3,298 miles, 10 breweries, and 1 Mega Meet - a July '16 Trip Report *New 6/5/17 - Link to new TR!*

[TheMaxRebo]

Part 65: At Disney - Day 6: EPCOT
The Spice of Illuminations!​

As mentioned, it took me longer to walk to France than I thought it would (only when in Disney does a sentence like that make sense) and so by the time I had finished purchasing the wine and glasses our ADR time had come. Judi and the kids were done in Japan so they went there first and then I met them, at which time they had already been seated.

So where were we eating? Well, the first photographic proof I have as I was rushing to put my purchases in the stroller which was parked outside and then find them, is of the napkin. It was at Spice Road table - another "new-to-us" dining location

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I was excited to try this place as it seemed like the type of food we like and we also like eating a tapas places as we get to try a lot of different things. Combine that with a place you can view Illuminations from and we were sold - even though it isn't a place you see much chatter about on the DISboards.

So after buying wine for others, it obviously made sense to buy some wine for us. And we love a good dry rose and it tends to pair with a wide variety of food so thought it was a good choice. We definitely enjoyed this one!

Oh, and in the picture you can get a sense of where our table was. We weren't right at the railing, but just one table in and we still had a great view!

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We started out with the Harissa Chicken roll with spicy ketchup. This was really good with a lot of flavor without being too spicy. I do think I liked it more than others. It also wasn't huge - but enough as a nice starter

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Then the kids meals came out. They don't have a lot of choices for the kids but I think they are good options. Emma and Olivia got the chicken kebobs and Peter got the beef slider. Both came with french fries and then hummus and carrots (which the kids loved). They also had a pasta an option. I thought the way the food came out was really cute and the kids really liked it (the fries were good too!)

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If I recall correctly the kids also got some of the specialty kids drinks they had - though I forget who got which. But the options are a Moroccan Sunrise (Pineapple, Strawberry Juice and Orange Water), and a Watermelon Delight Fruit Cocktail (watermelon, cranberry juice, and orange water)

For our entrees, Judi and I split two things - the Lamb Sliders (Brioche, Cucumber Dill, and Mint Tzatziki Sauce served with Hummus Fries) and the Mediterranean Vegetable Platter (Harissa Hummus Fries, Rice-stuffed Grape Leaves, Couscous Salad, and Babaganoush served with Pita)

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The sliders were excellent and we liked the Hummus Fries as well - something a little different as a side. We would definitely order this again. The other dish was only ok. Definitely not bad or anything, but just not amazing - and we had the hummus fries as a side with the burgers anyway. It was nice to be able to try multiple things but I think if/when we go back we would order something different from this.

At the two-top that was inbetween us and the railing were two nice guys who offered to take our picture. You can also see how relatively empty the restaurant was at this point - which was about 8:30. A few more people came in time for Illuminations but definitely not packed.

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Speaking of Illuminations - we thought you got a pretty good view from here. There are two islands out in the water that block things a bit so it isn't perfect but overall we thought it was a great spot when you combine being able to sit and relax and be close to the water. Here are a few pictures - those two guys let the kids get close to the railing so they could see better and I tried to take some "artsy" pictures with Olivia's silhouette watching the show.

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Oh, and during the show they brought out our dessert (another nice feature of getting dessert while watching). We got the Chocolate Pyramid and the Assorted Baklava. The chocolate pyramid was excellent, really enjoyed it and the ice cream went well it it. The baklava was fine - but nothing special (we've had better) and was a relatively service size - stick with the chocolate

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Once the show ended we let the park clear out a bit and just relaxed and finished our wine, leaving the restaurant at about 9:30. By this time Emma had fallen asleep

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Coming up - we aren't quite done for the night

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Part 66: At Disney - Day 6: EPCOT
One more time around the park​

As mentioned, it was about 8:30 that we left the restaurant and started making our way to the front of the park. We heard some "bangs!" and looked back and realized we could see some of the Star Wars Fireworks from DHS

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One last picture for the night of SSE as we let the park - it sure is pretty with the colored lights shining on it

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Peter had been begging us to go on the Monorail again and we weren't sure if we would get that in the next days so we told him if we had time and he was good at dinner we would go for a ride before heading back to the hotel. Well, he qualified so we owned up to it.

He was a bit excited ... the girls less so

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We got on the monorail to do a loop to MK and then back. Peter was still really excited the entire time

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And one last glimpse of SSE and EPCOT before we headed back for the night

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So that ended our day - but we still have two more days at Disney and the trip back, so not done yet! And the next day was full of "new to us" experiences!

TTFN

 

[annie170]

I'm jealous of your upcoming Viking Cruise! Somehow, we got on a mailing list for Viking Cruise and get brochures in the mail at least once a month. My husband is not a cruise guy, so I've got to find someone who wants to go with me.

Spice Road Table looks like a place I will definitely check out one of these trips. I do love the counter service restaurant in Morocco, also. That's great that you timed your meal to coincide with Illuminations.

I agree with Peter. I love riding the monorail.

 

[missangelalexis]

I'm glad you guys enjoyed Spice Road Table! And you really can't beat being able to sit and relax (and eat dessert ) while watching Illuminations! It looks like a pretty decent view.

I absolutely love Peter's face of pure joy at the end of the night! His sisters may be beat but nothing will stop him from getting his monorail ride!! Love it.

Love that last shot you got while on the monorail.

 

[rteetz]

Nice review of Spice Road Table! It never looks busy and gets many mixed reviews. My guess is people aren't that familiar with the food which is why they are never busy.

Love the Monorail excitement!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Following along and loving!

 

[disneyAndi14]

I've been following along and enjoying your good trip reporting, your children are so cute. My daughter and I ate at Spice Road in 2015 and we loved it. We had the calamari and the lamb sliders and hummus fries, we loved as well. We were seated inside and earlier then Illuminations but really enjoyed it. We head back to WDW tomorrow and plan on seeing the new ROL at AK, very excited.

 

[NJlauren]

Wow, just did a major catch up! I've been a little absent from the DIS. But I'm sorta back and just caught up!

Seems like a great trip with some really great moments, your kids always seem so happy and like they are having a great time I love it! Lots of new restaurants and experiences for you guys this trip! I'm excited to see how the rest of the trip plays out, nice that I can be here for the rest!

Hope all is well!

 

[Imagineer5]

We started out with the Harissa Chicken roll with spicy ketchup. This was really good with a lot of flavor without being too spicy. I do think I liked it more than others. It also wasn't huge - but enough as a nice starter

It's been a while since I ate at Spice Road - but this is one thing I really enjoyed here, so I am happy to see it is still good!!

Emma and Olivia got the chicken kebobs and Peter got the beef slider. Both came with french fries and then hummus and carrots (which the kids loved).

What a great kids meal!! Both my girls would enjoy this a lot.

The sliders were excellent and we liked the Hummus Fries as well - something a little different as a side. We would definitely order this again. The other dish was only ok. Definitely not bad or anything, but just not amazing - and we had the hummus fries as a side with the burgers anyway. It was nice to be able to try multiple things but I think if/when we go back we would order something different from this.

Fun meals!! Definitely fun to try new things (and hummus fries sound really good - I'm eating hummus for lunch now actually!)

Speaking of Illuminations - we thought you got a pretty good view from here. There are two islands out in the water that block things a bit so it isn't perfect but overall we thought it was a great spot when you combine being able to sit and relax and be close to the water.

Great view, and honestly you really can't beat being able to sit and relax while watching.

Oh, and during the show they brought out our dessert

Oh wait you can, you can have dessert delivered WHILE sitting and relaxing!! That chocolate one looks amazing.

I laughed out loud at the juxtaposition of these photos with Peter so excited and girls asleep! hahaha.

 

[amazingact21]

Wow, you really did get a nice spot to watch IllumiNations. While the view itself might not have been the best, the overall atmosphere seemed great. You guys looked so relaxed and happy in your group shot.
I was sorry to hear your food choices were just all right. I thought the restaurant sounded interesting. I did love the kid's dishes, though! The way they arranged the carrots around the hummus dip was a nice touch.

Oh my, Peter looked so sweet waiting for his monorail ride. It's those little things on trips that bring a smile to your face...

 

[cindianne320]

What a yummy afternoon in Epcot! I'm drooling over the sandwich, wine, and caramel goodies! Ooh, and the ice cream martini and slushie orange drink! I'm hoping to sample a few of those choices in April!

How fun to take a spin on the monorail at night! Peter looked thrilled!

 

[mousehappync]

This is one place we have been hesitant to try, not because of the food (we love this kind of food!) but because of the kids' meals. It's definitely not enough food for our boys, but they probably wouldn't like much on the adult menu. Maybe we should feed them first, then go! The location is definitely great, and it did look relatively empty when we walked by in January.

How cute that Peter wanted a monorail loop-- I'm with him, I could ride the monorail around all day!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Wow, you really did get a nice spot to watch IllumiNations. While the view itself might not have been the best, the overall atmosphere seemed great. You guys looked so relaxed and happy in your group shot.
I was sorry to hear your food choices were just all right. I thought the restaurant sounded interesting. I did love the kid's dishes, though! The way they arranged the carrots around the hummus dip was a nice touch.

Oh my, Peter looked so sweet waiting for his monorail ride. It's those little things on trips that bring a smile to your face...

I was a little worried about how the view of Illuminations would be but I thought it was actually pretty great - maybe if this was my first ever viewing I would want a more "perfect" spot, but overall we loved it.

We really loved the sliders and I loved the appetizer roll so overall we enjoyed the food. Really just that one item we would do differently and the probably skip the baklava - but overall we liked the food and definitely would go back!

I know - he was a bit of a bugger asking/complaining about wanting to ride the monorail again but when you see that face it is hard to be mad

What a yummy afternoon in Epcot! I'm drooling over the sandwich, wine, and caramel goodies! Ooh, and the ice cream martini and slushie orange drink! I'm hoping to sample a few of those choices in April!

How fun to take a spin on the monorail at night! Peter looked thrilled!

We definitely enjoy eating and drinking in EPCOT! I think in that regard we had an overall good day ... but the ice cream martini was a the highlight!

Peter was really happy and it worked out timing wise so can't complain

This is one place we have been hesitant to try, not because of the food (we love this kind of food!) but because of the kids' meals. It's definitely not enough food for our boys, but they probably wouldn't like much on the adult menu. Maybe we should feed them first, then go! The location is definitely great, and it did look relatively empty when we walked by in January.

How cute that Peter wanted a monorail loop-- I'm with him, I could ride the monorail around all day!

I think with the hummus that helped with the "filling" aspect of the food in the kids meal, but agree it's not giant portions. I just checked and they were $7.99 each so not a killer to the budget if you had them get a snack beforehand or something.

He could definitely ride the monorail all day. A few trips ago when we stayed in the contemporary one afternoon we just did multiple loops on the monorail

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

Oh my gosh I'm behind on this report! I've been loving all the updates though!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Oh my gosh I'm behind on this report! I've been loving all the updates though!

thank you! hoping to get a few more out today!

 

[SarahDisney]

That view of Illuminations from Spice Road Table is great! Spice Road Table really seems like one of those hidden gems - the food definitely looks good, but nobody really seems to talk about it.

I love the end of the night monorail ride - the perfect way to end a good Disney day!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

That view of Illuminations from Spice Road Table is great! Spice Road Table really seems like one of those hidden gems - the food definitely looks good, but nobody really seems to talk about it.

I love the end of the night monorail ride - the perfect way to end a good Disney day!

I agree about Spice Road table being a hidden gem - I wonder if the food options just scare people off ... but there are some pretty tame options and even just doing it as a snack, dessert, and drinks while watching Illuminations would be a good option

Definitely can't go wrong with a bonus end-of-the-day monorail ride ... especially if you are Peter!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Part 67: At Disney - Day 7: Magic Kingdom
Do we finally see the Welcome Show?​

so by this point in the trip I think we were starting to drag a big and coupled with being out a bit later than expected as we were going to bed we were really questioning getting up early to go see the Welcome Show at Magic Kingdom. That was one thing I wanted to accomplish this trip as we had never seen it before and just seemed like something to at least do once (even more so now that they no longer do it at the train station). So we debated just skipping it and sleeping in a bit but ultimately decided to just go for it and then take a break as needed in the middle of the day

So we got up and out as best we could and got out to the car and over to Magic Kingdom. A little later than was ideal but still doing ok ... until we got to the TTC and were informed the monorails were not running and the only way to get to MK was the ferries. Ok, so we headed that way - took this picture at 7:30 (park opening was 8:00, figured we still had 10 mintues ... I mean, it's right there - you can see the Castle!

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But of course we just miss a Ferry leaving and we are just begging the next Ferry to arrive. So we load onto the next Ferry at 7:32 - still doing ok. I do love the names of the Ferries as they are after 3 people really critical in the building of Walt Disney World - we were on the Richard F. Irving. And Olivia felt like taking a glamour shot I guess.

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As we are just willing the ferry to go faster - I did notice a nice photo opportunity as someone with Mouse Ears on was at the right angle for me to get the ears and the Castle together ... so to whoever this was, thank you!

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As we docked I realized it took to long via ferry and there was no way we would get there in time to fully see the Welcome Show as it was already 7:44. So I did the best I could do and zoom in with my camera and see what I could see ... so I guess this technically counts as seeing part of the Welcome Show, right?

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Well, it will have to do unless they ever return to doing it at the Train Station. On the plus side, we were still there basically in time for rope drop and were heading down Main St at 7:54 - per this clock, and friendly cast member with Stitch hands on

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We headed towards one attraction that we were hoping to get to ride with not too bad of a wait - but we wanted to experience the queue so didn't want to do a fast pass. That took us through the Castle and I snagged this picture and it made me think that I don't take enough pictures of looking "up" the Castle ... and as we walked through I realized we don't take enough time to appreciate the mosaics inside the Castle

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Up next, our first attraction of the day

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Part 68: At Disney - Day 7: Magic Kingdom
Lost Boys and Lost Souls​

After passing through the Castle we arrived at our first destination - and I'll take a 5 minute stand-by wait for Pete Pan!

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As mentioned last post, it was largely the queue we wanted to see at it had been redone with some interactive elements since the last time we had been on the ride. First up were some fun murals and then portraits of the Darling children.​

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And then to the interactive parts which I thought were really neat. Photos didn't come out the best - especially of the room where Tinker Bell is flying around sprinkling things with pixie dust, but did get an ok video of the family ringing the bells. It was neat how they "lower" them to your height as at first Peter couldn't reach

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So while my little point and shoot camera does ok for most things - photos on dark rides is not one of them! But here are 2 pictures just to prove we did actually ride Peter Pan

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I always find this to be a fun ride - just the simple fact that you are suspended for it makes it a unique dark ride and the black-lighting works really well. Now, not sure if it is worth the 90 minute waits it often gets, but still a fun ride!

After this we checked wait times and decided to head to the Haunted Mansion as Peter was wearing his t-shirt that is a mash-up of Batman and one of the Stretching Room portraits. So we got a picture of him while in line .. and then the girls wanted one each, even though their Minnie Mouse didn't fit in quite as well. Olivia did make quite the "ugly" face though

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I got some video of the tombstone that wakes up:

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and again, terrible pictures from the actual ride, but one to prove that we did ride it

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The Haunted Mansion is one of my favorite rides and while the kids still get a bit nervous before riding it they are really starting to enjoy it ... which makes my DIS Heart happy!

Coming up next - more MK attractions

TTFN

 

[rteetz]

It's been so long since I took the ferry. Like I was about 4 the last time I did. That sucks that you didn't get there in time but still got a partial view. I'm going to miss the train station show.

I have yet to do the regular queue at pan since they redid it.

Love the pictures of the kids by the HM statues. Peter looks really excited.