It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times. updated 4/18. The end!

[scottny]

Family drama is the worst. Glad it wasn’t a heart attack.
Love seeing the Minions.
Hey that is me. Ewww bad pic. LOL
I would think very good friends’ sums it up pretty good. :O)
He does need a leash, but he does listen if told too.
LOL! It already had happened. That is why I skipped Twister.
It was fun hanging with you for a bit.
I hate the lockers there and I do miss Jaws.
All caught up.

 

[tazdev3225]

Great update!

Thank you.

Family drama is the worst. Glad it wasn’t a heart attack.

We were too.

Love seeing the Minions.

They were fun.

Hey that is me. Ewww bad pic. LOL

Not that bad
I would think very good friends’ sums it up pretty good. :O)



He does need a leash, but he does listen if told too.

He does and he is getting much better

LOL! It already had happened. That is why I skipped Twister.

Vinny said the same thing

It was fun hanging with you for a bit.

We had a great time with you too

I hate the lockers there and I do miss Jaws.

We skipped Men in Black because of the policy
All caught up.

Glad you're caught up. Did you notice my new ticker?

 

[tazdev3225]

I'm going to be busy for the next couple of days with my daughter's baby shower so I figured I would finish out the day.

We left Universal just before 5 PM. We decided not to see the parade and get hit with all the traffic. I was also in a lot of pain. Even with an Aleve I was having a great deal of difficulty walking. So we rode the moving walkway and got to the car. Thankfully we were parked really close.

We found I 4 and Disney with no problems. We found Saratoga Springs with no problem. Then we got lost. We drove all around and could not figure out where the Carriage House was. Finally after a small disagreement I made Jim ask for directions AGAIN!!! Check in was a breeze and we got our request for Grandstand. We go back in the car and got hopelessly lost again. Finally found the Grandstand and the building then we couldn't find the elevator. Jim was getting angry and I was frustrated. I have to say it was dark and getting one's bearings in the dark is a little tough. I normally arrive in the daylight and it really makes a difference with a new resort.

We found the elevator and our room. It was on the 4th floor, near the pool we never used and near the elevator. We had a deluxe studio.






We made a lot of use of the fridge. I was a little upset that the coffee service was only enough for one pot. Thankfully we had a couple of breakfast ADR's so I did get my coffee. We got the luggage in the room and I called Walker Mobility for my ECV delivery. They are no longer preferred so you have to meet the driver to get the scooter. Since I have used them so often they gave me Sunday night for free. Delivery was in 30 minutes so we headed off to the Carriage House on foot. We walked. And we walked. AND WE WALKED!!! Jim was really annoyed with me. I was in tears and just wanted to go home to Philly. We passed the golf course. We passed several other sections. Finally we found the Carriage House about 40 minutes later. We got there just as the delivery truck from Walker arrived.

ECV under me we headed to the bus stop, Jim called me 5 minutes later and asked where I was. I got lost again. We decided we would take a DTD bus or e Contemporary bus, whichever came first. Downtown Disney won. We had a short wait there for a bus to the Contemporary. Jim was happy - he found sports fans. The were a really nice young couple expecting their first baby and were finding out the gender on the trip. She has a cousin who is a CM. He was greeting them with a Mickey or Minnie the next day. The were hoping for a Mickey. I was happy for them but a little sad that I couldn't get one to take home. My daughter refused to find out the sex of her baby.

We arrived at the Contemporary at 8:50 PM. I had a 9:05 ADR so just in time. I was excited for this one as Jim has never been there and I wanted to see the change since the refurb. We had already discussed the menu and were just going to split an appetizer. We opted for the Oven Dried Tomato Flatbread with Beefsteak Tomatoes, Mozzarella di Bufala, and Aged Balsamic for $13.



This was really good. Even Jim liked it and he is a pizza snob. We then went out on the deck for the main reason I wanted Jim to come here. The view is awesome


And the fireworks




After the fireworks we ordered dessert. We had the Warm Home Made Fritters,
Banana-stuffed, Cinnamon-dusted Fritters with Toasted Caramel Marshmallows complemented with a Trio of Dipping Sauces for $12.00.




I have read reviews putting this down but I guess I just have pedestrian tastes. These were wonderful. The dipping sauces were a dark chocolate, peanut butter and caramel. I am not a fan of caramel but the chocolate and peanut butter were so good. I even combined them. Jim didn't eat as may as I did, guess we should have ordered two. We finished up and paid the bill $40 with tip. Not bad and we were both satisfied.

After dinner I took some pics of the Christmas displays.




I loved this little Contemporary Gingerbread house with a monorail




We hopped on the monorail and headed to MK for the bus back to SSR. Jim was found another sports fan, this one was from Philly, so they talked sports all the way back. We got back to the room, we found it this time, and I charged the camera battery and then fell fast asleep.

With that Universal and our first day at Disney came to an end. My thoughts:

As I said Universal is OK and I will go back again but I am in no hurry. The best part was Harry Potter and the Butterbeer.

The SSR - initially I was so sorry I booked there. It was dark and hard to negotiate. Will that thought change?

Cali Grill - I will go there again. The views are spectacular, we had a fantastic server and my pedestrian palate loved the breads, the flatbread and the dessert. - And the COFFEE. I have been there twice now and enjoyed it both times.

Up next - our first full day at Disney.

 

[jecskc]

As I said Universal is OK and I will go back again but I am in no hurry. The best part was Harry Potter and the Butterbeer.

All caught up !! I meant to get on here earlier but Hannah has a tummy bug and she has been keeping me busy this morning. My poor baby - she is so pitiful right now. Anyway, I wonder how much I will like Universal myself, but I promised DS that we would go. We will have to remember not to carry anything so we won't have to deal with the lockers. But DH never rides much so I guess he can be the sherpa.

The SSR - initially I was so sorry I booked there. It was dark and hard to negotiate. Will that thought change?

I really like SSR, but it is a huge resort and I agree that it is easy to get lost if you are not familiar with it.

Cali Grill - I will go there again. The views are spectacular, we had a fantastic server and my pedestrian palate loved the breads, the flatbread and the dessert. - And the COFFEE. I have been there twice now and enjoyed it both times.

That is because they serve REAL coffee - LOL

Up next - our first full day at Disney.

Yay for Disney !!

So glad you got your ECV. I totally understand how bad that hurts. I was able to walk during our Disney trip, but it hurt pretty bad at the end of the day and I was icing a lot.

You will have to keep us posted on the baby news. It would drive me crazy to not know what the sex of the baby is as well. My DIL (she is actually married to my stepson, but I call her my DIL) is pregnant and their gender reveal is the 10th. We are all so excited !!

Looking forward to reading more !!

Susan..

 

[tazdev3225]

Yay for Disney !!

So glad you got your ECV. I totally understand how bad that hurts. I was able to walk during our Disney trip, but it hurt pretty bad at the end of the day and I was icing a lot.

It wasn't just the ankle unfortunately. I have arthritis in my back and I think it ha spread to my hip. It was so tight that I could barely move my leg. Another reason I am debating the ankle surgery. I think all the boots and braces really put a lot of stress on my hip.

You will have to keep us posted on the baby news. It would drive me crazy to not know what the sex of the baby is as well. My DIL (she is actually married to my stepson, but I call her my DIL) is pregnant and their gender reveal is the 10th. We are all so excited !!

I call mine in laws an they haven't married my daughters yet. After 7 and 10 years I give up.

Looking forward to reading more !!

Susan..

SSR is huge and in the dark not easy to figure out. I also needed some caffeine desperately coupled with the pain, I was not a happy person.

I took a break from running around to pop on here. I was trying to get the food I need for the shower and people heard snow and wiped the delis out. I have to go out again and find a deli that is stocked.

Hope Hannah feels better. There's a nasty 24 hour bug going around up my way.

 

[jecskc]

My hip hurts, too and my knee. It is because of all of the limping. It gets everything out of whack ....

 

[Simba22]

Great update! I'm so sorry you were in so much pain! I'm glad you were able to get your ECV, at least!

The one and only time we stayed at POP, we arrived kind of late and had SO much trouble finding our building! We stayed for a week and even during the day, I just could NOT figure the place out! I swear, I took a different path to and from the room every single time. It left a really bad taste in my mouth and I refuse to go back! Not the fault of the resort, just my poor navigational skills! But I just bring myself to go back. My favorite resorts now are CSR (which is a big circle...easy to navigate) and AKL...you can only go left or right and eventually you'll reach a dead end. Impossible to get lost!

The room at SSR is VERY nice though! I hope you ended up liking it a little better!

 

[tazdev3225]

My hip hurts, too and my knee. It is because of all of the limping. It gets everything out of whack ....

That makes a lot of sense and having had 6 knee surgeries they are shot. Still can't decide what to do.

Great update! I'm so sorry you were in so much pain! I'm glad you were able to get your ECV, at least!

I was thrilled to get it and I hate needing it usually.

The one and only time we stayed at POP, we arrived kind of late and had SO much trouble finding our building! We stayed for a week and even during the day, I just could NOT figure the place out! I swear, I took a different path to and from the room every single time. It left a really bad taste in my mouth and I refuse to go back! Not the fault of the resort, just my poor navigational skills! But I just bring myself to go back. My favorite resorts now are CSR (which is a big circle...easy to navigate) and AKL...you can only go left or right and eventually you'll reach a dead end. Impossible to get lost!

I really think you need to arrive in bright sunshine to get your bearings. SSR is HUGE. I will find out about AKL soon. Added a new ticker and will be there in May. Going with a friend an it was her choice. Glad it isn't as easy to get lost there.

The room at SSR is VERY nice though! I hope you ended up liking it a little better!

The room actually was very nice and had a balcony that I used every morning to do my notes while Jim got ready. I will add thoughts about SSR as I go on.

 

[Simba22]

The room actually was very nice and had a balcony that I used every morning to do my notes while Jim got ready. I will add thoughts about SSR as I go on.

Yay for a new ticker! AKL is the new love of my life! I would LIVE there if I could. Wake up every morning to a nice, quiet savannah...sitting out there taking notes with my coffee! That would be the life!

 

[dmoore718]

Awesome update!!! You guys are troopers going all day at US then to a 9pm ADR. I'm impressed! Glad the ECV helped. Can't wait to read more...it's helping me pass the time since I have 1 year from today!

 

[wiigirl]

Great update!

 

[KatMark]

Lorrie, fun updates.

I love the picture of you and hubby with Boots, and the minion pictures are adorable.

Sorry you had such trouble finding your room and the carriage house at the Saratoga. I hate arriving after dark if I don't know where I am going.

I must try California Grill one of these trips...that view of the fireworks is priceless.

Have fun with the baby shower.

 

[tazdev3225]

Yay for a new ticker! AKL is the new love of my life! I would LIVE there if I could. Wake up every morning to a nice, quiet savannah...sitting out there taking notes with my coffee! That would be the life!

I have never stayed there before so I am looking forward to it. I like to get up early and wander the resort or jot down notes from the previous day so I am looking forward to a new resort. I do like the balcony's to sit and drink coffee. No savannah view so Maybe I will wander with coffee more often.

Awesome update!!! You guys are troopers going all day at US then to a 9pm ADR. I'm impressed! Glad the ECV helped. Can't wait to read more...it's helping me pass the time since I have 1 year from today!

I usually get up early and run strong til late at night at Disney. I have trouble just sitting and relaxing. Thankfully Jim just goes along with me. I do let him sleep in a bit. I like the first hour to myself with coffee.

The ECV is a huge help and unfortunately a part of any visit any more. The ankle and back have sealed that for me. I did take a short trip in April and didn't use it but I was staying off site and was alone so I could just sit and take pics whenever I wanted. I also left by 5 every day and it was a short trip. I hurt so much that I now get it, no argument.

Great update!

Thanks wiigirl.

Lorrie, fun updates.

Thanks Kathy.

I love the picture of you and hubby with Boots, and the minion pictures are adorable.

He had absolutely no idea who Boots was, or the minions. He is lacking in his appreciation of kids programming and movies. Too much football!

Sorry you had such trouble finding your room and the carriage house at the Saratoga. I hate arriving after dark if I don't know where I am going.

That first night was horrible. I was in a great deal of pain so really cranky too. That definitely didn't help.

I must try California Grill one of these trips...that view of the fireworks is priceless.

That was the reason for the ADR there. It is an amazing view. And we planned just to eat light. I enjoyed it.

Have fun with the baby shower.

Thank you it went really well even with all my stressing out. I may post a few pics once I get them sorted out and uploaded

 

[scottny]

I still cannot believe how you got to the Carriage House.
The flatbread looked good.
The dessert sounds so good. YUM!
Great update and pics.

 

[tazdev3225]

I still cannot believe how you got to the Carriage House.
The flatbread looked good.
The dessert sounds so good. YUM!
Great update and pics.

I should have taken pictures while walking. I think we did all 18 holes on the golf course.

The food was good IMO anyway.

Thanks you know I like to take my pictures. Thankfully Jim doesn't care and neither does my other travel companion.

 

[Wanna be Ariel]

Joining in on the fun! I am sorry about your 2013 and I wish nothing but the best 2014 for you and your family

We went this past September with my mom and we rented her a EVC since she has foot problems. It was the best thing ever for her. She loved it. And we loved having her with us doing more then she ever could walking.

CG looked so good. I want that flatbread and dessert right now. We are staying at BLT in December and might now have to make a ADR just for that. Yum-O

 

[tazdev3225]

Joining in on the fun! I am sorry about your 2013 and I wish nothing but the best 2014 for you and your family

We went this past September with my mom and we rented her a EVC since she has foot problems. It was the best thing ever for her. She loved it. And we loved having her with us doing more then she ever could walking.

CG looked so good. I want that flatbread and dessert right now. We are staying at BLT in December and might now have to make a ADR just for that. Yum-O

Yeah 2013 wasn't he best year I've ever had that's for sure. 2014 has to be better, in 11 days I'll have new grand baby. Nothing better than that.

I have resisted the ECV, it's had to accept that you have a mobility issue, especially when you have always been active. I have begun to realize that I have more fun with it. Glad your mom had good trip with the ECV.

CG was good. I know there have been negative reviews but we really enjoyed it. My DH has said he would like to go back again when we go to Disney again. That means he wants to go to Disney again.

 

[tazdev3225]

Moving on to Day 3 - I slept in for me. I didn't get up til 7 AM. For me on vacation that is late. It was a gorgeous day. The temperature when I woke up was 62 degrees. I put the coffee on and grabbed a shower. By time I was out the pot had just finished brewing. Since we drove I had packed a few food things. One of them was cheese Danish. I got my coffee and Danish, grabbed my notebook and went out on the balcony. As I sat there I noticed something. Directly across the way what did I see???? THE CARRIAGE HOUSE!!!! Seriously we walked all over the place and the carriage house was a less than 5 minute walk. Things do look better in the light of day.

Jim was up and moving so we headed to the bus stop by way of the Carriage House. We wanted to get our bearings in the daylight as we weren't sure what time we would get back at night. I took a few pictures.







I had hoped to be at EPCOT by around 9 AM. I didn't know it the bus stop was first, last or something else. I know we weren't at the Grandstand stop but figured we were early, it was 7:30 AM, so we would be OK. I was also the only scooter so that's always a good thing. 45 MINUTES later we were still there. I kept track and 6 MK buses, 7 DHS buses, 5 AK buses and 2 tree house buses had passed us by. Not ONE EPCOT bus. I was really starting to get a little upset by now. I also knew that I could now have to wait for more than 1 MK bus. Finally at 9:15 AM the MK bus came and thankfully it was almost empty.

I did manage to get a chuckle while waiting. A woman arrived after us and started screaming at the poor CM who was working the bus stop. She waited a "HALF HOUR. When is the DISNEY bus going to get there????" Now every single bus passed while she was there, She didn't get on the MK bus. I'm not sure what DISNEY bus she wanted. What really had me laughing is she kept saying that "in all her trips she has never had to wait like this."

We were a little behind schedule and did SE first. This is one of my challenge rides. I take pics on here trying to perfect my pictures. I had opted for my good DSLR this trip so was hoping for some good ones. I was happy.






Got a pic of our future


I then headed over to the Photo Store to get my photopass lanyard. I had prepurchased the one where I could get ride photos. And who was in line right in front of me? Scott, Vinny and Renee were there. We chatted for a minute or so and then went our separate ways. Jim waited for me at Club Cool. We checked out the new flavors




Another favorite photo op for me


I had a FP+ for Test Track that was going to expire soon so that was our next destination. Jim was moving really SLOOOOW. I asked if he was OK but I got his normal yeah. The one thing I had to worry about was his foot. Jim has Type 2 diabetes and has had an issue with an ulcer on his big toe. He said it was fine but I had a nagging suspicion it wasn't. Oh well, we got to Test Track with a couple of minutes to spare. We had fun designing a "car" but it did awful. Of course I let Jim do most of the designing and he chose an off road truck. The man likes his trucks.
Took some pictures in line


I love the ride itself but I really don't like the whole concept now. I am sure it will grow on me eventually.

When we got off Test Track I couldn't find my scooter. It was late getting over to the exit. Jim went back for that while I tried to find our ride pic. If I can ever get them loaded I will post the photopass pics. I do not like the changes and Flickr won't let me upload to their site.

Anyway we went to Mission Space next


Jim loves this ride and he loves the Orange side so I said OK. Never again!!! I thought I was going to die. I couldn't breathe and seriously thought an elephant was sitting on my chest. I will do Green from now on. Jim felt really bad when we got off because he could tell I was not feeling great.

He finally admitted that he was having an issue with the toe. I think to make me feel better but it didn't work. To totally understand you need the complete back story. Because of the diabetes he can't really feel the pain. Several years ago he came very close to losing his toe. Thankfully I saw how bad it was and got him to a doctor ASAP. He sees the foot doctor once a month and does take care of it but because of a fracture in the toe years ago it has a bump. The bump rubs and that causes the problem. He could tell it was rubbing and that a blister was forming so he went to first aid for some band aids. Caring wife that I am, I took pictures.



Seriously who could pass up that opportunity. Short update but I am off to deal with the photopass people again!

 

[tazdev3225]

OK I know there are people reading. Pull up a chair and say HI!!! I rally don't bite but I do get lonely.

When I left off we had stopped for some band aids. Our next destination and final FP+


If you look closely you can see a 5 minute wait time. I do not get why this is a Tier 1 attraction. Anyway we headed in and were on a boat immediately. I did manage to get a picture of the hidden Mickey


This is one ride that is next to impossible to get good pictures on. I try but I am not posting really blurry pics. However I did like this one


A view of Norway. Usually I try and get the troll but we were in the back of the boat and I looked back. I took a bunch of pics of the area before the movie and a CM told me I could use my flash. I thanked him but I really tried to not use flash at all this trip. I got some nice pictures but not great pictures. I shall try again.

We moved on to Puffins Roost.
Some nice decorations and really nice clothes that are really expensive.


Glad my mom can knit. I got Jim to pose


Couldn't get him to act silly but did get him to try on Moose ears


That is as silly as he gets. One goal this trip was to see all of the story tellers. I started in China with The Monkey King




I enjoyed his very lively performance. Jim was happy to sit. Since my first trip to Disney many years ago we have had to look for the creatures, namely lizards in the area. My son and my grandson have spent every trip trying to catch them I am happy with a picture.


Looked at the train display and I am always amazed at the details






Moved on past Italy and watched Sergio


Got the second storyteller at the American Adventure and learned a little bit about Hanukah


We were moving on as we had a lunch ADR to get to. As we traveled on I saw a familiar face. MrsKsomeday and her Bill were going in the opposite direction. We have chatted here and on facebook but this was our first actual meeting. After chatting for a bit we had to say our goodbyes but we were meeting later in the trip. This picture was too good to pass up


In all my trips I never realized that DTD was close enough to see this


And we reached our destination - the Rose and Crown. We were on time and waited longer than I expected, almost a half hour. I heard a CM say they over booked. We had a nice table by an inside window, I was glad as it was a little chilly. We had the CP package. This meant we had an appetizer.
Jim got the Scotch Egg


That was really good but he didn't like the salad.

I had the Trio of Cheeses


These were awesome. I didn't share much with Jim. From my notes one cheese was Bleu cheese with walnuts and cranberries, one was Irish Cheddar with candied onions and I missed the last cheese but it came with little pickles. I would go back again just for this appetizer.

We both ordered the Strip Steak. It was steak. I did like the onion rings and green beans however


Dessert was also included. I had the Sticky Toffee Pudding


Jim had the Jaffa Tart


I can see why the Sticky Toffee Pudding is so popular it was really good. I tried Jim's dessert and didn't like it at all. He loved it and said mine was too sweet.

I enjoyed my meal but I was not happy with the server. He was nice but I had to ask 3 times for a glass of water and a second cup of coffee. I waitressed in college so I know it's a hard job but that is uncalled for in my opinion. We also had to wait for the check. I wanted to leave 15% as that is my low end tip, Jim made me leave 18%. He was actually lucky he got a tip at all. I used my credit card and he "couldn't" add the tip. I don't add charging to my room so he was very lucky I had a little cash on me. The total with tip was $107.

When we finally got out of the restaurant we headed for a quick potty break. While I waited for Jim I took pictures. We swap off so I don't have to carry my back pack in the ladies room. And I just realized that Jim is in the background


I didn't need any reminders.


We headed straight to the line for the CP. We got in line at 4:15 PM. I ha a 1:30 PM lunch ADR and with a 5 minute bathroom stop I was finally in line. Yes lunch took over 2 1/2 hours. I texted Scott to see where they were as I knew they were going to the same CP. They had just finished lunch so I told them to hurry over and wait with us. And I will end the update here. I leave you with who was our narrator?

 

[GrammyJudy]

I m here Lorrie just don't always post. I can't believe how long your lunch took I wanted to focus on the storytellers also but didn't due to the kids. I think Andy and I need to do a Disney trip alone but I know my grandson's won't like that.