"A for effort, C for execution." A September 2014 TR **07/04 THE END!*

[amberg93]

Sorry that I've been a bad DISer recently but I'm here now and Marie is going to post an update later today. Thanks for all the awesomeness of everyone who follows along.

LOVE your Test Track ride picture! My favorite ride photo I've ever taken is of my dad and me on Splash Mountain looking at park maps so any and all variations make me super happy.

I am very glad you beat the crowds at Living with the Land and Figment

Search Mountain was one of my favorites with the girls too! I just love ride pictures.

It was rough, but we survived.

My goodness those Mousekeeping envelopes are clever. Jack and Sally, very cool.

Hmmm, that's a good point I probably wouldn't have thought of that regarding Test Track. Especially given the weather last September, jumping in while you can is a sound strategy.

NICE!!!

Aww, it looks like the CM is smiling for yor picture.


Obviously. SSSS is always a great choice.

HAHA, this cracked me up. I can't think of a better reason though.

Marie is the mastermind, I just write on them in my cursive because she likes cursive and can't write well in it? Oh well, I'm just happy to be a part of the awesome.

I really just wanted to be able to ride and it's one of the few rides that is really weather dependent.

I noticed the CM afterward and was even happier.

The DIS has steered me right on that aspect.

Sometimes my modesty goes out the window and I include things just for pure sharing of what I've done that I like

I am right there with Marie - Soarin' is my happy place! And follow that with Strawberry Shortcake from Sunshine Seasons?! You ladies do Disney RIGHT!

A Figment line?! What is happening to the World?!

Marie is always glad when people agree. And the DIS really helped us to see what we were missing when we didn't hit up that Strawberry Shortcake But I'm glad you think so.

I'm pretty sure we fell into the Twilight Zone on that day.

Great afternoon at AK!

Roasted marshmallows, YUMMY! Too bad they didn't have chocolate & graham crackers to make s'mores.

AWESOME Test Track photo!!!! Love it!!!

It really was.

We thought about possibly bringing some, but hey marshmallows are good just by themselves too. I wasn't complaining.

Thank you! We figured it was fitting given the event :

 

[MarieLightning]

Day 8, Part 2: "Don't forget to get a stamp!"

Once we were done revisiting Figment and our imagination, we headed out into the bright Florida sunshine (*snorts*)

Oh wait no, it's actually true here!

We passed this chilling duck.

And made our way over to the other side of Future World, because we always do things in a way that makes us walk even more than what it strictly necessary.

We wanted to visit the Festival Center!

We passed these guys, playing music on pots and pans on the way there.

And made our way to a building which we hadn't known the existence of until May 2014. In spite of the fact that we had been there during food and wine before. I know, I hang my head in shame.

Seriously though.They need to think of something to do in there during Winter and Summer. So much space goes to waste in Epcot, and they have so many brilliant minds working for the company. They need to hire me, I'll give them idea!

Duffy the bear chef, being a cutie as always.

While I made my way over to the restroom, Amber went and creeped on Robert Irvine, who had been doing a demonstration that day and was now busy signing autographs.

We watched a looot of Restaurant Impossible during Amber's treatments. Now whenever we watch something that has to do with a recipe and someone mentions salt and pepper, we look at each other and go "A little bit of salt, a little bit of pepper" in a British accent. If you don't know what we're talking about, you really just need to watch one episode for it to make sense - and then know it happens in every single one of them.

We walked around some, got ourselves special pins (because we can, and because we have a problem) and then made our way toward the back.

A chocolate section is always a solid choice. They had single wrapped Ghiradelli squares that you could buy as your own mix and match in either a small tin box or a plastic box. I decided this was probably the best investment I was gonna make with souvenir money, so I got the tin box.

Guys, they want you to fill it up. I don't have a picture of the box, and that chocolate is long gone (lord was it delicious), but the lid of the box is kind of hollow, so after filling the box itself to the brim, I tried to fit three more on top. It wouldn't close though, so I took those out and made my way to the register.

Where the cast member proceeded to tell me I could fit three more in the top, let me go grab those additional chocolates, and taped the box shut.

It was pretty magical.

Chocolate in hand, we made our way back outside as we were done exploring, and there it was.

The true face of Florida. Sunshine state, right!

We had to power through though, because obviously we had big plans for this day. With no dining reservation ahead of us, we had to eat around the world!

So we grabbed a passport and made our way toward the World showcase, starting toward the Mexico side.

Our first stop was in Patagonia, where we got the Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Puree.

From the picture, I'm pretty sure we asked to have it without the sauce. It's basically beef and mashed potatoes. It wasn't amazing, but it was tasty.

Next, we moved on to New Zealand and got the Lamb Meatball with Spicy Tomato Chutney.

I mostly scraped the chutney off because I'm not a fan of sauces, but the meatball was pretty nice, and there was definitely a kick to it, which was plenty enough fo us as neither of us like very spicy things.

At that point, the rain was starting to get a bit much, so we hurried to get our next two treats separately and found refuge in Mexico, as it was still around lunch time so the inside seating at La Cantina was still open.

I made a stop in Australia and got the Pavlova (described as Crispy Meringue Shell with Fresh Berries and Vanilla Custard).

Amber stopped in Mexico and got the Rib Eye Taco (Marinated Rib-eye, Roasted Chipotle Salsa and Grilled Scallions on a Corn Tortilla)

The Pavlova was nice for what it is, but you have to like meringue. When cooked, it really gets a bit dry and it starts to crumble, desintegrate and melt into your mouth. The berries and vanilla custard were very nice though.

Amber enjoyed her taco, she says it was yummy. Of course, she's a fan of tacos in general.

While we were eating, I realized I'd meant to get a drink in Mexico, and also that our passport hadn't been stamped, so I decided to head back outside to get my refreshment - which was the Mango-Strawberry Margarita.

As you can see by the color of it, it was very much mango and very little strawberry, which was actually a bit disappointing. I like mango, but the taste of it was overwhelming, and it didn't really mix that great with the alcohol taste either. I didn't end up drinking much of it.

Making our way out of Mexico, the rain had mostly stopped, though the sky was still gray. At that point though, I was sick and tired of our ponchos - the way they were made made them stick in a really gross feeling manner to our skin, and they also kept rising and the hood kept falling, and we were done with those.

So we caved. We went inside the Mexico pavillion and bought Disney ponchos. I know, I know. But they are actually more comfortable, and at least the hood stays up.

For the time being, we didn't actually need them right then and there, so we put them away, threw the other ones in the trash and made our way to our next destination.

We decided to have a bit of a food break, so we made our way to America.

The next showing of the American Adventure would be starting soon, and we hadn't seen it in May, so we definitely had to get in on that!

We caught the end of the Voices of Liberty (we know, we really need to see it in full at some point) and headed upstairs for the show. There were tears, and then we headed back out into the misty, gloomy weather.

So that we could make our way back over to China.

I really don't know, guys. I really don't know why we do things the way we do them. I just don't.

Amber headed to the China booth, and got herself some Chicken Potstickers.

She was a pretty big fan of them and would definitely have had them again.

We then decided to get a picture in our poncho glory, because that was definitely the theme of this trip. Also, see how gloomy the sky is? So gloomy.

Somehow not so bad in this picture though. Florida weather changes so fast it's kind of creepy.

After visiting China, I headed over to South Korea, where I got the Kimchi Dog with Spicy Mustard Sauce.

As you can see, there's no kimchi on there because I'm a picky individual and those kind of experiences really aren't geared at people like me. So it was basically a hotdog on a roll with mustard. But it was really nice still. I'm a fan of bread, and that bread was quite good. The mustard definitely had the spicy kick to it again, so you know, it still ended up tasting different than just a plain old hotdog.

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[MarieLightning]

Day 8, Part 3: "I think we have a clear winner here"

We continued onward in our eating journey, looking over the passport to plan our next stop. We came across these duck buddies, separated by a fence.

Hopefully they would find their way to one another soon.

Gloomy skies kept on glooming (that's a word now).

And I decided to stop at the Refreshment Cool Post, although not a country booth, because they had something very appealing to me on their short menu.

Dulce de Leche Frozen Yogurt.

That serving was so big, but guys, it was actually pretty glorious. I don't know if they have it year round, because it was in the Food and Wine passport so it may have been an additional to the menu for the occasion, but if you're a fan of dulce de leche flavors and ice cream, it's a wonderful mix.

Meanwhile, Amber went over to Africa to stay on course with the mission, and got the Beef Tenderloin Tips Berbere-style with Okra, Jalapenos, Tomato and Pap.

That was the spiciest dish she had the whole time. She liked the taste of the beef itself, though, so she did eat most of the dish. All the beef was gone for sure - but she would have preferred it a bit less spicy.

At this point, we made another food break (that frozen yogurt was really big guys) and used one of our FastPasses to bid farewell to an old friend.

Okay, I'm not gonna lie. I was not as emotional as some about the going of the Maelstrom. Amber was more than me, mostly out of annoyance at the Frozen wave. At the end of the day though, the World Showcase already displays such a warped outlook at various cultures that the biggest argument of ruining the culture present in Norway was a little eeehhh to me. Besides, with a Frozen ride, they might restore the church to show actual Norway culture again instead of the Frozen museum stuff that's already in there. And the real display of culture for Norway was the movie, which most people always skipped, so that was another reason to take that argument with a grain of salt for me. Who knows, maybe they will actually keep the movie itself in spite of Frozenizing the ride.

That being said, a fictional land does not specifically belong in the World Showcase. But I still won't take anyone seriously that cries out in outrage that it ruins the culture of the place. The whole place is based on stereotypes anyway.

Moving along.

We did ride it one last time, and we actually stayed for the movie. If they keep it, I hope they update it.

After bidding farewell to the Maelstrom, we split up to go get a few more treats, with the intention of meeting up in America. We were getting stuff from different booths, and it was starting to drizzle again.

I made my stop in Germany.

And Amber went on to Italy.

We each got two things in our respective booths.

I got the Schinkennudeln Pasta Gratin with Ham and Cheese, and the Roast Bratwurst in a Pretzel Roll.

Meanwhile, Amber got the Ravioli alla Caprese (Cheese Ravioli, Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Basil) and the Cannoli al Cioccolato (Chocolate-covered Cannoli filled with Sweet Ricotta, Chocolate and Candied Fruit).

Three of those were actually mine - Amber only had the ravioli. But I didn't end up eating most of the German pasta gratin, so you know.

The noodles were good, and I like the cheese and ham mix. But I don't eat onions, and there were big chunks of those in there. I tried to avoid them, but the taste was still too much for me, so I only picked at it a little and left the majority of it.

The bratwurst was nice. I mean, it's a bratwurst. Pretzel rolls are always a win though.

I definitely liked the cannoli as well, but in the end I'm not one for the chocolate covered shell. Definitely tasty and sweet though, with the perfect crunch for the shell and creaminess for the filling.

Amber loved her ravioli. She raved about it quite a bit, and she definitely would have had more of that.

Next on the list for us was Belgium, so we made our way over there and sat in Morocco to try and avoid the drizzle that was back at it again.

I got the Belgian Waffle with Warm Chocolate Ganache and Whipped Cream.

It was definitely nommy, though if you're a big chocolate fan, this won't do it for you. If you like it in moderation, it'll be a perfect amount. The drizzle you see is what you get.

From there, we made our way to what would be our last official stop (we made a quick stop by the dessert booth later on, but that doesn't really count in the tally for us).

France!

Amber got herself the Boeuf Bourguignon (Braised Short Ribs in Cabernet with Mashed Potatoes).

And I got the Crème Brûlée Caramel fleur de sel (Sea Salt Caramel Crème Brûlée topped with Caramelized Sugar).

France was a big hit with both of us. Amber absolutely loved that beef, and the crème brûlée was perfect. It had the perfect caramelization on top, and the creaminess underneath was so smooth and delicious. With it being sea salt caramel, it helped with the sweetness a bit too. I mean, it was still extremely sweet, but I'm a sugar bug anyway.

By then, we were definitely and irrevocably stuffed, so we called it good on our around the world exploration. There was nothing in the upcoming booths we really wanted to try (I had toyed with the cheddar cheese soup in Canada idea a bit, but I'm not that big a fan of soup so I decided against it), so we figured it was as good a place to stop.

Amber's top three ranking for our food offerings was the Boeuf Bourguignon in France at first place, followed by the Ravioli in Italy, and then a tie between the Chicken Potstickers in China and the Tacos in Mexico.

For my part, I would say the Crème Brûlée was top of the list (win for France there), followed by the Bratwurst in Germany and the Waffle in Belgium. Definitely with a special mention to that Dulce de Leche frozen yogurt at the cool post though - I just can't include it in the top three cause it's not really part of an actual booth.

We made our way out of France, stopping for a picture on the bridge because the ponchos were off and the weather was back toward the nice side of the scale.

We had another important last (and first) to make though, so we headed over to Canada - where we watched the second to last performance of Off Kilter.

We'd never actually taken the time to stop and watch them for the entirety of the show before, although we'd caught songs here and there. Knowing their time was almost over, we knew we had to make time for it. There was quite a gathering of people there too - but they had already taken the benches away, which was pretty rude.

We definitely enjoyed the performance. It's sad that we only took the time to watch it once since now we won't get to experience it again, but at least we did see it before it was over.

Since we were already in Canada, we decided we might as well take the time to explore Amber's favorite pavillion.

O Canada is an Epcot favorite for us, so obviously we couldn't pass it up.

We'd never actually gone up this way, so this was some slightly new scenery to us.

Amber wanted a picture of a Canadian in Canada, so I complied.

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[amberg93]

Not sure why, but I read this as "Fountain of Nachos"... and in the fraction of a second before I looked at the photo, I was like, "whaaaaaat? Where is this glorious F&W attraction?!"

Apologies that this comment somehow got skipped in replying.

If only there was a Fountain of Nachos. I'd be all about that.

 

[roxy84]

Your update makes me sad that me and DW are missing F&W this year! All the food looks so good! Also I'm pretty sure we were in EPCOT the same day - it was the worst day of rain and gloom that week Still waiting to see if I pop up in one of your photos! haha.

I agree with the warped culture view of the world showcase - more a watered down version of the cultures. DW and I loved Maelstrom and the movie, and are sad to see it go, mostly because it is one of our favourite countries (we got to visit when DCL went to Europe). It will be interesting to see what the frozen attraction brings to the world showcase.

 

[tinkerjlee]

Sorry about the rain! Typical Florida weather!

All the food from the booths looked so yummy! I haven't experienced the F &W Festival yet. It's on my Disney Bucket List.

 

[courtneybelle]

Chef Duffy is TOO CUTE oh my gosh!

HAHAHA I absolutely love that story about filling the chocolate tin.

Looks like you got some good food around the world, although that's so disappointing about the margarita. I don't always love mango with alcohol so I feel your pain.

POTSTICKERS

Ughhh all the desserts you got look fabulous, especially the cannoli (cannoli is my favorite).

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

This is so true Marie. Epcot more than any other has the most wasted space in the parks. That needs to be fixed. And not just filled with Frozen stuff.

Ahhh, there's that elusive rain we all know and love. Ugh.

Um, yeah. You kinda need to see a full show of Voices. Especially if they've started their holiday songs during your next trip.

You do make a very good argument on the addition of Frozen. And a very true one. Stereotypes are the the thing there anyway. Personally I'm not so much upset about the addition of Frozen, I'm just more sad about the removal of Maelstrom. I just liked it.

 

[MarieLightning]

Your update makes me sad that me and DW are missing F&W this year! All the food looks so good! Also I'm pretty sure we were in EPCOT the same day - it was the worst day of rain and gloom that week Still waiting to see if I pop up in one of your photos! haha.

I agree with the warped culture view of the world showcase - more a watered down version of the cultures. DW and I loved Maelstrom and the movie, and are sad to see it go, mostly because it is one of our favourite countries (we got to visit when DCL went to Europe). It will be interesting to see what the frozen attraction brings to the world showcase.

It's definitely a good place to be at during the fall! Amber and I are fairly picky eaters, and we don't drink wine or beer (which makes up for the majority of beverages offerings), but even we found plenty of things to satisfy our appetites throughout the day. I agree with you about the weather that day, it was terrible.

It is sad for them to take away an attraction that people enjoyed, but I guess we'll have to wait and see what they do with it. Norway will definitely get a pretty big wave of people as soon as the Frozen ride opens though, that's for sure. Maybe bring down the wait time for Soarin' and Test Track! Silver lining people!

Sorry about the rain! Typical Florida weather!

All the food from the booths looked so yummy! I haven't experienced the F &W Festival yet. It's on my Disney Bucket List.

We got a lot more of that Florida rain this trip than any other trip. Amber isn't sure she ever wants to go back in September. I don't know that I'd cross it off entirely, but I definitely did feel pretty miserable at times.

It was pretty yummy on all accounts. That's definitely a good thing to have on your Disney Bucket List! Such a good time to be in Epcot!

Chef Duffy is TOO CUTE oh my gosh!

HAHAHA I absolutely love that story about filling the chocolate tin.

Looks like you got some good food around the world, although that's so disappointing about the margarita. I don't always love mango with alcohol so I feel your pain.

POTSTICKERS

Ughhh all the desserts you got look fabulous, especially the cannoli (cannoli is my favorite).

He is so cute! I'm more and more wanting a Duffy bear so I can just dress him up like a cutie all the time.

That was really awesome. What's better than chocolate? More chocolate!

It was all pretty tasty so I think we made some good picks! But yeah, that margarita was the only thing I really wanted to give a try, and it fell a bit flat. I think mango just doesn't mix well with a lot of stuff. I'll do a mango daiquiri pretty happily though.

The cannoli definitely was good, though I think it would have been nicer without the chocolate. I wish there was an Italian bakery in my city, none of the bakeries around here have cannolis, but I've been to one in Montreal that had those and lobster tails and it was heavenly.

This is so true Marie. Epcot more than any other has the most wasted space in the parks. That needs to be fixed. And not just filled with Frozen stuff.

Ahhh, there's that elusive rain we all know and love. Ugh.

Um, yeah. You kinda need to see a full show of Voices. Especially if they've started their holiday songs during your next trip.

You do make a very good argument on the addition of Frozen. And a very true one. Stereotypes are the the thing there anyway. Personally I'm not so much upset about the addition of Frozen, I'm just more sad about the removal of Maelstrom. I just liked it.

It really does and I just don't understand why. It has so much potential with its theming. And really, it doesn't even need to follow the theming the whole way through! I understand that they can't put something long lasting in the Festival Center, they need it for Food & Wine and then Flower & Garden. But they could still find a use for it in the summer and winter.

That day was the worst of all, because it was on and off all day. It would pour, then stop, then drizzle, then mist, then stop, then pour. It was just miserable, and of course in between showers ponchos got too hot and sticky so we'd take them off and then have to put them right back on.

I know, I know, we really do. Then again, you have to see the American Adventure! But we will try our hardest to make time for it in November.

I understand the disapproval surrounding the whole move, but at the same time, I think people pitching a fit has more to do with the Frozen route the attraction is taking than the fact that they've taken away the Maelstrom itself. If they'd replaced it with something else, just as unrelated but not Frozen themed, I don't think there would even have been half the fuss, and I have a hard time taking popular hate seriously - people who hate something just because it's popular. Ultimately, as wonderful and magical as it makes everything feel, Disney remains a money making corporation, people need to stop holding them to standards that don't fit with that. Frozen is a biiig money maker for them, obviously they're gonna take advantage of it. The Maelstrom really was a nice ride though, so hopefully what they put in its place will make up for its disappearance.

 

[amberg93]

Day 8, Part 4: "Are those new uniforms?"

We headed in to see O Canada and were a little annoyed at first when we realized that some of the people who were joining us had spent a little too much time enjoying the drinking part of the food and wine festival. However, once the movie started they were mostly quiet.

That is until the song at the end, Canada, My Canada, came on and they started to drunkenly sing along - at which point they sort of became a highlight of the attraction. There is just something that always amuses me about drunk people singing and this case was no different. Good for you, drunk Epcot goers who tried to reach the high notes.

After enjoying the show, we headed out into the end area where the Kidcot station is and found some real works of art.

I mean.

Look at these beautiful Duffy creations. Someone in Canada is clearly very talented.

We chatted for a few moments with the cast member that was working and Marie realized that they had changed the uniform in Canada, which she liked significantly more, so she asked if she could get a picture.

Luckily, she was happy to model her new digs for us.

At this point, we only had one last stop to make on our food and wine tour and it was to the desserts booth. So, we hopped in line and each grabbed ourselves something, deciding to head all the way up to the Electric Umbrella afterward just so we could sit in real chairs and eat our desserts.

I did snap a few pictures along the way though.

Including stopping for a monorail picture just so I could follow the Disney laws.

The Fountain of Nations is really beautiful at night.

Marie got the S'mores drink which was good but not really my style. It's kind of like vamped up chocolate milk with some graham cracker bits, chocolate chips and marshmallows thrown in.

I got the truffles. Marie warned me not to and she was right, they were a pretty big disappointment.

I finished my food before Marie did, so as usual I went a little camera happy. Due to the darkness, most of the pictures didn't turn out but here are two of them anyway.

Fountain of Nations water show was going on and was nice to enjoy.

And here's Marie, just chilling.

The plan was to head back to Canada and to grab a spot for IllumiNations but because of the Food and Wine Festival, it wasn't going to be until 10 and Marie was fairly tired. We argued back and forth for a while about what to do, she didn't want to split up but she also stubbornly insisted upon staying because she knows IllumiNations is my true nighttime show love. However, I didn't want to force Marie to stay when she didn't want to, so eventually we struck a deal. She owed me a ride on Spaceship Earth and one more picture before we left.

I love you, Spaceship Earth.

Like usual, the wait time was non existent at this time of night so we just walked on and took our journey through humanity.

Deer faces were our choice of pose this time around and we got to see our lovely future. I remember nothing about it, but you know, the future is always lovely.

With our ride complete, we stopped into the store right across from Spaceship Earth because I had a shirt that I wanted to buy and Marie was kind enough to get it for me. I really should have gotten an extra small because it's a unisex shirt but small was all they had and I hate asking for things, so I bought a small and it fits fine.

Purchase in hand, we made our way to the front of the park to get those photos Marie still owed me.

Next trip I'm thinking we need to switch up our posing.

But I'm still pleased with the way that they came out.

With all of her obligations fulfilled, Marie and I made our way to the bus stop to catch our ride back to the French Quarter and call it an early night. The next day would be our last, and we were planning on being up bright and early.

But, sidenote from earlier in the day. When I got home I did take pictures of our Ghirardelli box!

Here it is, all taped shut so that the chocolates don't fall out.

And in all of it's delicious chocolately glory.

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[DisneyKid4Life]

There is just something that always amuses me about drunk people singing and this case was no different. Good for you, drunk Epcot goers who tried to reach the high notes.

Extra entertainment for your dollar right there. Good on you for looking at the humour in it. Nothing says entertainment like bad singing.

I mean.

Look at these beautiful Duffy creations. Someone in Canada is clearly very talented.

Wow, those are actually really cool. Duffy the Unisex Bear.

We chatted for a few moments with the cast member that was working and Marie realized that they had changed the uniform in Canada, which she liked significantly more, so she asked if she could get a picture.

YAY for chatting up CM's!!! And like Marie, I too completely approve of the new outfit.

Including stopping for a monorail picture just so I could follow the Disney laws.

We argued back and forth for a while about what to do, she didn't want to split up but she also stubbornly insisted upon staying because she knows IllumiNations is my true nighttime show love.

That is incredibly sweet actually. Both of you trying to make the other happy. True Love.

 

[tinkerjlee]

OMG! Those Duffys were so cool! Very talented CM's! I can guarantee mine would not even come close to look like theirs even if I tried, LOL!

Ha Ha, I have to remember those Disney Laws when I'm in Epcot on Monday! Stop and take Monorail picture!

Glad you both were able to come to a comprise in the end!

 

[courtneybelle]

Those Duffys are SO CUTE!!! I now have a new goal in coloring my Duffys...

Ending a day with Spaceship Earth and pictures is a solid way to end the day! Love your pics

 

[amberg93]

Extra entertainment for your dollar right there. Good on you for looking at the humour in it. Nothing says entertainment like bad singing.

Only when you're in the mood for it though But I mean, they did add to the experience and Marie and I at home sort of sound like they do so... all was fair.

Wow, those are actually really cool. Duffy the Unisex Bear.

Duffy, it seems, can rock any look.

YAY for chatting up CM's!!! And like Marie, I too completely approve of the new outfit.

We need to do it more frequently but I don't have high hopes for November considering how much family will be around and how I'll really probably be spending most of my time talking with them. I approve too. The old one just wasn't as fab.

That is incredibly sweet actually. Both of you trying to make the other happy. True Love.

I mean, Disney is a happy place, we should both be happy and it worked out for the best. We still had a lovely evening and when we woke up early the next day it was better.

OMG! Those Duffys were so cool! Very talented CM's! I can guarantee mine would not even come close to look like theirs even if I tried, LOL!

Ha Ha, I have to remember those Disney Laws when I'm in Epcot on Monday! Stop and take Monorail picture!

Glad you both were able to come to a comprise in the end!

I know, I'm lucky if I get all my colors inside the lines and these CMs are just on a level I cannot reach.

You're in Disney right now?! Jealous! Do remember Epcot law. Always remember monorail pictures

Compromising is good for the soul and we did have a lovely evening.

Those Duffys are SO CUTE!!! I now have a new goal in coloring my Duffys...

Ending a day with Spaceship Earth and pictures is a solid way to end the day! Love your pics

You've got plenty of time to get to color your Duffy in such an awesome way! I believe in you! =D

Thank you! And I agree, it was a lovely end to the day.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Those Duffy's are really cute ... didn't realize he did drag, but hey, there truly is something for everyone at WDW

Sorry the desserts (especially yours) were a little disappointing - definitely think that stand, compared to a lot of the others, has been less impressive in years past as well. Glad you and Marie were able to strike a deal though and had a nice evening in the end .... plus you have a giant box of chocolate so you have that going for you as well!

 

[amberg93]

Those Duffy's are really cute ... didn't realize he did drag, but hey, there truly is something for everyone at WDW

Sorry the desserts (especially yours) were a little disappointing - definitely think that stand, compared to a lot of the others, has been less impressive in years past as well. Glad you and Marie were able to strike a deal though and had a nice evening in the end .... plus you have a giant box of chocolate so you have that going for you as well!

You know, Duffy is just exploring who he is

Marie really did like her drink more than I did, so she wasn't too disappointed. I agree though, from what I've seen desserts are not the strongest point. Giant boxes of chocolate do tend to make everything better. Funny how that works out.

 

[amberg93]

So, in case you haven't been paying attention to the ticker in my signature, Girls Trip 2.0 is only 2 days away! Well, the cruise leaves on Monday but we leave on Sunday so these next two updates will be my updates for this week and next. As far as I know Marie's planning on doing an overview of the trip in our ongoing PTR so don't worry, you'll hear lots about our cruise.

For now though, back to the start of our last day at Disney in September.

Day 9, Part 1: On a Mission

On our last day we were determined to catch the whole of the Welcome Show, so we got up bright and early.

Of course, first we had to leave out the tipping envelope.

But soon enough we were on our way to the bus stop. It didn't take too long for a bus to arrive and transport us to the most magical place on earth.

I take walking pictures of strangers to give a crowd estimation.

We snagged a good spot close enough to the front and waited, as there was still about half an hour before the welcome show would start.

It was a little early for Marie's taste with pictures but she was looking fab.

And then, soon enough the welcome show was starting and let me tell you guys, it was really magical. Standing there and experiencing all of it just makes your heart all light and you know you're going to have an amazing day and it was just perfect.

I love Lady Tremaine's face here. I wish I'd gotten it closer but her face is an evil one and it's the best.

Of course the other side had the most popular princesses Snow White and Tiana.

Like, what better way to start off the day than with some streamers and fireworks?

As soon as we were let in we followed the masses up Main Street USA, but took a turn into Adventureland. Not that it was our final destination, by now it seem obvious what we'd do.

Don't mess with a system that isn't broken.

This is the length of walking the queue.

I am unimpressed with Marie worrying about her hair.

This was a walk on as well, unsurprisingly.

Nothing like a ride on Splash to wake you up.

And get you just a little wet.

Riding in the back is the best.

With that accomplished, we were on a mission to ride another mountain next and started headed in that direction.

But we caught sight of this and were highly amused.

My favorite part is that all the Thumpers look like they're laughing while all the Chips and Dales look very concerned that Chip might fall..

There was a line only a couple of people long to meet those Chipmunks up ahead so we decided to hop into it and meet them in their snazzy cowboy gear.

As usual, the Photopass photographers capture magical memories.

But they are looking pretty fab as cowboys.

There wasn't anything particularly memorable about this meet but it was fun nonetheless and an added awesome way to start our morning out.

Now that they were met though, I had a mission that I was dying to fulfill. If you followed along with our May trip report, you'd know we had a photoshoot with our friends which can be viewed here.

All you really need to know though, is that I had decided to recreate my favorite group shot all by myself.

This was the shot and I knew it'd be no small feat to redo it all by myself but I had to try.

This is what I came up with. I had some trouble in several spots because I'm not as flexible as Veronica and I hadn't noticed that Merranda was angled sideways on her picture so I couldn't stop laughing because it was deeply uncomfortable being on those crates that were actually wet.

At one point two CMs walked by and asked if we needed help but I explained what I was doing and showed the picture for reference and they simply cracked up and wished me luck.

I would say that it was a mission accomplished though.

And once it was, we continued on.

Past the crazy 7DMT lines.

And over to this 10 minute wait.

We even got this honor.

Unfortunately, our picture for the ride didn't make it onto our Memory Maker stuff but c'est la vie.

Buzz only had a 10 minute wait too, so we quickly headed in to get a ride.

Our picture there didn't make it either. It was a bad morning for ride pictures.

Our scores can be summed up in this photo though.

Continued in next post​

 

[amberg93]

Day 9, Part 2: "I'd speak French, but I don't want to deprive everyone else."

Our next order of business was to go on the Peoplemover and guys I think we cut a line. Because we were heading in around the same time a large group was heading so we hurried, but apparently, it turns out that the large group wasn't a large group at all but a continuation of the line.

The CM was really snappy about it too and didn't explain anything to us but was like "Uh, there's a line. Or not." Like, we had really thought the group of 10 was a group of 10 and not the rest of the apparently long line?? Oh well, the people behind us didn't seem angry, but Marie and I were so confused and then a little annoyed that we'd been snapped at for a simple mistake.

To make up for it, I took pictures of Marie while sitting across from her. The hazards of riding across from me never end.

But I mean, look at this angel. (I'll spare you all the pictures I took)

A view of construction.

But the Castle remains as lovely as ever.

Apparently Space Mountain was down not too long after we were on it, which Marie never appreciates.

She took down her milkmaid braids but made a sad face because the Carousel of Progress was down.

A quick ride finished we made our way to our first FP+ opportunity.

As you can tell, I'm really thrilled.

Seriously.

I'm joking, this is just how I look when I ride rides and I don't know where the camera is. Ever since I've found myself unable to scream on coasters, I apparently just have a resting face.

Our lunch reservation was going to be drawing nearer, but we still had one more manner of business we wanted to attend to.

And it involved meeting the best character meet on properly.

We got this quality entertainment of Gaston wrestling a Gaston admirer while waiting in line to meet him.

But before long, it was our turn to meet him and as always, he did not disappoint.

We were silent at first and he assumed we were speechless in his presence, but I told him we were just confused because Marie spoke French and he was not speaking French.

He told us that he didn't want to deprive everyone else of understanding what he had to say.

And for some reason I missed this face making memo.

But then we were allowed to get a real picture with him before he sent us on our way to get his things ready for him.

A photopass photographer actually stopped us asking if we wanted some pictures, so we went ahead and obliged.

Castles make for great backdrops.

And she even gave us some new magic shots.

I'm glad we stopped because I really love these pictures.

But at that point we really did need to start hustling if we didn't want to be late for our lunch reservation.

Of course, you can never be in too much of a hurry to take a picture of the world's most beautiful bathrooms.

Click for next post​

 

[TheMaxRebo]

certainly sounds like you made efficient use of your time getting on so many "mountains" that quickly.

But we caught sight of this and were highly amused.

My favorite part is that all the Thumpers look like they're laughing while all the Chips and Dales look very concerned that Chip might fall..

That picture is tremendous. Also, not only are the Thumpers laughing .... they are pointing and laughing!

Wow - that is really cool! Great job

Looks like a fun Gaston meet! How thoughtful of him not to speak in french for all the other little people!

Great pictures of the two of you out front of Beast's castle

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

I swear I took a photo from that exact same spot. Different people of course, but still.

Standing there and experiencing all of it just makes your heart all light and you know you're going to have an amazing day and it was just perfect.

Yesserie!!

HAHAHA, that is an awesome ride photo. So much... love?

OH... MY... GAWD!!!!!! That is the coolest thing EVER!!!!! I am freaking out right now.

Apparently Space Mountain was down not too long after we were on it, which Marie never appreciates.

Medevil Torture Chamber.

We got this quality entertainment of Gaston wrestling a Gaston admirer while waiting in line to meet him.

That is very cool, but I'm a little surprised the guest's outfit met Disney's approval. It seems pretty close to the real thing. Oh wait... was this a MNSSHP day?