AGLET – We're Gonna Tour The World Together! Updated 11/9!!!

[JessietheNCCowgirl]

Hi Stringbean, I know I'm super late in joining but I just stumbled across your TR a couple days ago and just finished. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through it and have gotten many laughs out of it - your writing style is very entertaining.

We spent the last week of May in WDW and during the trip made it to the Crystal Palace for breakfast. I have to agree with Wingnut and say that Pooh's French Toast and the bread pudding dish is among my top 10 fav foods at The World. Uh -oh, that must mean I have a sweet tooth the size of MN like he stated he has. (in fact I know I do).

I am anxiously awaiting to see if you ever found your Beaker hat. I saw all 3, Kermit, Animal and Beaker at the Journey Into Imangination gift shop (of all places) when we were there a few weeks ago. I almost bought one for myself and would have totally bought one for you, had I'd known there was a fellow Muppet-fan DISer in need! Seriously, I hope you found it on your trip!

Thanks for your opinions and reviews of the food and thoughts on the Poly. I look forward to more updates!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I don't care too much for waiting on the buses at Hollywood Studios because the covers on the bus stops are too little. They definitely aren't big enough to shelter you from the Florida sun, that's for sure. I'm glad that the bus driver suggested that you hop on his bus to the CBR and then wait for a DTD bus. It seems like it saved you some time.

The pizza you ordered from Wolfgang Puck's looks really good. May just have to put that on my list of foods to try next trip.

Going to CBR first was definitely our best bet to get to DTD! It was really starting to get warm waiting!

The pizza was really good! I was glad we finally got to try it!!

Our two longest waits ever have been with Beach Club buses.

I have always prounounced the store Tren-Dee. Since it has the big D, I put the emphasis on the D. I will not likely be purchasing anything there. but I go in occasionally to look at pretty things and take more pictures of the same chandeliers you did.

That pizza looks delicious!

We're hoping to see Brave in Disney World on our trip at the dine-in theater, if that's an option. We'll be checking into it when we get there.

On your way to Wilderness Lodge! You know, there's a very special fountain there.

I think our longest waits have been with AKL busses, they seem to take awhile too!

That's what I always do, but I wasn't sure if I was saying it wrong!

That's a great idea! How fun to see it while at Disney!

Hahaha yes, of course I remembered your wonderful fountain pixie dust!

Whoops! Sorry, I forgot that it was Yacht Club you stayed at. I remember now. After not being on the DIS for months, I think I'm on Disney overload now that I have a trip to plan. There are worse things, right?!?!

Hahaha definitely a good reason to have Disney overload!!

I call it "tren-DEE." I'm glad I'm not the only one who's unsure of how to say it! I LOVE that store but I just can never buy anything from there. It's the kind of stuff I like on the rack, but I'm not sure I'd like anymore once I put it on.

I'm always overwhelmed by WoD! I'm usually entirely okay with wandering away from whoever I'm with, but in there, I just can't...I follow them around because I feel like finding them again will be impossible!

Ooh, Artist Point! Can't wait to hear about that one

Hahahaha I really thought I'd be the only one like, "I'm a bit confused here..." Yeah, none of the items have any real appeal to me either. But it is fun to walk through!

YES that is the most overwhelming store in the world! Wingnut stuck to my side the whole time and I think we still lost each other!

I find the pizza at WPE to be a little underwhelming myself. I love everything else there, but don't love the pizza. Being from Chicago might have something to do with that though.

I am super excited to see Brave! I can't wait. I am determined to see it before we go on our trip.

I don't think there's much Chicago-style pizza at Disney, is there? It seems to be nondescript Disney pizza for the most part, except for WPE and Via Napoli.

Brave looks like it's going to be really cute!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Hahahah... I would say that it is pronounced 'trendy' based on the fact that the D is separated from the rest of the word. Works for me.

(Me! I'm super excited to see Brave!)

Works for me too!!!

Doesn't it look like it's going to be great? I can't wait!

I didn't know that you could take buses from park to park either until our last trip. We asked a driver who was leaving AK if taking an AKL bus and then getting an Epcot bus would be the quickest route. He pointed at the Epcot bus stop sign and looked at us like we were crazy. It was convenient though!

I always wander through TrenD, but usually end up buying something from Team Mickey instead.

WPE is on my list to try. I think next trip I'll send DH to his beloved EoS and hit WPE myself.

I can't wait to hear about Artist Point!!

I think the Epcot stop at AK was one of the first! They are really convenient, I like having those stops there too!

Am I the only one that thinks it's kind of funny that Tren-D transitions abruptly into Team Mickey? They're so different!

WPE has a ton of awesome-sounding options! One of these days, I have to try EoS though!

Pizza looks yummy

And as for Brave... Super excited.

It really was a great snack for us!

It looks so cute! Can't wait!

Don't you hate those cryptic bus stops that say they're going somewhere but never do?



Ahhahaha I said the same basic thing to DH last trip! He asked me how to say it and I didn't know. I figured it disqualified me from entering.
I'm soooooo excited for Brave!!

YES that was the most confusing "bus stop" ever! There was a sign! I swear there was a sign!

Hahahaha I'm so glad it wasn't just me!! I felt disqualified from buying anything there too!

I pronounce it trendy too. I always have to walk through there even though there is nothing I would buy!

I can't wait to hear your Artist Point review!

Same here! It's like a museum to me, nothing I'll buy, but pretty to look at!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

So excited for Brave!!

Looking forward to reading about Artist Point... it was going to be a new one for us, but HDDR came back and I couldn't pass it up!

So am I!!!

Awww maybe AP next time! I've never been to HDDR, but I know lots of people that LOVE it!!

Oooh I love it when I come across someone who doesnt get Vinlymation (see I cant even spell it!)

I call it trenDEE and have to admit I havent bought anything there either.

Love love love WPE Creme Bruele.

Hahaha I also don't get Duffy as well!!

That's what I usually say!

I was SO mad at myself for forgetting about the Creme Brulee! But the cookie did make a good "snack from Disney" souvenir that I had a few days after we came home!

I love TrenD, but I have yet to buy something in there. One, I'm not trendy enough, and two, nothing will fit me! Everything in there is tiny sized! I love to look around, though!

Mmm I have to try WPE someday! I hope in November!

I cannot wait to see Brave! I want to go the night it opens, but I'm nervous it might be too busy...I will definitely be seeing it that weekend, though!

I'm pretty sure I am absolutely not trendy enough to shop there either! It is pretty to walk around though!

WPE is definitely worth a try! It was really good!

I usually avoid the opening nights for movies, but I'd try that weekend too!

Did you guys ever make it to Goofy's candy company? I ask because I always have the best intentions of going there, and then I end up forgetting. One of these days I'll have one of those calorie-laden treats!

Hmmm.... I always thought it was Tren-dee also. I never actually gave it any thought, so I could be completely off!

I do enjoy the pizzas at WPE, the 4-cheese one especially! We have a place around here that makes pizzas very similar to WPE and it is a place we frequent often (maybe we'll go tomorrow night!)

I don't have any pictures of anything we bought to snack on from there, but I'm pretty sure we got a few souvenirs this time around from Goofy's! The treats are really really good! I forget why I didn't get one! It couldn't have been that good of a reason!

I think you're right, that's what seems to be the popular opinion so far!

The four cheese one sounds really good too! All of the menu items sounded really good, actually!

Hi Stringbean, I know I'm super late in joining but I just stumbled across your TR a couple days ago and just finished. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through it and have gotten many laughs out of it - your writing style is very entertaining.

We spent the last week of May in WDW and during the trip made it to the Crystal Palace for breakfast. I have to agree with Wingnut and say that Pooh's French Toast and the bread pudding dish is among my top 10 fav foods at The World. Uh -oh, that must mean I have a sweet tooth the size of MN like he stated he has. (in fact I know I do).

I am anxiously awaiting to see if you ever found your Beaker hat. I saw all 3, Kermit, Animal and Beaker at the Journey Into Imangination gift shop (of all places) when we were there a few weeks ago. I almost bought one for myself and would have totally bought one for you, had I'd known there was a fellow Muppet-fan DISer in need! Seriously, I hope you found it on your trip!

Thanks for your opinions and reviews of the food and thoughts on the Poly. I look forward to more updates!

Welcome!!! Glad to have you here!

Hahaha Wingnut really does have a giant sweet tooth, he LOVES all of those super-sweet treats around the World! I loved the French Toast too, but the bread pudding was a teeny bit too sweet for me! But it was very good in the small little bites I did try!

What???? Seriously? That would have made it so much easier, we were in that gift shop several times during the trip!! (Yes, I love the Figment ride!) That's too funny, stay tuned for the rest of the saga!

 

[rndmr2]

Great update! We ate at WPE back in 2004 and DH had the Marguerita (Sp?) pizza and liked it, my BFF and I had the mac and cheese (YUMMY!!) since I can't pass up mac and cheese.... Recently, though, BBQ chicken pizzas have been appealing to me so maybe this is one I have to try (do you remember, did it have onions on it?)

 

[glennbo123]

I love the "Cookie Kwan" clip you included in the last chapter.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Great update! We ate at WPE back in 2004 and DH had the Marguerita (Sp?) pizza and liked it, my BFF and I had the mac and cheese (YUMMY!!) since I can't pass up mac and cheese.... Recently, though, BBQ chicken pizzas have been appealing to me so maybe this is one I have to try (do you remember, did it have onions on it?)

The mac & cheese did sound good! I am 97% positive that there were red onions on the pizza, there usually seem to be on BBQ chicken pizzas. (At least, the ones I've encountered!)

I love the "Cookie Kwan" clip you included in the last chapter.

Hahaha thanks! That and the entire monorail and "Itchy & Scratchy Land" episodes are our most quoted Simpsons bits while at Disney!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Deciding to mix it up from the monorail a bit, we chose to take the boat from the Poly to the MK, and then switch to the other boat launch for the Wilderness Lodge from there. We headed out to the dock, where a group of people were hanging out in the middle of the space. We queued up behind the rope, and a boat arrived soon after.

When the captain gave the go-ahead to get on-board, we told the other people that were waiting to go ahead, since they had been there first. They did, and when we stepped onto the boat after them, the captain told us that we “should have gone first, since we followed the line instructions.”

Queues: they’re there for a reason, people!

Oh, hey, I DID take a picture of the Poly Volcano pool!



(Not that you can really tell that it's the pool in that picture..)

Some more scenery from our trip:







When we docked at the MK, we headed over to the Wilderness Lodge/Fort Wilderness launch area.



We waited several minutes for a boat to arrive, and when one did, it pulled up at the Fort Wilderness dock. Several people got on board that one, but then the captain of that boat told the group of us waiting for the Wilderness Lodge boat to come on board too. I wasn’t sure of the layout of the “Wilderness” area, so this was a bit unexpected to us, but we boarded the boat with everyone else and were soon on our way!

As we neared the first dock, I was surprised at how remote the area seemed to be, even though it was still so close to the monorail loop and MK. The first stop ended up being Wilderness Lodge, and we got off onto the dock, choosing to just follow the crowd as to where to go next.





As some of you may remember from my PTR, we had been considering staying at Wilderness Lodge at one point, so I was super-curious to see how we liked the resort in person, rather than just pictures alone. Based on our somewhat lukewarm reaction to the Polynesian, I wondered if we were going to wish we had stayed at Wilderness Lodge instead, or if it would be too far from everything for our taste.

We walked up to the main (only?) building, and checked out the pretty waterfall and foliage. The resort certainly was beautiful, and I thought that the Pacific Northwest details were great.







We had arrived super-early for our Artist Point ADR, and so we wandered around the lobby.

MeMom's magic fountain:



(No, we did not make a wish there!)

I loved the rock striations in the fireplace.





We also checked out the gift shop, which had some cute merchandise unique to the resort (or possibly also the Canada pavilion in Epcot).

Overall, I thought that the Wilderness Lodge really was gorgeous and nice, if a bit dark (yes, I get it, Wilderness = trees = lots of dark wood), but never did feel that I wanted to actually stay at the resort. It seemed a bit too remote and nature-y, although it was a beautiful place to visit!

(Does that sound terrible to admit that I’m not running out to be surrounded by nature? I am definitely not someone that has any desire to go camping. Wingnut likes to say that my version of camping is staying at a hotel without room service )

Eventually, at 5 pm, we decided to see if the restaurant would be open, and if we could be seated early (we had a 5:30 ADR). Despite our enthusiasm, nope, Artist Point did not open until 5:30. We decided to wait at the nearby bar/lounge area.



(The bar had bad lighting for non-flash photography. Hence the over-over-processing!)

While we sat, a TV with the news was on, and I realized how much I didn’t like watching the news or hearing about the “real world” while we were on vacation. This was also our second-to-last night, and seeing somebody on TV besides Stacey was just another reminder that before we knew it, the ME bus would be arriving…

Sigh.

But at the moment, we were still at Disney, and it was almost 5:30 and time for our dinner at Artist Point. We hung out outside of the restaurant for a few more moments.

Our view:



(I want to guess I was taking a picture of the lamp there. I keep looking for a cute little bunny or something else in the photo. Maybe it was just of the trees!)

Our other view:



"Is it 5:30 yet? Now? Now???"

 

[glennbo123]

Jim Gaffigan would say you're "indoorsy". : laughing:

 

[MeMom]

MeMom's magic fountain:



(No, we did not make a wish there!)

Well, you know where it is when the time is right!

I loved the rock striations in the fireplace.

Did you see the display that tells about all the layers?


We love Wilderness Lodge, and since we do enjoy the nature-y atmosphere, we will stay there again someday. We also want to stay in a Fort Wilderness cabin one of these days. That would be a little different than just being at a normal Disney resort, I think. I don't know that we will ever tent camp, but we would enjoy a cabin.

I don't want to see real news, either, when I am on a Disney vacation.

 

[tinacaplan]

You don't love TSM??? The horror...just kidding! I'm in the you didn't miss much at Sci-Fi camp. I've made ADRs there for most of our trips and we always end up cancelling them. Love WPE, though. I really like it when something everyone raves about on the Dis really lives up to the hype and, in my opinion, WPE is one such place.

I think its Trend-y. Its a neat store and they have some cool stuff, but why would I pay sixty-five dollars for a t-shirt??? Oh, right...I wouldn't.

I'm with you on the Vinylmation thing. Do not get it. Oh well...more for everyone that does, I guess.

WL looks so pretty, but so not for me. I don't quite get the whole Pacific Northwest in Florida thing. It just seems out of place to me and not why I'm going to Florida, but I do want to check it out someday.

 

[Megablocks]

I love the boat pictures! So pretty!

I've never seen WL in person, just in pictures, so I can't say for sure whether or not I want to stay there, either. It does look gorgeous, though!

 

[shan23877]

I'm with you on the Wilderness Lodge thing, I'm not too outdoorsy myself.

That fireplace is pretty incredible though,and the theme is pretty (to visit for a few minutes).

 

[Pinkgirl]

More please

 

[marDgreen88]

I love seeing all photos from the boat ride!

I personally want to stay at all the Disney resorts someday! I'm not too outdoorsy either though, hahah. The resort sure looks beautiful, yet very rustic.

Yeah... the real world and Disney just DO NOT MIX. Ugh.

 

[Nermel9]

I love your pics from the boat! I love traveling by boat in Disney World!

My Lodge! It's so beautiful! I'm glad you liked it, even if you don't want to stay there! It's weird, I'm not nature-y or outdoors-y at all, and yet, that place feels like home to me!

Can't wait to hear about Artist Point!

 

[Charleston Princess]

I was a couple of updates behind, but I am all caught up now!

Sounds like a successful trip to DtD for the most part -- we've never bought anything in Tren-D, either, but it is fun to look in there.

Gorgeous pictures from the boat and around the Wilderness Lodge. I have played around with the idea of staying there before, but I am with you -- just not enough of a fan of nature to really want to.

Looking forward to hearing about your dinner at Artist Point!

 

[annmarieda]

I can't wait to read about your meal at AP!

Thank you for posting pics of WL. It was a nice place to stay. I am not sure I will go back... maybe.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Hahaha, I would say that's one time arriving early to a place would not work in your favor. I would be crawling out of my skin waiting for the restaurant to open. I can't wait to hear about it though. I've never been to Artist Point before.

 

[smile4stamps]

I LOVE TSM. I think its a fun interactive ride! That is weird that there was a sign that said bus to DtD. Very Strange! I believe there is transport between parks but not between parks and DtD as if there were people would park free at DtD and then bus to the parks.

Can't wait to hear about your dinner at Artist Point!