You're going back to Disney? Again?!? A July, 2018 TR - Updated 11-15 - THE END

It looks like it was a perfect night for Illuminations. I'm so glad you guys saw it - especially since it will be leaving next year.

Nothing like heat and humidity to bring on a bratty moment. We live in a high heat, high humidity area so I've had plenty of those moments myself. It sounds like you did an excellent job making amends.
 
Gaining wife points with cologne! Love it!
I, too, will miss Illuminations. I remember seeing it for the first time on our first trip and cried. I have to see it at least once on every trip. I hope I like the replacement as much. I do really enjoy Happily Ever After, so there is hope.
I am enjoying your trip report!
 
I love Illuminations and glad you guys got to see it. I am sad they are changing it but excited to see for the future. And yes I worked at Spaceship Earth during my college program and we shut the doors right at 9:00 PM or I cannot imagine how many last minute guests we would have got :rotfl:
 


July 9th - Magic Kingdom . . .

Our last park day.

Cue sad music.

Why does the last park day have to come so quickly? Oh, yeah, because that was where our budget ended. We had been having a really great time (with the exception of my bratty moments), so I wanted to make sure that the last park day was fun filled. Because we had such negative experiences at the resort food court, we had numerous counter service credits still with us on the last day. So the previous night I had done some "tweaking" to our dining for the last day. I had managed to grab a breakfast reservation at Be Our Guest. Go me!!!!!

Reservation tip - stalk the website. Those hard to get reservations can be grabbed within a day or two. Being flexible with your plans are a must.

We had our normal routine of getting ready, filling up our mugs and hopping on a bus. On previous trips, Magic Kingdom was always the first park on the first day. It was a tradition that began when I was a kid (when MK was the only park to go to) and just continued on to adulthood. I always get the tingles every time I round the corner and see the castle for the first time. And of course I can hear my mom's voice in my head saying "give the castle a hug for me". So upon arrival, that was what we had to do first.


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This was the first chance Tony had to walk thru the castle instead of going around to avoid a show. He got to see all the mosaics and I felt the need to narrate the Cinderella story for him.

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We had a little bit of time before our breakfast reservation, so we went over to Mickey's Philharmonic.

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Up next - breakfast in the castle and riding some rides!
 
It looks like it was a perfect night for Illuminations. I'm so glad you guys saw it - especially since it will be leaving next year.

Nothing like heat and humidity to bring on a bratty moment. We live in a high heat, high humidity area so I've had plenty of those moments myself. It sounds like you did an excellent job making amends.

It was a fabulous night to watch Illuminations. The weather that day most definitely contributed to my moment.

Gaining wife points with cologne! Love it!
I, too, will miss Illuminations. I remember seeing it for the first time on our first trip and cried. I have to see it at least once on every trip. I hope I like the replacement as much. I do really enjoy Happily Ever After, so there is hope.
I am enjoying your trip report!

Tony has a thing with nice cologne. I'm glad that it helped improve his mood since he was pretty irritated with me after my drama.

I hope that the replacement to Illuminations is fabulous. I really think it will be, as Disney totally rocks fireworks shows. And I cried when I saw HEA. Yup, I'm that girl.


I love Illuminations and glad you guys got to see it. I am sad they are changing it but excited to see for the future. And yes I worked at Spaceship Earth during my college program and we shut the doors right at 9:00 PM or I cannot imagine how many last minute guests we would have got :rotfl:

How very cool that you worked at Spaceship Earth for the college program. It is one of my favorite experiences in EPCOT. I can understand why it's not open after Illuminations. Everyone would want "one last ride" - kinda like I did!!!
 
Nice updates Ruthie! I got behind- we just returned Saturday from Orlando!:)

Being overheated and wanting relief is not being bratty! Better than getting sick from heat stroke! Then you'd be down for the day (or two!). It was above average temps when we were there and we did the parks in small doses! We were staying at Universal and doing the parks there- made it easy to walk back and forth between the hotel and parks. That heat can do a number on you!

Haven't been to Tutto in a few years. It's so hard to fit in all the restaurants you want on a trip!

So glad you got to see Illuminations! It is truly a special show! I've enjoyed your TR so much! Hate to see it end:( But then it's just time to plan another trip!:thumbsup2
 


July 9th - Magic Kingdom - continued . . .

After we got done hearing the wonderful symphony from Mickey and his friends and wandered around the dump shop, it was time for our breakfast at Be Our Guest. We had a reservation, so we checked in at the front gate and made our way over the bridge to order our food. Last time we had pre-ordered, but since this was a last minute reservation, I didn't get a chance to do that. But it was okay, I made a new friend while waiting in line.


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I will call him Fred.

The line to order was pretty lengthy, but we made our way to the computer to punch in our food request and then found a table.


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It was the room to the right of the main dining room. It was the same room as we were in last time. I had wanted a different area, but Tony was leading the way, so this is where we ended up. It was really fine. We were both pretty hungry at this point, so where we were seating made no difference. The nice server brought us silverware, napkins and beverages. She was doing this for all the tables in the room and it might have been because there were just a few of us in there. It didn't take too long before our food was served.

We first got our pastry tray.


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Of course this is not my picture and I have absolutely no recollection of what kinds of muffins and chocolate filled goodness we had. So I'll say that yes, this is the pastry we had. And it was fresh and good.

Tony's entrée was the Open-Faced Bacon and Egg Sandwich - Poached eggs, Applewood smoked bacon, brie cheese and Arugula on a toasted Baguette served with Fresh Fruit.


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Tony called this delicious. I made a snarly face looking at that poached egg. I mean really - is that thing even cooked???

I had Feast a la Gaston - Scrambled Eggs, Roasted Potatoes, Bacon, and Chicken Sausage served with Fresh Fruit


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See, scrambled eggs. Much better. This was fine. Certainly nothing fancy, but it filled me up and our tummies were happy.

On our way out, I had to get a picture of the naked king. Put some pants on man - there are children in the building!!!


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Our first fast pass of the day was to visit with Winnie the Pooh and his friends at the 100 acre woods. I did not even ask Tony if he wanted to stand in line for a picture with Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, since I knew his answer would be a flat no. We had to park our ECV's outside the que, which was fine, but for someone who either didn't have a fast pass or had a hard time standing for a lengthy period of time, there were some manual wheelchairs available to use while in line. When we got up to the cast member, I specifically asked if we could use the ride vehicle that had the wider doors that were for wheelchair use. Now, there was no other wheelchair users in line and if there had been, I would have happily allowed them to ride first. This just made it easier for my fluffy self to not have to worry about getting stuck in the narrow opening of the ride vehicle. The CM said no problem and when it came around we hopped in and enjoyed the ride. And then we got some pixie dust because when the ride ended, there were still no wheelchair users waiting, so the CM asked if we wanted to go around again.

Did you really have to ask?

I was all smiles after the ride. Tony was just putting up with me at that point. I wasn't back in bratty mode, but being in Fantasy Land just brings out the child in me. And our next destination really only enhanced my silliness.


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This was another ride that I asked the CM to use a more accessible boat. There is a boat for wheelchairs that does not have that huge step down into the seat. Once again, the CM's were so nice and accommodating. We waited for the boat and we were the only people on it as there were no wheelchair users waiting. To be honest, I think that people are worried or embarrassed to ask for special requests. Friends, do not be these people. There is nothing wrong with asking for a little extra help. You may have to wait a few minutes, but it was well worth it to not have to step down into and then back out of the regular boat.

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I still want a giraffe. I'm still being told no.

More to come later!
 
You have the loveliest attitude! Really enjoying your trip report. I hope you get to write many more!
 
We love BOG!! The restaurant is so pretty!!

How nice you got a repeat ride on Winnie the Pooh!! :goodvibes

Cute friend- Fred!!:laughing:
 
July 9th - even more Magic Kingdom . . .

When we last left off, we were enjoying the lovely song styling of the dolls in Small World. Come on, you know the words, sing along with me now!

It's a world of laughter, a world of tears. It's a world of hopes and a world of fears. There's so much to be shared and it's time we're aware it's a small world after all.

Those are the correct words? Right. I could check, but I'd rather just post more pictures.


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Our third and final fast pass for the day was taking us over to Adventure Land for the fastest runaway railroad in the west.

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Much like our previous trip, I took a hard pass on this ride. Roller coasters are just not my thing. But Tony absolutely loves them, so he actually rode twice, once on his magic band and then on mine. I just found a shady spot with a cold beverage and enjoyed people watching. It really wasn't unbearably hot or overly crowded on this day, which surprised me considering it was still considered a "holiday" week. This was our last fast pass we had scheduled and that was fine with us. We didn't plan for this to be a move, move, move kind of day. It was the last day of the trip and I knew we would be tired (we were), so we took a relaxed pace and really just hit up the rides and attractions that I knew we really enjoyed or had never done before.

Which brought us to the Enchanted Tiki Room. There was literally no line and how can you not be enamored with fake birds? Sign me up!! No pictures, but a cute little show. I wanted to then do the Jungle Cruise, but the wait line was 60 minutes and there were no fast passes to be had. No thanks! A little more down the path found us getting ready for the new Muppet Show to teach us all about 'Merica.


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I didn't even realize that Kermit was wearing a red, white and blue bow tie until I uploaded these pictures. You just have to love the details that this place thinks of. But honestly, Fozzy Bear is my favorite.

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And Sam Eagle. Very much 'Merica.

And since we were there, we went in for a showing of the Hall of Presidents.


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Our final land was Tomorrowland. We hit up Monsters Laugh Floor and the Carousel of Progress. Buzz Lightyear was out doing pictures, but Mr. I don't want any more pictures wasn't having any of it. I didn't want to go alone, so we moved on.

Dinner that night was originally scheduled for Tony's Italian Restaurant. But do you remember when I said that I had been stalking the dining reservations for something special? Something we had never, ever done before? Well I managed to score a fantastic last minute dinner reservation that was just a quick zip away. I told Tony I had a last minute surprise and to just follow me!

Where did we go? Well, I got to pinch a butt!!! And it wasn't Tony! More to come!
 
Nice updates Ruthie! I got behind- we just returned Saturday from Orlando!:)

Being overheated and wanting relief is not being bratty! Better than getting sick from heat stroke! Then you'd be down for the day (or two!). It was above average temps when we were there and we did the parks in small doses! We were staying at Universal and doing the parks there- made it easy to walk back and forth between the hotel and parks. That heat can do a number on you!

Haven't been to Tutto in a few years. It's so hard to fit in all the restaurants you want on a trip!

So glad you got to see Illuminations! It is truly a special show! I've enjoyed your TR so much! Hate to see it end:( But then it's just time to plan another trip!:thumbsup2

We haven't done Universal. I'm not sure I would like it as much since I'm not a Harry Potter fan. But I'm so glad we saw Illuminations. I read that it might be the end of 2019 before it is gone, and if that is true, I might catch it just one more time. Squeeeee!

You have the loveliest attitude! Really enjoying your trip report. I hope you get to write many more!

Oh thank you. This is my second ever trip report.

We love BOG!! The restaurant is so pretty!!

How nice you got a repeat ride on Winnie the Pooh!! :goodvibes

Cute friend- Fred!!:laughing:

BOG is a beautiful place. But it is just hard to roam around and take pictures.
 
July 9th . . . continued . . .

Our last evening on vacation. Our last dinner on vacation. I wanted it to be really special. Not that there is really anything wrong with Tony's Town Square, but I managed to do the close to impossible. I found a reservation at one of the hardest to get into restaurants on the monorail loop.

Yes my friends, we were having dinner at Ohana.

Now I have read all of the mixed reviews about Ohana. The service is poor. The food is sub par. Not as fabulous as everyone makes it out to be. I wasn't buying it. Friends of mine have been there with nothing but rave reviews and folks on this board who I read regularly go on and on about shrimp for days. So I just had to see what all the fuss was about.

We made our way down Main Street USA and up the monorail to head over to the Poly. This would be our first time visiting this resort and we were both pretty excited. The monorail was fairly crowded, but we scooted in and in short order we had arrived. Just like when we had entered all the other "new to us" places, it was simply breathtaking.


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We didn't have much time to look around because we had to check in for our dinner reservation. It was probably about a 15-20 minute wait after checking in and we were seated. As we went into the dining room, the hostess said that I should pinch the butt of the wooden tiki god for luck. Never one to turn down luck or the opportunity to pinch a booty - I give him a little pinch.

But took no pictures.

Okay, I know. Bad trip reporter. But it was nearing the end of the trip and we were tired.

I'm sorry.

We were seated at a table just past the bar. We were not right at the main window seating, but could see outside. It was early evening and just a beautiful atmosphere both inside and out. I am glad we made this choice. Our "cousin" came over and explained how dinner would work. He then brought us out the pineapple bread, salad and drinks.


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I made a yucky face at the bread, because seriously, pineapple does not belong in bread. I know this is a Hawaiian based restaurant. But in the world of Ruthie there are no pineapples. But the salad was just delicious. Whatever the salad dressing is that they use was light and refreshing. Even Tony liked it and he's not much of a salad eater.

Our next course was the dumplings, noodles, wings and vegetables.


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This was a bowl of food heaven. We both devoured the dumplings and even got a second helping of just those. The sauce on the wings was sweet and tangy. I even liked the lo-mein noodles and that's not something I'm normally a fan of. The veggies were hot and cooked well. We had to slow down a little bit on the food because the main meat rounds were starting to come by.

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Shrimp, steak and chicken - oh my!!! Tony doesn't really like steak and I found the chicken to be a bit dry (my only issue with the dinner) and we both loved the shrimp. They kept our plates full until we finally waived the white flag of defeat. I'm not sure how much we had eaten, but it was quite a bit. And we were miserable.

And then they brought us out dessert. I mean seriously. Just too much!


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I took a small taste of the ice cream and caramel just to say that I did, but not another bite of food was eaten. Well by me anyway. Tony ate about 1/3 of the dessert and called it done. We settled up the bill and said goodbye to our cousins and headed outside. We wanted to take a look around the property before heading back to Magic Kingdom. The sun was setting and it was just so beautiful out.

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We went back over to the monorail and back to the Magic Kingdom. There was one more thing to do before we could end our vacation.

Up next - fireworks!!
 
Love yur dresses!

:thanks:

Great updates! Anxious to see where you're going for dinner!

Ohana!! Just put up the post!

So, another trip is in the works??? :cheer2: Sounds great!!!

I really want a 2019 trip. Convincing Tony is an entirely different story. Ideally we would go right after Thankgiving/first week in December. It's not too hot or too cold and we would get the holiday festiveness. He's just kind of meh about the whole thing. But I'm hoping in the next few months I'll be able to convince him. We shall see.
 
It looks like 'Ohana was a big win! Score one for Ruthie! Your report on this prompted me to just set up a touring plans reservation finder for our upcoming trip. Fingers crossed!
 
We've never eaten at Ohana's but it sure looks good! We will have to finally give it a try. Whenever the next trip is - I can't seem to find a time that works just yet. We mainly come early Dec. and in my opinion it's a good time to go. Good weather and crowds not too bad.
 
We're eating at Ohana in February, and I cannot wait. First time staying at the Poly, first time eating there. I, too, have read the not so good reviews. Too rushed, etc, etc. But we can't stay there and not eat there lol!! I'm sure we'll love it.... and I'll be saving room for that bread pudding!!
 

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