Firsts, Fourths, and Farewells (4/28 Back to the Future!)

For those that missed the not-so-subtle hint, it was time for a Blast from the Past.
George Lucas. Francis Ford Coppola. The King of Pop.
What happens when you mix these 80’s icons?
You Change The World.
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I was so excited that this attraction came back.
First off, I’ve never liked Honey, I Shrunk the Audience.
Secondly, as a Star Wars fan and child of the 80’s, Lucas + the old Michael Jackson is just awesome nostalgia.
And with our princess a HUGE Michael Jackson fan as well (it’s a long story), I was thrilled to let them see this 80’s Classic!
So, of course, we had to well-document the occasion…
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And, as with any good multi-media experience, you need some behind-the-scenes shots.
Like me explaining the camera settings to Uncle J who just recently got the same camera we have.
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The eager trio was waiting.
I built up the experience for them telling them all about it.
I couldn’t wait for them to see it!
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We went inside after the cheesy “Making of” pre-show.
The lights dimmed among some clapping and cheering (yes, that was me).
The floor started pulsating to the music and a smile grew across my face as I was transported back to my childhood.
Flashes of Star Wars filled the screen (I never realized how much Lucas actually “borrowed” for this movie).
From the laser sound effects to the trench scene, all we needed was a Death Star.
But, instead – this movie answered an even more interesting question in the great Star Wars v. Star Trek debate.
Guess what Trekkies – George Lucas created the Borg!!
Take a good look at Angelica Houston everyone – remind you of anyone?
Like an EXACT REPLICA of the Borg Queen? :lmao:

Random Trivia Fact – it is the most expensive movie per minute that was ever filmed – approx. one million spent per minute.

All in all, it was a great experience with the kids.
DS liked the space scenes, DD loved Michael Jackson.
Only X wasn’t thrilled (I think he got a little scared).
Unfortunately they were all a bit short to get the floor effects that were added as their feet don’t quite reach the floor yet.
I don't think Mom really cared one way or the other.
I missed the crashing spaceship from the original but was pleased overall.
(for those old timers, the original EO had smoke and laser effects when the ship crashed onto the planet.
It was like the ship was crashing into the theatre.
Apparently the effect was so cool that I remember it…)

On our exit, I almost ran to the Captain EO merchandise cart and perused the selection.
I asked the kids if they wanted a Hooter or Fuzzball plush but they weren’t interested.
And then I stared at the Captain EO poster shirts and the rainbow shirts debating which one to purchase.
Unfortunately I passed on both and figured I’d come back later.
After all, we didn’t have that much time – lunch at one of my two favorite restaurants was calling my name.
And it was time for the kids’ wardrobe to pay off.
Come join us for a bite Under The Sea…
 
But, instead – this movie answered an even more interesting question in the great Star Wars v. Star Trek debate.
Guess what Trekkies – George Lucas created the Borg!!
Take a good look at Angelica Houston everyone – remind you of anyone?
Like an EXACT REPLICA of the Borg Queen? :lmao:

And this is where that Great Divide between Mike and me emerges. Yes, fine, Lucas's creation in this movie was the Borg before
the Borg existed in the Trek canon. But this attraction is HORRIBLE! :happytv: Good G-d! :lmao:

Cheese Wiz doesn't even begin to describe how bad this movie is. :rotfl2: (Granted, SyFy's recent "Mega Python vs. Gatoroid"
is *way* worse, but I digress, big-time.)

Random Trivia Fact – it is the most expensive movie per minute that was ever filmed – approx. one million spent per minute.

I guess whether or not it was the biggest waste of money in the movies is open to a large amount of debate, there are so many
contenders for that title.

All in all, it was a great experience with the kids.
DS liked the space scenes, DD loved Michael Jackson.
Only X wasn’t thrilled (I think he got a little scared).

Hopefully I did a decent enough job of keeping my disdain for this show at a minimum around the kids. I can dislike something
as much as I want, but I don't want the kids thinking that their liking something I don't is wrong. (Even if it really is. :) )

Hmmm... Is it just something about this side of the park that I don't like? First Soarin' (Letdown!) and now Captain EO (Oy!).
Well, at least I like Figment:figment:, even if I'm not as fond of his human companion nowadays as with Dreamfinder.
 
I'm glad you and the kids enjoyed Capt Eo. I have to agree with J on this one though. Back in the 80's I thought it was awesome, today not so much :)
 
Cheese Wiz doesn't even begin to describe how bad this movie is. :rotfl2

It's actually not that bad - just cheesey 80's nostalgia.
But either way it's WAAAY better than Honey, I Shrunk the Audience.

Hmmm... Is it just something about this side of the park that I don't like? First Soarin' (Letdown!) and now Captain EO (Oy!).
Well, at least I like Figment:figment:, even if I'm not as fond of his human companion nowadays as with Dreamfinder.

Hey, you liked Soarin' when we took you back there!

I'm glad you and the kids enjoyed Capt Eo. I have to agree with J on this one though. Back in the 80's I thought it was awesome, today not so much :)

I guess you have to take it for what it's worth like I said above.
Cheesy Lucas/Jackson goodness and way better than Honey I Shrunk Anything.
What does Caitlin think?
 


I'm with mom Cappell on this one! I can definitely "leave in" . I think by the time it was released I was totally bored with the whole 70'/80's thing. I don't even remember seeing it back then. I'm glad I saw it once, but once was enough! :rotfl:
 
Caitlin absolutely loves it :)

See, between my princess and yours, the next generation has good taste! :goodvibes

I'm with mom Cappell on this one! I can definitely "leave in" . I think by the time it was released I was totally bored with the whole 70'/80's thing. I don't even remember seeing it back then. I'm glad I saw it once, but once was enough! :rotfl:

Even if you think it's bad (and it's 80's cheesy which is great nostalgia), it is STILL way better than Honey I Shrunk the Audience.
 


After our 80’s flashback with Captain EO, it was time for lunch.
And we were off to one of my two favorite restaurants in Walt Disney World – Coral Reef.
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Now the clothes make a bit more sense, eh?
Coral Reef, in my opinion, is an overlooked gem.
It’s tucked away back in Future World almost behind the Seas.
Some complain it’s a bit noisy but the atmosphere is amazing!
What better way to relax and enjoy a meal then by watching a wall of fish peacefully swim by?
And if you are lucky, you might even catch a diver or two – some have even caught Mickey himself diving!

So I eagerly checked in for our 1:00 ADR and we sat outside as it was a nice day and I wanted pictures of course!
After not too long, our buzzer buzzed and we headed inside.
The theming here starts right at the door…
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And continues into the lobby as you definitely get the sensation of being underwater.
Take a close look at the lights made out of little shells and the colors all around.
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And then a friendly octopus may swim by while you wait for your table.
Or sign in at the desk…
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The ceiling is painted blue as well – with lights in the form of sea anemones.
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Then around the corner and the big reveal.
Floor to ceiling glass “windows” looking into one of the biggest aquariums in the world.
Did you know that you can fit Spaceship Earth into the tanks at the Seas?
Think about that for a minute.

We were seated on the second level.
The first level booths are our favorites but they do not accommodate six people.
But the kids were happy with their view once they got some crayons.
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The big sea turtle came to visit while we eat.
Apparently he enjoyed looking into the “human tank.”
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Our food soon arrived.
Mom and I started with the Appetizer For Two but forgot to take pictures.
The appetizer came with crab cakes with tropical fruit salsa, crispy-fried shrimp with Jicama slaw and spiced remoulade; and a taste of our Creamy Lobster Soup.
I had some shrimp but gave most of the rest to Mom – I was saving up for the main course.
J got an order of the crab cakes and we forgot to grab the camera on that as well.

For the main course, however, we remembered.
I had my “usual” – the mahi-mahi but I asked for fries instead of the rice today.
They change this dish from time to time and this time it came with some shrimp and a coconut-lime sauce that I really enjoyed.
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Mom went with the Lobster Ravioli which was the main reason we came here for lunch.
That dish does not appear on the dinner menu.
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J had the salmon which was presented with the most “flair” at the table.
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The kids went with noodles in butter sauce and yogurt parfaits.
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Everyone really enjoyed their meals and Mom and I topped ours off with non-alcoholic pina coladas.
And yes, those are on the meal plan!

Next up was dessert.
Mom went with her favorite – the crème broulee
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J had the Chocolate Wave.
I had tried that last time and was not impressed but J enjoyed it.
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I ordered the old reliable Bailey’s and Jack Daniel’s Chocolate Mousse.
Very good, very rich.
A perfect way to cap off a nice meal.
You can even see the smile on my face.
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The kids went with make your own sundaes.
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As usual, we had a great time and really enjoyed ourselves.
We took our time and relaxed and were ready to hit the parks after some much needed downtime.
The kids even saved the little dolphins that they were given with their sundaes.
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For our next adventure, we decided to stay in the Seas.
So we headed outside and around the corner to see the rest of the pavilion.
Come along!
Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!
 
Coral Reef seems like it got a bad rap for awhile because of small portions and substandard food, but your review sure disproves that. And I have seen a few other reviews which look yummy as well. I haven't eaten there in SO long and I really think I need to change that. I would love to sit at a table near the tank.

I love your DD's skirt - so cute! :goodvibes
 
I love how much planning Stacey puts into the kids outfits! They always look so cute and so perfectly themed :goodvibes

Glad you all enjoyed your meal! Everything looks so good :) We've only been there once and that was several years ago. Your post makes me think we need to go again!
 
The big sea turtle came to visit while we eat.
Apparently he enjoyed looking into the “human tank.”
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For our next adventure, we decided to stay in the Seas.
So we headed outside and around the corner to see the rest of the pavilion.
Come along!
Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!

It's such an impressive tank that, clearly, this fella makes his way between the restaurant and The Seas, <spoiler alert> as will be seen soon enough. :goodvibes
 
What another fun update. I really tried to talk my DH into eating there on our last trip but unfortunatly he didn't agree. Oh well maybe next time. I got him to agree to another trip in May 2014 for our 10th Anniversary. So here's to hoping that between now and then I can get some reasonable airfare.
 
What another fun update. I really tried to talk my DH into eating there on our last trip but unfortunatly he didn't agree. Oh well maybe next time. I got him to agree to another trip in May 2014 for our 10th Anniversary. So here's to hoping that between now and then I can get some reasonable airfare.

Good luck on airfare and I highly recommend Coral Reef!!
 
By the way, we're now less than 25 days until we get a FANTASY come true!
That's right, at the end of June we're heading out for a couple days at the Beach Club followed by a 7-night cruise on the Disney Fantasy! :cool1:
Mom is busy planning Caribbean outfits and we can't wait to get out there!
Mom and I love to cruise but it'll be the first time for the kids and they're very curious.
The weirdest part will be the "pretrip" at the Beach Club with no park passes - we plan to just hang out at the Boardwalk and Stormalong Bay and relax.
It's our first time staying there and we plan to take advantage of every perk!
That's the key to this vacation - just sitting back and relaxing! :thumbsup2
 
The weirdest part will be the "pretrip" at the Beach Club with no park passes - we plan to just hang out at the Boardwalk and Stormalong Bay and relax.
It's our first time staying there and we plan to take advantage of every perk!
That's the key to this vacation - just sitting back and relaxing! :thumbsup2

I don't know how you're going to manage being SO close to Epcot's Canada and not go bonkers not being able to get their filet. :confused3 mmmmm :cloud9:
 
Sorry for the delay gang.
My photobucket account went over again.
Does anyone know a better free site to store pictures that the DIS can use?
 
Heading out from our fabulous lunch, we rounded the corner to visit the rest of the Seas Pavillion.
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I loved the original pavilion but I actually don’t mind the refurb.
Having Nemo and his friends attract a new generation to the fun science inside is not a bad idea.
And then you get to hear these guys on your way in.
“Mine! Mine! Mine!”
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Apparently it was chilly recently and some of the flowers were covered up.
I thought this was a cute little sign to excuse Disney from the lack of flowers…
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But before we entered the pavilion, we had to go “play” with Nemo and the Tang Gang.
These are great photo ops and the kids had a blast running around and hugging them all (and Nemo even got a kiss…)
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Then it was back to the queue.
I love the characters on the wall as you walk into the pavilion.
All your favorites from the movie are here!
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Finally we headed into the pavillion and right into the ride.
But first, a stroll through the queue.
And what a queue this one is.
You definitely feel like you are heading from the beach into the ocean and part of Nemo’s world.
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This ride is always hard to get pictures of with no flash and so much movement.
But we gave it a shot…
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And then you must stand on a fish or ray on the walkway.
It’s part of the ride after all!
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Next up was a potty break.
And while the little guys were in there, I found the greatest door of all time.
Please tell me - Who the frick can fit into this thing?
It’s no illusion, it is that thin…
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When everyone came back out, it was time to chat with some Underwater Friends of ours.
Stay tuned to find out what questions the little Capells have in store for our fishy friends!
 
Nice update :thumbsup2

The pictures of the kids outside with Nemo are so cute especially X kissing Nemo :)


Nemo is such a cute ride and the fact that there is never a wait makes it more so :)

:rotfl: to your mystery door
 

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