A Post Open-Heart Surgery/Anniversary Trip Report!!! Updated 5/30 PTR started!!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Originally, when making the plan for today, I had thought that we would go to Animal Kingdom (which had EMH), then to AKL for dinner.

Like moths to a flame, we went to Epcot instead.



Since we hadn't been to Epcot a lot this trip , we decided to go on a few rides in Future World on our way to the bus stops.

Who else loves the Fountain of Nations?

Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!



Am I the only person who thinks the fish with the flashlight on its head is a bit terrifying? (yes, I know it's not a flashlight)

We then went over to Spaceship Earth, which could use a tad more comfortable seating, but I love it anyways. I don't adore the new version (I miss the old ending, where in the future we'd be able to talk on computers), but I am relieved that they left in the Burning of Rome scent.

That's a make or break factor for me right there.

Although, I am a sucker for a fun little touch screen game.





I didn't take the ears off before taking the ride picture, so that's why I have an odd-shaped head.









Wingnut and I landed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, which is pretty close to the exact opposite of where we actually live.

I love Epcot I love Epcot I love Epcot I love Epcot



Kind of blurry, but I like this one



Wingnut and I then made our way out of Epcot, but not before I coerced him into stopping for another Photopass.



To the bus stops we went, luckily, Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of the closer ones. You already know the saga of how we're onto the trickery of the bus system there, so us experts were sure to stay on until the second stop. We shivered our way down to Boma (when oh when will it be warmer?), again reassuring Wingnut that we could stop at the gift shop on the way out (he's especially fond of aquatic themes).

Boma was, not surprisingly, packed. Like squished-room only in the lobby, the Victoria's Fall lounge was full, and so we took the buzzer back up to the lobby, where I began to comment that I wish we were there to dine at Jiko again (only once. Maybe twice.).

Wingnut agreed, but he was super-psyched to be eating at Boma again (we had gone the previous year with my parents). Admittedly, especially on this night, I was the teensiest bit unenthusiastic about going to Boma. I was exhausted, and a buffet involves movement. And I knew I was going to have to think while up at the buffet, and remember the dishes I was able to have.

I didn't tell any of this to Wingnut, since I knew how jazzed he was. But AHHH JIKO WAS SOOO CLOSE.

And yet.

So far.

Anyways, our buzzer eventually went off (I'd say it took close to 45 minutes), and we went back downstairs.

We didn't know it, but we were about to be in the hands of the most wonderful chef of our trip.

The photo of my meal bears reposting, simply because I am still amazed by it.





After dinner, we were pretty much stuffed and exhausted, so we decided to take a cab back to the Yacht Club. An excellent decision, we were back at the hotel in no time.

Climbing the stairs (who am I kidding, I'm sure we took the elevator up that one floor), I remembered the towel Cinderella Castle/Sydney Opera House I had left that morning. Would the Mousekeeper have taken the bait? Or made another towel Mickey head and returned all of the hand towels to their rightful, albeit boring, positions on the sink?

...

...

...

(it was a long walk, we were tired)

...



Yay!!!!!!!

We got a sun, an elephant, and a little base for Stitch to stand on. I was very happy. Wingnut was relieved I wouldn't resort to attempting to recreate the Taj Mahal out of towels the next morning.

Or would I...????

 

[glennbo123]

Great ending to this chapter! I'm glad you finally got some towel creations!

I love Boma too, so I'm glad that you had such a great meal there.

 

[3prettyprincesses]

Great update!

Oh and honey, you can NEVER go to Epcot too many times, you just can't! We're big Epcot fans too.

You're right, those Spaceship Earth seats aren't comfy, the angle is so rigidly straight and it's hard plastic! But I still love it. Yours and Wingnut's futuristic pics came out cool, even if your head was misshapen! Quick question, was Wingnut singing when they snapped his pic? I love your pics of Spaceship Earth too, it's such an awesome park icon, don't you think?

Ah, Boma, sweet heaven! I'm not surprised it was packed either, it was when we were there in early February too which is supposedly a sloooow time of year. I think the problem is the waiting area is so tiny making it appear to be crowded.

Your plate of food looks like a masterpiece! Though personally I'd have passed on the parsnips, I don't like the flavor at all. Your dessert plate looked scrumptious! When we ate there, the chef also brought me out a special allergy safe plate of desserts and lo and behold, four, that's right four, zebra domes! I'm not even embarrassed to say that I ate ever single one of them!

Yay for cool towel animals! I love the sun and it took me second to *see* the elephant, I guess I'm slow that way. Oh, and my guess is that you most certainly resorted to making towel animals again the next morning.

 

[MEK]

I was very happy. Wingnut was relieved I wouldn't resort to attempting to recreate the Taj Mahal out of towels the next morning.

Or would I...????

Thank you for the last laugh of the evening!!!! Good one!!!!!!!

I remember reading about your wonderful Boma meal. It looks fabulous!

You know....I always end up in a strange geographical location on SSE, too. I seriously can not pinpoint my home on the touch screen. I'm a total spaz and the wrong finger ends up touching the screen and putting my home in some obscure land, like India or Sri Lanka. Everyone else seems to get the mid-atlantic correctly! It's almost comical how far off I get!

 

[MeMom]

Who else loves the Fountain of Nations?

I certainly do!

That video is great. Pictures alone do not capture the complete 'feel' of that area.

 

[disneydreaminA115]

That's awesome that they were so wonderful to you at Boma! Nothing like a little Disney TLC Also, I love all the Stitch cameos - he's my favorite!

 

[Jennifer48]

I love the Fountain of Nations! I just wish they benches around it so I could just sit and watch. I'm always mesmerized

Love your new towel creations!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Great ending to this chapter! I'm glad you finally got some towel creations!

I love Boma too, so I'm glad that you had such a great meal there.

Thanks!! I was happy too! I'm not sure what I would have done had these efforts gone unnoticed.

Boma is awesome, isn't it? They used to have this rediculously good chocolate mousse that my friend and I LOVED.

Great update!

Oh and honey, you can NEVER go to Epcot too many times, you just can't! We're big Epcot fans too.

You're right, those Spaceship Earth seats aren't comfy, the angle is so rigidly straight and it's hard plastic! But I still love it. Yours and Wingnut's futuristic pics came out cool, even if your head was misshapen! Quick question, was Wingnut singing when they snapped his pic? I love your pics of Spaceship Earth too, it's such an awesome park icon, don't you think?

Ah, Boma, sweet heaven! I'm not surprised it was packed either, it was when we were there in early February too which is supposedly a sloooow time of year. I think the problem is the waiting area is so tiny making it appear to be crowded.

Your plate of food looks like a masterpiece! Though personally I'd have passed on the parsnips, I don't like the flavor at all. Your dessert plate looked scrumptious! When we ate there, the chef also brought me out a special allergy safe plate of desserts and lo and behold, four, that's right four, zebra domes! I'm not even embarrassed to say that I ate ever single one of them!

Yay for cool towel animals! I love the sun and it took me second to *see* the elephant, I guess I'm slow that way. Oh, and my guess is that you most certainly resorted to making towel animals again the next morning.

Thank you!! I'm glad to hear you guys are big Epcot fans too! Isn't it just so wonderful there?!?

Yeah, the Spaceship Earth seats don't seem as though they were built with ergonomic comfort in mind. Although I don't get as unsettled when they tip backwards for the descent "back to earth" as I do on the Haunted Mansion when those tip backwards. That angle is steep! Every time we start going into the graveyard scene, I'm frantically grabbing at my seatmates arm like I'm going to go tumbling backwards.

And no, Wingnut wasn't singing. "Tongue sticking out" and "Mouth slightly open" are his two default silly faces, I didn't even realize he had done that until the computer screen popped up! He's very cute, that Wingnut of mine

Boma truly is awesome. I was a bit sad when I wasn't able to have a bunch of the goodies, but was more than thrilled with what I did have! And the desserts there are so good! Good for you for having all of the zebra domes! Those little guys are yummy!

I was probably TOO excited over the towel animals that were there!!

Thank you for the last laugh of the evening!!!! Good one!!!!!!!

I remember reading about your wonderful Boma meal. It looks fabulous!

You know....I always end up in a strange geographical location on SSE, too. I seriously can not pinpoint my home on the touch screen. I'm a total spaz and the wrong finger ends up touching the screen and putting my home in some obscure land, like India or Sri Lanka. Everyone else seems to get the mid-atlantic correctly! It's almost comical how far off I get!

Thanks!! I wonder if anyone has attempted the 7 Wonders of the World in towel?

Hahaha I'm terrible at pinpointing myself on the map too! I literally even take a breath before and steady my hand for optimal map selection. And yet, there I am in Madagascar. If they use Spaceship Earth as an park guest hometown analysis tool, I am absolutely throwing off their research!

I certainly do!

That video is great. Pictures alone do not capture the complete 'feel' of that area.

Hi!! I love love love Future World. That whole area with the fountain is just so majestic and peaceful at the same time. Youtube is definitely a fantastic way to fill the Disney void while at home. That and the CD's. My commute would be a lot less jovial without those .

That's awesome that they were so wonderful to you at Boma! Nothing like a little Disney TLC Also, I love all the Stitch cameos - he's my favorite!

Stitch is my favorite too!!! One time when I was at Disney, I was on a MISSION to meet Stitch, and he was rumored to be at a character meet area "soon". I lingered inside one of the gift shops, essentially stalking poor Stitch, until I saw that glimpse of blue fur.

I'm not ashamed to admit I went tearing out of that store yelling "STIIIIIITCH!!!" while on my way into line. That was a very happy Disney moment

Honestly, I never thought the chef at Boma would be so kind to make such a fantastically full plate for me! I ate and ate and ate and ate, and couldn't come close to finishing it all! Disney is wonderful with special dietary requests, I love dining there!

I love the Fountain of Nations! I just wish they benches around it so I could just sit and watch. I'm always mesmerized

Love your new towel creations!

Thank you!! I was pretty pleased with myself (and even more happy that it got return towel animals!)

There's a wall by Club Cool that you can kind of watch the Fountain of Nations from (but it's at a bit of an awkward angle, an odd height for sitting, and has those little pebbles that dig into your legs). I think there's a similar wall outside of MouseGears. Not the most comfy, I'll admit.

 

[dekkerdisneydreamer]

Hooray, Mousekeeping took the bait!! I love the sun and elephant, wonderful!! I wonder if they will continue to be playful.....

Ooh, I'm so glad you posted about Boma! We are staying at AKV in October and Boma was on my short list of places to eat. It's on the firm list now! I will be traveling with two children (one is eight and the other will be 16 months) and I like the flexibility that a buffet has to offer. Now that you and Wingnut have given such a glowing review to Boma, I can't go wrong!

I love that the CM's were playing a Giant Sized Jenga! How cool is that? It's fun to see them being able to have fun at work. I truly believe that being a CM would be a dream come true. Granted, I know that no job is ever a "dream", it has it's ups and downs, but honestly who wouldn't have a perma-grin going to work every day here?

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Hooray, Mousekeeping took the bait!! I love the sun and elephant, wonderful!! I wonder if they will continue to be playful.....

Ooh, I'm so glad you posted about Boma! We are staying at AKV in October and Boma was on my short list of places to eat. It's on the firm list now! I will be traveling with two children (one is eight and the other will be 16 months) and I like the flexibility that a buffet has to offer. Now that you and Wingnut have given such a glowing review to Boma, I can't go wrong!

I love that the CM's were playing a Giant Sized Jenga! How cool is that? It's fun to see them being able to have fun at work. I truly believe that being a CM would be a dream come true. Granted, I know that no job is ever a "dream", it has it's ups and downs, but honestly who wouldn't have a perma-grin going to work every day here?

I was very excited my towel bait had worked!

Boma's a great place, especially if you will be staying right there! They definitely have enough different types of food to satisfy any taste (and I did try the mac and cheese from the kids section, very good ). Also a good meal to consider at Boma is breakfast. They have a nice selection of traditional and more interesting items. It was one of our favorite breakfasts of the trip (again, it would be even better for you guys since you'll be staying right there - no Disney transport to navigate!)

I agree, it is a lot of fun to see the CM's having fun with their job. I bet that being a CM would be a difficult job, but very fun and rewarding one as well. How great would it be to be able to help spread so much joy?

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Another lovely Disney morning was upon us. The smell of Mickey waffles was in the air. The Friendship boats were getting ready to cheerfully toot their horns. The air was warming up.

Wait...really?

YAYY!!!!!!!! Wingnut and I threw on our t-shirts, brazenly left all sweatshirts, coats, gloves, and other winter outerwear in the room, and headed off. While it wasn't exactly warm out yet, it WOULD be, and we were prepared!

In celebration of the distinct lessening of the chill in the air, Wingnut and I decided to breathe in some fresh air, get better acquainted with the plantlife that had been covered up until that point, and walk over to breakfast at Kouzzina.

Alright, so the Friendship boats weren't running yet. But we did appreciate the newly uncovered flowers (they were snuggled up under warm tarps for the past few days) as we walked over to the Boardwalk (decided to go over the bridge closer to Swan and Dolphin, rather than Beach Club, but I'm sure they're fairly equidistant).

Soon enough, we were at Kouzzina. Check out these uncovered arms!!

Breakfast at Kouzzina.

We chose to hop the Friendship boat at the Boardwalk dock after our breakfast (they were running by then), and rode to Epcot.

I know, I know, you all must be thinking "Epcot AGAIN???" However, hear me out. All of the previous days we had been in Epcot, we had been either in World Showcase or just passing through Future World, with a brief stop in Spaceship Earth. All of Future World had been bypassed, while our shoes (and rented wheelchair wheels) made tracks back and forth through the main walkway.

That justified, off to Future World!

Like most people seem to do, our first stop was at Soarin' for Fastpasses. The wait was around 40 minutes when we grabbed them, but we justified getting the passes so we could meander during that time rather than standing on Soarin's impressively boring queue.

First ride of the day: Living with the Land!

I love Living with the Land. I'm sure some people visit it just because they're in the Soarin' neighborhood, but I just love seeing the little farmhouse, the 9 pound lemon, and the little boy in the end with the blueberries.

(I wonder how old he is now...?)

9 POUND LEMON!!!! WOO!!! YEAH!

No, I really do get that excited for this thing. And then I ponder to myself, "how much lemonade would that make?"

Hey, when life gives you 9 pound lemons, well, you do what you gotta do.

Mickey in lettuce!

(Not to be confused with Mickey lettuce, which I'm sure is being developed.)

Reason #83 why it's awesome to go to WDW during the holiday season:

The rosemary (and other plants too) are decorated! How can you not love Living with the Land?

After Living with the 9 pound lemon, we had still a bit of time left before our Fastpasses ripened, so we decided to go over to Ellen.

I mean, Universe of Energy.

This was one of the few rides we decided to take the wheelchair into, as we weren't sure how much preshow there was going to be left (happily, a good amount), and if there would be seating left (no). It turned out to be an easy enough ride to do this on, the CM just wheeled me and the chair into the back of one of the ride vehicles.

Does anyone else really love the scene where its like origami progress? (starts at around 1:23 of this video)

After that, we were off and rolling again!

 

[MeMom]

I'm a fan of Living with the Land, as well.
Wonder if they tell you how much lemonade a nine pound lemon makes on the Behind the Seeds tour?

 

[glennbo123]

I'm glad you finally got a chance to exercise your right to bare arms.

And I liked your line about your Fastpasses ripening. It was perfect after Living with the Land.

I wonder where you were rolling to next???

 

[mickeystoontown]

Yay for not having to bundle up in coats and gloves!

You are not alone in your love for Living With The Land. I am a huge fan as well.

Ellen....I mean Universe of Energy...is one of my favorites too. I think the funniest part is near the end when Ellen is pressing the button with her nose, flinging it over her shoulder, etc.

 

[3prettyprincesses]

OMG, hold on Sara, let me make sure I read that right...yup, I did, you wore t-shirts! Finally! I imagine the Hallelujah chorus playing while you and Wingnut put them on!

Kouzina looked fabulous! Did you find them allergy friendly? And I love your morning drink ritual...hot chocolate! You'd get along great with my DD7, she's addicted to it as well. At least on vacation.

You know, my whole family and I love Living with the Land! I especially love the farmhouse and cute little blueberry boy too, his little cheeks are round just like the fruit!

Two trips ago we took our DD's on the Ellen ride thinking they'd find it lame. But they loved it! So do we. She is hilarious and I thought made a nice addition to the attraction. And yes, the origami progress part is cool!

Soooo, where did you and Wingut roll to next? I'm going to say Nemo.

 

[dekkerdisneydreamer]

T-SHIRTS T-SHIRTS!!!

It's always nice to be in a sunny place like, oh Florida, and not have to wear a jacket!!!

I'm truly wondering if you guys will go to another park again.......

 

[Jennifer48]

for no winter clothes!

No, I really do get that excited for this thing. And then I ponder to myself, "how much lemonade would that make?"

I ALWAYS think that too!

I still have yet to see Universe of Energy. Next trip.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I'm a fan of Living with the Land, as well.
Wonder if they tell you how much lemonade a nine pound lemon makes on the Behind the Seeds tour?

I've never gone on the Behind the Seeds tour (that's always a "next time" one for me!) but fun citrus facts would be a great part of the tour!

I'm glad you finally got a chance to exercise your right to bare arms.

And I liked your line about your Fastpasses ripening. It was perfect after Living with the Land.

I wonder where you were rolling to next???

so was I!! Thanks, I thought a little plant humor was appropriate.

Yay for not having to bundle up in coats and gloves!

You are not alone in your love for Living With The Land. I am a huge fan as well.

Ellen....I mean Universe of Energy...is one of my favorites too. I think the funniest part is near the end when Ellen is pressing the button with her nose, flinging it over her shoulder, etc.

Hahaha it was a very freeing feeling to leave the fleece behind! Yay for Living with the Land and Ellen! I love that part too! And the part in the preshow where she's like "ooh, I love what you did with your hair! No, not you. Well, yours is nice too, but THAT is cute."

OMG, hold on Sara, let me make sure I read that right...yup, I did, you wore t-shirts! Finally! I imagine the Hallelujah chorus playing while you and Wingnut put them on!

Kouzina looked fabulous! Did you find them allergy friendly? And I love your morning drink ritual...hot chocolate! You'd get along great with my DD7, she's addicted to it as well. At least on vacation.

You know, my whole family and I love Living with the Land! I especially love the farmhouse and cute little blueberry boy too, his little cheeks are round just like the fruit!

Two trips ago we took our DD's on the Ellen ride thinking they'd find it lame. But they loved it! So do we. She is hilarious and I thought made a nice addition to the attraction. And yes, the origami progress part is cool!

Soooo, where did you and Wingut roll to next? I'm going to say Nemo.

Hahaha well we had been wearing t-shirts all along - they were just covered by around 5 more layers of clothes!

I did find Kouzzina very allergy-friendly, much more for breakfast, they use a few more spices in their dinner. But there were definitely things I was easily able to eat on both menus! Hot chocolate is a wonderful vacation breakfast treat, your DD7 and I would definitely get along! (My favorite hot chocolate I had at Disney was at Kona, btw)

Yay I'm glad someone else loves the produce people pictures at the end of the ride!!! I also love the tomato beret lady.

Ellen is definitely a longer ride, but I don't think it's boring. Ellen's humor livens it up.

Hmm, well we did go to Nemo, but not exactly then...

T-SHIRTS T-SHIRTS!!!

It's always nice to be in a sunny place like, oh Florida, and not have to wear a jacket!!!

I'm truly wondering if you guys will go to another park again.......

I promise, we do go to Animal Kingdom!!!

I was very excited to FINALLY be able to not be all bundled up! It had been quite cold!

for no winter clothes!

I ALWAYS think that too!

I still have yet to see Universe of Energy. Next trip.

I think everyone around the parks was much more lively that day, finally a glimpse of warmth!

Okay, here goes:

According to this page I found that did some lemon researching (OMG I just accidentally hit backspace and thought I lost all of this ) and some math of my own:

They say that there is 1 tablespoon of juice in a 6 ounce lemon.

There are 144 ounces in 9 pounds, aka 24 6-ounce lemons in that 1 9-pound lemon.

SO, there are 24 tablespoons, or 1.5 cups of lemon juice in the 9 pound lemon!

(I feel like I just figured out how many licks to the center of a Tootsie Pop. Or something equally monumental )

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Hey, at least this chapter's title is related to Disney. It could have very well been "I had some cereal and have yet to put away my laundry," as that's an event of today as well.

Anyways.

When we last left off, Wingnut and I were heading westward.





(Fountain pictures are crooked as we were rolling at the time and I haven't quite mastered photos while in motion)

Onwards to...





Soarin!

I love Soarin', but Wingnut can take it or leave it. Happily (for me, at least), he is very willing to sit through it for me. But, while I do love Soarin', I really dislike feet. Like, really really cannot stand feet. It's a thing.

I also cringe when on Pirates and we pass under the pirate's dangling foot on the bridge. Especially since I read that the Imagineers used real dirt and hair on that one pirate, since you're closest to him.

Gross.

Because of this, it really bugs me when we don't sit in the front row. I try not to be distracted by all the dangling feet above me, but I just can't help it. When we got up to the front of the line, I asked the CM if we could sit in the front. We stood by the wall of the loading area along with two other people that had seemingly asked the same thing, waited through one rotation of the ride, then were lead into the queue for front row center!

Can I tell you guys a story of what I once did in Soarin'? It was kind of bad...

So my friend and I went on Soarin, and were seated on the far left, in the back (read: I'm already a bit less-than-enthused about our seats). We soared, and then came back down and unbuckled our seatbelts. The CM's were like "Everybody, please exit to your right"

I was in the far left corner seat, and I turned around to leave in that aisle, and the CM stationed there was like "excuse me, please exit to your right" and I sassily (after deliberating for a minute, I think sassy is a good adjective for my tone that moment) replied

"WELL THIS LOOKS LIKE MY RIGHT TO ME"

before following my friend out of the ride, who said nothing.

And continued to say nothing as we weaved our way out of the exit queue (which, as we all know, is pretty long), until I finally stopped in my tracks and realized in horror

"OH MY GOD THAT WAS MY LEFT"

So not only had I been pretty sassy (apologies to the CM working at Soarin' back in January of 2008), but I also had been pretty wrong.

Um. Whoops?

Anyways, back the more recent past.

I was well-behaved on Soarin' this time around, and we were incident-free disembarking and leaving the ride. While walking out of Soarin', we noticed a little gift shop that we hadn't seen before. It was incredibly teeny, and had various Earth and agriculture-related souvenirs, including little plant seedlings in sterile little plastic containers.

Wingnut took to a little Dragon Fruit seedling, and decided to get it. The CM explained that it was grown in a gel that gave it all the nutrients it would need until it got too big for the container, and not to take it out until then. She approximated that would take around 9 months.

Here is the Dragon Fruit (named Planty) now. (photo and plant name credits and go to Wingnut)



At the bottom of the receipt, there was a coupon for (I want to say) 20% off a purchase at MouseGears if we went there before 12. We decided to swing through there to see if anything caught our fancy, and I found a shirt I liked, and decided to get it.

There's no cohesive place to put this: throughout the day, I snacked in Future World and World Showcase, so here's that.

Is it true that they are getting/have gotten rid of this little canopy? I'll be sad if it's true.



...and then a bunch of stuff happened and we ended up across the lake.



There are sometimes memory challenges when writing a trip report you didn't plan to write with sporadic photos almost 4 months later.

Okay, we were in Italy.





This guy is pretty amusing. The guy with the gondola, I mean. The other guys in the photo might be amusing too, but I really don't know them well enough to say.



En route. To...somewhere.



Oh yes, this is a good somewhere.

 

[glennbo123]

Another nice update Stringbean!

When you say "let's get rollin' "....you really get rollin'!

That guy with the gondola is Sergio. He's pretty fun to watch.