The Blue Mosque at night
We encountered no delays once back in the US. However, on the drive home from JFK, traffic was horrendous. It took us almost two-and-a-half hours for what would be maybe an hour without traffic. Of course we knew traffic would be bad, so we had a car service pick us up instead of asking Mary Lou to drive both ways through rush hour. We were exhausted, but had a great trip.
Rumeli Fortress on the Bosphorus
After a brief stop for lunch, we walked back to the hotel to drop off some purchases, stopping a few places on the way. We then decided to hit the Mosaic Musuem, in the Arasta Bazaar, which was a nice way to spend some time. The 6th century mosaics are from the Byzantine Palace and are very impressive. Some final few shopping stops and we ended up back at the hotel, doing a few things before dinner at Mozaik, which was quite good. I made one last stop for a döner kebab as I hadn’t had one yet (and had them for lunch nearly every work day for the last several months I was in Marburg). It was good, but I prefer the German style meat which is mixed lamb and beef and not so strongly flavored. Back at the hotel, it was time to pack for our return trip.
It was a very nice trip and we really enjoyed Istanbul, even with the pushy shopkeepers and restauranteurs. The layers of history are quite impressive, and, in some ways, far more apparent than Rome. I think our 3 1/2 days was a good length to at least scratch the surface and we saw most of what we had planned. Coming in the off-season was a bonus, aside from the cool weather, as the crowds were very manageable. (Admittedly, we lucked out having only one day of rain. Last week it rained almost every day.) Will we come back? Probably, but probably not for some time as there are so many other places we’d like to go. (Also, I think it would be better for Kyle to be older if he were to come.)
Kadikoy Train Station
By this time, the weather had turned kind of dismal, with a light rain. After a walk back down to the Galata Bridge, we decided it wasn’t a good day for a cruise on the Bosphorus. Instead we opted to catch a ferry to Kadiköy, across the strait on the Asian side. We walked around here a bit, but it was kind of cold and the rain was pretty steady. After a small lunch in a cafe, we headed back to the ferry dock and back to Europe. (However, it was successful as I was able to buy some safety pins to “fix” part of the zipper on my camera bag which had broken.)
After the ferry ride, we stopped by a few toy stores by the dock/Spice Market to pick up something for Kyle. A second wander through the Spice Market and we headed back towards the hotel, stopping a few places on the way. After a break, we headed out for an enjoyable dinner at the Enjoyer Cafe, picking up some cake and baklava on the way home for dessert. All in all a good, but kind of wet, day.
(PS, sorry for the poor photo. I don’t have many due to the dreary weather.)
Inside the Grand Bazaar
After the visit, we walked over the Galata Bridge and back, checking out the fish market on the Galata side. A walk back to the hotel rounded out our major chunk of the day. We took a break to relax a bit, then I headed out to do some “sweet light” photos of Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque. For dinner, I had made reservations at Sarniç, which is housed in a Roman era cistern. The setting was superb as was the food. It was even decently priced. For tomorrow, we have plans to visit the archeological museum, which we missed on Monday, and then either to head across the Bosphorus to Asia or up to Taksim.
View of Hagia Sophia from our window
When we got up Sunday morning, I took a quick check downstairs in the basement and found that we had some water again. The sump was working, so it wasn’t alot and basically only boxes got wet. However, it really wasn’t something we really wanted to deal with. To add to our problems, Suzanne’s work was flooded in the rain. NOAA had been predicting the Raritan River to crest at 27 ft, which would mean their plant would be fine. Instead it crested at 36 ft, meaning there was several feet of water in some of the building. She thinks her office is likely okay, but doesn’t know the extent of the damage as her nobody had been allowed into the plant before we boarded the plane.
On Sunday morning, we get a call from Mary Lou that they’re going to have to fly around some major storms in our area and would be an hour late. Not a huge deal as we still had time. In the end, she was only a few minutes late as they were cleared to fly their normal flight path. After picking her up and lunch at Jersey Gardens Mall (right near the airport), we headed out to JFK. Checking was smooth. However, our flight was delayed in boarding by 30 mins and then we sat on the ground to 90, eventually taking off 2 hours late. Unfortunately, we didn’t make up any time en route and arrived that late. Let me tell you, when the flight is already just over 9 hours, sitting on the tarmac for an extra 1 and a half isn’t so much fun. I did however end up watching three movies and getting a bit of sleep.
Our arrival in Istanbul was uneventful. The passport control line was quite slow. We had prearranged for a car to pick us up, which worked well. We had to wait a few minutes for a room at the hotel, but it was likely worth it as we have a view of Hagia Sofia. (The room itself isn’t huge, but is fine size by European standards and not the smallest one we ever had.)
After unpacking a bit, we headed out to visit Topkapi Palace, where the Ottoman Sultans reigned until the 1830s. It was very nice. The weather is decent, sunny, but a touch cool. We then walked around some of the main shopping streets of Sultanahmet (the old city), stopping by a grocery store for a few things before heading back to hotel for a break.
Tomorrow’s plans include Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, and the Grand Bazaar. I’ll try and do another update tomorrow night, but we do have 8:00 dinner reservations.
You can also see our report as a single page.
All in all it was a great trip. I think we had a very good balance of “go-time” and time to relax. Did we see everything there was to see? No, but we saw all of our “must-dos”. We ended up sticking to our planned (rough) itinerary pretty well. (A lot of this was forced by our dining reservations.) We had planned to stay at the hotel Thursday morning and do Hollywood Studios Friday morning, but reversing this worked nicely. (We figured aside from Tower of Terror and Playhouse Disney, whatever we did at HS that morning was a bonus.) I also think it was a great plan to avoid any early morning dining reservations. Most mornings we could sleep in and Kyle could get going in his own time. This also helped on the days we ended up skipping naps, which turned out to be most of them.
The time of year was pretty good too. The weather was great. (It only rained twice — once while we were eating dinner and once while were on the bus, so not affecting us at all.) It got a bit warm by the end of the week, but not oppressively so (into upper 80s). The crowds were very light until the weekend. Waits were generally only 20-30 mins for most rides aside from Soarin’ and Toy Story Mania. (Each of which were generally an hour, and we could have gotten FastPasses for TSM even late in the afternoon.)
We liked Caribbean Beach Resort. We stayed there as we knew Kyle would love having the beach to play on, which he did. One of the play structures on our beach, the one with the slide, was closed off, so that was a bit of a disappointment. The rooms had just been renovated in the last year or so, which was nice. The pool, redone in the last few months, was great, especially the play area for little kids and the zero-entry section of the big pool. The distance to Old Port Royale (pool & food court) wasn’t too bad, maybe five minutes, but we were in one of the closest, non-preferred buildings. The bus transportation was acceptable, but we only had a full bus twice. (Most times it was practically empty.) I think most rides to/from the parks were 30-40 mins all told (between waiting for the bus and the actual ride.) It probably wasn’t worth the extra $150 it would have cost to have a car for the whole week.
Dining Plan: Based on my calculations, we saved over $300 using the dining plan. (It was free, but you had to pay full price for the room. In the end, it cost about $70/day total for all three of us.) Of course, we likely wouldn’t have eaten as much, especially not desserts at the counter services restaurants nor would we have spent so much on snacks the last day. We also got a bonus with the Fantamsic package at Mama Melrose’s on Tuesday night which included free appetizers (a $19 extra). However, it was nice to not worry about how much we were spending at dinner and whether or not we should splurge for the $28 steak or stick to the $20 pasta. The other downside is that you want to make sure to use up your credits, especially the table service ones. This requires advanced planning for reservations, including which park you’ll be visiting, a long time in advance. (You can now make reservations 180-days before your trip and many of the hot places will be booked this far out.) If it was “free”, I’d do it again. If we had to pay full price (around $100/day), I’d have to think about it.
Biergarten (Epcot; Germany; lunch): Excellent and reasonably authentic food. The salmon in dill sauce and the roast pork were especially good. The sauerkraut was very mild, as it is in Germany. The rotkohl (red cabbage) was also good and served warm.
Pecos Bill (MK; dinner): Our least favorite meal of the trip. It wasn’t bad, just average. We both got bacon double cheeseburgers. I had planned to get the taco salad, but changed my mind at the last minute. I should have stuck with what I had planned on.
Sunshine Seasons (Epcot; The Land; lunch): Very good counter service. I had the roast chicken which was very good and moist. Suzanne had the pork chop, which was a bit dry. Kyle had lo mein which he liked. The desserts were especially good.
Mama Melrose’s (HS; dinner): Lucked out on being offered the Fantasmic package when we arrived. Overall food was excellent. We had calamari and bruschetta for appetizers. Suzanne had the steak which was good. I had the shrimp pipette pasta, which was good but quite heavy. The tiramisu was excellent and quite light. We also had the truffle cake.
Flame Tree BBQ (AK; lunch): Very good food. Suzanne had the chicken and I had the ribs. I thought the chicken was better. Kyle wasn’t impressed with his hot dog, but he’s very particular about the taste. (It was fine, just different.) The key lime pie was excellent.
Tutto Italia (Epcot; Italy; dinner): Excellent dinner. I had lasagna and Suzanne had veal tortelli. Both were delicious. Even Kyle’s mozzarella sticks were good. The desserts (chocolate-hazelnut torte and berry & gelato sundae) were wonderful. The bread was also very good. (I did miss the Fettuccine Alfredo from when it was Alfredo’s.)
Old Port Royale (CBR; breakfast): I had an omelet with spinach and chorizo which was good. Suzanne had a Mickey waffle which was as expected. The chocolate croissant Kyle didn’t end up eating was good even the next day when I ate it. I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here, but it was perfectly fine as a hotel food court.
Crystal Palace (MK; dinner; character meal): The food and service was excellent. One of the best meals of the trip. The roast sirloin was very good, though I found the pork a bit dry. The desserts were also good. The character interaction was very good. It took an hour and 15 minutes from first to last, which was just about the right time. (We saw a couple twice.) Not a place for a quiet dinner.
Yak & Yeti Counter Service (Anandupur Local Food Cafes) (AK; lunch): The best CS of the trip. I had Kung Pao beef and Suzanne had the shrimp lo mein. Frozen lemonades for dessert were great.
Tusker House (AK; dinner): One of the best meals of the trip. I especially liked the “exotic” offerings, though I have had better samosas. Restaurant felt “empty”, but it was a couple of hours after normal closing time on an EMH night.
Columbia Harbor House (MK; lunch): Good food. Wanted something other than Pecos Bill. I had shrimp (10 good size ones) and Suzanne had fish. Kyle liked the Mac ‘N’ Cheese (which we had brought to Pecos Bill on Mon night).
Chef Mickey’s (Contemporary; dinner; character meal): Food was pretty good. The bowl of plain ravioli they brought for us was a nice touch. Kyle especially liked the make your own sundaes. Character interaction was great. Saw all in 45 minutes and saw a couple twice.
Yorkshire County Fish Shop (Epcot; UK; lunch): Decent fish, excellent fries. Skimpy dessert (package of Walker’s shortbread cookies).
Lotus Blossom Cafe (Epcot; China; lunch): Decent shrimp fried rice. Caramel ginger ice cream was tasty, but not Kyle’s thing.
Boulangerie Patisserie (Epcot; France; snack): Apple tart was very good, but Pithvier was superb. (Ended up eating half of each as breakfast before heading to Boston Mon morning.)
Magic Kingdom: Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain RR (Paul), Haunted Mansion (Paul), Ariel’s Grotto, Cinderella’s Golden Carousel, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, It’s a Small World, Mad Tea Party, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Mickey’s PhilharMagic, Peter Pan’s Flight, Pooh’s Playful Spot, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, Tomorrowland Indy Speedway, Tomorrowland Transit Authority
Epcot: Innoventions, Journey into Imagination, Mission: Space (Paul), Spaceship Earth, Test Track, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Turtle Talk with Crush, Listen to the Land, Soarin’, Mexico’s Gran Fiesta Tour, Norway’s Maelstrom
Hollywood Studios: Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (Paul), Tower of Terror (Paul), Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground, Playhouse Disney Live!
Animal Kingdom: Discovery Island Trails, Festival of the Lion King, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, Expedition Everest (Paul), The Boneyard, Primeval Whirl (Paul), Triceratop Spin (Suzanne & Kyle)
Animal Kingdom
Epcot
Hollywood Studios
Magic Kingdom
Caribbean Beach Resort & few other places
You can also see our report as a single page.
Sunday morning we had a bunch of packing to do. I took Kyle to play at the beach while Suzanne got everything together. Disney has this really great service whereby you can check in for your flight, including checking your bags, right at the hotel. We lugged our bags to check for the flight along with several bags (and Kyle’s carseat) to check with Bell Services for the day and were all set. After heading back to the room to grab our stuff for the day, we hopped the bus to Epcot
Back at Epcot, the first stop was The Seas with Nemo so Kyle could do Turtle Talk. He sat up front this time, but was disappointed that he didn’t get to talk with Crush. We then headed up into World Showcase. The Food & Wine Festival was going on where they set up 20-25 stands from different parts of the world, each serving a couple of snack-size samples and wine. Best of all, most of the food is covered as a Disney Dining Plan snack credit, and we still had a bunch to use. We sampled the cheddar cheese soup in Canada (excellent — I can see why people go to Le Cellier just for it) and the fisherman’s shrimp and scallop pie from Ireland. I was hoping to try escargot from France, but the line was quite long. We did, however, pick up a couple of pastries at the Boulangerie Patisserie while there. I also had a lobster roll from the Hops & Barley cart. (A great value as it would have cost $7.50.) We also had a couple of counter service credits left so we had a lunch consisting of fish & chips (from the UK) and shrimp fried rice (from China). Once we made our way around, Suzanne headed for a last trip on Test Track while Kyle and I played in the Mission: Space playground. When she returned, I did one last ride on MS. (I probably shouldn’t have as we were cutting it close to the time to get the bus back to our hotel, but it was fine in the end.) Suzanne took Kyle to play in the water near Test Track and have one final Mickey ice cream bar. After a quick change of Kyle’s wet clothes, it was back on the bus for the last ride back to CBR.
Back at CBR, we got off at the Customs House and retrieved the bags we had checked for the day. We left Ecpot almost half an hour later than planned, but had plenty of wait time back at the hotel before our 4:30 Magical Express bus. Kyle fell asleep on the way, so we waited a while before going though security so he could sleep some. The plane ride back was fine, aside from it being a bit bumpy at times. We actually landed early. (This was a surprise since, according to flightstats.com, this flight is only on time 50% of the time and has an average delay of 67 minutes. It was our flight down, on time rate of 90%, that was late.) We were back home by 10:20.
Animal Kingdom
Epcot
Hollywood Studios
Magic Kingdom
Caribbean Beach Resort & few other places
You can also see our report as a single page.
Once again, it was a late morning. We had a nice swim. We finally managed to convince Kyle to use the slides in the play area, and he loved them. At the Magic Kingdom, we started in Toontown. Kyle picked out a stuffed box of Mr. Potatohead parts in the store and hit Mickey’s House and Minnie’s House, the latter twice. We then stopped by Pooh’s playground for a stretch before hitting lunch at Columbia Harbor House. Afterward, it was back for another ride on Pooh and a stint of water play at Ariel’s Grotto. 
We then headed out of the park for our dinner reservations at Chef Mickey’s in the Contemporary resort. Kyle finally got to ride the monorail, which he had been asking to do all week. He was bit fussy, but that stopped once he saw Donald in the restaurant. The meal was pretty good. Kyle loved the Mickey-shaped ravioli, but not the sauce. The kitchen gave us a whole bowl without any sauce, which was an extra nice touch. Chef Mickey’s has the “big five” characters, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto, so it was really great. We had decided to eat here on something of a whim (originally having 8:05 breakfast reservations — I’m so glad we snagged dinner ones) and were very happy we did. It was a great way to bring the trip to a close.
After dinner, we headed back to the Magic Kingdom. It would have been shorted to walk, but Kyle insisted on the monorail. It was nice to see the Polynesian and Grand Floridian resorts up close. Back in the MK, we headed back to Pooh’s playground and did the Pooh ride one last time. Kyle wanted to do Pirates again and the line was “only” 30 minutes, so he and I went. Most of the time, Kyle and Suzanne went off together while I did something on my own, so it was nice for that to be reversed. After Pirates, it was off to the TTA (again) and Buzz Lightyear. (Kyle and Suzanne managed to score 270,000 points, beating me by a mile.) Another trip on Dumbo and the Tea Cups and Kyle was done for the day. We headed back to Frontierland and I hopped on Big Thunder Mountain for one last time. We were hoping to get back early to do some packing, but that didn’t happen as it was after 11:00 when we returned to the hotel. It was surprising how much more crowded it was today than it had been during the week.
Animal Kingdom
Epcot
Hollywood Studios
Magic Kingdom
Caribbean Beach Resort & few other places
You can also see our report as a single page.
Since we had a late night, we weren’t in a rush to get going. We awoke quite late and headed to the pool for a swim. Kyle got to spend a good amount of time in the little kids’ play area, though it should open before 10:00.
After swimming, we headed out to Animal Kingdom. After lunch at Yak & Yeti counter service (the best CS meal of the trip), we headed over to see the Festival of the Lion King. This show was excellent and a real highlight. Kyle wasn’t too sure about the fire “juggler”, but liked the rest of it. We were glad there wasn’t a fire extinguisher handy. He might have tried to put out the fire. After this, we headed up to grab FastPasses for the safari to use later in the day. While Suzanne and Kyle hung out at the drums, I went and rode Everest a couple of more times. (Unfortunately, the single-rider line actually was a line this time.) We then took the train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. We had heard mixed reports about this area, but we thought it was well done for kids. It would have been even nicer except Kyle had one of his, admittedly few, meltdowns while there. We then hopped on the train for the return trip and did the Pangani Forest trail.
Kyle was a little impatient, so Suzanne was going to take him for french fries for a snack while I took some more time for photos. (It was worth it to me as I got one of my favorite shots of the trip.) As they headed out, they happened on the afternoon’s parade. Kyle wanted to see it, so they waited until I was done, at which point Kyle and I watched the parade and Suzanne went to get the french fries. After the parade, it was time for our late afternoon safari. (Our FastPass window had already passed, but in nearly all cases, they don’t care you when you come back as long as it’s after the earliest time and the same day.) The second safari was also very good, though the driving was quite a bit rougher. (It made it hard to get good photos.) We did see the lions much better this time. After our safari, we walked around some of the trails around the Tree of Life. I have to admit I wasn’t too sure what to expect of the tree, but was completely blown away by the artistry and creativity. We next headed up to Tusker House for our dinner reservation. I had considered making them even later than 7:00, but was glad I didn’t as we were all ready for dinner by then. Dinner was once again excellent. I would highly recommended TH as they had some more exotic items than normal Disney buffets. Suzanne even tried the chicken curry, but said it was spicy. (It wasn’t to me, but I’m incredibly insensitive to capsaicin. I like my curry of the extra-spicy Vinadaloo variety.) By the time we were done, the park was closing after Extra Magic Hours. It was incredible to walk out of the park after closing as it was very quiet and peaceful. I was actually very impressed with Animal Kingdom and would definitely dedicate a day to return on a future trip.
Animal Kingdom
Epcot
Hollywood Studios
Magic Kingdom
Caribbean Beach Resort & few other places
You can also see our report as a single page.
Tonight was the Halloween Party, so we decided to sort of wing it in the morning. We ended up getting a late start, eating breakfast at the CBR food court, and heading to Hollywood Studios for a few things. Kyle and Suzanne headed up to the playground while I did the Tower of Terror. This was my first time and is likely my favorite ride now. It was excellent. I also picked up a FastPass for later to do it a second time. We met back up just in time to catch the Playhouse Disney show. This was a “must-do” as Kyle is a big fan of Handy Manny and Little Einsteins. (This is odd since we don’t get cable and, hence, don’t get the Disney Channel. We do get DVDs from the library sometimes.) I headed back to the Tower of Terror for another ride while Suzanne and Kyle headed back to the playground, where I met them after I was done. We didn’t see all of the park, but we felt we had seen enough to be done for the week.
After quick trip back to hotel (mostly to get Kyle’s costume), we caught another bus over to the Magic Kingdom. We were really excited about tonight as it was time for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. We had heard very good things about this. Our first stop was to ride Aladdin’s Magic Carpets. (Kyle really likes these “Dumbo”-like rides. The flying fish Elmos at Sesame Place were also a hit.) We then happened on a good spot to watch the parade. We thought it was supposed to start in only 15 minutes, but it was more like 45 as we were in Fronteirland and it started on Main St. (This is the only parade I’ve ever seen at the MK that did so.) Next we headed over to the Crystal Palace for dinner. We were a bit concerned as people had been reporting waits of up to an hour even with reservations. It turned out that the wait was so short after check in that we didn’t even have time to sit on the porch after getting Kyle’s bag off his stroller. Dinner was excellent, one of the best of the trip. The server was incredibly friendly and the character interaction was really good. (Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet are here.) This was Kyle’s first character meal, so it was a bit special. Kyle loved marching in the parade. We even got to see a couple of characters twice.
After dinner, we happened on a Dance Party in front of the castle, which Kyle enjoyed. (It’s sort of like a stationary parade, with floats and characters even, and the audience can join in.) Afterward, we got our wristbands for the Halloween party. (The party is a specially ticketed event. Anyone without a ticket is asked to leave before it starts at 7:00.) Kyle got into his costume (a fireman, of course) and we headed off to ride the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (Peoplemover) again. While heading there, Buzz was reporting a wait of only 10 mins, so we hit that first. Kyle wasn’t too excited about it, but we told him maybe there was a fire inside. (I think a cast member made this hint.) He ended up really enjoying it. After being done here, we hit the TTA as planned. It was then time for the party to start, so we headed over to Adventure land to start some character meetings and trick-or-treating. Kyle wasn’t real big on characters tonight, but we did meet Baloo, Jane and Terk (from Tarzan), Genie and Abu (from Aladdin), and Mickey in his costume. 
Genie and Abu were especially good, spending a good ten minutes playing around with Kyle. There were trick-or-treating stands set up throughout the park, so we hit a number of those. We could have gotten more candy during the evening, but it wasn’t a high priority. (We also knew we’d get more on actual Halloween in just over a week.) We ended up doing a bunch of rides during the evening including Aladdin’s Carpets, Pirates of the Caribbean, the carousel, Peter Pan (at Kyle’s insistent request — he probably saw the ride vehicles which look like boats), It’s a Small World, the Tea Cups, Dumbo, and the Speedway (also at Kyle’s insistent request). We weren’t too sure about Pirates, but decided to give it a try as the line was short. (We ended up literally walking onto a boat with no wait.) Kyle was a little unsure at first, especially where it’s really dark, but enjoyed it enough to request a second trip later in the week. Kyle feel asleep just before the parade, which was too bad as it was quite nice. (He even slept through the gravediggers group banging their shovels on the pavement.) After the parade, we headed over to Frontierland so I could ride Big Thunder Mountain, my last “must-do”. It was good, but after Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster and Expedition Everest, it seemed quite tame. That done, we headed out of the park and back to the hotel, getting there around midnight.
Animal Kingdom
Epcot
Hollywood Studios
Magic Kingdom
Caribbean Beach Resort & few other places
