Carrie couldn't get enough, and is back in Disney! This time it's a shorter trip with her friend Erin, Lily (Erin's 5-year-old daughter), and friend Teresa. She made some friends in the Mexico pavilion who bought her and Erin tequilla shots.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Day 21: Goodbye
This morning we woke up and the mad rush packing began. I have a tendency to procrastinate when it comes to packing. I don't know about you, but packing makes me feel very anxious. I'm always afraid I'm going to forget something important.
In addition to packing it was also a busy morning of cleaning. I wanted to clean up as much as I could around the house before hitting the road. Our friends had so graciously let us stay at their home and I wanted to make sure everything was spic and span.
Kaleigh had asked if we could go and visit Art of Animation (a new Disney resort that just opened this year). She had seen pictures and videos of the hotel being built and really wanted to get a closer look. We decided to stop at Art of Animation for lunch on the way out of town.
The hotel is located right next to Pop Century. It was originally designed to be the other half of Pop Century (the rest of the century). It has the exact layout as Pop Century. The only (large) difference is the resort is made up of mostly family suites. Because of that the buildings are inside entry. The three Little Mermaid buildings that just opened are regular rooms like Pop Century, but the rest of the resort are "Family Suites". The suites are basically two regular sized rooms that have been connected. The price for a suite is comparable to booking two rooms at any of the value resorts. You can find more information on Art of Animation on Disney's website or on the All Ears website.
The food court (Landscape of Flavors) had a wide variety of foods to choose from. Take a look at the lunch/dinner menu. Walter and I split the Pastrami Cheeseburger. It was really good. I'm glad we split it though. Disney portion sizes are enormous! We always split counter service (fast food) meals in Disney.
After lunch, we made our way over to New Smyrna Beach. After visiting my aunt, we continued on to I 95 North. Before getting very far we made one last pit stop. I had read online about a Disney outlet store in St. Augustine, Florida (about 2 hours north of Disney). We stopped in for just a bit to look around. There was a lot of really nice stuff and decently priced but I ran into one problem. There wasn't a great selection of sizes available in anything. I was able to find one shirt and I was happy with that.
The weather for the ride home was pretty horrible. It was rainy and overcast the whole time. At one point, we had to pull over because it was raining too hard to see five feet in front of the car. Mysteriously, it only rained during my turn to drive. Because we had gotten such a late start, by mid-night, we had only made it to Florence, North Carolina. We stopped at a hotel for the night. It wasn't too bad for $60/night; even included a breakfast.
The rest of the ride home was pretty uneventful except for our crappy GPS getting us stuck in traffic in DC. We got back home around 6pm, and our dog Moby had already been dropped off by Walter's sister. Moby was very excited to see us. Exhausted, we were in bed a little after 8pm.
Thanks for joining us on our adventure. We hope you enjoyed reading.
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| Carrie being sad to leave Disney |
In addition to packing it was also a busy morning of cleaning. I wanted to clean up as much as I could around the house before hitting the road. Our friends had so graciously let us stay at their home and I wanted to make sure everything was spic and span.
Kaleigh had asked if we could go and visit Art of Animation (a new Disney resort that just opened this year). She had seen pictures and videos of the hotel being built and really wanted to get a closer look. We decided to stop at Art of Animation for lunch on the way out of town.
The hotel is located right next to Pop Century. It was originally designed to be the other half of Pop Century (the rest of the century). It has the exact layout as Pop Century. The only (large) difference is the resort is made up of mostly family suites. Because of that the buildings are inside entry. The three Little Mermaid buildings that just opened are regular rooms like Pop Century, but the rest of the resort are "Family Suites". The suites are basically two regular sized rooms that have been connected. The price for a suite is comparable to booking two rooms at any of the value resorts. You can find more information on Art of Animation on Disney's website or on the All Ears website.
The food court (Landscape of Flavors) had a wide variety of foods to choose from. Take a look at the lunch/dinner menu. Walter and I split the Pastrami Cheeseburger. It was really good. I'm glad we split it though. Disney portion sizes are enormous! We always split counter service (fast food) meals in Disney.
After lunch, we made our way over to New Smyrna Beach. After visiting my aunt, we continued on to I 95 North. Before getting very far we made one last pit stop. I had read online about a Disney outlet store in St. Augustine, Florida (about 2 hours north of Disney). We stopped in for just a bit to look around. There was a lot of really nice stuff and decently priced but I ran into one problem. There wasn't a great selection of sizes available in anything. I was able to find one shirt and I was happy with that.
The weather for the ride home was pretty horrible. It was rainy and overcast the whole time. At one point, we had to pull over because it was raining too hard to see five feet in front of the car. Mysteriously, it only rained during my turn to drive. Because we had gotten such a late start, by mid-night, we had only made it to Florence, North Carolina. We stopped at a hotel for the night. It wasn't too bad for $60/night; even included a breakfast.
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| Moby on a prior road trip. |
Thanks for joining us on our adventure. We hope you enjoyed reading.
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| An extra picture of Moby at the beach because he's so cute. |
Friday, October 5, 2012
Day 20: Magic Kingdom and Dessert
Last night, we had dinner at Earl of Sandwich, and discovered something new: you can buy loaves of their bread for $0.99 each! This morning we made french toast using that wonderfully delicious bread! Yum! Yum!
After an amazing breakfast, we went to the park with Katie and Kaleigh (my sister and my 10-year-old niece). Since they only had one day to visit Disney, they opted for Magic Kingdom. The crowds weren't that bad. We started by riding the train back to the new Fantasyland. We did Dumbo and Barnstormer before continuing around to almost every other ride in the park. I won't bore you with the exact order of attractions. We did a lot. It was great!
Around 5 pm we said goodbye, made arrangements for where we would meet later (to drive them home), and headed over to Epcot. Katie and Kaleigh had tickets for the Halloween Party, but we had reservations for the 3D Dessert Discovery at Epcot. We decided to meet at the Polynesian around midnight.
The 3D Dessert Discovery is a special event held on only four Friday nights during the Food and Wine Festival. I made reservations after seeing some great reviews online. For a set price we were given admission to an all-you-can-eat (and drink) dessert party. Throughout the banquet hall, there were stations with: savory items, desserts, and a variety of alcoholic drinks. The room was beautifully decorated and there was a live band playing.
At the end of the dessert party we headed to the reserved firework viewing area (same as the Chase location). As a special surprise we were given special glasses to wear during Illuminations. The glasses contained diffraction lenses that created Mickey heads when viewing bright light. It turned a fireworks burst into a hundred little Mickey's in the sky. Very cool
After the fireworks we sat down and waited a bit for the crowds to thin out. We weren't in any rush! After awhile we made our way to the Polynesian. Walter and I found a comfy spot on a couch outside of Ohana and waited there for Katie and Kaleigh.
The desserts were a bit disappointing. Of the "Sweet Classics", the only one that I liked was the tiramisu. The rest were pretty bad by Disney standards. The Baby Cakes cupcakes were good, excellent frosting.
I was surprised to find that I enjoyed the savory section more than the desserts. Particularly, the Ghirardelli Chocolate Bacon Brittle. The bacon had an almost jerky texture, and the chocolate was creamy which prevented it from flaking off when biting into the bacon.
One problem with the both the dessert and savory food stations was nothing was labelled. There was a menu at the end of the food, but you were not close enough to read it until after you made your food selections.
There were also flambeed cinnamon sugar donuts served with ice cream. The donuts were super filling, one was more than enough, and the ice creams were actually very good. One ice cream flavor was "Red Stag by Jim Bean Spiced with Cinnamon", and the other was "Cruzan Rum Ice Cream". I liked the cinnamon one better.
The booze was being served by promotion companies. I had a suspicion that they were paying Disney to be there, and not the other way around. There were flavored Pinnacle Vodkas, which were so so. The best flavor was pumpkin pie. The booze booth that I most enjoyed was "The Great Whiskey Debate". There, I sampled (many times) a Laphroig 10 year single malt scotch. It had a nice warm smokey flavor. I tried the other whiskeys, but the Laphroig was my favorite.
Overall, I had a pretty good time, despite the plethora of unappealing desserts.
After an amazing breakfast, we went to the park with Katie and Kaleigh (my sister and my 10-year-old niece). Since they only had one day to visit Disney, they opted for Magic Kingdom. The crowds weren't that bad. We started by riding the train back to the new Fantasyland. We did Dumbo and Barnstormer before continuing around to almost every other ride in the park. I won't bore you with the exact order of attractions. We did a lot. It was great!
Around 5 pm we said goodbye, made arrangements for where we would meet later (to drive them home), and headed over to Epcot. Katie and Kaleigh had tickets for the Halloween Party, but we had reservations for the 3D Dessert Discovery at Epcot. We decided to meet at the Polynesian around midnight.
The 3D Dessert Discovery is a special event held on only four Friday nights during the Food and Wine Festival. I made reservations after seeing some great reviews online. For a set price we were given admission to an all-you-can-eat (and drink) dessert party. Throughout the banquet hall, there were stations with: savory items, desserts, and a variety of alcoholic drinks. The room was beautifully decorated and there was a live band playing.
 |
| A chandelier viewed through the Mickey diffraction glasses |
After the fireworks we sat down and waited a bit for the crowds to thin out. We weren't in any rush! After awhile we made our way to the Polynesian. Walter and I found a comfy spot on a couch outside of Ohana and waited there for Katie and Kaleigh.
Walter's Review of the Dessert Party
The party felt sort of like a wedding reception where you didn't know any of the other guests. There was food and booze everywhere. We did happen to find a nice married couple to sit with. They were both doctors from Pennsylvania. He was there attending a customer service training seminar by Disney, and she came along for fun. She had spent the day in Epcot by herself and "pre-gamed" a bit in Mexico. It was nice to find cool people to talk to.The desserts were a bit disappointing. Of the "Sweet Classics", the only one that I liked was the tiramisu. The rest were pretty bad by Disney standards. The Baby Cakes cupcakes were good, excellent frosting.
I was surprised to find that I enjoyed the savory section more than the desserts. Particularly, the Ghirardelli Chocolate Bacon Brittle. The bacon had an almost jerky texture, and the chocolate was creamy which prevented it from flaking off when biting into the bacon.
One problem with the both the dessert and savory food stations was nothing was labelled. There was a menu at the end of the food, but you were not close enough to read it until after you made your food selections.
There were also flambeed cinnamon sugar donuts served with ice cream. The donuts were super filling, one was more than enough, and the ice creams were actually very good. One ice cream flavor was "Red Stag by Jim Bean Spiced with Cinnamon", and the other was "Cruzan Rum Ice Cream". I liked the cinnamon one better.
The booze was being served by promotion companies. I had a suspicion that they were paying Disney to be there, and not the other way around. There were flavored Pinnacle Vodkas, which were so so. The best flavor was pumpkin pie. The booze booth that I most enjoyed was "The Great Whiskey Debate". There, I sampled (many times) a Laphroig 10 year single malt scotch. It had a nice warm smokey flavor. I tried the other whiskeys, but the Laphroig was my favorite.
Overall, I had a pretty good time, despite the plethora of unappealing desserts.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Day 19: Epcot
Today we spent most of the day leisurely touring the World Showcase in Epcot. We watched the movies in France, China, and Norway. The movies are something we don't always take the time to watch on a normal trip. Walter had not watched the China movie since a family Disney vacation when he was four years old. There was a scene in the movie that he could vividly recall from his childhood viewing.
We had plans to meet with friends for the Eat to the Beat concert (to see Starship) and a late night "Kitchen Sink" but unfortunately it just didn't work out. Our plans were foiled by a rain storm. For fun, Walter and I checked the wait at Beaches and Cream (the restaurant that serves the Kitchen Sink) To our dismay, it was a 2 hour wait! (They don't take reservations.) We also learned that the ice cream they use is Edy's brand, which Walter does not care for. Rather than hanging out at Epcot in the rain, we decided to go Earl of Sandwich for dinner and relax a bit before heading to the airport to pick up some family.
My sister and niece (Katie and Kaleigh) just recently arranged to come down to Florida for this weekend. Kaleigh has Monday and Tuesday off for Columbus Day. They will be flying into Orlando tonight and we'll be picking them up. Tomorrow, we'll all go to the park together. On Saturday, when we start making our way home, we will drop them off at my Aunt's place in New Smyrna Beach, FL. They will be flying home Tuesday. Their flight doesn't get in until 11:15 pm tonight so once we pick them up we'll be going straight home and to bed!
We had plans to meet with friends for the Eat to the Beat concert (to see Starship) and a late night "Kitchen Sink" but unfortunately it just didn't work out. Our plans were foiled by a rain storm. For fun, Walter and I checked the wait at Beaches and Cream (the restaurant that serves the Kitchen Sink) To our dismay, it was a 2 hour wait! (They don't take reservations.) We also learned that the ice cream they use is Edy's brand, which Walter does not care for. Rather than hanging out at Epcot in the rain, we decided to go Earl of Sandwich for dinner and relax a bit before heading to the airport to pick up some family.
My sister and niece (Katie and Kaleigh) just recently arranged to come down to Florida for this weekend. Kaleigh has Monday and Tuesday off for Columbus Day. They will be flying into Orlando tonight and we'll be picking them up. Tomorrow, we'll all go to the park together. On Saturday, when we start making our way home, we will drop them off at my Aunt's place in New Smyrna Beach, FL. They will be flying home Tuesday. Their flight doesn't get in until 11:15 pm tonight so once we pick them up we'll be going straight home and to bed!
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Day 18: Magic Kingdom
We're entering the final stretch of our vacation. The sad reality that we'll soon be returning home and back to our humdrum lives has given us the blues.
Against our better judgement, we decided to go to Magic Kingdom today. We knew the park would be busy but we went anyway. The park was busy today because it was open until 10 pm. People want to get the most park hours for their dollar. So they avoid Magic Kingdom on days when it closes early, and flock to it on days when it is open late. This time of year, Magic Kingdom closes at 7pm on certain nights to host to the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. A separate ticket is required to stay in the park after 7pm. On the day we rode every ride in Magic Kingdom, the park closed at 7 pm for a Halloween Party. The crowds were so low that day, we were able to ride every attraction in the park with time to spare.
While not unmanageable, the crowds were larger than what we had become accustomed to, so we decided to take a break from the park and visit the monorail resorts. In addition to great sit down restaurants, the monorail resorts are also home to great food courts:
Against our better judgement, we decided to go to Magic Kingdom today. We knew the park would be busy but we went anyway. The park was busy today because it was open until 10 pm. People want to get the most park hours for their dollar. So they avoid Magic Kingdom on days when it closes early, and flock to it on days when it is open late. This time of year, Magic Kingdom closes at 7pm on certain nights to host to the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. A separate ticket is required to stay in the park after 7pm. On the day we rode every ride in Magic Kingdom, the park closed at 7 pm for a Halloween Party. The crowds were so low that day, we were able to ride every attraction in the park with time to spare.
While not unmanageable, the crowds were larger than what we had become accustomed to, so we decided to take a break from the park and visit the monorail resorts. In addition to great sit down restaurants, the monorail resorts are also home to great food courts:
- Polynesian - Captain Cooks has several great options. In the morning, you can get an order of the famous Tonga Toast (much cheaper than upstairs at Kona Cafe). For lunch or dinner I would suggest the Grown Up Grilled Cheese and the self-serve Dole Whip. While there are seats inside but we enjoy going outside to eat. The Polynesian resort is so beautiful!
- Contemporary - Contempo Cafe is located right next to Chef Mickey's on the Grand Canyon Concourse. It's a lot of fun to get something to eat and watch the monorail come and go through the hotel, right above your head. The menu has a wide variety of food available but I would suggest one of the sandwiches like the turkey blt.
- Grand Floridian - Gasparilla Grill is currently closed for refurbishment. Rather than tell you what was good here I think it's best to just wait and see what the refurbishment will bring. For the time being you can get a variety of quick-service items from the beach pool bar.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Day 17: Family Day
Today we went to visit my aunt and uncle who live in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. (It's a little over an hour away from Disney.)
One of our goals for this trip was to go to a theme park everyday. Before heading out of town we went into Magic Kingdom this morning. It was a short visit to the park.We briefly spoke to the mayor and got a picture with him and rode Pirates of the Caribbean.
One of our goals for this trip was to go to a theme park everyday. Before heading out of town we went into Magic Kingdom this morning. It was a short visit to the park.We briefly spoke to the mayor and got a picture with him and rode Pirates of the Caribbean.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Day 16: Epcot's 30th Anniversary
Today was a pretty amazing day. It was the 30th Anniversary of Epcot.
We got to the park for rope drop, and immediately headed towards the Chase lounge where Disney was offering wrist bands for priority fireworks seating. On our way to get the wristbands, we encountered a horde of people lined up in the direction of the lounge. To our relief, they were all waiting to enter Mouse Gears to buy limited edition Epcot 30th Anniversary crap. We bypassed the crowd and got our wristbands.
After leaving the lounge, we walked pass the horde of people again. By now, they had all been moved to an orderly line by Disney cast members. We followed the line just to see exactly how long it really went. The line kept going and going. The end was near the entrance to the World Showcase. A cast member stood near the end of the line and let guests know that they expected the line to take close to three hours or maybe more.
These devout Disney fans represent a very interesting dichotomy to me. They feel compelled to buy every "limited edition" product that Disney produces. Part of me looks as these people and feels bad for their obsessive compulsive nature. The other part of me (the Disney shareholder part of me) says, "buy more my pretties". Disney is fully aware that their artificial scarcity feeds right into the obsession; it's part of their business model. It's the same way that credit card companies compel people to use more credit than they can afford through their various promotions and advertisements. In the end, I believe that adults are free to make their own poor decisions in life. And to be fair, I'm probably no better, I once waited hours in line to buy a small batch beer.
Rather than waiting in line to buy anything we decided to wait in line for the special one day only talks being held. The first talk was entitled, "Designing the Future - Past and Present: A panel of Disney Imagineers remembers 30 years of building tomorrow!" While waiting to enter the building we met some great people, and the ensuing conversations made the time fly by. Once inside we had a front row seat.
The first talk consisted of a panel of Disney Imagineers that worked for Disney during the creation of Epcot. Each panel member talked about their history and memories of working with Disney. It was an entertaining discussion, and we were very happy we attended.
The second talk was entitled, "Epcot: How it Changed the World with Marty Sklar." Marty gave a good presentation. He talked about working with Walt Disney, and helping build Epcot. He told some very good stories.
During both talks, there was much discussion of The American Adventure attraction. Coincidentally, just the previous day, on a whim we decided to visit that attraction for the first time in our lives. If it hadn't been for that whim, much of the discussion would not have made sense to us.
After Marty's talk, we ran over to the American Gardens Theatre to watch a performance by Sugar Ray (a band from the late 90s). Carrie thought they put on a pretty good show, with lots of audience interaction. I was never a huge fan, so I spent most of the concert watching other peoples' reactions to the show.
To beat the mass exodus from the stadium, we left the show a minute before they finished their last song "Fly". We made our way over to the reserve seating section for the fireworks.
We waited for about an hour to be let into the reserved seating section, than another hour for the fireworks to start. We killed time by talking to various people. We met a brother and sister that were visiting from St. Louis. The brother had been done the Disney College Program at the same year as Carrie. That conversation attracted the attention of the cast member monitoring the crowd. She was currently on her second college program working in Innovations at the Sum of All Thrills attraction.
In honor of the 30th Anniversary, Epcot had an extended fireworks show. It was simply amazing. It was maybe 5 minutes longer than normal. The grand finale was so loud, you could feel it in your chest, and people had their fingers in their ears. The sky was bright as day. Just amazing. I took a slow motion video that I'll post after a bit of editing.
We celebrated a day well done with dinner at Earl of Sandwich.
We got to the park for rope drop, and immediately headed towards the Chase lounge where Disney was offering wrist bands for priority fireworks seating. On our way to get the wristbands, we encountered a horde of people lined up in the direction of the lounge. To our relief, they were all waiting to enter Mouse Gears to buy limited edition Epcot 30th Anniversary crap. We bypassed the crowd and got our wristbands.
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| People in line to buy crap |
These devout Disney fans represent a very interesting dichotomy to me. They feel compelled to buy every "limited edition" product that Disney produces. Part of me looks as these people and feels bad for their obsessive compulsive nature. The other part of me (the Disney shareholder part of me) says, "buy more my pretties". Disney is fully aware that their artificial scarcity feeds right into the obsession; it's part of their business model. It's the same way that credit card companies compel people to use more credit than they can afford through their various promotions and advertisements. In the end, I believe that adults are free to make their own poor decisions in life. And to be fair, I'm probably no better, I once waited hours in line to buy a small batch beer.
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| Some Imagineers that helped open Epcot |
Rather than waiting in line to buy anything we decided to wait in line for the special one day only talks being held. The first talk was entitled, "Designing the Future - Past and Present: A panel of Disney Imagineers remembers 30 years of building tomorrow!" While waiting to enter the building we met some great people, and the ensuing conversations made the time fly by. Once inside we had a front row seat.
The first talk consisted of a panel of Disney Imagineers that worked for Disney during the creation of Epcot. Each panel member talked about their history and memories of working with Disney. It was an entertaining discussion, and we were very happy we attended.
The second talk was entitled, "Epcot: How it Changed the World with Marty Sklar." Marty gave a good presentation. He talked about working with Walt Disney, and helping build Epcot. He told some very good stories.
During both talks, there was much discussion of The American Adventure attraction. Coincidentally, just the previous day, on a whim we decided to visit that attraction for the first time in our lives. If it hadn't been for that whim, much of the discussion would not have made sense to us.
 |
| Mark McGrath looking similar to Vanilla Ice |
To beat the mass exodus from the stadium, we left the show a minute before they finished their last song "Fly". We made our way over to the reserve seating section for the fireworks.
We waited for about an hour to be let into the reserved seating section, than another hour for the fireworks to start. We killed time by talking to various people. We met a brother and sister that were visiting from St. Louis. The brother had been done the Disney College Program at the same year as Carrie. That conversation attracted the attention of the cast member monitoring the crowd. She was currently on her second college program working in Innovations at the Sum of All Thrills attraction.
In honor of the 30th Anniversary, Epcot had an extended fireworks show. It was simply amazing. It was maybe 5 minutes longer than normal. The grand finale was so loud, you could feel it in your chest, and people had their fingers in their ears. The sky was bright as day. Just amazing. I took a slow motion video that I'll post after a bit of editing.
We celebrated a day well done with dinner at Earl of Sandwich.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Day 15: Epcot and CP Reunion
On Sunday, we discovered the new Chase Lounge. It was great for a short break from the heat. (See below for a detailed review on the lounge). After cooling off a bit we decided to do another loop around the world to see what food looked good. Soon it was decided. Germany! We split the beer flight #2 (had the #1 flight the other day). Also we shared the Roast Bratwurst in a Pretzel Roll and Apple Strudel with Karamel-Vanilla Sauce. It was delicious.
We left the park around 6 pm. I arranged to meet Beth, one of my College Program roommates and her fiance for drinks. One of our achievements for the trip was to do a Monorail bar crawl. Originally we planned to do that with them. However, Disney drinks are rather expensive, and they're not really anything special. Walter and I had a really great time at World of Beer the other night so we suggested meeting their instead. It was really great to catch up.
One of the new additions to the Food and Wine Festival this year is the Chase Lounge. The lounge is located in the festival center building (between the Universe of Energy and Mission Space). Chase lounge is hidden behind the Ghirardelli display, in the back of the building. It's open everyday from 9 am to 7 pm.
A Disney Cast Member is standing guard, you need to show a Chase card (debit or credit) to get into the lounge. Only one card per party is needed. It does not need to be a Disney Chase credit card. The lounge is small so you may see a line outside. That is because they only allow a certain number of people in at one time. The line moves pretty quickly, so don't be discouraged. It's nice inside but I'd guess that most people won't stay longer than 20 minutes inside. Low battery on your camera or phone? Inside you will find a charging station with several cords available. Need a seat in the air conditioning to cool off? There are a good amount of seating and it's nice and cool inside. Also available are free fountain sodas, coffee and tea and all you can eat Werther's candies. It's family friendly. A television is set on a loop of old Disney cartoons and I saw Candyland and one other board game. Looking for information? Free wi-fi is available in the lounge and a large touch screen television has information on the festival (menus, schedules).
Also, every morning a Cast Member inside the lounge distributes wristbands for reserved seating for Illuminations and the Eat to the Beat concert series. The color-coded concert wristbands will guarantee you a seat for one of the three shows that day. The reserved Illuminations viewing area is right at the center of the World Showcase Plaza. If you were to walk from Future World into World Showcase you would simply walk straight until you run into the lake. That area is called the World Showcase Plaza. Didn't get to the lounge early enough time to get one of the wristbands? No problem. They start allowing people with Illumination wristbands in at 8:30 pm, and
at 8:45 pm they start allowing anyone with a Chase card (and up to 10 of their guests).
Day 14: First Saturday of Food and Wine
As mentioned before,
Epcot is a fun place on Saturdays. There are always lots of people and
especially drunks! Another thing I love are the homemade shirts people
make for drinking around the world.
Epcot is home to the World Showcase. There are eleven countries present (Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, USA, Japan, Morocco, France, UK and Canada). During the Food and Wine Festival Disney adds several additional countries (kiosks). Each of the kiosks sells samples of food and alcohol from that country. People love it. What's not to love really? You get to try a bunch of delicious foods you can't normally get locally. Plus, you have a great excuse as to why you need to order that 20th glass of wine. You can view the menus from each of the 29 kiosks.
For the most part, we abstained from Food & Wine today. This was because we had dinner reservations at 8:30pm at Boma. We made several trips around the World Showcase (1.2 miles per lap). That has been a form of exercise for us while down here. As we walked around we took a peak at what everyone had to eat. After a bit we decided to share a beer flight from Germany, and later a 2oz sample of the famous Le Cellier wild mushroom filet mignon (Canada's restaurant). Both were very good.
There are other components to the Food and Wine Festival in addition to the kiosks. In The American Adventure (the USA section of the world showcase) there is a large open air theater. The Eat to the Beat concert series is a line up of free concerts. Each day there are three concerts (5:30, 6:45 and 8:00 pm). Most artists play two or three days. This is the line up for this years festival.
Events, seminars and demonstrations are held during the festival also. Some are free and some are an additional fee. There are book signings, cooking classes and signings. There are also special meals and food events.
We're going to the 3 D - Disney's Dessert Discover party. It's only held four nights during the festival. The first night is our last night in town (Friday, Oct. 5). We'll talk more about that later.
Epcot is home to the World Showcase. There are eleven countries present (Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, USA, Japan, Morocco, France, UK and Canada). During the Food and Wine Festival Disney adds several additional countries (kiosks). Each of the kiosks sells samples of food and alcohol from that country. People love it. What's not to love really? You get to try a bunch of delicious foods you can't normally get locally. Plus, you have a great excuse as to why you need to order that 20th glass of wine. You can view the menus from each of the 29 kiosks.
For the most part, we abstained from Food & Wine today. This was because we had dinner reservations at 8:30pm at Boma. We made several trips around the World Showcase (1.2 miles per lap). That has been a form of exercise for us while down here. As we walked around we took a peak at what everyone had to eat. After a bit we decided to share a beer flight from Germany, and later a 2oz sample of the famous Le Cellier wild mushroom filet mignon (Canada's restaurant). Both were very good.
There are other components to the Food and Wine Festival in addition to the kiosks. In The American Adventure (the USA section of the world showcase) there is a large open air theater. The Eat to the Beat concert series is a line up of free concerts. Each day there are three concerts (5:30, 6:45 and 8:00 pm). Most artists play two or three days. This is the line up for this years festival.
Events, seminars and demonstrations are held during the festival also. Some are free and some are an additional fee. There are book signings, cooking classes and signings. There are also special meals and food events.
We're going to the 3 D - Disney's Dessert Discover party. It's only held four nights during the festival. The first night is our last night in town (Friday, Oct. 5). We'll talk more about that later.
Time for dinner....
Animal Kingdom Lodge is the home to two delicious restaurants (Jiko and Boma). Jiko is a signature restaurant. Boma is an African inspired buffet restaurant. We have eaten at both restaurants. They both are delicious however, we really enjoy the variety of food at Boma. It's a great value for a Disney dinner buffet and probably the highest quality food for a Disney buffet. Everything is delicious but one of the most popular items that draws people in are the zebra domes.
After dinner we headed to Magic Kingdom. We arrived 30 minutes prior to park closing. There was only time for one or two more rides. We tried once more for Walter to be chosen as "that guy". Unfortunately, no luck again, but still it was a great show. He has a theory that there are a few parameter used to decide who is chosen: they usually choose heavy-set older men with a bald spot. Also the chosen person who is never seated on the end of a row; the joke would be ruined if the person left the show early.
Animal Kingdom Lodge is the home to two delicious restaurants (Jiko and Boma). Jiko is a signature restaurant. Boma is an African inspired buffet restaurant. We have eaten at both restaurants. They both are delicious however, we really enjoy the variety of food at Boma. It's a great value for a Disney dinner buffet and probably the highest quality food for a Disney buffet. Everything is delicious but one of the most popular items that draws people in are the zebra domes.
After dinner we headed to Magic Kingdom. We arrived 30 minutes prior to park closing. There was only time for one or two more rides. We tried once more for Walter to be chosen as "that guy". Unfortunately, no luck again, but still it was a great show. He has a theory that there are a few parameter used to decide who is chosen: they usually choose heavy-set older men with a bald spot. Also the chosen person who is never seated on the end of a row; the joke would be ruined if the person left the show early.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Day 13: Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
Friday (Sept 28) we had tickets to attend the Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom. The party is from 7 pm until midnight. Since we planned to stay whole time,we decided to stay home and rest up that morning.
During the day there were several rain showers and thunder storms. Thankfully it all seemed to blow over by dinner time.
We got to Magic Kingdom around 6 pm. There were already a bunch of people there in great costumes. (Magic Kingdom doesn't advertise this, but you can get into the park as early as 4 pm if you have a ticket to the Halloween Party.) This site has tons of information about the Halloween Party.
Right away we decided that we would spend most of our time doing the Halloween party exclusive activities. To start out we spent some time walking around looking at costumes and trick-or-treating. Inside Diamond Horseshoe Saloon (Liberty Square), there was a dance party featuring Woody and Jessie from Toy Story. It was fun to watch kids dancing with the characters. At one point, a small child got knocked over and started to cry. He ran to his mom for a brief hug. Woody came up behind the child to offer a hug, and upon seeing Woody, the child threw himself from his mother's embrace, and jumped into Woody's arms. Very cute, and a little sad for the kid's mom.
Around 9 pm, we made our way to the front of the castle for HalloWishes*. We also wanted to stake out spots for the second Boo-To-You parade. Be warned, if you're looking for a seat during the parade you might have to start looking at least an hour before. People find their spot on the sidewalk and camp out**.
There is a great spot to watch the parade in front of the castle called "three-quarters". It's the line 3/4 of the way around the circle in front of the castle (the hub). It is right by the bridge into Liberty Square. Before the parades, they put up a rope to block of the parade route. The rope is not put up until maybe 20 minutes before the parade, so people don't know about the barrier. This means there is a front row spot for the parade that few people know about. You can sit or stand on the road at that line. We often get the front row spot and sit down throughout the parade. It's a great view. When the grave diggers came by and scrapped their shovels across the ground, I was afraid I'd lose a toe if they got too close.
We did ride a couple of rides during the party:
Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, Mickey's Philharmagic, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain, and Splash Mountain.
It was pretty crowded in the park because that night's party was sold out. However, Disney only sells a limited number of tickets for each party. Although it was sold out, the wait for the rides was around 20 minutes or less.
Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is a lot of fun. I would suggest going into the party with the goal of experiencing all of the special events. In my opinion, it's not worth it if you only plan to ride the rides.
*Also, you can see the fireworks from several spots in the park. You have a great view from Liberty Square and Fantasyland. Those spots will be extremely less crowded.
** It's often more crowded in front of the castle and on Main Street. If you're looking for a less crowded spot to watch the parade go to Liberty Square or Frontierland. Remember, the second parade is always less crowded. Most families watch the first parade, the fireworks and then leave.
During the day there were several rain showers and thunder storms. Thankfully it all seemed to blow over by dinner time.
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| Remnants of a Florida thunderstorm |
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| Great costumes: the characters from the film "Up" |
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| So crowded! |
Around 9 pm, we made our way to the front of the castle for HalloWishes*. We also wanted to stake out spots for the second Boo-To-You parade. Be warned, if you're looking for a seat during the parade you might have to start looking at least an hour before. People find their spot on the sidewalk and camp out**.
There is a great spot to watch the parade in front of the castle called "three-quarters". It's the line 3/4 of the way around the circle in front of the castle (the hub). It is right by the bridge into Liberty Square. Before the parades, they put up a rope to block of the parade route. The rope is not put up until maybe 20 minutes before the parade, so people don't know about the barrier. This means there is a front row spot for the parade that few people know about. You can sit or stand on the road at that line. We often get the front row spot and sit down throughout the parade. It's a great view. When the grave diggers came by and scrapped their shovels across the ground, I was afraid I'd lose a toe if they got too close.
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| Waiting for PhilharMagic to start |
We did ride a couple of rides during the party:
Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, Mickey's Philharmagic, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain, and Splash Mountain.
It was pretty crowded in the park because that night's party was sold out. However, Disney only sells a limited number of tickets for each party. Although it was sold out, the wait for the rides was around 20 minutes or less.
Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is a lot of fun. I would suggest going into the party with the goal of experiencing all of the special events. In my opinion, it's not worth it if you only plan to ride the rides.
*Also, you can see the fireworks from several spots in the park. You have a great view from Liberty Square and Fantasyland. Those spots will be extremely less crowded.
** It's often more crowded in front of the castle and on Main Street. If you're looking for a less crowded spot to watch the parade go to Liberty Square or Frontierland. Remember, the second parade is always less crowded. Most families watch the first parade, the fireworks and then leave.
Disney Attention to Detail Mistake
One of my favorite things about Disney World is their attention to detail. They put so much work into hiding little details into all their sets. That is why I was saddened during our visit to Hollywood Studios when I noticed this mistake:
You probably wouldn't notice it unless you were from Delaware. I took this photo in a part of Hollywood Studios that is made up to look like San Francisco. We were walking by when I noticed this Delaware license plate; distinguishable by the text "The First State" at the top. The mistake is in the license plate numbering "MM03KP". In Delaware, we don't have letters on our standard issue license plates. It is possible that Disney hid some sort of inside joke inside a Delaware vanity plate, but if there is one, I could not decode it. I think it was just a mistake.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Day 12: Hollywood Studios
Today we got a somewhat late start. I think we've been sleeping in later and later with each passing day. A Disney vacation is actually pretty tiring. We got to Hollywood Studios around 11:00, and immediately went to get Fast Passes for Toy Story Mania. The return times were already 6:40 to 7:40pm, and the park closed at 8pm.
First we headed to Muppet Vision 3D. Then we made our way to the revamped Star Tours. I have a feeling that not many people know the ride has been revamped, because I've never seen a line for it. Or possibly, the reputation of the old version of the ride as a horrible whiplash hazard has kept people away. The new version is very good. The motion is smooth and the video is in 3D, which makes for an immersive experience.
We were going to see the first Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show of the day, but there was some sort of delay, so instead we went to see the first showing of The American Idol Experience. We dislike the TV show, but the Disney attraction is sort of fun. It's interesting how Disney has the whole show set up. There are three contestants, who are actual park guests that have auditioned with Disney's "friendly" casting directors. They actually throw the word "friendly" in there to reassure people that they won't be berated like on the TV show. I have a theory that they select the contestants such that for each show: one contestant is a decent karaoke singer at best, one is a good singer, and one is clearly a very talented singer that is sure to be voted the best by the audience. That has been my observation from the few times we've attended it.
After American Idol, we watched the Beauty and the Beast stage show. It's a reenactment of the movie with singing and dancing. Only two of the actors actually sing, Belle and Gaston, everyone else are just extras lip syncing. Still, it's a fun show, although they sort of skip huge portions of the story.
Rockin Roller Coaster is very close to Beauty and the Beast, so we headed over there. We used the single rider line and rode it 3 times. It's a very good indoor roller coaster with some loops and a corkscrew. It's dark inside except for black-lights that turn on as you approach various florescent painted sets and backdrops.
Tower of Terror is next to Rockin Roller Coaster, but we skipped it. Neither of us really care for Tower of Terror. It's one of those rides where you're in a cage that free falls vertically, except on this ride, mid-fall you stop and get thrown back up. This up-and-down repeats a few time before you return to ground floor. The up-and-down is somewhat sickening, and I'd much prefer a single long drop.
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| Damn you Handy Manny for making us miss our show. |
The Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show is pretty cool. It's supposed to feel like you're watching an action movie being shot. I shot a couple of slow motion videos of the explosions. A text description doesn't really do it justice. You'll just have to see it in person, or look it up on youtube.
After the stunt show, we went back to Little Mermaid. When we got out of Little Mermaid, it was pouring rain. Whenever people visit Disney World, they suddenly become highly allergic to water. I know this because despite a horde of people coming towards them, they will stop and block the only exit to avoid walking into the rain. We ran over to the Great Movie Ride to wait out the rain. The gangster that we had a very good. Carrie got his name (John Vancleave) and gave it to Guest Services so he would get recognized by his managers.
When we got off Great Movie Ride, the rain had stopped and it was time to use our Fast Passes for Toy Story, so we headed over there. Unfortunately, the ride was closed! The rain had lead to a influx of guests tracking water into the queue. The water formed a puddle, and they closed the ride. We decided to leave instead of wait out the closure. We had done pretty much everything there is to do in the park, and there isn't much worth repeating (other than Toy Story).
We left and headed to World of Beer, a cool bar that has a giant selection of craft beers. I had two different barley wines and a chocolate stout, and Carrie found a Belgian dubbel that she liked. Since the bar didn't serve food, they let you bring in outside food. We had a burrito from a Chipotle two doors down.
As you can see, it was a pretty productive day.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Day 11: Random Happenings
Earl of Sandwich is one of my favorite places to eat while in Disney. It's located in the Downtown Disney Marketplace. (The bread is what really sets their sandwiches apart.) One thing we've never had the chance to try is their breakfast menu. This morning we tried the: Bacon, Egg and Cheddar,
Ham, Egg and Cheddar and Ham and Swiss. I really enjoyed my sandwich (ham and swiss) and would definitely return.
This afternoon we headed over to Epcot. Having never had a chance to try the Kim Possible World Showcase game we thought we'd try out the new Phineas and Ferb: Agent P's World Showcase Adventure. We signed up for our mission and headed over to France. It was a cute story line and a nice way to explore the world showcase countries. The most distracting thing was the unbearable heat. Today was just brutal. After a bit we decided to move on.
EPCOT's Food and Wine festival begins this Friday (Sept. 28). Today we saw several Disney Cast Members preparing for the festival. Many of the menus were posted outside of the booths. Everything looks delicious. We can't wait!
In anticipation for the festival I decided to try to make the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup. I found the recipe online awhile back but never made it. We went to the store and got everything and had it for dinner along with some flounder. It was wonderful!
This afternoon we headed over to Epcot. Having never had a chance to try the Kim Possible World Showcase game we thought we'd try out the new Phineas and Ferb: Agent P's World Showcase Adventure. We signed up for our mission and headed over to France. It was a cute story line and a nice way to explore the world showcase countries. The most distracting thing was the unbearable heat. Today was just brutal. After a bit we decided to move on.
EPCOT's Food and Wine festival begins this Friday (Sept. 28). Today we saw several Disney Cast Members preparing for the festival. Many of the menus were posted outside of the booths. Everything looks delicious. We can't wait!
In anticipation for the festival I decided to try to make the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup. I found the recipe online awhile back but never made it. We went to the store and got everything and had it for dinner along with some flounder. It was wonderful!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Day 10: Splash Mountain x 20
Today, just for fun, we decided to see how many times we could ride Splash Mountain back-to-back.
We got into the park around 10 am, and left around 6 pm. (The park was closing at 7 pm for a Halloween Party.)
For fun, we took a picture of each ride. We held up our fingers to indicate which number-ride it was. We had to get creative starting with ride #11, so we switched to using one hand to indicate the 10s-place-value.
After we left Magic Kingdom, we headed over to Downtown Disney to have dinner at Raglan Road. It's an Irish Pub with live music and dancing. Good atmosphere, good food, my only complaint was almost too loud to talk to our server. We saw one family leave before ordering their drinks because it was too loud for their children. However, the noise is to be expected at a place with live music.
We got into the park around 10 am, and left around 6 pm. (The park was closing at 7 pm for a Halloween Party.)
For fun, we took a picture of each ride. We held up our fingers to indicate which number-ride it was. We had to get creative starting with ride #11, so we switched to using one hand to indicate the 10s-place-value.
After we left Magic Kingdom, we headed over to Downtown Disney to have dinner at Raglan Road. It's an Irish Pub with live music and dancing. Good atmosphere, good food, my only complaint was almost too loud to talk to our server. We saw one family leave before ordering their drinks because it was too loud for their children. However, the noise is to be expected at a place with live music.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Day 9: The Marathon Day
Wow! Today was pretty exhausting. This morning over breakfast we decided, on a whim, to try to hit all four parks today (and also do all of the Disney mountains).
We left the house about 11 am and headed first to Animal Kingdom. Thanks to the great single rider line, we were able to ride Expedition Everest three times in less than 30 minutes. We thought that was a great start to our marathon day. Time to move on.
After leaving Animal Kingdom, we headed over to Hollywood Studios. Our first ride was The Great Movie Ride. One thing I had been hoping to see on this trip was the elusive bandit (cowboy) storyline. For a number of reasons, they don't often offer it. It's been quite some time since we have seen it. Today we lucked out and had a wonderful tour guide and cowgirl. In celebration, we headed over to Starring Rolls Cafe. Today we split the Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcake. Next, we made our way over to the Rockin' Roller Coaster. We used the single rider line and rode it twice back-to-back.
Continuing on, we stopped at Epcot. To start, we hopped on Spaceship Earth. Next, we rode Living with the Land. Finally, we did a circle of the world showcase before leaving.
Finally, we made it to Magic Kingdom. Although the crowds looked intimidating the wait times were right around 20-30 minutes and there were plenty of Fast Passes still available. We rode the three mountains and made our way back home for a delicious home cooked meal.
At the end of the night, we were tired and our feet were sore. We made a delicious flounder dinner and crashed to bed.
We left the house about 11 am and headed first to Animal Kingdom. Thanks to the great single rider line, we were able to ride Expedition Everest three times in less than 30 minutes. We thought that was a great start to our marathon day. Time to move on.
After leaving Animal Kingdom, we headed over to Hollywood Studios. Our first ride was The Great Movie Ride. One thing I had been hoping to see on this trip was the elusive bandit (cowboy) storyline. For a number of reasons, they don't often offer it. It's been quite some time since we have seen it. Today we lucked out and had a wonderful tour guide and cowgirl. In celebration, we headed over to Starring Rolls Cafe. Today we split the Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcake. Next, we made our way over to the Rockin' Roller Coaster. We used the single rider line and rode it twice back-to-back.
Continuing on, we stopped at Epcot. To start, we hopped on Spaceship Earth. Next, we rode Living with the Land. Finally, we did a circle of the world showcase before leaving.
Finally, we made it to Magic Kingdom. Although the crowds looked intimidating the wait times were right around 20-30 minutes and there were plenty of Fast Passes still available. We rode the three mountains and made our way back home for a delicious home cooked meal.
At the end of the night, we were tired and our feet were sore. We made a delicious flounder dinner and crashed to bed.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Day 8: Resorts and Magic Kingdom
On a typical Disney vacation, Walter and I are normally the first in and the last out of the park. You could describe our touring style as "commando". We enjoy doing all the rides and getting the most out of our vacation. I'm not a morning person, yet while in Disney I'm the one up at the crack of dawn and getting everybody out the door. I always joke that the only place I'll wake up early (happily) is Disney World. Now, due to the length of our current trip I'm trying to rethink how we vacation. I'm trying to relax and smell the roses a bit more. It's taken some getting used to but I'm enjoying this new vacationing style.
Today we got a late start. We slept in and ran over to World Market and Target. After getting some groceries and delicious imported chocolate, we decided to visit a few more Disney resorts. One of our Disney Achievements for this trip is to visit all of the hotels. We've seen most of them, but I thought it would be fun to visit each one and collect a resort map (and maybe a picture or two). While at each resort, we walked around the lobby and food court and, check out the pool.
Today we checked out:
Another one of our Disney Achievements was to try the famous beignets at Port Orleans French Quarter. Walter and I split an order of three beignets ($2.99). They were good. I enjoyed them, but I don't think we'd make a special trip for them again. I'd describe them as tasting a little like a fluffy funnel cake. Splitting an order of three was plenty.
After visiting the resorts, we decided to head over to the Magic Kingdom. We arrived and did a loop on the railroad; then headed for Tomorrowland. After getting some fast passes for Space Mountain, we got on the Carousel of Progress (my favorite Disney ride/attraction). There were several first-timers in the theater with us. It was great to hear them chuckle as they heard the jokes for the first time. I really love that attraction! Next we rode Walter's favorite ride, the TTA (aka the WEDWay PeopleMover). After finishing our tour of Tomorrowland we jumped in line to use our Space Mountain fast passes, and then next headed for a spot to watch Wishes.
In my opinion, Wishes is the best Disney fireworks show. Walter will disagree. He loves Illuminations and I agree, it's a great show but I personally think there is a little too much "solo globe" time during the show.
The Main Street Electrical Parade was offered twice (8 pm and 10 pm). As a rule of thumb, if Disney ever offers two of anything (Parade/Fantasmic) the later option will always be much less crowded. Most families will watch the early parade, then fireworks and leave. There are several wonderful places to watch the Magic Kingdom parades. One of my favorite is on Main Street near the bridge to Liberty Square.
After the parade ended we made our way out of the park and hopped on the monorail. So far we have been on 8 of the 12 monorails (riding all 12 is one of our Disney Acheivments). Hopefully, we'll be able to find those last four. We still have time.
Today we got a late start. We slept in and ran over to World Market and Target. After getting some groceries and delicious imported chocolate, we decided to visit a few more Disney resorts. One of our Disney Achievements for this trip is to visit all of the hotels. We've seen most of them, but I thought it would be fun to visit each one and collect a resort map (and maybe a picture or two). While at each resort, we walked around the lobby and food court and, check out the pool.
Today we checked out:
- Port Orleans Riverside
- Port Orleans French Quarter.
- Caribbean Beach
- Pop Century
- Art of Animation
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| The prize for most disturbing food court goes to Port Orleans French Quarter. |
After visiting the resorts, we decided to head over to the Magic Kingdom. We arrived and did a loop on the railroad; then headed for Tomorrowland. After getting some fast passes for Space Mountain, we got on the Carousel of Progress (my favorite Disney ride/attraction). There were several first-timers in the theater with us. It was great to hear them chuckle as they heard the jokes for the first time. I really love that attraction! Next we rode Walter's favorite ride, the TTA (aka the WEDWay PeopleMover). After finishing our tour of Tomorrowland we jumped in line to use our Space Mountain fast passes, and then next headed for a spot to watch Wishes.
In my opinion, Wishes is the best Disney fireworks show. Walter will disagree. He loves Illuminations and I agree, it's a great show but I personally think there is a little too much "solo globe" time during the show.
The Main Street Electrical Parade was offered twice (8 pm and 10 pm). As a rule of thumb, if Disney ever offers two of anything (Parade/Fantasmic) the later option will always be much less crowded. Most families will watch the early parade, then fireworks and leave. There are several wonderful places to watch the Magic Kingdom parades. One of my favorite is on Main Street near the bridge to Liberty Square.
After the parade ended we made our way out of the park and hopped on the monorail. So far we have been on 8 of the 12 monorails (riding all 12 is one of our Disney Acheivments). Hopefully, we'll be able to find those last four. We still have time.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Day 7: A Saturday in Epcot
Epcot is my favorite park in Disney World. I really love the world showcase; it's a big loop around a lake with various country pavilions to visit. Each pavilion has food and gift shops themed after the host country, and Disney even staffs the pavilions with people from each country. It's all very cool. I think if I ever brought my kids to Disney World, I would tell them that they can only buy souvenirs from a shop in the Epcot world showcase.
One of the activities that Epcot has to offer is "drinking around the world". I'm not sure if this is something Disney invented to sell more alcohol, or if guests invented it and Disney embraced it. The concept is you stop in each country and have a drink. Each country has themed drinks: Mexico: tequila and margaritas, Germany: Oktoberfest beer, etc. Well apparently Saturday is the day to drink around the world, because we saw many groups of people doing it. How did we know that's what they were doing ? ... they had matching home-made "drinking around the world" t-shirts of course. There were a lot of people drinking in general in Epcot yesterday. You could see a lot of intoxication. So maybe if you're visiting with children, avoid Epcot on a Saturday night.
Prior to entering Epcot, we spent the morning visiting the hotels outside of Epcot: The Boardwalk, The Swan and The Dolphin, The Beach Club and The Yacht Club. These are "deluxe" hotels. The lobbies were very pretty, and most of the hotels had very nice pools. The Beach Club and Yacht Club share a pool, which actually gated off with cast members at the entrance checking room keys.
Epcot is also the best park for food. Today, we enjoyed a caramel filled chocolate cookie from the Karamelle-Kuche (Caramel Kitchen) in Germany, and an English Bulldog from the Rose and Crown pub in UK.
We didn't ride many rides today. We only visited: the Mexico ride, Spaceship Earth, Maelstrom, and Living with the Land. We had Fast Passes for Soarin', but gave them away to instead get a seat to watch Illuminations.
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| Beautiful trinkets in the Mexico pavilion. |
One of the activities that Epcot has to offer is "drinking around the world". I'm not sure if this is something Disney invented to sell more alcohol, or if guests invented it and Disney embraced it. The concept is you stop in each country and have a drink. Each country has themed drinks: Mexico: tequila and margaritas, Germany: Oktoberfest beer, etc. Well apparently Saturday is the day to drink around the world, because we saw many groups of people doing it. How did we know that's what they were doing ? ... they had matching home-made "drinking around the world" t-shirts of course. There were a lot of people drinking in general in Epcot yesterday. You could see a lot of intoxication. So maybe if you're visiting with children, avoid Epcot on a Saturday night.
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| Awesome water slide at the Boardwalk Hotel |
We didn't ride many rides today. We only visited: the Mexico ride, Spaceship Earth, Maelstrom, and Living with the Land. We had Fast Passes for Soarin', but gave them away to instead get a seat to watch Illuminations.
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| Sunset over Epcot's World Showcase Lagoon |
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