4 Parks in 3 Days!! EPCOT w/F&W & MK w/MNSSHP~1880 pics so far! DHS almost complete!

[DizNee Luver]

The last country for us to visit was Canada.







The gift shop. Lots of flannel aye?? lol





More of Canada.



Ok, here's a picture every true Disney fan has to have at least one of..........a garbage can.......lol



Hello??



Waterfalls.









The O'Canada show.



Waiting for the show.



O'Canada Journey the Land of Grandeur in Circlevision 360 is narrated by Martin Short and is a film showing you the best parts of Canada from the cities to the mountain tops. You stand for this experience so you can turn around & see the screen that surrounds you. I enjoyed this!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Hi, Laurie!

I don't know when I'll have a chance to get caught up on the first 10 or 11 pages of this TR, but I wanted to get subscribed to the thread so I at least know where to find the darn thing when I have time! The threads move so fast on this side of the board that I probably would have lost this thread overnight if I didn't get subscribed.

In any case, I am looking forward to reading about your experiences with all 4 parks, the restaurants you tried, the Food & Wine Festival, MNSSHP and the general Halloween 'season' at WDW, and of course, the inevitable comparison between WDW and DLR -- in other words, which things you like better at WDW and which things you like better at DLR. You covered a lot of ground in a very short period of time. I think I would have collapsed upon arriving home, not to be awakened for several days on end!

I am also eager to know if this whirlwind, warp speed trip has now primed you and heightened your interest in once again trying to make that cancelled WDW holiday season trip happen, or if you think you are done with WDW for a while.

Hi Sherry!! Glad you stopped in!!

We did accomplish plenty on this quickie trip......way more than I thought we'd be able to do. I'll include comparisons when I can. We tried to do things we can't do at Disneyland but we did do a few rides at MK that are at both parks.

I'd like to return some day.....just not sure we'd have the money to do it.

 

[DizNee Luver]

When we exited the show, one of Derek's fellow co-workers/College Program participants and possibly his girlfriend~Megan joined us for the rest of our day. (neither are cooperative when it comes to the camera) When you come out from the theater, you see these beautiful grounds in front of you.

















Le Cellier Steakhouse......a very popular restaurant in EPCOT. I'd suggest you make an ADR for this one!



We made a stop at the CANADA Food & Wine booth to try one of the dishes Le Cellier is famous for.





The Le Cellier Wild Mushroom Beef Fillet Mignon with Truffle Butter Sauce. Very tasty!! We used a snack credit for this one.



While we were enjoying our steak.....we saw the GREECE Food & Wine booth. Actually we heard them before we saw them....... they were saying "OPA" every time they handed out a dish......lol We didn't get anything here.





The next booth was the DESSERTS & CHAMPAGNE Food & Wine station. We did get a treat here.





The Frozen Smore. Well I was really looking forward to this......but it was like drinking air with graham cracker crumbs. Very strange consistency....... We paid out of pocket for this one.



The HAWAII Food & Wine booth. We got a couple items here!





The Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet & Sour Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayo. Love this kind of pork........yummo!! The other item was the Aulani Sunrise.....which I believe is POG juice (Pineapple, Orange & Guava) with vodka. I pretty much kept this one for myself.......slurp! We paid out of pocket for both of these.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Finishing up the Food & Wine booths with SCOTLAND. We didn't get anything from here.





CRAFT BEERS Food & Wine booth. We skipped this one as well.





Now that our Food & Wine passport was complete with all the stamps, we were headed to the Food & Wine Festival Center in the Future World.





Here's most of the passport book:





















WE ATE OUR WAY AROUND THE WORLD!!!!

We looked around in the building. They had merchandise to purchase~Tees, cookbooks, cookware, etc. This is where the chefs did presentations and classes.

We headed to Guest Services to find out if I would qualify for the new Disabled Assistance Pass for my anxiety/panic disorder. Well......they made me feel bad for even asking. The CM told me that the card is for disabled people and autism. Well first off.......they shouldn't be telling people what "loophole" they need to use to get one...... good luck figuring out who has autism & who doesn't!!! And second........just because my disability isn't visible doesn't mean it's less of a disability....just sayin'. What I wanted the card for was to "quietly" explain to CM's that I need to enter the shows last, to have an end seat, preferably in the back to keep from being surrounded. This would help keep the anxiety lower. I just walked away feeling like crap.

While I was doing this.....Mike was getting some pictures in that area.

 

[DisneyStitch626]

Yay! Canada! Loved that movie they did.

We totally missed so much when we went! Didn't even see that there was a market place for Morraco.

So cool that you can get that little passport book to mark down everywhere you went and everything you tried. Really cool idea! I think when we go we will have to go during the Food and Wine festival! I am sorry if I missed it, but may I ask roughly how much you spent on all the food and drinks?

So many photos! Loving them all.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Yay! Canada! Loved that movie they did.

We totally missed so much when we went! Didn't even see that there was a market place for Morraco.

So cool that you can get that little passport book to mark down everywhere you went and everything you tried. Really cool idea! I think when we go we will have to go during the Food and Wine festival! I am sorry if I missed it, but may I ask roughly how much you spent on all the food and drinks?

So many photos! Loving them all.

It was well done and we enjoyed the scenery shown in the film.

The passport was something Derek knew about & I'm glad he did!! It's a nice souvenir!

 

[DizNee Luver]

We went back up to The Land building to watch the Circle of Life movie.



It was entertaining with Timon & Puumba learning about the environment from Simba.





Next we decided to go to the Imagination Building.



The fountain.



We rode the Journey into Imagination with Figment next. I believe the way Derek described this ride as "feeling violated when you get off" or something like that........lol



These are from the ride.



















The narrator for this attraction is Eric Idle (Monty Python).















It's a cute ride.....I don't know if I felted "violated" but the sense of smell part was pretty nasty!!

 

[Trentmom]

Canada looks gorgeous in your pics. I don't think I ever fully checked out that area. I will have to that this next time around.

That is so cool you have the passport and kept track of what you all ate. Great souvenir

Trent hates Figment ride, but Steve and I love it. He hates when you get skunk smell. It is not even the smell that bothers him, it is the noise

 

[DizNee Luver]

We left the Land building and walked past the Character Spot and noticed it had a wait time of 5 minutes, so I said....why not?!! We walked right up to Mickey!!!





Then you see Goofy!!



Then Minnie!!



We headed to Test Track and the standby line was 40 minutes.....but the Single Rider line was 20 minutes.....so we decided to go that way.



Derek's friend Megan.



Mike got these while we were in line.









Mike & I got in the same car (different rows) and Megan & Derek ended up in the same car (different rows) too!! We all went at the same time. Mike took these on the ride.











The outside part.





Derek & Megan.



When you exit the ride, you walk thru this big display of Chevrolet/GM vehicles. Want one??







The ride was fun......the inside part is kinda "TRON" like (which doesn't thrill me) and the outside is fast.....I enjoyed that part!

So here comes the comparison......Test Track vs Radiator Springs Racers~~These are two totally different rides & experiences. The courses aren't the same, the inside and the outside part isn't the same. So if I base it purely on theme......Radiator Springs Racers wins it hands down! I did enjoy that the fast part on Test Track seems to be longer & thrilling but the scenery at RSR's is like being in the movie!!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Canada looks gorgeous in your pics. I don't think I ever fully checked out that area. I will have to that this next time around.

That is so cool you have the passport and kept track of what you all ate. Great souvenir

Trent hates Figment ride, but Steve and I love it. He hates when you get skunk smell. It is not even the smell that bothers him, it is the noise

Canada is definitely the most beautiful of the pavilions. I wonder if they allow weddings on those grounds?? It would make for a stunning backdrop in the photos!

A lot of these rides can be quite loud and just overly stimulating. So I get it!!

 

[yupikgal]

Oh the food! How did you find the crowds? What about transportation~was it fairly fluid from your resort? Because there would be 5 of us going to WDW when we do go, we have to consider either 2 separate rooms, or AoA, the cabins at Ft. Wilderness or Villas, which are spendy. I've been eyeing the Pop Century or French Quarter @ Port Orleans too!

I love Canada too, and the movie! I'm glad you got to see it. Kind of forgot about the Imagination Ride until I saw your pics! I can't wait to do all the things that we haven't done for YEARS now!

How great that you got to see Mickey, Minnie & Goofy! Jackpot!

The only ride I won't be doing is Test Track, unlike you, I'm not a fan of fast rides at all, I have dizziness issues, and it feels a little too out of control for me. That's why I prefer RSR in CA. I also avoid your favorite ride BTMRR for those same reasons! It seems like you would love roller coasters?

 

[DizNee Luver]

Oh the food! How did you find the crowds? What about transportation~was it fairly fluid from your resort? Because there would be 5 of us going to WDW when we do go, we have to consider either 2 separate rooms, or AoA, the cabins at Ft. Wilderness or Villas, which are spendy. I've been eyeing the Pop Century or French Quarter @ Port Orleans too!

I love Canada too, and the movie! I'm glad you got to see it. Kind of forgot about the Imagination Ride until I saw your pics! I can't wait to do all the things that we haven't done for YEARS now!

How great that you got to see Mickey, Minnie & Goofy! Jackpot!

The only ride I won't be doing is Test Track, unlike you, I'm not a fan of fast rides at all, I have dizziness issues, and it feels a little too out of control for me. That's why I prefer RSR in CA. I also avoid your favorite ride BTMRR for those same reasons! It seems like you would love roller coasters?

We found the transportation worked pretty well. The most crowded bus was the one to & from Downtown Disney. This one included all 3 All Star Resorts. The bonus here was Sports is first on & first off! I think Animal Kingdom may have done that too but not near as crowded as the DTD buses. The key is to leave plenty of time, don't attempt riding one during the peak times (right after fireworks, Illuminations, etc) and not at closing either.

I do like coasters.....but not all coasters. I'm not a "thrill seeker". I wouldn't go to a place like Six Flags.....there would be very little I would ride. It was the same thing at Knotts. I did the wood coaster (HUGE MISTAKE) and one that was close to BTMRR in style.....but didn't do any of the crazy ones. I don't like drops and have a horrid fear of heights. Part of the appeal with BTMRR for me is the drops aren't huge and it's just a lot of turns & dips & such.

California Screamin' scares me.....I haven't done it the last few times to DL. My biggest fear of that ride is it breaking down and having to walk down from some high place. (which I've seen pictures of people doing on that ride). I'm telling you that I would be glued to the ride vehicle and they would have to PRY me out of it!!

 

[yupikgal]

That's good to know about the buses, because since we stayed at the Poly the last time, we were kind of spoiled by the monorail at our fingertips!

I forgot to mention that I have anxiety/panic issues too, but not necessarily always the same, it depends on the day and situation, I can sit in the middle sometimes, but I prefer edges, it must be the fight or flight aspect, huh? I do get that way in crowds though, like after fireworks or fantasmic in DL when everyone squishes in when leaving! I started waiting and sitting on a bench to wait until most of the crowds leave, it works much better! The worst experience I had with panic was @ WDW in what used to be MGM Studios, it had to do with medication I had taken to counteract my horrible allergy I somehow got (blaming shrimp I had at Crystal palace buffet, so now I don't care for shrimp) and thank goodness they sent a private van to pick us up and bring us to our resort, I couldn't stand being on that bus with all those people, I had to lay down in the back. So therefore I didn't enjoy that park at all, but I want to give it another shot!!

 

[DizNee Luver]

That's good to know about the buses, because since we stayed at the Poly the last time, we were kind of spoiled by the monorail at our fingertips!

I forgot to mention that I have anxiety/panic issues too, but not necessarily always the same, it depends on the day and situation, I can sit in the middle sometimes, but I prefer edges, it must be the fight or flight aspect, huh? I do get that way in crowds though, like after fireworks or fantasmic in DL when everyone squishes in when leaving! I started waiting and sitting on a bench to wait until most of the crowds leave, it works much better! The worst experience I had with panic was @ WDW in what used to be MGM Studios, it had to do with medication I had taken to counteract my horrible allergy I somehow got (blaming shrimp I had at Crystal palace buffet, so now I don't care for shrimp) and thank goodness they sent a private van to pick us up and bring us to our resort, I couldn't stand being on that bus with all those people, I had to lay down in the back. So therefore I didn't enjoy that park at all, but I want to give it another shot!!

The buses for the most part were efficient......but don't expect them to get you to your ADR's on time if you only leave 30 minutes to do so. Always allow time.....much better to be early then lose your reservation. Every park & resort has "YOUR" spot clearly marked. There are signs that will point you in the right direction for your resorts bus stop.

Panic attacks suck & I've had two of them at Disneyland. The third time I was on the verge & had to have a CM escort us down Main Street, thru the shops & to the exit when the area for the Candlelight Processional had pretty much stopped traffic flow. It sucks!

 

[DizNee Luver]

We decided to check out Mission Space. This was not a ride I was going to do & Mike still wasn't interested in riding. It was a walk on.



This ride does offer 2 sides for 2 different experiences. The Green Side is comparable to Star Tours. The Orange Side would be that plus add in the G-Forces and more intensity. Keep in mind that these ride vehicles seat 4 people and you get somewhat closed into it. So if you have claustrophobia, do not attempt this attraction.

Now, with that being said....I love Star Tours.....I don't do well in closed in spaces & didn't realize that was what would happen until it was too late. Derek & I did the Green Side while Megan went to do the Orange Side. Derek & I were the only ones in our ride vehicle....so that helped. I was freaked out about the lift off (so I looked at the little tv screen with Gary Sinise giving us instructions instead of the "movie" screen). Once we were in space I was ok.

Since Mike didn't do the ride, it gave him time to take pictures from around the building.









Mike took this picture of the moon. I thought it was a picture of an eclipse from inside the building.....but it wasn't......he actually captured the dark side of the moon (.......admit it, you thought of Pink Floyd for just a second there......lol)



Inside the Mission Space Gift Shop.....Mickey Heads!!









After riding, we headed thru Future World (on our way to the World Showcase).













The fountain at night is beautifully lit & colorful!!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Back in the World Showcase we had decided earlier in the day to go back to Canada to watch IllumiNations. We figured with it being elevated, that it would make for a decent view of the show & not as crowded as being down along the lake itself.





Since I wanted Mike to get good pictures of the show, I told him he could go down to the fences & find a clear view to watch & I'd stay up in Canada with Derek & Megan. Had to laugh......Megan & Derek climbed up on a rock to sit & one of the Canadian CM's came over and said "Sorry, you can't sit up on the rocks, it's a safety issue.....sorry". When we've seen shows & comedy bits mocking Canadians.....they always start out their sentences with sorry......lol (sorry about that Andrea....not making fun of you....just an observation....you Canadians are the politest people!!)

Mike got some pictures across the lake prior to the show starting.















IllumiNations~Reflections of Earth is a night time show in EPCOT. The show uses fireworks, pyrotechnics, laser lights, fountains & fire to create a visual production on the World Showcase Lagoon. The show has three acts: I. Chaos~~the creation of the planet, II. Life, Adventure~~images appear on the globe & coutries representing famous landmarks & people III. Celebration & Finale~~the earth opens & reveals a torch and 1000 white fireworks light up the lagoon.

 

[DizNee Luver]

IllumiNations continued:

 

[DizNee Luver]

IllumiNations continued........

 

[DizNee Luver]

Finishing up with IllumiNations!!



























WOW.....what an awesome show!! The finale is huge & bright and just spectacular!! So glad we got to see this show in person!! I just wish the stuff being shown on the globe would have appeared better on the pictures.

Mike came back into the Canada area & tried to snap a quick picture of the three of us...but we weren't very cooperative.....lol



Close up of the Spaceship Earth globe as we made our way back thru Future World.





We had one last picture done in front of the Food & Wine displays near the entrance to EPCOT.



Megan graciously offered to drive us back to our resort. The drivers are NUTS here!! We almost got t-boned on one of the merges (they are like 2 car lengths long.....so short from what we're used to in Oregon). We got back to All Star Sports and headed to the room. Derek decided to take advantage of having Megan's car there & did a run to his apartment to drop off all the chili & jam we had brought him. (he didn't want to try to carry it all on the employee buses....lol). So he took off with Megan.

With all the food we sampled on during the day.....we hadn't eaten anything all evening & we were getting hungry. So Mike & I headed to All Star Music to their food court and pick up a late dinner. What a chaotic place.....even at 9:30 at night!! We got in a lengthy line to order Mike's chicken nuggets & my hot dog. They actually ran out of hot dogs.....so Mike was handed his food & then we stood there & waited for about 10 minutes to get my hot dog. Then you go pick out your "bottled" drink and a dessert. We really couldn't find any desserts, so one of the CM's suggested we get a single scoop of ice cream when we were done with our dinner. They will stamp your receipt so you can get it free when you're ready for it. We had until 10pm to get it. So we got in line to check out.......I picked the WRONG line.....it took forever!! We finally get up to the cashier and she makes a mistake ringing up our dinner & charged my dining plan for one dinner too many, so we had to wait for a manager to come over & fix it. So now it's probably close to 9:40 now and we finally sit down to eat our lukewarm/cold food.







Mike ran over to the ice cream station to get our ice cream before the 10pm closing of that area. Derek got back & joined us as we finished up. We headed back to the room, watched a few minutes of tv & then called it a day. A very LONG day!!

All Star Music-Intermission Food Court

Mike~Chicken Nuggets with fries $8.69
1 scoop ice cream cone $3.59
Chocolate Milk $2.39

Total $14.67

Laurie~Hot Dog with fries $6.99
1 scoop ice cream cone $3.59
Soda~bottled $2.99

Total $13.57

2 Quick Service Meal Credits Used $28.24 + 1.98 tax = $30.22

 

[DizNee Luver]

Let's end our EPCOT day with some of the PhotoPass pictures we took that day.

Spaceship Earth~



The Seas, Nemo & Friends~



Donald Duck in Mexico~



China~



Italy~



The World Showcase Lagoon (I know, I know.....I called it a lake the whole time......lol)~



France~



Japan~



Japan/Lagoon~



Spaceship Earth~



Mickey~







Goofy~



Minnie~





Test Track on ride photos~





Spaceship Earth at Night~



Food & Wine Display~