October Anniversary Trip: MNSSHP, D23 Sip and Stroll and Food & Wine
- Thread starter Aburns8
- Start date
Aburns8
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2008
You should! Brian liked it so much we ended up eating there again later in the trip! I think next time I am going to get my own pizza, it was so good.
Aburns8
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2008
I am finally back! I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Brian didnt have to work this Christmas Eve and Christmas. So on Christmas Eve we started a new tradition and went to Busch Gardens Williamsburg (30 min from our house) for their Christmas Town. On Christmas Day we got 14 of snow. I was told when I moved down here that it never snows enough for major accumulation. Well, I have to see that since last winter we got a 10 snowfall. For New Year we headed up to Washington DC to check out the monuments and hit a couple museums. New Years Eve I was asleep by nine, I must be getting old. Back to the report!
Famous self portrait at Busch Gardens.
Day Two: Getting to the Epcot
After getting into the room there was one thing on my mind, getting to the park. I have been waiting two and a half years to get back to my happy place. Early in the planning process we decided to do Epcot the first night. I would have liked to have gotten there earlier, but with the room not being quite ready that dream wasnt a reality. I packed up my bag with Brians cold remedies and out the door we went. Getting to the park was really easy from where we were staying. It was just navigating through all of the drivers who did not know where they were going. Thank goodness for learning how to drive in Detroit, you can navigate through anything.
Before going in the gate I decided that I wanted to get our hard tickets for MNSSHP. I think that I purchased them back in August to make sure I got the date we wanted. After getting the tickets we headed into the park. I had a slight problem with my pass because the plastic wasnt cut properly. Epcot seemed to be the only park that my pass had a problem. We pre-purchased our passes at AAA and when you get them there is some additional plastic around the pass that you have to remove. Well I guess I didnt do a great job at removing it.
We were finally in Epcot and boy was it busy for being a Sunday night. There were people everywhere, more than I remember 5 years prior during our honeymoon. Since one of the goals of this trip was to have as many pictures taken of us, we stopped at the first PhotoPass photographer we saw. She was standing on the bridge between England and France. So here is our first official photo from our trip!
We decided to go toward the front of the park since our reservation for Coral Reef was at 8:10 and it was about 6:00 when we arrived. We walked through England and Canada and Brian took some pictures of the monorail (well, he took a lot of them during our trip). Here is one of the monorail shots.
We felt like we needed a snack. I wanted my rice cream so we headed off the Norway. Brian got a cream puff with berries. Sorry no pics of this food. I wasnt used to taking pictures of everything we ate. Next we headed to Spaceship Earth. There was a little line so I decided to go into Disney art store next to it so we could wait for the line to go down. I love the art stores in Disney, you can always find something you want! When I walked in I noticed an artist that I have seen before, Larry Dotson. While I was waiting for Mr. Dotson to return I looked through his pieces and decided on this one to put on our wall. I dont think you can tell, but he signed it again and dedicated to our family.
Brian finally got me out of the store and we took our first spin of the trip on Spaceship Earth. Here is a pic of us on the globe!
Next we headed toward Coral Reef, but we had some time to kill. So we decided to do The Seas with Nemo & Friends. This was actually the second time we have ever done this ride. I think it took longer to go through the entrance than it took ride the ride.
Now was it was time for dinner. We arrived 5 minutes before our reservation to check in. We waited 15 to be seated. This is the only time during our whole trip that we had to wait longer than a couple minutes to be seated. I was hoping for some good seats since I put on our reservation it was our anniversary. Well, we got the worst possible seat. For anyone who is familiar with the restaurant we sat in the top tier, in the right hand corner facing the tank. My first impression of the restaurant was this was loud. I mean really loud. I feel bad for Brian, he wasnt feeling well and we are having our anniversary dinner in a loud place. On our actual anniversary we didnt see each other because he worked that night I was working during the day. So I decided to spend some extra money and have our anniversary dinner somewhere nice. We decided not to have an appetizer and just order dinner.
Brian got the Rainbow Trout:
I didnt try Brians dish but he said that it was good. And it looked good as well.
And I got the scallops:
Mine was horrible! When your scallops taste fishy, they are not fresh. I was extremely disappointed.
For dessert we got the Baileys and Jack Daniels Mousse, sorry no picture. This dessert was good, not great. You can taste the alcohol in it but I needed something sweet after what I just ate.
I was overall disappointed in the meal. The waiter who waited on us was not really watching our table as closely as I hoped. We had to wait a while for drink refills and he didnt ask if we wanted more bread or dessert. I hate asking to see a dessert menu. The food was subpar for what you pay for and the restaurant was too loud. It is a pretty restaurant and I like the concept of eating within view of the fish tank, but I will not be going there anytime soon for a meal. After dinner it was time to leave since the park was closed, so we headed back to Mystic Dunes.
Up next: More Epcot and a boat ride to Hollywood Studios!
Famous self portrait at Busch Gardens.
Day Two: Getting to the Epcot
After getting into the room there was one thing on my mind, getting to the park. I have been waiting two and a half years to get back to my happy place. Early in the planning process we decided to do Epcot the first night. I would have liked to have gotten there earlier, but with the room not being quite ready that dream wasnt a reality. I packed up my bag with Brians cold remedies and out the door we went. Getting to the park was really easy from where we were staying. It was just navigating through all of the drivers who did not know where they were going. Thank goodness for learning how to drive in Detroit, you can navigate through anything.
Before going in the gate I decided that I wanted to get our hard tickets for MNSSHP. I think that I purchased them back in August to make sure I got the date we wanted. After getting the tickets we headed into the park. I had a slight problem with my pass because the plastic wasnt cut properly. Epcot seemed to be the only park that my pass had a problem. We pre-purchased our passes at AAA and when you get them there is some additional plastic around the pass that you have to remove. Well I guess I didnt do a great job at removing it.
We were finally in Epcot and boy was it busy for being a Sunday night. There were people everywhere, more than I remember 5 years prior during our honeymoon. Since one of the goals of this trip was to have as many pictures taken of us, we stopped at the first PhotoPass photographer we saw. She was standing on the bridge between England and France. So here is our first official photo from our trip!
We decided to go toward the front of the park since our reservation for Coral Reef was at 8:10 and it was about 6:00 when we arrived. We walked through England and Canada and Brian took some pictures of the monorail (well, he took a lot of them during our trip). Here is one of the monorail shots.
We felt like we needed a snack. I wanted my rice cream so we headed off the Norway. Brian got a cream puff with berries. Sorry no pics of this food. I wasnt used to taking pictures of everything we ate. Next we headed to Spaceship Earth. There was a little line so I decided to go into Disney art store next to it so we could wait for the line to go down. I love the art stores in Disney, you can always find something you want! When I walked in I noticed an artist that I have seen before, Larry Dotson. While I was waiting for Mr. Dotson to return I looked through his pieces and decided on this one to put on our wall. I dont think you can tell, but he signed it again and dedicated to our family.
Brian finally got me out of the store and we took our first spin of the trip on Spaceship Earth. Here is a pic of us on the globe!
Next we headed toward Coral Reef, but we had some time to kill. So we decided to do The Seas with Nemo & Friends. This was actually the second time we have ever done this ride. I think it took longer to go through the entrance than it took ride the ride.
Now was it was time for dinner. We arrived 5 minutes before our reservation to check in. We waited 15 to be seated. This is the only time during our whole trip that we had to wait longer than a couple minutes to be seated. I was hoping for some good seats since I put on our reservation it was our anniversary. Well, we got the worst possible seat. For anyone who is familiar with the restaurant we sat in the top tier, in the right hand corner facing the tank. My first impression of the restaurant was this was loud. I mean really loud. I feel bad for Brian, he wasnt feeling well and we are having our anniversary dinner in a loud place. On our actual anniversary we didnt see each other because he worked that night I was working during the day. So I decided to spend some extra money and have our anniversary dinner somewhere nice. We decided not to have an appetizer and just order dinner.
Brian got the Rainbow Trout:
I didnt try Brians dish but he said that it was good. And it looked good as well.
And I got the scallops:
Mine was horrible! When your scallops taste fishy, they are not fresh. I was extremely disappointed.
For dessert we got the Baileys and Jack Daniels Mousse, sorry no picture. This dessert was good, not great. You can taste the alcohol in it but I needed something sweet after what I just ate.
I was overall disappointed in the meal. The waiter who waited on us was not really watching our table as closely as I hoped. We had to wait a while for drink refills and he didnt ask if we wanted more bread or dessert. I hate asking to see a dessert menu. The food was subpar for what you pay for and the restaurant was too loud. It is a pretty restaurant and I like the concept of eating within view of the fish tank, but I will not be going there anytime soon for a meal. After dinner it was time to leave since the park was closed, so we headed back to Mystic Dunes.
Up next: More Epcot and a boat ride to Hollywood Studios!
FauntleroyFAN07
Commander of Donalds Crew Oh Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2007
sorry your dinner didnt go as planned.
but i like the photo, we had the MK one from the last trip so when i saw him at DTD i decided to bite the bullet and get the other 3 parks signed by him so we would have a complete set in case i dont see him while we are there again.
but i like the photo, we had the MK one from the last trip so when i saw him at DTD i decided to bite the bullet and get the other 3 parks signed by him so we would have a complete set in case i dont see him while we are there again.
Aburns8
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2008
Thanks Dan. I wanted to get more Dotson pics but Brian only wanted to start out with one. I like that idea of getting one pic for each park to complete a set. He had some really cool castle Christmas scenes complete with snow. But I knew I couldn't keep that on my wall all year long.
BettyBeBop
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2009
Enjoying your TR. Sorry your meal at Coral Reef fell below your expectations. I have heard such mixed reviews for that restaurant. I think it might be a hit or miss place.
Looking forward to reading more.
Looking forward to reading more.
Aburns8
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2008
Thanks for joining in Betty Sue!
I agree that Coral Reef is hit or miss. I wanted to try seafood there but I think that should have gotten a meat dish. I have so many restaurants that I want to try that I won't be going back for a while.
JennisSilly
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2008
Subbing in!
So jealous of your Adventures by Disney trip to DL! It's the one thing we have left to do there now that we've done Club 33!
So jealous of your Adventures by Disney trip to DL! It's the one thing we have left to do there now that we've done Club 33!
Aburns8
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2008
Thanks for joining in! The trip is awesome and I highly suggest it. Club 33 is on my bucket list. I know in my heart one day I will get to go there!
IheartDDuck
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2009
Sorry that your dinner at Coral Reef was not as enjoyable as you anticipated. When I ate there last the food also left something to be desired. The menu just seems so small. I blame the dining plan for the shrinking menus.
Aburns8
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2008
I agree. I noticed that a lot of the menus did not have the variety that I was expecting. I am a tad of a picky eater and there were only a couple things on the menu that appealed to me. I just hope one day some of these restaurants will get back a variety of food.
Aburns8
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2008
I'm in! We did Coral Reef our first trip and thought it was just ok. We both had steak though... Ava loves fishies, so we are making an ADR there for October just for her - I know she will love the fish.
After the meal that I had I wished I had the steak! Thanks for joining in. I should hopefully have another post today.
Aburns8
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2008
I get really excited on our vacations to the World. So of course I get up really early in order to enjoy the most of our time. Poor Brian is still not feeling well, but I make him get out of bed and get ready for the park. We couldnt decide between Epcot and Hollywood Studios this day. We had a reservation at noon for Restaurant Marrakesh so just decided to hit up Epcot first.
Again, we couldnt decide what we wanted to do first so we just headed over to The Land and decided to get our Soarin FP. While we were there we also decided to ride Living with the Land. I love this ride! I really dont know why I like it so much, maybe because you get to see what they have growing in the greenhouse.
Here are some pics of our adventure on the way to Soarin:
Brian being funny!
Another monorail shot.
Our destination.
Even decorated for fall!
After our ride in The Land we decided to check out Captain EO. I never saw it before because my parents took us to WDE when I was 4 and 16. So basically it wasnt there when I visited. Brian has seen it before so it was nothing new to him. I liked it! I thought it was much better than Honey I Shrunk the Audience (which I only saw once and that was enough).
Now it was about time for lunch at
We had some time to kill so Brian and I walked around Morocco and took some pictures.
Being originally from the Detroit area we have a lot of Middle Eastern eateries. So it was good to eat some food that we are somewhat familiar with. The décor was really nice and the restaurant was completely empty. I think there were 4 other tables in use.
I had the beef couscous, which I really enjoyed! It was huge so Brian had to eat some it for me.
Brian had the lemon chicken. He seemed to like it a lot.
For dessert we had the Moroccan symphony which was basically different forms of baklava (sorry forgot to take a picture). While we were there we got to see the traditional music and belly dancing show they put on. Sorry the pics are not that great since it was so dark in the restaurant.
Again, we couldnt decide what we wanted to do first so we just headed over to The Land and decided to get our Soarin FP. While we were there we also decided to ride Living with the Land. I love this ride! I really dont know why I like it so much, maybe because you get to see what they have growing in the greenhouse.
Here are some pics of our adventure on the way to Soarin:
Brian being funny!
Another monorail shot.
Our destination.
Even decorated for fall!
After our ride in The Land we decided to check out Captain EO. I never saw it before because my parents took us to WDE when I was 4 and 16. So basically it wasnt there when I visited. Brian has seen it before so it was nothing new to him. I liked it! I thought it was much better than Honey I Shrunk the Audience (which I only saw once and that was enough).
Now it was about time for lunch at
We had some time to kill so Brian and I walked around Morocco and took some pictures.
Being originally from the Detroit area we have a lot of Middle Eastern eateries. So it was good to eat some food that we are somewhat familiar with. The décor was really nice and the restaurant was completely empty. I think there were 4 other tables in use.
I had the beef couscous, which I really enjoyed! It was huge so Brian had to eat some it for me.
Brian had the lemon chicken. He seemed to like it a lot.
For dessert we had the Moroccan symphony which was basically different forms of baklava (sorry forgot to take a picture). While we were there we got to see the traditional music and belly dancing show they put on. Sorry the pics are not that great since it was so dark in the restaurant.
Aburns8
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2008
After lunch we decided to head over to the Japan pavilion to see Myuki. I have heard of her and saw some of her work on other peoples trip reports. We got there a little early so we walked around and Brian took more pics.
The drummers also started their show. I always stop to watch them because they are so mesmerizing.
Finally Myuki came out to do her candy show. At first there were a few of us there. Once people realized it was some sort of show it got a little crowded. She was so interesting to watch. She makes it look so easy, but I am pretty sure it takes a while to be that good at what she does.
After watching her for 15 minutes we decided to keep moving along and let someone else stand in the front to watch her. We decided to check out Hollywood Studios so we headed toward International Gateway.
On our way we stopped at the Belgium kiosk to get a Belgium waffle.
This waffle was so good that I decided that I had to buy the Food & Wine cookbook since the recipe is in there. And no I havent made anything out of there yet! We then decided to stop in France since we saw the Beauty and the Beast topiaries. They were there for the release of the movie, but it reminded me of the Flower & Garden Festival!
Finally we headed toward the exit when I decided to make the Food & Wine Festival a little easier and purchased a wrist gift card.
Up next A boat trip to Hollywood Studios, and Epcot (yes, again)!
The drummers also started their show. I always stop to watch them because they are so mesmerizing.
Finally Myuki came out to do her candy show. At first there were a few of us there. Once people realized it was some sort of show it got a little crowded. She was so interesting to watch. She makes it look so easy, but I am pretty sure it takes a while to be that good at what she does.
After watching her for 15 minutes we decided to keep moving along and let someone else stand in the front to watch her. We decided to check out Hollywood Studios so we headed toward International Gateway.
On our way we stopped at the Belgium kiosk to get a Belgium waffle.
This waffle was so good that I decided that I had to buy the Food & Wine cookbook since the recipe is in there. And no I havent made anything out of there yet! We then decided to stop in France since we saw the Beauty and the Beast topiaries. They were there for the release of the movie, but it reminded me of the Flower & Garden Festival!
Finally we headed toward the exit when I decided to make the Food & Wine Festival a little easier and purchased a wrist gift card.
Up next A boat trip to Hollywood Studios, and Epcot (yes, again)!
Disneygrl36
Happy DVC member!!!!
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2004
You did 2 things I have never done but have on my list.....restaurant Marakesh. That food looked really good but the belly dancer kinda freaks me out.
I also want to see the candy lady but have never caught her.
That is part of why I love WDW so much....always something that we miss that I can look forward to going back to see.
That Belgian waffle looks so good right about now! And those F&W wrist cards are so great aren't they?
Ready for more............since you gotta trip coming up & all you know.
P.S. Can't wait to see you in May!
I also want to see the candy lady but have never caught her. That is part of why I love WDW so much....always something that we miss that I can look forward to going back to see.
That Belgian waffle looks so good right about now! And those F&W wrist cards are so great aren't they?
Ready for more............since you gotta trip coming up & all you know.
P.S. Can't wait to see you in May!
Aburns8
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2008
You did 2 things I have never done but have on my list.....restaurant Marakesh. That food looked really good but the belly dancer kinda freaks me out.
That is part of why I love WDW so much....always something that we miss that I can look forward to going back to see.
That Belgian waffle looks so good right about now! And those F&W wrist cards are so great aren't they?
Ready for more............since you gotta trip coming up & all you know.
P.S. Can't wait to see you in May!
I was going to do an update this weekend and that didn't happen. I think that I will work on it during work and then polish it up at home.
I can't wait till may either! Aren't you glad that you read my blog?
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