What a lovely view that must have been! Neat!

I think that's the way of the future for many of these properties. They know they can recoup the money so will keep at it.

As half the hotel rooms have now been given up for time share I wonder how hard it will now be to book a room in the lodge in the future due to the reduced available rooms for the people who don't have DVC.

I'm imagining quite a lot harder. They are pricing out the average middle income family very quickly.

I managed to spot the hidden mickeys in your two photo's.

YAY!!!!

 

[Steppesister]

Hilarious. Even with a medium cooked steak it sounds like a pretty great meal. And of course the free cheese and chocolate didn't hurt matters.

It was really nice. The soup made it all worth it!

And well... free cheese. That sealed the deal from good meal, to "quite nice" meal.

Ah yes, that's when I had a preconception which was actually a misconception of this trip.

Which was...?

Me too!
Except it's once a year... or decade... or so.

Such a shame. Salmon is super healthy and so yummy! Especially grilled with lemon or on a salad even. But, yes, I get that Ruby is allergic, so gotta steer clear.

Wow! Really! I wouldn't know a poisonous one from an edible one, so I'll never have that experience. So cool!

Only a couple of kinds get picked: Chanterelles and Morels. Both are the bomb diggity sauteed in garlic butter and fresh parsley.

I get that.
I'm not really all that interested in going in the Canada pavilion in Epcot.

See?


But then again... ummm, neither am I. You already know my faltering opinion of the gift shop.

Keep at it! You'll get there!

Little by little... like most things in life.

Look closer. You have a double rainbow.

Well, looky there! Does that mean it's double the price of the Artist Point meal, but the "gold" was the free choco and cheese? That's how leprechauns work- they give a little and craftily take a lot.

I'm surprised you made it home with your liver intact!

Tis a strong liver, it is, aye!

Pretty! Nice photo!

Thanks. I like the color!

Much better.

We do waterfalls well.

It's on my list!
That's part of my "grand road trip" plans.

Then I will make the offer I make to anyone who WNDRS this way: Come as you are, stay as long as you like; the steak's on me.

You didn't specifically say. Was it the bisque? I presume? You didn't say much about the steak.

Hmm, I thought I had?

Smoked Mushroom Bisque

- wild nettle pistou, sunflower seed, salsify $12

It was a cream-based bisque that was out of this world. I'd go back just to get that soup.

Actually no.
I've heard that red wine with red meat or white wine with fish is no longer "de rigueur".
Drink what you wish.

But white is.... so much less superior to red. And that's why I'd drink red with fish or chicken or with appetizers.

For a lady who was eschewing local... you can't get more local than that!

I know!

It's a date!

YAY!

Oh my, Grandma, what a big mouth you have.

Tease little boys?

You know me so well.

You shared a steak... that was overcooked?


Why??????

$$$


Because I was dining with Mr. McTightWaddyPants.

Oh? How about that plus the meal is on the house?

Ok, sure. That'd do it.

Very nice! Were they good?

I don't know! My kids ate them.

Oh! I didn't realize it was something that you couldn't even order! Excellent!

Lots of extras on there. Which was nice since I hadn't eaten a ton.

Sounds like fun! Have a great time!

We sure did!!! Loads of it!

 

[Steppesister]

Hope you are having a fantastic time.

We really did! Saw and did a lot, including eating ourselves silly!

Thanks for the invite - I don't get anytime off in November. I'll need to wait until my retirement.

That's a very good reason to not be able to make it! A pass for you, then.

This is fabulous news and so needed.

And even moreso after today's news of the horrific and devastating flooding and landslides. Hundreds are dead, thousands without homes. On an already overly taxed and practically non-existent healthcare system.

For some unknown reason we bought a large tent the other year. It has only been used once when Hannah had a sleepover in the garden. As Hannah was younger at the time I slept in one of the rooms. I really didn't sleep much. There were too many animals snuffling round the tent. At least in Scotland I knew it wasn't a bear. When I finally got to sleep I was awoken by the dawn chorus. I do like the great outdoors which I can get to after a night indoors.

Camping is definitely loved my some, hated by most. I fall on the "I am getting too old for this" end of the spectrum.

Well done, you! That's a great achievement.

I still 40 hours to log, but most take nearer to 50 or 60 to check out. It'll be a long road.

I think this should stay. I remember a few years ago a cast member at Pirates shouted over to me "Here comes a red headed wench. Maybe I could take her as my bride". It was really funny.

That is hugely hilarious! Definitely a fun memory to take home. Love it!

That totally makes sense.I would never dream of dining at the Rose and Crown as I could probably get much better versions at home.

I'm glad others see my thinking on this. I was worried I was throwing the baby out with the bath water.

After our road trip to Canada visiting British Columbia and Alberta it does have a certain lure. We will get back out West when funds allow.

When you do, you are always welcome to find a night's rest here. Dinner's on us.

We really enjoyed our meal at Artist Point. I had the cedar plank salmon. I recall it being much quieter than a lot of Disney restaurants.

Hmm, not so quiet for us. Not Chef Mickey's loud, but not V&A either. Cedar planked is so yummy! We can get the cedar in our grocery stores for about $4.00 to do on our grills.

I'm sure you'll get to stay there at some point. I believe Ranger Stan has retired.

Aww, such a shame I missed out on that.

We had a great time-it was am...... oh, wait, don't want to spoil the trip report

LOL! Right after Letter Z!

Ambivalent?

Um, NO!