We Ditched The Kids! - UPDATE (7/22 - NYC trip)

[Steppesister]

I'm pretty sure I've heard every variation on the "leaning on shovels" joke at this point. And of course, if you want to get technical, the construction workers you typically see are all private contractors, not state employees...but I digress. I have resolved never to make fun of meteorologists whenever they botch a forecast, because I also know the pain of being ridiculed by people who have no idea what they're talking about yet still think they can do your job. People just want to feel superior to others.

That's so true! The armchair "researchers" whose goto is google. Sad. (Happy to digress with you.) Isn't this the same mentality used in watching sports?

 

[pkondz]

I certainly thought so.

No, no. This is where you're supposed to be humble.

Yes! Show, don't tell. It's one of them writing rules. I think.

There are rules?????

Ohhhhhh.... fuuuuuudge.

I had actually looked it up, because I knew my wife would need her morning coffee. So I needed to know what my options were.

That's good DHing there.

No, she was just instinctively reaching into her wallet.

Much scarier.

And I can't even identify half the items they serve on the menu!

And you don't need to. Because at those prices, I guarantee you that I ain't going there for breakfast.

And here we were, having to wait 10 whole minutes!

People do that????

It was a tricky one. Take your time.

So... it's not the golf course?

Oh, man. I'll be lucky if I can even see the screen.

There was no turbo boost button, either!

What a waste of perfectly fictional technology.

And sharply-banked curves.

That too.

Sorry, kids. We're closed. Moose out front should've told you.

I can't imagine they were actually making a profit off of them.

And bad for the environment, which goes against the credo of the experience.
(Burning all those (since no one's gonna eat them) contributes to the amount of green house gasses.)

With her, it's definitely psychological. She doesn't like having her feet dangling off the ground. We rode a ski lift a few years ago and that really gave her a hard time.

Read that.
Not exactly the best way to find out.

Me too! I love that top row. Unless, of course, I'm riding with Julie.

So... do you request the lowest row then?

Well, it's often said a good score shouldn't draw so much attention to itself that it pulls you out of the movie altogether.

Good point.

Imagineers are awesome.

Pretty much! Nobody would be dumb enough to waste it on Figment.

Unless you have a DD (or DS) who insists that it was their favourite ride when they were.... 4.
So you go on it.
And then they realize just how bad it really is.

Broke the camera?

yup.

God made only so many perfect heads. The rest He covered with hair.

You're scaring me. That's very similar to a thought I'd had.
One of Ruby's uncles was a bit of a jerk... well... quite a bit of a jerk.
I remember how he used to make comments about how he still had all his hair and I didn't. Ha. Ha. Ha. So funny. (Drop dead.)
I always let it go. Then he did it in my home. I let it go again, but that night I told Ruby, "Look, it's your family so I didn't say anything, but if he tries that sh** in my home again, I'm going to say something."
She actually gave me the green light. (She knew he was a jerk too.)
So the next time he'd come over, well....

He went and died before it could happen.
Disappointing on many levels.

And I was going to say something like...
Uncle: "Still losing your hair, huh? Real men keep all their hair!"
Me: "Yep! God gives men personality, charm, wit and intelligence... or he gives them hair. Congrats on the hair!"

That was Mickey??

Cousin Mickey.

Schnitzel was full!

Wow, big fan then. I remember you saying your wife loves her some German food. I'm glad I tried it out.

Nope. Not Ruby. She can take it or leave it. Usually leave it.
It's just too heavy.
Once in a while is fine.
I love it. And Kay is nuts for spaetzle.

There's a slogan if I ever saw one!

I guess, if you want. Me, I'd skip the cake and head straight for the pie.

I like the best of both worlds.

Weirdo. There's one in every crowd, I guess.

Could be worse. Could like <shudder> Brussels sprouts.

But this was an emergency!

Oh, well. In that case...

My stomach disagrees. Here, have some dead grapes.

Thanks! Hey... wait. Why are these all soggy?

 

[Poolrat]

Of course this also means that we'll be expecting either an addendum or a Bonus Feature on it to be applied to this here TR.

I think Drew was surprise enough... Looks like the city was a great trip.

We stepped out of the Moorea building and were welcomed by this morning view:

I thought he same thing as Liesa, MK is on Fire!!!!! Then probably and most likely MK had EMH and hopefully that was the opening show.

Yeah, I could get used to that. Just for reference, here’s how close we were to the Magic Kingdom ferry:

Isn't that nice?

They had some seasonal holiday offerings, and one of them was a peppermint mocha, which is Julie’s kryptonite. She is physically incapable of turning down a peppermint mocha drink. She could be dying of peppermint poisoning and would still fork over the money as soon as she saw it on the menu. She got that, I got some gingerbread creation, plus some pastries, and we got over-charged to the tune of $18 for breakfast. So it was just like being at Starbucks, only this coffee wasn’t nasty.

Mmmmm Peppermint mocha between Thanksgiving and New Years ONLY. Those are my rules.

So we made a more difficult and less convenient walk to the bus stop by the Great Ceremonial House to get the Epcot bus.

Ugh that is so not cool. Hope you did not see an EPCOT bus pulling out as you were walking back.

I have a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering, and I work directly in the highway transportation field. I have 17 years’ experience in road design. I know every bit of the engineering process down cold, from concept all the way through construction. And I learned on this morning that I suck at designing cars.

Blech. Why would you ruin a perfectly good dessert by putting dead grapes in it? I even have some (weird) friends who like raisins, and yet I have still never heard anyone utter the sentence, “Oh, good, this has raisins in it.” It’s always a more neutral, “Oh…this has raisins in it.”

I have a friend that has a T-shirt that says
"Raisins ruin everything" I agree.

Whoa…
Where this to show up on a different type of board, the commentary would be…
shall we say – interesting.

Or am I the only one busted enough to see it that way?

Had to actually go back and look and no wonder that scarecrow has such a big grin.....




Glad you and Julie finally made it to EPCOT even it was the "long way" You are pretty much following the same plan we do. Still need to try Biergarten but I am not so sure of what I could eat.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

That's so true! The armchair "researchers" whose goto is google. Sad. (Happy to digress with you.) Isn't this the same mentality used in watching sports?

Pretty much! We can all be an expert at Monday Morning Quarterbacking.

Your reply reminded me of a crack I heard when watching the Honest Movie Trailer for Inside Out. When Joy and Sadness are pulled out of the control center, they leave "the average Youtube comments section in charge of the brain." (Fear, Anger, Disgust)

No, no. This is where you're supposed to be humble.

Well, I am! I'm very proud of my humility.

There are rules?????

Ohhhhhh.... fuuuuuudge.

Where did you hear that word???

That's good DHing there.

Yes! That means I earn a point.

Here's the marriage points system:

Mark does advance search so Julie can get her morning coffee: 1 point.
Mark leaves the toilet seat up: -10,000 points.
Mark buys flowers for Julie: 1 point.
Mark forgets item on honey-do list that may not have even been discussed as an item to be completed: -100,000 points.

Much scarier.

Extremely!

And you don't need to. Because at those prices, I guarantee you that I ain't going there for breakfast.

Me neither. Box o' donuts in the room will do just fine, thanks.

People do that????

Well, Americans do. Not Canadians with the Express Bus Pass.

So... it's not the golf course?

You're warm.

What a waste of perfectly fictional technology.

In my next life, I'm inventing a car with a turbo boost.

And bad for the environment, which goes against the credo of the experience.
(Burning all those (since no one's gonna eat them) contributes to the amount of green house gasses.)

Excellent point. Brussels sprouts really do not contribute anything useful whatsoever.

Read that.
Not exactly the best way to find out.

So, yeah...safe to say she's not a fan.

So... do you request the lowest row then?

We didn't request it, but I would normally have asked to wait for the front row. In this case, we did not.

Unless you have a DD (or DS) who insists that it was their favourite ride when they were.... 4.
So you go on it.
And then they realize just how bad it really is.

Yeah, I remember you getting the short straw there.

I keep hoping one day they'll actually put some imagination into that ride.

You're scaring me. That's very similar to a thought I'd had.
One of Ruby's uncles was a bit of a jerk... well... quite a bit of a jerk.
I remember how he used to make comments about how he still had all his hair and I didn't. Ha. Ha. Ha. So funny. (Drop dead.)
I always let it go. Then he did it in my home. I let it go again, but that night I told Ruby, "Look, it's your family so I didn't say anything, but if he tries that sh** in my home again, I'm going to say something."
She actually gave me the green light. (She knew he was a jerk too.)
So the next time he'd come over, well....

He went and died before it could happen.
Disappointing on many levels.

And I was going to say something like...
Uncle: "Still losing your hair, huh? Real men keep all their hair!"
Me: "Yep! God gives men personality, charm, wit and intelligence... or he gives them hair. Congrats on the hair!"

Darn. Sounds like he could have used a dose of that. I actually stole that line about the perfect head from an old band teacher at my high school. He was fairly aerodynamic, himself.

Cousin Mickey.

He's really let himself go.

Nope. Not Ruby. She can take it or leave it. Usually leave it.
It's just too heavy.
Once in a while is fine.
I love it. And Kay is nuts for spaetzle.

Oh, it was Kay with the spaetzle. I got confused. Sorry.

I like the best of both worlds.

I can understand that. I just don't generally get excited about cake.

Could be worse. Could like <shudder> Brussels sprouts.

Or brussels sprouts with raisins in them.

Thanks! Hey... wait. Why are these all soggy?

Um...no reason.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I think Drew was surprise enough... Looks like the city was a great trip.

Agreed, we certainly don't need more Bonus Features like that!

I thought he same thing as Liesa, MK is on Fire!!!!! Then probably and most likely MK had EMH and hopefully that was the opening show.

Probably. I honestly can't remember if it was EMH or not.

Isn't that nice?

Wonderful!

Mmmmm Peppermint mocha between Thanksgiving and New Years ONLY. Those are my rules.

I don't think Julie could survive with that!

Ugh that is so not cool. Hope you did not see an EPCOT bus pulling out as you were walking back.

Thankfully, no. That would have been an extra kick to the groin.

I have a friend that has a T-shirt that says
"Raisins ruin everything" I agree.

Love it!

Had to actually go back and look and no wonder that scarecrow has such a big grin.....

There you go, Rob. A kindred spirit!

Glad you and Julie finally made it to EPCOT even it was the "long way" You are pretty much following the same plan we do. Still need to try Biergarten but I am not so sure of what I could eat.

Well, at least you know Disney will do their best to try and take care of you!

 

[pkondz]

Well, I am! I'm very proud of my humility.

Way to go! You did it!




Wait.......

Where did you hear that word???

Schwartz

Mark does advance search so Julie can get her morning coffee: 1 point.
Mark leaves the toilet seat up: -10,000 points.
Mark buys flowers for Julie: 1 point.
Mark forgets item on honey-do list that may not have even been discussed as an item to be completed: -100,000 points.

Huh. I'm so used to converting Fahrenheit to Celsius, MPH to KMH, etc.
But this system is the same as ours.

I'll be darned.

Me neither. Box o' donuts in the room will do just fine, thanks.

Well, Americans do. Not Canadians with the Express Bus Pass.

Oh, right. Sorry. My bad.

You're warm.

Not for long. Supposed to snow again. So there goes that.

In my next life, I'm inventing a car with a turbo boost.

Can it have rockets too?

Yeah, I remember you getting the short straw there.

I keep hoping one day they'll actually put some imagination into that ride.

That ride...
I think it's going on inertia right now.
"We should close this. Only 3 people ride it, at most, in any given day."
"But what will we put there instead?"
"Uh.... just leave it for now until we think of something."

Actually I'm surprised they haven't converted it into something Frozen.

Oh, it was Kay with the spaetzle. I got confused. Sorry.

If we meet, you'll see for yourself (Unless she can't make it.)

Or brussels sprouts with raisins in them.

Bacon wrapped filet mignon with lobster tail (with drawn butter).... stuffed with Brussels sprouts...
Straight in the trash.

 

[Bebella]

Blech. Why would you ruin a perfectly good dessert by putting dead grapes in it? I even have some (weird) friends who like raisins, and yet I have still never heard anyone utter the sentence, “Oh, good, this has raisins in it.” It’s always a more neutral, “Oh…this has raisins in it.”

This had me dying!


It reminds me of being super excited to eat a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie...only to find out it's raisinS! Who still puts raisins in cookies?! Who still puts raisins in anything?! My aunt, and Biergarten, that's who.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Schwartz

May the Schwartz be with you!

Oh, sorry, wrong movie.

Huh. I'm so used to converting Fahrenheit to Celsius, MPH to KMH, etc.
But this system is the same as ours.

I'll be darned.

Amazing how well it translates across nations!

Not for long. Supposed to snow again. So there goes that.

Can it have rockets too?

I don't see why not? Rockets, like bacon, make everything better.

That ride...
I think it's going on inertia right now.
"We should close this. Only 3 people ride it, at most, in any given day."
"But what will we put there instead?"
"Uh.... just leave it for now until we think of something."

Actually I'm surprised they haven't converted it into something Frozen.

I'm sure the plans are on the drawing board!

If we meet, you'll see for yourself (Unless she can't make it.)

Still crossing my fingers that it'll work out!

Bacon wrapped filet mignon with lobster tail (with drawn butter).... stuffed with Brussels sprouts...
Straight in the trash.

Yep...those sprouts will just contaminate the rest.

This had me dying!


It reminds me of being super excited to eat a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie...only to find out it's raisinS! Who still puts raisins in cookies?! Who still puts raisins in anything?! My aunt, and Biergarten, that's who.

A crime against humanity, for sure!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Chapter 3: Chicken Parm, You Taste So Good.


That’s stuck in your head now, isn’t it? You’re welcome.


We walked out of the Germany pavilion, ready for a full afternoon of Epcot.

We had one more FastPass to burn up, but in the meantime, we just wandered back towards Future World. Did I mention that we had no strollers, no bags, no one whining, and no one yanking us in different directions? Let me know if you get sick of hearing that.

Our next stop was Mission: Space. Julie had actually never ridden this one before. She doesn’t always do well on motion simulators, so it’s usually a toss-up as to whether she’d enjoy it or not. Our kids had done this one with no problems (the Green, non-pukey side) so she felt up for trying it out this time around. I signaled the CM to put us in the Orange Team line when Julie’s back was turned.

Just kidding. I’m not suicidal.


We rode with a mother and her daughter who was obviously riding for the first time. We joked around with the kid a little, trying to help her relax. Julie mentioned that it was her first time, too. Usually when we ride, I like to give the Navigator crap for guiding us right into an asteroid field. In this case, I was the Navigator. So I gave the Pilot crap for not following my directions properly. Anyway, Julie handled the ride like a pro!


At this point, we’d been able to do all the rides we had wanted to do. I know we could have arranged for an additional FP+ at this point, but the odds were not good that we’d get another crack at Test Track or Soarin’, so instead we chose to check out the holiday decorations in countries around the world. We didn’t have the budget to fly from country to country, or even to travel by boat. So we set out on foot, following the route that made the most geographical sense. We started in Mexico.

So far, so good. Next it was 5,700 miles from here to reach Norway.

Gee, that was a long way to travel just for a topiary. Onwards! 4,368 miles from Oslo to Beijing.


D’oh! I forgot, no Christmas decorations in China. Oh well, let’s get an obligatory shot of the temple while we’re here.

Our next stop was a refreshment outpost in Africa, only 5,733 miles away in Nairobi, Kenya. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s where it was. I wanted to stop here because it was a warm afternoon, and this was the only place in the entire world (showcase) that had Ace Pineapple Hard Cider on tap. I’d heard good things about this stuff through the DIS Dads club and wanted to give it a shot. Also, I’m a sucker for just about anything pineapple, the complete fruit opposite of dead grapes. Pineapples do indeed make everything better.


The verdict! I liked it quite a bit. It was a little bit more tart and less sweet than I was expecting, but it tasted good on a warm Florid—I mean, African afternoon.


We walked the 3,952 miles from Nairobi to Berlin, giving me plenty of time to finish my drink.

We did check out the model train village here. It looked like the seasonal modifications were limited to the main town center.

Hmm. I don’t remember this part of Germany. I knew I should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque.

Next was a much shorter walk, only 486 miles to Venice, Italy.

And then we headed 4,347 miles back home for a rest in Washington, D.C.

One of our goals for the afternoon was to catch a performance of the Voices of Liberty, always one of our favorite things to do in the world showcase. At the same time, we were trying to arrange a quick DIS Meet. Alison (@franandaj ) and Fran were making their way through the world showcase from the opposite end, so we kept texting back and forth to try and get together. We ended up reaching the American Pavilion before they did, so we let Alison know we’d be waiting inside for the concert. As always, the Voices of Liberty didn’t disappoint. Although I have to admit, I love the expression of the guy in the back row, third from right. He looks like he can’t wait to clock out for the day.

Late in the concert, we saw Alison come zipping through the doors on her scooter. She plowed through a dozen kids and parked herself in the front row.


Just kidding. She politely made her way around the back. But you have to admit, the first version was more exciting. Anyway, we finally caught up and went back outside. We’d first met Alison back in the summer of 2014 when she had spoiled us rotten at Disneyland, playing the role of our Fairy Godmother that day. We’d had a blast hanging out with her, but had missed out on meeting Fran. So, it was great to finally meet Fran! We had a nice conversation before they went on our way. As an additional bonus, having Fran present meant we finally could hand the camera over to someone who knew how to frame a photo.

After that, we set off on the world tour once more. 6,762 miles later we ended up in Tokyo, Japan, only to realize once again that there were no holiday decorations to be found. That meant it was time for another obligatory photo.

Then we had to go 7,188 miles to get to Casablanca, Morocco. I was shocked, shocked! To find gambling going on in this establishment. Who came up with this touring plan, anyway?

Casablanca to Paris was a much easier walk: only 1,178 miles. Still, all that walking was making us tired, so we decided we needed a snack.

We stopped inside L’Artisan des Glaces so we could get a Literal Ice Cream Sandwich. You can choose any flavor you want and they’ll put a scoop inside a warm brioche roll, then choose a syrup to go on top before they press the bun around the ice cream like a panini. Fancy-pants ice cream sandwich.


I know what you’re going to ask: did I walk on the wild side and get cookies & cream? Ha, ha. Laugh it up, fuzzball.


The answer is no. Because they didn’t have cookies & cream.


So we lived dangerously, and got vanilla. With chocolate syrup. Hey, sometimes you don’t mess with a classic.

And we ate of the dessert, and saw that it was good, and tasted that it was good, and yea, verily, it was good.


Feeling energized, we walked 214 miles to London, making sure to stop on the bridge over the English Channel to stop and declare, “I see London, I see France.”

And then we completed the final leg of our walk around the world by traveling another 3,322 miles to Ottawa, Canada. All of that walking left us a little odiferous, so we picked up some beautification products to freshen up.

I particularly liked the “moose in lights” in the middle of the garden there.


When you walk around the world like that, even if it is just in EPCOT, it’s just about guaranteed that your feet will begin to hurt. We'd walked 43,250 miles (or at least, it felt like it) and it was getting late in the day now, so it seemed like a good time to get some dinner and take a load off for a little while.

So, naturally, we walked around EPCOT some more. It wasn’t time for our ADR yet.


Continued Next Post

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Chapter 2, Continued

We took advantage of some PhotoPass photographers to further document the fact that we were actually in a Disney theme park without the children.

Then we started making our way towards the International Gate, enjoying the last rays of sunlight and watching the park light up around us.

We were headed to the Boardwalk. Because we hadn’t done enough walking yet.

It still wasn’t quite time to check in for our ADR, so we walked over to the Boardwalk hotel to check out the Christmas decorations there.

Inside the lobby, it seemed a little muted. I don’t know if we were expecting a Christmas explosion everywhere, but it was tastefully done. They did have a gingerbread house, or at least a stand with a gingerbread roof. And they had some nice trees around the fireplace.

And of course, you can’t have Christmas without two evil creepy chairs who will come to life and kill you while you sleep.

Man, those things give me the creeps. Let’s go get some dinner before they spot us. Tonight’s meal was another new experience—not only for us, but most visitors, since it’s only been open for about a year or so. We were eating at Trattoria al Forno.

I had a lovely date for the evening. Too bad she was stuck with me.

You can really never go wrong with Italian food. I love me some spaghetti and meatballs, I love me some lasagna, but my go-to dish is chicken parmesan. I have a hard time turning that down. So that’s what I ordered.

Julie was feeling very unoriginal, so she got the same thing. The verdict? Come on, say it with me now. You know you want to.

Chicken parm, you taste so good.

Did we order dessert? What kind of question is that? Does It’s A Small World make you psychotic?

We ordered “bombolini”. This was described as basically donuts with dark chocolate and ice cream on the side. For $6.99, sounds like heaven on a plate. Here’s what we got:

Seriously? $6.99 for that? I could consume that whole plate with one swipe of my fork. That’s not a dessert, that’s a palate cleanser. Next time, save the money on the artful chocolate paintbrush stroke and give me something to eat!

Anyway, overall the food was good. It’s just that in the case of dessert, there wasn’t enough of it.

We walked back to EPCOT and parked ourselves by the lagoon between the main walkway and Mexico for Illuminations. We had about an hour to kill. Even then, we weren’t right at the fence—we had one row of people in front of us. Normally, I don’t like to give up an hour of my day to reserve a spot for fireworks, but we did so here for two reasons. One, we’d already hit the rides we’d wanted to experience and I figured my chances of getting another FP+ for them were slim to none. And two, we had never been able to luck out in getting good photos of Illuminations. On our first try, we’d left the shutter open too long and gotten a mess of wild, colorful zigzags. On the second try, we had a big tree right in the way—not to mention latecomers helpfully crowding in front of me and the kids while we tried to hold our ground. So, Julie and I were determined to do better this time.

The hour passes much more easily when you can sit in quiet conversation and people-watch instead of chasing kids down, taking them to the bathroom after you passed 3 on the way there, answering “five more minutes” every time they ask how much longer, etc., etc.

Anyway, the show started right on time, and although we had to dodge a few heads now and then, we got better results this time.

The best part of the show was the special “Holiday Tag” at the end. The show proceeded as normal all the way through to its traditional end. Then, all of a sudden, thousands of tiny balls were shot out of the floats onto the water. We had no idea what was going on until they all suddenly lit up at the same time, creating a literal lake of fire.

From there, we got extra fireworks galore, culminating in a huge finale of pyrotechnic glory.

Nothing says Merry Christmas like extra explosions! I certainly felt a little extra holiday cheer all the way back to the resort.

Coming Up Next: We take you behind the scenes of the Magic Kingdom, where Disney reveals all of their trade secrets for anyone who wants to know.

 

[Leshaface]

Did I mention that we had no strollers, no bags, no one whining, and no one yanking us in different directions? Let me know if you get sick of hearing that.

Please, in the next update, can you rub it in a bit more?!

Anyway, Julie handled the ride like a pro!

Did she enjoy it enough to go on again in the future?

Ace Pineapple Hard Cider on tap.

Ooh that does sound good. We've never actually stopped there before, except to hide from the rain one time.

As always, the Voices of Liberty didn’t disappoint

Still haven't seen them! But we did FINALLY make a stop at this pavilion for the first time in history this past trip! We're so unAmerican.

Late in the concert, we saw Alison come zipping through the doors on her scooter. She plowed through a dozen kids and parked herself in the front row.

There are times when I wish I could ride a scooter through some tour groups that take up most of the walkways. It's a dream of mine

Yay glad you got to meet up with Alison and that you got a chance to meet Fran!

So we lived dangerously, and got vanilla.

Ugh, but Vanilla is so Vanilla.

Is this still a 'thing' to say? I know it was a few years back. If not, i'm bringing it back right now, starting with you. Hope you feel special Mark!

Yeah no joke, it looks like they're just going to stand right up and walk over to me. Way too creepy for a resort like that!

I'm a sucker for Spaghetti and Meatballs. It's so hard to turn that meal down when at an Italian restaurant! Although this looks pretty solid, I must say!

That’s not a dessert, that’s a palate cleanser.

That's how DH feels about some of his entrees he gets at Disney.

Third times a charm, you got some great pics with no obstructions

Coming Up Next: We take you behind the scenes of the Magic Kingdom, where Disney reveals all of their trade secrets for anyone who wants to know.

But, but I don't want to know the secrets!

 

[6travel]

And then we completed the final leg of our walk around the world by traveling another 3,322 miles to Ottawa, Canada. All of that walking left us a little odiferous, so we picked up some beautification products to freshen up.

I'm sure these were for your kids.....

Chicken parm, you taste so good.

Peyton Manning would be proud

We ordered “bombolini”. This was described as basically donuts with dark chocolate and ice cream on the side. For $6.99, sounds like heaven on a plate. Here’s what we got:

Bombolini looks good, but I will stick with the version at my local Italian restaurant.

From there, we got extra fireworks galore, culminating in a huge finale of pyrotechnic glory.

I have never seen the full Illuminations show. It's the price I pay for a few kids who don't like loud noises.
Your pictures are great. I need to up my photography skills before my next trip.

 

[Cinderella's Fella]

Feeling energized, we walked 214 miles to London, making sure to stop on the bridge over the English Channel to stop and declare, “I see London, I see France.”

Well Done! Good Job!

 

[Poolrat]

A lovely end to a lovely day. You could go at your own pace, have a lovely DISmeet and got some awesome IllumiNations pictures. Yes that holiday tag is wonderful.
When I went with my friends years ago that was the first thing we did and the response was " That happens every night?" Yes , Yes it does.... Well the holiday tag happens only at holiday time but the fireworks show YUP.

Then we moved on to EMH things.

IllumiNations is very special to me.

 

[pkondz]

May the Schwartz be with you!

Oh, sorry, wrong movie.

But a very good one.

I don't see why not? Rockets, like bacon, make everything better.

Remember the urban myth (disproven) about the guy who put a jato on his car?

Still crossing my fingers that it'll work out!

Still looking like a possibility.
No schedule yet, but Montreal is from the 14th - 18th so won't interfere.

Back to read...

 

[pkondz]

That’s stuck in your head now, isn’t it? You’re welcome.

Great. Awesome. Terrific.

We walked out of the Germany pavilion, ready for a full afternoon of Epcot.

One does not simply "walk" out of Biergarten.
One waddles. Usually with the traditional "holding of the belly" and occasionally accompanied with groaning.

Did I mention that we had no strollers, no bags, no one whining, and no one yanking us in different directions? Let me know if you get sick of hearing that.

May have been mentioned. Not sure.

Terrific shot. Frame worthy.

She doesn’t always do well on motion simulators, so it’s usually a toss-up as to whether she’d

toss up?

enjoy it or not.

oh. I was close.

I signaled the CM to put us in the Orange Team line when Julie’s back was turned.

If you can't mess with your DW once in a while, what's the point?

Just kidding. I’m not suicidal.

Ah, yes. There's always that.

Usually when we ride, I like to give the Navigator crap for guiding us right into an asteroid field. In this case, I was the Navigator. So I gave the Pilot crap for not following my directions properly.

It's gotta be someone's fault. Someone else's fault.

Anyway, Julie handled the ride like a pro!

Good!
But would she do it again?

Very pretty.

Next it was 5,700 miles from here to reach Norway.

I would suggest conserving your strength as much as possible and drinking plenty of water.

Onwards! 4,368 miles from Oslo to Beijing.

I will not be making jokes at each mileage tally.

But to get to Beijing, one must ensure to walk Oslo.




okay, no more.

Oh well, let’s get an obligatory shot of the temple while we’re here.

One of the things one must do.

and this was the only place in the entire world (showcase) that had Ace Pineapple Hard Cider on tap.

What? Never heard of that! Sounds like something I'd like to try.

We did check out the model train village here. It looked like the seasonal modifications were limited to the main town center.

Ah! So it's back. It was hidden from view when I was there with Kay last summer.

One of our goals for the afternoon was to catch a performance of the Voices of Liberty, always one of our favorite things to do in the world showcase.

I still haven't done that. And it's something I really want to see/hear.

Although I have to admit, I love the expression of the guy in the back row, third from right. He looks like he can’t wait to clock out for the day.

Late in the concert, we saw Alison come zipping through the doors on her scooter. She plowed through a dozen kids and parked herself in the front row.

This does not surprise me one iota.

Just kidding. She politely made her way around the back. But you have to admit, the first version was more exciting.

So, it was great to finally meet Fran!

Is she as witty as she sounds like she is?

Then we had to go 7,188 miles to get to Casablanca, Morocco. I was shocked, shocked! To find gambling going on in this establishment.

I don't get that. Say it again, Sam... I mean Mark.
(I presume you know that the line "Play it again, Sam" which is arguably one of the most quoted lines in film history was never actually said?)

We stopped inside L’Artisan des Glaces so we could get a Literal Ice Cream Sandwich.

Figuratively speaking.

You can choose any flavor you want and they’ll put a scoop inside a warm brioche roll, then choose a syrup to go on top before they press the bun around the ice cream like a panini. Fancy-pants ice cream sandwich.

Whoa. Didn't know about this either.
I need to get out more.

So we lived dangerously, and got vanilla. With chocolate syrup. Hey, sometimes you don’t mess with a classic.

Sometimes there's a reason why some things are a classic.

"What did you have?"
"I had the peach ice cream with a soupcon of rum bitters and a dash of custard."
"Wow! How was it?"
"Not good. I really wanted vanilla and chocolate, but it's so cliché."

And we ate of the dessert, and saw that it was good, and tasted that it was good, and yea, verily, it was good.

Sounds like a Victor(y).

making sure to stop on the bridge over the English Channel to stop and declare, “I see London, I see France.”

No one wants to see your underpants, dude.

All of that walking left us a little odiferous, so we picked up some beautification products to freshen up.

We are nothing if not a classy nation.

We took advantage of some PhotoPass photographers to further document the fact that we were actually in a Disney theme park without the children.

To torture them with. Gotcha.

We were headed to the Boardwalk. Because we hadn’t done enough walking yet.

If you can still feel your legs in the morning, you haven't done enough.

And of course, you can’t have Christmas without two evil creepy chairs who will come to life and kill you while you sleep.

what the heck are those???

Tonight’s meal was another new experience—not only for us, but most visitors, since it’s only been open for about a year or so. We were eating at Trattoria al Forno.

Yep. It'd be new to me, too.

I had a lovely date for the evening. Too bad she was stuck with me.

Husbands. The bane of wives everywhere.

Come on, say it with me now. You know you want to.

No. No I do not.

Chicken parm, you taste so good.

Dang it!!

Does It’s A Small World make you psychotic?

You had to say that... that.... ride.

We ordered “bombolini”. This was described as basically donuts with dark chocolate and ice cream on the side. For $6.99, sounds like heaven on a plate. Here’s what we got:

Wow! That looks like it was really good! Too bad you took the shot when you were almost done eating it all.

Seriously. That ice cream looks like it was accidentally dropped off a spoon there.

Anyway, overall the food was good. It’s just that in the case of dessert, there wasn’t enough of it.

Would you go back?

The hour passes much more easily when you can sit in quiet conversation and people-watch instead of chasing kids down, taking them to the bathroom after you passed 3 on the way there, answering “five more minutes” every time they ask how much longer, etc., etc.

Anyway, the show started right on time, and although we had to dodge a few heads now and then, we got better results this time.

Good.
And terrific shots BTW. What lens and settings did you use?
(Oh, and is your camera APS-C or full frame?)

The best part of the show was the special “Holiday Tag” at the end. The show proceeded as normal all the way through to its traditional end. Then, all of a sudden, thousands of tiny balls were shot out of the floats onto the water. We had no idea what was going on until they all suddenly lit up at the same time, creating a literal lake of fire.

Cool!

Nothing says Merry Christmas like extra explosions!

We take you behind the scenes of the Magic Kingdom, where Disney reveals all of their trade secrets for anyone who wants to know.

Can't wait!

 

[Terra Nova guy]

We stopped inside L’Artisan des Glaces so we could get a Literal Ice Cream Sandwich. You can choose any flavor you want and they’ll put a scoop inside a warm brioche roll, then choose a syrup to go on top before they press the bun around the ice cream like a panini. Fancy-pants ice cream sandwich.

I've heard of these a few times now but I've never had one. Looks good. I think it needs to go on my list.

All of that walking left us a little odiferous, so we picked up some beautification products to freshen up.

I prefer L'eau de moose sweat, but whatever floats your boat.

And of course, you can’t have Christmas without two evil creepy chairs who will come to life and kill you while you sleep.

I've seen these chairs before. Just bizarre. As nice as the rest of the lobby is, I can't quite understand that decorating choice.

You can really never go wrong with Italian food. I love me some spaghetti and meatballs, I love me some lasagna, but my go-to dish is chicken parmesan. I have a hard time turning that down. So that’s what I ordered.

Italian is always my go-to meal. I have not been down since this restaurant opened, but the reviews seem good. Your picture chicken parm looks good at least. Something else for "the list". (that list keeps getting longer the more trip reports I read)

Seriously? $6.99 for that? I could consume that whole plate with one swipe of my fork. That’s not a dessert, that’s a palate cleanser. Next time, save the money on the artful chocolate paintbrush stroke and give me something to eat!

Hmmm....I wonder exactly what you're expected to do with the chocolate skid mark? Is it an invitation to literally lick your plate? If I paid $6.99 for it, I think that's what I'd do.

So overall, my impression of Trattoria Al Forno is "great entree, but go to Boardwalk bakery for dessert"!?

Nothing says Merry Christmas like extra explosions! I certainly felt a little extra holiday cheer all the way back to the resort.

I love Illuminations. I think it's my favourite* of all the fireworks shows. It would be awesome to see the holiday tag someday.

*special edition Canadian spelling dedicated to the DisDads, especially @AirGoofy

 

[bbak30]

Joining in for the fun!
I'm so jealous...I dream of an adults only trip for DH and I. Maybe one day!

 

[Flossbolna]

We walked the 3,952 miles from Nairobi to Berlin

Oh, oh, don't let the Berlin local @nodnol know that you called the Germany pavillion at Epcot "Berlin"!!! It so very much does not depict Berlin at all!! Germany is rather split into two very distinct regions, the South and the North. The architecture, the food, even the religion (South catholic, North protestant) is very different. And it is a current source of displeasure for any of the Northerners that somehow in the internation perception of Germany only the South is being recognized. Epcot's Germany is very much Southern German. And Berlin is Northern German.

We did check out the model train village here. It looked like the seasonal modifications were limited to the main town center.

The amount of snow appears to be very accurate to the amount of snow we had in the last three winters...

She plowed through a dozen kids and parked herself in the front row.

Yes, this sounds exactly like Alison!!

We took advantage of some PhotoPass photographers to further document the fact that we were actually in a Disney theme park without the children.

Lovely picture!!

Tonight’s meal was another new experience—not only for us, but most visitors, since it’s only been open for about a year or so. We were eating at Trattoria al Forno.

Yes, it is so new that your's is the first trip report where I am reading about a meal there. But it sounds like the meal there was a success (with the exception of dessert size).

Normally, I don’t like to give up an hour of my day to reserve a spot for fireworks, but we did so here for two reasons.

And you even had a third reason that you seemed not to know about: the holiday tag! However, I am surprised that it was so crowded.

we got better results this time.

Fantastic fireworks pictures!

Nothing says Merry Christmas like extra explosions!

I love the holiday tag! illuminations is not my favourite show, but the tag is amazing and definitely worth waiting for!

 

[mcjaco]

Next time, save the money on the artful chocolate paintbrush stroke and give me something to eat!

Artful is not what that looks like.......