"For a few Fastpasses more!" TR-Nov 9-18, 2013 (Cruise TR LINK added April 10th)

[bcrook]

Glad to see that Tusker House lunch was good, even with characters. We love TH lunch but have not been back since they added the characters. I have an ADR for February, and happy to see the yummy food quality has not gone done!

I have sworn off buffets, but I couldn't resist trying the Tusket House breakfast. The character interaction was plentiful. The food was fantastic. I could not get enough of the frittatas.

That entire area is going to look even better with the upcoming improvements.

 

[Brightie]

Hi Peter,

Just popping in to say hello and to let you know that I am keeping an eye out for and looking forward to the next update. Wonderful photos as usual.

Haven't got myself up to speed on the FP+ and tiering thingummy so I will have to do some research. Not that I need to understand it yet as we are not heading over to the USA for a while. Even though Kim suggested we pop over for dinner!!!

Give my best to Ulana and take care.
Christine

 

[JulieODC]

Joining in! We were at WDW during our trip (10-16th) -- sorry to hear it wasn't the most magical of trips, but still looking forward to reading your report!

 

[skier_pete]

The one by Yak and Yeti was the Minute Maid frozen lemonade. I think I was the opposite of your DD. I was after a slushie one.

Oooh..we will have to look out for that next time...it would've saved a lot of wear and tear!

I have sworn off buffets, but I couldn't resist trying the Tusket House breakfast. The character interaction was plentiful. The food was fantastic. I could not get enough of the frittatas.

That entire area is going to look even better with the upcoming improvements.

It will be interesting to see how FotLK changes the look of Harambe village.

Hi Peter,

Just popping in to say hello and to let you know that I am keeping an eye out for and looking forward to the next update. Wonderful photos as usual.

Haven't got myself up to speed on the FP+ and tiering thingummy so I will have to do some research. Not that I need to understand it yet as we are not heading over to the USA for a while. Even though Kim suggested we pop over for dinner!!!

Give my best to Ulana and take care.
Christine

Hey Christine...yes I wouldn't worry too much about FP+, I suspect there are more changes before they settle on something that works.

Personally, I think what they should do is hybrid the system. Allow you to prebook 3 or 4, even on a tier system, but then also allow you to get additional ones the day of as they are available. The tiering does not surprise me as it's probably the only way to prevent the point (which would be terrible) of having all the prime FP booked 60 days in advance.

And if you ever do "pop over" to visit, we will fly down to join you for lunch!

Joining in! We were at WDW during our trip (10-16th) -- sorry to hear it wasn't the most magical of trips, but still looking forward to reading your report!

Well, again...it wasn't BAD - it just had it's problems...

I am trying my best for updates - but just REALLY busy right now.

 

[skier_pete]

Day 2 – Big plans today – it’s Food and Wine and THIS time, we’re gonna make it ALL the way around!

Because I had booked only a eight-day ticket, but we need nine park days, I couldn’t book any FP+ today. However, the plan of the day was not to need any – though at one point I wished we could have. The weather was beautiful today – sunny and probably right around 80, but it didn’t feel too hot.

Anyways, we caught a bus pretty easily this morning and were on the way to the park in plenty of times. Every year we get an autograph book, DD wants to mostly draw in it, so this time we got a note book that could also double as an autograph book! Every morning, she would draw a character on the bus. Today was Dory. I wanted to get a picture.


PLEASE!



OK – here you go….


We made it to Epcot and the lines were massive, but we know the trick to get to a better spot in a line – and we ended up at the very front of the line as they were opening the gates. We had ticket issues with our MBs coming in, but they were eventually able to scan them. (Though DW never ended up using a ticket for the day.) Here’s the line of people in front of us for rope drop:



First destination – the new and improved Test Track:





Pretty much the same actual “ride” as before, but I like the new “TRON” motif, and the “program your own car” is a neat way to make you the ride a little more entertaining, except that they make your whole “group” of two or three people do a car – not allowing every person to do their own car. Overall though – not much different, but definitely plussed.

Second ride – MISSION: SPACE!!!



We stuck with the Green side even though Lieutenant Dan still scolded us about how terrible and awful the ride would be. One of these days I really want to try the Orange side, because the Green side is sooo mild.

We played the block sorting game in the exit queue, and our team won! Then DD rescued some guys stuck on Mars in one of the individual games.

Next we crossed to the other side of the park for The Seas! DD loves this ride. Me, I think it’s cute, but find the queue annoying as you seem to have to walk ½ a mile before you get on the ride.

Mandatory Bruce’s mouth picture!


And a few fish shots:




We watched a diving demonstration, which I hadn’t seen before.



After a short time wandering around Seabase, DD decided it was time for another frozen lemonade. (Do you detect a theme in her snacking.) Fortunately we had seen a stand over near Mission Space/Test Track, so rather than hunting for it, we headed over there. At this point, it was just after 11 AM and time to get some FOOD and WINE!

Before entering World Showcase, we grabbed a F.O.N.E. to participate in an Agent P adventure when we got to Mexico. They mentioned to us that you had to do the mission within 15 minutes or it would reset, which is different from the Kim Possible missions.

We headed into World Showcase, and it was already very crowded. I really wanted to stop at the Craft Beer booth, but the line was SOOO long. Most of the food booths had about 25-50 people in line, but mostly amounted to a 5-10 minute wait per food item. I wouldn’t quite say it was CRAZY crowded, but it was the biggest crowds of the entire trip!

We did take quite a bit of food pictures this time, but I didn’t quite catch all the items – I apologize if I mis-identify any. But we first stopped at the Argentina booth. DW got the Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Puree.



I got the Beef Empanda



DD loves shrimp – and so we stopped next at the Australa booths. She got the Garlic Shrimp with Roasted Tomatoes, Lemon Myrtle and Rapini:



DW and I both got the Grilled Lamp Chop with Mint Pesto and Potato Crunchies. This was (IMO) the tastiest thing that we got at Food and Wine – at least not counting desserts.



We didn’t see anything else particularly appealing before Mexico – so we headed in for our Agent P adventure. DD was very much into doing it without our help.






We decided not to ride the boat ride, as there was a pretty long line – at least a 10 minute wait, and figured we can get it next time.

That's all I have had time to write for now - the rest of the way around World Showcase will have to wait for another day.

 

[DisneyMountainWoman]

You guys need to try the orange with Space Mission, I just did it, it was soo much fun, in fact I think it is the best ride in Epcot. It is not that bad on the stomach, if you have ever did one of the spin rides that press you up on the wall, that is a similar feeling. So if you can handle that than you will be fine for the orange ride.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Nice morning at Epcot so far. I didn't end up eating at the Australia booth and that beef and empanada from Argentina looks lovely.

Nice picture of Dory.

 

[Brightie]

Hello again,

That was a great picture of Dory that was drawn in the notebook. When your budding artist next has an urge to draw please tell her that I want one......please?!!

Those Ozzie Shrimp's looked like they were a good size too.

Keep up the good work Peter, even if it is getting too close to Chrissy-mas and you are busy shopping.

By the way, I will hold you to that offer to fly down and meet us if we ever do get back to WDW. I am going to work out when, where and how to get the money while I am on holiday this Christmas. It would be extra special for me to be able to introduce you to my boys (DH and DS).

Am I getting the terms right? Phew, I hope so.
If I don't get to talk to you again before Xmas - We wish you, Ulana and Adriana a lovely, save and Happy Xmas PLUS an extremely successful 2014.

Christine

 

[Tinker326]

Love the faces on A&U on Test track! That's a great picture!

Great picture of Dory! She did good!

Hard to believe it's already been a month since we've been there. I came back and told all my co-workers that was the last trip in a whlie due to the changes they've made. I wans't ready to give Disney parks my money anymroe . Yet writing & reading trip reports makes me already want to go back. My co-workers have a bet I won't last . I am guessing they are correct.

 

[angelmav]

Sorry to hear it wasnt the trip you hoped for, we have had our share of those (as well as losing stuff), but thanks for sharing, looking forward to reading the rest of your adventure!

 

[khertz]

DD's Dory photo is so cute!! She is really talented. I couldn't draw my way out of a paper bag. Except in the Animation Academy, that is about the only place I can pull off anything decent looking.

I have never done the Green side on M:S, but you definitely need to try the Orange!! It's really such a cool experience, especially the part where you feel weightless.

F&W findings look yummy, especially DD's shrimp!

 

[skier_pete]

You guys need to try the orange with Space Mission, I just did it, it was soo much fun, in fact I think it is the best ride in Epcot. It is not that bad on the stomach, if you have ever did one of the spin rides that press you up on the wall, that is a similar feeling. So if you can handle that than you will be fine for the orange ride.

It IS something I would like to do. I feel like I should do it before the rest of the family does. I'm just a little concerned, since the main type of ride that bothers me are spinning rides.

Nice morning at Epcot so far. I didn't end up eating at the Australia booth and that beef and empanada from Argentina looks lovely.

Nice picture of Dory.

Not sure what makes the shrimp particularly australian either. There WILL be more food pix, but it looks like I didn't get snaps of everything. I tend to get going at times and forget to take out the camera. Bad! Bad!

Hello again,

That was a great picture of Dory that was drawn in the notebook. When your budding artist next has an urge to draw please tell her that I want one......please?!!

Those Ozzie Shrimp's looked like they were a good size too.

Keep up the good work Peter, even if it is getting too close to Chrissy-mas and you are busy shopping.

By the way, I will hold you to that offer to fly down and meet us if we ever do get back to WDW. I am going to work out when, where and how to get the money while I am on holiday this Christmas. It would be extra special for me to be able to introduce you to my boys (DH and DS).

Am I getting the terms right? Phew, I hope so.
Christine

I guess I shouldn't make that promise 100%, but we would definitely give it a try to get down to Florida for a few days. Especially if we got some notice, and I'm sure that wouldn't be a "spur of the moment trip!"

You got it right - DH = Dear (Disney) Husband, DS = Dear (Disney) Son

Love the faces on A&U on Test track! That's a great picture!

Great picture of Dory! She did good!

Hard to believe it's already been a month since we've been there. I came back and told all my co-workers that was the last trip in a whlie due to the changes they've made. I wans't ready to give Disney parks my money anymroe . Yet writing & reading trip reports makes me already want to go back. My co-workers have a bet I won't last . I am guessing they are correct.

DD almost always has her ears plugged in ride pictures. Don't ask me why.

What changes specifically bothered you? I have to say even for the bugginess of the MB, I felt forgiving of that seeing as they are still rolling it out. I (mostly) like FP+. My only problem with going next year is we're already going on a cruise - and the money is just not in the budget. I can't think of anything that'll keep us away in 2015.

Sorry to hear it wasnt the trip you hoped for, we have had our share of those (as well as losing stuff), but thanks for sharing, looking forward to reading the rest of your adventure!

The further I get away from the trip, the less the problems bother me...

DD's Dory photo is so cute!! She is really talented. I couldn't draw my way out of a paper bag. Except in the Animation Academy, that is about the only place I can pull off anything decent looking.

I have never done the Green side on M:S, but you definitely need to try the Orange!! It's really such a cool experience, especially the part where you feel weightless.

F&W findings look yummy, especially DD's shrimp!

Hey, thanks to everyone for all the nice comments on DD pictures. She definitely inherited her artistic talent from her mom - not me...I was in close competition with her when she was 5 - but she's passed me by now!

Really, everything we tried a F&W was very good. Individually the prices weren't too bad, but when you added the day up....well we'll get to that...

 

[ymxbfalcon]

I'm definitely enjoying all of your updates, Pete. I always look forward to a day at Epcot, and your time there sounds like a lot of fun.

By the way, I will hold you to that offer to fly down and meet us if we ever do get back to WDW. I am going to work out when, where and how to get the money while I am on holiday this Christmas. It would be extra special for me to be able to introduce you to my boys (DH and DS).

Count me among those who would want to know if you ever make your way back here Christine.

Angie

 

[skier_pete]

Oh my, hard to believe almost a month has gone by since an update. I have been super duper busy with no time to update either from home or work. We're stuck in a blizzard today, so work is a bit slow - so here's the update to wrap up our day of eating and drinking around the world!

After leaving Mexico, we basically skipped over to China. This is because the food looked especially good. DD wanted the Pot Stickers, and DW and I both wanted the Black Pepper Shrimp with Sichuan Noodles:



DD also wanted to go into the China pavilion to color a Duffy Bear, so DW took her in while I waited for the food. We next made our way towards Germany.



DW wanted to stop in Africa for a ◦Berbere Style Beef with Onions, Jalapenos, Tomato, Okra and Pap; (no picture, she ate it too fast!) , but what I really wanted was this, so I went on ahead:



Ahhhhhh…..



DD wanted to do another Agent P adventure, so I let DW go with her this time, while I sat for a while. We had been on our feet for a while, and the pain in my foot was getting rather severe!

We were all getting a little fatigued, so I suggested we try something completely new for us – we head into see the American Adventure! Actually DW and I saw it many, many years ago, but we haven’t been since DD was born. DW stopped at the Italian pavilion to get ◦Ravioli Di Formaggia all'Emiliana (Baked Cheese Ravioli with Creamy Beef Bolognese Sauce, Parmesean Cheese, and Melted Mozzarella) –again no picture because she ate it in the dark theater. Actually, DD and I got to catch the “Voices of Liberty” before the show. How is it that I didn’t take any pictures? I think I just took some video.


The American Adventure was OK – mostly nice because I got to be off my feet for a good 45 minutes which really, really helped at this stage. So, we left the theater and we went to get one of our favorite food and wine snacks – the Lobster Roll! I admit these are MUCH more tasty when they are free with the Dining Plan at $7.50 a pop, but for Lobster in a theme park they are pretty good. I also tried to get an American Dream dessert, but apparently they weren’t selling them during food and wine. Bummer. (We’ll return to this dessert at a later date!)

As we passed on to China we were hoping to catch Miyuki. She was just wrapping up her show though, so we had missed out.



DD decided she wanted some chicken sushi roll. Turns out, she didn’t like it much. But while DW waited in line – DD and I got our picture taken:



DW managed to by a souvenir food tray. You may have seen in one of the earlier shots, we had brought two of these from home, but it was cool to have an F&W one!



The crowds were getting large as we headed towards Morrocco.



We were getting pretty full at this point, but were ready for some dessert. We all got a Belgian Waffle with Warm Chocolate Ganache and Whipped Cream at the Belgian booth just outside of France. (Again, no picture here – what happened to me!) and then DW stopped again in Ireland for the Kerrygold Cheese Selection. I also stopped to take a picture – I humored myself with this shot, as I said to myself “I thought the sun never sets on the British Empire!”



By the time we made it “round the horn” to the entrance to world showcase, you could see how big the crowds were:


I actually took a shot at this exact same spot on Thursday constrasting the crowds. Anyways, we wrapped up our eating around the world with a big plate of dessert from the Dessert and Champagne booth. This contained: Dessert Trio: Chocolate Orange Cupcake; Hazelnut Chocolate Cheesecake; Morello Cherry Pistachio Mousse; and well as the Frozen S'mores.



While we were done with food and wine…


…we weren’t quite done with the day…



…as DD INSISTED that we ride one last ride…







For whatever reason, at 6:30 at night, the line for this was rather massive. We had to wait a good twenty minutes to ride, and could NOT dissuade DD to ride some other time. (This is where the FP+ would’ve come in handy!)







At first DD wanted to play the games at the exit, but then she had to go to the bathroom. Once we had left the building, she was ready to go home. It was about 7 PM, and a LOT of walking had occurred, so we were ready to go back to the room and relax for the evening. We again got back and DD insisted on a swim, so we went down for a little while to the main pool before heading to bed.

The Good
The Food! The Wine! The Beer!
New Test Track beats old Test Track – nice refurb Disney!
A beautiful day for walking around World Showcase.

The Bad:
The crowds – not to high season levels – but we are so used to low crowds it stands out.
Ouch my aching wallet – Part 2 – spent $167 on those tiny portions of food.

The Ugly:
America in the 21st century: “Sorry we can’t sell you the American Dream right now, come back next week.”
20 minute wait for Spaceship Earth? What we won’t do for our kids!

FP+ versus FP: Day 2 – Tie: No FP used, No FP+ used – could’ve used one though for Spaceship Earth, but since it was sort of spur of the moment there was not much to do about it, and regular FP is not an option for the ride.

Next up - the nightmare that is the Hard Ticket Event, also known as MVMCP.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Nice update, Pete. Glad to see you back posting.

I thought the food at China was pretty good. We certainly enjoyed it very much.
And great idea to sit and rest at the American Pavilion. I have to admit to having done the same thing on a hot afternoon; but unfortunately I fell asleep during the American Adventure. My excuse is that it was the day after we had made the long flight across from Melbourne to Orlando and the lack of sleep was catching up with me. I think I got about 35 minutes sleep in here. *hangs head in shame*


I hope that DD enjoyed her ride through Spaceship Earth. It sounds like there was quite a crowd there whilst you were there.

Stay warm.

 

[wiigirl]

Great pics!

 

[Tinker326]

Aww, I love American Adventure. But then I'm a History Nerd. My whole family finds it boring & nap through it. They are snoring and I'm pushing back tears on the song at the end......

"America, spread your golden wings....Sail on Freedoms wind..across the sky..." "Ask not what your country can do, but what you can do for your country"

Looks like you guys did a great job covering all the F&W booths! And kudos for braving those crowds- I gave up after the desserts!

 

[khertz]

Nice update. But YOWZA, that is a lot of money spent at F&W for such small portions. Disney is making a killing... Especially with all those crowds. I'm sure it had to be pretty busy for y'all too since it was towards the end of the Festival.

I randomly clicked on the link to your first TR and realized how much DD has grown since your first trip report! She's a little lady now compared to the kid she was when I first started following you.

 

[skier_pete]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Nice update, Pete. Glad to see you back posting.

I thought the food at China was pretty good. We certainly enjoyed it very much.
And great idea to sit and rest at the American Pavilion. I have to admit to having done the same thing on a hot afternoon; but unfortunately I fell asleep during the American Adventure. My excuse is that it was the day after we had made the long flight across from Melbourne to Orlando and the lack of sleep was catching up with me. I think I got about 35 minutes sleep in here. *hangs head in shame*


I hope that DD enjoyed her ride through Spaceship Earth. It sounds like there was quite a crowd there whilst you were there.

Stay warm.

Sleeping in the American Adventure is probably a common ailment. I didn't fall asleep, but I think DW did!

Aww, I love American Adventure. But then I'm a History Nerd. My whole family finds it boring & nap through it. They are snoring and I'm pushing back tears on the song at the end......

"America, spread your golden wings....Sail on Freedoms wind..across the sky..." "Ask not what your country can do, but what you can do for your country"

Looks like you guys did a great job covering all the F&W booths! And kudos for braving those crowds- I gave up after the desserts!

It is pretty over the top patriotic. I'm glad we got to see it, DD was at an age where it was old enough it didn't bore her.

Nice update. But YOWZA, that is a lot of money spent at F&W for such small portions. Disney is making a killing... Especially with all those crowds. I'm sure it had to be pretty busy for y'all too since it was towards the end of the Festival.

I randomly clicked on the link to your first TR and realized how much DD has grown since your first trip report! She's a little lady now compared to the kid she was when I first started following you.

Previously we got to take advantage of using Free Dining snack credits for F&W. That's MUCH more palatable. On the bright side, we budgeted $200 (two $100 gift cardS) for F&W, so we came out $33 dollars ahead!

Just so you know, I think the same thing when I see pix of your DS. So big!

 

[skier_pete]

Well, I missed this from the end of the day yesterday. We often came home to towel animals on this trip. I think at one point there were 5 in the room. Some were better than others. This is from last night:



Now, on Monday the plan was a very late (lunch time) arrival at MK and the evening spent at MVMCP. The idea was this later time would allow DD to stay up for the party. Nope, turned out that didn’t work.

But before that – today was the start of our package, which meant going to guest services to re-register. Because of CBRs stupid design, the main building with the pool and food court (Port Royal) isn’t where the main check-in desk is, so there are only three CM there. I got there at about 5 minutes to 7 AM, and I was the fourth in line. By the time I left at about 7:20 AM, there were probably 30 people in line. I felt like telling them they should just go to Custom House. One of the family’s in front of me was having all sorts of MB trouble. I was hoping it wouldn’t happen to us, and once I got to the front, everything *seemed* to be fine. They didn't issue me new KTTW cards - which they should have. But then I went back to the room, and only my MB worked as a room key. DW and DD didn't. She had to go back and wait again and reprogram the bands while DD and I went swimming.

Part of the reason she wanted to get down to the pool early is one of her favorite memories from the last trip was that they picked her to open up the pool slides. So she wanted to get down to the pool in the morning to see if it could happen again. So, we were down there before 9 AM, but it didn’t seem that they were even doing this anymore, but she still enjoyed some time at the pool!











Our room in Jamaica was directly across the island from Port Royal – here’s a picture coming across the island of Carribean Cay:



DD had to do some homework before we headed out, so it was about 11:30 AM by the time we headed over to MK. Just let it be noted that I HATE coming to the park so late, walking in with all the late-comers! Oh well, we had a plan in place. The park looked very festive decked out in its Christmas attire!







And just as we were coming in, here comes Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It…





But who cares about that when there are castles to see:



Or even a palace:



But, first – Adventure is calling our names!



First thing was our first FP+ of the day – set for 12 – 1 PM for Jungle Cruise – I mean Jingle Cruise!



The queue area had a very festive theme. I particularly liked the hats the CMs were wearing.







The overlay got some criticism for the limited level of decoration, but what made it work for me was the change-up in the jokes. A lot of Christmas themed humor with the same awful puns. (“Oh look, someone decorated that tree – it’s got a big boa on top!”)

We tried a new lunch location for us – Tortuga Tavern. DD got the kids portion of quesadillas, but the portion was TINY. I guess we were learning she isn’t cut out for the kids portions anymore!



DW and I had the burrito, and this was pretty good. They have a toppings bar so you can add your own toppings.



Overall, not my favorite CS restaurant ever, but if you are in the mood for Mexican it was OK.

While in Tortuga Tavern, DD spotted the Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom portal, and was pretty fascinated. I was able to distract her with the idea of doing the new Pirates Treasure hunt game. This was pretty cool and reminded me of the old Adventureland Scavenger Hunt that DW and I did on our first trip to Magic Kingdom back in 1996. You went to a central location where you swiped your magic band. They gave you a map with some locations, and you had to go to the first one and use your magic band. Something would happen and then you go to the next, until you find the treasure. It was pretty neat actually, and went fast, probably only took 10 minutes at most.

Next up – one of my favorites:



After our complete miss of this show out in California, I knew I wanted to hit the Tiki Room on our first day. I love this show so much!



We also tried to ride Pirates, but it was broken down – so we headed over to Tomorrowland. We had two more FP+ to use. Can you guess from this shot what the first one was?



To be continued...