Trip Report Day 9: 11/30/13

Rapunzel's Tower

Unfortunately, it was our last full day of fun at Walt Disney World, so we went back to the Magic Kingdom so Jax could get on some rides. We started out at the Main Street Bakery for breakfast and then we were able to get on the Tomorrowland Speedway, but Jax wasn't tall enough to ride. I thought he would be, but he still had like half an inch to go. He watched us drive around, but he was able to get on Dumbo, the new Journey with the Little Mermaid and the Mad Tea Party.

Since the park was not packed yet, we were able to grab lunch at Be Our Guest, which we were worried that we wouldn't be able visit this trip because of its popularity. The food was good, but the three dining rooms were the real draw. One was dark, one was lavish and the other had snow coming down outside the window. They did a great job with the theme of the restaurant and it really helped tell the story. They even had the Beast's rose in the corner of the dark room.

While Jax napped, we were able to go to the Haunted Mansion and the Hall of Presidents. When we were done, we enjoyed some sweet treats at the Sleepy Hollow and I had the Nutella Waffle Sandwich and HOLY SMOKES, it was good. The only thing that would have added to the deliciousness would be a little whipped cream. We headed back to the hotel because MK was really getting crowded and we were able to do what we wanted. The only rides I missed were Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain Railroad, but I know them and I'll make sure to hit them first on our next trip.

Be Our Guest Dining Room

At the hotel, I changed Jax into his bathing suit and Dad and I took him to the water play area by the pool. He had a great time splashing around and getting soaked until he started to get cold. We went back to the room so I could dry him off and change his clothes. I changed my clothes too and we went for a walk around the resort to see the animals on the savannah. Jax was more interested in the lights on the floor, but we had some time to kill, so we hung out in the lobby, watched cartoons for a little and then went back to the room to scoop everyone up.

Paige and Georgie drove their own cars to the hotel, so we drove over to Downtown Disney for our dinner reservation at Bongos. Parking was a nightmare, so we got dropped off at the entrance to Pleasure Island so that we would not miss our reservation time. I went straight to check us in, but they wanted to give us a table outside. It was cold and Jax was with us, so I refused that and told them that we would wait for the next available table indoors. Tom and I got a couple of cocktails and waited it out. So, 35 minutes later when our whole party joined us, we were seated. We got appetizers and entrees, but we wanted dessert elsewhere. Georgie got a pretty amazing dinner, but it ended up being $75. We were shocked, but when something says Market Price, well, it is not going to be cheap.

$75 Paella for Two

We hit the Lego Store afterward because I wanted to buy more of those cool keychains for people at home. Tom had Mom and I go into World of Disney when we were done to look for Vera Bradley bags, but they only had duffles left, and I already have one and Mom didn't want one. Everyone was ready to leave, so we did ... without a Gold Rush from Ghirardelli. No ice cream on this trip. No Classic Mickey Bars. Nothing! And, we are leaving tomorrow. Boo.

Trip Report Day 6: 11/27/13

Today, we woke up when we wanted and waited for my aunts to arrive. When they did, we were supposed to attend "Welcome Home Wednesday" for DVC members, but we didn't know it was in another hotel, so we decided to skip it and head to Downtown Disney for lunch.

We always love Earl of Sandwich, so that is where we started out. One time we even visited the Earl twice in one trip. The sandwiches are cheap and delicious. I think is where you can get your most inexpensive lunch on all of the property, but correct me if I'm wrong. We went shopping after lunch and Tom, Jax and I stopped into the Lego store for the first time. I always walk by it, but never shop. We ended up buying Jackson a Duplo Cars set and I found these really cool Lego figure keychains. We also popped by Raglan Road during their happy hour, but we were obviously pushing Jax in his stroller, so we took our beers to go and headed to West Side.

Fortunately, we were able to let Jax run around a little bit in a small area across from Candy Cauldron. By then, we all met up to discuss what our next plan was. I went shopping in Wet Seal really fast because there was a buy one, get one 70 percent off sale, so I had to stop in. I ended up buying a Mickey Mouse t-shirt and, since it was BOGO, I got a Biggie Smalls tank top (I thought it was pretty interesting). When I was done, I came out and Tom and Mom told me that they stopped into Splitsville to see if we could go there for dinner and bowling, but for 11 people, it would near $500 to do so. Also, we stopped into Paradiso 37 and they could seat us, but we all decided to head back to the resort for dinner.

My family wanted to have Chinese food delivered, so I got them the phone numbers. There was no way I would be eating Florida Chinese food, especially on vacation. No offense to Chinese food restaurants in Florida, but it is just not the same as New York Chinese food. Sorry. So, Tom and I decided that we would head downstairs to Sanaa for a little dinner date and some African fare. Our waitress at Sanaa was awesome. Her name was Stacey and she was from Boston, and I noticed it before she told me by the way she said garlic (gah-lic). She asked if we were from Boston too because we have accents, but we are from Lawn Guyland (Long Island). The meal broadened our horizons and we listened to Stacey's recommendations on almost everything. After dinner, we went back to the room and wrangled up some others to head down to the arcade for some Guitar Hero and air hockey to end the night.