Title Chosen: World of Friendship! October 2017 Girls Getaway: Aloha to the Poly/ MCO Hyatt p33-4

[natebenma]

I think we are all a little guilty of breaking at least some of these rules

If you can't break the rules at Disney, where can you break them?

 

[natebenma]

Your breakfast at Kona looked delicious. I've never had a bad meal there.

Glad your bus made it to AK. Was the driver beeping the horn to let everyone know he was having issues?

Beautiful pictures from Pandora! Nice lady to share her fast pass with you, too!

I haven't read too much about Bongos, so I'm interested to read your thoughts and review.

I love eating at Kona. All of my meals there have been good as well, but breakfast is my favorite!

No, the beeping was inside the bus. Like a backup warning beeping or a door is open beeping or the beeping you get if a passenger hasn't fastened their seatbelt when riding in my van. It starts out with single beeps, then rapid fire beeps until the issue is resolved.

It was nice being sorta solo in Pandora. I enjoyed my time alone and I enjoyed being with my new friend.

I'm about to post my next update, and I apologize in advance for disappointing you.

 

[natebenma]

Where To Now?


It was around 11:30 as I exited Animal Kingdom. I texted Nannette to let her know I was on my way to the bus stop to join them at Disney Springs for lunch at Bongos.


When I arrived at the bus stop, I saw the sign that said there was no bus directly to Disney Springs until 4 pm. I would have to take a bus to a DS resort and walk or boat there.


How long is THAT going to take?


A bus for Saratoga pulled up and I got on.


I asked the driver about the best way to get to DS and he confirmed that I would need to go to a resort.


I made a split-second decision and got off the bus.


I texted Nannette and Janet to let them know the travel issue I had encountered and I told them to go ahead and dine without me. (If I recall correctly, they were relieved because they were hungry and knew it would take me awhile to arrive) @JanetMom


I texted Mark “No bus to DS until 4 pm, I’m headed to MK!”


He answered “Somehow I knew you would end up at Magic Kingdom today”


The bus stop to MK from AK is about as far as you can get from the stop I was at. I walked over and as I waited for the bus, I logged onto MDE to see what FP were available for the short window of time I would be there.


About the only thing that was available that interested me was The Little Mermaid. I had only been on this once before, and I knew that travelling with my family it was not likely to be an attraction we would make it a priority to ride.


I walked through the gates, elated to have a couple of bonus hours to eat, ride and take pictures at my happy place.

Why not document this unexpected turn of events with a photopass picture?





I had a few minutes before I needed to use my FP for Little Mermaid, so I thought I would check to see if I could get a seat at a restaurant I wanted to try, but hadn’t had the chance yet.


I went to the checkin station at Skipper’s Canteen and was told I could have a seat in about 30 minutes and they handed me a buzzer.


Perfect, but I would have to get going to make it over to the ride, and back again.


No time to stop for the Muppets’ history lesson…

Tick-Tock, time’s a waistin!





Made it!

​

On my way back, I took a few minutes to get some decorating advice at Gaston’s Pub

Lovely castle off in the distance

Just another castle bathed in fireworks

I hope she got her wish!

I wonder what would happen if I tossed in a coin and wished my trip could last longer?
(Be careful what you wish for)


I reported back to the restaurant, and was seated for my meal.


Up next: A Skip and a Miss

 

[wdwnut61]

I’m glad you were able to get more MK time
Great pictures curious to read what you thought of Skippers Canteen

 

[Wood Nymph]

I texted Nannette and Janet to let them know the travel issue I had encountered and I told them to go ahead and dine without me. (If I recall correctly, they were relieved because they were hungry and knew it would take me awhile to arrive) @JanetMom


I texted Mark “No bus to DS until 4 pm, I’m headed to MK!”


He answered “Somehow I knew you would end up at Magic Kingdom today”

I know that Nannette really wanted to eat at Bongos so I'm glad it worked out for everyone.

Mark is very smart.

Why not document this unexpected turn of events with a photopass picture?

That is a cute picture of you. It must have been nice to have plenty of time to take pictures in the daylight, instead of the early morning or late evening hours.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Hi Dee!
Have been reading but not sure I've posted at all. That's sad you weren't able to make it to lunch with your Disfriends. Sounds like you had blast on this trip anyway!
We are leaving for our happy place on Friday. I don't know if I told you this but I got the flu during my April trip and flew home. So I am so looking forward to this trip more than ever.
That was really nice of that woman to give you her extra FP. We've been able to ride Navi but if you can believe it- never FoP!! With staying off site we only have a month to book and have never been able to get one- not one!! Can you tell how upset I am?
Well this time I tried a different approach. I booked a couple of days then I would stalk the site early in the morning. I FINALLY got not one day FP but 2 days of our trip!
I will be reading along.

 

[missangelalexis]

Woo hoo for bonus time at MK! The little mermaid ride is a good one to do, especially when you don't normally get the chance to ride it

 

[JanetMom]

Where To Now?

I texted Nannette and Janet to let them know the travel issue I had encountered and I told them to go ahead and dine without me. (If I recall correctly, they were relieved because they were hungry and knew it would take me awhile to arrive) @JanetMom


I wonder what would happen if I tossed in a coin and wished my trip could last longer?
(Be careful what you wish for)

If I recall correctly, yes we were hungry and wanting Bongos, so we were happy to go ahead. Would have been nice to have you there, but at that moment we wanted Bongos as much as you wanted MK. But I'm loving seeing your pictures of the MK sights that we missed.

And as for your comment about being careful what you wish for...

 

[natebenma]

I haven't read too much about Bongos, so I'm interested to read your thoughts and review.

​

If I recall correctly, yes we were hungry and wanting Bongos, so we were happy to go ahead. Would have been nice to have you there, but at that moment we wanted Bongos as much as you wanted MK. But I'm loving seeing your pictures of the MK sights that we missed.

And as for your comment about being careful what you wish for...

Any chance you have a review from your meal? What did you get? How was it?

Any pictures? (I know that is usually my responsibility)

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

What a fabulous photo of you! You look awesome! Absolutely radiating health and happiness
As for bonus MK time ,well what could be better!!!

 

[JanetMom]

​

Any chance you have a review from your meal? What did you get? How was it?

Any pictures? (I know that is usually my responsibility)

Without you there, it never occurred to me to take a picture of my food.

I'm guessing I had the seared shredded beef, rice and beans, and avocado salad - because they are all so good that I think that is the same thing I've eaten every time I've been to Bongos. I've been there 3 times, always with Nannette. I'll be going there again with my husband in October but it won't be the same without Nannette.

 

[amazingact21]

No direct bus until 4?! That really did mess with your plans. Sorry you couldn't get to DS and share a lunch with everyone, but at least you got some unexpected Magic Kingdom time out of it. Nobody can be too upset with that! And you were probably right, best to hit the attraction that the boys wouldn't want to sit through.

Glad you were able to get into Skipper Canteen. At least some kind of nice meal was coming out of the bus mess.

 

[natebenma]

I’m glad you were able to get more MK time
Great pictures curious to read what you thought of Skippers Canteen

Nothing wrong with more MK time! It really is the best way to end a trip.

Hopefully I'll get to the Skipper's review shortly.

 

[natebenma]

I know that Nannette really wanted to eat at Bongos so I'm glad it worked out for everyone.

Nannette did eat at Bongos earlier in the trip, solo, before we got there, but that was probably not entirely satisfying since she was so sick afterwards (not from the meal, but family illness that caught up with her).

I'm glad Nannette got a do-over and Janet got to eat at Bongos that afternoon.

I was looking forward to trying it too, but I'm not disappointed with my Plan B.

Mark is very smart.

True dat!

That is a cute picture of you. It must have been nice to have plenty of time to take pictures in the daylight, instead of the early morning or late evening hours.

Thank you!

Good point about about being there in daylight. MK is usually an early morning park for me and I vacate by the afternoon, so yes, it was a great time to be there with everything bright and sunny.

 

[natebenma]

Hi Dee!
Have been reading but not sure I've posted at all. That's sad you weren't able to make it to lunch with your Disfriends. Sounds like you had blast on this trip anyway!
We are leaving for our happy place on Friday. I don't know if I told you this but I got the flu during my April trip and flew home. So I am so looking forward to this trip more than ever.
That was really nice of that woman to give you her extra FP. We've been able to ride Navi but if you can believe it- never FoP!! With staying off site we only have a month to book and have never been able to get one- not one!! Can you tell how upset I am?
Well this time I tried a different approach. I booked a couple of days then I would stalk the site early in the morning. I FINALLY got not one day FP but 2 days of our trip!
I will be reading along.

Good to hear from you. Thanks for reading.

The trip was truly a blast.

Sorry I didn't get a chance to give you a sendoff your trip. I am wishing you the very best time. Oh, no, that stinks that you were sick on your April trip.

That is awesome that you will get to try FoP!!! Does anyone in your family have any issues with motion sickness?

Talk soon!

 

[natebenma]

Woo hoo for bonus time at MK! The little mermaid ride is a good one to do, especially when you don't normally get the chance to ride it

I love the songs from Little Mermaid, so I may have been singing along during the ride.

The visuals in the ride are so great!

 

[natebenma]

What a fabulous photo of you! You look awesome! Absolutely radiating health and happiness
As for bonus MK time ,well what could be better!!!

Thank you!

I really like this picture, too.

I enjoyed every moment of my MK time.

 

[natebenma]

If I recall correctly, yes we were hungry and wanting Bongos, so we were happy to go ahead. Would have been nice to have you there, but at that moment we wanted Bongos as much as you wanted MK. But I'm loving seeing your pictures of the MK sights that we missed.

And as for your comment about being careful what you wish for...

Without you there, it never occurred to me to take a picture of my food.

I'm guessing I had the seared shredded beef, rice and beans, and avocado salad - because they are all so good that I think that is the same thing I've eaten every time I've been to Bongos. I've been there 3 times, always with Nannette. I'll be going there again with my husband in October but it won't be the same without Nannette.

​

I did miss being with you two, but I remember we were in contact and sending some pretty amusing texts back and forth through that afternoon discussing current happenings.

I'll get to my time at the restaurant soon. I know you are somewhat interested in eating there. I'll just say, you most likely had the more enjoyable meal.

 

[natebenma]

No direct bus until 4?! That really did mess with your plans. Sorry you couldn't get to DS and share a lunch with everyone, but at least you got some unexpected Magic Kingdom time out of it. Nobody can be too upset with that! And you were probably right, best to hit the attraction that the boys wouldn't want to sit through.

Glad you were able to get into Skipper Canteen. At least some kind of nice meal was coming out of the bus mess.

I know that the bus service between the parks and Disney Springs is quirky, but since I don't really spend a lot of time there, I am unsure about the rules.

I remember that there wasn't (and maybe still isn't) transportation between DS and the parks so that people can't avoid paying the theme park parking fee. I have no idea if that is still the case.

But it turned out to be a positive restriction for me since I was able to spend my last hours at Magic Kingdom. It was truly a better place for me to end my trip.

It was fun to go on Little Mermaid again (just my second time) and having lunch someplace new.

 

[natebenma]

A Skip and a Miss


After my journey Under the Sea, it was time to get back to Skipper’s Canteen for lunch.


Here’s a quickie tour of the restaurant

This guy does not seem to be happy about me taking a picture!!!

Remembering a friend who liked to dine here




I tried to joke around with the waiter a bit- I am the queen of puns and the restaurant is known for its Jungle-cruise-themed corny vibe- but the waiter was having none of that.


I was excited to eat here for the first time. The menu selections are somewhat exotic, which I like, but really the only thing I knew for sure that I wanted was the coconut bar dessert.
My waiter came by and I ordered an iced tea to drink while I looked at the menu:

I had a lot of trouble choosing what to order. I decided to try Ginger's "Croc" of Hot and Sour soup and the noodle salad. Although I had already ordered a cold drink, when I saw the description of the Schweitzer Slush, I had to try that. I’m a sucker for passionfruit!


It took a very long time for my order to be delivered, and when it was, the special drink I had ordered did not arrive. I mentioned it to the waiter but the drink was not delivered to me until I was almost finished with my meal.

Shiriki Noodle Salad- Noodles, Edamame Beans, Mushrooms, Green Mango and Cucumber tossed with a Sweet Chili Sauce. Famously served at Hotel Hightower on December 31, 1899.

The noodle salad was beautifully presented, but to be honest, it did not have a lot of flavor. It was HUGE, though!

Ginger's "Croc" of Hot and Sour soup, on the other hand, was uncomfortably spicy. I am not a spice-wimp by any means, but the soup certainly had a bite that lived up to its name!
The flavor was good, and I was able to finish it, but it would have been a lot easier if the soup had been accompanied by my missing slush!

Must have gotten lost in the jungle!

I was almost too full to order the coconut bar, but since this was the real reason I wanted to eat there, I couldn’t pass it up. And I’m glad I didn’t. This was really good.

I had this container in my backpack and was able to pack up my leftovers for later. When I go to restaurants at home, I use my own takeout containers so that I don’t need to use Styrofoam or other single-use boxes to bring home any leftovers. It is a habit I am very proud of.


I figured this would be a nice snack for my plane ride home later that evening.



Overall, I was underwhelmed by the meal. The food was fine- not bad, but not outstanding by any means. I was very disappointed by the service. Maybe it was because I was dining alone, but that should not have been a factor in the attention I received. I have dined solo at other Disney restaurants – Kouzina and Spice Road Table and my interactions with the staff were excellent.


I would maybe come back to eat here with a group, but Skipper’s Canteen did not earn a place on my must-dine list.


Next Up: A "Few" More Pictures