F&W: FULL is more than a reading on your gas gauge! Girls-Only Trip! Updated 3/2,p.9

[Beka]

DH & I went to Universal to see HP. It was... well... it may have been better if I wasn't pregnant and therefore restricted on most of the rides for the rest of the park. Maybe it was because we went at the end of the trip & had been so immersed in Disney that when we went we couldn't help but compare? HP world (as we call it) was ok, but we didn't feel it was the price of admission. However, I'm glad we did it.

Kouzzina was yummy when we went on 09! And we loved Via Napoli too! The salad was so yummy. I know, it's salad, but dang it was good, & I still crave it!

 

[DisneyDreamerMN]

Great update! I am just joining in as I have been MIA from DIS since getting back from October trip. Looking forward to reading more.

 

[JenSop]

DH & I went to Universal to see HP. It was... well... it may have been better if I wasn't pregnant and therefore restricted on most of the rides for the rest of the park. Maybe it was because we went at the end of the trip & had been so immersed in Disney that when we went we couldn't help but compare? HP world (as we call it) was ok, but we didn't feel it was the price of admission. However, I'm glad we did it.

Kouzzina was yummy when we went on 09! And we loved Via Napoli too! The salad was so yummy. I know, it's salad, but dang it was good, & I still crave it!

Yeah, we're kind of wanting to do it so we can say we did it (Universal/HP). Although, we are planning it for the end maybe. So it might be a let down too. I mean, we're Disney freaks for a reason, right? We haven't finalized anything yet.

We went to Kouzzina on our July trip and just loved it - we said it would definitely be a must-do on the next one! And I'll have to try the salad at Via Napoli too!

Great update! I am just joining in as I have been MIA from DIS since getting back from October trip. Looking forward to reading more.

Welcome to my TR!!! So happy to have you on board!

LOVE your Dole Whip pic! (My current Facebook profile pic is me holding a Dole Whip!)

 

[MEK]

Great updates!

First of all - Kudos to you for trying out for VOL, even though its not your favorite style of singing. What a cool experience. I always wanted to be a music major (although I probably would have done flute, not vocal), so I think its really cool to hear from people with that background.

Second - Your meals at Kona look delish. I recognize that tuna. It is soooooo good. Love your post meal pictures. Bummer about the lack of Lapu Lapu. Guess they ran out of pineapples.

Fun night at HS. I always find Fantasmic a little confusing although my 9 year old nephew totally got it! Love all your silly pics.

 

[JenSop]

Great updates!

First of all - Kudos to you for trying out for VOL, even though its not your favorite style of singing. What a cool experience. I always wanted to be a music major (although I probably would have done flute, not vocal), so I think its really cool to hear from people with that background.

Second - Your meals at Kona look delish. I recognize that tuna. It is soooooo good. Love your post meal pictures. Bummer about the lack of Lapu Lapu. Guess they ran out of pineapples.

Fun night at HS. I always find Fantasmic a little confusing although my 9 year old nephew totally got it! Love all your silly pics.

Thanks!

The down-side to being a music major in performance (and two degrees, no less) is that you have eternal career instability! Yay. It's funny, when you're actually in school studying music, you are almost taught to have this "elite" view of music and how certain music is better than others, blah, blah, blah. (I really try to not be too much of a music snob, really I do!)

But after being out in the "real world" for a few years, you realize that if you want to make any money, you have to keep your options open. As long as it won't harm my voice, I will sing ANYTHING that pays. (Even occasional awesome things that don't pay if it's going to be a good role and great fun!) Years ago, I would have considered it "Selling out" but I'm a wiser girl now in my "older years."

So cool that you played flute! I played flute too - but eventually stopped playing in college when I had to focus on voice and piano.


As far as Kona - you know, I think it really gets overlooked so often - and it's a great restaurant!

But they need to keep up with their pineapple stock. Just sayin'.

 

[JenSop]

Yay! Exciting news!!! Our add-on is official!
It was only a 35 point add-on, as that was what we could afford right now, but we're still really excited!

We made our down payment and should receive all paper work during the first half of the week. Points were available today, so I made our reservation for OKW for June 19-24! At 70 points for the 5 nights, we're literally just using add-on points for this reservation - 35 2010 points and 35 2011 points. (We have an April use year, so we got in in time to be able to still get the 2010 points to bank into 2011!) And we'll have enough points for our Grand Gathering in 2012!!!


Just had to share the good news!

 

[JenSop]

Day Four!!! Food and Wine day!!!

Well folks. We ended up sleeping in today. Couldn't help it.

By the time we got out and about, it was time for an early lunch at Mara before heading out.

I can't remember which dish that was.... I think it was mine? I do see in my notes that Andi did not like her veggie flatbread because she did not read the signs about what veggies were on it. Live and learn, I say!


And by the way, the bathroom at Jambo House next to Mara is crazy big - like insanely huge. Just thought I'd mention that because I was really surprised over the massiveness of it.


We headed out to Epcot and immediately got some Photopass pics taken!

(And look, I'm wearing my new dress from the other day!)

We went over and got FP's for Test Track. (We were saving our last Magic Fast Pass for Soarin'.)

After a quick stop in Mouse Gear, we headed to Guest Relations to get our gift card wrist bands to use for drink purchases in World Showcase.

We learned an interesting little bit of trivia from the CM at Guest Relations. He told us that the Sleeping Beauty castle in DL was built before the movie came out - the castle in the park was meant to be advertising for the movie, in a way. Any experts out there was to verify this little bit of trivia? I personally had no idea.

A quick pic of SE:

Our next stop was to head to Soarin'. And thanks to our wonderful magic FP's, we got to go in right away. The ride was awesome as usual!

Next up - The Seas for a dolphin show! I have to say that I've loved dolphins since I was little and still do! And this was a totally different show than the last one I saw. They were teaching the dolphins (and learning what they could do) when it came to recognizing shapes and such.

Upon leaving The Seas, we figured it would be a good idea to pick up regular FP's for Soarin' to use for later in the evening. So we got our FP's and then decided to ride Living with the Land. I actually remember this ride from my VERY first trip as a little girl in 1984. Well, all I remembered about it was the plants growing inside and that I didn't really like it. (Not exactly the most exciting thing for a young child.) The other memory that goes along with that, was my freak out/tantrum when we went to get food there after the ride. Now, I was really young, and did not know there were different kinds of fries. The menu said steak fries and my very young naive brain thought that they were actually strips of steak made to look like fries. So I was having a crying fit in the middle of the line because I didn't want steak! Funny how certain memories just stick with ya, huh?

Megan really wanted to see the pumpkins growing, but sadly, there was a pumpkin shortage, so we really didn't get to see Mickey pumpkins. But here are some pics from the ride....

After that, we headed to Test Trak to use the FP's we picked up in the morning.

Now, I'll introduce a brief little side story in to the trip. I have a former voice student who during this time, was at Disney through the college program. We decided we would try to meet up while we were there. So I was texting her a few times on this particular day, so we could meet up in Epcot. After riding Test Trak.......

.......we found Linsdey in the store area at the end of the ride. She was telling us a bit about her job in the program. Get this people - she was working costumes for the Main Street Electrical Light Parade!!!!! How freakin' cool is that?!?!?! She also let us in on the reason why the parade had been delayed the other night - Tink's float was just not working. Apparently it even broke down farther along the parade! Yikes!

She also told us that they were already getting the Christmas floats together. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to stay, as she had to run off and make a birthday cake, but we would see her later in the trip.

So for us, it was time to head over to World Showcase to let the Food and Wine officially commence!


One our way...

As soon as you got into WS, there were merchandise tents set up. Megan wanted to look for some F&W stuff, so we shopped for a few minutes. Next stop - we headed right to France to get some alcoholic slushies!

But first - some pictures!

continued................

 

[JenSop]

.....Continuing......

Well folks, it was time to commence drinking. They had special slushie flavors at the France kiosk this time, so we decided to all try the Parisian Cosmo slushie.


Cheers!

As we drank our slushies, the French acrobat players were setting up for their street show. So we had to stop of course!

Now, to my readers of my last TR, remember me telling you to remember these guys? Okay, so at first I thought I was imagining it, but then Andi told me that the acrobat guy kept looking at me! And smiling/winking! Who knows, maybe he has a thing for blonds, I don't know. I have a feeling, though, that he probably "flirts" with many of the ladies in the audience. But, um, I'm here to say that, seriously, it works! I'm going to want to watch his performance on every trip! I got a smile and a wink back in July's trip, which was interesting, but this time, he was looking over at me quite a bit. And he's just so strong....

After my little confidence boost in France, we had to head straight to Le Cellier for our super early dinner. We walked up to the check in desk (which is now outside) to see people asking about walk-ups. The CM working there had to tell them that there's usually never walk-ups available - especially during Food and Wine. That's when we chimed in and let them know that we literally booked our spot 180 days out, first thing in the morning, on Easter Sunday! (Yay Megan for getting up early on Easter to make our ADR's!)

Now, I'm personally in the camp that LOVES Le Cellier. I've eaten here many times over the last few years and have never had a bad experience. The food and service are just fabulous! And while I was still swooning a bit over acrobat man in France, Andi and Megan were taking a liking to our server Barry from Ontario! He was training a new CM, Alana from Alberta, and both were so super nice and helpful!

Andi and I ordered Pineapple upside down martinis, but accidentally got Key Lime martinis instead. Andi was not a fan, so we let the servers know. They brought out the correct drinks, but let us keep the accidental drinks. Megan drank Andi's Key Lime, and I - well, I drank both of mine, since I thought they were both tasty! (Hey, I'm at Disney during Food and Wine - getting a little tipsy is totally okay!)


Key Lime martinis:

Pineapple upside down martini:

(Hey, that was my TR notebook in the back behind the martini! haha!)


And delicious famous pretzel bread:

For our entrees, I got the mushroom filet. Let me say that I'm not a big mushroom eater, BUT the flavor from the mushrooms on the dish is SO GOOD! I just pick the mushrooms out when I eat it....

Andi got the prime rib and Megan got the Strip:

They were all just amazingly good.
What can I say, Le Cellier rocks.

For dessert,
I got the maple creme brulee:

Megan got the Mouse:

And Andi got the bumbleberry cobbler. We asked what all the different berries were in the cobbler - rhubarb, apples, raspberry, and blackberry.

So now that we were done eating, and I was feeling the Wine part of Food and Wine, we headed over to England to find hats to play with....


.....But that's for the next update! The fun is just beginning!!!

 

[Sooze]

You girls looked STUNNING!! Wow!!

I LOVE the steak fries story!! I have a Disney World story like that.. one that, for some reason, I just remember. We were on the Dumbo ride and I was riding with my dad. I was freaking out and crying because I was sure if he kept pulling up on the lever, that Dumbo would just keep going up and up and up and eventually fly away! I didn't want my little Dumbo to break off of the ride! I was only 5, but I remember the panic!!

Great food pics, Jen! I'm so glad you've updated. Might light a fire under me to do the same, since I'm home with a sick little girl

 

[JenSop]

You girls looked STUNNING!! Wow!!

I LOVE the steak fries story!! I have a Disney World story like that.. one that, for some reason, I just remember. We were on the Dumbo ride and I was riding with my dad. I was freaking out and crying because I was sure if he kept pulling up on the lever, that Dumbo would just keep going up and up and up and eventually fly away! I didn't want my little Dumbo to break off of the ride! I was only 5, but I remember the panic!!

Great food pics, Jen! I'm so glad you've updated. Might light a fire under me to do the same, since I'm home with a sick little girl

Thanks Sooze! We were basking in the Disney glow! And I was thrilled to be at Disney and NOT sweating through every last article of clothing on my body! If only I could do non-summer trips more often!

Haha! Love your childhood Disney memory! Funny how we remember these random little bits from early trips!

So sorry little Shae is sick. I hope she gets better soon!

And I hope to see an update from you, missy!

 

[TanzUnited99]

on booking the June trip! Love the new dress.

How cool getting to meet your former student and finding out all that info...she must love her job!

Am looking forward to the F&W festival when we visit.

Looks like you had another enjoyable experience at Le Cellier and - you got extra drinks for free...definitely could not let them go to waste!

 

[MEK]

Congrats on your add on contract. I can't wait to buy an add on, but we just had our kitchen remodeled, so we have to wait. That's OK though because my new kitchen is fabulous and I have get to see that every day.

Congrats on the June trip. driving - boo! I have never done it. But someday I hope to when we are not pressed for time. Usually my trips are get there....stay 5 nights.....get back. In and out!

Your dress is very pretty and you guys look great with your wings. I love Le Cellier. The filet is amazing. Those martinis look so yummy and so do the slushies. I have to go during F&W to get one of those slushies!

And - yes - playing the flute is cool. I quit for a few years, but play regularly now. I really enjoy it and wish I had never stopped. I play at church and weddings and memorial services. Basically I'll play wherever and whenever I get asked. And it certainly doesn't hurt when I get paid for it! When I first started playing in public I was really surprised how many people really liked it. I think its because they hear piano and organ and vocals all the time, so to them the flute is a treat.

Very cool that you teach voice. I would love to take vocal lessons again. I think there is so much out there to learn.

Anyway - great update! Looking forward to more!

 

[shelby101301]

Enjoying your report!

 

[JenSop]

on booking the June trip! Love the new dress.

How cool getting to meet your former student and finding out all that info...she must love her job!

Am looking forward to the F&W festival when we visit.

Looks like you had another enjoyable experience at Le Cellier and - you got extra drinks for free...definitely could not let them go to waste!

Yeah, my former student was already a Disney addict, so it was awesome for her to be able to spend a semester working there. Now that she's back to the "real world" of being a college student, I've noticed her facebook status talking about getting down to Disney again! I just thought it was so cool that she was working on my favorite parade!

And I was definitely not complaining about the free extra drink - no sir-ee!

Congrats on your add on contract. I can't wait to buy an add on, but we just had our kitchen remodeled, so we have to wait. That's OK though because my new kitchen is fabulous and I have get to see that every day.

Congrats on the June trip. driving - boo! I have never done it. But someday I hope to when we are not pressed for time. Usually my trips are get there....stay 5 nights.....get back. In and out!

Your dress is very pretty and you guys look great with your wings. I love Le Cellier. The filet is amazing. Those martinis look so yummy and so do the slushies. I have to go during F&W to get one of those slushies!

And - yes - playing the flute is cool. I quit for a few years, but play regularly now. I really enjoy it and wish I had never stopped. I play at church and weddings and memorial services. Basically I'll play wherever and whenever I get asked. And it certainly doesn't hurt when I get paid for it! When I first started playing in public I was really surprised how many people really liked it. I think its because they hear piano and organ and vocals all the time, so to them the flute is a treat.

Very cool that you teach voice. I would love to take vocal lessons again. I think there is so much out there to learn.

Anyway - great update! Looking forward to more!

Thanks! We've been planning this add on for awhile in preparation for the big 2012 trip. It'll be here before I know it! And after this trip, I really would recommend everyone going during F&W - just a fabulous experience!

Sigh - perhaps I should get my flute out again - it's been SO long! But the good thing about starting an instrument at a young age - you never forget how to play!

Enjoying your report!

Thanks so much!!! Glad to have you along!

 

[MEK]

Sigh - perhaps I should get my flute out again - it's been SO long! But the good thing about starting an instrument at a young age - you never forget how to play!

Exactly! Everything I know how to do on the flute I learned before I was 18. Once you lay down the pathways, they are always there. I stopped playing for a really long time (I don't even want to say how long) and I was completely shocked at how I picked it back up. It took time to get to my current comfort level, but I am playing things I never thought I would play again. The amazing thing is now I have a certain maturity and discipline that I didn't have as a teenager. That makes me practice the same tough parts over and over again until I am completely confident.

Think about it. There are plenty of flute teachers out there and with your love of classical music and your diaphragm control from singing you might really enjoy it. I have always loved classical music, so I love to play it. I especially love when I get accompanied by, or get to play with, musicians who can "really" play. It just pulls me right up another notch. It can only make you more marketable as a vocalist because you have that extra something you can offer for weddings and other events.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Mmmm, adult beverages at F&W! Can't get any better than that!

The Cosmo slushies look really good, and so did the other drinks at Le Cellier.

About your comment regarding Sleeping Beauty Castle, it is absolutely right that it was built as a "preview" so to say, which is why there was a walkthrough. Disneyland opened in 1955, but Sleeping Beauty didn't come out until 1959. Yup, I'm a plethora of useless knowledge....

 

[redlight]

I love your dress! Where did you get it! Score on the "free" drinks.

 

[JenSop]

Exactly! Everything I know how to do on the flute I learned before I was 18. Once you lay down the pathways, they are always there. I stopped playing for a really long time (I don't even want to say how long) and I was completely shocked at how I picked it back up. It took time to get to my current comfort level, but I am playing things I never thought I would play again. The amazing thing is now I have a certain maturity and discipline that I didn't have as a teenager. That makes me practice the same tough parts over and over again until I am completely confident.

Think about it. There are plenty of flute teachers out there and with your love of classical music and your diaphragm control from singing you might really enjoy it. I have always loved classical music, so I love to play it. I especially love when I get accompanied by, or get to play with, musicians who can "really" play. It just pulls me right up another notch. It can only make you more marketable as a vocalist because you have that extra something you can offer for weddings and other events.

I think I will definitely get my flute out again! But I have to say, my next musical goal is to learn to play the ukulele. Kind of random, I know, but I think it has such a Happy sound to it. And I have short fingers, so this could be a good substitute for learning to play guitar - I always wanted to do that, but I have trouble making some of the chords with my puny fingers.

Mmmm, adult beverages at F&W! Can't get any better than that!

The Cosmo slushies look really good, and so did the other drinks at Le Cellier.

About your comment regarding Sleeping Beauty Castle, it is absolutely right that it was built as a "preview" so to say, which is why there was a walkthrough. Disneyland opened in 1955, but Sleeping Beauty didn't come out until 1959. Yup, I'm a plethora of useless knowledge....

Disney knowledge is NEVER useless knowledge!!

Adult beverages and Disney just pretty much go hand in hand for me now that I'm "grown-up". Adds a whole new level of relaxation and fun.

I love your dress! Where did you get it! Score on the "free" drinks.

Thanks on the dress! I saw it on our Animal Kingdom day at that stand in Asia near Yak and Yeti.

Haha! I was very glad for my free drink! The error was definitely in our favor!

 

[JenSop]

Day Four Continues.....


Hi Everyone!

Thanks to anyone who is still reading! You are wonderful and appreciated!!!



On my last update, we had just enjoyed a fabulous meal at Le Cellier. Again, I know some people don't think it lives up to the hype, but every visit there has been just awesome for me. Love, love, love!

But, it was time to move on and get out there!

Which meant silly hat pictures!




We first visited some more of Canada....

Yeah, I don't know if you can read what my hat says....

(If you knew how old I really was, you'd get the joke...)

Still in Canada....

We slowly made our way over to the UK Pavilion. Now, bear in mind that I've had three mixed drinks already. And I'm a lightweight. I'm guessing the other girls were feeling it too, but I can only speak for myself.... and I was feeling it....

(ahem, can't you tell?)

Our salute to Guinness.... with genuine Guinness accessories!

(I was kind of going for the Sherlock Holmes look there...)

We wanted Andi to try on the Alice costume, but she wouldn't. So we made her hold it up so it looked sort of like she was wearing it. (Hey, it made sense when we were tipsy! Haha!)

And then I, um, slayed a dragon....

(I was going for the 'tough' princess thing there... but just succeeded in looking like crazy drunk princess....)


And at the very back of the store, we had a great surprise! Tigger and Pooh!!!!

Back outside, we HAD to get a phone booth pic!

...Continued.....

 

[JenSop]

.....Continued......


And outside, we had another great surprise... The British Invasion Band!

Clearly, we were having a bit too much fun in the UK, and it was time to keep moving along.

Our next stop was Morocco.

Of course, we tried on hats....

Some other fun Morocco pics...

As we moved along, I got a great shot of the Illuminations globe sitting at dock...

Then we headed inside Japan for a quick browse and possible photos. But time was of the essence - it was getting dark and we had snacks to eat! And drinks to be had!

We got this shot, and for the life of me I can't figure out why I didn't just have someone else take the shot so that Andi could be in the pic with us. Then we could've been the Three Little Maids! Dude! (Hey, I do ALOT of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and just did Mikado last year, so this is the dorkiness that ensues....I can hear the music now!)

I got this pic while waiting outside the restroom in Japan....

Before we knew it, we were starting to lose daylight... and we hadn't used any snack credits yet for Food and Wine! It was time to start crackin' on those snack credits! Stop one for food was Japan. In our pre-F&W planning, we had studied the food/menu map to see which countries and snacks/drinks we were all interested in. Andi wanted sushi....

(That was the spicy tuna roll.)


Next, we were on to Germany. Not only did I want the Spaetzle Gratin, but I had two other missions here as well - get a new Germany hat for Daddy and get some Mozart Kügeln. If you didn't read my last TR, Mozart Kügeln are these awesome German chocolates that I enjoyed when I was in Austria last March. And they sell them at Epcot, so I can't go without getting some!

While I went in to look for my goodies, Megan got in line to get the food. She was going to get the sausage in the pretzel roll for herself.

I first went to look for a hat, and had success within a few minutes. Of course, I had to practice some German with the CM at the register! Then I went to where the candy shop had always been in Germany..... and it wasn't there! Somewhere in those two months between trips, they had opened the new Karamell-Küche shop and everything had been moved around. Karamell-Küche was insanely packed, but even peaking in, I saw NO Mozart Kügeln - just Werther's candies. So I had to go back into the clothing shop and ask the CM for help. Luckily, they still sold my precious Mozart Kügeln, but not the variety they had at the old place. I'll have to check on my next trip to see what the current selection is.

Once I got out, Megan had just gotten out of the food line.

Here were our yummy dishes....

Spaetzle Gratin:

And the sausage:

That darn Le Cellier meal had filled us up pretty well, so it wasn't taking much extra food to start to fill us up. We knew we couldn't eat everything on our plates, so we did what we could knowing that there was more food to be had down the line.

Our next stop around World Showcase was China. We were interested in the Green Tea Plum Wine Cooler and I wanted to get the Pepper Shrimp with szechuan noodles.

And you KNOW we had to get some hat pictures...

Next stop - MEXICO!

Andi and I got Passion Fruit Margaritas. They were okay. Not my fave drink of the day. BUT - it matched my dress! Haha!

Ah - Epcot at night....

Continued......