Almost a Grand Gathering, 10th anniversary Trip Report *updated 11/11:Epcot Day 2*

[My2Qtz0205]

Trip Report Day 4: AK 10/20/09
Once again, we made it to the park shortly after rope drop. It was a bit warmer today, so we could leave our coats at home!

As I was about to go through the turnstiles, I received a call on my cell phone. My family went ahead of me as I dealt with the call. I got everything squared away, and got ready to go through the turnstile, and I could not find my ticket! I had just had it in my hand before I answered my phone. I looked on the ground around me and behind me, and could not see it anywhere. The nice CM knew that the rest of my family had gone through, so she let me through the turnstile and directed me to Guest Services. I had made copies of my park tickets, but of course they were in my binder, which I left in the car. I was expecting a bit of a headache, but the CM at the desk was very nice, and just asked to see one of the other tickets I had bought along with my missing ticket. She then gave me a new ticket! Easy-peasy. Whew.

After we got the requisite PhotoPass pics done,

we headed for the big gift shop right after the bridge, on the corner before Camp Minnie-Mickey (I can’t find the name of this place anywhere—SORRY!) to order our Picnic in the Park. I had called Dining the night before to inquire about this, and the CM told me that reservations were not required, and then told me some sandwich choices. She got it half-right. There is also a choice for a 10-piece rotisserie chicken dinner, so that is what we ordered.
I knew that the general touring consensus for AK was to get FP for Expedition Everest first, but looking at my map, I knew it would be a 20 minute round trip from the safari, which I wanted to hit first. I decided we would just chance it. The park didn’t look that crowded.

We took some pics as we headed towards the safari, and then got right in line. The tips I had read stated that the animals were more active first thing in the morning, and right after a rainstorm. When we arrived, the wait was about 20 minutes, but it seemed to go a lot faster than that.
We had a fun truck driver, who was very enthusiastic about everything we were seeing:

The daddy giraffe walked right in front of our truck, then went to join the rest of his family.

This guy was verrry close to our truck!

By the time we came off of the safari, the kids were hungry, so we stopped at a kiosk and got a pretzel. Matt and Quade decided after this that they wanted to get their faces painted:

After that we walked on the Pagani Forest Exploration Trail,

These guys weren't actually on the trail, but outside of it. This man was a great sport! haha

And then into Asia for the Maharajah Jungle Trek.

After our Jungle Trek it was time to pick up our Picnic in the Park. We headed back to a covered seating area we had passed on our way to Asia, while Matt and his dad went back to Africa to pick up the food. We were all pleasantly surprised by the portions of our meal. We received way more chicken and sides than we could eat, plus desserts. The entire picnic meal came in a canvas tote bag that we got to keep. We could see these from our table:

Our bellies sufficiently filled, we headed back to Asia to check out the wait time for EE: 45 minutes. There were no Fast Passes left. We didn’t think that Quade could handle standing in line for 45 minutes, and with our experience in waiting on stand-by for BTMRR on our first day, we knew we would actually wait longer than that. So, once again, we put this on our to-do list for our next trip. We got these pics in front of it, though:

We passed Finding Nemo, which was due to start in 45 minutes. There were already people lining up! We bypassed that line to head into DinoLand. Excuse my personal opinion here—lame, lame, LAME! There are carnival-type games that costs $2.50 to play. I would have never given in to that, but we were travelling with grandparents, so I didn’t have to. They paid for Quade to play one game. I had to help him, and we still lost, but the very nice man beside us that did win gave Quade his prize. Disney magic! Now, there is only one ride here that little ones can ride—Triceratop Spin, which is just like Dumbo, except with triceratops. The seemingly “baby” rollercoaster, Primeval Whirl, has a height requirement of 48 inches. EE’s is only 44 inches! What is the reasoning behind that?! It is here that I made a very bad mommy decision. I knew Quade was over 44 inches, and when I saw the stick measuring 48 inches at Primeval Whirl, I thought maybe, just maybe, he might be tall enough. I grabbed him to measure him, and he came about two inches below the stick. He LOST it. It was ugly, and it was my fault. It took about 15 minutes to get him out of that funk, convince him to ride Triceratop Spin, and then head over to the Boneyard to play. By the time we finished that, it was hot, and we had missed Nemo.

I decided that we would head over to see Festival of the Lion King. Halfway there, DFil’s toes start bothering him, so he and DMil head back to the house. I felt sad for them, because I knew they would have enjoyed FotLK.

Continued in next post.

 

[My2Qtz0205]

When we arrived at Camp Minnie-Mickey, we were just in time for the show, and walked right in. We were about the fourth bleacher up on Simba’s side. Mom took pictures for me, since my video card was full:

We exited FotLK right onto the character trails. Since we were going to see the Fab Five at dinner on Thursday, I opted to skip their lines, but walked right up to Thumper. Camdyn loved him! Sorry, the pics are quite focused:

By this point, it was about 3:15, so we killed some time by walking the Discovery Island trails until it was time to find a spot for the parade. The music was pumping, so I couldn't help but dancing. Rafiki gave me a thumbs up.

After the parade, we had two options: walk back to Asia to see if the wait time for EE had decreased, or go ahead and leave the park. We opted to leave, as it was already 4:10. We had a hot date that night at California Grill at 7:10, and we wanted to look spiffy.

My overall impression of the park (I guess this would also count as Lessons Learned): It seems that you do a lot more walking to get from one part of the park to the other, and there is no other method of transportation beside your feet! DinoLand is a waste of space. Definitely FastPass EE first thing if you want to ride it. The Picnic in the Park was a great deal for the amount of food we got. Flametree Barbeque smelled sooo good, though! Put FotLK on your must-do list.


Next Chapter: Our anniversary dinner at California Grill. DH makes me a very happy woman, and he doesn’t even have to give me diamonds! (G-rated!)

 

[mom2shayleeandlogan]

Hi Very cute family! Seems like a great couple of days, can't wait to find out what happens at Cali Grill!

 

[praisehisname]

Your Epcot day sounded wonderful--eating and drinking around the World! I'm looking forward to that the most in our next trip. Your picnic at AK sounded yummy. Sorry you didn't get to ride Everest; it's awesome! We've never seen Festival of the Lion King, so we'll make sure to get that in.

Denise

 

[My2Qtz0205]

Hi Very cute family! Seems like a great couple of days, can't wait to find out what happens at Cali Grill!

I can't wait to write this part of the report! It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip!

Your Epcot day sounded wonderful--eating and drinking around the World! I'm looking forward to that the most in our next trip. Your picnic at AK sounded yummy. Sorry you didn't get to ride Everest; it's awesome! We've never seen Festival of the Lion King, so we'll make sure to get that in.

Denise

Definitely! It is a beautiful, well-done show. I would have videotaped it, but my batteries in my Flip were dead. I had bad luck with cameras this trip!

 

[My2Qtz0205]

Tonight was our big anniversary celebratory date night at California Grill. I was so excited. Matt and I both enjoy wine, and he really loves sushi. I knew this would be a great pick for us.

Our ADR was for 7:15. We checked in on the 2nd floor, and we were brought up in the “special” elevator with another couple and a few people there for a golf tournament. We received our buzzer, and waited around, not quite sure what to do. All of the tables and lounge area around the bar were full, so we just supported ourselves against a wall. I spotted an open table right next to the window, and I got really excited, hoping that table would be ours! It was not to be, though. The other couple that rode up the elevator with us got that table, and we got the table on the inside of theirs. Drat. I knew we should have gotten in front of them! No worries. We still had a good view of the castle and the Astro Orbiter. It was a MNSSHP night, so the castle was purple and green.

Our server was Billy, from Cleveland, OH. He told us that he was the wine expert for the restaurant, so he asked us what we like in a wine, then brought us each out wines that he thought would match our tastes. I got Conundrum, labeled on the menu as an “Interesting White.” Matt got the Mer Soleil, a Chardonnay. We were both pleased with his choices for us.

Billy was very knowledgeable about the menu, noting their signature dishes, but also raving about their sushi. Their sushi chef, Yoshi, is considered to be the #3 top sushi chef in the world, and the #1 female sushi chef. Billy told us that if he were to order dinner, he would have sushi as the first course, sushi as the second course, and then, if he was still hungry, sushi for dessert! Matt was pleased-as-punch to hear this. He decided on the Double Crunch Rainbow Roll, described on AllEars as gHiramasa, Salmon, Tuna, Tempura Crunch, and Tobiko. Matt said this was the best sushi he had ever eaten. He dipped his sushi in the soy/wasabi mixture once, but said it masked the taste too much. Not being a sushi lover myself, I asked him what was so great about that sushi. He said the combination of fish was perfect.

I had the Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli - with sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, shiitake mushrooms and basil - for my first course. When I was researching restaurants for our anniversary dinner, this dish really appealed to me. It is one of the California Grill’s signature dishes, one that has never been removed from their menu. You get one ravioli the size of a dessert plate. It was good, but very, very rich. The melted goat cheese almost clogged my throat. I am glad that I tried it, but next time I would try something else.

For his entrée, Matt got the Pan-roasted Florida Black Grouper Filet - with "Stir-fry" Vegetables, Sticky Rice, Ginger-Soy-Hijiki Broth.

I had the Crispy Chicken - with Heirloom Tomato-Herb Chevre Tart, Corn and Chorizo Succotash, Fava Puree, Sherry. This was delicious! You have a piece of white meat chicken, stacked on top of a piece of dark meat chicken. Under that was the tart. The chicken was good, but the tart, the succotash, and the fava puree really made the dish.

We had one of the servers take this pic of us as we were enjoying our main courses:

I told Matt that, under all circumstances, we needed to leave room for dessert! We decided to share a dessert, the "Trio of Temptation" (No Sugar Added) - Chocolate Cappuccino, Vanilla, and Mango Pot De Cremes. These were like little dishes of custard. They were all good, light and refreshing.

Billy also presented us with a complimentary slice of chocolate cake, with a rich chocolate ganache, and just a hint of raspberry.

It was also rich and creamy, but at this point we were definitely stuffed, so we chose to box that up and eat it later.

As we were finishing our desserts, the lights were dimmed, and HalloWishes began. I sipped on my decaf cappuccino as we watched. The music was piped in, and since the music had not been well broadcast in the park on our MNSSHP night, we were able to get the full effect this time. We enjoyed it much more here, surrounded by a lot of good food and wine, without children! Haha!

Notice that our ADR was for 7:15, and our meal wrapped up around 10pm. It is a very slow-paced meal. I had not eaten much that afternoon in preparation for our dinner, so having rich, delicious wine on an empty stomach made me very, umm, relaxed. LOL. I have no complaints, though. It was nice to sit back and enjoy a leisurely dinner, as our dinners at home are anything but leisurely. This was also the most expensive meal that Matt and I had ever enjoyed, but we agreed that it was totally worth it, and we would do it again!

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you the part where Matt makes me a very happy woman! Duh! While we were sitting back, happily buzzed on wine and eating our scrumptious food, we had a conversation that went something like this:

Matt: You know, when I hear adults rave on and on about Disney World, and they go there for vacation every year, and wear Disney clothing, I think there must be a part of their childhood they are trying to get back.
Me: (not quite sure where this is going) Um? Hmm.
Matt: But, being here, and experiencing it, I kind of understand now why this is such a special place to them.
Me: (sitting up straighter) What do you mean?
Matt: Well, I will always remember this, and always see our children as they were at 6 and 3.
Me: (big grin) What are you saying?
Matt: Well, I could definitely come back again when they are a little older. And maybe again for our 20th anniversary, just us.
Me: (about to jump out of my chair and hug him) You have made me so very happy!

I had told him before this night that I wanted to come back for Camdyn’s 7th birthday, but he always looked at me like 1) I was crazy, and 2) I was planning on giving Disney our life savings. Now that he was here, he was enjoying himself, and he was enjoying seeing his kids so happy and enchanted….I just wanted to give out a victory WHOOP! Ok, so he doesn’t want to come back EVERY year, but he has agreed to one, two, maybe even 3 more trips (we need to celebrate our 15th anniversary, too!)

Best. Night. Ever.

 

[mla1977]

Yay for the Disney magic working on DH! I wish DBF would get it.

 

[mom2shayleeandlogan]

Sounds like a great dinner at Cali Grill! It is always nice to not have to worry about eating with kids. I almost forget what it's like to not have to cut someones food up. Congrats on your anniversary.

 

[praisehisname]

What a fantastic dinner!!! And I love that Matt "gets" it now!

Denise

 

[My2Qtz0205]

Thanks! It was an amazing dinner.

I have been sick, so I haven't typed up our last two days at the parks yet. I hope to have a new update by Monday (have to wait for Matt to abandon his laptop! )

 

[My2Qtz0205]

Matt’s parents decided to take the day off from touring today, so we headed out with my mom today to do the Future World portion of Epcot. Once again, we got there just after rope drop, so we headed straight to Soarin’. Camdyn is too short for this ride, so Nanna took Camdyn over to the Nemo & Friends Pavilion while Quade, Matt, and I got in line for Soarin’. The stand-by time was only about 10-15 minutes. The interactive video game on the screen in the queue was fun. Our poor little bird was in 4th place.

We all enjoyed Soarin’, so we fastpassed it for later. We met up with Nanna and Camdyn again, and rode Living with the Land. This was a walk-on. Matt loves gardening, so I knew he would enjoy the greenhouse. Quade enjoyed seeing how fresh fruit and veggies are grown, also, since he is a little bit addicted to Farmville. LOL

Banana tree

Cinderella pumpkins

World's hottest peppers

Hidden Mickey!

We were all a little bit hungry by then, so we ate breakfast at Seasons. The kids got chocolate chip muffins, I got the kids’ French toast plate, and Matt got the Breakfast Platter. By the time we finished our meal, the line for Living with the Land was stretched across the pavilion. What on earth?!
We left the Land Pavilion and headed back to Nemo & Friends. We rode that with no wait, then headed into Turtle Talk with Crush. That was really cute. We walked around the pavilion for a bit.

Matt took Camdyn into MouseGears so Nanna, Quade, and I could use our fastpasses for Soarin’. I think Mom really enjoyed it, too.

We met Camdyn & Matt in MouseGears, and let Quade get his coveted Sleeping Beauty playset. He had his eyes on that since our first Epcot day. I think he liked Prince Phillip with the sword.

When we walked World Showcase on Monday, we decided that we would go back to Norway for lunch this day, so we headed there next. We saw Mariachi Cobre on the way.

We got the Ham & Apple sandwich from the Kringla Bakery, but I couldn’t resist trying the Blood Orange Custard, Chocolate Torte, and Worms in Dirt (for the kids) as well.

It was time for an afternoon break at this point, so we decided to FP Test Track on our way out. I just had to have this picture before we left, too:

We went back to the house for a swim, then headed back to Epcot at 5. Matt wanted to ride Spaceship Earth first, so we did that. Camdyn really enjoyed this. She seems to love the slow-moving train-like rides.

We went to Test Track next, and used our fastpasses and used Child Swap. It was at this point that I realized that I was evidently invisible today. I had been cut in front of when I was waiting to get into the turnstiles, and then when I was waiting for the CM to finish giving directions to another family, another family of five cut right in front of me while I was waiting to hand in my Child Swap card.

Anywhoo….when we finished with Test Track it was almost 7pm. We went straight to Club Cool so I could get the Beverly shot. I didn’t start with Beverly, though. We started with the Mexican apple soda.

The kids loved that. I got Matt’s Beverly shot,

but when I was getting ready to try it, Camdyn informed me that she had a potty emergency. We headed next door to Innovations West to use the bathroom, and by the time we came back, Club Cool was closed. Drat.

From here we headed to Journey into Imagination with Figment. The kids loved the exhibits after the ride. We just relaxed and let them hang out for a bit.

It was time for dinner, and Matt and I just had to revisit the Ice Wine at the Canada F&W kiosk.

The kids were kind of driving me crazy by this point, so Matt got in line for our Ice Wine while the kids ran around me. While he was in line, Camdyn fell down and scraped her knee. I was tending to her, so Matt put my Ice Wine on top of the stroller. By the time I got her back in the stroller, after a huge fight over Neosporin & band-aids, I had spilled my wine. My $6 smidgen of wine. Matt was not happy with me, and I wasn’t happy with anybody at this point, so I got back in line for a new glass. The guy at the cash register carded me, even though I hadn’t been carded all day on Monday, and of course I had to get out of line, walk back to my unhappy family, and scrounge in my park bag for my ID. I must confess that when I got back in line I was in a bit of a huff, and I forgot to order myself any food. I had my wine, though, so I sent Matt back to the kiosk to get me some soup, since I had not been very nice to the cashier that last time.

We had pretty much skipped the Canada area on our tour of the WS on Monday, so we perused it after everybody got their blood sugars up. We had some fun trying on silly hats, and I bought some maple fudge.

The kids still needed something else to eat, so we walked to Boulangerie Patisserie to get the ham & cheese croissants, and I got an iced cappuccino. That was gross! I took two sips and threw the entire thing in the trash.

I found Belle's window!

We headed back to the lagoon to find a spot for Illuminations. We found a pretty good spot on the bridge between France and England. It was here that Camdyn puked up her orange soda she had had in France. We made a very quick exit, stopping to let her puke one more time. So it was, as Illuminations was going off, that we were practically running out of the park. By the time we made it to the front of the park, Camdyn felt much better, even enough to take a picture on our way out.

Ah well, add Illuminations to our list of things to do next time.

Next (last?) installment: Our last day, and Quade's 7th birthday!

 

[praisehisname]

So sorry about Camdyn puking and missing Illuminations. She looked like she felt better in that last picture, though! I really like the new (compared to 2007) borders the Photo Pass has!