The Year In Review: DIT Takes Disney Love To A New Level In 2017

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Been reading along trying to keep up, but super late to the posting party.  Great stuff - love the monorail pics!!

Judging by how many times we were there this last trip, I'd have to say Geyser Point is our new favorite place to hang out at WDW.  Love the atmosphere, great bartenders (if Bruce is there, tell him I said "hi"), yummy food that's not horribly expensive, and where else can I watch the EWP from the comfort of my bar stool?

Can't believe this was your very first time at Trader Sam's!  Agreed about needing a spare kidney to cover the check, but by golly they make some terrific rum drinks.  We tried the Nautilus this past trip. Don't let the $29 price tag on that one turn you away (that's without buying the cup, btw!) It's shareable between 2 or 3 people, which makes it on par with the rest of the drinks on the menu, and it may be the most delicious drink there - and I have a collection of cups in the cupboard to back up that claim.  

I swear it tastes like apple pie in a glass, with the dangerous added bonus of not being able to taste the multiple rums in it. It was so delicious we had to order another one... but in our drunken defense, there were 3 of us. 

1 hour ago, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said:

... I can't figure out the crowd pattern there. Sometimes it's slammed, others not, and the times of the day for those seems random. 

Yep, I can't figure it out either. Sometimes random mid-week days are slammed, other times you breeze right in.

 

 

And yes, it is not lost on me what the subject matter is of my first post on this thread is.    

[DaveInTN 3,247]

22 minutes ago, BradyBzLyn...Mo said:

Been reading along trying to keep up, but super late to the posting party.  Great stuff - love the monorail pics!!

Judging by how many times we were there this last trip, I'd have to say Geyser Point is our new favorite place to hang out at WDW.  Love the atmosphere, great bartenders (if Bruce is there, tell him I said "hi"), yummy food that's not horribly expensive, and where else can I watch the EWP from the comfort of my bar stool?

Can't believe this was your very first time at Trader Sam's!  Agreed about needing a spare kidney to cover the check, but by golly they make some terrific rum drinks.  We tried the Nautilus this past trip. Don't let the $29 price tag on that one turn you away (that's without buying the cup, btw!) It's shareable between 2 or 3 people, which makes it on par with the rest of the drinks on the menu, and it may be the most delicious drink there - and I have a collection of cups in the cupboard to back up that claim.  

I swear it tastes like apple pie in a glass, with the dangerous added bonus of not being able to taste the multiple rums in it. It was so delicious we had to order another one... but in our drunken defense, there were 3 of us. 

Yep, I can't figure it out either. Sometimes random mid-week days are slammed, other times you breeze right in.

 

 

And yes, it is not lost on me what the subject matter is of my first post on this thread is.    

Yes, that was our first trip to Trader Sam's.  In my defense, that trip was our first trip to WDW since the place opened! 

Also, at least I know now how to lure you out of lurkdom in a trip report.   

[lightbikes 73]

10 hours ago, DaveInTN said:

I asked if they could prepare a veggie scramble for me, which they were happy to do.  It was delicious.  

 

That looks really good - I never thought of asking for that.  I wonder it they'd do that at any of the other restaurants?

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

RAG doesn’t sound appetizing, but GAG does? Lol




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[bhall 115]

3 minutes ago, Momof6....aka Marty said:

RAG doesn’t sound appetizing, but GAG does? Lol




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My thoughts exactly. 

I've found their pizza to be better then most of the pizzas offered here in Gettysburg.

[LONE-STAR 370]

The food looks good

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

11 hours ago, Momof6....aka Marty said:

RAG doesn’t sound appetizing, but GAG does? Lol




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[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Your last update is a great reminder that you don't need to step foot in one of the parks to have a fun time at WDW. 

Breakfast looked great, but the progressive date looks like more fun. I like to visit Trader Sam's, but I agree about the prices- and since I always get the tab, we only go occasionally. 

I'm going to guess that you headed to the Wave or California Grill for dinner. Finishing the evening at the Contemporary makes sense.  

TCD

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

22 hours ago, DaveInTN said:

Ok, let's move along.  

 

We arrived at our destination, and had some time to kill so we explored the lobby a bit.  

 

 

Anna Banana got some French toast.  I'm not sure she was very pleased with it at this moment...LOL.

 

Smiling or grumpy, she's still a cutey patootie!!!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

12 hours ago, lightbikes said:

That looks really good - I never thought of asking for that.  I wonder it they'd do that at any of the other restaurants?

I bet some will.

12 hours ago, Momof6....aka Marty said:

RAG doesn’t sound appetizing, but GAG does? Lol




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Once again Marty is the voice of reason. 

12 hours ago, bhall said:

My thoughts exactly. 

I've found their pizza to be better then most of the pizzas offered here in Gettysburg.

 That's a depressing thought. 

11 hours ago, LONE-STAR said:

The food looks good

I always enjoy my breakfast there.  In my experience they also have good pancakes. 

41 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Your last update is a great reminder that you don't need to step foot in one of the parks to have a fun time at WDW. 

Breakfast looked great, but the progressive date looks like more fun. I like to visit Trader Sam's, but I agree about the prices- and since I always get the tab, we only go occasionally. 

I'm going to guess that you headed to the Wave or California Grill for dinner. Finishing the evening at the Contemporary makes sense.  

TCD

 Very good guess...

25 minutes ago, mouseketab.....Carol said:

Smiling or grumpy, she's still a cutey patootie!!!

 That she is.   

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I'm going to post a short update that will get us through dinner and another Fort day...and then I'll get to some water park pictures. 

After wandering around the GF for a bit, we hopped back on the monorail to head to our dinner reservation.  TCD correctly surmised that dinner would be in the Contemporary....and here was our view.

We weren't right along the windows, but the view was just fine.  

I remember this soup being delicious, but don't recall exactly what it was.  Possibly butternut squash?  

And that is a nice wedge salad there in the background.  Here is a close up of it.

Here is my dinner choice....as always at CG, everything was great!

And INC opted for some sort of ravioli.

Our ADR time was late enough that we were still at our table when it was time for Wishes....which they were still doing back in March.  

After the fireworks, we were too full to try dessert, so we headed down to the resort boat and called it a night.  

The next day we were expecting a visit from my parents, who live within a couple of hours of WDW.  So that morning was a lazy one hanging around the campsite, drinking coffee and watching Anna sweep the concrete pad.  She enjoys sweeping, so I keep a little Anna sized broom in the RV.  

As you can see, she takes her work seriously and is really concentrating!  

Eventually, my parents arrived and we sat around visiting for a bit.  But as is the usual custom when they come see us at the Fort, they wanted to go someplace!  And that usually involves a boat ride.  

Riding on the boats with my parents always takes me back to the first time I ever did that, when we camped at the Fort over Christmas in 1977.  Here is the first ever DIT Picture From a Resort Boat from that trip.  I've posted this picture before on FF.net, but it always amazes me how much the boat on Discovery Island has deteriorated in the last 40 years.  

(ignore the timestamp...that's when I scanned it)

 

Anyways, we ended up at the Lodge for some exploring, and had to get the obligatory Silver Creek Falls sign pic with my folks.  

They've changed a lot too in 40 years....

We headed inside the Lodge for a bit, as my parents really enjoy the lobby and the big fireplace there.  Eventually, we headed back to the Fort, and they then headed over to POR where they had reserved a room for the night.  

As dinner time approached, we also went over to POR to meet up with them.  We decided to try the food court over there, as I had always heard about the pasta bar and wanted to try it.  It's been pointed out to me that, like many things at WDW, the pasta bar isn't as good as it used to be, and you don't get as much food as you used to.  But not having ever had it before, it sure seemed good to me!  Isn't it funny...that's how WDW as a whole is.  For someone who didn't experience things the way they used to be, the place is magical.  Those of us who've been there many times get a bit jaded.  

Anyways, here are a few pics of dinner.  

The pasta chef was hard at work...

I had some pesto....extremely oily but good.  

Anna was happy with her usual....chicken and fries.

We had intended on staying around for Yeehaw Bob's show, but everyone was tired so we bagged that idea and headed back to the Fort. 

The next day, after saying our goodbyes to my parents, we had plans to head back to a water park, so I'll share pictures of both waterparks in one post (as I really don't recall which park we visited when).   I'll try to share some video as well of the family raft rides at both parks, including the new Misadventure Falls at TL as well as Teamboat Springs at BB, and I'll give you my opinion on which raft ride is best, and which overall water park is best.  Coming up....  

 

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Loving the cuteness and the history :)

I could very easily spend an entire week doing what ya'll did that day. Hang at the Fort most of the day, then take a boat ride or bus to some random resort, eat at their food court, then back to the Fort. As much as I love the parks, I more and more go for the Fort and the Pood Forn.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Great update!

Anna is really good with that broom. Is that a new dog?  I remember Foofy, but I'm not sure I've seen that one before. 

It's awesome that your parents came to visit, and thanks for the historical photos. I am always amazed by old photos of the Discovery Island shipwreck. 

The POR pasta is still good, but we visit the POFQ food court much more often now- they have some really good choices there, including fried chicken that is better than Trail's End fried chicken- and better sides too!  

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

23 hours ago, twiceblessed....nacole said:

It's not great... but we actually don't hate it.  If the GAG came with the rotisserie chicken, we'd try it.  I'm just not a huge fan of their (any really) friend chicken.    Still sorry that we'll miss the Christmas display.  Maybe we'll have to drive down, just for dinner and the show 

Guess what.... you can ask for gluten free chicken, and it will be baked/grilled instead of fried. Boom! My friend Elena likes it a lot. 

 

Great pictures! Love that you including some vintage camping pics. Cali Grill remains our date night fav. Anna sweeping is super cute. I wish I would have known about this skill in December. LOL

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

I will have to remember Anna's love for sweeping when we are at Montgomery Bell. I'm sure the tent will need to be swept out a few times.
What's her going rate?

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[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

1 hour ago, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said:

Guess what.... you can ask for gluten free chicken, and it will be baked/grilled instead of fried. Boom! My friend Elena likes it a lot. 

 

Didn't know that!!  Thanks for the idea!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

2 hours ago, mouseketab.....Carol said:

Loving the cuteness and the history :)

I could very easily spend an entire week doing what ya'll did that day. Hang at the Fort most of the day, then take a boat ride or bus to some random resort, eat at their food court, then back to the Fort. As much as I love the parks, I more and more go for the Fort and the Pood Forn.

We've done quite a few non-Park Fort trips over the years.  Overall, those are some of my favorite trips.  

2 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Great update!

Anna is really good with that broom. Is that a new dog?  I remember Foofy, but I'm not sure I've seen that one before. 

It's awesome that your parents came to visit, and thanks for the historical photos. I am always amazed by old photos of the Discovery Island shipwreck. 

The POR pasta is still good, but we visit the POFQ food court much more often now- they have some really good choices there, including fried chicken that is better than Trail's End fried chicken- and better sides too!  

TCD

Yes, that is Mabel.  She joined our family nearly 2 years ago.  

I am willing to give the POFQ food court another try, now that the creepy giant heads are gone.  

2 hours ago, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said:

Guess what.... you can ask for gluten free chicken, and it will be baked/grilled instead of fried. Boom! My friend Elena likes it a lot. 

 

Great pictures! Love that you including some vintage camping pics. Cali Grill remains our date night fav. Anna sweeping is super cute. I wish I would have known about this skill in December. LOL

Well, to be fair, I never said she was any good at sweeping.  Just that she enjoys it.  

1 hour ago, momof3kids-Yvonne said:

I will have to remember Anna's love for sweeping when we are at Montgomery Bell. I'm sure the tent will need to be swept out a few times.
What's her going rate?

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Her going rate is beer.  Don't bother opening them for her.  I'll give her a hand.  

1 hour ago, twiceblessed....nacole said:

Didn't know that!!  Thanks for the idea!

See?  My trip reports are so educational.  

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

18 minutes ago, DaveInTN said:

Her going rate is beer.  Don't bother opening them for her.  I'll give her a hand.  

And I'm sure she much prefers the ones from Russia.  

[DaveInTN 3,247]

1 minute ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

And I'm sure she much prefers the ones from Russia.  

This is my, I mean her, favorite.  

[LONE-STAR 370]

7 hours ago, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said:

Guess what.... you can ask for gluten free chicken, and it will be baked/grilled instead of fried. Boom! My friend Elena likes it a lot. 

 

 

Cool idea, did you try it?  So this was a baked GAG rignt.

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

The picture of your parents (both now and then), bring tears to my eyes.  So sweet....life goes by, so fast.  I can't help but think, that riding the boat or being on property with you, their baby boy, must bring back so many memories.  Sweet times.

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

It’s not fair that I can’t  guess about where you’re going. Since it would be cheating on my part. And no I’m not stocking you. It’s just that our accounts are still linked on MDE.  

 And great pictures of the kids and INC you’re a blessed man with a beautiful family.

Love trader Sam’s and their potstickers . DD made us go there twice over Christmas, I would recommend the hippopotamus drink next time you go.

seeing your pix really makes me want to try a Fort- Non Park trip.    But I don’t think DD would allow such a thing.  

Keep the updates coming. 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

14 hours ago, LONE-STAR said:

Cool idea, did you try it?  So this was a baked GAG rignt.

The famous BGAG.  

3 hours ago, twiceblessed....nacole said:

The picture of your parents (both now and then), bring tears to my eyes.  So sweet....life goes by, so fast.  I can't help but think, that riding the boat or being on property with you, their baby boy, must bring back so many memories.  Sweet times.

I know.  And I hate watching them age.  My Mom had a very nasty fall recently that required surgery last week to put a plate and pins in her arm.  She really bruised her face too.  She's healing, but on top of that she is in the early stages of dementia.  I try to see them as often as is possible.  

11 minutes ago, h2odivers...Ray said:

It’s not fair that I can’t  guess about where you’re going. Since it would be cheating on my part. And no I’m not stocking you. It’s just that our accounts are still linked on MDE.  

 And great pictures of the kids and INC you’re a blessed man with a beautiful family.

Love trader Sam’s and their potstickers . DD made us go there twice over Christmas, I would recommend the hippopotamus drink next time you go.

seeing your pix really makes me want to try a Fort- Non Park trip.    But I don’t think DD would allow such a thing.  

Keep the updates coming. 

Thanks Ray.  We have tried the HippopotaMaiTai....is that the one you are referring to?  

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

7 minutes ago, DaveInTN said:

 

Thanks Ray.  We have tried the HippopotaMaiTai....is that the one you are referring to?  

Yep. That’s the one. 

IIC loved it so much she bought the cup.  

Two shots of rum!!!

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

IIC = It Is Cindy.