Anyone Game? 2 Castles and a Road Trip TR! Last Day and TR Wrap Up! #2796; 10/01

[rentayenta]

I'm really not following you Pam, just catching up in the same order.



Okay, this meal looks incredible. It has never occurred to me to dine here. I have been to the Brown Derby as a child with my family. This is on my list for sure. The grapefruit cake sounds right up my alley.

 

[ACDSNY]

I'm glad I just finished my dinner before catching up on your TR or I would have been licking the screen. The HBD looks so yummy. I've only been there one time and there was a large group of 30+ adults and kids that were so loud no one else was able to enjoy their meal and most people left.

 

[Pinkocto]

I'm really not following you Pam, just catching up in the same order.

I saw your name on all the ones I just posted and figured you had a similar block of space to catch up on here. It takes a long time sometimes!

 

[scottny]

WOW! That Mother’s Day table and feast looked wonderful.
You did get good seats.
Great photos of the LMA.
LOL. Great RNRC pic. I like it.
Glad he got his band back.
Great pics of B&TB.
Sorry to hear of the elevator incident you had. I think I would be walking stairs from now.
That food from the Derby looked good.
Caught up again.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I am all caught up again. Looks like you had a very busy day. The dinner looks delicious and I loved the photos of your High Tea as well.

Corinna

 

[PrincessInOz]

That is most definitely Illeana Douglas in RnRC. I think she's great also, though I admit I can't think specifically what I think of her from. Probably the very short-lived Jay Mohr TV Show "Action".

Those Brown Derby pix do look good. We haven't dined there since the turn of the century. (Sorry, I love using that phrase when I get the chance.)

You haven't dined at BD since the turn of the century????


Why......why......that's......





......positively medieval!



Illeana Douglas is great, isn't she?

The Fantasmic package and BD look great! Wow those dishes how do you pick! The duck looks amazing and oh my those desserts! What heaven. Yes I agree hard to believe it shut down but pleased one is alive and well in DHS!

We really enjoyed our food at BD. I did have a relatively easy time choosing. In each of the courses, there was one dish that I absolutely loved. If it weren't for that, yes...it would have been hard picking.

Ahh the food looks DELICIOUS! In my next update, we were supposed to go to the HBD, but went somewhere else.

That's too funny about the grapefruit cake. I had never heard that story before but I bet people would believe it....like me

I caught up on your update.

Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction.

The meal looked fabulous! I've never eaten there.

There are so many restaurants at WDW that it's really hard to eat at them all. Maybe you'll get there on your next trip.

O.M.G. That food! I'm so glad someone ordered the strawberries and champagne cheesecake so I could drool over it.

And I agree, DS made a very grown up choice with the duck!

Did you eat before you checked this thread?

The food was very good here. When you get to WDW, it might be one restaurant to add to your ADR list.

Wow, what an amazing dinner. Loved all the history about the restaurant.

It was a great dinner.

Thanks Pam.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I'm really not following you Pam, just catching up in the same order.


Okay, this meal looks incredible. It has never occurred to me to dine here. I have been to the Brown Derby as a child with my family. This is on my list for sure. The grapefruit cake sounds right up my alley.

Great. I'll look forward to seeing your update when you do make it here. I almost had dessert envy with the grapefruit cake. *Almost*. But I think that creme brulee was a better choice for me.

I'm glad I just finished my dinner before catching up on your TR or I would have been licking the screen. The HBD looks so yummy. I've only been there one time and there was a large group of 30+ adults and kids that were so loud no one else was able to enjoy their meal and most people left.

You'll have to re-do the HBD next time you're at WDW. Sorry that you had a noisy time in there.

WOW! That Mother’s Day table and feast looked wonderful.
You did get good seats.
Great photos of the LMA.
LOL. Great RNRC pic. I like it.
Glad he got his band back.
Great pics of B&TB.
Sorry to hear of the elevator incident you had. I think I would be walking stairs from now.
That food from the Derby looked good.
Caught up again.

Thanks Scott. Nice to see you all caught up again.

I am all caught up again. Looks like you had a very busy day. The dinner looks delicious and I loved the photos of your High Tea as well.

Corinna

Welcome back Corinna. Looking forward to reading all about your trip.

Thanks.

 

[zanzibar138]

Did you eat before you checked this thread?

The food was very good here. When you get to WDW, it might be one restaurant to add to your ADR list.

Yes I definitely think so! If there is a dessert in this world called strawberries and champagne cheescake, I definitely need to eat it

I was eating boring high fibre cereal when I read your update

 

[PrincessInOz]

Yes I definitely think so! If there is a dessert in this world called strawberries and champagne cheescake, I definitely need to eat it

I was eating boring high fibre cereal when I read your update

At least you were eating something.

 

[skier_pete]

You haven't dined at BD since the turn of the century????


Why......why......that's......





......positively medieval!

You know what...you are right. We have one of our best Disney stories from the Brown Derby (it revolves around that horrible grapefruit cake) in 1997, and though we very much enjoyed the meal, we haven't been back since. Your meal looks so wonderful, I just logged on and made a reservation for the last day of our trip in October for lunch. We plan on our last day at DHS, as we have a 7 PM flight, and shouldn't need a lot of time in the park to do what we want to do. (Main goals: Ride TSMM twice and get DW on RnRC.) I don't know that we will order something as decadent as rack of lamb, but with the generally awful selections in DHS, I would think I might be able to convince DW that a Cobb Salad would be a good ending to a weekend of food and wine.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Just caught up.

Wow, that whole meal looks fabulous. If and when I go back to WDW, I'm splashing out and eating at Brown Derby.

Well done finding the lost magic band. Clever thinking tracking it with your photos.

I love the close up photopass pic of you and your family. The one where DS has the green hat on. It's one of my favourites so far.

Lastly, I so admire your husband's willpower when it comes to healthy meals. Does he love the taste of all those salads and vege snacks, or is he just one of those fortunate people who doesn't drool over food and finds it easy to walk away from the unhealthy stuff.

 

[PrincessInOz]

You know what...you are right. We have one of our best Disney stories from the Brown Derby (it revolves around that horrible grapefruit cake) in 1997, and though we very much enjoyed the meal, we haven't been back since. Your meal looks so wonderful, I just logged on and made a reservation for the last day of our trip in October for lunch. We plan on our last day at DHS, as we have a 7 PM flight, and shouldn't need a lot of time in the park to do what we want to do. (Main goals: Ride TSMM twice and get DW on RnRC.) I don't know that we will order something as decadent as rack of lamb, but with the generally awful selections in DHS, I would think I might be able to convince DW that a Cobb Salad would be a good ending to a weekend of food and wine.

You booked BD? Congratulations.

I hope you'll share that story from 1997 when you write about your meal there in your TR. That sounds like you'll have a great day at DHS. Hope you get on the rides you want.

Just caught up.

Wow, that whole meal looks fabulous. If and when I go back to WDW, I'm splashing out and eating at Brown Derby.

Well done finding the lost magic band. Clever thinking tracking it with your photos.

I love the close up photopass pic of you and your family. The one where DS has the green hat on. It's one of my favourites so far.

Lastly, I so admire your husband's willpower when it comes to healthy meals. Does he love the taste of all those salads and vege snacks, or is he just one of those fortunate people who doesn't drool over food and finds it easy to walk away from the unhealthy stuff.

DH has been having problems with his digestive system. He eats the healthy meals because if he has too much of the other things, it upsets his stomach. So, he's learnt over the years to stick to things that will not give him any issues. Besides, he IS one of those people that don't drool over food.

 

[ACDSNY]

You'll have to re-do the HBD next time you're at WDW. Sorry that you had a noisy time in there.

Besides, he IS one of those people that don't drool over food.

I have one of those too that doesn't drool over food, it's just not fair.

 

[franandaj]

Wow that meal looks even better through your eyes than mine! It was really good and I always love that Cobb Salad, it is one of my most favorite things when we go there!

I don't know that we will order something as decadent as rack of lamb, but with the generally awful selections in DHS, I would think I might be able to convince DW that a Cobb Salad would be a good ending to a weekend of food and wine.

You definitely should convince her that the Cobb salad is good, and would be perfect, I love it and it's one of my most favorite entrees if the restaurant can actually prepare it properly. It's like breakfast and salad all rolled into one.

 

[skier_pete]

You booked BD? Congratulations.

I hope you'll share that story from 1997 when you write about your meal there in your TR. That sounds like you'll have a great day at DHS. Hope you get on the rides you want.

I can share the story right now. We'd eaten dinner and were trying to decide on dessert. Neither of us like the flavor of grapefruit, but the waiter convinced us how good it was, and that it only had a "light citrusy taste"

Well, the grapefruit cake comes out, and it has CHUNKS of grapefruit in it and it taste just like - well grapefruit.

I say to DW that we can't even send it back because what are we going to say: "I can't eat this! It tastes like grapefruit!"

And then we started cracking each other up coming up with all these things you could order that would seem ridiculous to complain about.

"This apple pie is terrible, it's full of apples!"
"No one told me there would be chocolate chips in the chocolate chip cookies!"

We were laughing so hard our waiter even stopped by the table to see if something was wrong. For years we couldn't tell the story without cracking up in hysterics. Now it just brings a smile to our face. When I texted DW that I had made the reservation based on your TR, her response was "Not the Grapefruit Cake!"

Needless to say, one menu item we won't be ordering.

Actually, I went back to our "journal" from the trip. (Yes, we wrote by hand notes even before the DIS boards.) It was actually our 2nd trip in October 2000 that we went there, though that is still pre-turn of the century, so my joke still applies. It was also October 19th, so we will be going there 15 years later almost to the day.

You definitely should convince her that the Cobb salad is good, and would be perfect, I love it and it's one of my most favorite entrees if the restaurant can actually prepare it properly. It's like breakfast and salad all rolled into one.

We were talking about the Cobb salad last night. DW loves salads, but when we were looking over it she saw it has Blue Cheese, and she hates Blue Cheese, so she will likely ask them to hold or substitute that. We're both pretty sure after 3 days of bad eating, we will be ready for a salad!

 

[PrincessInOz]

I have one of those too that doesn't drool over food, it's just not fair.

No, not fair at all.

Wow that meal looks even better through your eyes than mine! It was really good and I always love that Cobb Salad, it is one of my most favorite things when we go there!



You definitely should convince her that the Cobb salad is good, and would be perfect, I love it and it's one of my most favorite entrees if the restaurant can actually prepare it properly. It's like breakfast and salad all rolled into one.

In the wash-up, that BD dinner exceeded my expectations. But then I'm pretty biased where dining at DHS is concerned. I usually expect a very low base where food is concerned at this park. And I'd always wondered if the raves at BD were because there was very little else to eat at in DHS. Well....it might well have been the case with me but that steak was perfectly done to my tastes and the brulee was smooth and creamy with an acceptable crack to the sugar layer.

I can share the story right now. We'd eaten dinner and were trying to decide on dessert. Neither of us like the flavor of grapefruit, but the waiter convinced us how good it was, and that it only had a "light citrusy taste"

Well, the grapefruit cake comes out, and it has CHUNKS of grapefruit in it and it taste just like - well grapefruit.

I say to DW that we can't even send it back because what are we going to say: "I can't eat this! It tastes like grapefruit!"

And then we started cracking each other up coming up with all these things you could order that would seem ridiculous to complain about.

"This apple pie is terrible, it's full of apples!"
"No one told me there would be chocolate chips in the chocolate chip cookies!"

We were laughing so hard our waiter even stopped by the table to see if something was wrong. For years we couldn't tell the story without cracking up in hysterics. Now it just brings a smile to our face. When I texted DW that I had made the reservation based on your TR, her response was "Not the Grapefruit Cake!"

Needless to say, one menu item we won't be ordering.

Actually, I went back to our "journal" from the trip. (Yes, we wrote by hand notes even before the DIS boards.) It was actually our 2nd trip in October 2000 that we went there, though that is still pre-turn of the century, so my joke still applies. It was also October 19th, so we will be going there 15 years later almost to the day.



We were talking about the Cobb salad last night. DW loves salads, but when we were looking over it she saw it has Blue Cheese, and she hates Blue Cheese, so she will likely ask them to hold or substitute that. We're both pretty sure after 3 days of bad eating, we will be ready for a salad!

Wow! Fancy that! I wonder if that CM ever knew that if you named something "Grapefruit" cake that you would expect that it would taste like grapefruit?


Did you tell him? More importantly....did he come round and ask what you thought of the grapefruit cake?


I'll look forward to your TR on BD and I'll hope you'll enjoy the re-do.

 

[PrincessInOz]

The Great (non Universal) Movie Montage



After dinner, it was time to split up for a bit. Fran and Alison had a FP+ to redeem at TSMM and we decided that there was time to get on the Great Movie Ride. I did mention that I was a fan of the Golden Age of MGM earlier, didn't I? DH and DS had not yet experienced this attraction but I got on it with DisneyFirefly in 2010.



As attractions go, it's probably a good one to get on in the heat of the day when you’re ready for a little rest. It easily kills about 20 - 30 minutes of time and once you head in, it's all air conditioned and cool.



I stole these next three shots from DH's collection. I seemed to have missed taking any of the queue area.







I think this is the inside courtyard that is a replica of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.






Thank goodness DH was on hand to capture some of the details. Perhaps I was in a food coma at this time.







By the time we boarded the tram cars, I surfaced enough to focus on flashing lights. It was a little psychadelic trip.






Okay. It was a complete trip into movie magic!


For those interested, I was shooting with the 50 mm, f/1.8 lens in here. It's way too tight for this ride. You really need a wider angle than this.

Especially when trying to capture the Busby Berkeley scene.







But it really is supposed to be about the photographer and them knowing how to use their equipment. So, I made the best of the situation.

Photobabble time. Most of the pictures here would have been taken with an ISO setting of 1600 or 3200, f/4.5 and various shutter speeds to get the right exposure. I will admit to being surprised at my aperture setting when I checked my files as I would have thought I may have used a wider setting especially given that the lens I had on was capable of being set to f/1.8. I must have been in a food coma that day because I really should have set my aperture setting to about f/2.8 or so.
Anyway....the salient point of this is that assuming that your camera isn't too noisy at the ISO levels listed, most of the kit lenses would have been capable of shooting in here. So, I would recommend that the next time you go in this ride, just pull your camera out and see how you go.

Let's just move on with this ride, shall we?



Arguably one of the best musicals ever made! But don't ask me to pick between Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. That would be like asking me to pick between Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse.







Practically Perfect in Every Way.







I know that silhouette!






Chim-chimeny!







Why that dirty, no good, yellow-bellied stool.







You know....I'm not sure I've ever seen the 1931 version of Public Enemy from end to end.







The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.....all in the one facsimile. Although, I personally think it should be the Handsome.








I'm definitely having a love affair with Indy today!







Why'd it have to be snakes?







A number of us photographers were having an interesting one-line discussion about this Tarzan scene. Turns out we think that the lighting is awful here and it's hard to get a decent shot of Jane! If anyone has a decent shot, please share your details. I'd love to know what you used.







You're supposed to be looking at her, kid.







No mistaking who this is!








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[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)



Munchkinland time!







Complete with munchkins.




















And a very life-like Wicket Witch of the West animatronic.







I'll get you my pretty! Easily the best animatronic I've ever seen.







Follow the yellow brick road.







Don't forget your friends!







There is a Grand Finale. A wonderful montage of the most amazing film scenes.







But despite all the wonderful montage of pictures and displays, there is one thing you won't find in this Great Movie Ride.



Universal!







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[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)



Fantasmic! Comparisons are Unavoidable




By the time we got out of the Great Movie Ride, the time was just about right for us to go claim a seat as a reward for all that eating we'd done.







The benefit of eating at BD on the Fantasmic! Dining Package is that you get that VIP seating in that purpose built Fantasmic! theatre. Whether the allocated seating section is better than walk-in is debatable. But I was pretty happy with our position.

We'd gotten in and scored us some seats in that second from the right side. Crowds to the right.....







Crowds to the left. With so many people here, I was a little disappointed. No one was inclined to do the Mexican Wave with me.







My main squeeze was happy to go with the flow and follow my lead.







Despite doing all sorts of things to "gee" up the crowd, no sale.








He even tried a Flash Dance.







It was very flash! Tough crowd. No one wanted to do the Mexican Wave tonight.







Photobabble time. Those of you that have been with me from the start will remember that we had seen the DLR version of Fantasmic! earlier in the trip. I shot that show with the 17 - 55 mm lens. For this show, I was shooting with the 70 - 200 mm lens, the telezoom.







There's been some debate on the internet as to whether you're best shooting this show with the wider zoom or the telezoom lens.







I won't be a shrinking violet on this one.







I'm happy to hold my head and neck up tall for this debate.







Absolutely no monkeying around for me.







I'll jump right into it, shall I?







I much prefer to shoot this show with the telezoom.







I definitely prefer to get right up close to the images for this show. But if you don't have the lens, I wouldn't run out to get it unless you really really want to. I think that the pictures I took of Fantasmic! at DLR are pretty good too. It's just a matter of preference.










Then there is the other debate as to whether the DLR version or the WDW version is better. Lots of people mill around on this one.







I won't be swinging around on this view either.








You can definitely paddle up the creek with this one too.








My telezoom tells me the truth. The WDW looks the part; but the DLR version is far more authentic. Afterall, the DLR version is set right around the Rivers of America and it just looks right. None of this pretend dress-up stuff.







Some of you may be up in arms about my personal viewpoint.







And you may well want me burnt at the stake.








But it's another one of those views that I'll stand up in the DISspotlight.






This whole sequence is just wrong to me.







I really do think it's a poor man's version of a fight.







But really!!! Where is the Pirate fight on the SS Columbia????

The DLR version wins hands down in this case.




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[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


Where this sequence is concerned, there's not any real character difference. Both WDW and DLR will have barge-fuls of princes and princesses.














I love this part of the show in both versions.













The colour and motion really are wonderful irrespective of which park you see this in.














And when that old wickedness Nightmare section starts....







....it's equally as engrossing.







There's definitely no black and white in this section here.







It doesn't matter if you look at this from a fresh......







....or old perspective.







Even if the snake turns up in the nightmare sequence at WDW compared to turning up in the jungle scene at DLR.







Whether it's Kaa or Jafar.....







The eyes shine a light on the truth. It doesn't really matter much. The point is that there is a snake in both versions of the show.







Beyond a Mickey shadow of a doubt!








First lamp prize all round for the snakes at DLR and WDW.







I really do love the Villians.






They are just such a fun crowd.







Afterall, anyone capable of transfiguration is trumps in my book!







However, I will say that I prefer the dragon and the dragon scene at DLR.








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