Aulani to WDW: The Lurkyloos' Anniversary Vow Renewal: THRILLING CONCLUSION 8/5!

[lurkyloo]

Patrick was enthralled by the new Casey, Jr. water-play area.

OK, when you think about it, that’s actually kinda gross...

GAHHHH! I am NEVER letting my kids play in camel spit!

...OR elephant snot!!!

Disney did a pretty great job of illustrating clowns that aren’t creepy!

Patrick adored the illustrations on all the banners in Storybook Circus, which is why you’re getting to see every single one!

 

[lurkyloo]

Now, you know how I am about character interaction, so I thought we were only going into this tent to grab a couple overview shots. But Goofy and Donald had ZERO lines, so we got suckered in. And that’s how I ended up waiting in a 20-minute line—for the first time EVER—to meet Daisy and Minnie...

“Gawrsh! Come on over! You will totally not get suckered into waiting in a 20-minute line for Daisy and Minnie!”

"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!"

We couldn’t get over how well-done the character’s backdrops are—super-detailed, colorful, clever and creative. I always grumble when they put in a big character barn instead of an actual ride, but I gotta admit that it’s pretty much the perfect way to get a character photo if you want it.

“Forget her—you want a photo with ME!!!”

 

[lurkyloo]

“Now me!”

You do, of course, exit through the obligatory gift shop. But what a gift shop! Not only is the atmosphere incredibly appealing, they actually have some good-looking, unique merchandise. Amazing!

They need to be selling prints of all this art. I’d almost have a kid just to hang it in her room!

But here’s what I was REALLY interested in...

I tried really hard to think of a reason to buy this!

There’s only one thing that can distract Patrick from taking photos...

PINS!

What a great idea to make the pin “board” into cartons of popcorn!

Storybook Circus seen and photographed, we wandered aimlessly back in the direction of New-and-Nothing-to-Do Fantasyland...

 

[lurkyloo]

Thank goodness we’d managed to snag a dinner reservation at Be Our Guest Restaurant as soon as our plans changed to include WDW. No way was I waiting in the blazing sun for that!

“I’m melting...!”

Patrick hadn’t yet experienced a Citrus Swirl, and remembering that gave us renewed purpose. Off to Adventureland!!!

Money-sucker!

In the same amount of time it takes you to scroll to this photo, these melted

Once you have a Citrus Swirl in your hand, you pretty much gotta go visit the Tiki Room!

 

[lurkyloo]

Sorry this one is blurry—I’m keeping it in cuz I love the colors!

This display reminds me of the Bon Voyage shop at Tokyo Disney. I like it!

My journal says we walked back to Bay Lake Tower to get our car. This shot was taken from the monorail. What ELSE have I been lying to myself about?!!!

Maybe we were stilt-walking...?

LOVE!

I guess we decided to stick with the MK-to-Epcot portion of the plans ruined by the Little Mermaid ride’s closure. (RUINED, I tells ya! There was no saving the rest of this vacation!!!). I wanted to try the new bakery in France and see if the food was actually good now, so it was bon voyage!

But where can I make a KIDCOT mask now...?

First Impression: Wow. It’s almost like I’m really standing in a real airport food court! (I know, I know... it’s themed to a train station. I’m from LA... I don’t know what a train station food court looks like!)

Clockwise from lower right: Quiche Lorraine, Croque Monsieur, Fruity Thingy, Something That I Thought Was Just Chocolate Mousse But Wasn’t

Second Impression: Wow. They’ve managed to perfectly re-create the same dry, flavorless sandwich I remember from the old bakery, complete with that veneer of hard cheese shards barely melted by the toasting process.

 

[lurkyloo]

The quiche was OK, but its primary flavor was “salty.”

There was something unidentifiable lurking under the chocolate mousse in the soggy-crusted tart.


Sorry, I was trying to get a mouthwatering close-up like AJ does for the Disney Food Blog....

I found this deeply unsettling—what if it was FRUIT?! (Yes, I know, if I can’t taste it as fruit, I shouldn’t have a problem with it, but it’s all mental, you see....) I had to go back and ask one of the girls behind the counter what was in the thing I was eating. She smiled and replied, “Eh... salty... caramel?” in a delightful French accent. After I thanked her and began to walk away, I thought I heard her stage whisper to her co-worker, “‘Salty caramel’ means ‘really disgusting fruit stuff’ in English, right?” (because I happen to speak French stage whisper).

It says something that even Patrick, who never met a fruit dessert he didn’t like, met a fruit dessert he didn’t like at Les Halles! He couldn’t get past the idea that it was like eating gobs of mango jelly straight from the jar, even if there was coconut pineapple custard under there somewhere. We both ended up throwing our desserts away.

Allow me to translate these signs for you...


“You would have to be eating on horseback not to notice how weird this dessert tastes!”

“Dry bread, dry cheese, dry ham—that’s just how they like a Croque Monsieur in France. Really!”

“Our croissants are stinkier than our cheese!”

“Don’t like our food? Shove it up your—!” (Er, sorry, I don’t know the English equivalent of that word...)

Les Halles was a disappointment, but we knew exactly where to go to raise our spirits: Mitsukoshi!


“Hey, guys! Over here!!!”

Love will find a way...

I told Patrick the D23 Epcot 30th story of Imagineer Jason Grandt schlepping this melon box all over Tokyo to the amusement of passersby, to which Patrick replied, “Why didn’t he just break down the box?”

I was sorta glad I’d thrown out my French dessert, because it left room for the S’more Mousse Brownie now served at the counter-service spot in the American Pavilion (what’s that place called... "McDonald’s"?). I had a little better luck with the Disney Food Blog-esque photos here, thanks to the natural light.

As noted in the DFB review, it’s less of a brownie and more of a... cupcake-pie...? It’s got a graham cracker crust, cake in the middle, and then fudgey/ganache-y frosting, plus some melted marshmallow on top that runs all over like an egg yolk when you break it. With higher quality ingredients, this might have become my new favorite, but it was just that gooey, stick-to-your ribs chocolate that’s kinda generic-tasting. Not too shabby, but nothing to write home about (unless you’re writing a trip report, in which case EVERYTHING is something to write home about!).

We decided to take a Friendship boat over to Mexico so Patrick could check out the new art displays, but first he grabbed some daytime photos of the fireworks-viewing areas in Germany for me. If you can wait to book til 2 weeks before you wanna have one, these are great spots for a dessert party!

Hey, that’s our boat!!!

I was glad to see that the animales fantasticos we like to collect on every trip are still being sold. The press release made it sound like Disney was removing them completely, not just from the lobby.

Huh. All that, and Patrick didn’t even shoot the new displays in the lobby of the Mexico Pavilion. This is his next photo:

OK, I’m gonna pause here for now, but I’ll be back soon with our impressions of new Test Track, our trip to DHS, and our dinner at Be Our Guest Restaurant!

 

[eandesmom]

Holy Mother of updates

Roots...

Amazing photos but I especially like the close up ones from the Hui.

I don't think you are crazy at all for doing the red eye straight through.

Then again I am from Seattle and pick a red eye whenever I can so I'm not much help but it does definitely help with the time change!

The mirror thingy over/around the couch, general headboard bizarreness and a few other things make the room just a bit...something to me. What that something is I'm not sure. Perhaps more disjointed than contemporary. Which is contemporary I guess? It's been a long time since I've seen pics of the regular resort rooms. Love the view though and especially the sunset. Surprise water pageant is pretty cool too, I've yet to see it which is rather pathetic.

Glad you enjoyed the fabulous starch buffet at the Biergarten. Why do you have to wait until only 2 weeks prior to your event to book the Germany outlook for a dessert/fireworks party? I may have a group of 17 and we may want to look into something like that (then again I may decide it is totally not worth the nightmare...since we really may only be 4, or 6, or 8 or 14 or ? plus the rest of the world has likely already booked everything given our dates) but I am curious.

Major drag on the under the sea not to be. Double drag at the rather horrid all around sounding bakery meal. That place looks HUGE now! I am very sad that it was so meh.

Way to close it down and make the time change. Well done all around! And as always, hysterical.

Ahh... OF COURSE... the towel "animal" is a flower. I was going to say a swan with a broken neck but then figured that wasn't very Disney.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Carrie, the Roots may take great photos, but nobody can top your trip reporting. Loved all the pictures and I am looking forward to our October trip where I can see New Fantasyland in the daytime as opposed to last year and only seeing it during MNSSHP.

Isn't the mermaid ride the same at DL? I was so disappointed in the one at MK (who has an undersea ride with absolutely no real water anywhere) that I had to ride it again at DL just to make sure it was as bad as I remembered. It still was. I also would trade NFL for Carsland in a heartbeat. Maybe when I actually get to eat at BOG and the mine ride is open I will have a higher opinion. Even ETWB was a first grade play with a few special effects thrown in.

I also heard the Napoleons were bad at the new France bakery. The French should be insulted and come in and fix these issues quickly.

Loved the comment about the Garden Wing being a moderate putting on airs. We stayed at BLT last October and I did enjoy the views. I can see were the Garden Wing would be a little disappointing.

As always thanks for all your hard work and looking forward to more.

 

[wiigirl]

Awesome pics!!

 

[lurkyloo]

Why do you have to wait until only 2 weeks prior to your event to book the Germany outlook for a dessert/fireworks party? I may have a group of 17 and we may want to look into something like that (then again I may decide it is totally not worth the nightmare...since we really may only be 4, or 6, or 8 or 14 or ? plus the rest of the world has likely already booked everything given our dates) but I am curious.

It's weird about Germany—I know they use at least part of it as viewing for people in wheelchairs and ECVs, so that may be why they need to leave it available til so late in the game. I think I'd book another space as a backup (with 17, you have some pretty good options) and then switch to Germany 2 weeks out if it was available. For example, I think Germany's view is better than Canada or Norway, but I guess I wouldn't be too torn up if we got stuck with either of those.

Isn't the mermaid ride the same at DL? I was so disappointed in the one at MK (who has an undersea ride with absolutely no real water anywhere) that I had to ride it again at DL just to make sure it was as bad as I remembered. It still was. I also would trade NFL for Carsland in a heartbeat. Maybe when I actually get to eat at BOG and the mine ride is open I will have a higher opinion. Even ETWB was a first grade play with a few special effects thrown in.

Oh yeah, we are totally on the same page here about all thse things. I mean, I guess I find Little Mermaid charming enough, but it's certainly not a must-do, and I agree that it would be way better if there was actual water in it somewhere. And I hate hate HATE the building they put it in at DCA—looks like a suburban AMC theater.

The French should be insulted and come in and fix these issues quickly.

I know, right? Wasn't Paul Bocuse's son just interviewed about how great his family was making all the new food service in the France Pavilion? Has he even tasted what they're selling there?

Awesome pics!!

Thanks!

 

[knewton64]

.....just left me in 'stitch'es!!
(u were honest & blunt)



LUV IT!!
(nice pics 2).



All caught up now.







T.T.F.N.

 

[lurkyloo]

I call 'em as I see 'em!

 

[Aristocath]

So we just got back from our vacation to The Big Island and Oahu. We visited Aulani and many of the places you did. I kept thinking, " Oh, Carrie and Patrick ate here, too" or " Carrie and Patrick took pictures here,too." Apparently I said it aloud also because my family asked me, " who are Carrie and Patrick again?"

Anyway, thanks for the detailed trip report ; it really helped me when planning the Oahu portion of our trip.

Also, I found the Dole Whip at the Plantation to not be as good as a WDW DoleWhip. My son got a DoleWhip float and they totally messed up the balance of Dole Whip to pineapple juice.

 

[aboveH20]

Remember me? Your grandmother and my husband served in Viet Nam together.

I had to reread your report now that I've told my husband we're going. He's looking forward to snorkeling, anything to do with ukuleles, and, of course seeing me happy.

Does Patrick make his puppets? My son made an indie film last year and I learned about the Henson stitch so I could make a dragon puppet for him.

The only other thing you need to know about me is that going to a wedding at Disney World is on my bucket list.

Thanks again for the detailed report. I can only imagine how times consuming it is, but many of us are benefitting from it.

 

[Mom2m&k]

My goodness you make me laugh! I just love your sense of humor and that you have no qualms about writing it! Just love it!!
I have to say that I generally don't spend much time looking at the "posters? they have up all over the place but all of your pics have made me want to stop and enjoy them next time!!

 

[lurkyloo]

So we just got back from our vacation to The Big Island and Oahu. We visited Aulani and many of the places you did. I kept thinking, " Oh, Carrie and Patrick ate here, too" or " Carrie and Patrick took pictures here,too." Apparently I said it aloud also because my family asked me, " who are Carrie and Patrick again?"

That's so funny! And I'm glad to hear we weren't imagining the Dole Whip taste difference. It must be the lack of pixie dust in Hawaii...

Remember me? Your grandmother and my husband served in Viet Nam together.

I had to reread your report now that I've told my husband we're going. He's looking forward to snorkeling, anything to do with ukuleles, and, of course seeing me happy.

Does Patrick make his puppets? My son made an indie film last year and I learned about the Henson stitch so I could make a dragon puppet for him.

The only other thing you need to know about me is that going to a wedding at Disney World is on my bucket list.

Thanks again for the detailed report. I can only imagine how times consuming it is, but many of us are benefitting from it.

So glad you're enjoying it! Patrick does indeed make puppets—both for his company, Swazzle, and for Jim Henson's Creature Shop. That is so cool that you learned that stitch! I always say that Patrick's a better seamstress than I am, yet somehow I'm the one who always ends up sewing on the buttons around our house.

Maybe someday we can crash a Disney wedding together!

My goodness you make me laugh! I just love your sense of humor and that you have no qualms about writing it! Just love it!!
I have to say that I generally don't spend much time looking at the "posters? they have up all over the place but all of your pics have made me want to stop and enjoy them next time!!

Hey, thanks for the kind words! I admit I generally barrel right past the posters too cuz I'm so eager to be the first on whatever ride. But they've been introducing some really nice ones lately that really catch the eye!

 

[lurkyloo]

OK, where was I...?

Ah, yes, leaving Epcot. The last thing we did was check out the new version of Test Track. I’ve never been able to work myself up to hate this ride like a lot of my fellow Disney tweeters, I’m just sort of ambivalent. I like the part where you get to go 65 mph in an open car enough that I’ll endure all the boring stuff before it, but I’d never wait in a long line for it. So I was hopeful that the reimagined Test Track might hold my interest, yet skeptical about some of the “interactive” silliness they added in the queue (I mean, it’s not like you’re actually getting to ride in this vehicle you design while you’re waiting in line—the ride’s never going to change).

I miss the cheesey pre-show video from old Test Track, but only because I adore John Michael Higgins thanks to Best In Show. Too bad the Imagineers didn’t create a tribute to him in the queue like Paul Reubens gets in the new Star Tours! (Like maybe an airbag made out of kimonos?)

The overall theme of the renovation seems to have been to add lights to everything, and it starts in the boarding area...

Still no disco dancing allowed, eh?

The interior portion of the ride is now so TRON-like, it boggles the mind that they didn’t just go full-on TRON.

Look here for instant motion sickness!

The outdoor part is as awesome as ever...

Ooooh! So interactive-y!

We decided to stick to the plan and head over to Hollywood studios to check out the Muppet merchandise and get photos of the new Jack Sparrow attraction—which, like its Prince Caspian predecessor, is a place you can hold private events and must therefore be documented on my wedding venues page. As usual, I got very excited when I spotted the Friendship boat we rode to our wedding reception and made Patrick shoot it.

 

[lurkyloo]

Is that thing still here?!

What a bust! The line for this dumb-old extended movie trailer of an “attraction” was 35 MINUTES! We ditched it and headed over to the Muppet gift shop. But that turned out to have only 2 new shirts since our visit last year, and they were both ugly.

However, the trip did give us the opportunity to document DHS’ burgeoning homeless problem.

“Spare some change, Mister? My poor sister hasn’t had a churro in DAYS!”

I thought maybe I could redeem the trip with an over-the-top cupcake at Starring Rolls, but it had just closed for the day (at, like, 4pm???). And on top of that, we just missed the boat back to Epcot, our car, and the rapidly closing window on our Little Mermaid FASTPASSES!

We decided to walk.

Why have you forsaken us?!

We were trudging by the BoardWalk Inn’s Croquet Lawn when I spotted a cast member in a golf cart offering some walkers ahead of us a ride. So I began frantically waving like a castaway who’s just spotted a ship, and soon we were being whisked off to the Beach Club! I guess Disney was shuttling BoardWalk Inn guests over to Stormalong Bay this way during the Luna Park pool’s closure, and we lucked out.


Beep beeeeeeep!

FASTPASSES burning a hole in our pockets, we raced to our car, stopping only to take a dozen photos of this lizard...

... and this squirrel!

We drove hell-for-leather along the WDW’s wide boulevards, screeching into a spot back at the Contemporary and then dashing down the footpath to the Magic Kingdom. When we finally staggered up to the entrance of Under the Sea: Ariel’s Undersea Journey to a Voyage of Adventure just 5 minutes after our FASTPASS return window expired, the cast members rolled their eyes and only grudgingly let us through, muttering, "You just HAD to shoot the lizard, didn't you...?"

Say, this one’s got a backside of water too!

OK, the first time I saw this, I thought I was looking at someone’s bare bottom...

 

[lurkyloo]

Now I know I should never believe anything they say at D23 Expo, but I really did think that Walt Disney World’s version of this ride was going to be at least slightly different than ours. The Imagineer we’d talked to made it sound like they were learning from the DCA version’s mistakes and plussing the experience somehow. Nope! Same ride, right down to the cheesy cardboard cut-out climax! The only differences were a much better themed queue and show building at WDW (ours looks like a suburban AMC theater).

Aaaaand the budget ran out..... HERE!

Still getting our land legs...

I do enjoy the Little Mermaid ride but, like Soarin’, it will be easy to skip when I’m in Florida cuz I can ride it anytime I want in California. If it’s a walk-on, it’s a pleasant way to pass a few minutes though.

 

[lurkyloo]

At that point we were super-bored, so we went over to Be Our Guest to see if we could get in for our reservation early. As expected, we could not.

With nothing else to do, we attempted to re-stage some of the “angular kids” concept art for New Fantasyland...

“GUYZ GUYZ WHAT’S THAT OVER THERE?!? I’MONNA RUN TO IT! LULZ!!!1!!”

“GET OUTTA THE WAY! I SEE A ROLLER COASTER!!!!”

“RITALIN? NICE TRY, MOM! OOOOOOH!!!! BALLOONS!!1!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

So.... we were still super-bored, which means you get these 13 shots of architectural elements of New Fantasyland. Enjoy!

A particularly like this trio of images, which I call “Pointy Things: A Montage”: