Guilt? What's that??? TR w/pics 9/9-9/14 - Page 6 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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I'm all caught up. So glad you loved Narcoossee's! It is one of our favorite restaurants at Disney I hope you get to enjoy the boat from Dowtown Disney back to POFQ before your trip is up.
Looks like you enjoyed Crystal Palace and how nice for you to meet Barbara! I just have to say how funny the coincidence is - my name is Sharon (like your sis) and my favorite character is Eeyore. My sister's favorite character is Tigger - so we are just like you and your sis!
We went to Hollywood & Vine for breakfast this morning. We, of course, didn’t know the Disney Playhouse Characters, and were really just there for breakfast in the park! The food there was standard fare, and not as tasty as the Tusker House, but it was pretty good and filled us up nicely.
Here’s a fun photo-opportunity for you shutter-bugs out there... I went to the bathroom after breakfast (not the photo-op, don't worry ) and found out that the restrooms are shared with the Prime Time Café next door. SO - if you’re in the mood for some good pics of the Prime Time Café before it’s full of people - now’s the time! Just walk down the hallway - it's not roped off or anything. I got some great pics (I didn’t go far into the restaurant, just took a few steps and snapped a few cool pics).
After breakfast, we headed back towards TOT and decided we needed a few minutes to digest first. So, we walked back to RNRC just to look around and waste a few minutes. We found out that the ride was having technical difficulties, so we got a fast pass – just in case the line started building up. We both felt that we could handle TOT by now, so we went in. It took longer to walk to the ride, than it did to get on! I also think the drop sequence was MUCH different than previous times (does anyone know if they are still doing the special drop sequence from summertime?). It was a riot! I can’t tell you how many times it dropped us, but it was a lot more than I remember, and we laughed and screamed through the whole thing.
We looked through a few of the shops on Sunset Blvd and when my head was back together, we walked back to RNRC. This ride is wicked and awesome!!! I had forgotten how fast and crazy it is. I swear I laughed and screamed the whole way through it! Again, it would’ve been easy to get on again right away, but I have to be careful about too many extreme rides in a row.
So in no particular order, we also rode: Test Track, Great Movie Ride, Studios Backlot Tour, and experienced Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Show (Sharon pulled the rope near this attraction!), Muppet Vision 3-D, Sounds Dangerous (zzzzzz) and visited the Streets of America.
Oh, and a tip for anyone who may worry about the seats being wide enough, the only one that was snug was Sounds Dangerous. Those seats are pretty small, and the arms of the chair dug into my sides. It was probably a good thing because that was the only thing keeping me awake through the show!
We had 1:00 ressies at the 50’s Prime Time Café. I have to say that everyone who has ever said that the waiter/waitress makes all the difference in your experience is completely CORRECT. We had a dud. His name was Richard B, and he had zero sense of humor, and no desire to play along with the whole thing.
For example: I asked that they skip the chives on my meal so that I wouldn’t get in trouble for not eating my vegetables… he said “I’m not going to say anything – I’m just taking your order.”
Um… OK…
He refused to play along at all… and was annoyed at the thought. So – I jokingly took one of our paper napkins and a red crayon, and like a kid I wrote his name, a skull and cross bones under it, shot it with an arrow… just being totally silly.
OF COURSE, Richard noticed that I was coloring and swung by to comment that he caught me coloring…
I quickly began crossing it out – DYING at the thought of him seeing it. My sister was practically rolling on the floor with tears running down her cheeks by this time (a lot of help SHE is). It was like getting caught writing a note about the teacher. It’s a good thing he didn’t actually see what I wrote – he would’ve thought I was psychotic, when really I was just being a “bad kid” in the spirit of the restaurant. Honest folks, I'm not totally nuts... I was just being naughty and immature. I still have the napkin, and will make it a part of my scrapbook.
Unfortunately, the food wasn’t that great. I had the Bleu Cheese Salad Wedge… it was exactly that. A half of a head of iceberg lettuce with some dressing and bacon bits on top. I don't know what I was expecting - but I'm sure it wasn't this. Sharon had a crab cake with fried onions on the top. She said that was really good - and probably the best part of her meal (besides dessert).
For lunch, I ordered chicken pot-pie type of dish, and it was very bland. It looked yummy, but looks can be deceiving. Sharon ordered a fish sandwich with fries which she said was average. For dessert, we shared the Brownie Sundae. This was really good! We each ate one of the brownie pieces (a whole brownie cut diagonally). The ice cream was very nice, and the M&Ms worked well with the whole concoction. I wasn’t wild about having caramel popcorn on it, so we ate around it – no problem!
By early evening, we were pretty much done with the heat, so we headed toward the front of the park. We were asked to take a small survey regarding our dining experience, and we reviewed the Prime Time Café. Not sure they will love reading what we had to say, but the only way to see improvement, is to let them know where things are falling short, right? It wasn’t all bad… the host who seated us was a doll-baby. His name was Phil, and he was this kind, sweet, funny, little old man. He made our day! He was a riot and really loved his job… you could tell. We complimented him abundantly on that survey!
We ended up cancelling our ressies for the Brown Derby. We were tired, and after seeing their menu outside of the restaurant, we decided it just wasn’t for us. Nothing sounded good, and we didn’t want to eat there, just to eat there.
Anyway – we grabbed a bus to get back home (just missing one leaving for POFQ by about 15 seconds – but we were too tired to run for it!). When we got to the resort, we changed into bathing suits and headed for the pool and hot tub. Nothing feels better after being in all that heat for the day.
When we were finally hungry, we went to the food court and picked up dinner. Sharon had quesadillas with beans and rice, and I had a chicken breast nugget meal with fries. It was food… nothing fabulous, but it filled us up. I also finally got to try the beignets. They were full of yummy and powdery goodness! We used a snack credit for 3 of them to share.
It was our last night in Orlando, and we were just toooo tired to pack. We decided to pack in the morning. We probably just wanted to delay the inevitable. L
Here is a pic of a VERY empty Hollywood Blvd... so ! I thought this was a nice shot of TOT. Also - my sneaky photo op of 50's Prime Time Cafe. And finally, our appetizers. I'll post the rest of the food pics in my next message, since I've reached my 5 pic limit on this one!
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I'm all caught up. So glad you loved Narcoossee's! It is one of our favorite restaurants at Disney I hope you get to enjoy the boat from Dowtown Disney back to POFQ before your trip is up.
Looks like you enjoyed Crystal Palace and how nice for you to meet Barbara! I just have to say how funny the coincidence is - my name is Sharon (like your sis) and my favorite character is Eeyore. My sister's favorite character is Tigger - so we are just like you and your sis!
Looking forward to the next update.....
Awwww! How cool!
I keep telling my sister that we are probably related to Disney because Walt had two daughters... Sharon and Diana (or is it Diane?). Anyway - it's close enough to Sharon and Deanna that I joke we are his long-lost daughters!
Your MK and DHS days sound wonderful! How nice that you met a "hometown girl" at CP - she sounds like a sweetheart! I doubt we'll ever meet someone from our town at WDW - we're from such a small town that I can't even imagine it! Sorry to hear that your trip is almost over already!
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A Fairy Godmother wannabe -
Look what a little Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo can do!
Your MK and DHS days sound wonderful! How nice that you met a "hometown girl" at CP - she sounds like a sweetheart! I doubt we'll ever meet someone from our town at WDW - we're from such a small town that I can't even imagine it! Sorry to hear that your trip is almost over already!
Enola is a really small railroad town (that's where we live and where we graduated). That's why it was so bizarre to find someone from here! It's a little postage stamp sized city along the Susquehanna River...
Keep looking at those name tags - you just never know who might pop up!
what awesome updates, I can just imagine your sister giggling at your doodles. How fun! So cool to meet someone from home you got to spread some disney magic too.
what awesome updates, I can just imagine your sister giggling at your doodles. How fun! So cool to meet someone from home you got to spread some disney magic too.
Oh -- Cassie -- I wanted to thank you for reassuring me about my size and the airplane! I was getting so nervous about it, and you and the rest of my Passporter friends really helped. I just wanted to mention that and thank you again!
We got up early the next day and were packed and ready to roll by 9:00 am. We had time before check-out, so we headed to the food court for a quick breakfast. I had a ham and cheese omelet with home fries and orange juice. Sharon had a western omelet with home fries and coffee. Again, it wasn’t special, but we didn’t feel like going anywhere for breakfast, so we were happy with it.
We checked our bags for Magical Express and put our carry-ons in bell services. Then, we decided to walk to Riverside to buy a few souvenirs that Jackson Square at FQ didn’t sell. It’s actually not a bad walk. It’s mostly flat and next to the river, so you get a breeze. Yes, my thighs were still raw, but the riverboats weren’t running yet, and my sister really wanted coconut patties! It was also nice to see Riverside. It’s a very nice resort. A very LARGE resort, but still… it has lots of personality. Luckily, there was a riverboat to FQ leaving right when we came out of the gift shop, so we were able to hop on that to go from POR to POFQ, instead of walking back.
We went back to bell services and checked our carry-ons out again to get our bathing suits, and spent the next hour or so near the pool. It was HEAVENLY. When we began to get hungry for lunch, I suggested that we take the riverboat back to Downtown Disney to use our last dining credit. Luckily, Capt’n Jack’s is right off the docks, so we got to eat a very nice sit-down meal on our last day! I forgot to take pics, but we shared a shrimp cocktail. I ordered Shrimp Pasta with Lobster Sauce, and Sharon ordered Shrimp Alfredo. We split a dessert too – yummy raspberry cheesecake! It was very, very good, and a great way to end our vacation.
AND – for the VERY first (and only) time this vacation, we got to take the Riverboat from Downtown Disney back to POFQ!!! It was a GREAT way to travel, and beat the tar out of riding that bus back again! Now, that’s magical.
Soon, it was time for us to take the “sad bus” back to the airport, so we sat on the black-benches-of-doom near bell services (funny that they color those benches black – it must be because they are also sad that we are leaving). When the bus came at 3:40, it was packed. There were only about 8 seats left. Fortunately, we got seats not too far back (remember how claustrophobic I am) and I could just barely see out the front window from my seat. This helps with the motion sickness too.
Unfortunately, they stopped at two other resorts before taking us to the airport. Every single seat on that bus was filled. UGH! It was difficult for me because I felt crammed in, and all of the stops and starts aggravated that woozy feeling I had all week.
I took a Dramamine at the airport about an hour before takeoff, but with the rough bus ride to the airport, coupled with all the turbulence we experienced in the air, I had a pretty rough flight back. I made it, but it was touch and go for a while there! (I was actually holding the little white baggie for about 30 minutes… UGH!)
We touched down safely in Baltimore around 8:30 pm, collected our luggage, and grabbed the Pre-Flight parking bus back to our car. I cannot say enough about the parking service we used. They took us right back to our car, loaded our luggage into the trunk and made sure our car started before pulling away.
Oh, and one more thing… remember that little card they gave us when we got to the parking lot on the first day? All I can say is, THANK GOD FOR MY PASSPORTER!!! Luckily I had shoved that little tiny slip of paper in the “Memories of our Journey” pocket. For some reason, I didn’t think I needed it, since we were pre-paid, but we did. If not for those wonderful pockets, something small like that would’ve been lost for sure.
I hope you enjoyed my TR. I had a good time writing it, and walking with you through our trip. I will treasure these memories forever, and so will my sister!
Oh – and now I have to get ready for my October 18-22 trip!!! I’m taking my daughter for her 21st birthday… and I can’t WAIT!
I'll leave you with a few pics of our resort - it was truly a quaint and beautiful place.