Ready, Set, Let the Games Begin! - Link to new PTR/TR!

[rentayenta]

I swear I thought I commented.

I totally agree with your thinking on the differences between DL's and WDW's Fantasmic! I don't understand the whole Pocahontas thing either but the seating at WDW is far superior.

 

[franandaj]

I swear I thought I commented.

I totally agree with your thinking on the differences between DL's and WDW's Fantasmic! I don't understand the whole Pocahontas thing either but the seating at WDW is far superior.

I'm glad that so many people agree that DL's is better and that the whole Pocohontas thing is kind of weird!

 

[franandaj]

The next morning we woke up early to the alarm clock warning, but we didn’t have the 8:15 into the city, we had better plans. Since we had been feasting on buffet breakfasts or running off eating merely a bit of yogurt, it was in order for us to have a proper breakfast.



Then we were off to Hollywood Studios. Finally there weren’t a ton of people in front of this Monster’s University display.



Not the best lighting on this.





We went directly to the Studio tour. Whether or not it’s true, I heard a rumor that they might be removing the Studio Tour to make way for the new Carsland Expansion. We were lined up before the tour opens and asked a CM about that rumor and she said as far as she knew, that was just a rumor. But then again, the CMs didn’t know what guests were talking about when they asked about the construction next to the Contemporary. What Bay Lake Tower? So you never know.

Anyways we got on the first tour of the morning. There was the demonstration of the explosions and floods.













The iconic tower







Walt Disney’s Jet



[Continued in Next Post]

 

[franandaj]

[Continued from Previous Post]

And of course Catastrophe Canyon











I’ve also heard this section might be history, so we thought we should at least check it out.



On our way into the park, we had picked up some FPs so while Fran did some shopping, I went back to redeem them.







I must be losing my touch, only two rides and I’d had enough. Also I saw something that I had never seen before, when we got off the ride, there was a CM stopping people from taking redneck cell phone pics of their ride photos. Anyone who got their camera out, was immediately told “no pictures” and got the stern finger shaken at them. After that I had done enough rides for the day.



We stopped back at the Monster’s University topiary.



This time there was a much better angle on the sunlight.





We headed over to the Friendship boats to our next destination…Epcot!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Nice morning. Seems like you made the most of the early morning start. Love the pics from the backlot tour.



And you're right. We did go back to prep the veggies; but we could have headed out for a snack. (Says me now from the comfort of my living space )

 

[mvf-m11c]

I have been far behind on your latest updates and I finally caught back up.

Dinner at the Hollywood Brown Derby looks very nice and good. It was neat to be able to eat again with PiO and her family during the WDW trip.

Nice to hear that you were able to ride TSMM with the FP+. Even though I don’t like the FP system at DHS since the queue could get a long line that doubles DCA TSMM, I’ll still choose DCA over DHS.

Nice to see that Fran got to take the pictures from F!. F! at DHS is nice with the benches where DL version doesn’t have it but DL is way better than DHS. It might be time for DHS to get an upgrade to the show just like DL a few years ago.

Those are very nice topiaries of Monster’s University display at the entrance of DHS.

The Studio Tour is a fun ride to go on when visiting DHS. Nice pictures from the tour. Very interesting to see during the tour that the P-40’s airplanes have the “Cars” type faces on them.

 

[rentayenta]

Breakfast looks heavenly. Butter, bread, and bacon.....

No redneck photos? Wonder how long they'll try to enforce that? It seems like a waste of productivity to me.

I still haven't been on the backlot tour. Do they say when it'll be gone?

 

[franandaj]

Nice morning. Seems like you made the most of the early morning start. Love the pics from the backlot tour.



And you're right. We did go back to prep the veggies; but we could have headed out for a snack. (Says me now from the comfort of my living space )

We tried! It was funny sitting there for the opening of the ride, we talked the CMs ear off!

I was plenty happy with my homemade snack. That's one of the reasons I LOVE DVC and the kitchens. Even though we don't cook a lot on trips, I could make myself a tiny steak sandwich with a side of spinach, and it didn't cost me $10.95 and what you are calling a US serve! This was an Alison serve, just perfect for a midnight snack. You're right there is no where in the US that you can get a sandwich or snack that doesn't require a doggie bag!

I have been far behind on your latest updates and I finally caught back up.

Dinner at the Hollywood Brown Derby looks very nice and good. It was neat to be able to eat again with PiO and her family during the WDW trip.

Nice to hear that you were able to ride TSMM with the FP+. Even though I don’t like the FP system at DHS since the queue could get a long line that doubles DCA TSMM, I’ll still choose DCA over DHS.

Nice to see that Fran got to take the pictures from F!. F! at DHS is nice with the benches where DL version doesn’t have it but DL is way better than DHS. It might be time for DHS to get an upgrade to the show just like DL a few years ago.

Those are very nice topiaries of Monster’s University display at the entrance of DHS.

The Studio Tour is a fun ride to go on when visiting DHS. Nice pictures from the tour. Very interesting to see during the tour that the P-40’s airplanes have the “Cars” type faces on them.

I know what you mean, I think I'm behind on your TR, but not exactly sure.

Breakfast looks heavenly. Butter, bread, and bacon.....

No redneck photos? Wonder how long they'll try to enforce that? It seems like a waste of productivity to me.

I still haven't been on the backlot tour. Do they say when it'll be gone?

Well the second time I went through there was no one. I guess it was just one CM for that time period owning the redneck photos.

Like I said the CM said it wouldn't be going away, but you can never trust them since they only know what they are told.

 

[Luvchefmic]

Up to date again Hi to you both I just got home from work and would love one of those Alison Steak & Spinach serves RIGHT now unfortunately no food in the house so I sit and " enjoy" a cup of peppermint tea...I picked up an O/T shift but should have picked up food !


How are you both ? I need to go to Catastrophe Canyon JUST in case the rampant rumors are true

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

I loved that Monsters University display! It was funny because although it was really large it was very difficult to get a good photo of it without somebody blocking the shot so you did really well! Nice photos.

What a shame if rumours are true re backlot tour :-( I just love Catastrophe Canyon! Lol re CM not knowing what that building was next to the contemporary... That's no moon ...that's a satellite..

Exciting onto EPCOT! Take me there!

 

[franandaj]

Up to date again Hi to you both I just got home from work and would love one of those Alison Steak & Spinach serves RIGHT now unfortunately no food in the house so I sit and " enjoy" a cup of peppermint tea...I picked up an O/T shift but should have picked up food !


How are you both ? I need to go to Catastrophe Canyon JUST in case the rampant rumors are true

Thanks for keeping up, I know your schedule is very hectic. It wouldn't hurt to take the backlot tour. You never know what will happen to an attraction.

I loved that Monsters University display! It was funny because although it was really large it was very difficult to get a good photo of it without somebody blocking the shot so you did really well! Nice photos.

What a shame if rumours are true re backlot tour :-( I just love Catastrophe Canyon! Lol re CM not knowing what that building was next to the contemporary... That's no moon ...that's a satellite..

Exciting onto EPCOT! Take me there!

Every other time that we tried to take pictures of that display there were tons of people waiting, and there was a huge long line for people wanting their picture taken in front of the display.

It was really ridiculous back when they were building BLT, CMs would totally deny it's existence. They seem to have plenty of room in Florida, I wonder why they need to take out attractions to add new ones.

 

[franandaj]

We had a 12:00 Tequila Lunch Pairing at La Hacienda de San Angel and we sure didn’t want to be late! We waited outside for a little while before they let us into the restaurant. As we entered we were handed on of these. I believe that it was a Horchata Margarita.



This was our place setting.



This was to be our menu for the afternoon. I was a bit skeptical at first when I read it, but there was no need to be, it was all delicious.



These were the various brands of Tequila we would be sampling.



The restaurant was very pretty





Fairly soon our hostess for the luncheon greeted us.



Before we get started here I’m going to point out a few things, in this picture are “flavor enhancers”. We would rub the various scents on our palms (not the crackers) and see how it affected the aroma and taste of the Tequila. We did a similar thing at the Tequila Tasting in Cozumel.

But I want you to notice something else and this is the only picture that I have these shots. If you look above the plate of lemon, cinnamon and coffee beans you will see three shots. Each person had these three shots. The one sort of “off by itself” is a shot of vodka. Believe it or not, we kicked off our Tequila tasting with a shot of vodka! They wanted us to compare the bite of the Tequila to the smoothness of the vodka.

The other two were to be consumed later in the meal. One was a shot of Mezcal, and the other would be our dessert tequila.



Our first course was “Pulpo en Escabeche” Marinated Octopus with vinegar, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, cactus, and hearts of palms. The funny part was the parts that were worrying me were the cauliflower and hearts of palms. It turns out that they were very flavorful and I had nothing to worry about. This course was paired with the Blanco Tequila, a very mild tequila that has not been aged.



Our next course was “Crema de Cilantro”, Cilantro and serrano peppers cream, served with toasted pine nuts. My worry here was that I do not like Cilantro on my tacos or in my Thai food. However as you can see it was a puree, no pesky leaves to get caught in my teeth and the flavor was quite nice. I almost licked the bowl! This course was paired with the Reposado.



Our next course was a Surf and Turf or “Mar y Tierra”. Grillet filet mignon over roasted tomatoes, dry peppers, almonds and sesame seed sauce. Marinated Shrimp with guajillo peppers accompanied with Cactus leaf vinaigrette. This was very tasty and each of the selections were cooked to perfection. The meat was tender and medium rare, the shrimp was not at all over cooked. I think Fran even gave me her shrimp. We had the anejo tequila with this course.



I think that it was at this point when they asked us to pick up our shot of Mezcal. We had tasted the three different tequilas and before we finished the Anejo, they wanted us to taste the Mezcal. Boy was this like turpentine after all the wonderful Tequilas we had been sipping! I remember back in college, we would drink Mezcal and I was often the one who ate the worm! Boy have things changed!

Our last course was a little strange, but it tasted good, so I really didn’t care. It was a “Dulce de Mamey”, Mamey (Mexican exotic fruit) served with berries and whipped cream. The texture was a little, gritty, is the best that I can describe it. The texture was a little bit like refried beans, but sweet instead of savory. I did finish it all up and enjoyed it, but I couldn’t finish what was left of Fran’s. It was paired with a Crema Tequila which you can see the small glass in the background of the picture.



Our chef came out so that we could cheer for him.



The lunch was over around 1:30PM, while our appetites were sated, we were by no means stuffed. It was a Friday afternoon and I expected that the lines for the kiosks were going to be mobbed, but to my surprise they were not. Since we had another four hours until our next ADR and we came upon Canada with almost no lines, I felt obligated to grab a piece of filet and cheese soup!







It wasn’t quite as satisfying, warm soup on a hot day, but it was still good. We made our way back to the room via some shopping to rest up before our big night out!

 

[PrincessInOz]

OMG! OMG! Is this what you did in that lunchtime?


I would have been under the table with just the smell of the tequila!! Fantastic update.

 

[franandaj]

OMG! OMG! Is this what you did in that lunchtime?


I would have been under the table with just the smell of the tequila!! Fantastic update.

I find that each liquor has a different effect. Tequila actually makes me more energized, I feel like I want to go out dancing after drinking tequila. Vodka makes me feel differently, but usually I don't drink more than one drink of it so I can't tell about the long lasting effects. Usually after a vodka martini I switch to wine. Wine makes me comfy and eventually sleepy. I don't drink Whiskey, Gin or other liquors to know what they do to me.

I guess everyone else is busy with their trips or something, so I'm going to go on to the next update.

 

[franandaj]

After a short rest in the room, I decided to head up to the Marketplace to pick up something (what it was now completely evades my mind! ) But on the way back to the room I ran into PIO, Bobbi and her sister. So we took these shots as further evidence of our DISmeet!





Then it was back to the room to get ready. You see tonight began the big fun of the mega DISmeets! We had booked a Wishes Cruise with dinner at the CA Grill. Everyone had planned to travel in their separate parties and meet on the second floor of the Contemporary at the check in kiosk. Fran and I took the bus to the MK and rode over from there, or did we take the monorail?? I’m pretty sure that we took the Monorail. After our party met on the second floor, the hostess sent us up to the restaurant. The remodel of the restaurant looks very nice.









We were taken to our table near the window.









The menu has been revamped.





I had another Belvedere Gibson up.



You’ll forgive me if I get some of the entrees confused as to who ordered them. I know which ones Fran and I got, but not too sure about everyone else. Fran and I went with appetizers for our meal and split just about everything. Our first course was the Heirloom Tomatoes…Daily Variety with Grilled Bread, Baby Basil, Ricotta, Blistered Shisito, Vinaigrette.



And the California Combination Roll, this included a Shrimp Tempura Roll too. I believe that I was slightly disappointed in this selection. It just didn’t seem as fresh as it could have been, sort of like they had them premade and in the refrigerator. The rice was sort of hard and cold.



I believe that this was the Dragon Roll…Spicy and Tataki Tuna, Shrimp Tempura, Bell Pepper, Avocado, Chili Soy Glaze ordered by Bobbi’s Sister.



This was the Wild Columbia River Salmon…Zellwood Sweet Corn Pudding, crispy Salmon Cakes, Spiced Saffron Broth. Maybe Tiffany ordered this one?



This is Pork Two Ways…Grilled Tenderloin, Goat Cheese Polenta, Mushrooms, Lacquered Belly, Applesauce. I believe that Tiffany’s DH, Matt ordered this.



This was PIO’s DH’s meal, I believe that it was the Baby Romaine…Roasted Garlic Dressing, Boquerones, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Brioche Croutons



PIO’s DS ordered the same sushi order as Fran and I. PIO ordered the Bell & Evans Chicken…Teriyaki BBQ Glaze, Truffle Macaroni & Cheese, Glazed Vegetables, Chicken Sausage. I believe Bobbi ordered the same thing as well.



Then mine and Fran’s second course came. She let me eat this one all to myself, Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli…Tomato-Fennel Broth, crispy mushrooms, Basil, Benziger Estate Olive Oil. This was really good! I quite enjoyed it.



She ate some of our Pork Belly Nigiri…House Cured Pork, Bacon and Yuzu Rice, Spicy Teriyaki. This one again fell kind of flat for us. The sauce was a little too intense, the rice was very dense, and we were also getting pretty full at this point.

 

[franandaj]

Though we were getting full, we were, not too full for dessert!



This was the Warm Homemade Fritters…Banana Stuffed, Cinnamon dusted Fritters with Toasted Caramel Marshmallows, complimented with a trio of dipping sauces. Now I’m not a HUGE Banana fan, so I didn’t love this one. I ate a couple, but the texture was a little off for me.



This on the other hand was really pretty good…Sundae Sampler…Unique and playful sundaes with a Nostagic Twist: Caramel Corn, Coke Float, and Strawberry Basil.









Following our dinner, we met up with Ed and headed to the dock for our Wishes Cruise! We met our captain at the boat, and he helped us board. The boat was large and spacious, I know that we did not feel at all cramped where we were sitting. There was a cooler full of sodas, water and also some chips for us, as if anyone had any appetite left!

We had some time to kill before taking our spot for Hallowishes so we drove around Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon. Our Captain took us out past the old Discovery Island from the pre Animal Kingdom days. I remember that Fran and I visited there on our first trip to WDW together. It was primarily a bird sanctuary back then. Now it is deserted.

I don’t have any pictures as my little point and shoot just can’t take night time shots. After taking a short spin near the old River Country, we headed out onto the Seven Seas Lagoon and passed by the various resorts before assuming our spot in front of the MK. We were just in time to see the electric water pageant which was a treat for me. I had actually never seen it before.









Then Hallowishes started. I didn’t know what to expect, but it was an excellent show with great narration and a fun story line.











Following the cruise Ed (SunDial) flagged down a CM and got them to take this fantastic pic of the group of us.



Thanks for posting it Ed!

After the cruise Fran and I scooted back to the MK to catch a bus back to the BCV. It was fairly late and we had long day, we were definitely tired.

 

[PrincessInOz]

That meal was a little hit and miss, wasn't it?

My chicken was excellent and I think DH enjoyed his meal. The sushi was okay; but not outstanding in the way I thought it was written up to be.

That sundae dessert was one that DH, DS and I shared. It was a lot of fun!


I had a great time on this night. It was so nice to see everyone and meet up in 3D.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Fantastic update.

The Tequila Lunch Pairing at La Hacienda de San Angel must have been so fun to try all those different tequila and food.

That is great that you were able to have a big DISMeet at the California Grill restaurant at the Contemporary Hotel. It is so nice to see the remodeled California Grill restaurant. I have to go eat at that restaurant one day since I did enjoy staying at the Contemporary. All of the food look very appetizing and delicious.

It was neat that you were all able to do the Wishes Cruise and watch HalloWishes that night from the boat. The picture of the group is so nice and all looked happy during the meet.

Fantastic update again.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Great update! It's still a shock to me about the retirement of backlot tour! Like you say with all that land! I thought the whole point Walt choose Orlando was due to the size of the plot when he realised that DL in CA was restricted.

Anyway .... Tequila lunch pairing looked a lot of fun. How interesting they gave you vodka to compare. Nice touch. Yum I do love a good margarita but it's amazing as you get older and the bar gets move higher and your taste develops or just gets exposed to better quality goods you could not dream of when younger. I recall trying my first champagne being enchanted by it but it was just a basic type then eventually trying Crystal which blew me away. Now drinking basic non vintage Champagne tastes less appealing with the balance of flavours all wrong. I was a cheap date back then. The bliss of ignorance! Same with food. A basic steak seems the best thing ever till you have had a cut of meat that just melts in your mouth because it is cooked perfectly and is the best piece of the beast!

The Hallowishes looks great I love the sound of that cruise we were disappointed by the CA grill but haven't tried it since the remodel. That sundae sampler sure looks good though

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

All caught up! Sorry I fell behind again.

I have never been to DL, but judging from the pictures and descriptions I'd have to agree that their Fantasmic is better. I usually skip it at WDW because I hate the long wait and crowds.

Whaddaya mean, no redneck photos? You wouldn't expect Disney to have the Fun Police out there.

I will readily admit that I can't pronounce half the dishes/drinks you guys are trying out, but it is fun to read about it.