A Vacation From My Problems (A Sept. 2010 Trip Report) - COMPLETED 12/14

[Wherem I Now]

Great find!

Hey, did you guys know that Beverly will flouresce under UV light? I'm not making it up.

I always knew it was radioactive!

The link to wikipedia says that it is sold as a gag drink. Mission accomplished! Everyone who drinks the stuff wants to gag.

 

[melnbil]

You guys are hillarious. I can't wait to take my 6yo next year and let him try it. I think I will let him try that one last, he won't drink anymore if it's first!

 

[PennyLane1084]

Beverly: So bad not even a caveman will drink it

Beverly: Taste Italy (no really, this is stuff in the Canals of Venice. Yum!)

Beverly: Not sure what ANALcolico means but doesn't it sound delicious!

Beverly: It will give you superpowers.....because it's radioactive.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

The link to wikipedia says that it is sold as a gag drink. Mission accomplished! Everyone who drinks the stuff wants to gag.

You guys are hillarious. I can't wait to take my 6yo next year and let him try it. I think I will let him try that one last, he won't drink anymore if it's first!

We said everybody had to try it, even though we knew it would be awful. It's sort of like a Disney rite of passage. Plus we wanted funny pictures.

 

[Shannon84]

You guys are hillarious. I can't wait to take my 6yo next year and let him try it. I think I will let him try that one last, he won't drink anymore if it's first!

haha I set DBF up for it on this past trip. It was his first time at WDW and he said he was thirsty and to pick him a soda to try first...it was too easy

 

[afwdwfan]

*NEWSFLASH*

Due to the recent concerns in the NFL about head inuries and concussions, it has just been announced that one of the Gatorade coolers on each sideline will be filled with Beverly for the remainder of the 2010 season. Research has shown that taste of Beverly is stronger and more distinct than the scent of smelling salts, and therefore, more effective at reviving unconscious players.

Now back to your regularly scheduled Trip Report.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

haha I set DBF up for it on this past trip. It was his first time at WDW and he said he was thirsty and to pick him a soda to try first...it was too easy

I really, really, really hope you have pictures!

*NEWSFLASH*

Due to the recent concerns in the NFL about head inuries and concussions, it has just been announced that one of the Gatorade coolers on each sideline will be filled with Beverly for the remainder of the 2010 season. Research has shown that taste of Beverly is stronger and more distinct than the scent of smelling salts, and therefore, more effective at reviving unconscious players.

Now back to your regularly scheduled Trip Report.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Current Standings After 11 Entries

Glennbo123 13
Trennr 11
FreezinRafiki 9
MissLiz 5
That's Nice 5
Mom3sonstt 5
Melk 3
Middlepat 3
Marvali 3
Belle_princess 2
Afwdwfan 2
LegoMan3 1
jedijill 1
sara98629 1*

 

[marvali]

haha I set DBF up for it on this past trip. It was his first time at WDW and he said he was thirsty and to pick him a soda to try first...it was too easy

So is he still your DBF???

 

[marvali]

A few more entries for the Beverly contest.

Nothing runs like a Deere, except for someone looking for a trash can after drinking Beverly!
A diamond may be forever, but one taste of Beverly makes diamonds a short-timer!
Beverly - A totally orgagmic experience!
Beverly - You wish it melted in the cup, before it entered your mouth!
Beverly - The one taste acid reflux can improve!
Friends don't LET friends drink Beverly; they actually TRICK them into it!
Beverly - The quicker thrower upper!
Pepsi Ad Campaign - Have a Beverly while we smile!
Hey Mikey, try the Beverly! He won't drink it, he hates everything.........SEE!
This is your brain. This is your brain on Beverly! Any questions???

 

[trennr]

Beverly...

Boy: Hey Mr. Owl! How Many sips does it take to get to the Bottom of a Beverly sample cup?

Mr. Owl: Let's find out...One...gah!!! thump

Announcer: How Many sips does it take to get to the Bottom of a Beverly sample cup? The world may never know.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

If you asked my wife and me why we love Disney World even as adults, the long, nonsensical, rambling and incoherent answer would probably eventually turn to the atmosphere, theming and sense of place. Half the fun for us is enjoying the trip through our kids' eyes, of course. But Julie and I would still go by ourselves if we had the opportunity. And the reason for that is the feel and spectacle that Disney World provides. You can't get it anywhere else.

We love the attention to detail in all of the architecture and themes. If they want you to feel like you're in the Deep South, well--you're there. Asia? Caribbean? Africa? Hollywood? World of the Future? No problem. It's a huge part of the magic.

Warning: Long Gushing Ode To the Wildernes Lodge Below. If uninterested, please skip to the marker to continue the Trip Report.

Nowhere is this more in evidence in all of Disney World than at the Wilderness Lodge. My personal favorite of all of the Disney Resorts, this is one of the most spectacular buildings on property. Somehow, in the middle of central Florida, you feel as though you're in a grand old-fashioned National Park Lodge, far removed from civilization. I remember being absolutely stunned the first time I walked into the lobby. I'm a sucker for wood-and-stone Craftsman style architecture, and here it's done on a jaw-dropping scale. Not only that, but they have the best lobby music in the parks as well, with the old Western movie themes.

Staying here has always been on my bucket list, and DW and I finally got that chance while in a long weekend on Florida back in February 2008. We had the chance to get away for the weekend and stayed in some anonymous Quality Inn the first 2 nights to save money. But I surprised her on the final night with one night at the WL, which cemented our love for the place. We had a blast just exploring the Lodge, finding hidden Mickeys and taking way too many pictures. It was a heavenly 24 hours, right up to the point where our flight home had to avoid an ice storm and landed at the wrong airport. But that's a story for another time.

In November 2009, we again got the chance to stay at the WL for 2 nights prior to our cruise. Somehow we managed to sweet-talk my in-laws into staying here (the 40% discount didn't hurt). It's a lot easier to justify staying at the WL when you're on somebody else's tab. This time, the kids had the run of the place, and we make sure to take advantage of the facilities as much as possible.

End Gratuitous Gushing over Wilderness Lodge

Anyway, I said all that just to say that whenever I get an excuse to go over and see the Wilderness Lodge, I take it. In this case, that excuse was an ADR at Whispering Canyon Cafe.

We'd eaten here twice before: once at dinner, once at breakfast. And we'd always enjoyed the food and had a blast with the servers. We caught the bus from Epcot straight to the WL, and finally had some success for Dave: the bus driver had some trading cards for him. Score! He got 3 bus cards for his collection.

We arrived at the WL and strolled into the lobby, pausing once again to take in the spectacle. My parents were nowhere to be seen, so we decided to wait a bit before checking in with the restaurant. This gave us a chance to continue a family tradition of using the Mickey totem pole as a growth chart for the kids:

On our previous trip, all of our pictures here had turned out blurry (defective photographer? ), so it was nice to finally get one in focus.

Waiting near Whispering Canyon along with us was a group of older women who were also waiting for a table. They were dressed as ducks. And when I say that, I mean with tail feathers, duckbill caps and oversize webbed feet. I have no idea what the occasion was, but they were quacking at everyone who walked past them.

Now, I've seen my share of Disney magic over the years. I've seen surprise meetings with characters, Cast Members who go beyond the call of duty to give kids joy, and sights and sounds that will last a lifetime. Four obnoxious old ladies quacking at me for no apparent reason is decidedly...not magical. Actually, it's a little creepy.

My parents arrived, and we were seated shortly thereafter. I noted with relief that the Duck Ladies were seated far down the other end of the restaurant. Big sigh of relief.

We put our orders in (Julie and I went for the skillet) and sat back. Not long after, one of the servers got up on a chair and told the entire restaurant that we had to stand and do the hokey-pokey if we wanted our dinner. Oh, and we had to be enthusiastic, too. In the WCC, there's two kinds of people, my friend: those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig, especially when the server can withhold your dinner. Not wanting to go hungry, the place proceeded to perform the most rousing hokey-pokey of all time. So, this was going to be a rowdy night. Having read of some less enthusiastic experiences at the WCC, this was a relief. We also got to see a "large" soda brought out to a neighboring table as well as their birthday cake gag. Good stuff. Sarah loves the antics here and was eating it up.

At one point, Dave got up to ask Julie a question. Our server (forgot her name, sorry) swooped over and took his seat before he could get back down. We all started laughing. Then Dave climbed into the chair and started trying to scoot her off with a series of concentrated butt-shoves. We laughed even harder. Then Dave started crying.

Uh-oh. Not laughing anymore. The poor server was mortified and tried to hide on the other side of the table. Dave is a little sensitive, and thought we were laughing at him (instead of the general fun). We tried to reassure the server that she didn't do anything wrong. Of course, Dave didn't do anything to deserve to be picked on. But this is the Whispering Canyon Cafe. Deserve's got nothing to do with it.

The server disappeared for a while (this happened often), but our food finally came out. The skillet was pretty good, but not as good as my last visit. Enjoyed the chicken, pulled pork, and beef brisket. But when I tried the ribs, they actually snapped and crackled while I pulled them off the bone. So you could say they were a little dry. Since the calories don't count on vacation, I had the bottomless milkshake as well, which was decent, but still tasted a little...off. Like they had used low-fat ice cream when making it or something. For dessert, I had the apple pie, which while good, wasn't as good as the last visit--the apples were still crunchy, which in my opinion shouldn't happen in an apple pie. Luckily, they have an awesome sugar-cookie topping that makes up for it.

Anyway, I think the overall verdict was that it was still a decent meal, just not up to the standards of our last visit. I would still go back, because the food is good enough and the shenanigans of the staff are still fun. When it comes to shenanigans and gags from the servers, I'm your huckleberry.

Our server came back and snuck up behind Scotty, surprising him with a loud, "BOO!" Scotty jumped about 3 feet in the air. So I guess our server was feeling frisky again.

Soon it was time for the pony race, so the kids formed a posse and rode off for some laps around the room. I hate posses. Ever since I dynamited a wagon full of prospectors in the western territories last spring, they seem to have it in for me.

Sarah needed some ketchup for her fries, so we asked our server. She bellowed out the familiar call, and soon we had about 15 bottles at our table. They were also passing around a giant fork.

We never did figure out what the point of that one was, which may have been the point. It wasn't long before we had to pass it all off to someone else. Next to us, another server belted out a call for ketchup that must have lasted at least 30 seconds:

"KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTCHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPPPP!!!!!"

That was some impressive lung power. She actually got an ovation for that one.

The server hadn't messed with Sarah yet, so she decided to have Sarah help clear the table. At first, Sarah decided to stand with a fist in defiance, but the server harassed her until she pitched in. And somehow, the giant fork made it back to our table again.

The server had Dave deliver it to a table full of little girls. When he came back, she asked if he had gotten any of their phone numbers, and chastised him for failing to lay on the charms. I guess I need to take him to the ol', Captain Oblivious Charm School. Just give me 2 hours, and he'll have to beat the women away with a stick. Or they'll beat him away with a stick, I forget.

We finished up our meal and headed out. By this time, it was late evening. We had hoped to catch the boat to Fort Wilderness for the Chip & Dale campfire, but it was too late. We'll have to add that to the list for our next trip (along with the DTD balloon ride). We did not mention the campfire to Scotty, fearing the repercussions. Instead, Julie and the kids wandered through the gift shop while I ran around with our camera to some of our favorite picture spots.

From there, it was onto the boat to the MK, and then back to POR. Just like that, our trip was half over.

Coming Up Next: Our very first Toy Story Midway Mania experience. And can I avoid riding the attraction I once described as a "hellish torture contraption"?

 

[glennbo123]

bucket list = The Bucket List

 

[KatMark]

If you asked my wife and me why we love Disney World even as adults, the long, nonsensical, rambling and incoherent answer would probably eventually turn to the atmosphere, theming and sense of place. Half the fun for us is enjoying the trip through our kids' eyes, of course. But Julie and I would still go by ourselves if we had the opportunity. And the reason for that is the feel and spectacle that Disney World provides. You can't get it anywhere else.

Although I am not a big fan of the theme of the WL, it is a beautiful resort and I love the totem pole with the kids picture!

Believe me when I tell you, that when the kids are grown and Julie and you go by yourselves, you will see Disney in a whole different light. While Mark and I miss the kids being young and traveling with us to DW, these last several trips that we've taken by ourselves have been ery special as well.

I won't comment on WCC as you and I've already discussed that.

Your pictures of the rest of the WL are great!

 

[glennbo123]

Those with loaded guns and those who dig = The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

 

[glennbo123]

I'm your Huckleberry = Tombstone

 

[Shannon84]

Great update I remember staying at the WL when I was younger (I feel like it was a new resort when we stayed there) and not really appreciating the true beauty of it, we had an ADR there for this past trip but I chose last minute 'Ohana ADR over it...we might try eating there next trip though!

Your pictures came out great

 

[marvali]

Dang Glenn beat me to the first one! I'm your huckleberry was used in Tombstone by Doc Holliday I think!

 

[marvali]

Dang, he beat me to both of them!

 

[KatMark]

Dang, he beat me to both of them!

Someone is a little slow today......