WDW Summer 2013 - Day 7 Part 2

So where were we then...ah that's right we were getting wet!

So our morning's golfing adventure had been curtailed by the weather and as we made our way towards the Boardwalk and meeting up with friend Michelle the rain struck again...

Look at the size of the puddle...sorry more like a pond!

I think I'm a little bit wet!!!!

So after meeting up with Michelle we made our way from the Boardwalk to the Beach & Yacht Club resort, more specifically to Beaches & Cream Soda Shop where we thought we'd have a little something to eat..

Our first challenge was getting a table...now at the time we were there Beaches & Cream, despite being a very popular eatery, didn't take reservations and on enquiring after a table we were told that current wait times were about an hour!!  Not one to be deterred our Michelle spoke to the cast member in charge of tables and the next thing we knew we were going inside!  Now I'm not sure what Michelle did or said but we got in!  I think the reason we got in so quick was because we were happy to sit at the counter rather than at a table or a booth; sitting at the counter was great because you got to see all that was going on making the burgers and the sundaes and it really added to the atmosphere of eating in an old fashioned styled ice-cream parlour.

Still a bit soggy but at least we were inside out of the rain, although the air conditioning wasn't really needed!!

Ooooo what to have?!!!

Now I'd better confess that we had a very particular reason for wanting to eat here, something that was on our 'to do' list...the 'Kitchen Sink'...a sundae of epic proportions! How epic you may say, well here's the list of ingredients;

• ½ cup fudge topping, warmed
• ½ cup butterscotch topping, warmed
• ½ cup peanut butter topping, warmed
• 1 medium banana, sliced in 1/2 –inch slices
• 1 cinnamon spice cupcake (2 ½ x 1 ¼-inch), quartered
• 1 angel food cupcake (3 x 1 ½-inch), quartered
• 2 4-oz. scoops vanilla ice cream
• 2 4-oz. scoops chocolate ice cream
• 2 4-oz. scoops strawberry ice cream
• 1 4-oz. scoop mint chocolate chip ice cream
• 1 4-oz. scoop coffee ice cream
• 3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
• ¼ cup marshmallow crème
• ¼ cup strawberry topping
• ¼ cup pineapple topping
• 1 14-oz can dairy whipped topping
• 1 brownie (6-inch x 6-inch), quartered
• 1 regular-sized (2 ounce) candy bar, quartered
• 4 chocolate cookies with cream filling
• 1 tablespoon sliced toasted almonds
• 1 tablespoon dark and white chocolate shavings
• 1 tablespoon chocolate cookies with cream filling, crushed
• 1 tablespoon chopped jellied orange slices (approximately 2 large slices)
• 1 tablespoon milk chocolate chip morsels
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter chip morsels
• 1 tablespoon chocolate sprinkles
• 1 tablespoon rainbow sprinkles
• ½ cup drained maraschino cherries

Suffice to say we ordered just the one between the four of us!  Oh and if you do decide to go for one of these be prepared for the whole of the restaurant to know about it; lights flash and an announcement is made to one and all, much to our kids embarrassment :)

Ready to dig in!

So we tackled it with gusto and I have to say we made short work of it!

Are we going to be able to manage this?

Getting there....

And we're done!

All gone!!!

It was such a fun experience and whilst my first reaction after finishing it all was 'never again' I think that now a little time has passed I would be willing to give it another go...although I think the kids and I would ask for the peanut butter topping and chips to be replaced with more chocolate!!  But all of the food here was great, and the choice of sundaes and desserts may tempt me to try something different next time.  A lovely place to eat and a definite recommendation from me.

At the end of our meal we were joined by yet more friends, Phil & Lauren who we had met through the WDW Radio Meet of the month a couple of days earlier.  The sun had now decided to come out and everywhere was drying up leaving us to spend the remainder of the day in Epcot.

We took a stroll through the World Showcase indulging in a couple of games of Phineas & Ferb: Agent P's World Showcase Adventure; which is great fun and I shall go into more details in a later post.  

Look at the concentration...this is serious stuff!

We had dinner at the Katsura Grill in the Japanese pavilion (just love it here)...

Sushi anyone?

...before a little shopping in Mousegear and a ride on The Seas with Nemo & Friends before heading home.

Such a beautiful sky as we approached The Seas with Nemo & Friends

Another fun-filled day with great friends and great memories.

And we're home :)

Two Weeks to Go!!

That's right it is only 2 weeks to go until we see that 'Welcome Home' sign!! This vacation was booked approximately 16 months in advance and although at times it has seemed a long way off it really is nearly here!

So we are now down to the finer details in the planning process; from those last minute purchases to making sure all bills are paid before we leave to actually deciding on which park we will visit on which day (I keep putting it off because it's hard to decide).

So the Excel spreadsheet is up and running and I have key dates already marked out. Our first and last days are in my mind a 'no-brainer', it has to be The Magic Kingdom; it is after all the epitome of all that Disney conjures up, and nothing beats that feeling of walking under the railroad and down Main Street USA heading towards Cinderella Castle. I then have dates put aside for a few other things;

• We have our ADR (Advanced Dining Reservation) at Teppan Edo
• We will be attending WDW Radio's Meet of the Month at Disney's Blizzard Beach
• We shall be joining Michelle of The Minnie Minxes for a 'Drink Around the World' at Epcot
• And another date with Michelle will be over at Beaches & Cream Soda Shop when we will hopefully tackle the infamous 'Kitchen Sink Ice-Cream Sundae'

I have sorted our Photopass+ and ordered new raincoats for the kids as would you believe it they have grown somewhat since our last trip back in 2011.

I am hoping to book at least one more ADR, this time for Whispering Canyon Cafe at Disney's Wilderness Lodge so I need to make some decisions as to where we are going on which days so that I can tie this reservation in nicely.

I am also, along with the help of my daughter, going to make up some envelopes ready for tipping 'Mousekeeping' - a creative few hours with pens, envelopes, glue and more decorating envelopes for those oh so important tips.

So over the next few days I shall let you know how the planning is coming along and just how excited we are all getting!

Forward Planning

So here I am sat inside on a snowy Monday afternoon in the UK.  I decided to close pre-school early today because of the snow, and my kids school did the same; typical of the UK we have a few centimetres of snow and the whole world grinds to a stop!!

So with a bit of time on my hands (well I wasn't going anywhere and as much as a run would have been lovely it really wasn't possible in this weather) I got to thinking about warmer climes and future vacations....only 218 days to WDW!!

So using my new Mickey notebook I have started my 'WDW To Do List'.

Christmas present from Simon

Now having been to WDW 7 times before, I consider myself pretty up to speed on attractions (with the exception of brand new ones like those in New Fantasyland of course) but I am very aware that there is lots of other stuff that we have either never managed to squeeze into our vacation or simply weren't practical to do (for example when the kids were younger) or we didn't even know about previously (the world of Twitter, Facebook and Podcasts have increased my awareness!).  So this year I have decided to make a list of all those things that I'd like to do or see that we haven't done before (or done for a long time).

Now this list has only just started and everyone in the family has been instructed to let me know of anything that they'd like to do so that it can be a list for all of us to get excited about and involved with.  It can be anything at all from perhaps insisting on that favourite ride or stopping to take the time to drink in the surroundings.  So far we have;

• Stopping to look at the Mary Blair mural in the Contemporary Resort
• Completing all the miniature golf courses
• Kitchen Sink at Beaches & Cream Soda Shop
• Beauty & Beast Stage Show - not done this one in ages
• Visit to Art of Animation Resort
• Make an actual ADR (never done one before....I know!!!) 
• and make it a Signature Dining experience
• ....oh and I suppose I'd better mention to ride The Tower of Terror - this is for you, Simon and Michelle!!! (I'll just add that I'm not a big roller coaster fan but I have been bullied into doing this ride by the aforementioned individuals!)

Now this is only the start of what I think may turn into a rather long 'To Do' list - what do YOU think I should add to the list?