Ongoing Trip Report Golf Camp 2018

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JMed's picture
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Let the trip begin!!!

We got up this morning with a few things to do. Joe worked a bit and Blondie did some things around the house. We also had to wait on our new dryer to be delivered.

We ended up leaving around noon. One stop for a couple of drinks and a 5-hour energy for Joe. We made it all the way to the new Georgia Welcome Center that is amazing! I didn't get to go in the main building last time and wow, is it beautiful. Oak and palm trees line the interior (fake ones) along with a replica of the St Simons Island lighthouse. There is a bench with Forest Gump you can sit with. A Guardians of the Galaxy setup, Scarlett O'Hara, a trolly and lots of booths with brochures.

Back on the road and Blondie was hungry so another short stop to grab Arby's and on to the Florida Welcome Center. I got my OJ and we headed on to the hotel. We are at the Embassy Suites in Jacksonville and we are close enough that we walked to 4Rivers Smokehouse for dinner. I got my brisket, a strawberry shortcake whoopie pie and a full belly.

We are all laying around the room now. Awesome 2 room suite we got for just 20,000 points!!! Of to Orlando in the morning. 1st stop will be the Outlets to hit the Character Outlet then on to Hollywood Studios! Maybe Saratoga Springs first if the room is ready then Hollywood Studios for the Star Wars Tour and the couple of FastPasses we have!!

__________________

"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

Jennifer Huotari | Create Your Badge

The Huotari's Disney Adventures | Promote Your Page Too

Spook's picture
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Now I'm sad we're not driving in the fall! The Georgia welcome centre sounds awesome! And I have to get my free OJ too laugh

oHIo's picture
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Still in Orlando, leaving for home on Monday. Over at Marriott Renaissance/Sea World for a conference. Forecasted temps are now in the mid eighties and chance of rain for Sunday and Monday has dropped from 100% to 90% and 80%. Have fun! Wish we could meet up, but will have to save it for another time.

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Yay! yay I'm following along on Facebook muchlove

JMed's picture
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OH MY!!! I am just getting up. 8:30 is soooo late for me! Here is how yesterday went... biggrin

Of course I was up and ready to go around 6. Everyone else, not so much. Joe has been asking me for two weeks if I have booked my flight for Jamaica, I keep putting it off so he made me do it before we left. I've been sick ever since... Hopefully I will forget about it soon. We finally got out of the room and in the truck around 8, stopped at Hardee's, grabbed a biscuit and hit 95. We made it to Orlando just a little after 10 so we hit the Character Outlet before heading to the parks. Blondie got an IronMan dress and a Minnie as Leia Nutcracker for her collection. I got a Edna Mode shirt and a couple pins.

From there we went straight to Hollywood Studios. I had gotten a text around 8:30 that our room wasn't quite ready and was really hoping we would get a ready text before getting to the park. I didn't feel like dragging everything into the room after 10pm! Well as luck would have it, that didn't happen. About 20 minutes after we got into HS I got the text... waiting

We had one Fast Pass for RRC but had plenty of time to grab a bite, we got hot dogs from Catalina Eddies and enjoyed them in the shade. From there we decided to hit the shops and hunt down Baby Groot and Starlord. Talk about wanting to steal something from Disney! I want to take that Groot home with me!! From there we walked to TSM, only a 75 minute wait which ended up being 45. Joe won but we had fun, Blondie got her highest score ever!! We were getting closer to our FP time so back to RRC. It was down and had been all day sad Talk about three unhappy campers.

At this point we still had a little over an hour until check in for the Star Wars Guided Tour so we grabbed frozen lemonades and cokes picked at table at Starring Rolls (I wish it was still open, it's mean to have the tables still out there) and just sat in the shade waiting to check in.

More on the tour later. I'm still a little sleepy...

__________________

"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

Jennifer Huotari | Create Your Badge

The Huotari's Disney Adventures | Promote Your Page Too

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Have fun JMed! Our dog sitter just got back from the Disney trip we gave her for watching our fur babies so much. Her and her mother were blown away by the pandora ride! She had gone on Soarin first and thought nothing could top that, Pandora did!

JMed's picture
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On to the Star Wars Guided Tour:
It was about check-in time and Joe needed to hit the restroom so we walked towards Launch Bay. We were supposed to check in near The Great Movie Ride but I wasn't sure where. I stopped a CM and asked where it was. He told me to follow him because he was one of our guides. I told him I didn't want to leave Joe and that we would be over shortly.

We arrived and they told us to stand off to the side for a few while they finished getting things ready. We checked in and got our menus to pick out dinner and the rain decided to check in. Not just a little rain, a full blown monsoon..... They did give all of us ponchos and eventually moved us inside the theater to pass out our whisper units and give us a run down of the tour. By the time we left, the rain had stopped. AHHHHH Florida. Luckily the rest of the day was overcast and cooler.

Our first stop was Path of the Jedi. We had the 2 front rows reserved for our group. Maybe 30 of us?? I never really counted. It's a neat compilation of all the movies to help you get a feel for the tour. Did you know Lucas Films recorded sounds from around Disney for the Movies?

From there we walked back across the park up to the entrance to wait on the March of the First Order which we got to march right behind them! It was quite exciting to be behind them with all the other guests looking on! Once we made it to the stage, we were set up right in the front to watch the Galaxy Far Far Away show. There has been a couple of changes. Rey is now on stage and Blondie was very happy to see her. A CM told Joe they are working on a contract to have her as a meet and greet!

From there we went over to Star Tours. I started getting really lightheaded and ended up sitting this one out. I thought I was going to pass out while we were in line. I think it is the fact that I skipped lunch. I was just too hot to eat and just took a couple bites I took my own hyperspace tour to the other side of the ride lol. Dinner was up next at Backlot Express. Chicken and Waffles, The Dark Side Burger and Chicken Nuggets rounded out our meals. Joe got me a coke as soon as we got there and I felt better after I had a little sugar kick and food in me. While we were eating a couple of Storm Troopers came in to harass us. Guests kept trying to come into our reserved area to see them and were mad to get turned away.

Jedi training for Blondie was up next. She didn't want to do it when we got there but ended up loving it. She was up on the big stage and got to fight Darth Vader! After we walked back across the park to the Launch Bay and got a look at the concept art before watching the show about the movie makers. The show was different from the first time we saw it. We got a brief tour of the Launch Bay before being dropped off at the dessert party. Shortly before the party, we went out into the court yard where there were some tables set up where we turned in our Whisper Units and had drinks brought out to us. Alcoholic and Non-alcoholic was provided. For the actual party, we were let in at the same time as all the other folks who were just there for the dessert party. Our lanyards did give us access to the Meet and Greets without waiting in line (except BB-8) and we could roam the Launch Bay as we wished as long as we were back to be escorted to the viewing area. As we were finally lead out the fireworks each guest was given a TIE fighter and waters before heading out.

All in all, this tour was fantastic. Even if you aren't a huge SW fan (like me) it was quite enjoyable. It was $129.00 each which I think is a great price with all that was included. I will also say it is A LOT of walking and standing. The only sitting we did was for the 2 theater shows, dinner and Star Tours. We did find a bench to sit on it the Launch Bay during the dessert party. I would recommend taking it easy the morning of the tour if you decide to do it and not arrive too early.
I will add pictures later but there are some online if you follow along with us there!
I can't wait to tell you about Pandora!!! MIND BLOWN!!!

__________________

"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

Jennifer Huotari | Create Your Badge

The Huotari's Disney Adventures | Promote Your Page Too

JMed's picture
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Topic of today. Rain. Rain. Rain and more rain. Looks like rain today too...

Yesterday we actually slept in a bit, for me, that was 5:20 then forced myself back to sleep until 8. The tour really wore us all out but it was so much fun! We really didn't have plans other than pool time and Animal Kingdom. We ended up laying around a bit then meeting dad at the Artist's Palate for breakfast. After that we headed to the golf course where Blondie is having camp to make sure we knew the best way to get there and how long it takes.

From there we headed to Winter Summerland for a couple of rounds of putt putt in the rain. We thought the lightning horn was going to blow but they never pulled us off the course. I started strong on the Winter side and then had an epic meltdown. Joe won that round which lead me to wanting to play the summer side. I ended up winning by one stroke and held the best score for the course that day! I have my name on the leader board and a certificate! It is killing Joe and he said we will have to go back to play a tie breaking round.

From there we headed to Pop Century to see mom (dad was golfing) and brought her back to Saratoga Springs with us to pick up our ponchos before we headed to Animal Kingdom. While there it "came up a flood" as my granny would say. We figured Animal Kingdom was far enough away that we would be ok and headed on over. It was all good. Until what we were just in followed us LOL. Ponchos on we braved our way thru the thinning crowds. I was so filled with anticipation for Pandora that I was giddy and started to giggle.

WOW!!! Just wow, if you have been, you know what I mean. If not, then you will know. The moment you cross that bridge you are in it. The sights, the sounds, the smells. EVERY SINGLE THING is amazing!!! I could not stop looking at every detail. I hope that in the future they release a documentary on the building of Pandora. I have to know how it was all done. We were pretty close to our FP time for Flights of Passage and the Nav'i River Journey only had an hour wait so mom got in line for it while we wasted 20 minutes in the store of our FP time to open. The walk up to the ride is breathtaking! I want to do it standby just to see the entire queue!! Once you are inside, it's like you've been transported. I looked at Joe at one point and said "I don't even feel like I am in Disney anymore". Blondie was quite apprehensive since she had no clue about the ride and I was giddy. I was bouncing up and down. Other than reading some reviews, I had no clue. Just think of Soarin on serious steroids!! SERIOUS STEROIDS!!! WOW WOW WOW!! Our entire flight was first timers and it was spectacular. The shouts, whoops and laughing was infectious! I can't wait to do it again!!!

From there we headed out and mom had just got off the river ride which she loved. She said there was so much to see she didn't know where to look! We saw Dennis one of our favorite photographers so we hopped in line but he had to run for cover as we got to him because the bottom fell out again... (story of our lives) we stood under a floating mountain in our ponchos to stay dry. We were getting hungry so we headed to Satu'li Canteen. WOW again. This is some of the best food I've had on property. Joe had the chopped wood grilled chicken bowl with rice and chimmichurri, Blondie had a cheese quesadilla (boring), I got the cheeseburger pods (which Blondie liked) and mom got the kids chicken salad. The chicken is delish, they are cooking it right as you walk in the Canteen.

After eating mom was ready to go (she doesn't like the rain) so she headed back to Pop. We got in line for the River Journey, posted wait time was 50 minutes we waited 32. Again, this is a beautiful ride!!! The colors will blow you away!!

We then headed out of Pandora via the bridge to Africa, this is a nice peaceful walk that brings you out right by the FotLK. I love this path! We headed straight for Asia and took a couple trips to visit the Yeti, the new lights shining on him are fantastic, now lets just get him moving. Blondie wanted to ride Primeval Hurl so Joe and I packed her off alone, she got a red card and was freaking out not knowing what to do with it. From there Joe grabbed a Smokey Bones milkshake (vanilla ice cream with bourbon and candied bacon) to enjoy as we exited the park.

Back to the room for a bit before meeting mom and dad back at the Artists Palate for dessert. And dinner for us. I got the special which was pot roast with the most amazing mashed potatoes. I could have eaten a bowl full of just them!

Back to the room and in bed by 9:15. Bummed we missed Game of Thrones but we can't watch with Blondie in the room... Oh well, we get to watch 2 back to back this week!!!

Everyone is up and off to golf this morning. I am finishing my coffee and headed to Epcot to meet mom!

Have a Magical Day everyone!!!

PS with all the rain, I haven't have the phone out much. I will post pics later!

__________________

"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

Jennifer Huotari | Create Your Badge

The Huotari's Disney Adventures | Promote Your Page Too

JMed's picture
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Joined: 02/16/2014
Posts: 3849

Topic of today. Rain. Rain. Rain and more rain. Looks like rain today too...

Yesterday we actually slept in a bit, for me, that was 5:20 then forced myself back to sleep until 8. The tour really wore us all out but it was so much fun! We really didn't have plans other than pool time and Animal Kingdom. We ended up laying around a bit then meeting dad at the Artist's Palate for breakfast. After that we headed to the golf course where Blondie is having camp to make sure we knew the best way to get there and how long it takes.

From there we headed to Winter Summerland for a couple of rounds of putt putt in the rain. We thought the lightning horn was going to blow but they never pulled us off the course. I started strong on the Winter side and then had an epic meltdown. Joe won that round which lead me to wanting to play the summer side. I ended up winning by one stroke and held the best score for the course that day! I have my name on the leader board and a certificate! It is killing Joe and he said we will have to go back to play a tie breaking round.

From there we headed to Pop Century to see mom (dad was golfing) and brought her back to Saratoga Springs with us to pick up our ponchos before we headed to Animal Kingdom. While there it "came up a flood" as my granny would say. We figured Animal Kingdom was far enough away that we would be ok and headed on over. It was all good. Until what we were just in followed us LOL. Ponchos on we braved our way thru the thinning crowds. I was so filled with anticipation for Pandora that I was giddy and started to giggle.

WOW!!! Just wow, if you have been, you know what I mean. If not, then you will know. The moment you cross that bridge you are in it. The sights, the sounds, the smells. EVERY SINGLE THING is amazing!!! I could not stop looking at every detail. I hope that in the future they release a documentary on the building of Pandora. I have to know how it was all done. We were pretty close to our FP time for Flights of Passage and the Nav'i River Journey only had an hour wait so mom got in line for it while we wasted 20 minutes in the store of our FP time to open. The walk up to the ride is breathtaking! I want to do it standby just to see the entire queue!! Once you are inside, it's like you've been transported. I looked at Joe at one point and said "I don't even feel like I am in Disney anymore". Blondie was quite apprehensive since she had no clue about the ride and I was giddy. I was bouncing up and down. Other than reading some reviews, I had no clue. Just think of Soarin on serious steroids!! SERIOUS STEROIDS!!! WOW WOW WOW!! Our entire flight was first timers and it was spectacular. The shouts, whoops and laughing was infectious! I can't wait to do it again!!!

From there we headed out and mom had just got off the river ride which she loved. She said there was so much to see she didn't know where to look! We saw Dennis one of our favorite photographers so we hopped in line but he had to run for cover as we got to him because the bottom fell out again... (story of our lives) we stood under a floating mountain in our ponchos to stay dry. We were getting hungry so we headed to Satu'li Canteen. WOW again. This is some of the best food I've had on property. Joe had the chopped wood grilled chicken bowl with rice and chimmichurri, Blondie had a cheese quesadilla (boring), I got the cheeseburger pods (which Blondie liked) and mom got the kids chicken salad. The chicken is delish, they are cooking it right as you walk in the Canteen.

After eating mom was ready to go (she doesn't like the rain) so she headed back to Pop. We got in line for the River Journey, posted wait time was 50 minutes we waited 32. Again, this is a beautiful ride!!! The colors will blow you away!!

We then headed out of Pandora via the bridge to Africa, this is a nice peaceful walk that brings you out right by the FotLK. I love this path! We headed straight for Asia and took a couple trips to visit the Yeti, the new lights shining on him are fantastic, now lets just get him moving. Blondie wanted to ride Primeval Hurl so Joe and I packed her off alone, she got a red card and was freaking out not knowing what to do with it. From there Joe grabbed a Smokey Bones milkshake (vanilla ice cream with bourbon and candied bacon) to enjoy as we exited the park.

Back to the room for a bit before meeting mom and dad back at the Artists Palate for dessert. And dinner for us. I got the special which was pot roast with the most amazing mashed potatoes. I could have eaten a bowl full of just them!

Back to the room and in bed by 9:15. Bummed we missed Game of Thrones but we can't watch with Blondie in the room... Oh well, we get to watch 2 back to back this week!!!

Everyone is up and off to golf this morning. I am finishing my coffee and headed to Epcot to meet mom!

Have a Magical Day everyone!!!

PS with all the rain, I haven't have the phone out much. I will post pics later!

__________________

"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

Jennifer Huotari | Create Your Badge

The Huotari's Disney Adventures | Promote Your Page Too

JMed's picture
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Posts: 3849

Topic of today. Rain. Rain. Rain and more rain. Looks like rain today too...

Yesterday we actually slept in a bit, for me, that was 5:20 then forced myself back to sleep until 8. The tour really wore us all out but it was so much fun! We really didn't have plans other than pool time and Animal Kingdom. We ended up laying around a bit then meeting dad at the Artist's Palate for breakfast. After that we headed to the golf course where Blondie is having camp to make sure we knew the best way to get there and how long it takes.

From there we headed to Winter Summerland for a couple of rounds of putt putt in the rain. We thought the lightning horn was going to blow but they never pulled us off the course. I started strong on the Winter side and then had an epic meltdown. Joe won that round which lead me to wanting to play the summer side. I ended up winning by one stroke and held the best score for the course that day! I have my name on the leader board and a certificate! It is killing Joe and he said we will have to go back to play a tie breaking round.

From there we headed to Pop Century to see mom (dad was golfing) and brought her back to Saratoga Springs with us to pick up our ponchos before we headed to Animal Kingdom. While there it "came up a flood" as my granny would say. We figured Animal Kingdom was far enough away that we would be ok and headed on over. It was all good. Until what we were just in followed us LOL. Ponchos on we braved our way thru the thinning crowds. I was so filled with anticipation for Pandora that I was giddy and started to giggle.

WOW!!! Just wow, if you have been, you know what I mean. If not, then you will know. The moment you cross that bridge you are in it. The sights, the sounds, the smells. EVERY SINGLE THING is amazing!!! I could not stop looking at every detail. I hope that in the future they release a documentary on the building of Pandora. I have to know how it was all done. We were pretty close to our FP time for Flights of Passage and the Nav'i River Journey only had an hour wait so mom got in line for it while we wasted 20 minutes in the store of our FP time to open. The walk up to the ride is breathtaking! I want to do it standby just to see the entire queue!! Once you are inside, it's like you've been transported. I looked at Joe at one point and said "I don't even feel like I am in Disney anymore". Blondie was quite apprehensive since she had no clue about the ride and I was giddy. I was bouncing up and down. Other than reading some reviews, I had no clue. Just think of Soarin on serious steroids!! SERIOUS STEROIDS!!! WOW WOW WOW!! Our entire flight was first timers and it was spectacular. The shouts, whoops and laughing was infectious! I can't wait to do it again!!!

From there we headed out and mom had just got off the river ride which she loved. She said there was so much to see she didn't know where to look! We saw Dennis one of our favorite photographers so we hopped in line but he had to run for cover as we got to him because the bottom fell out again... (story of our lives) we stood under a floating mountain in our ponchos to stay dry. We were getting hungry so we headed to Satu'li Canteen. WOW again. This is some of the best food I've had on property. Joe had the chopped wood grilled chicken bowl with rice and chimmichurri, Blondie had a cheese quesadilla (boring), I got the cheeseburger pods (which Blondie liked) and mom got the kids chicken salad. The chicken is delish, they are cooking it right as you walk in the Canteen.

After eating mom was ready to go (she doesn't like the rain) so she headed back to Pop. We got in line for the River Journey, posted wait time was 50 minutes we waited 32. Again, this is a beautiful ride!!! The colors will blow you away!!

We then headed out of Pandora via the bridge to Africa, this is a nice peaceful walk that brings you out right by the FotLK. I love this path! We headed straight for Asia and took a couple trips to visit the Yeti, the new lights shining on him are fantastic, now lets just get him moving. Blondie wanted to ride Primeval Hurl so Joe and I packed her off alone, she got a red card and was freaking out not knowing what to do with it. From there Joe grabbed a Smokey Bones milkshake (vanilla ice cream with bourbon and candied bacon) to enjoy as we exited the park.

Back to the room for a bit before meeting mom and dad back at the Artists Palate for dessert. And dinner for us. I got the special which was pot roast with the most amazing mashed potatoes. I could have eaten a bowl full of just them!

Back to the room and in bed by 9:15. Bummed we missed Game of Thrones but we can't watch with Blondie in the room... Oh well, we get to watch 2 back to back this week!!!

Everyone is up and off to golf this morning. I am finishing my coffee and headed to Epcot to meet mom!

Have a Magical Day everyone!!!

PS with all the rain, I haven't have the phone out much. I will post pics later!

__________________

"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

Jennifer Huotari | Create Your Badge

The Huotari's Disney Adventures | Promote Your Page Too

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MrHub wrote:
Have fun JMed! Our dog sitter just got back from the Disney trip we gave her for watching our fur babies so much. Her and her mother were blown away by the pandora ride! She had gone on Soarin first and thought nothing could top that, Pandora did!

Wow what a nice gift! I'll dog sit for you anytime you want! laugh

Jmed, you just made me all the more excited to visit Pandora in November! I absolutely cannot wait! I also have the Smokey Bones milkshake on my list to try. Did Joe like it?

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Allie wrote:
MrHub wrote:
Have fun JMed! Our dog sitter just got back from the Disney trip we gave her for watching our fur babies so much. Her and her mother were blown away by the pandora ride! She had gone on Soarin first and thought nothing could top that, Pandora did!

Wow what a nice gift! I'll dog sit for you anytime you want! laugh

Jmed, you just made me all the more excited to visit Pandora in November! I absolutely cannot wait! I also have the Smokey Bones milkshake on my list to try. Did Joe like it?

You are gonna love Pandora and yes, we both liked it!!!

__________________

"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

Jennifer Huotari | Create Your Badge

The Huotari's Disney Adventures | Promote Your Page Too

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Just got back from Epcot...

Bad news, Tropical Storm Emily formed at 8am off the coast of Tampa and is crossing Florida as we speak. 7 Orlando area counties are under a state of emergency.

Good news, mom and I rode Frozen Ever After (no wait) The Three Caballeros (no wait) and Soarin (40 minute wait)

I feel like the wait for the bus to get back to the room was the longest of the day thus far. Driver said they had "computer issues" but once we got on, we had to hold on. He had the pedal to the metal!!! Best ride of the day!

Thinking we are skipping Blizzard Beach since storms are supposed to start soon. We don't want to go and get kicked out.

Turf Club tonight.

__________________

"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

Jennifer Huotari | Create Your Badge

The Huotari's Disney Adventures | Promote Your Page Too

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Oh the Turf Club - Filet (medium) with a grilled Caesar Salad and for dessert the Chocolate Espresso tort with raspberry drizzle and Port Wine ice cream!!!!!! Yum!!!!!!! And the stuffed mushrooms!

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Well, the rest of the day was pretty much a bust... I planned on not going to Blizzard Beach because of the storm. Guess what??? Not one drop of rain. We went to the Paddock Pool where I got lunch while Joe and Blondie played in the pool. Can to the room to rest before going to the Turf Club. No filet on the menu Mr Hub. Dinner was good and Joe got the same mashed potatoes I had last night. YUMMO Mom and dad took Blondie to Disney Springs after dinner and we walked around the resort in the nice cool evening. It's 9:30 now and I'm about to go to bed! Night all, weather looks great tomorrow!!!

__________________

"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

Jennifer Huotari | Create Your Badge

The Huotari's Disney Adventures | Promote Your Page Too

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Thats right, its the New York Strip there, and they call the salad a grilled Romaine. That NY Strip is so thick though! Sorry your day was a bust.

JMed's picture
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eeehhh, it's still a Disney day in my book!!! laugh

This morning I headed to Epcot so that I could get my perfume from Norway and have it delivered to the resort. I got Frozen in a Bottle from Norway. it is made by Geir Ness who makes the other popular Norway perfumes. I love it. I'm sensitive to a lot of scents and very rarely find something I like or can even wear so I was super happy when this worked!!! I walked around a little more before heading to MK...

Is it just me or is getting to and into the MK a pain in the butt. yuck sad confused I prefer not to even go over there at this point. Unless Blondie really wants to go tomorrow I may just cancel FPs and go somewhere else. Monorail ride was ok from Epcot to TTC but after that it went down hill. Monorail line was backed up to the ticket booths, which by the way were all PACKED. There were enough people by the Ferry Dock to fill a few boats. And there was a line wrapped all around the bus stalls with buses coming in groups of 3 or 4 at a time. Then you get there and get let off in a sea of humanity that is never ending either.

I admit once I get in and see the faces of first timers, kids seeing the castle, adults marveling at the castle I get a little soft but it quickly diminishes. A dad called his son a jerk, a woman called her husband an asshole, a teenager yelled at a bird and called it a mother f'er, just an endless tirade.

Needless to say I got my corn dog, purchased the new Crislu Castle Necklace and headed out.

I monorailed to the Poly then walked to the golf courses to get Blondie. I was about an hour early so I sat in the shade of the snack shop to watch before we called a taxi back to SSR. About an hour and a half in the pool and we are now about to head to Epcot.

More later!!

__________________

"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

Jennifer Huotari | Create Your Badge

The Huotari's Disney Adventures | Promote Your Page Too

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Boy am I pooped. Over 22,000 steps today.

Blondie made it half way around Epcot hitting Kidcot Stations. Starting in Canada. We had dinner at Electric Umbrella nd dessert at Les Halles. It was a fun afternoon and we are now back in the room ready to pass out.

Homecoming for lunch tomorrow! yay yay yay yay

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"I do not like the cone of shame."

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"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

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JMed's picture
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Well here we are on Wednesday morning...

We got up and took Blondie to camp then came back to the room for a bit. I decided to walk over to Disney Springs and meet Joe at Homecoming for our lunch. Last night I had a little pain in my right leg, today, it has grown to a full blown shin splint from the furthest reaches of hell... waiting sad

I am currently in the bed with ice on it after trying to stretches to help ease the pain. Even barely moving my toes is causing serious pain. Fantastic...

Anywho, I made it to DS by foot. I walked around a bit thinking it was bothering me. When I got into The World of Disney it was full on. I hobbled on checking out a few more places and finally met Joe for lunch. I was more than happy to be sitting down.

We were immediately seated and had a view of the kitchen. We started out with the hush puppies which were good but wish we had skipped because of the massive pile of food on our plates. BBQ plate for Joe and Fried Chicken for me. I also had a rum drink of some sort that I can't remember the name of or even find online. We were too stuffed for dessert. While everything was good, it's a one and done for me. With tip we were right at 90 bucks for one appetizer, one cocktail and 2 mains FOR LUNCH.

Hobbled back to the room and now here I am telling you about my day as I hope my leg feels better to go do something!

__________________

"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

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MrHub's picture
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Yeah Homecomings was nothing special for us either. The chicken has nothing on some of the fried & broasted chicken we can get there at home. I had the grits & shrimp which was good, but I never had that anywhere else as a main dish, so I have nothing to compare it too.

Sorry about your leg, hope it gets better FAST!!!!

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I agree with one and done for Homecoming. There was nothing really wrong with it although it was not as good as we can get here. And I also agree the price for what it is and that fact that it is only okay makes it a one and done for us. Even the fried green tomatoes which I normally love were just okay at best.

JMed's picture
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Ended up not doing anything yesterday. Joe dropped me off at the room and went to get Blondie from camp. I laid in bed with ice on my leg and popped some meds. Nap and watched a little Moana.

When they got back I told them to go to MK without me to use the Fastpasses but they ended up staying. THey both fell asleep. I strapped on my shoes and decided to see how my leg felt. Good enough to get me around the building so I woke them up and we ended up going to play putt putt at Fantasia Gardens. Now, I LOVE putt putt... Disney is seriously lacking in this department. Even though we had fun, 32 bucks for 3 people to play on a crappy course is way too much (that was with out DVC discount. Blondie won, and I bet Joe so we were all happy. Except Joe...

We decided to head off property for our favorite pizza Giordano's. We had an awesome balloon maker who created Queen Amidala for Blondie. It was a first for him and it was awesome.

Got home and got in the bed, I noticed we had a message, it was about the Fun Run this morning. I heard "medal" and I was in pain or not!!

It was the Saratoga Springs #derbydash Fun Run. 1.44 miles around the resort on the New Balance running trail and you get a medal, healthy snacks and a water. It was $15 to register. They are doing it just this month that I know of but hopefully extends to other months. Who knew I was gonna get a medal this trip???

Now I'm ready to shower and hit a park. My leg is still hurting (even more so after a mini race) but I can't stay in the room all day again.

__________________

"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

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amy1989's picture
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I really hope your leg is feeling better loving all the updates on Facebook! your review of Pandora and especially Flight of Passage have got me mega excited to visit in October! I booked our FP the other day and the original plan had been to book Flight of Passage and Na'vi River Journey but managed to get Flight of Passage for both AK days so I guess It's Standby for River Journey I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

keep the report coming along can't wait for the next installment! yay

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I went back to AK this morning after the race. I rode Dinosaur then just strolled around a little. Grabbed some popcorn and sat behind Flame Tree while I decided what to have for lunch. I pulled up MDE and used mobile ordering for Satu'li Canteen. This is a really easy option, I selected what I wanted and headed that way. As I got close, I clicked the "I am here" button and my food was ready when I walked up to the counter. No one else was there so I got in and out in about 2 minutes from the time I hit the button to the time I had my food.

I just got the kids bowl with rice and the beef. Again, sooooo good!!! My leg was hurting again so I made a few more stops to rest and now I'm back in the room waiting on the golfers to get back. HS or BB this afternoon!

__________________

"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

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JMed's picture
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Hi All!!

So I've gotten off track the last couple of days. Here we are packing up to head home. I am incredibly sad right now and not too sure why... I feel like I haven't done a thing since we've been here. With the weather and the shin splint, plans have gotten all jacked up.

Will write more when I get home

__________________

"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

Jennifer Huotari | Create Your Badge

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MrHub's picture
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It happens JMed! Feel better.

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Ok, back home and going to try to catch up and remember...

Thursday night we ended up going to Blizzard Beach. We rode 3 rides and the lazy river before the storm hit and chased us all off... we never got the ok to go back in so we headed back to the resort after eating dinner at Alottawatta Lodge. chicken tenders and big fat steak fries for all of us.

Blondie and Joe ended up going to the pool for a little bit while I laid in bed with an ice pack. Joe did very sweetly got me some mashed potatoes from the restaurant!!! Those things are soooo good!

Friday morning I was laying in bed half asleep when Joe picked up the phone and booked me a massage at Senses Grand Floridian. muchlove I had to jump up and go when he left to take Blondie to camp. It was wonderful and I am already planning another one for October! I will also be more prepared with the necessary items to use the whirlpool and steam room! He picked me up, I showered and we headed back to Disney Springs for lunch at the Polite Pig. This one was a winner!!! The BBQ cauliflower was to die for!!! We had the pulled pork and brisket sandwiches with the 3 sides of cauliflower, grilled corn and mac & cheese. We WILL be back for sure!!! We strolled around DS until time to get our golfer. We got there in time for the awards and had a great chat with Coach Mike after. I really hope she decides to keep up with golfing, she has sooooo much potential. While at the golf course friends of ours text and said they were at Disney Springs so we went back to see them. We walked around a bit and ended up having dinner at Rainforest Cafe. From there we went to AK to experience Pandora at night. The line was still too long for us to wait in so back to the room we went.

Now here we are today. Up and packed and truck loaded we headed back to AK for our Flights of Passage and Everest FP. Once again FoP was AMAZING!! I noticed so much more this time and took the time to look around at the ride mechanism. I love seeing how these things work!

Right to the truck after and hit the road. Couple of stops and we are home.

Will share highs and lows along with some pictures (finally) tomorrow!

Thanks so much for following along!

__________________

"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

Jennifer Huotari | Create Your Badge

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amy1989's picture
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Thank you for sharing your trip, its such a downer not being yourself on holiday but I still think you did amazing!! That spa sounded like it was just what you needed!

also I'm totally with you with the Polite Pig I could just eat that right now (and its only 8.48am on a Monday morning!)

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How's the leg doing now that you're home?

JMed's picture
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Better! I've been busy with work but generally lazy since we've returned... I need to get back to training. sad

__________________

"I do not like the cone of shame."

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."

"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."

Jennifer Huotari | Create Your Badge

The Huotari's Disney Adventures | Promote Your Page Too