A DISer’s Trip of Firsts! [Updated 8/4, Post #95]

[irky416]

This post reminded me of something I forgot to comment about in your last post. I loved your description of the Buffalo! I laughed out loud when I read it. And also about them climbing on board with you and that's why you can't stick your feet out!

 

[willwriteforears]

Moussaka is a Greek dish that uses eggplant and (traditionally) ground lamb. My version used ground beef (since lamb is more expensive, more difficult to come by, and honestly I just prefer beef taste-wise) and some zucchini because the grocery store was low on eggplant.

But it was nummy nonetheless, and I was reminded of its numminess with your second set of eggplant pictures.

Even without the singing head at Country Bears, I think that show is enough to give anyone nightmares! ::shudder:: but I'm glad you were able to overcome your fear and snap a pic of the bison (Nevi has lectured me on how the US has bison, not buffalo, but I forget what the difference is. ).

 

[Donald is #1]

If your Mom loves living with the Land, you should look into taking the behind the seeds tour. It is about an hour and most of the time is spent in the green house. I did it on my last trip and had a blast. It wasn't that expensive either. I think that it was uder $20 per person.

 

[RachelNinja]

This post reminded me of something I forgot to comment about in your last post. I loved your description of the Buffalo! I laughed out loud when I read it. And also about them climbing on board with you and that's why you can't stick your feet out!

Haha, that's the main reason why I get nervous even THINKING about the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. That's one of the places on the list of things to do/places to visit this summer that I have with Weird. My mom really wants to go too, but I know they're in there. Even if I were to avoid that entire exhibit ... I just know they're in there! At least on Living with the Land, I don't actually have to move so when I freeze from fear, the boat continues moving along. At the museum, I'd have to walk!

Moussaka is a Greek dish that uses eggplant and (traditionally) ground lamb. My version used ground beef (since lamb is more expensive, more difficult to come by, and honestly I just prefer beef taste-wise) and some zucchini because the grocery store was low on eggplant.

But it was nummy nonetheless, and I was reminded of its numminess with your second set of eggplant pictures.

Even without the singing head at Country Bears, I think that show is enough to give anyone nightmares! ::shudder:: but I'm glad you were able to overcome your fear and snap a pic of the bison (Nevi has lectured me on how the US has bison, not buffalo, but I forget what the difference is. ).

MmMm, did you get pictures of this numminess?

I can't believe my family used to watch Jamboree every single year. That creepy one coming down from the ceiling. And of course, those heads on thew alls! OOoO ... that's interesting! Thanks to Nevi! I usually type out buffalo/bison because I don't know the difference. Either way, I don't like either of them, and I'm not about to look up the difference myself! But don't they serve buffalo burgers in the US? Does that mean they're really bison burgers? Or do they get buffalo elsewhere? Haha, you don't have to answer that, I'm just throwing that out there since I refuse to google those creatures.

If your Mom loves living with the Land, you should look into taking the behind the seeds tour. It is about an hour and most of the time is spent in the green house. I did it on my last trip and had a blast. It wasn't that expensive either. I think that it was uder $20 per person.

Actually we saw that they had that tour when we got off the boat, but we weren't sure what it was all about and if it would be worth the cost. But if it's an hour long, it does sound worth it to me! I told her that the next time we go, she and I will do that tour. That seems like something she would absolutely L-O-V-E! Thanks for the suggestion

 

[RachelNinja]

Oh right, we also went on The Seas with Nemo & Friends. That's a new ride so it was a FIRST for us! I had read that it wasn't a fantastic ride, but we liked it. The line wasn't long so we went on it twice. It's cute sitting in the clamobile. Plus, the way they integrated the movie animated Nemo characters along with the real tanks of sea animals was excellently done. I really liked that ... except when a real shark passed by. Haha, Epcot really isn't my park because of the animals and such.

I love Pearl! So cute! “You guys made me ink!”

Here Piglet is pretending that he got poked by Bloat. You can’t see his expression, but that’s why his arms are like that.

There wasn’t much of a line at all, we kind of just walked on the first time so that was fun! I remember reading about the crazy long lines that continued outdoors when the ride first opened up. Then I also read about how people were saying that the wait wasn’t worth it for that ride.

I really liked this lifeguard station while waiting on line!

Here I am with mom in the queue. I saw recently that there’s a boat hanging overhead so it looks like we’re underwater. I’m going to take a guess that the people behind us were looking at that.

The part that showed the creepy fish with the light on its head was scary the first time I saw it because I was so surprised. The jellyfish room was also really cool but also slightly creepy just because I know how dangerous they are from the movie! Haha. I tried getting pictures but many were too dark and we weren't supposed to use flash photography. I ended up using it to get a picture of Dad and Piglet in the clamobile.

Here are the jellyfish!

There’s not really much here, but it’s a blurry, dark glimpse at some of the coral things on the ride.

Another dark picture, but it shows how they integrated the animated Nemo characters so that it looked like they were in the tanks of the live animals (not that you can see the live animals here).

Dad and Piglet on the ride.

The clamobiles going back to the beginning of the ride after we exited.

So in the end … though I know a lot of people don’t particularly care for the Nemo ride, my family really enjoyed it! I can’t wait to go through the EAC with HowWeird!

 

[irky416]

I really liked the Nemo ride, too! The picture of you and pearl is cute.

 

[willwriteforears]

MmMm, did you get pictures of this numminess?

Sadly, no. I need to start learning to take pictures of my food, I guess!

OOoO ... that's interesting! Thanks to Nevi! I usually type out buffalo/bison because I don't know the difference. Either way, I don't like either of them, and I'm not about to look up the difference myself! But don't they serve buffalo burgers in the US? Does that mean they're really bison burgers? Or do they get buffalo elsewhere? Haha, you don't have to answer that, I'm just throwing that out there since I refuse to google those creatures.

Restaurants may list it as buffalo burgers, but when I've seen bison for sale in the grocery store, it's always bison, never buffalo.

I had read that it wasn't a fantastic ride, but we liked it. The line wasn't long so we went on it twice. It's cute sitting in the clamobile. Plus, the way they integrated the movie animated Nemo characters along with the real tanks of sea animals was excellently done. I really liked that ... except when a real shark passed by. Haha, Epcot really isn't my park because of the animals and such.

So in the end … though I know a lot of people don’t particularly care for the Nemo ride, my family really enjoyed it! I can’t wait to go through the EAC with HowWeird!

I also think Disney did a good job putting in the movie scenes. It was pretty much a walk-on when my friends and I went. I have to say I didn't hate it, but if the queue is longer than 10 minutes, I'd probably skip Nemo myself.

 

[kathleen27]

I really enjoyed your Living with the Land photos and all your comments about the plants and vegetables you saw. I love to garden so I find that ride really interesting.

Glad you and your family enjoyed the Nemo ride. I wish I'd taken more time to look around the queue. We walked on so we only caught a glimpse. We didn't see the boat.

 

[RachelNinja]

I really liked the Nemo ride, too! The picture of you and pearl is cute.

Thanks! I'm curious to see what the Nemo sub ride is like at Disneyland!

Sadly, no. I need to start learning to take pictures of my food, I guess!

Restaurants may list it as buffalo burgers, but when I've seen bison for sale in the grocery store, it's always bison, never buffalo.

I also think Disney did a good job putting in the movie scenes. It was pretty much a walk-on when my friends and I went. I have to say I didn't hate it, but if the queue is longer than 10 minutes, I'd probably skip Nemo myself.

I'm a big lover of food porn. I jump all over the DIS and one of the places I love being is the dining reviews section. Yummm. I'd take pictures of my food too, but how many times do people need to see like ... Applebee's chicken fingers ... (haha, I actually don't remember the last time I had them, just wanted to throw out something generic).

I wonder if I can conquer some of my fear if I actually eat a buffalo burger that's really bison. I also have a huge fear of sharks, and I've actually eaten that before in Florida ... although ... that didn't do anything in terms of my fright.

I agree with you. If the line's long for Nemo, I don't think I'd wait for it. I'd rather wait on the single rider line for Test Track again!

I really enjoyed your Living with the Land photos and all your comments about the plants and vegetables you saw. I love to garden so I find that ride really interesting.

Glad you and your family enjoyed the Nemo ride. I wish I'd taken more time to look around the queue. We walked on so we only caught a glimpse. We didn't see the boat.

Thanks! I was thinking about whether or not I should actually post all those photos because I know they can get repetitive. But as I added them in, I figured I had to, especially since I'm so "talkative" and could talk about each thing! Haha.

Yeah, I didn't see the boat either. It'll give me something to look for next time I'm there!

 

[RachelNinja]

We stopped by Club Cool twice throughout the day too. It's not listed on the map, but it's a place where you can try Coca-Cola products from all over the world. We found it on our last trip to Epcot by accident (you know, before I had joined DIS)! I had to try Beverly so it was a FIRST for me. It's supposed to be really gross and bitter (it's supposed to stimulate the appetite). People like giving cups of those to family and friends who aren't aware of how bitter it is. Haha, I had to have a taste for myself. I tasted it and it actually wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be. Of course, after a few sips, I had to dump it, but I think it has to do with the fact that Chinese people eat bitter things too so it's not totally odd to have that taste on the tongue. I don't know, do non-Asians (at least in America) have many bitters things in their appetite?

I tried Mezzo Mix from Germany (4th from left). It's basically Coke with a bit of orange in it. The orange is subtle but good. Then I also tried the watermelon one from China (far right). My parents really liked that one. It was good but not my favorite. My favorite one was actually the one from Mexico (second from right). It was just yummy and fruity. I drank that when we went again later on in the day.

In the past I've tried Krest (ginger ale from Mozambique - far left) and I believe I've also had Kinfey from Israel (3rd from right). So I guess the only one I didn't officially try there was Fanta, but I'm pretty sure it's just the same ol' Fanta that you can buy anywhere.

This was also in Club Cool … from far away I was really excited because I absolutely ADORE penguins! But up close, they were a little scary, in my opinion.

Afterwards it was time to go to Test Track. The return time for the FP was 5:10-6:10 and we weren't about to wait on the standby line for 90 minutes or so. Instead, I saw the single rider line and figured it would be faster to do that. Since Piglet wasn't about to (or allowed to) ride by himself, Dad and I went on that line, which was a FIRST (I am totally into the single rider line idea!). It's interesting to ride with strangers because I like seeing how other people are going to react to the ride, especially those who have never ridden the ride before. Afterwards Dad took Piglet on the standby line so that he could ride it and I went back on the single rider line. This is where I had the most interesting occurrence on this line.

There was a short man standing behind me and he was looking me up and down. At one point, I yawned and then he said, "Now's not the time to be tired." He found his entry point to talk to me ... the entire time we were on the line. Of course, the single rider line really isn't that long, but it seemed like it was! He asked me if I was still in high school because I looked like I was 17, he asked me if I was Japanese, he asked if I had a Chinese first and last name, and many other seemingly personal things. Of course, we ended up on the same car!

The family we were with was a mom and dad along with two young kids. The mother said, "Do you guys want to sit together?" and the man said, "Oh no, she's not my girlfriend although she's cute~" and the father said, "Oh then she'll be my girlfriend" (because I would be sitting next to him). That wasn't skeevy but that cute comment was. Haha. Yeah, that was the weirdest thing I ever had to deal with at Disney. I mean, the man was really nice, and maybe he was just really looking for conversation but … but … haha, don’t ask about me … let’s talk about Disney instead!

As for the ride itself, I was out really quickly and then met up with Mom to check out Mouse Gears. I had seen a lot of bags people had that said Disney on it but within each letter was a different print of a character. For example, the Y had the pattern for Tigger and another had the clothing of Donald. I really liked it and wanted to find that print on a t-shirt. Alas, I couldn't find anything! I was bummed about that. They only had the 2008 t-shirts with that print. I guess they really want you to buy a shirt for every single year! They had it on caps too, but I wasn't into that. No t-shirt and no Tigger ears (although I did see someone wearing them on Test Track so they did exist at one point or another!).

Yes, I am really prolonging this TR … it’s easier to write it in shorter installments … next will be World Showcase!

 

[kathleen27]

Club Cool was fun! I don't think I could drink a lot of any of the flavors, though we liked the drinks from Costa Rica and China.
I haven't looked around the store though.

The single rider line is a great idea!
Except for that guy.
I have talked to lots of people in lines, etc... but yeah, always about Disney. Asking about your name is a bit too personal, too close to asking what your name is.

Can't wait to hear about Worldshowcase!

 

[irky416]

Nice update!

We tried Club Cool for the first time this trip. I tricked my sister!

I hate it when random people start asking me questions about me. That guy would have bugged me too!

The single rider lines are awesome. We used them more at Universal last year than at Disney, but it is fun to see other peoples reactions. We went on Spiderman in single rider and I got in a car with all these older women who had obviously never ridden it before. I loved their reactions. It made the ride so much fun. They were screaming and squealing and laughing like they were little kids. So cute!

Can't wait to read more.

 

[willwriteforears]

Oh, my friends and I went to Club Cool during our second day at Epcot! But I didn't partake; I don't drink soft drinks anymore. I think they're just added sugar. Can't remember if either one of them tried Beverly, though...

Cool on the single rider line at Fast Track except for the creepy dude. Particularly since he thought you in high school at first--I'm thinking he wasn't particularly young himself, which does bring on a factor.

But at least you got to sit next to the dad--much less awkward!

I'm really looking forward to World Showcase!

 

[RachelNinja]

Club Cool was fun! I don't think I could drink a lot of any of the flavors, though we liked the drinks from Costa Rica and China.
I haven't looked around the store though.

The single rider line is a great idea!
Except for that guy.
I have talked to lots of people in lines, etc... but yeah, always about Disney. Asking about your name is a bit too personal, too close to asking what your name is.

Can't wait to hear about Worldshowcase!

My mom and I were actually talking about how it would be better if it could dispense half a cup instead of a full cup. That way it would be easier to taste more without wasting so much of an unfinished cup. The only one that I dumped was half a cup of Beverly because I don't like wasting. It would be better to just have a taste and if you like it, just press the button again!

The only "bad" thing about the single rider line is that if like, a family of 4 or 5 wanted to have a picture in the car of just them ... they'd have some random person in it too! Of course, I'm not with the family of 4 or 5 since I'm the single rider, but that does cross my mind! So I make sure I'm extra pleasant as we enjoy the ride so I'm not really a stranger, just a fellow Disney-fan!

Actually ... the guy did ask for my first name ...

Nice update!

We tried Club Cool for the first time this trip. I tricked my sister!

I hate it when random people start asking me questions about me. That guy would have bugged me too!

The single rider lines are awesome. We used them more at Universal last year than at Disney, but it is fun to see other peoples reactions. We went on Spiderman in single rider and I got in a car with all these older women who had obviously never ridden it before. I loved their reactions. It made the ride so much fun. They were screaming and squealing and laughing like they were little kids. So cute!

Can't wait to read more.

Haha, it's kind of a bummer that Weird knows about Beverly because he'd be one person that I wouldn't "mind" tricking!

Definitely! And it wasn't like we were anywhere near the same age that that would have been a little bit more appropriate!

OoOoO, I haven't been to Universal in AGES! So that means I've never been to Islands of Adventure either! I think the last time I went to Universal was when Jaws was the newest ride, haha. The fact that they have single rider lines actually makes me quite interested! Did you do a Universal TR?

Oh, my friends and I went to Club Cool during our second day at Epcot! But I didn't partake; I don't drink soft drinks anymore. I think they're just added sugar. Can't remember if either one of them tried Beverly, though...

Cool on the single rider line at Fast Track except for the creepy dude. Particularly since he thought you in high school at first--I'm thinking he wasn't particularly young himself, which does bring on a factor.

But at least you got to sit next to the dad--much less awkward!

I'm really looking forward to World Showcase!

Ahh, quite healthy of you! The soda I actually like is ginger ale, but that's just because it's been there for me throughout the years I've been sick. Other than that, when I crave soda, I need 2 sips and I'm good (which is why my mom and I share ... then give the rest to my brother who is like, running on soda~). I used to drink a lot more soda when I was in high school and then once I stopped, I shed a couple of pounds! That was awesome! Now if I could just get rid of those chocolate cake cravings ...

YEAH! He was much older, which weirded me out because if he thought I was only in high school ... um ... maybe he shouldn't have been talking to me in the first place ...

Learning to love World Showcase! I still remember being dragged around as a kid so I really am seeing it all with new eyes!

 

[RachelNinja]

After a while, we finally met up with Piglet and Dad and then we started making our way to World Showcase.

A Disney squirrel! There was this crazy squirrel darting around amongst the crowd. Everyone was taking pictures of it. Of course, by the time I get my camera out, it darted behind the garbage can.

The first country was Mexico. We were hungry then so we actually got a "Wet Burrito" from Cantina de San Angel (that’s a FIRST because we’ve never eaten there before and actually never eaten anywhere in the WS other than China or Japan). We all (oh, not Piglet) split that just to have some more food. I just had soup so I was starved but I didn't want to be filled because I wanted samosas or some other snack from one of the other countries (more reviews said those are uber good … but now that I come to think of it, can they be found elsewhere or was that a Food and Wine Festival thing?).

I think it’s funny that it’s called a wet burrito. There actually wasn’t much meat in here, more beans than meat. Haha, so stay away if you have trouble with gas. But it did its job … it filled us up so we could keep on touring the World Showcase!

Eating was also interesting because there were birds all over the place! It was like they were starved as they just watched us eat, waiting for us to finish. Haha, Mom said that they had googly eyes (like the eyes you use for craft projects) and it was true! That made them a bit scarier.

Birds, birds, EVERYWHERE! Sorry irky, if this is too much of a bird overload!

We also went on Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros. They changed the Mexico ride so it's not so boring by adding Donald Duck, Panchito, and ... someone I can't remember … so it was again, another FIRST. I thought it was funny that there's still that little section that's similar to "it's a small world" because we didn't have a chance to go on it at MK. Also, it was cute how that scene had two children hitting a pinata that was actually Donald Duck!

Next stop was Norway but the line for Maelstrom was long so we decided to return to it later. We stopped by our own country, China, because it's only right that we hang with our people. Haha. Mushu was there but unfortunately, Mulan wasn't! That stunk. Mom asked a CM but we were told that Mulan wouldn't be out today.

My family in China. Funny thing is … only my dad has been there! So this is as close to China as we may get!

Mushu! I thought the pose was kind of interesting … Mushu did that so we followed suit. I was still a little hesitant about the no-face characters (like where you can’t see the actual person’s face) … but I tried telling myself it was just a tiny person in a costume. I wonder if they care to cast an Asian person for Mushu. Haha. Or just a tiny person. I was really disappointed that Mulan wasn’t there!

Here’s a random picture of one of the buildings in China. I joked that these are what inspired my friend (Oh wait, I can write DBF now! Although only friend then, hehe) HowWeird’s love for architecture. Either that or it's his house. Haha, in Disney. Maybe I should find a house in one of the countries too!

I decided to rent a place. Cuz I love China. Or Disney.

In the store, there were necklaces with Chinese names and American names on them. Dad went to check to see if they were actually right. Mom and I just went to look at names. There was Nikki! Mom kept saying it, haha, "They have Nikki! They have Nikki!" Nik’s one of my cousins who can never find her name on anything (Nikki’s her nickname, she can’t really find Nicolette either).

Next installment will be continuing around WS … well, attempting to … let’s see if we make it!

 

[willwriteforears]

I like World Showcase! Such fun to get a small sense of what other countries are like.

At least the birds aren't dead. Live ones I think are much preferable to the dead variety.

And there was an actual line at Maelstrom? Maybe there's a reason for it being a FastPass after all!

 

[HowWeird]

So in the end … though I know a lot of people don’t particularly care for the Nemo ride, my family really enjoyed it! I can’t wait to go through the EAC with HowWeird!

Clamobile!! Haha, I can't wait to just go to WDW with you, silly!

Well, I might know what Beverly is just because I read about it but that doesn't mean I know how it tastes! Haha, but be a dear and pour me just half a cup instead of a full cup! (Thanks for the heads-up irky! )

You have to go back to the single rider at Test Track and when some random old guy hits on you, you can cling to me and be like, "I'm taken"

Mushu! I thought the pose was kind of interesting … Mushu did that so we followed suit. I was still a little hesitant about the no-face characters (like where you can’t see the actual person’s face) … but I tried telling myself it was just a tiny person in a costume. I wonder if they care to cast an Asian person for Mushu. Haha. Or just a tiny person. I was really disappointed that Mulan wasn’t there!

Here’s a random picture of one of the buildings in China. I joked that these are what inspired my friend (Oh wait, I can write DBF now! Although only friend then, hehe) HowWeird’s love for architecture. Either that or it's his house. Haha, in Disney. Maybe I should find a house in one of the countries too!

I'm really disapointed that Mulan wasn't there too. I hope that I get to see her when we go! I mean, just bc I think the character is well-drawn and I like the movie ... no other reason

Surprisingly, I'm not all that into Chinese Architecture. I mean, when it's Disneyfied, it's definitely a lot better, but stuff in the Forbidden City, not really my cup of architecture. I think I'm more into Dark Knight Skyscrapers and such. Go Hong Kong!

 

[irky416]

I think it’s funny that it’s called a wet burrito. There actually wasn’t much meat in here, more beans than meat. Haha, so stay away if you have trouble with gas. But it did its job … it filled us up so we could keep on touring the World Showcase!

Eating was also interesting because there were birds all over the place! It was like they were starved as they just watched us eat, waiting for us to finish. Haha, Mom said that they had googly eyes (like the eyes you use for craft projects) and it was true! That made them a bit scarier.

Birds, birds, EVERYWHERE! Sorry irky, if this is too much of a bird overload!

Definitely a bird overload!!! That is the main reason I hate eating outside at places like Disney. People feed the birds and then they all start coming around looking for food. Instead of enjoying my food then, or anything really, all I can do is stare at the birds and hope they stay away from me. I usually end up shoving the food in my mouth as fast as I can and beg my family to leave as quickly as possible.

(Although, I feel special being mentioned by name in your TR! )

Also, it was cute how that scene had two children hitting a pinata that was actually Donald Duck!

Glad you had another first. We liked that part too!

I was still a little hesitant about the no-face characters (like where you can’t see the actual person’s face) … but I tried telling myself it was just a tiny person in a costume. I wonder if they care to cast an Asian person for Mushu. Haha. Or just a tiny person. I was really disappointed that Mulan wasn’t there!

Cute picture with Mushu! We're exact opposites with the characters. I would much rather meet costumed characters than face characters. They scare me and I don't like having to talk to them for some reason!

(Oh wait, I can write DBF now! Although only friend then, hehe)

In the store, there were necklaces with Chinese names and American names on them. Dad went to check to see if they were actually right.

So, were they?

Also, from my experience, the single rider lines at Universal work way better than the ones at Disney. We got on Mummy, SpiderMan, and MIB with no wait in those lines five times in a row each. Even when the regular line had a wait time of 90 minutes.

 

[MeMom]

I always get a wet burrito at Cantina de San Angel, mostly because it's the only thing on the menu I know I can say correctly! It's good, though.

Good Mushu picture. Sorry we can't see the little man's face, because I picture it being incredibly happy in all of them.

I'm enjoying your report.

 

[Jennifer48]

Hi RachelNinja!

I came over from your Flat Adventures TR. I'm enjoying that one so I thought I'd stop by over here!

I know the Disney named bag that you mention with characters as the letters. They usually have them at the World of Disney store. Thats where I purchased mine a few years ago.

Keep up the good work and make sure you finish this TR before school starts!