The (Foodie)Force is Strong with Us...a Feb/Mar 2016 trip! THE END - NEW 9/13 Disneyland TR link!

[chunkymonkey]

Yum on the apple and frushi!! Love the balloon magic shot! I need to get more if those on my next trip!

Definitely! More magic shots, apples and frushi please!

Oh my goodness! I am running the 5K in Feb 2017 as well!!! Well, me, DH, and DS (16) are doing the 5K. My 12yo DS is doing the mickey mile and 6yo DD will be doing the 200m dash. We are excited! I am not a runner myself. My DH plays basketball, so he is used to sprints. My 16yo is the only legit runner, he is runs track in school but specialized in hurdles and sprints. We have been running around locally doing 3.1m run/walk every week and our best time is 44 mins. Just enough not to get swept. can you tell we are excited???

That's so awesome! I see many DISMeets in my future! I really need to get started on some training too...but it's been so hot here in the north east. Like it hit 102 yesterday. Ugh.

You are making me so excited for our upcoming Epcot visit!!!!! Yum Yum YUM!!!

Epcot is my favorite park and I really look forward to every visit!

The currywurst sounds really good right now. I thought about getting it, but I can't remember why I didn't. I will have to remember the chips n guac if I need to absorb some tequila Pee Wee Herman dance coming to mind

I honestly wanted to eat more but I was a bit too full. I definitely wanted to try currywurst the first day at Epcot F&G but ate everything else instead. I will have to remember to pace myself next time.

Tiki drinks? yum! Can't wait to hear all about it. Great photos! I love Flower and Garden at EPCOT...it just makes me smile...then add food... a winner for me.

I know! I just love that time of year and Epcot is my favorite park, so put them together and it's just an amazing time to be at Epcot!

Great updates! I missed the frushi this year - next time!

Thanks for the heads up on PTN and Space Mountain too. We are there 9/1-9/5 so we'll just make it!

Whew, lucky you! I really really hope 9/5 is the last day of Hyperspace mountain. I really want to ride it!

Congrats on registering for the Princess 5K!!! Woo hoo! Princess weekend 2016 was my first runDisney weekend (I've since become addicted. ) The 5k is almost entirely in Epcot so there won't be any boring stretches. You will love it!

That's awesome! How many characters did you see?

Love your Minnie shirt! The nachos and the frushi look sooo good

Thank you! Yes, they were both really good! I love eating around Epcot!

#DisneyMath - Gets me into trouble every year!!!!! In theory this is the first year in a few we won't be renewing, but we'll see how that goes.....

I know, right? I think I'll be saving money but I always seem to spend way more than I anticipated when it comes to Disney...

Love this!!!!!!! We did the photo pass for the first time last trip (cause hello free with the annual pass) but only managed to get 2 or 3 magic shots.

I love that the memory maker is included with annual passes!

AHHHHHHHHHH!!!! This looks so good. We missed this on our F&G adventure as someone may have drank too much and was in desperate need of carbs (aka pretzel) come Germany

I totally had a pretze tool! Although not that day, but the next!

Score!! I had no idea you could catch both in one night.

I didn't know either but the timing worked out well! There was only one showing of Fantasmic and it was early, so we caught that and there was about 20 minutes before the Star Wars fireworks!

I am doing the Princess 5K too!!!

Awesome! DISmeet!

Sucks about those ride closures at DLR. Hopefully you still have a magical time.

Thanks! I'm sure we will!

Anything to justify another trip, but really this is the best reason to sign up for the Princess 5K.

Haha, yes! Definitely!

I am most definitely not a runner either, but it would be cool to walk a RunDisney event someday, especially Princess

My thoughts exactly! Always wanted to do it, but only just made the move to do it.

Absolutely. Makes perfect sense

Disney math always makes sense!

Great Epcot photos by the way.

Thanks!!

 

[nenglim]

That's so awesome! I see many DISMeets in my future! I really need to get started on some training too...but it's been so hot here in the north east. Like it hit 102 yesterday. Ugh.

I am here in WDW now and we are having better weather than home. I am from Jersey. We had sunny skies and very little humidity yesterday. And the crowds are so far on the lean side. We didnt even have the dreaded FL thunderstorms. We tried the new Soarin yesterday. WOW!!! Today I am definitely trying that red bean icecream! And crossing our fingers we get on FEA as planned. And hopefully the cooler weather will be back when we return home.

 

[jerseygal]

I am here in WDW now and we are having better weather than home. I am from Jersey. We had sunny skies and very little humidity yesterday. And the crowds are so far on the lean side. We didnt even have the dreaded FL thunderstorms. We tried the new Soarin yesterday. WOW!!! Today I am definitely trying that red bean icecream! And crossing our fingers we get on FEA as planned. And hopefully the cooler weather will be back when we return home.

LOOKING FORWARD to new Soarin' in October! Sounds AWESOME! Hopefully, Northeast will cool off by the time you return, OPPRESSIVE, HEAT DOME! ENJOY!

 

[auntfrannie]

You and your husband are an adorable couple! I hope the lady that hugged you in the restroom washed her hands first!

 

[KathyM2]

OMG I am so excited for you for the princess 5K!! I sooo want to do one of these races...I just never seem to be able to go at the times when they are...I wonder if it is already sold out ...I also have a problem committing to things that far out...but ONE DAY! You will love it I'm sure. I think @Elevationist is doing that one too? And there are a few people on here who have done various RunDisney events....they look like SO much fun. And you can walk the whole thing anyway if you don't feel like running!!

 

[chunkymonkey]

I am here in WDW now and we are having better weather than home. I am from Jersey. We had sunny skies and very little humidity yesterday. And the crowds are so far on the lean side. We didnt even have the dreaded FL thunderstorms. We tried the new Soarin yesterday. WOW!!! Today I am definitely trying that red bean icecream! And crossing our fingers we get on FEA as planned. And hopefully the cooler weather will be back when we return home.

What, FL has less humidity than NJ?!? Actually I can believe that...anything will be better than the weather we've been having. It's been so hot I've just been staying home enjoying A/C. It's a good thing we have solar power otherwise my electric bill would be through the roof. I am SOOOOOOO looking forward to the new Soarin'! That is one ride that won't be down for our DLR trip!
And lucky you with the soft serve strawberry red bean...I would kill for some right now.
Hope you got on FEA! You will have to do a Trip Report because your trip sounds like so much fun!

LOOKING FORWARD to new Soarin' in October! Sounds AWESOME! Hopefully, Northeast will cool off by the time you return, OPPRESSIVE, HEAT DOME! ENJOY!

I am looking forward to riding the new Soarin' in Disneyland!! Yeah, the heat we've been having is insane...I tried to cool off at our town pool but even the water got a little too warm for me after a while.

You and your husband are an adorable couple! I hope the lady that hugged you in the restroom washed her hands first!

Thank you so much! Thanks for reading! I sure hope that lady washed her hands too ...just an odd experience to have at Disney!

OMG I am so excited for you for the princess 5K!! I sooo want to do one of these races...I just never seem to be able to go at the times when they are...I wonder if it is already sold out ...I also have a problem committing to things that far out...but ONE DAY! You will love it I'm sure. I think @Elevationist is doing that one too? And there are a few people on here who have done various RunDisney events....they look like SO much fun. And you can walk the whole thing anyway if you don't feel like running!!

Yup @Elevationist and a bunch of others are doing it! I see a bunch of DIS Meets in my future!! I am not sure it's sold out yet...I know the 10k was sold out when I went to register but the half marathon and the 5K were still there.

 

[natebenma]

Congratulations on signing up for the 5K. That is awesome! I am not a runner, but I am actually tempted by the Disney races. So many of my friends do them and write about how great they are. And it means that a lot of my friends are at the World at those times of the year, so there is a lot of opportunity for meets.

Can't wait to see your running costume!



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You are right about the balloon shot and the crane.



Yay for a ride on Living with the Land. I was so thrilled last week when this ride was thankfully and rightfully demoted to a Tier 2 FP!

I didn't know about the manatees! Have you seen/read anything since about why their exhibit was closed for your trip?

Great photopass pictures all around. Great snacks, too. I have not had/heard of currywurst. Interesting.

Great evening plan- Fantasmic, caramel apple, fireworks!

 

[Heidi Lou]

That Minnie shirt and black skirt outfit is adorable!!!

 

[winnieatepooh]

LOVING your trip report! It makes me feel like I'm there!

 

[Dugette]

Wow, that's quite the delicious stroll through Epcot! And I love that you took Tink along on your park hop.

 

[chunkymonkey]

Congratulations on signing up for the 5K. That is awesome! I am not a runner, but I am actually tempted by the Disney races. So many of my friends do them and write about how great they are. And it means that a lot of my friends are at the World at those times of the year, so there is a lot of opportunity for meets.

Can't wait to see your running costume!

That picture pretty much summed up my life...I never run!!
But excited for the run nevertheless! You should totally sign up too!
The costume...hmm what was I thinking? I can barely run with regular workout clothes. I don't see how I can do so in a costume. LOL.

Yay for a ride on Living with the Land. I was so thrilled last week when this ride was thankfully and rightfully demoted to a Tier 2 FP!

Yup! My thoughts exactly! Woohoo!

I didn't know about the manatees! Have you seen/read anything since about why their exhibit was closed for your trip?

No I haven't. There wasn't an explanation on the sign, just that the manatees were being relocated. So not sure if they are still there anymore or if they got some new ones in.

Great photopass pictures all around. Great snacks, too. I have not had/heard of currywurst. Interesting.

It's really just a bratwurst with a curry-ketchup. It's very popular in Germany and in german restaurants apparently. It's quite good!

Great evening plan- Fantasmic, caramel apple, fireworks!

Indeed it was!!

That Minnie shirt and black skirt outfit is adorable!!!

Thank you! Totally going to bring it or something close to it on our Sept Disneyland trip!

LOVING your trip report! It makes me feel like I'm there!

Thank you so much! Thanks for reading! I wish I was there too!

Wow, that's quite the delicious stroll through Epcot! And I love that you took Tink along on your park hop.

Yeah, how did she get there so quickly! Think she could have shared her pixie dust!!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Hi everyone! I just finished posting my 2nd update for our Road Trip to Lancaster on my blog! It's where we got to do the Taste Lab at the Turkey Hill Experience and created (and tasted!) our own ice creams flavors. This was my ice cream creation...

It was a fun experience! Read more here. Enjoy!

 

[Dugette]

Just read your blog posts. Very cool to see this trip as I know absolutely nothing about that area. Beautiful sunset!!! I am really wishing I could magically create a bowl of ice cream right now!

 

[Flossbolna]

Oh, someone in the USA actually knows Currywurst!! Where would you get it?? It is indeed a very typical German snack (mainly popular in the Northern parts and several cities claim that they are the unofficial home of the Currywurst). Berlin even has a Currywurst museum! I am glad you liked it and it does look good. Being German I am often skeptical of the offerings at the German food booths, but this I totally approve. The side of the paprika flavoured chips is a bit odd as chips are only a TV snack here, not a side (to a German having a side of chips is nearly as odd as it would be to you to have a side of popcorn).

Sorry about your Disneyland disappointment. Hopefully you will at least be rewarded with a lack of crowds for all the attractions and events not being open!

And good luck on the 5k! It is absolutely doable! And as far as I know the Disney 5ks really do not have a time limit, sou you can just walk the whole thing.

 

[KathyM2]

OMG I do think I must drive the 6 plus hours to go make my own ice cream lol. Looks amazing and I'm sure there are loads of other things in the area that would make it worth the drive ) Yours looked and sounded really good - though I absolutely love anything with marshmallow!!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Just read your blog posts. Very cool to see this trip as I know absolutely nothing about that area. Beautiful sunset!!! I am really wishing I could magically create a bowl of ice cream right now!

Thanks! It was a fun road trip, and such a pretty area. We're heading to Mystic, CT this weekend so I will probably have a short TR on that too.

Oh, someone in the USA actually knows Currywurst!! Where would you get it?? It is indeed a very typical German snack (mainly popular in the Northern parts and several cities claim that they are the unofficial home of the Currywurst). Berlin even has a Currywurst museum! I am glad you liked it and it does look good. Being German I am often skeptical of the offerings at the German food booths, but this I totally approve. The side of the paprika flavoured chips is a bit odd as chips are only a TV snack here, not a side (to a German having a side of chips is nearly as odd as it would be to you to have a side of popcorn).

There are many German restaurants and biergartens in NYC, so I've been to my share of them I definitely enjoy currywurst because I like a bit of spice! I think chips with a meal is actually a very American thing. So I can only assume it was added to appeal to American tastes. They were good chips, though!

Sorry about your Disneyland disappointment. Hopefully you will at least be rewarded with a lack of crowds for all the attractions and events not being open!

That's what I'm hoping for! It looks like the first day of our trip will be the last day for Paint the Night and the fireworks as well, so that will probably be the most hectic and crowded day of the trip!

And good luck on the 5k! It is absolutely doable! And as far as I know the Disney 5ks really do not have a time limit, sou you can just walk the whole thing.

Thanks for the vote of confidence! I hope I enjoy it and not pass out in the middle of it!

OMG I do think I must drive the 6 plus hours to go make my own ice cream lol. Looks amazing and I'm sure there are loads of other things in the area that would make it worth the drive ) Yours looked and sounded really good - though I absolutely love anything with marshmallow!!

LOL, it really is a lot of fun, and there are other things to do in the area...Hershey Park is nearby! Although we didn't go, but I have friends with kids who go all the time. I save my theme park energy for Disney!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Day 6 Part 4: Symphony in the Stars Take 2 and Trader Sams!

We left Epcot and headed to DHS on the ferry!

We arrived at DHS about 30 minutes before Fantasmic! was set to go on. We decided to just head into the theater to grab some seats.

On the way into the theater we stopped into some of the stores and I made DH wear these Mickey Ears. I think last year I made him try on the R2-D2 ears.

Thankfully he was very obliging.

We headed into the theater along with the crowd but in all honesty it wasn't too crowded at all and we got good seats about halfway up on stage left. I figure it would be easier to leave the theater from this section.

Here's the view from our seats:

Here's the crowd. It looks crowded but that's because people were so spread out. There was plenty of space in between groups and parties. If it were a packed night they would make everyone squish together.

And here's us!

I was so happy to catch Fantasmic this week! For some reason I thought we wouldn't be able to make it and I left it as optional. I would prefer to watch the Star Wars Fireworks if they went on at the same time but it worked out that we could watch Fantasmic before the fireworks.

Here's a little video of the end scene on boat:

Such an awesome awesome show. It's too bad the Disneyland one is down because of the construction they are doing, so we won't be catching it in September. I remember the Disneyland one being even better.

After the show we went to stake out a spot to watch the fireworks. There was about a 30 minute gap in between when Fantasmic ends and the fireworks began. I think now that it's summer there are multiple shows of Fantasmic and the fireworks happen even later at night (it went on at 8pm in February) so that catching Fantasmic and the Galactic fireworks on the same day are totally doable.

In the meantime, we got some PP pics!

I had heard about a cool spot to watch fireworks at DHS so wanted to check it out. It's in front of 50's Prime Time Diner, and there is a small area where you step down a bit. It looked like an awesome spot so we decided to watch the fireworks from here. There was a PP photog here too!

This was our view right before the fireworks started. It was so pretty, plus we were able to sit on the ledge of a planter so we weren't standing the whole time. This probably won't be possible during crowded times as then the whole area would be packed with people standing in front of your.

And how were the fireworks from this angle?

AMAZING.

Best view ever! You could see the entire breadth of the fireworks. I think the angle is great, BUT the sound is not loud as when we were in front of the theater, so the music appears muted in the video. You can even hear the people next to us chatting "can you hear the music?" lol. Still, it was awesome to get a different perspective of the fireworks. (However, now that they changed the fireworks so that they have those projections on the Chinese Theater, you won't be able to see them from this angle.)

Here's a video I shot of the fireworks:

I decided we needed to spend out last night (tomorrow) watching the fireworks again. We had already seen Wishes, Illuminations, and Fantasmic! but the only show I wanted to watch over and over again were the Star Wars fireworks! DH agreed too! The only problem was that we had a dinner ADRs at Yachtsman's Steakhouse at 6:30pm. I forgot that the fireworks happen so early in February that we weren't really going to make it and I didn't want to rush through dinner. I couldn't find an earlier reservation so I decided to just cancel altogether.

I still wanted to have a yummy last meal so I searched around and an early dinner ADR popped up for Sanaa. I had been hearing my friend Topdog and his wife RAVE about it and I saw their photos on Facebook. The bread service looked so good, it was calling my name, so decided we'd spend an early dinner there, watch some of the wildlife at AKL and then head back to DHS for some more fireworks! Tomorrow's plans were set!

Now it was back to the Poly since DHS was officially closed...we hopped on a bus and headed back, but first decided we could use a drink and some "supper" so we headed to where else...Trader Sams!

There were no seats inside, as usual. I don't know why they made the space so small inside. I hope the DLR version is a little bigger. I would like to sit around all the kitsch. I think the kitsch is what make tiki bars...tiki bars!

The patio outdoors however had plenty of seats, so we sat at a table near the waterfall and the slack key guitar player, who was just awesome.

It was a really nice evening to have drinks and a bite to eat on the patio.

DH ordered what I think is the HippopotoMai-Tai: Coruba Dark Rum, Bacardi Superior Rum, Bols Orange Curaçao, Orgeat (Almond), Organic Agave Nectar, and fresh Lime Juice. Served in a souvenir Tiki Glass

I think I got the Castaway Crush: Leblon Cachaça, Cream of Coconut, Pineapple, Cinnamon, and fresh Lime Juice

Both drinks were strong, but tasty. I totally forgot if we could have kept DH's cup. We didn't but now that I think about it, I think we could have...

We both decided on a snack of the Hawaiian Poke, which is like a ceviche with raw tuna and a sriracha aioli. It was served with crisp wonton chips. We enjoyed this!

It was a long day and we finally waddled back to our rooms, ready to do it all over again! Tomorrow was the last day of vacation. We were set to have one of the best breakfasts of our trip though, at The Garden Grill! Stay tuned.

​

 

[Flossbolna]

I am sorry to see that your trip is over soon - in the report version!! But that sounded like a wonderful evening. Just be warned: the DLR Trader Sams is even smaller than the Poly one. Your best bet will be to get in an afternoon visit in my experience.

 

[bcwife76]

Fantasmic looked awesome and, IMO, better than the Disneyland one!

Those fireworks are gorgeous!

Looking forward to your report on Garden Grill

 

[ArielSRL]

Sounds like such a fun evening! Looking forward to your GG and Sanaa review as I'm planning to do both next June!