The Wilderness Must Be Explored (for 15 days!)- A Mother/Daughter Trip! NEW 3/6

[Happy Duck]

Just finished reading your whole TR to date and am enjoying it so much! How fun for you and your mom to spend that special time at Disney together. YC looks beautiful and how awesome that you got to have that view! So cool.

Welcome!! Thank you so much for reading! It was an amazing trip and definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The Yacht Club view is definitely something that all other hotel views will have to compete with

I hope you enjoy the rest of this crazy adventure!!

 

[Happy Duck]

A BLAST from the PAST!

After lunch, we walked through Africa, Discovery Island, and over to....

Hey that picture turned out pretty well. I snapped it real quick while were walking. Crazy how looking at a picture can bring back a memory so clearly.​

I'm so sad that I'm not a child. This playground area looks like an awesome place to hang out and play.

Wait a minute, wait a minute....... You say you are not a child? Ummmmmm.........​

That's okay though. We had a very important exhibit to explore!

It's fast. It's a blast. It's in the PAST!

Not only is it fast, blasty and past ----- it's EXULTANT! (I guess that's only when the digging excavation goes really well)​

Let's check out some of the quaint exhibits in the old wing, shall we?

(It was a nice 20 minute wait. It gave us some time to digest that wonderful lunch!)

I have never stopped to really look/read the various exhibits. It was good to cross that off the list of "never dones"..... and educational too!​

Wait. These aren't dino relics!?

I love the baby turtle!!!

Ummm....is anyone else concerned about imminent snack time?

Looks like the dino has his eyes fixed on those "flamingostriches". Look out little dudes!​

Side bar. Before we got on the ride, we met someone who was training for the Dopey Challenge. He had run the Goofy Challenge 2 years ago, and was excited to run again for his 70th birthday! HE WAS ALMOST 70 YEARS OLD AND WAS STILL RUNNING MARATHONS. That is very impressive.

He's sitting next to me in this picture.

We are soooooo scared.

That picture cracks me up. We are a couple of nut jobs!​

It was a good ride, as usual!

We shopped on the way out, but didn't buy anything.

Please enjoy some more "dino-land inspired" pictures!

If a dino doesn't have individual claws, how can they use this phone?

Unfortunately the hand set was glued on tight. So if a dino had an emergency it would not have mattered whether he could dial the number or not! but then again -- what would constitute a dino emergency? For a T-rex it would have to be something about not being able to reach a stuffie off the top shelf in Chester and Hester's souvenir shop!​

I love the smile on this dino!!

Good thing that he/she is a Veggie-a-saurus. That dino's smile makes it look hungry. WDW would not be happy if it was eating all the guests!​

We said good-bye to the dinosaurs and went to Camp!

CAMP MINNIE MICKEY. I MISS YOU!!!!!

(boo avatarland.)

(sorry. just had to put that in there.)

(yes I think they could have done something else with the space...just not that!)

DONALD IS ADORABLE!!!

Ahhhh.The good life.

We saw Lion King (of course!) and we sat in the LION SECTION. The show is soooooo good. Of course! It's always brilliant.

Everyone sing ----- It's the Ciiirrrcle of Liiiiiffffeeeeee!​

Hmm.....what was next....

I have in my journal that we walked through Island Mercantile. But my pictures tell me that we went on a Safari. So I guess we went on a Safari next!

Next Post
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[Happy Duck]

Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!

 

[Happy Duck]

Mama added her comments to Our Blast from the Past!

 

[Minnie Momma]

Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!

Thank you Lauren! you lots and lots!

And a very Happy Mothers Day to all the Moms out there.​

 

[Nairnyn]

The funniest part of this picture isn't the two of you....but more the fact that the girl behind you is focused on you two instead of the huge looming dinosaur threatening to eat her. You pulled focus!

 

[Happy Duck]

The funniest part of this picture isn't the two of you....but more the fact that the girl behind you is focused on you two instead of the huge looming dinosaur threatening to eat her. You pulled focus!

Haha! That's hilarious! I never noticed that before. Although I don't know if us pulling attention is always a good thing

 

[DisneyJo]

You two are definitely nut jobs My kids have always refused to ride Dinosaur but we're doing it next trip, I bet I'll look properly scared in the photo though

 

[Happy Duck]

From the Kingdom to the Bay

We're off on a safari....almost. We got to the loading dock. We were waiting for our truck. And it didn't come. For a long time.

So I took lots of pictures of the surrounding area.

Need some gear?

I sniped a picture of the control board!

I want to be a cast member just so I can play with all of the ride mechanisms. Do you think the board is distressed on purpose or just through use?

More stuff.

HERE COMES A TRUCK!!!!!

The giraffes are definitely a highlight of the safari.

Well, hi little guy! What are you doing?

Birds. Surrounded by cool reflecting water.

I think these are fascinating creatures. It's so crazy how the addax hardly drink anything!

THEN we walked through the Island Mercantile. Using discounts we paid $65 for $245 worth of merchandise.

After that, we took a picture in front of the tree, since we HADN'T DONE THAT YET. Can't believe it. But we got a picture in our handmade, tie-dyed shirts. So that's awesome!

After a potty stop on the way out, a Yacht Club bus pulled right up when we got to the bus stop. We said the universe was rewarding us for taking the time to shop!

It was a quick trip. 15 minutes, even with stopping at Blizzard Beach.

The funniest part of the trip was an entire family sitting across from us on the bus (Mom/Dad/3 kids?) all on their phones who didn't say a word to each other the whole ride. Great family vacation.

We got back to the room and got into our bathing suits. I took some time to journal on the porch. It was so wonderful to just sit in the sunshine on the porch, look out at the beautiful view, and enjoy the peace and quiet. It's amazing how much tranquility you can find in a place that is usually so busy and hectic.

Then we got a SURPRISE! We had a delivery! Apparently, sneaky Daddy back home had sent us a little gift. He's so sweet!

We were hungry so we decided to go to Beaches and Cream for lunch. But then we had a problem. We didn't know how to get there! Seriously. Directionally challenged people. Plus, I was always convinced that it was on the Boardwalk side, not the Yacht/Beach Club side. Turns out, I was wrong. (Don't worry. We looked at a map before wandering all the way over there.)

We ended up walking out of the outside door beneath our balcony and literally walking through Stormalong Bay to get there. I'm sure we could have found a way to get there through the hotel, but it worked. We did get stopped and "questioned" though. (Are you resort guests????) We had MagicBands though, so we were fine. That was basically the "requirement" at that time for being in SAB.

We walked right in. There was a wait for a table but we could sit a counter. Sure! It was a great spot to sit.

I love the decor. It's so cute!

Plus, there's a music motif throughout. Can't get much better than that!

HIDDEN MICKEY ON THE HAMBURGER GRILL!!!!

I always thought this restaurant was much bigger...because of these mirrors. It really makes this place seem huge. But it's soooo tiny.

Time for dinner!

Or NOT.

It's Ice Cream Time!!!

So yummy! This was a custom concoction because I couldn't decide between the Fudge Mud Slide (A gooey, chewy Brownie covered with Hot Fudge, Three Scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream, Oreo Cookies, and Whipped Cream topped with Chocolate Syrup and a Cherry) and the No Way Jose (A Peanut Butter and Hot Fudge delight featuring Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Morsels, Whipped Cream, and a Cherry). Our ice cream chef (?) was so nice and basically it's a sundae with a brownie, oreo cookies, and peanut butter sauce on the side. All of the best things combined!!!

We thoroughly enjoyed our ice cream treat. But it was time to go swimming!!! Stormalong Bay----here we come!



















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Not really sure what is going on with this "edit box". It is so messed up looking and I am having trouble finding the right spots to post my comments so I am just gonna lump them all into one. We shall call this a very special edition of the mama thoughts......
Not real sure what was going on with the trucks during the safari. My best guess is that some animals were making quite the traffic jam. So we waited..... and waited..... and waited some more. Nothing else to do but try and stay out of trouble and take pictures. Even with all those supplies I think we would've needed more for our trek!
What exactly is going on with those giraffes? Are they a new kind of breed? The Headless Giraffes now appearing on Kilimanjaro Safaris!
We had a very good selection of pixie dust moments on this trip. So nice to walk up to the bus stop and have a "carriage" arrive to take us "home". It was mid day so of course we needed to leave for our afternoon break. Swimming sounded like a great idea! But before we left the room we had a call about a delivery. Now that I think about it..... how did they know we were in our room?!?!?!? Magic Band tracking? Our door was opened? We made THAT MUCH NOISE laughing on the way to our room?
But the delivery was so sweet and such a surprise. Such a nice daddy/hubby to give us some extra goodies. Those pretzels and honey mustard were nummers!
Off to lunch/dinner/snack at the B&C and it only took us xxx minutes to get there! Just kidding. We're not THAT bad with directions....
The sundae was scrumptious. We can never go wrong with chocolatey fudgie sweet decadent goodness! And now that we are all hyped up on sugar --- let's go SWIM!​

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[Happy Duck]

Due to technical difficulties, Mama added her thoughts to the very end of the last post.

 

[Happy Duck]

Around the World in EMH

Hello again! Sorry for the month long hiatus. Don't know what got into me. Last time, we were on our way to Stormalong Bay!

We decided to leave the camera to the side while swimming, so this is the only picture we have...the windmill!

The first thing we did was walk all around the place and figure out where everything is. The pool is huge. And amazing. And wonderful. And it has ruined me for every other pool. EVER.

It took me far to long to figure out how to get to the slide. You actually have to go "out" of the pool area and across the walkway. I didn't realize that for awhile. Whoops. It's actually a little awkward running across in your bathing suit while people are just strolling down in normal clothes. But oh well. I'll do whatever is necessary because that slide is awesome!

The lazy river was my absolute favorite part. Lots of deep water, a gentle current, and very relaxing. It was delightful!

I found my way to Hurricane Hanna's to fill up our mugs. That was one disadvantage of the Yacht Club- no easy access to mug refill. HH's closes too early. No getting drinks when you get back late at night.

I got back to the room first...Mama took a picture of me on our balcony!

Here is our special door that leads right to our room! Mama then proceeded to try and walk to a different door and had to be saved from misdirection from the balcony by yours truly.

We dressed and left for Epcot! WE CAN WALK TO EPCOT. NEVER GETS OLD!

Time for some around the world adventures, at night! I love Epcot at all hours but it just has a different vibe at night. Just like all the parks I guess.

First up was France. I love France. It's fabulous. The sights. The sounds. Just not the smells. I can't walk into that perfume store!

The fountain is so pretty at night!

We meandered, as usual, over to England. We checked out our family genealogy and (gasp!) actually purchased it. Guess what? It hasn't been framed yet, but at least we have it! We also looked at Dr. Who stuff for our resident Whovian (my sister).

This place is SO CUTE!!!!

Never met Winnie the Pooh here though. Bucket list.

It is very impressive in this shop. Lots of decorations and displays around every corner.

We walked by Canada and went to Mexico for dinner. Along the way, we watched Illuminations. I feel so very lucky that I can choose to watch fireworks "on the go". Plus, it is so much easier to walk from place to place when everyone else is standing so still!

Nachos anyone? We also decided to try the churritos. As described, tiny churros. We weren't terribly impressed. There just wasn't much too them. I know they are small, but there wasn't a lot of flavor besides sugar. Not enough filling.

This was the perfect meal to share!

I'm pretty sure that we got there just as the fireworks were ending...look at all the empty tables!

We stopped in Norway to get two school bread to go! YUMMY!

We decided to use extra magic hours to explore China! We've never really taken the time to see all of the odds and ends. But one of the stores was closed and the movie wasn't showing. We did see the terra cotta gallery though. Very cool.

A few things from the other store...

need some dragons?

Pretty.

This is the closest I'll get to the real thing!

By this time we were just sort of walking through without paying much attention to the small details. Germany was just quick look. Nothing too memorable. Then again, Germany is never my favorite country. The glass shop is always cool though.

We pretty well walked out after that. Essentially, we had walked around World Showcase (not in every country, but at least by every country!) during extra magic hours. We went back to the Yacht Club through the International Gateway. We were back to the room just after 11. My feet were tired because I was wearing my not-so-supportive but very cute painted Disney shoes.

We got ready for bed and ate some school bread. I journaled and ate some more of my school bread. Watched Friends and the end of Erin Brockovich. Sleep good! Magic Kingdom tomorrow!

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[Happy Duck]

PUSH! (and other Tomorrowland Adventures)

It's Magic Kingdom Day! Good morning! Rise and shine! (sort of.)

We were up at 8 o'clock but it took awhile to get moving. 2 weeks, while incredibly magical, is definitely hard to keep up with. Waking up is hard to do!

We left at 9:40 after originally planning to leave at 9:00. It was only a 15-20 minute bus ride though. Here was one benefit of being at the Yacht Club. The buses pick up at YC and then go to the Beach Club. BC guests often had to stand or wait for the next bus. Not a problem often had for us.

The line at bag check and the Mickey readers wasn't terrible. It was after the initial rush into the park I guess. Plus, it was a recommended day and we were getting to the latter part of August. The crowds were slowly diminishing as people headed home for the start of school! I am incredibly lucky that my first required day isn't until the last Wednesday of August.

Our first stop was the lockers. We had to store some clothes for later. Surprise ahead!

Then we went to the MyMagic+ center to change some of our reservations. I tried to add a Wishes FP+ but it wasn't available. I changed the times and then took a picture with my phone so I could remember.

I had four (!) FP+ because there was that whole surprise Pirates FP+ thing going on. Of course I changed the Pirates FP+ to something more useful.

We went to Space Mountain to pull regular FP. I think it was for 11:15-12:15. After that, it was time for BREAKFAST. Hungry people on the prowl. We couldn't find any breakfast food in the vicinity though. And we were not going to wait in the Starbucks line.

During our quest for food, we met PUSH! I've never seen Push before so this was so cool. RIP PUSH.

We saw this guy. He's just chilling out, acting all nonchalant and whatnot. Don't focus on the fact that he's talking into something in his hand and is controlling the trashcan a joystick.

PUSH called me a videographer and asked me where the director was. There was a girl who was clearly celebrating a birthday (tiara girl above) so I directed him towards her so I could film it instead. He tried desperately to trade for a pin. Sunglasses, a sticker, and even a dirty diaper wouldn't do!

After saying good-bye to PUSH, we continued searching for sustenance. We found some at Cosmic Rays. Not breakfast food, but it worked.

CUTEST APPLESAUCE EVER. I'd eat applesauce all the time if it looked like this.

After breakfast (?) brunch (?) early lunch (?)

FOOD

we went to check Monster's Inc. It had a 20 minute wait. I refuse to wait for a show there. So we went to another favorite of ours. The Carousel of Progress!

I have no problem with them keeping this show around...it's a good idea to remind kids of the past. And it's a classic. Plus, it's a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the park. And get a nice free souvenir...a song that won't ever leave your brain!

PEOPLE MOVER!

You have saved our lives...we are eternally grateful!

Time for SPACE MOUNTAIN!!! (Wow. This was really a Tomorrowland morning!!!)

And at last I see the light...

Dance like no one's watching. Except you!

I discovered that I don't like the front seat of the rocket. Too jerky. The photo line was too long so we nixed getting the picture.

We heard Star Command summoning us from afar. We responded at the speed of light.

I can't seem to get this to move. I'm trying to use my superpower.

I will defeat ZURG!

Mama's score.

My score.

Not my best.

I've seen Mickey gloves before, obviously, but this was the coolest Buzz Lightyear glove!!!

And now I'm looking at her pins in the picture and going...did we remember to trade with her????

Next...we leave Magic Kingdom.

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[Happy Duck]

Having a GRAND Adventure

We left Magic Kingdom. I was a bit cranky. I wasn't feeling the magic because I had no water. Silly me. Always drink water. It's a necessity.

Don't worry. I got over it very fast. We had important things to do!

We picked up our clothes that we had stored in the locker and took the monorail to the Grand Floridian!!

It was time for Afternoon Tea!!

First thing we did was change into our nicer clothes and then we walked around the Grand. It is so nice to escape the parks, even for a few hours, even if it isn't to your own hotel. Nice air conditioning and no crowds can do wonders for your mood.

We explored the shops. Mama finally found a dress that she had been looking for!

We walked through M. Mouse Mercantile. It's a wonderful shop! Basin is dangerous. I want everything, especially the scrubs! We bought some soaps.

We had reservations for tea at 2pm, so it counted as our "lunch". Now dressed in our nicer tea clothes---skirt and dress---we felt completely fancy and princess like. SO MUCH FUN!!! I love princessing around the Grand!

We were seated in the corner to the left by the window. It was wonderful because the sunshine was coming through and it was a gorgeous day. Everything was perfect!

We had to decide which meal to enjoy. We decided on the Buckingham Palace Tea which is - Our traditional tea sandwiches, scones and jam tarts complemented by fresh strawberries and cream, or a selection of freshly baked pastries, along with your choice of tea. $23.00

This was a great view. But the construction to the left did put a small damper on it. Oh well. Focus on the beauty!

What lovely (and tasty!) tea sandwiches. I can't remember what everything was, but it was all good. I vaguely remember a cucumber sandwich that was extra yummy.

A charming tea cozy.

I chose the Imperial English Breakfast. Mama chose the Perfectly Princess tea.

HEAVENLY. DELICIOUS. YUMMY.

I could seriously eat that lemon curd with a spoon.

And of course, dessert!

We had a choice of a selection of small pastry desserts or this delicious trifle. Mama chose the pastries...and she got an extra one because she was celebrating her birthday!

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I had this beautiful trifle! Not gonna lie. I know it is just a G and an F on top, but I felt like a million bucks.

Tea was delicious. A few sandwiches, some dessert, and refreshing tea. The setting wasn't too shabby either.

We did have a funny moment though. I had run out of tea in my cup and didn't know if I was allowed to re-pour my own mug! Haha. It's so fancy, I didn't want to break anything or do something wrong with that tea cozy, or tea pot!

We spent an hour at tea and then changed back into our park clothes. Time for more Magic Kingdom fun!

MONORAIL!

LOOK AT THAT SUNSHINE! (Remember the sunshine. Ominous foreshadowing.)

This little boat escape amuses me. I'm assuming it is where they store barges for something. Electrical Water parade? Or maybe the watercraft transportation.

Well, we exited the monorail. Got to the end of the ramp. And the heavens opened. It POURED.

Here enters the great poncho debate. We have ponchos. Do we wear them? Or do we get wet? We probably spent 10 minutes deciding. I HATE PONCHOS. They are the bane of my existence in Disney. They serve a purpose...I get it...but I don't like them! Eventually, we just decided to wear them. At least for a little bit.

So we get to the locker to store our tea clothes again. Get the suckers out, get them on. We're poncho'd and ready to go.

AND THE RAIN STOPS.

Ponchos off.

Alright.....so, that was 15 minutes of my life I'll never get back!

And now we can continue on with our adventure!

To Little Mermaid!

We waited only waited 15 minutes (of the advertised 30 minutes) for Little Mermaid.

Splash Mountain next!

I don't know what you would call this pose...I look like I'm at a luau or something.

We didn't get soaking wet, which was good. We dried off a bit next door on Big Thunder!

Time to continue the adventure in Adventureland of course!

Pirates had a 5 minute wait, but there was a boat back-up during the ride, so it was super long. I love pirates, but there is only so many times I can watch that band of chickens run in a circle.

REAL HUMAN HAIR. On his foot. RIGHT THERE.

Tea seemed so long ago...so we were ready for dinner. Where to?

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[Happy Duck]

There's no one in Frontierland!

Dinner beckoned from a not so distant land of hot dogs and french fries. We split a chili dog and two orders of fries. Normally I'm not a big hot dog person. And to be honest, this place isn't so much about the hot dog, it's about the toppings. I don't even know if the hot dog is that good. But I like that gloppy mess on top of it. And those fries are amazing.

Gooey goodness that is in no way considered healthy food.

Just look at that.

Unfortunately, the skies opened again and the rain began to fall. Not very hard, just enough to be a nuisance. And soak everything. We went poncho-less in protest. Also because I think we had thrown the other ones away.

Mama was wearing a white shirt so we quickly made a detour to find her a nice solid color before continuing.

We stopped in at one of my FAVORITES----Philharmagic! Donald Duck #1!

AUTOMAGICALLY. Can I just throw that into everyday conversation? PLEASE?

We backtracked to Liberty Square for Haunted Mansion to kill time before Peter Pan FP+. Unfortunately, this was one of THE WORST trips through the mansion that I've ever had. There were obnoxious kids talking LOUDLY throughout the whole ride. I could hear them over my ghost host. In fact, I at times, I could hardly hear my ghost host. They were so incredibly rude. Ghost time is my happy time. Stay courteous. Stay alive. Thanks for your consideration.

After leaving the Mansion, we decided to get some dessert on our way back to Main Street. What did we get? Dole Whip floats of course!

It was very neat to see the transformation to the Halloween season. Even though we were there at the end of August, little touches were being added here and there to get ready for the fall. For instance, "my" music window got a pumpkin makeover!

These are things that your average person wouldn't notice right away. Things they can sneak in a couple of weeks ahead of time. We also noticed the introduction of Halloween themed treats and souvenirs in the shops!

Pocahontas stayed true to herself though <3

I spy a pumpkin hat!!

SO PRETTY! CAN I HAVE IT??? PLEASE???? PERFECT!!!!

After walking through some shops, we walked towards Tomorrowland. There was a posted 15 minute wait for Buzz but the line was out the door....uhhh...I think there's a disconnect there. We went to tea cups instead! It was very fun!

I know that I had just had a Dole Whip, but this is Disney, and I just had to have another treat. I had to go visit the tavern for a LeFou's Brew! Another favorite. Alas...I have so many. I'm an apple juice fan so this really hits the spot. I just wish there was more foam, or the foam was somehow incorporated into the rest of the drink because the taste really complements the apple juice. I wish it lasted longer.

Back to Liberty Square. We just had to go on Haunted Mansion again. Luckily, this trip was better than our first. No annoying teenagers.

We continued our journey, making the loop back around to Frontierland!

Big Thunder was first. That makes 2 Big Thunder in one day. And then...

SPLASH MOUNTAIN----AGAIN!

The faces of the girls in front of us are so adorable! They're the stars of this picture

And....well....since it's the end of the night, we went AGAIN. That makes #3!

LAST LOG OF THE NIGHT!

We got in line at the last second! We literally ran in as they were counting down.

All alone in Splash Mountain!

We left Splash Mountain to find the end of the 11pm parade coming into Frontierland. Which meant there was almost NO ONE there. There were probably about 20-25 people in my sight line TOTAL up and down the street on both sides. There was no one around us.

Cinderella waved right to Mama and she melted.

The lost boys came up and talked to me. What did we talk about? Oh.....I didn't write it down. I'll try and remember. Something about names. And how they had funny ones. I think. Anyway, they're hilarious.

Time to leave. So very sad.

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[Happy Duck]

Leaving the Magic Kingdom....*cries*

Since the park had closed, we had nothing to do but meander slowly out. And take lots of pictures of course!!

The "Goodnight Kiss" started and the COOLEST thing happened. Two cast members started dancing to the soundtrack! They had obviously done this many times before because it was clearly choreographed. It was amazing to watch! Like our own personal show! Just dancing along together and having fun. They really had Disney magic.

Mama has two favorites. Cinderella and Minnie Mouse. I don't think she can decide which one is #1.

Donald and Pocahontas are my favorites. I think Pocahontas has the edge. It's the cranky thing that Donald has going on. Then again, we are all cranky from time to time.

Walking right down the middle of empty USA...

So cute! I'd love to be the one in charge of decorating these windows. But you'd have to have such an artistic eye. It's worse than a blank sheet of paper. It's a blank window frame!

Well, it was after closing, and we were now ready to leave Magic Kingdom. The next time we would grace its presence would be on our last (!) day.

LET THE TEARS BEGIN TO FALL.

In summary, our Magic Kingdom Day had....

2 Haunted Mansion
1 Peter Pan
1 Space Mountain
1 Buzz Lightyear (Lauren Won!)
3 Splash Mountain
2 Big Thunder
1 Tea Cup
1 Little Mermaid
1 Pirate
1 People Mover
1 Carousel of Progress
Afternoon Tea at Grand Floridian
Shopping at Grand Floridian
Shopping at Magic Kingdom
Lots of pin trading that I neglected to document...

and lots of smiles and memories.

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[Happy Duck]

Everyone wish Mama a very.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

 

[Minnie Momma]

Everyone wish Mama a very.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Thank you Lauren! It was a very Disney birthday! Homemade Mickey shaped rice krispie treats. Magic Bars made with a recipe from the Wilderness Lodge. Disney Gift cards. A Minnie Mouse cup. Mickey and Minnie flip flops. And a Disney Birthday Crown!!!!!! ​

 

[DisneyJo]

Hi Lauren, I'm catching up after 15 days in WDW plus jet leg

It looks like you had an amazing MK day and to break it up with tea at the GF sounded wonderful

I love that you got to ride Splash just the 2 of you, my youngest daughter would have been in heaven

My eldest DD is writing a TR if you're interested it's here

 

[Happy Duck]

Why, hello there, 2015 DISers! How are you?

First, my sincere apologies for never finishing this report. Truly, I wanted to finish it! In fact, I have a perfectly good explanation. I lost my journal and my memory is terrible!

So there you have it. If anyone cares, I just found my journal and I'll be finishing up the last 3 days

The Lazy Days of Epcot
Thursday, August 22nd

We slept in and had a relaxed morning. I left around 10:30 for breakfast in France. No big deal.

It was a beautiful morning.

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I went to the French Bakery, and after a recommendation, decided to enjoy a Chocolate Croissant. He said "they are just the same in France". I thought it was delicious! Light and fresh.

I came across something I'd never stopped to notice before. A painter left in quite a rush! Love the Disney details!

I walked through England and caught part of a show along the way.

I went to Le Cellier to see if I could make a reservation for the same day, but they weren't open yet. I ended up calling the reservation system and scored a reservation for 7:30pm. Surprise Mama! We're going back for another round of Cheddar Cheese Soup

I had to walk over to Soarin' to get regular FPs because our FP+ time conflicted with dinner. Between all the cards in my pocket, I ended up with 4 FPs for 5-6pm. No shame.

I was taking my time, just soaking up the atmosphere. But by now, it was definitely lunch time. Mama called and we decided to meet at Beaches and Cream!

I love the atmosphere here. Factoid: Our waitress not only worked at Beaches and Cream, but she worked at Haunted Mansion as well. Very cool.

We each ordered a burger and I got a strawberry shake to go. I've always wanted to try a Beaches and Cream shake and it seemed like the perfect time!

The burger was pretty basic, but a step above fast food. For whatever reason, I particularly liked the dill pickle spear (?)

The shake was DELICIOUS. Sweet, smooth, and perfect for a summer day.

We meandered back to the room to change for a swim. Of course, we took pictures in the elevator.

We got back to the room and found the animals, uh, posed. We're not sure what the mousekeeper was thinking with this one...

We got changed, saw that it was raining, and still decided to go swimming. They'll stay open, we thought. They only close for lightening, we thought. We were wrong.

After being turned away at Stormalong Bay, we went back to the room. And were sad.

What shall we do now? EPCOT of course!

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[Happy Duck]

My Favorite Things (at Epcot)

We decided to go to England first. We had to take Dr. Who inventory for my Whovian sister. Next was MEXICO. My love.

I finally got to see the mariachi band!

Just makes me love the Mexico pavilion even more. Of course we visited the Caballeros!

In China we visited the Temple. When you stand in the center and speak, it sounds as if your voice is amplified right around you! Take a moment to go try it on your next trip.

I traded for a Mulan pin and we went to see the China movie. I saw this cool painting/fake flower décor and took a picture.

We wandered through Norway and somehow ended up at Kringla. I don't know how this happens!

I got the School Bread, Mama got the Rice Dream, and we shared the pretzel. The Rice Dream and Pretzel were new to us... I was just trying it out. School Bread still has my heart.

Mama's heart was stolen by the Rice Dream.

We saw something out of the ordinary taking place on the outskirts of Norway. I took a series of random pictures to hide my interest. Can you spot it?

A man is using an exercise band around a light pole and was doing an entire workout right there in Norway. Right in view of the bakery. Good guilt trip.

We went to Mouse Gears, and did a Vinylmation trade! We got a rhino themed one. Everyone needs a Mickey Mouse that looks like a rhino...

Next was Sum of All Thrills. This has turned into a "must do" for us at Epcot. Design and ride your own coaster? OKAY! I just wish you could bypass the educational video.

We chose the highest intensity option for every track piece. "Thunder Racer" was an awesome coaster!

It was time for Soarin'! We had 4 FPs, but we decided to gift 2 of them to another pair of people. We found some people who looked a little distraught at the stand-by line. They were so surprised and a little stunned!

We asked for our favorite section.

After Soarin', we went to Living with the Land...and EVERYONE from Soarin' (of course I'm not exaggerating) followed. We're trendsetters.

Finding Nemo was next, followed by Turtle Talk. I learned something. Green Sea Turtles are green because of the food they eat. #themoreyouknow

We headed to Test Track to take a leisurely drive. Just kidding. We had ambitions.

This was a chariot that would carry us to victory.

We were high power, low efficiency, and according to Mama, we were the "yeah baby!" car.

First place was ours!

We went through Canada, but didn't have enough time for the movie... oh darn.

We had a Le Cellier reservation to get to!

There was a bit of wait, so hostesses were playing a game of Disney Character "Who Am I?" with the guests in the lobby. We didn't play, but enjoyed seeing all of the kids playing and having fun.

Since it was our second visit this trip, we knew exactly what to get. Cheddar Cheese soup, split the filet, and dessert. We hadn't tried any of the desserts yet! Since it was the same food as before, I just took pictures of the dessert: crème brulee and I think it was a cheesecake thing...

What can I say? It was basically Epcot dessert day. I'm in favor of it.

Food was so good, waiter was efficient (not as good as the first time around), and we were very happy.

We were going to go back to the room to watch Illuminations from our balcony, but it was already 8:43 when we left the restaurant. We found a spot on the bridge between France and England instead. Not bad for just a "walk-up" spot!

After Illuminations, we went back to the Yacht Club. We had a little debate on whether or not the pool was worth it this evening. We decided it was. We swam until around 10:45. We tried to fill up our mugs at Hurricane Hanna's, but apparently they close the soda fountain before the bar. This was definitely a losing point for the Yacht Club. It was hard to get your mugs refilled!

Want to see a winning point? This right here!

Can you spot Spaceship Earth in each photo?

It's a tiny purple sliver... but it's there!

Bed time. Good night pool, good night park, good night Disney in the dark.

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