The quick, unexpected Flower & Garden girlie trip report!!!!

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Thu, 06/02/2016 - 13:22

amy1989

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The quick, unexpected Flower & Garden girlie trip report!!!!

Hi Everyone

welcome to my unexpected Trip report! for anyone who didn't see my pre trip basically the airline we fly with had a really good sale on that was unmissable so we booked a "cheap" week.......it didn't stay cheap but that's not the point! this trip was me and my mother dearest I'm Amy a 26 year old Disney nut! and it would appear the addiction is getting worse! my mam Susan is a slightly older Disney nut maybe not quite as OCD as I am but I get my way usually! this is us from this trip!
EPCOT_ECENTR1_7671931522 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

so lets get this party started!

Tuesday 26th April " Day 1
We set off to drive to Manchester about 1.30 we had been for our last bits of pamper " our nails done all nice and ready to go. The ride itself was fine with no delays however the weather we had was just freaky going from cloud to rain to hail to snow and to glorious sunshine in about an hour! It repeated this all the way to Manchester but it didn't cloud our day! We arrived at the premier inn earlier than scheduled; we knew exactly where we were going because on a recent trip to Liverpool we took a slight detour so I knew where I was going. We checked in with no problems and got to the room and OMG the rooms were HUGE! The pictures do not do it justice it was one of the best hotels I've ever stayed at in the UK and it's supposed to be like a kinda value hotel!

01c341a84a22969967b6de84412536f53ff627d8b3 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01c150d40b3a894de139bf3340461a9224be13f7b2 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

I happen to notice that from the window I would be able to see the car park and also my car so ran over to the window then the next thing my poor mam heard was "SH*T I'VE LEFT MY CAR DOOR OPEN!!!" yes I had left my driver's door wide open! So I ran downstairs as quickly as I could to shut it, although there was nothing you could see worth pinching my large case with all my stuff for Florida was in the trunk!!

With that drama out of the way we had a little relax in the room before we went for our evening meal at the hotel restaurant Tymes, we had paid for a kind of dining plan which included a 2 course meal and a glass of wine/lager/soft drink and a buffet breakfast the next morning and it seemed pretty cheap so we went for it so it would take the stress out of finding somewhere to eat etc plus I don't eat on the plane so the breakfast would set me up nicely! This meal was one of the nicest airport hotel meals I have ever had we got tempura shrimp and garlic mushrooms for starters which I could have just ate endless supplies of those they were cooked to absolute perfection I can't honestly explain how gorgeous they were!

012dbeb82afd10e426da4aa72f06af1845b27e7311 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

016837a1781d28ec43ce3fcba82519d78ed2426249 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

For our mains mam had steak and I ordered the ultimate burger, now I should point out at this time I was planning on adding dessert you know it's my holidays.......once the burger arrived those thoughts quickly went out of my head once it arrived..........

013ffd3ba983f919e0320c99e5e55f2a08a1fbfb89 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01f34e58d44919ce47fa174713bb45e438db6de28b by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

This burger was HUGE!!! However it was out of this world it was gorgeous! I had to leave some bread because there just was not enough room in me! Mam also said her steak was absolutely delicious! We got another round of drinks mainly because I couldn't move! We couldn't praise the waiting staff enough either, they were so attentive and friendly and one of them even went and found a charger for my phone because I was on low battery! We plan on staying at this hotel for future trips and we will be dining here again the whole experience was amazing from start to finish and an absolutely amazing way to kick off the holiday!

We headed back to the room and had showers etc watched a little tv and then went into the land of nod because tomorrow was Disney day!!!!

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Thu, 06/02/2016 - 13:29

Allie

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Oh man, I'm feeling behind now! I suppose I need to start on mine too then?! That burger look amazing and gigantic!!

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Thu, 06/02/2016 - 13:32

amy1989

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Allie wrote:

Oh man, I'm feeling behind now! I suppose I need to start on mine too then?! That burger look amazing and gigantic!!

No Allie just take your time you don't have a Disney mad best friend who wants something to read and is on this forum sending you emails saying "have you posted anything yet?!" so please thank Danijrod for the start of mine!!!

it's just after lunch here but my stomach is making all kinds of noises looking at that burger is was stunning!!!

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Thu, 06/02/2016 - 13:36

danijrod

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amy1989 wrote:

Allie wrote:
Oh man, I'm feeling behind now! I suppose I need to start on mine too then?! That burger look amazing and gigantic!!

it's just after lunch here but my stomach is making all kinds of noises looking at that burger is was stunning!!!

Excuse me I am just a nice little pixie voice in your head just sending gentle reminders .......

And Allie I personally think you should start ha! Not that I am pestering anyone but I am slightly obsessed with reading trip reports

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Thu, 07/06/2017 - 12:30

amy1989

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Wednesday 27th April " Day 2

We got up got dressed and headed down for breakfast it was beautiful all the usual breakfast stuff bacon, eggs, sausage you get the idea! I was really fancying pancakes so I decided to put one in the toaster, I was standing waiting for it to pop out the other end and noticed a sign "please ask for assistance if toasting waffles or pancakes" oops! So I waiting a few more seconds and thought if it doesn't come out I'll go find help....thankfully it came out all by itself phew! I thought I broke the toaster! We packed up the car and left hotel at 9am we got to the car park and parked car no problem, dropped they keys off and said goodbye to Donald (the car) and headed inside, usually at the Virgin Atlantic check in desks the queues are a mile long.......there was nobody there! Got straight in sent the bags off and headed to security, no lines there either so straight through no issues with bags and checked my phone when we sat down it was only 9.40! Easily the quickest time ever it usually takes 40mins per task! We had a look round the shops picked up some drinks for on the plane and we decided to go to the bar and have a pre- flight drink which was delicious and refreshing (good recommendations from the bartender!) and we watched the flights take off everything was going so smoothly!

01cfb01ef64e9f3a097ca5db154a3de6c9865e6da0 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

Hidden Mickey!

0193c1d0d92e40cb3f71b98eb227d04f31f21c76bd by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

Boarding went very smoothly and very orderly for a change! We were in a row of 3 and we were really hoping nobody would be in the 3rd seat and thankfully everyone boarded and the seat was spare yay!!! We even pulled out of the gate 5mins early and on the tracker on the screen it even said we were expected to arrive about 40mins early! This never happened to us........so as we were sitting waiting to move off to the runway this snow storm literally came out of nowhere! I have seen nothing like it in my life it was really quite heavy and it landed on the wing but as quick as it started it was over and the sun was out again (what is up with this weather?!)
From this

01e8c35b7ef85a76dd6290612e03668b185d341639 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

To this

01bc5995286273c6f5d4e82b3371f19debb92a3054 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We expected now it was finished to be setting off but the next thing we knew the pilot was looking out of the window in the row in front of us, turned to another cabin crew and said "I think we need to de-ice the plane" what?! There was barely any evidence of snow left on the plane! Off he went back to his cockpit and thought "maybe he has seen the error of his ways and we are just going to go.......nope! announcement came over to say we were being pulled back into the gate to be de- iced " fair to say I wasn't a happy bunny! Then another announcement came to say the de- icer would be 20mins

01b354c13d5424f442c2f0b173cb29592d3a9411e8 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

Eventually the de-icer arrived and we were on our way about 50mins late and as we set off the black clouds came in again and it started to snow again! At this point I was secretly happy we had been de- iced (however at the time I was not prepared to admit the pilot was right!) and we took off in the snow! It sounds pretty but it really wasn't! Once we got in the air there was a gentleman in front of me he was a rather large gentleman and he reclined his seat now I'm not sure if the seat was broke but the seat was right in my face so much so I couldn't see the TV in the back of the chair! And I'm not exactly a skinny Minnie myself so the space was very tight and I couldn't even get out to go to the toilet or watch star wars! He left the seat like this the whole journey apart from for about 10mins when the meals came around and it's a good job I don't eat plane meals otherwise I wouldn't have finished and he put it back, I'm so grateful we had the spare seat as the table came the meals were spaghetti & meatballs and some kind of chicken dish " mam said they were both very nice the meals also come with GU puds and they were salted caramel I really enjoyed it but it was very heavy so I didn't take mams offer of hers I'm sure I took pictures of these meals but I cannot find them so instead a picture of the sky!

Seen as I don't eat on the plane I took myself a little Tupperware box with sweets in to eat on the plane, I also made this to kill a few minutes!

0198feb054870d3ca1df5dcb09601931b5a5f8ca8c by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

013c72e14ee771b7b3e25297ba77ea22d419a9869e by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01669edf51447a41f3f5d3e4d38d894aaed409f46f by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

Later in the flight they give you a fab lolly which would be lovely without the chocolate bit at the top it's always baffled me but I still eat it! I did get to watch a little of Star Wars but the way I had to sit to see the screen was very uncomfortable so I never got to finish it. Near the end of the flight they came round with afternoon tea now usually I have the crisps (chips) and chocolate and mam eats the wraps however they had changed the crisps and chocolate and I really didn't like the crisps and the chocolate tasted funny because of the crisps! Oh well ill hold out til I get my pasta not long now!

0136ca32f55d2b0a7af518d08752d2a886c8aaf6f0 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

you also get these for landing

01d3c817c07f7a0da5d6cf06fea3e436e055f411ff by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We ended up landing around 5.10 which was only about 25mins later so we made up quite a bit of time but by the time they pulled us into gate all the other late flights had got in ahead of us and the lines were HUGE!!!! It took us an hour to get through we collected our bags, got on the monorail to the main building and headed straight for the Magical Express! I was really here!

We got straight on a bus and the driver noticed mam was struggling with her knees so he very kindly told us we could have the front seats which were a great help! We sat on the bus and I noticed I had an email with our room number on! Yes we got all my requests! We were about 6 rooms along from our rooms we had in September! The bus didn't leave the airport until 7.35 and I started to worry because we had arranged for mams ECV to be delivered between 7.30-8.30 and with it being Walker Mobility we had to meet them, but my phone was on if they needed to ring me, the driver I think was in a hurry because he put his foot down!

01e621580f4e0d93e34f153401b803d25aeabb05a1 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We stopped at Old Key West, Saratoga Springs and Port Orleans French Quarter before finally getting to Riverside we got off the bus and I went to bell services to find out if they had tried to deliver the scooter, they didn't know and told me to go to the luggage storage and she told me to go to bell services? We found a number for them and went to try and use the Freephone in the lobby, I couldn't get an outside line so went to concierge for some help she told me to try 7 before the number that didn't work so I tried 9 because that's what we use at home and it said I was dialling an international number! So went back to concierge and a lovely CM Cassie found a number dialled it for me and passed the phone through they said they had tried to ring me but the must have forgot it was an international number because I had no missed calls she put me on hold to find out where the driver was and I explained to Cassie about the day we had! the lady from walker came back to me and said the driver was on his way back to drop the ECV off which was fantastic and as I came off the phone and thanked Cassie very much for her help she booked me a FP for Space Mountain and me and mam for Jungle Cruise and also Rock n Roller Coaster for our Hollywood Studios day! (No backing out now!) I was so grateful for this and she was so kind and helpful!!

I went back outside to go meet mam and not long after the van pulled up and we got the mean machine and headed to our room (I think I went and picked up the magic bands at some point I don't know when!) we dropped the bags and I needed food! So off we set! Now I won't lie mam was VERY hesitant with her ECV anybody what was within a 10 mile radius of her she would stop! So it took us a little while to get over we picked our refill mugs and I went and ordered my pasta, we also got an order of bread sticks so mam could have a little snack, I forgot knives and forks so had to run back over for those but after we ate we just fell into bed after a long day!

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Thu, 06/02/2016 - 14:03

amy1989

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danijrod wrote:

amy1989 wrote:
Allie wrote:
Oh man, I'm feeling behind now! I suppose I need to start on mine too then?! That burger look amazing and gigantic!!

it's just after lunch here but my stomach is making all kinds of noises looking at that burger is was stunning!!!

Excuse me I am just a nice little pixie voice in your head just sending gentle reminders .......

And Allie I personally think you should start ha! Not that I am pestering anyone but I am slightly obsessed with reading trip reports

you don't say.............

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Thu, 06/02/2016 - 14:37

Allie

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danijrod wrote:

amy1989 wrote:
Allie wrote:
Oh man, I'm feeling behind now! I suppose I need to start on mine too then?! That burger look amazing and gigantic!!

it's just after lunch here but my stomach is making all kinds of noises looking at that burger is was stunning!!!

Excuse me I am just a nice little pixie voice in your head just sending gentle reminders .......

And Allie I personally think you should start ha! Not that I am pestering anyone but I am slightly obsessed with reading trip reports

Haha I'll get on it soon, I promise!

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Thu, 06/02/2016 - 20:30

Miss Mikki

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Amy I am enjoying your trip report - looking forward to more.
I have the same grey Minnie Mouse vest that you are wearing in the first photo!

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Fri, 06/03/2016 - 00:13

JMed

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Great Flower and Garden pic of you two!!! Sounds like a great start!!! Speaking of starts, thanks danijrod for getting it going!!!

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Fri, 06/03/2016 - 01:31

JoAnn C

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Crazy weather you had. Looking forward to reading more.

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Fri, 06/03/2016 - 09:13

danijrod

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JMed wrote:

Great Flower and Garden pic of you two!!! Sounds like a great start!!! Speaking of starts, thanks danijrod for getting it going!!!

Thanks! At least someone appreciates my nagging/encouraging words

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Fri, 06/03/2016 - 12:11

amy1989

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Miss Mikki wrote:

Amy I am enjoying your trip report - looking forward to more.
I have the same grey Minnie Mouse vest that you are wearing in the first photo!

Thanks Miss Mikki! yes it was a steal from New Look about 3 years ago I love it!

JMed wrote:

Great Flower and Garden pic of you two!!! Sounds like a great start!!! Speaking of starts, thanks danijrod for getting it going!!!

Thanks JMed! all joking aside this wouldn't have been started without her!!!! starting my first Disney day now!

JoAnn C wrote:

Crazy weather you had. Looking forward to reading more.

I wish my mam had taken pictures on the drive down that was just as bad i ahve never seen weather like it in my life!

danijrod wrote:

JMed wrote:
Great Flower and Garden pic of you two!!! Sounds like a great start!!! Speaking of starts, thanks danijrod for getting it going!!!

Thanks! At least someone appreciates my nagging/encouraging words

well done you!!! your next installment is coming right up!

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Thu, 07/06/2017 - 13:32

amy1989

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Thursday 28th April " Day 3

We got up and ready for our first proper Disney day! i was sporting a very purple theme and this continued throughtout the trip!

01e29e8ee5e1d60c7765a9ac431bd679c8f1f3109c by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

i also got a lot of disney themed socks these one were my favourite as lion king is my favourite disney film and they had little pom poms on the back you cant go wrong!

01b8b9f4a6b7b91e431d841072949e39ced73357e1 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We headed out about 8.30 and got a bus straight away to Magic Kingdom! When we arrived the bag check lines were HUGE! Because mam was still unsure with the ECV I sent her through the no bag line and I took both bags so she could get through easier I took a picture of the lines but its looks much less chaotic than it actually was!

01d35a81044566d59969d0ef199415a31c6a274b78 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We got through and it wasn't as crazy as outside thankfully!Walking up Main street was just wonderful we haven't seen it without Halloween decorations for a long time and as I saw the castle I realised I was finally home

We headed up to Pirates of the Caribbean and there was nobody around hardly and no wait so off we went! I love this ride sooooooo much!

We headed up towards Big Thunder Mountain as we had FP for it but as we passed Splash Mountain had no wait so we decided to enquire how we get in to avoid the stairs as mam has lots of difficulty walking up stairs right now the CM were fantastic and helped us find our way

MK_SPLASH_7671284680 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We had a great ride and didn't get too wet thankfully! So we went to blow the cobwebs out on Big Thunder Mountain we were at the back so it was great! We headed down towards Country Bear Jamboree and were going to pop in but it didn't open until 11 and I think it was about 15-20 mins before opening so we decided to pass we just headed straight round to Liberty Square and used our FP for Haunted mansion which was great as usual! We also had a look in Memento Mori I love the detail of this shop so much!

We went to It's A Small World and it had a posted 35min wait however we were through the queue and off the ride within 20! So don't always believe the wait times!

It was just about time for our BOG meal and I always get super excited! We checked in and walked straight through confirmed our order of food as we pre ordered and found a seat in the rose gallery it's my favourite part I love the ballroom but it's so big and loud and the west wing is too dark! We had a fantastic meal of braised pork each with a masters cupcake and a strawberry cupcake it was absolutely gorgeous!

013ae0188ff19d5229e1f4b75d2cc72076eddb8233 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01dc2ff89b040d445984b8d376b3f95b4864c73bb2 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We had FP for 7 Dwarfs Mine Train which was super we actually got to ride in the front row so obviously I had my hands up the entire time, sang all the way round and danced with my hands in the air all the way round (I would like to issue a general apology to anybody who was in this particular mine train with me I was very excited!)

MK_MINETRAIN_7671482870 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We popped into philharmagic because we just love this show so much! We then decided to head up towards Under the Sea but had a quick stop at the restrooms beside Gaston's tavern while I was waiting for mam I was watching the particular Gaston that was meeting at that time he wasn't the best Gaston lookalike I have ever seen but he seemed great and very much in character! The line was huge otherwise I think I would have gotten in line! We headed round to Under the Sea the line wasn't big at all so we just walked around I think the 10min wait was actually just walking around the line! its so beautiful some of the details in it are great!

014f08013d17ddfbc27130d1f3cd2305fdff13ce23 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01d09170fe9c84d28767058ddc0e0a2c5070be7078 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

0132dac9e137bfa87d63c97b51a15a30f1e5c65fbf by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

After we came out we decided to walk through storybook circus and walk down the walkway by the train tracks to Space Mountain found my mam some shade while I used my extra FP to ride, now at some point I went from regular colour to boiled alive as is evident in the ride photo! I ended up in a car with 5 cheerleaders which was so much fun!

MK_SPACEMOUNTAINA_7671609091 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We realised it was nearly time for FOF so we headed to the Hub to see if we could find a half decent spot well apart from the people right on the pavement standing a little further back there was practically nobody so we found a fab spot just as the parade was coming over the bridge at liberty Square perfect timing! We got some great pictures with the castle in the background we had a great time!

01a6cb2c5b74b7383afc159524348233942d6fa3c7 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

0178f1a37ca50533d32a606a62c87fb5dbc4fa2aa1 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01b8b89ad414fe9954b10dba93a84fafcc6ae27767 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01a40126431349ffd108058e9f79730c2b4ef6db1f by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

I LOVE this picture it looks like the dragon is eating the people on the crane!

01a6a06b36f63a96950bb212fe9b5974fa9c2d1779 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We decided to head out for a break, picked up an ornament for someone back home and headed for the bus, I don't think we waited too long but I was in such high spirits I didn't care!

After showers etc we headed back out to EPCOT i was very Disney themed Minnie mouse top and Alice bag i could take on the world!

0198907f9c33a812e4dbda33a48aef7948cd59a0fa by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We decided to go and check out where Joy and Sadness were meeting to see how big the wait was and when we got there the line wasn't very big at all so we got in and I think it was easily the slowest line for such a short wait I've ever been in! But all was forgiven because the meet and greet was amazing! We got some great shots with them and walked out a very happy girl!

EPCOT_INSIDEOUTCHAR_7671972914 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

EPCOT_INSIDEOUTCHAR_7671974682 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

we spotted baymax as we passed I didn't go and meet him because I hadn't seen Big Hero 6 yet (I have since corrected this issue and wish I had met him!)
But now it was time to get to business I had a very long list of food and drink beverages to try at the Flower and garden Festival and not long to do it in! First stop was La Isla Fresca for the pan seared Chicken and Jerk spiced beef which were both super nice! The beef was a little on the spicy side but I still really enjoyed it!

01246f77dd9e2691d76d31354afb317ff2db6d1486 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01be45ee81501ee4e73a391f7bcecb03d007151b79 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

Next stop was Lotus House in China for Gaoli Beef bun and Kung Fu Punch I have had the drink before and was yummy as always (plus it's not pre mixed which is just a bonus!) and the bun was just beautiful!

0198003687f0553ed8b3658b392c83a2dd3c640360 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

012b08c8ec06ef9773292b3d9f514cb1768b359032 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

Baurnmarkt was next and we got a chicken fricassee and currywurst at first I had no intention of trying mams currywurst but I'm pleased she made me because it was super tasty as was my chicken this was a very pleasant surprise!

0160991a92ccb4a47542297077f6d27c670f55153b by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

015d51b5413cb9619d9eaea17eaf0f891553fab366 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

Our last stop of the night was the smokehouse where we got all 3 of the savoury items on the list! There was Pulled Pig Slider, smoked Pork ribs and beef brisket burnt ends hash all of these were massive hits for us my favourite was the ribs and least was the burnt ends hash but I am a picky eater! Mam really enjoyed all of these and we agreed that we would absolutely be back here before we left!

01d68c41e1805dab0784fa9807a0bb0b52ac7393aa by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

011e31595c4e66350664113de764e7b4ef0ac255c1 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

This was by far the most successful food trying night we have ever had with me being a picky eater usually half the stuff I try I don't like but I can honestly say I would have ate every single item again and been very happy! We found a great spot just to the right of the Americas theatre and we had a fantastic view it was one of the best views we have had and not crowded at all

01a2fb18a2a9f8749f07a0a10bc595a246b8caebcf by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01a1745306f230fd027bbdc9de58f11df604aaa120 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

0149df0128edcef1fc2eeee63164eaa9bf240f102a by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We took our time heading back down just taking in the fact we were really here this trip had really happened and really just being so grateful for being here if memory serves our lucky streak of buses was still going and we didn't wait long before we were home once again

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Fri, 06/03/2016 - 16:08

Kristen K.

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How exciting! I love spur of the moment trips.

Mon, 06/06/2016 - 07:37

amy1989

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Allie wrote:

Aw this was the day we were supposed to meet up! Wah wah! So sad that didn't work out! Looks like you had a great day, though!

I know! it was sad that we just couldn't make it work! but there's always next time we just have to go back!!

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Thu, 07/06/2017 - 17:38

amy1989

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Friday 29th April " Day 4

We were headed for Hollywood Studios this morning with the main agenda being I really wanted to meet Chewbacca and Kylo Ren and see the Star Wars Launch Bay now I'm not the hugest Star Wars fan ever I've only seen the complete set of movies so far once but I have seen the force awakens a couple of times but I'm really captivated by it all and want to learn more about it and watch the films again having said that mam isn't the biggest Star Wars fan but she loves me so went along with it!
I was Armed with more Lion King socks today to keep me on the light side while meeting Kylo Ren!

Once we arrived at Hollywood Studios we headed straight for the Launch Bay and as we were walking in there was some Strom Troopers on guard and they took a liking to mams horn on her ECV!

01cfc3efa705952a1e5524e4be2b88d39cb0b88b44 (2) by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We walked in and it was nowhere near as busy as I thought it would be but I was very happy we made our way down to the meet and greet areas and mam decided to sit these out I did Chewbacca first and he was awesome I told him I was all on my own and he made it known that he would be my friend!

01b9b0f62352c136771ce627aa6ae283411305265e by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

Went next door to see Kylo Ren and I won't spoil how he greets you but me being on my own he is VERY intimidating! I tried to convince him I wasn't scared of him (I think I may have been trying to convince myself too!) he did say words to me but in all honesty I cannot remember what he said to me because I was really intimidated it was a fantastic meet and would highly recommend going but take a friend!

0169fd9df5e67804a5551454ec26812348f5924c65 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

When I came out we had a look around the displays and ended up in the cantina part and there was a Jawa out in the middle of the floor loads of people standing around it getting pictures etc and we spotted this guy.......

01f8bf13de82c4fd266223218f89dd292158339bf8 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

He didn't move so we thought he was a statue! We had a look round and I took a picture of the active Jawa walking around

013a1545827059de1422970ee868fd312302e8df3a by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

Photobomb in the background! So we walked past the stationary one and I said bye well it waved! I was not expecting that! we tried to get out the way we came in to be told we had to go back the way we had just came so back through the cantina and both Jawas were out and about but there was nobody around so they had a play with mams horn then they grabbed my phone and started taking selfies!!! I did manage to get one with me in but as you can see below................

01a5d57701b163df7d357bd86c9c723196bd5c6b30 (2) by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

You get the picture I have about 20 more of the same variation!
Someone described it as creepy haha! When we finally made our way out we made a quick toilet break and as I was waiting for mam I heard this music and the storm troopers were moving everyone to one side so I managed to get in a good position to wait for whatever it was! It was Captain Phasma and the storm troopers doing their walk through I got some good pictures but forgot to video!

01b6bc7fdc287fe01bce7ccdddac6a0e15dda0953b (2) by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

I really enjoyed it them mam came out having no idea what had been going on! We had a bit look around and just as we were coming out of animation courtyard they were getting ready for them to walk back so we stayed so I could video them I was like a kid in a sweet shop! I did have a video but I cant find it they were still awesome and I really enjoyed it!
Once they passed we realised we were pretty hungry so headed to Starbucks we had sandwiches and the same ones but for the life of me the name escapes me! But they were gorgeous!

0197acd37e4744dde1ec625108f6a965e65579c204 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We sat for a while and the citizens of Hollywood cavalcade was on we didn't have a great view but we could hear everything and see parts I really enjoyed it! We walked back over to animation courtyard and there was a showing of voyage of the little mermaid that we managed to get into just in time!

We had accomplished more than we expected to in our time and still had some spare time on the agenda so we decided to get in line for Frozen Sing A Long we thought we might not get into the first show but we did! It's amazing how many people they can pack into that theatre! This was by far the best version of the show we have ever seen! The historians both did a lot of ad lib and they were hilarious! We have never been into a bad show this one was just much funnier!

01cae906f1bdc2aeff7f35af030f53a9cc5f7f3410 (2) by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We walked around to where streets of America was so we could see how the demolition work was coming on to compare to in September, from what we could see not much had been demolished in that area yet

I really hope Pizza Planet turns into a Muppet themed dining place I would really love to try it!!
We had completed everything we wanted to do at Hollywood Studios during the day and some extras too! so it was time to head out we had decided seen as mam had the ECV we would walk the pathway from Hollywood Studios to EPCOT it was a gorgeous day! We saw this little guy on our travels

01cc39b67940c19de6950421d0fb1c78a652b48e84 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

I wasn't keen on the walkway under the bridge but it was so worth walking under it for the rest of the walk it is a stunning walkway and if anybody gets an opportunity I would recommend walking it especially if it's a nice day! We made it to the boardwalk and decided to stop and refill our resort mugs and have a little sit in the sun it was just perfect to take a few minutes and appreciate where you were!

01bddb12db240bae1adae97af02481f643df90b8f2 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01bf7980d4bcda1b1a7b2c6d77570d27d652674234 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01ffef692f19f02310929a498a1df21b1af7fdc98d by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

011cbf6403a7335797eb41135b072999c2ea7b5dd7 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We eventually headed off into EPCOT intending to have another go at Flower and Garden but I didn't feel too well and didn't want food (which is absolutely not like me I always accept food!) mam got the lemon scone from the Cider House which she said was delicious but I have to just take her word for it! I know the scone was warm and it did look very nice! we did have a look around the Tea Garden in the UK and caught a little bit of Quickstep who were very good! After that I really didn't feel too good so we just headed straight out and back to the resort (I did take a few topiary pictures on the way out.......)

01569e910eba49d252e44debc0f2e8917101bf8be3 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01b4290476976dfe74137af09692daa1e5699045e1 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01abd4df757f89fbc405fb2f945cd7889e63d27013 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01ba12e26e71207184ab12056fc70e7c5a1684c968 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01cdfb4f4b61d3cb72fe7da3b59cc0d973827cbfd0 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

010c3e7a40f5a459909cbd0b44d5685f167aaea7ab by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

0160ab964bc597cb851f5ad6dc60aed7db88b47027 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

0175c4c5ab06c86fcdf6a195b5bb1b238f19946116 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

0164182ba61493560c7434ae29ea4b1faa2fda7da7 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

After a few hours back at the resort we headed out to Magic Kingdom we made it in time for our ADR at the Plaza this is somewhere that's been off my radar until someone on this lovely forum posted a review of it with a Philly cheesesteak sandwich and it was at that point it came bursting back on the scene! And I would like to sincerely thank whoever it was who posted the review because it was AMAZING!!! Seriously gorgeous! We got checked right in and we ordered a Philly cheesesteak (of course!) and a beef brisket onion burger and we split both sandwiches and had half each and in all honesty I couldn't pick a favourite they were both absolutely delicious and my mouth is actually watering just thinking about them right now!

01fb5b4f9ef72903346354c969f4ae521662c505e4 (2) by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

0128253df0240c9edb52f885d53a3500d1985910e7 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We paid up and headed to our FP for 7 Dwarfs Mine Train I love this ride in the dark! Well really I love this ride anytime!

MK_MINETRAIN_7672864838 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

Mam looks really terrified on this picture but I can assure you its one of her favourite rides!

We headed round to ride under the sea on standby and had another look in big top souvenirs and bought my snow white ears which I just LOVE! I keep trying to leave the house with them on but I'm made to take them off! It was nearly time for the fireworks but we quickly nipped in to philarmagic again! We found a lovely spot with a nice seat and not crowded to watch the fireworks from ...........

Unfortunately as it turned out the fireworks were behind us so we couldn't see anything! We moved out into the middle of the area and it was like the fireworks were on top of us! We probably missed a lot but it was much less crowded and we really enjoyed the new perspective (and we know where to sit or stand to have a better view next time!)

01f21fe5d9bbb0b68461636a96d57afb19ec4f1e7e by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01427627c745d21825de6bca9b4b7bc151f0d1da5f by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01e2604ea5650c53ab7d57ac11844a5af9bebea94b by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01cd53a7ddc10fdedd9f55b8531eb2542145fffbac by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

Seen as we didn't want to get caught in loads of crowds heading out of the park after the fireworks we decided to walk the long way round to the front of the park with a sneaky ride on Pirates of the Caribbean to pass a little time it's much easier to get round that queue when it's dark outside! The crowds had eased a lot by the time we got out and got to the bus stop and we fell into bed!

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Mon, 06/06/2016 - 12:34

ChipnDaleFan

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"...the way round and danced with my hands in the air all the way round (I would like to issue a general apology to anybody who was in this particular mine train with me I was very excited!)"

I loved this part!!! Never apologize- all Disney rides should happen with that kind of enthusiasm! I WISH I was on your train!!!

Your report is awesome and all of your food pics are killing me!!! So good!

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Mon, 06/06/2016 - 14:05

amy1989

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Posts: 1404

ChipnDaleFan wrote:

"...the way round and danced with my hands in the air all the way round (I would like to issue a general apology to anybody who was in this particular mine train with me I was very excited!)"

I loved this part!!! Never apologize- all Disney rides should happen with that kind of enthusiasm! I WISH I was on your train!!!

Your report is awesome and all of your food pics are killing me!!! So good!

I like to think of myself as an unofficial mascot!! I issued an apology but didn't really mean it I enjoyed every second of it I'm not sure my mam wanted to admit she was with me mind!!! you can join me next time have a WDWFG train!

thank you so much and you are not alone my food pictures are killing ME!!!!!!

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Tue, 06/07/2016 - 06:57

RobynPrincess

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Posts: 2859

I'm commenting as I'm reading through your days...
The room in the premier inn looks huge! And the food looks lush, making me hungry and it's not even 8am yet.
Travel day, i plait my strawberry laces too! I thought it was just me
I agree with the crisps and chocolate. They were both rank I used to eat them but don't know. I also agree re the fab lolly, what's with the chocolate bit?? It's weird. I've been known to pick it all off
What a pita trying to call the scooter company! Glad someone was able to help you in the end.

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Our Very Merry 24 nighter Nov/Dec 15
Watson's go West May 15
The one with all the birthdays Oct 14 4 Big Birthdays and a Vow Renewal thrown in
The OMG trip June 14 30th Birthday present from the hubs
Girly trip March 14 A last min cheapy week
September 13 our first all DVC stay
TR May 2013 the last min bargain trip offsite
Oct 2012 TR with a cruise!big family trip featuring the beach club, AKL, the dream and a villa offsite
TR on a budget May - June 2011offsite condo
TR Sept - Oct 2010 big family trip in an offsite villa

Tue, 06/07/2016 - 15:01

amy1989

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Posts: 1404

RobynPrincess wrote:

I'm commenting as I'm reading through your days...
The room in the premier inn looks huge! And the food looks lush, making me hungry and it's not even 8am yet.
Travel day, i plait my strawberry laces too! I thought it was just me
I agree with the crisps and chocolate. They were both rank I used to eat them but don't know. I also agree re the fab lolly, what's with the chocolate bit?? It's weird. I've been known to pick it all off
What a pita trying to call the scooter company! Glad someone was able to help you in the end.

I know right?! we got that room and food plan for PS96 which we thought was an amazing deal!

yay! I'm so pleased I'm not alone it passes some time! and I'm pleased you agreed with me about the snacks on the plane usually they are like my put over until I get to the resort not this time though I have never understood the chocolate bit it doesn't go!!! but I'm not one to turn away free food and I was hungry!

I know I was so happy if we do need to rent one in the future (hoping that we wont) I think we will just go with Buena Vista as then we don't have to arrange to meet them and having used a scooter before I wouldn't imagine it would be much different!

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Wed, 06/08/2016 - 07:33

amy1989

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Allie wrote:

We had the same historians that same day and they were hilarious!

They really were and the standards were already high standards as we have never had a bad set but these were by far the best!

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Thu, 07/06/2017 - 18:16

amy1989

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Saturday 30th April " Day 5

We had a little later start I went and got us omelettes and we had a little time in the room and headed to EPCOT about 11.30 I was making a very bold fashion statement today!

Once we arrived we went over to cactus road rally it was really fun!

015cdef454c93e378dcfb81c495938374c5ae049ec by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01adcdb544316c334a072f347394843cdeff9d72a8 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

But it was time to try flower and garden take 2! We started at pineapple promenade and I had a violet lemonade I knew I would love it but very unexpectadley so did mam! It's not her type of thing at all and she was so taken with it she got me to get another later in the trip so she could have some!

01cb2a1255dc0c76c85d0cac6345d6484085e130d7 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We also got the pork tenderloin from urban farm eats which was delicious and such a big portion! I think we struck lucky though!

01eca16b91a7bae699af4652b911265b509ece9950 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We then decided to walk around to Japan and the Hanami Stand and work backwards toward the front of the park again so once we got there we had the beef udon which was very nice " not sure if we would get it again but I was glad I tried it

01b0fc7c87166bbceeb79d5a55e26010515f35de21 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

I took pictures of the mini garden which was just beautiful and saw a bit of matsuriza which were amazing as usual!

Working back taste of marrakesh was next we had the harissa kebab and white sangria I really enjoyed the kebab itself but wasn't fussed on the couscous with it, the sangria was very refreshing mam liked it all!

011fdd41f24cf50a1320ad925fe0645b4bac7dcac7 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

017c7a71dc2f993d8e136a8773e5f14256f4c2291a by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

I think florida fresh was around here some point and I believe this was the only booth we didn't order anything from we aren't huge salad eaters and nothing really grabbed us so we just skipped it but next was Fleur De Lys I was really excited for this booth ad we had the duck confit, onion tart and the gran marnier ice pop I was really disappointed food wise I didn't like either of these and they would be one of the only booths that I would absolutely not eat at again, mam wasn't keen on the duck but quite liked the onion tart so maybe it was just me! I did enjoy the ice pop but it was a bit too strong on the ice tea front for me I still enjoyed it and would happily have another either in the same flavour or different!

0180b4d0850935b191d2fad2fdf483cb5b22f64372 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01d7dad3a6d525e173a5b5f62acfebb01e871e7a3c by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01ab9014cc7512ad0426f9d7f1efb0de09ba9f9ca2 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

we made a quick stop at the Cider House for a Snakebite which is a mixture of cider and lager and I'm not sure about the whole of England but its a very popular drink up north and it was also a favourite of my mams in her party days so for nostalgia alone we had to have one! I'm sure Disney's mix was better than anything we can get in England though! i found myself a pavement to park my bum on seen as mam had chair in the gardens in the UK and again just sat and appreciated where we were (we did this a lot!)

01e1b19932a459b55647c36320b1f0079771c677b9 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We wanted to go to Hollywood studios to watch the fireworks this evening and we had ate all the food we wanted on that side for now so we decided to head for the boat but the line was pretty huge so we decided to walk it since we had so much fun the day before! It was as beautiful as before and we actually beat the boat by quite a lot so we were happy!

We headed straight for my solo FP on Rock n Roller Coaster now I have been on the ride before but the past few trips I've talked myself out of it! I don't usually do rides that go upside down and I was going alone.....by the time I was nearly at the front my heart rate was rather high according to my fitbit! I'll let the picture do the talking.........

STUDIO_ROCKNRCOASTERRIDE_7673445625 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

Actually considering how terrified I look on it, it wasn't so bad I actually felt it was slower than I remembered! So I lived to tell the tale!

We both had FP for Tower of Terror and we got front row! I was very brave and didn't ask to be moved and I'm actually really starting to enjoy it!

STUDIO_TOWEROFTERRORBRIDE_7673490389 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

Once we had finished on there we headed up to get to Toy Story mania and on the way the new star wars show was on I won't lie it's a bit crap but if you were close enough (which we weren't) you could get some good pictures of the characters they could have done soooo much more with it it's just a bit meh I will not be returning to watch it again!

01c284debe408fd0f935676286ea2d679eabb2b955 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

Once the crowds dispersed we headed for our TSMM FP and I Won as usual!

01a659175662c947099abaa57d5e95eb2a7f450924 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We were on our way to Star Tours and decided to walk between the new stage and great movie ride to avoid crowds but they had it closed off to let the characters get through so I got some great pictures (best part of the show IMO!) everyone cheered and booed respectfully then the tech guy came out after all the characters and everyone stopped cheering so he started egging on the crowd and getting them to chant things it was so funny!

01726192e6e6ce777a685c7fc903ad6e8959b1353c by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

018d2c007af6fefa92ae69eb789d308f432148ab6e by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

014fecac6865d14f1910fdfe1db8b52b5b9dd8f014 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01af381a561e169c23bbfd8cb4e8cd0330bd7d056f by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

When we finally made it over to star tours there was no line and I loved it all the new additions it was great! Seen as we had gotten through our FP etc quicker than anticipated and we were hungry we decided to head around to Mama Melroses' to see if we might get seated any earlier sadly they were running late as it was but we just decided to wait, we did have a little wait but we didn't mind we just took it all in it was certainly worth the wait! Our server was lovely and he helped me decide on a dish because I'm picky and don't like tomato based sauces and we went for chicken campanelle we both got that and it was delicious! And there was so much! We had to get a to-go box to take some back with us (which mam ate later that night!) I also had a Bellini and mam had a cider both of which were very yummy! Oh and also extra credit to the bread rolls at the beginning they were superb not too highly seasoned and warm I could have ate an entree of bread rolls!!!

0150035e464e014397d97d734644a2ec6c6f1569ab by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01da64dd3f9f0af32f9de53ced49ec8cb502fdf3de by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

013f9804b84df17c1b074cb360287c65b3e9e54111 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

All in all it was a fantastic meal and I would certainly return! As we were walking round we realised people were getting places for the fireworks so we did too we found a great spot beside Gertie's it's not the best picture but this was our view

I didn't take any pictures because I videoed the whole thing but other than the palm tree that blocked some of the fireworks and the fact that the music doesn't get piped right back there so music was very quiet to us the whole thing blew me away! I absolutely adored it and it was 100% worth the wait I was just gutted we wouldn't get to see it again.......or so I thought! We headed to the bus stop and got pretty much straight back to the resort

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Wed, 06/08/2016 - 10:45

RobynPrincess

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The Star Wars fireworks are amazing aren't they? I don't even like Star Wars and I thought they were something special. I've not eaten in mama Melrose for about 10 years, maybe I should take another look at the menu as your food looks lush!

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Wed, 06/08/2016 - 12:06

amy1989

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Posts: 1404

RobynPrincess wrote:

The Star Wars fireworks are amazing aren't they? I don't even like Star Wars and I thought they were something special. I've not eaten in mama Melrose for about 10 years, maybe I should take another look at the menu as your food looks lush!

They really were!!! they really lit up the sky the only thing that would have made it better was the music being piped right back to us because when the music surrounds you and the fireworks its something else! cant wait for the new ones!

yes go and try it I started to get really nervous when I got there because I thought there was nothing I would like but they didn't even have to change anything for me it was delicious and I would certainly go there again (I also recommend the Bellini! )

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Fri, 07/07/2017 - 13:31

amy1989

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Sunday May 1st " Day 6

We headed to Animal Kingdom this morning we had FP for Kilimanjaro safaris we saw some great animals including the wild dogs which was great and we got some good shots of the lions too!

01a7e0c7aa4fb006ae3dee755adfd0f031e00bc289 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01ac30be2f8dcfef70ee853302f7cb06325ee0ca3d by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01bba4e24e6c18cbdc50ec2f8881236f93a00a140a by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01d28386c48d562933c4e4bbe84d0621d5b0a93cb4 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01e6f0b2703c481eb454d4731bb87262883939cc4d by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01f061e769213d6ff7d38c914a85681fe470d97e6d by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01fc85fadf2f1cd2cfb46034b4991c24fc249c3761 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

010c9e0693b59d3b7364fc93e59f4b4f871341a139 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

Once we finished there we had a FP for Festival of the Lion King however we had to go to the first aid centre, mam had developed a blister that we assumed was from a bite of some sort and on the morning the blister had burst and was left as quite an open wound so we decided to have it checked out as we didn't know what to put on it etc, they were lovely in there and gave us some antibiotic gel and some dry dressings for it which was super helpful I was gutted we didn't get to see Festival of the Lion King this trip as was mam but it was far more important to get this seen too I'll just have to go see it twice in September!

We headed round to Expedition Everest for our FP but we were still early so we went on Pangani exploration trail to kill some time it was lovely but no tigers were around it was time for our FP so we got straight round and we got to ride in the very back which was awesome!

013f3a90a6c73f2302e68f5b81f706938130e5fee3 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

AK_EXPEDITIONEVERESTRIDE_7674143668 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We were pretty hungry by now but our ADR for Yak & Yeti wasn't for another hour but we decided to pop round and see if there was any chance of being seated sooner there was lots of people about so I wasn't hopeful but sure enough she said it wasn't a problem so mam parked the ECV and as she was getting out we got called for! Talk about service! We were seated upstairs thankfully they have an elevator! It's so beautiful upstairs! I had the Lo Mein combo with chicken and shrimp and mam had the Kobe beef burger I also ordered a very berry limeade because it's the only place I've noticed it and I love it! The meals come and oh my, the portions are huge! I have to confess I tried the Kobe beef burger and I wasn't a fan but mam apparently had some kind of cheese on so I'm not sure if that's what I didn't like but mam loved it! And I adored my Lo Mein it was gorgeous loads of flavouring I could eat that now! I also managed to snag a free refill of the limeade which I was super happy about!

012b56e8789f0ba92121b60cf12655bf2204c2faff by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01fb20f3ed248f2abe6a2775546e7548d2c09ef68a by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01875091b95d5a741795d1ba570f0cc475191968ed by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

Once we had finished there wasn't really anything else pressing we wanted to do, any shows we wanted to watch were a while off and all rides/attractions we were interested in we had done our main mission for animal kingdom was to have a look at rivers of light area, ride expedition Everest and eat at Yak and Yeti and we had done all that so we were more than happy and headed out

Our Beautiful Resort

012567c0ae2e196ff40b12e618219c57a7e1ea89d4 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We spent some time in the room and got ready to head out to Disney Springs we had every intention of eating all these wonderful foods in Disney Springs however we were still so full from Lunch at Yak & Yeti we didn't want anything! We went into the marketplace Co-Op and got a few bits to bring home then we went in the world of Disney store, I won't lie the shop scares me it's so huge I can't find anything! As we came out the waterfront dance party was on and I'm partial to stand and dance for a little while but as we came out there were 2 cleaners standing outside doing the cupid shuffle! They had quite a crowd and more people joined in! I caught the end on video and for me that totally sums up the Disney spirit

01a1f232e247ce951c5a32b66a860513bdd0b1b86c by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01b97d9e28f17d4472d2850c6081a12f79423e4b20 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

019c65ea34f4c6ea00a609309eb796aee79bfd136f by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

I wish I had that video but it won't attach

We stood for a little longer watching the dance party I don't know about anybody else but my body moves without my consent it's infectious! We decided since we weren't hungry cocktails was the next obvious option! We went to dockside margaritas I got a Patron Anejo Margarita which was Patron barrel select Anejo Tequila, grand marnier, sweet and sour and fresh lime juice, mam got a cider phew was mine strong! I liked this place a lot!

01ab8ed23fe285b9445933459637418d95acb8d226 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

0179f10b3e0df47a0e37269dc5d299bfc45bb99939 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We went back for a second round I had a Florida citrus freeze which is Florida Cane "Orlando Orange" vodka and peach schnapps blended with orange puree which was equally as delicious and mam had another cider

01123f4107041821308f0d3ce6780d0db98bd6516f by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

as I was sipping away at my second cocktail mam happened to notice we could see fireworks in the distance so I decided I would try and photograph them.......there was more pictures with no fireworks in, in comparison to the ones that actually had fireworks in but here's a selection there was a fair few but i'll condense them

01a5310efe15d2afc1b68c88e3121ce453fd8002ae by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

I won't lie by the time I finished those both I was feeling very happy so we decided to head back to the bus while I still could! We split a make your own pasta but I think I just managed to stay awake long enough to finish it!

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Wed, 07/26/2017 - 23:18

amy1989

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Posts: 1404

Monday 2nd May " Day 7

We had a bit of a late start we had breakfast in the room think mam had a Danish but I had a mickey waffle with sausage and bacon oh wow I think it's my favourite breakfast ever!

012e5c02fbab1f72f3209682c9cb021ebcef37314d by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

Once we did get to EPCOT we headed round to the seas with nemo and friends because nemo is one of my favourite films! We decided since we were round that way we would go to the land to have a look I was surprised to see the circle of life :an environmental fable still open I thought I read somewhere it closed?! We went downstairs and rode living with the land because I love it! It was lunchtime and it was still fairly quiet which is unusual but I'm guessing that's the impact of Soarin' being closed

01c7f1d10ca5ccb62fb56bd29f5ad5840b3e9a07e3 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01b626f853f1e50b0ccf04a526f1ebb2c4bd5763ea by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01a831bd13b6c9c45e271cbd450d7d918f2ab903ab by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

Not-so Hidden Mickey!

018989fd95905cc8338af034b92cde358dfd63d7a9 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We headed towards World Showcase and my mission today was to get pictures of all the topiaries! Which I did accomplish in the most part! We did eat on the way round too!

016b302f336593afca218dfbe11e8e0e5373914e6b by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

0114e7e5b35e88f6abc022f1501c3cb6f4ad1b5aa4 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We also visited the Butterfly house which was beautiful but not the best place to take pictures in!

0155b577dd07ad1aec30940b952450300c1ba2c263 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

011772d5121c7c164b26f23abe32536c7affd37aeb by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

This Butterfly was the best to photograph

01583b81bcaba031b51800853506719cb876d88ba8 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We went to Jardin De Fiestas and got the taco and the quesadilla mam liked both I wasn't keen on the quesadilla but I did really like the taco (and apparently only took a picture of the taco!)

018334978f64203ba9fe4619d3304891d9a41f05a1 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

we visited the Mexico pavilion for a ride on the three caballeros! on our way out we noticed the beautiful orchid garden it really was something beautiful and off the beaten path not many people knew it was here!

01aeea219f796a1bde93a32fa5a0a3e1ffadd1b49a by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01cd648b9489d76e09bee118f73512ea012e864eef by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

019001d3436d392777fb1adca332133d0d9ef58ec1 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

Next on my list was Lotus House for candied Strawberries now I was super excited to try these anyway but oh my they went above and beyond my wildest dreams!!! You can't really tell from this picture but the strawberries were HUGE! And they were soooo delicious I really wish they would put them in the food and wine festival too because I could eat one per day!

019913106f2a1df73ae739b13cb0ba3f3a69bb238a by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

I also need to pay credit to China's topiary it was my favourite by a clear mile it was gorgeous!!!

01318c8beb02f1bb05e43e12bf85545e11b1dcf171 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

0154a51c3bb7e003d371d7454c24de244f1f04b01f by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We moved onto Primavera Kitchen which we had pretty high hopes for we had Pollo Alla Parmagiana, Mezze Luna Primavera and Cremoso Al Pistacchio mam said they were okay but she wasn't that bothered about them I knew I wouldn't like the Parmagiana one because it was tomato based sauce and I don't likeit and then the mezze luna had tomato in it too! so I didn't like that either and the dessert was okay but nothing to shout home about we were really underwhelemed as we said it was the worst value out of all the booths and along with France wouldn't be somewhere we would eat at again

0136a276a62e8ebffe65a5a6ee6b4208cefd7b2cf8 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01224c4d8c97aeed1f317d921dd1c297d6e9b5b5f6 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

I obviously didn't take a picture of the dessert and that was the best out of a bad bunch!

We decided to brighten our spirits up by going back to the smokehouse! Mam got a burnt ends hash and I got the ribs and all was right in the world once again!

01c4185e3b81c09a3c7b6ef403eb164b7b8e2c437b by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

010f4802d4e9f721e0de20a2ff8b3b35b027c4b6e7 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We had eaten enough for now and we wanted a bit of a break so we got the boat from morocco back over towards future world (picking up another violet lemonade on the way!)

01a2ad76cf36b11ccb6d874715ed8f28f1eb6f94c2 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We had a little chill time in the room then headed back out to Hollywood Studios we left a bit later than we anticipated and as I was stood at the bus stop I broke the strap on my lovely Alice bag (sad) I was sad but it was very cheap and I now had an excuse to buy a new one! We managed to get on Tower of Terror with our FP which was the most important FP anyway!

STUDIO_TOWEROFTERRORBRIDE_7675637925 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

We got Front row yet again!! The view was stunning as the sun was setting but the sky was gorgeous! We got off and were walking through the shop and there was this massive BANG! People started to scream and everything but very calmly I said "oh don't worry about it I bet it's just the little fireworks at the end of the star wars show.......then I realised it was too late for that and as we came out the sky was just covered in black clouds it was just starting to rain very lightly so I ran up to the ECV to cover the controls we thought we best try and find somewhere dry to park the ECV so it didn't get flooded and we managed to get the front under a covered canopy however the back of the ECV and myself were not so fortunate the rain came down like I don't think I have ever seen before and we have seen a LOT of storms over the years well it was just like a shower over us! The thunder and lightning was very severe too I mean the ground was shaking! I think we got into shelter about 8.10 and we were probably stuck there til about 9.20 we did manage to get a bit further under the shelter but by this point I looked like I had stood fully clothed in a shower! I didn't think I could get much wetter if I'm honest! The rain eased right off so we thought we best make a head for the bus stop to try and get back as by this point Fantasmic! was cancelled and we didn't think Symphony in the stars would go ahead it was still raining but quite light compared to what we had, they had French Quarter and Riverside at the same bus stop which I thought was very strange as they usually split it but nope we were all together and the ECV line was HUGE I think there was at least 6-8 before us! So we waited as the buses came and we were the last ones and just as the last bus went the heavens opened yet again but there is no shelter over the ECV line so we just had to stand and get soaked! It was awful! We probably stood for about 20 mins and the only good part about it was Symphony in the Stars went ahead and we could see if from the bus stop! So I had my bag over my phone trying to take some pictures some were pretty good! This was also when the bus decided to arrive!

01a6af048238b7bbe05409067ff45249f6ebd197e6 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01a84a92ad20d56ccbe2e174bef7982a04fda3c15b by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01b33ab15fa180e69e7f0a91048f2979f1e6a91b68 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01b6090cd4c163b1804100f0a3b14242189e3e7487 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01bb49cb2bb400f94e659d9cfeabbff2d0b2fd5d3e by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

01cb5d10715dd765de23fe90e2f732e21c07e13bc7 by Amy Roberts, on Flickr

I decided to stand on the bus and I looked like I had jumped in a 6ft deep pool of water!!! There was no inch of me that wasn't soaked my clothes were stuck to me and I was fast creating a pool at my feet on the bus! I don't think I've ever been that wet even when visiting a water park! we eventually made it back to the room but we were starving so I put on a poncho (bit redundant at this stage but mam insisted!) and headed over to Riverside mill the puddles had turned into small lakes and there was no way around them and even walking at the shallowest parts it was up and over my ankles! I got our food so everything was right with the world however they had no to-go covers so I had to fashion a cover by using the tray and 2 to go bags covering the top to try and stop rain getting onto the food thankfully we had cutlery in the room because I had totally forgot and I think I would have just sat and cried if we hadn't bless mam had towels and pyjamas out ready for me to finally get changed and once I was dry and had been fed I fell asleep pretty easy!

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Fri, 06/10/2016 - 10:10

RobynPrincess

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Joined: 03/14/2010

Posts: 2859

Awwww I remember you telling me about that night of rain you poor loves!! That was some seriously scary storms though, I remember it well

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Fri, 06/10/2016 - 11:01

JMed

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Joined: 02/16/2014

Posts: 3849

I have to agree with you on the choices in Italy. I am always seriously underwhelmed. There are so many exciting Italian dishes they could offer but it's usually some lame pasta that you can get out of a can here.