"One More Waffle!" An October 2011 TR! *Update 4/24, pg 70-The End!*

[Joyciemc]

I have more than once had to put down my alocohlic drink to have a PP pictures taken in the World Showcase... but I've never chugged one! I like the way you roll


That cupcake looks amazing. My stomach growled just looking at the picture.

 

[Nermel9]

Dude, I don't even know how to respond to this comment! How long did it take you to cut and paste all of that??


O

M

G

And I'm planning to do the Mad Dash in JULY...with EIGHT people!



I'll have to remember to take a picture of the crowd for you so you can show Brandon how much worse it could have been!

Ugh, I hope the mad dash isn't too bad for you in July! Yes, please take a picture of the crowd, I can't even imagine what Disney is like in July anymore!

I can't believe he picked the Backlot Tour. I'm glad you went on it since it seemed to make you feel better, but seriously...WTH?

I don't know, he picks such weird things to do sometimes! Part of the time I think he does it just to annoy me. But it ended up being ok, so it was fine! (Not that I'm planning on doing it on our next trip or anything! )

I felt AWFUL for the temper tantrums I threw on our last trip! I was such a B-Word for no reason other than I wasn't getting my way. I'm sure that you were just bummed because your trip was ending and the whole TSM thing just put you over the edge! It happens!

I felt awful too! But yes, it does happen sometimes, and luckily, Brandon knows how to deal with my tantrums so that they pass quickly!


Holy moly! Now THAT is my kind of cupcake! Glad you liked it! There are now THREE cupcakes on my list for July....

OMG it's the best cupcake EVER!!! I can't wait to try a different kind, but it's going to be hard to pass that one up!

I love taking pics of the ToT queue! It really is beautiful in there! I like it when there is no one around and I can take my time taking pictures and listening to the ambient music. It's just amazing!

The ToT queue is so beautiful! And the music! I seriously love everything about that ride, it is so perfect! I could spend my whole DHS day over there and be perfectly content!

Yup, this is how I feel about Soarin'. I force myself to not think about the near future and just focus on the now otherwise I'll spend all day crying.

It's so hard leaving certain attractions, isn't it? I can get that way about Soarin, except it's SO hard to ride Soarin' over and over that I'm used to just going on once and leaving...ToT on the other hand, if the crowds are small, you can ride over and over and over...it's great!


We say the same thing!



Ugh I HATE that!!!!! Disney needs to take a page from Dr. Doofenschmirtz and make a Sunny Day-inator! It should NEVER rain in WDW!

It shouldn't rain in Disney. It's just wrong!

Bummer! You could technically STILL go swimming in the rain (as long as it's not thundering and lightning they keep the pools open), but it's just not as fun....although you won't get that wicked sun glare off the pool water....

There were actually a couple of people swimming in the rain, but I didn't want to. I just wanted to lounge in the pool, in the sun, and I can't do that in the rain. Lame!

Cute picture! The WL looks so nice! I'm afraid if we ever stayed there I would never go out to a park though! I would just wander around and find places to nap!

That's how I feel about the Poly! If I stay there, I'm never going to want to leave! It's like a vacation within a vacation!

YAY!!! That looks MUCH better!

Sounds like a plan to me!

Haha! You should have just held them while you took the picture! Would have made a funny memory! That was one of our favorite meet and greets, too! We got to meet all 3 of them at one point...I can't remember when it was, but it was fun!

I thought about it, but I felt weird! I mean, I guess it's not a big deal, I'm sure people do it all the time, but I just felt like I was breaking some rule or something! Next time!

I like it a lot too! When I first went on it, I was mad that they changed it so I didn't give it a fair chance, but after going on it a couple more times, it grew on me!

I barely remember the Mexico ride without Donald now, it was such a huge gap between Disney trips when they changed it...I like it, it's adorable! I like that it adds in these Disney characters while still showing you Mexico!

Oooh! Can't wait to see what you get!

I have more than once had to put down my alocohlic drink to have a PP pictures taken in the World Showcase... but I've never chugged one! I like the way you roll

That cupcake looks amazing. My stomach growled just looking at the picture.

Yeah, I'm not sure why I didn't just put the cup down. That makes more sense, but I guess I wasn't thinking! I know there are PP pictures we have taken with Brandon holding a beer or something, but never with a character! I guess if they sell all these amazing drinks in Epcot, they kind of have to expect it though, right? OMG...I can't wait to be at Epcot next month and drink!!! (I know that sounds terrible, but after December when I couldn't drink and the stressful last few months I've had, I need it! )

Ahhh, that cupcake was amazing!!! Chocolate and peanut butter, yum! I can't wait to try the other ones, I love Starring Roles!

 

[Merida]

I'm a little behind and the uber-slow boards aren't helping! So let's pretend that I can go back and reference things.

I've never been on TSM OR the Backlot Tour! idk, crowd control is really poor in MGM I feel. It always seems so crowded and like there are strollers everywhere now. Why do other people have to go to Disney when I do??

Aw, I love Lando! He makes up for everything in Return of the Jedi and felt super bad about the stuff in Empire Strikes Back! And he has killer taste in real estate - Cloud City is pretty awesome.

Wilderness Lodge looks so nice and peaceful. Definitely like a relaxing vacation spot - though I don't think a fire would work in a Florida summer! Beach Club seems more appropriate for a May trip.

Haha, I think the best character-related jobs would totally be in Epcot! I think that people would be a little more relaxed and goofy there (compared to the other parks) and be easier to mess with/joke around with. I've never seen lots of drunk people (have read the stories though), so that may get annoying but at least it's something different?

 

[GaRain]

Love the RNR Coaster ride picture!
Chugging a margarita sounds painful - no brainfreeze?

Ok, can you explain how the vinylmation trading works?

 

[Nermel9]

I'm a little behind and the uber-slow boards aren't helping! So let's pretend that I can go back and reference things.

I've never been on TSM OR the Backlot Tour! idk, crowd control is really poor in MGM I feel. It always seems so crowded and like there are strollers everywhere now. Why do other people have to go to Disney when I do??

Aw, I love Lando! He makes up for everything in Return of the Jedi and felt super bad about the stuff in Empire Strikes Back! And he has killer taste in real estate - Cloud City is pretty awesome.

Wilderness Lodge looks so nice and peaceful. Definitely like a relaxing vacation spot - though I don't think a fire would work in a Florida summer! Beach Club seems more appropriate for a May trip.

Haha, I think the best character-related jobs would totally be in Epcot! I think that people would be a little more relaxed and goofy there (compared to the other parks) and be easier to mess with/joke around with. I've never seen lots of drunk people (have read the stories though), so that may get annoying but at least it's something different?

I couldn't even get on the boards today for like, 3 hours! I was going to do an update tonight, but I'm not even going to bother with how slow everything has been the past couple of days!

Ugh, the strollers! I understand that people need to bring strollers, but you're right, they are everywhere! I hate that other people have to go to Disney when I do, too.

I never liked Lando. Yeah, he redeems himself in Return of the Jedi, but I just can't get over what a jerk he was in Empire. Still, Cloud City is pretty cool!

WL is amazing! It is definitely more of a Fall/Winter resort, though, just like Beach Club is more of a summer resort! Ahhh, I can't wait to be there in a month!

I've seen some pretty out of control drunk people at Epcot during F&W, but not as many as you would think! Being a character there is probably so much fun! Annoying maybe, but probably mostly fun!

Love the RNR Coaster ride picture!
Chugging a margarita sounds painful - no brainfreeze?

Ok, can you explain how the vinylmation trading works?

Thanks!

Haha, no, I don't get frozen margaritas, I get them on the rocks! I don't really like the frozen ones all that much!

Hmm, I just started trading vinylmations, so you might want to google it for more specific rules! But basically, you just buy a vinyl, and then if you want to trade it, go up to one of the counters in the shops around the parks that have a little clear box of 3 vinyls on it, that means that they will trade there. You can either trade yours for one of the 3 that you can see, or they have a huge black box with numbers on. You pick a number and whatever vinyl is behind the number is the one you get! It's a lot of fun! Sometimes CM's will ask what you're looking for and try to help you out, even though I don't think they are supposed to!

 

[GaRain]

Haha, no, I don't get frozen margaritas, I get them on the rocks! I don't really like the frozen ones all that much!

Hmm, I just started trading vinylmations, so you might want to google it for more specific rules! But basically, you just buy a vinyl, and then if you want to trade it, go up to one of the counters in the shops around the parks that have a little clear box of 3 vinyls on it, that means that they will trade there. You can either trade yours for one of the 3 that you can see, or they have a huge black box with numbers on. You pick a number and whatever vinyl is behind the number is the one you get! It's a lot of fun! Sometimes CM's will ask what you're looking for and try to help you out, even though I don't think they are supposed to!

Thanks - I have a couple that I just don't like that much and was worried that I would need the box to trade, and I don't have those anymore...
But I may give it a try on my next trip. I will google the rules, at your suggestion!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Oh no at having to leave Tower of Terror behind but at least it's not long until you'll be able to go back on it!

Lol your description of RnRC is making me wish I had given it a go. I associate Armageddon with Aerosmith instead! Love the photo

Wow at the rain but lol at the swimming comment.

Shame about Soarin and TT being busy but yay on the backup plan!

 

[Nermel9]

Oh no at having to leave Tower of Terror behind but at least it's not long until you'll be able to go back on it!

Lol your description of RnRC is making me wish I had given it a go. I associate Armageddon with Aerosmith instead! Love the photo

Wow at the rain but lol at the swimming comment.

Shame about Soarin and TT being busy but yay on the backup plan!

Not long at all, ONE MONTH, to be exact!

RnRC is so much fun! It's not scary at all, it's pretty tame as far as roller coasters go, even with the loops. The takeoff is the best part!

Ugh, the rain just gets worse! I always want to go on Soarin, I always have to check when I'm in Epcot, even though there are times when I know it's impossible!

 

[Simba22]

OK so I saw the new Twilight Zone themed commercial for Bob's of Milford on TV the other day and I thought of you

 

[Nermel9]

Hovels...Hovels?​

Friday, 10/7

Well, I know I said I wanted to start moving on from this TR, but now I'm sad that it's almost the end. It was such a great trip, and it's going to be hard putting it in the Disney past. I'm glad I still have a few updates left!

I'm sure by now it's no secret that Brandon and I love to eat, so it's not like we were about to be sensible and NOT have anything from the Food and Wine booths before our ADR in a few hours! So we stopped at the China booth and got the shrimp and noodles again, which was one of my favorite things at the festival!

I like shrimp, but I could actually do without it, the noodles are SO good! What is it about Disney noodles, they are all exceptionally good!

We kept walking and Brandon of course, wanted to get a beer, so he stopped at the Brewer's Collection.

(I should probably explain that he got beer here a few times before, and every time he went there, I would look at all the different kinds of beer they had, and one of them was called Hovels. Since I'm a dork and there are certain words that I find funny for no reason, I became obsessed with the word "Hovels" all week. Hovels. It's just fun to say!)

(Don't ask...I try to keep my weirdness out of my TR's but sometimes, it creeps in!)

Since it was our last night at Food and Wine, I suggested that Brandon try the Hovels.

"I'm not trying that, and besides, I bet you don't even pronounce it that way"

"Well how else would you say it?"

"I don't know, some weird German way"

I let it go, because it wasn't worth arguing about, but I was convinced I was right. So I waited for Brandon to get his beer, and he came back, and guess what he ordered?

"I got the Hovels. And guess what? It is pronounced Hovels. I asked the guy who sold it to me how to say it and he said "Hovels."

Embarrassing! But he should have just listened to me!

Now that we solved the important mystery of how to pronounce the name of some random beer, we went to a booth I wanted to visit which of course, would be the Cheese booth.

I love fondue, I love anything with cheese sauce, really (I feel like I've been talking about cheese sauce a lot in other TR's!) so I had to get the fondue here. Regular old cheese sauce is great, but when it's mixed with beer or wine it becomes SO much better. If someone just gave me a cup of it, I'd probably drink it, that's how much I like it.

The fondue came with a giant breadstick to dip into the cheese sauce, and I quickly started dipping and eating.

I thought it was fantastic, but Brandon hated it. No, I have no idea what his problem is. How you can not like fondue is beyond me, I just kept dipping and eating, happy as could be, except...eventually I ran out of bread.

I'm not sure if I drank the rest of the cheese sauce, I really don't remember. But I do remember considering it. And looking around to see if anyone would notice...I don't think I did, but I could have!

We went to Germany next and walked around the shops, like we always do

and then we finally went over to Italy

where we were going to be having dinner! We still had a little while before our ADR so I bought some candy in Italy to bring home for my friend. I love the candy in Italy, everything is made with hazelnuts and chocolate! Ok, maybe not everything, but a majority of it!

I was getting impatient, so even though we were a little early, we went over to

Via Napoli to check in! I was SO excited to finally be having dinner here, I heard such great things about it, and I had to wait the whole week to go, so I had it really built up in my mind by the time we finally got there!

I wish I took more pictures of the inside of the restaurant, because it is really beautiful! Unfortunately this is all I have-

But that light fixture can kind of give you an idea of how beautiful this restaurant really is, it's beautiful, yet not fancy at all, you feel really comfortable in there!

Our waiter was great and came right over to get our drink orders. I don't remember if I got sangria or not, I know I wanted to, but I might have skipped it because of the margarita in Mexico. So I'm guessing I got a boring Coke or something.

We put in our orders for dinner, and let me tell you, it was not easy deciding what to get, everything sounded so amazing! Brandon finally decided on some kind of linguini with 1,000 different kinds of seafood on it-

and I got THIS-

Candele - candle stick pasta, sausage ragu, polpettine, mozzarella, ricotta

YUM, it was SO good, and so filling! I don't think I ate even half of it, and trust me, I tried!

For dessert, we both had the tiramisu

which again, was amazing! I love tiramisu, and it's not exactly like it's something you eat all the time, so when I see it on dessert menus, I always get it!

We both really loved Via Napoli, our food was great, the servers were fantastic and friendly...the only annoying thing about it were the people at the next table over from us. There were 3, maybe 4, adults, and they ordered one of those big pizzas they have there to share. They at maybe 3/4's of it, when I hear them all start complaining loudly to each other. They call the server over and tell him it's burnt and you can't even eat it and to take it back. Keep in mind, almost all of it was gone. And hello, this is thin crust, brick oven pizza they were talking about. Sometimes it gets a little black on the bottom, but that doesn't mean it's burnt...

Anyway, they had to get a manager to talk to these people because they were just complaining and complaining, and the manager offered to make them another one. They then said they didn't have time to wait, and said they wanted the pizza taken off of their check! I guess they said no, they can't do that since they ate so much of it, but they would make them a new one, so finally they said fine, and told them to put it in a box. So they sat there and waited for a new pizza, just to carry out with them in a box.

Brandon and I were SO annoyed with them! I just don't get people, I mean if there is something legitimately wrong with your food, that's one thing, but to say a brick oven pizza is burnt after you devoured most of it and then say you don't want to pay for it is just ridiculous. I can't stand seeing people like that in Disney, leave it at home. Come to Disney and be happy and eat your delicious pizza and be quiet.

When we left Via Napoli, it was pouring again, so we stopped in the store in Italy to buy some ponchos. This was our first time wearing the Disney ponchos, and honestly, I don't like it! I kept losing Brandon in a sea of clear ponchos. I know all the guide books tell you to bring a bright colored one so that doesn't happen, but we were ill prepared. It never rained for us in Disney before, we were so caught off guard!

We went over to England to go in the shops and get out of the rain, and finally it died down enough to go back outside. I love the window displays in the tea shop, they are always themed with whatever season it is!

After walking around England a little, we had to find a spot for...you will never guess...Illuminations!

I won't bore you with more Illuminations pictures, since we saw it so many times on this trip...ok, maybe like, 3?

Ohhh, Illuminations, only 30 more days til I get to see you again!!!

Sadly, the end of Illuminations meant it was time to start heading out of Epcot, and that really meant we only had a half of a Disney day left of our trip and then we had to go home. Since i'm never ok with it being the last night at Disney, I had to prolong it somehow. I had to take more pictures.

I had to go to MouseGear. I had to watch the fountain for a little while.

Finally we made it to the car and went back to the Wilderness Lodge, where I tried to make myself feel a little better with the rice krispy treat that I bought earlier in the day.

It was good, but it still didn't help me get over the depression I was feeling at knowing we only had precious hours left of Disney time the next day...

Up next...our last day!

 

[Simba22]

Great update! I can't WAIT to try Via Napoli but it won't be until 2013 (unless we try it for a QS meal in July at some point)! Ugh, those people next to you guys would have really made me mad too! We actually saw that happen at the Olive Garden in Orange...this woman ordered something, at 3/4 of it then complained that it had too much garlic and she doesn't like garlic (ummm you're in an ITALIAN RESTAURANT YOU HALF WIT....) so they brought her something else, she ate THE WHOLE THING then complained that it was "cold" and she wasn't paying for either entree! I was appalled and mortified at the same time! I could never act like that and it's so shameful to me that some people don't even think twice about it! I suppose if people don't understand what they're ordering (in your case, the thin crust, brick oven pizza) then it might not be what they were anticipating...but to eat more than half of it and THEN complain...and LOUDLY at that...makes me feel like you were fishing for a free meal in the first place. If I order something and there is something wrong with it, I will say something to the server but not start making loud comments so everyone can hear. YOU complaining isn't going to make MY food suddenly taste disgusting so you just look like an ignorant jerk!

Ok rant over!

that 2nd pic in your Illuminations section is SO PRETTY! Great job!

Sorry it rained on you guys again! We bought the Disney ponchos back in like 2006 and I HATED it! The stupid thing kept choking me so I tried to cut it a little to put a little more give in it and it ended up ripping like 4 inches down the front. How annoying!

that stinks that this was your last full day! I loved reading this TR! I'm so glad you have another one coming up soon!!!

 

[therussells08]

I love your Food and Wine pics! They're always so amazing!

Please don't keep your weirdness out of your TRs! I love it!

HAHA you were right! HOVELS.

We can never talk about cheese sauce enough, I mean really.

UGH, what's up with annoying people complaining in Disney restaurants!

Oh no...the last day! But at least your next trip is only 30 days away!!

 

[ronnmel]

I LOVE cheese fondue! Ron hates it though. So I barely have it anymore. Another reason to go to Food & Wine!

 

[PirateKate]

We were at Epcot that night, too. The rain was horrible!

Via Napoli looks it was great, even with the complaining people. I'm planning on getting the tiramisu next month, so I'm glad to hear it was good.

 

[wdwgirl03]

OMG...so that picture of the chandelier in Via Napoli...I saw something on facebook the other day where someone posted a "Where in the World?" photo and it was OF THAT LAMP! I had no idea what it was but now I do. Ok sorry I know that was random but I had to share. Anyway...that place is so good. I can't wait to eat there next week!

That is a pretty awesome picture of Illuminations (the second one with the lasers).

Gotta love those Disney rice crispy treats. But yeah, I agree, not even a rice krispy treat can get rid of the almost-end-of-the-trip blues.

 

[Merida]

Yay Germany! Heh, I always find German to be very easy to pronounce, usually just the way its written. And most Germans have no problem with mispronunciations (I did a study abroad in Germany a few years back and at least that's what I remember!). Was the cheese booth with a country? The baguette reminds me of all the awesome bread I had in Germany (seriously, it was about 2/3rds of my diet. At least the part of Germany I was in wasn't very adventurous with their cooking!).

Okay, those other Via Napoli people are weird. I love my food well done - especially pizza! It's all nice and crispy. And then you have the gooey cheese and sauce on top? Yum. Via Napoli is the restaurant that I most want to go to at WDW and it kind of irritates me that people are there and not appreciating it. Enjoy your freaking amazing pizza and restaurant!!

I hate ponchos too. I'll be that annoying person who carries an umbrella because I get weirdly claustrophobic wearing that much plastic so close to my body. Probably because I was that kid who always read the 'not a toy, do not place on head' warnings on plastic grocery bags, but ponchos really weird me out.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed your dinner at Via Napoli! How annoying about your table neighbors though!! You can't eat most of something then claim it's inedible!! I had read that there were problems happening there, because people didn't know what to expect with thin crust brick oven pizza, and they were starting to have to undercook the dough a little so people wouldn't complain about it being burned! (again, )

So sad that it was your last night in Disney! At least it ended nicely with Illuminations and a rice krispie treat!

 

[MEK]

Last nights are always hard, but you certainly made the most of your last evening. Your meals look great.

And - yeah - pretty strange to ask to have the pizza taken off the check. You should send it back when its barely eaten. I hate overhearing discontent in Disney. It's just uncomfortable.

Pretty end of the night pics!

 

[smile4stamps]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE CHEESE FONDUE!!

I would probably drink it if there is some left without bread! Or at least get a spoon to shovel it in!

Via Nappoli looks awesome as it usually dose! Every time I see a review of it I look at my planning wall and try and figure out a way to fit it in! I just don't see any spots for it though!

Yeah for Illuminations again! Can't wait to see it in October! Its been at least 14 years!!

Sad final night pics! I would delay leaving as long as possible too!!

 

[amazingact21]

Okay....after reading your Via Napoli update I am SOOOOOO anxious to try it out next month. I mean, my "I can't wait for my trip" radar was at its normal 7, but seeing that pasta and the tiramisu love pushed it to a 10!

All your food looked amazing, and it all looks so filling. I think my stomach just growled.....


Man, I got a little sad reading about your last night at Epcot and watching IllumiNations. It's so hard to say goodbye to the parks, especially when you've had a really good trip.