When A Tourist Becomes A Local! A Full Year (2019) TR! *CANCELED!*

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Man, you and your Porg are making me tired just reading of your adventures!!! Hope you have/ had safe travels!

Welcome to a quick Disney trip for me lol. I really got a lot done.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Greetings from Orlando!!! I have made it home after a long day!

Last night, my friends would pick me up and we would get dinner at Ruby’s Diner. This place is really good if you are looking for a diner type atmosphere off Disneyland property.

They would then take me to the airport for my red-eye flight home!

I’m literally awake on 4 hours of sleep right now. I wouldn’t get home until 6 p.m. since I was with my Dad all day. He is visiting Florida a little further north than me. It’s always great to see family!

So, this will end my live updates from my Disneyland trip!

Stay tuned for my updates of being a Florida resident continuing again tomorrow! Disneyland updates will start next week!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

May - Dining Reviews!

Here are my Dining Reviews for the month of May!

May 3rd: Kona Cafe!

On May 3rd, I would go to Kona Cafe for the first time ever.



I would go particularly at dinner time.

Here is the menu for dinner:



The restaurant has a very nice atmosphere. There were a lot of little kids when I was eating here though which made the restaurant seem very loud.



Bread and butter that are part of your meal:



I would order the Mahi, Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato dish. This was shockingly very good! I really enjoyed this a lot, and when you incorporated all of the flavors together, it was perfect. I just wish there was more bacon on the plate.



Overall, I had positive thoughts after my meal. The service was fine, the food was tasty, and I had a very nice experience. I hear breakfast is the best time to come to this restaurant. So, I might have to give that a try at some point.

May 8th: Via Napoli!

On May 8th, I would travel to a restaurant that I didn’t have a great experience the first time I ever ate here. I was feeling Italian food this evening. So, I figured I would give Via Napoli another try.



Here is the dinner menu for Via Napoli:



I had a very nice view of Italy while eating dinner.



Here is the bread service and oil and vinegar that are given as part of your meal. This was your standard bread service that you get at any other Italian restaurant.



For my entree, I would order a pasta dish. I ordered the Penne “Arrabbiata”



This dish was very tasty. The fresh mozzarella definitely made this dish, but I also enjoyed the slight spice that this dish had. It wasn’t overly spicy, but just the right amount of heat to compensate the mozzarella and the pasta. I would definitely order this dish again.

Night view of Italy:



I think I would definitely give Via Napoli another try. Overall, I enjoyed the experience. I had much better service this time, and the food was definitely at a higher level. I’m excited to put Via Napoli back on my list of restaurants I would go back to.

May 12: Chicken Guy!

On May 12th, I would adventure over to Disney Springs and eat at Chicken Guy.



This place is a very reasonably priced quick service restaurant at Disney Springs, and the food is at a good quality. If you like chicken, you will probably like this place.

I would order a 4 pice chicken strip meal with Chipotle Ranch and Avocado Cream sauces. I thought the sauces were good, but wasn’t overly impressed. Especially since I really like Chipotle dipping sauces. The fries were basic. The chicken strips did have some good quality though.



I would go back to Chicken Guy about a week later and tried the Sweet And Sour sauces, as well as, Teriyaki and enjoyed my experience much better in terms of the sauce side of things.

Overall, if you are looking for a great place to eat at Disney Springs that is reasonably priced, Chicken Guy is the place for that. There are a few other places I would choose to eat at before Chicken Guy though.

May 20th: Nomad Lounge!

I would adventure over to Nomad Lounge on May 20th which has always been one of my favorite places to relax.



I would find a spot outside.



Food menu:



Non-alcoholic drink menu:



Here is me relaxing outside of Nomad Lounge.



My favorite non-alcoholic drink at Walt Disney World. That is the Hibiscus Henna. This drink is very fruity and sweet.



I would order the wings that are always amazing. The meat seems to always fall off the bone.



For dessert, I would get arguably the best churros on Disney property. I recommend getting these if you come to Nomad Lounge.



I still love this place. Last time I came here, I had a very bad experience with a server I had. I had a much better experience this time which is what I was happy about.

May 23rd: Polite Pig!

I would adventure over to Disney Springs on May 23rd to have some barbecue at Polite Pig. As someone from Kansas City, I was hoping I would enjoy this place.



Here is the menu:



The inside of the restaurant:



I would order the Slow and Low Brisket Sandwich.



The sandwich was very good. Some of the meat was very rough. The brisket really wasn’t to my liking, but that’s what happens when you live in a BBQ Capital of America for any given amount of time. I would order the fries as well, and I really enjoyed those fries.

May 30th: Dole Whip Stand!

I’m afraid for this review, because I’m afraid I’m going to lose my Disney “fan” card when I say what I’m about to say. On May 30th, I would try any sort of dole whip for the first time ever. Yep! I have never had a dole whip. Not at Disneyland when i grew up there most of my life, and I never had one at Walt Disney World. So, it was about time I tried one.



I would get a dole whip swirl with vanilla ice cream. I thought it was good. However, I don’t understand why people go crazy over these things. That is all.

These are my dining reviews for the month of May. Stay tuned to the end of June when I release my dining reviews for the month of June!

More in my next post!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

May - Voices of Liberty Videos!

Here are videos that I took of the Voices of Liberty throughout the month of April! The Voices of Liberty are by far my favorite singing group, and I sit in the American Adventure all day when I go to listen to them. I highly recommend seeing them at least once on your trip. Each set is different. So, I hope that you enjoy watching several videos that I took of the Voices of Liberty throughout the month of April.

Make sure you watch my videos in HD!

Voices of Liberty - “Golden Dream!”

Here is a song that is arguably the rarest song that the Voices of Liberty sing. We don’t know why this song is so rare, but it is always exciting when we get to hear this song in person! Definitely one of my favorite songs that they sing!

Voices of Liberty - “You Raise Me Up!”

The Voices of Liberty singing “You Raise Me Up.” Definitely a beautiful arrangement of this beautiful song!

I have always debated to share something personal with all of you, and I think the time has come. You might notice that I’ve traveled with my Dad a lot. Well, that is due to my Mom passing away 5 years ago very suddenly. The anniversary of her death was in May, and I knew there was one place I was going on that day. That was to the Voices of Liberty! If my Mom didn’t introduce me to them many years ago, I wouldn’t be the big Voices of Liberty fan that I am today. So, I had a few requests for them on this day and they were gracious to honor them.

Voices of Liberty - “Fifty, Nifty, United States!

My Mom was a school teacher, and she would always put on an entire grade Patriotic program every year. This is a song that she would always teach her students. So, I figured it would be a great request.

Make sure you cheer extra loud for your home state!

Voices of Liberty - “You’ll Never Walk Alone!”

I think the words of this song describe why I requested this song on this day. Enjoy!

I hope that you enjoyed the videos!

Stay tuned for more updates of my time being a Florida resident!

 

[wnwardii]

I hear breakfast is the best time to come to this restaurant. So, I might have to give that a try at some point.

I will admit, the first time I went to Kona Cafe, it was for breakfast. I did not get the Tonga Toast like everyone says. Overall I was not impressed with the breakfast. To me, I couldn't see all of the hype around Kona Cafe. Since then I know I have been back one time last year during the Destination D weekend. I had sushi, which I did like. I think what you had looks really good and I would consider that the next time (should I go back).

 

[DLo]

I went to Chicken Guy on May 13th . I got the chipotle ranch and sweet and sour for my sauces but got Mac and cheese for my side. I liked the fingers and sauces but the Mac and cheese had a Smokey flavoring to it that I didn’t like. Personal preference - I don’t like smoked flavoring so wish I had ordered fries . I think chicken guy is a good value over all though .

I still need to try Polite Pig , Blaze pizza , and Dluxe burger. This trip I also went to Pepe - the Jose Andres quick service. I got the bikini Quattro queso which was basically a fancy grilled cheese . I love grilled cheeses and enjoyed this one .

Sorry to hear about your mother . I lost my dad 9 years ago this month . I think you found a great way to honor her .

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

I will admit, the first time I went to Kona Cafe, it was for breakfast. I did not get the Tonga Toast like everyone says. Overall I was not impressed with the breakfast. To me, I couldn't see all of the hype around Kona Cafe. Since then I know I have been back one time last year during the Destination D weekend. I had sushi, which I did like. I think what you had looks really good and I would consider that the next time (should I go back).

That dish was really good. I’d go back for that dish but I’m not in a hurry to go back.

I went to Chicken Guy on May 13th . I got the chipotle ranch and sweet and sour for my sauces but got Mac and cheese for my side. I liked the fingers and sauces but the Mac and cheese had a Smokey flavoring too it that I didn’t like. Personal preference - I don’t like smacked flavoring so wish I had ordered fries . I think chicken guy is a good value over all though .

I still need to try Polite Pig , Blaze pizza , and Dluxe burger. This trip I also went to Pepe - the Jose Andres quick service. I got the bikini Quattro queso which was basically a fancy grilled cheese . I love grilled cheeses and enjoyed this one .

Sorry to hear about your mother . I lost my dad 9 years ago this month . I think you found a great way to honor her .

- I guess I beat you by a day lol.

- D-Luxe Burger is arguably my favorite restaurant at Disney Springs.

- Thank you.

 

[oopsiDAISY]

So, we are going on a Disney cruise in October, and our disembarkation tradition is to head to Disney Springs for a day of shopping and lunch. We will, most likely, eat quick service. We have tried Wolfgang Puck Express and Earl of Sandwich, both of which we loved. Would you mind sharing recommendations for 2-3 of the newer QS locations we could choose from to try this time?

 

[GAN]

For my entree, I would order a pasta dish. I ordered the Penne “Arrabbiata”

Nice update, Zach. One of my all-time favorite Italian Classics! Then one of my favorite Disney songs(Golden Dream) ...and performed by VoL. Love it....

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

So, we are going on a Disney cruise in October, and our disembarkation tradition is to head to Disney Springs for a day of shopping and lunch. We will, most likely, eat quick service. We have tried Wolfgang Puck Express and Earl of Sandwich, both of which we loved. Would you mind sharing recommendations for 2-3 of the newer QS locations we could choose from to try this time?

My answer is very easy. That is D-Luxe Burger. It can be pricier for a family but maybe share a larger frie or 2? I have said that the best burgers I have ever had have come from there (besides In-N-Out lol).

If I was to give another option a try, I would say Polite Pig. Everyone I talk to raves about it. I’m just a little more hesitant due to my time living in Kansas City and being accustomed to some nationally acclaimed barbecue locations.

I would give those 2 locations a try on my next visit.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Nice update, Zach. One of my all-time favorite Italian Classics! Then one of my favorite Disney songs(Golden Dream) ...and performed by VoL. Love it....

Thanks! It was definitely a fun month of Voices of Liberty!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

6/3/19: V.I.Passholder Night At Typhoon Lagoon - Part 1!

***SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT***

Hi everyone! Before I get started with this update, I want to invite all of you to embark on a new way to follow my Disney adventures! Due to a specific life-change that I won’t get really into here, I have decided to create a Disney specific Instagram account!

This page will allow all of you to get more up-to-date content around Walt Disney World and Central Florida. I will also use this page to post whenever I travel to Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and many other Disney destinations around the world. You will also get information that I won’t even post on this Trip Report, as well as, getting information that will eventually end up on this Trip Report before it ends up on here.

My new Disney Instagram account is: the_circle_of_disney (you need the underscores)!

If you would like to follow me, I have one important rule before I can accept your follow request.

Here is the rundown of the steps that I need you to follow:

1. My page is going to be private for 2 weeks. If you would like to request to join my new Instagram page, you must private message me on Disboards BEFORE you request to follow my new instagram page. The only piece of information I need in your private message to me is your Instagram username.
2. As soon as you send me a private message with your instagram username, you can then request to follow my page on Instagram.
3. I will accept your follow request as soon as I see your private message on Disboards. Please understand that there might be a delay before I can accept any follow requests.
4. I will honor privacy by deleting your private message on Disboards as soon as I accept your follow request on Instagram.

If you end up requesting to follow my Instagram account and I don’t see a private message from you, you run the risk of me deleting your follow request OR not being accepted until 2 weeks from now.

I will let all of you know when my page officially becomes public in a couple weeks. These steps are only needed if you want to follow me for the first 2 weeks my page is open.

I will still do updates on my Trip Report for those that enjoy only following my adventures here.

I hope to see many of you following me on Instagram, and I can’t wait to share more of my Disney adventures with all of you!

***END SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT***

On June 3rd, I got to attend the V.I.Passholder Night at Typhoon Lagoon! I was really excited about this event, because I don’t have a water park pass. So, any chance that I have to get into a Disney Water Park, I gladly take that opportunity.

My afternoon would start by driving to Disney Springs since we were told to we would have to take a bus from Disney Springs to Typhoon Lagoon. The line for the bus close to 4 p.m. was about 2 busses deep.

The event ran from 5-8 p.m., but we could enter starting at 4 p.m.

When we got to Typhoon Lagoon, the line to get into the park was rather long. The line did move really fast though, and I would be in the park in no time.





There is a little path before you enter the main area of the water park.



Flier for the V.I.Passholder Night:







The first thing I would do is get a locker.



So, since this is a water park, I didn’t carry my phone with me when going on slides or anything that deals with water. However, I did do a walk-around so I ca give all of you an overview of Typhoon Lagoon.

So, here is an overview of what you can find at Typhoon Lagoon:

Probably the most popular aspect of this park is the wave pool!





There is a beach around the wave pool.



One of the food locations.



Part of the lazy river. I knew I would be getting in there at some point!





Map of Typhoon lagoon:



There is a kid play area.



Keelhaul Falls and Mayday Falls are two tube slides that are a lot of fun! Mayday Falls (yellow tubes) is definitely the faster of the two slides. Keelhaul Falls (blue tubes) is definitely the better option for younger kids or people that want a smoother ride.





Another area of the lazy river:



Gangplank Falls is a family raft ride that is great for younger kids. You must have 2 people to ride this slide. Single riders aren’t allowed. If you are a single rider, you might be able to get in with another family. I don’t know what the limit on riders is per raft though.



Mickey head!!!



An interesting tunnel that goes along the lazy river.



This water park is definitely really beautiful.







Boat decorations near the shipwreck area.



Another area of the lazy river:





Here is the area around the Humunga Kowabunga and Storm Slides. I was not able to ride these slides during the event due to running out of time. I have been on them before and they are fine. They are your basic body slides.









Miss Adventure Falls is the newest ride in the park. it is another family raft ride that also has an animatronic during the ride! This was a lot more intense than the other family raft ride in the park. You do need at least 2 people to ride this attraction. i don’t know the limit per raft.







By the end of the night, I was confident in saying that Miss Adventure Falls is the best attraction inside Typhoon Lagoon. I absolutely loved it!!!

More in my next post!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

6/3/19: V.I.Passholder Night At Typhoon Lagoon - Part 2!

Typhoon lagoon has a water coaster and Crush N Gusher has 3 seperate slides that you can experience. I was able to try two of them, and I had fun on every single one of these slides. Hopefully I will be able to try the 3rd one (and the fastest one that I hear) in the future.







I would make it back to the wave pool which means I have gone around the entire park.



For dinner, I would go to Typhoon Tillies which is one of the quick service locations. This quick service location primarily serves fish.



I would order the fish tacos, and these tacos were very good. I would highly recommend these. If I come back to Typhoon Lagoon, I know I will be ordering these fish tacos again.



I definitely enjoyed my time at the V.I.Passholder Night at Typhoon Lagoon! I enjoyed it so much that I am actually considering upgrading my annual pass when it is up for renewal just so I can go to the water parks.



Sadly, the night would end very quickly. It was definitely a fun 4 hours inside Typhoon Lagoon. It was time to head back to Disney Springs which would have a long line for the busses. In fact, the line for the bus started inside Typhoon Lagoon!



A beautiful sunset to end a very magical evening!





Farewell Typhoon Lagoon! Hopefully I will see you again very soon!



Overall, the V.I.Passholder Night at Typhoon Lagoon was very fun. I really enjoyed it. It was definitely overcrowded though, and I assume I know why. The reason is because Disney might have convinced me. that reason is advertising. I don’t have a water park pass, and I might now want one. So, hopefully I will get to experience Disney water parks again int he future. I would really like to try Blizzard Beach, because I have actually never been there.

If you ever have the chance to go to Typhoon Lagoon, I highly recommend it!

I hope that you enjoyed this overview of Typhoon lagoon!

Stay tuned for my Disneyland updates beginning very soon!!!

 

[Verstehen]

Glad you had fun! I was scheduled to go one of those nights but ended up not going since there's not much I can do there while pregnant, plus my friend I invited had to cancel. But I love Typhoon Lagoon! Can't wait to go back when I can.

 

[oopsiDAISY]

So, I have been to Blizzard Beach, but not Typhoon Lagoon. We loved BB. I am sure we will try TL at some point. About it being crowded...we have an annual membership to our local zoo. They host member night events, and they are always PACKED! We learned right away that we much prefer going on any ordinary day much better!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Miss Adventure Falls is the newest ride in the park. it is another family raft ride that also has an animatronic during the ride! This was a lot more intense than the other family raft ride in the park. You do need at least 2 people to ride this attraction. i don’t know the limit per raft.

It's 2-4 people. I think Gangplank may be a larger limit because those rafts looked large, but I didn't attempt it.

 

[akayek31]

I have never been to the water parks. They look like so much fun. I usually go in February when one is closed and it is too cold. In September/October when I go, I am there for the Eat to the Beat concert series (Sugar Ray) so I pretty much stay in Epcot

 

[NancyLuvsMickey]

I've only been to Typhoon Lagoon once a long time ago, when the shark reef was still open and you could swim in it... It was so neat... I'm sad that Disney closed it...

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Glad you had fun! I was scheduled to go one of those nights but ended up not going since there's not much I can do there while pregnant, plus my friend I invited had to cancel. But I love Typhoon Lagoon! Can't wait to go back when I can.

Sorry you weren't able to go but congratulations to you!!! That's exciting!

So, I have been to Blizzard Beach, but not Typhoon Lagoon. We loved BB. I am sure we will try TL at some point. About it being crowded...we have an annual membership to our local zoo. They host member night events, and they are always PACKED! We learned right away that we much prefer going on any ordinary day much better!

That's a good point about "member nights." I assume my assumption is right trying to get people to upgrade their annual passes to go to the water parks. It did work for me, because I did upgrade my AP ONE day before the AP price increase. Yay!

It's 2-4 people. I think Gangplank may be a larger limit because those rafts looked large, but I didn't attempt it.

That would make sense. I feel like 4 would be a lot. The rafts barely fit 2 adults since I was with a friend.

I have never been to the water parks. They look like so much fun. I usually go in February when one is closed and it is too cold. In September/October when I go, I am there for the Eat to the Beat concert series (Sugar Ray) so I pretty much stay in Epcot

If you ever have the chance, I definitely recommend giving Typhoon Lagoon a try. I'm excited to see how Blizzard Beach is later this summer.

I'll be attending a few of the Eat to the Beat concerts this year, but I try to avoid EPCOT as much as possible during the Food and Wine Festival (mostly weekends).

I've only been to Typhoon Lagoon once a long time ago, when the shark reef was still open and you could swim in it... It was so neat... I'm sad that Disney closed it...

If that was still open, I would be too afraid to even enter the shark reef! So, I don't think I would ever do it.

 

[NancyLuvsMickey]

If that was still open, I would be too afraid to even enter the shark reef! So, I don't think I would ever do it.

They were little sharks... Like maybe 12"-18" long... There were other fish too, but the sharks were the coolest... And I think they were more afraid of us than we were of them... They all hung out on the bottom of the reef so they never got close to us... And we weren't allowed to hang out and watch them... We had to keep on swimming from one side to the other, otherwise the CM's were "yelling" at us to keep moving... It was a fun experience... Kinda like snorkeling in a controlled environment...