Beach Club Babe
09-17-2012, 11:55 AM
Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012 continued
After a busy morning at Magic Kingdom, we have met up with Ron at the entrance to Epcot and have made our way through WS to Italy and our reservation at Via Napoli. We were seated immediately. This was our first time eating here and we'll probably not be in any great rush to return. Not that anything was terribly wrong, just that it was not really one of our favorites. I think we probably should have ordered pizza which looked very good, but everyone seemed to want their own entree. The majority of our group ordered the chicken parm. I thought it was pretty good, but Jeff did not enjoy the sauce at all. We all thought it a little odd that it was paired with roasted potatoes instead of pasta though.
After our meal we set out to get all the pics that Ashleigh wanted to get last night. Before our trip I got her an easyshare camera since her cell phone camera was not working and she wanted to post some pics on Facebook. She certainly turned into quite the photographer. I think she took about 1000 photos! While Ashleigh was busy getting her pictures, Hallie, not really sure why, got this overwhelming urge to play drums. Ron and Matt took her to play them over in the outpost area. On our way back to meet them, I spotted the line for Aladdin and Jasmine beginning to form. Jeff had really wanted to meet Aladdin since he loved that movie as a kid. We had to get in line. I called Ron to let him know where we were. As we were waiting, the rain began again so we were directed to the indoor photo spot to wait for them. Finally they emerged and the coveted photos were taken. We then took the friendship launch back to the WS Plaza.
I called Ron once more to let him know we were finished and that we would meet them in Mousegears as Jeff still needed to get some gifts for his family. This was fine with the rest as it gave them an opportunity for some last minute shopping of their own. With many more purchases in hand in was time to head back to the resort to prepare for their departure, but not before one last ride on Spaceship Earth.
Now earlier on the bus I had been telling Emily that she needed to curb her tendency to walk away or not keep up with the group. I recounted the tale back in 2004, when we had lost Ashleigh in Downtown Disney. I was explaining how it was scary for all involved and she did not want that to happen to her. Now at the resort we had stopped in the gift shop for Jeff to get one last gift for his brother. Ron and Ashleigh had gone back to the room, Matt had gone off to the Food Court to get a refill, and somewhere in there Emily had decided to go and watch the movie playing in the lobby, while Jeff and I were still in the store. Everybody thought Emily was with someone else, which is exactly what happened with Ashleigh all those years ago. When the last of us arrived back at the room, no Emily! I figured immediately what had probably happened and started back down to the lobby. While on my way, I got a phone call from the manager saying they had Emily. When I arrived Emily was waiting near the front desk with the manager and a new lanyard and pin set. I explained to the manager what had happened and that I had just had a talk with her about this very thing. The manager said, "Yes, she told me and she did the right thing by notifying us." At least I knew Em had been paying attention to that part. I'm pretty sure now though she has learned her lesson.
Back at the room, all the rest of the purchases and odds and ends were ready to be packed, so we said our goodbyes and they headed to the car. They drove around to get another beverage for the road and off they went on their long drive home.
As for Emily, Hallie, and I, we were not ready just to call it a night. I had been thinking we would probably just go for one last swim in the pool, but they really wanted to go back to a park. I left it up to them to decide which one. At first, Emily wanted MK, but when she found out that it closed at 9 and the Studios were open til 10, she opted for the Studios. We had just boarded the bus and were pulling out of All Stars, when Ron called. He said he thought he had left his wallet in the room! Oh no, if I had to ride the bus all the way to the Studios and back again it would really set them back, not to mention disappointing the girls not to go to the park. I was trying to think of a solution, when he says, "Nevermind, I have it!" Well thanks for that! I promise to call him later and we are off to the Studios. First stop has to be at first aid for a band-aid for Hallie's blister. She has the CM in stitches when she asked Hallie how old she was. Hallie very matter-of -factly states, "I am 26 years old!" Don't know where that one came from but it was funny.
Moving on we rode The Great Movie Ride and luckily for the girls, got in a showing of Voyage of The Little Mermaid. They had been asking all week, but it never quite fit into our plans. After exiting, Hallie wanted popcorn, but I was having trouble finding an open cart that served popcorn. I asked at the pretzel cart by GMR and she directed me. She also gave the girls a churro each, probably because it was getting late and they had so many leftover. Emily enjoyed hers, but I wound up eating Hallie's. We managed to find the popcorn and sat down on a bench to eat. When we finished, I decided to check the wait on TSM. I was hoping it wouldn't be too long. Last year when we wandered by close to closing there was no one in line and we actually got to go twice without getting off. This time there was still a long line, but I decided to give it a try. People were giving up and leaving, so I hoped things would thin out quickly. We were waiting about 10 minutes or so, and we began to move quickly and were in the ride in no time since the fastpass line had finished and the park was now closed. Back to the resort we went and off to sleep for the last time on this trip.
Thursday, August 23rd, 2012
Magical express would be picking us up at 9:35 this morning. We got up about 8, showered and packed our few remaining things. That is the good part about having the others drive. No luggage to check or claim on arrival. All we had was the stroller, Em's backpack, and a small duffle. Next we wandered through the resort checking out the parts we had not seen and taking some pictures. The girls of course had spotted the playground, so I had to let them go once through. Then we stopped at the Food Court for some breakfast. This was the only time we actually ate here which is not typical for us, but I have to say I really do not care for it and could use a nice makeover. We had only used it for our re-fillable mugs. We then went outside to wait for our bus. I called Ron to see where they were and was surprised that they had made it as far as they did already. The bus then pulled up, so I told him I would call him later with more updates. We also picked up at Coronado Springs before heading to the airport. Our flight was on time and was uneventful until we were almost to Philly when we ran into quite a bit of turbulence and were really being bounced around. Once we landed I called for our car and then home to let them know we would be home in about 2 hours. I hit quite a bit of traffic, so it was more like 2 and a half hours, but I came home to a nice surprise. My friend Rose, who we travel to WDW with quite a bit, and who was originally supposed to go with us this time, and her husband Paul were at our house when we returned. Of course the rest of my gang was also home by now. Rose had made us a nice salad, and a big pot of the cheddar cheese soup from LeCellier. It was really delicious and a really nice welcome home!
I will have one more report in this series on my overall thoughts. I also think I may post some dining reviews in Dining as I have wrote some out.
After a busy morning at Magic Kingdom, we have met up with Ron at the entrance to Epcot and have made our way through WS to Italy and our reservation at Via Napoli. We were seated immediately. This was our first time eating here and we'll probably not be in any great rush to return. Not that anything was terribly wrong, just that it was not really one of our favorites. I think we probably should have ordered pizza which looked very good, but everyone seemed to want their own entree. The majority of our group ordered the chicken parm. I thought it was pretty good, but Jeff did not enjoy the sauce at all. We all thought it a little odd that it was paired with roasted potatoes instead of pasta though.
After our meal we set out to get all the pics that Ashleigh wanted to get last night. Before our trip I got her an easyshare camera since her cell phone camera was not working and she wanted to post some pics on Facebook. She certainly turned into quite the photographer. I think she took about 1000 photos! While Ashleigh was busy getting her pictures, Hallie, not really sure why, got this overwhelming urge to play drums. Ron and Matt took her to play them over in the outpost area. On our way back to meet them, I spotted the line for Aladdin and Jasmine beginning to form. Jeff had really wanted to meet Aladdin since he loved that movie as a kid. We had to get in line. I called Ron to let him know where we were. As we were waiting, the rain began again so we were directed to the indoor photo spot to wait for them. Finally they emerged and the coveted photos were taken. We then took the friendship launch back to the WS Plaza.
I called Ron once more to let him know we were finished and that we would meet them in Mousegears as Jeff still needed to get some gifts for his family. This was fine with the rest as it gave them an opportunity for some last minute shopping of their own. With many more purchases in hand in was time to head back to the resort to prepare for their departure, but not before one last ride on Spaceship Earth.
Now earlier on the bus I had been telling Emily that she needed to curb her tendency to walk away or not keep up with the group. I recounted the tale back in 2004, when we had lost Ashleigh in Downtown Disney. I was explaining how it was scary for all involved and she did not want that to happen to her. Now at the resort we had stopped in the gift shop for Jeff to get one last gift for his brother. Ron and Ashleigh had gone back to the room, Matt had gone off to the Food Court to get a refill, and somewhere in there Emily had decided to go and watch the movie playing in the lobby, while Jeff and I were still in the store. Everybody thought Emily was with someone else, which is exactly what happened with Ashleigh all those years ago. When the last of us arrived back at the room, no Emily! I figured immediately what had probably happened and started back down to the lobby. While on my way, I got a phone call from the manager saying they had Emily. When I arrived Emily was waiting near the front desk with the manager and a new lanyard and pin set. I explained to the manager what had happened and that I had just had a talk with her about this very thing. The manager said, "Yes, she told me and she did the right thing by notifying us." At least I knew Em had been paying attention to that part. I'm pretty sure now though she has learned her lesson.
Back at the room, all the rest of the purchases and odds and ends were ready to be packed, so we said our goodbyes and they headed to the car. They drove around to get another beverage for the road and off they went on their long drive home.
As for Emily, Hallie, and I, we were not ready just to call it a night. I had been thinking we would probably just go for one last swim in the pool, but they really wanted to go back to a park. I left it up to them to decide which one. At first, Emily wanted MK, but when she found out that it closed at 9 and the Studios were open til 10, she opted for the Studios. We had just boarded the bus and were pulling out of All Stars, when Ron called. He said he thought he had left his wallet in the room! Oh no, if I had to ride the bus all the way to the Studios and back again it would really set them back, not to mention disappointing the girls not to go to the park. I was trying to think of a solution, when he says, "Nevermind, I have it!" Well thanks for that! I promise to call him later and we are off to the Studios. First stop has to be at first aid for a band-aid for Hallie's blister. She has the CM in stitches when she asked Hallie how old she was. Hallie very matter-of -factly states, "I am 26 years old!" Don't know where that one came from but it was funny.
Moving on we rode The Great Movie Ride and luckily for the girls, got in a showing of Voyage of The Little Mermaid. They had been asking all week, but it never quite fit into our plans. After exiting, Hallie wanted popcorn, but I was having trouble finding an open cart that served popcorn. I asked at the pretzel cart by GMR and she directed me. She also gave the girls a churro each, probably because it was getting late and they had so many leftover. Emily enjoyed hers, but I wound up eating Hallie's. We managed to find the popcorn and sat down on a bench to eat. When we finished, I decided to check the wait on TSM. I was hoping it wouldn't be too long. Last year when we wandered by close to closing there was no one in line and we actually got to go twice without getting off. This time there was still a long line, but I decided to give it a try. People were giving up and leaving, so I hoped things would thin out quickly. We were waiting about 10 minutes or so, and we began to move quickly and were in the ride in no time since the fastpass line had finished and the park was now closed. Back to the resort we went and off to sleep for the last time on this trip.
Thursday, August 23rd, 2012
Magical express would be picking us up at 9:35 this morning. We got up about 8, showered and packed our few remaining things. That is the good part about having the others drive. No luggage to check or claim on arrival. All we had was the stroller, Em's backpack, and a small duffle. Next we wandered through the resort checking out the parts we had not seen and taking some pictures. The girls of course had spotted the playground, so I had to let them go once through. Then we stopped at the Food Court for some breakfast. This was the only time we actually ate here which is not typical for us, but I have to say I really do not care for it and could use a nice makeover. We had only used it for our re-fillable mugs. We then went outside to wait for our bus. I called Ron to see where they were and was surprised that they had made it as far as they did already. The bus then pulled up, so I told him I would call him later with more updates. We also picked up at Coronado Springs before heading to the airport. Our flight was on time and was uneventful until we were almost to Philly when we ran into quite a bit of turbulence and were really being bounced around. Once we landed I called for our car and then home to let them know we would be home in about 2 hours. I hit quite a bit of traffic, so it was more like 2 and a half hours, but I came home to a nice surprise. My friend Rose, who we travel to WDW with quite a bit, and who was originally supposed to go with us this time, and her husband Paul were at our house when we returned. Of course the rest of my gang was also home by now. Rose had made us a nice salad, and a big pot of the cheddar cheese soup from LeCellier. It was really delicious and a really nice welcome home!
I will have one more report in this series on my overall thoughts. I also think I may post some dining reviews in Dining as I have wrote some out.