Big Apple, Boardwalk, and Beach - Bullies and Wrap-up (The End!) (pg 44)

[glennbo123]

Epcot afternoon


After our lunch at Le Chefs de France, our plan was just to continue around the World Showcase. As we got started, James expressed that he wanted to meet up with his friend (who just happened to be a girl ) for whom he had bought a bracelet a day earlier. (If you recall from a previous chapter.) He’d been texting her all week and he was exasperated that her family was never in the same park on the same day as we were. Today (our last day) they were in Hollywood Studios and here we were in Epcot. (Her family didn’t plan their parks out beforehand, can you imagine?!! ) Anyway, we let him go ahead, as long as it was okay with her parents, which it was. So, he walked over to Hollywood Studios, stopping at our suite on the way to make a sandwich to take for dinner. (I guess I neglected to remind him that his magic band had charging privileges! Oops.)



Down one kid, we continued on to the Moroccan pavilion. We just kind of browsed. Marlene bought a scarf.

I took a picture of the koi pond in Japan.

The torii. (Too bad we’re not playing the Judy game anymore, there’s a good one in this picture.)

The courtyard in Italy.

Marlene trying on a hat in Germany. I can almost hear the yodels now. And taste the Ricola.

This craftsman was working on an animal figurine at the African Outpost.

I had to visit my favorite smiling terracotta warrior guy in China.

Olaf made an appearance on Lauren’s head in Norway.

In Mexico, I peeked into La Cava del Tequila (aka. the Ditch), but just didn’t feel like waiting in line for anything. I know that some of you guys swear by it, but it will probably have to wait until an adults-only trip.

Starting back around the World Showcase again, we finally got our Cronut. It was worth the wait! Fried dough with sugar. Perfect.

Lauren and Marlene. I don’t remember why we were standing here, but I do believe we were getting pretty hot.

We went into the gift shop in Canada. I liked this shirt.

Marlene thought this was cute: “Bringing our Eh game”. I don’t know if this was soap or chocolate or a deck of cards, but does it really matter?

We stopped to listen to the British Invasion guys for a little bit. They were pretty good.

We saw a photopass photographer near the International Gateway and got a picture of the family (sans James) at the bridge.

After that, we headed back to the Boardwalk. Somewhere along the way, the girls went their own way and discovered this photo booth on the Boardwalk. I didn’t even know about it until we got back home and these beauties were included in our Photopass pictures.

It’s kind of cool that in your Memory Maker account they give them to you in the classic photo booth strip of photos format, but also the individual photos.

The new graduate, looking smart.

Her noggin full of learnin’.

Lauren was engaged at that point (now married), and so I put this overlay on the picture in case I needed a photo of her for the upcoming rehearsal dinner or some other occasion.

I liked this Goofy overlay, and the way it lined up, it looks like Lauren is trying to lick some of Goofy’s cotton candy.

Somehow, I was able to resist pulling these pictures out for any special occasions. Quite frankly, I’m not sure how I did it. Anyway, it was really fun to find these among the other Photopass pictures after we got home.



What can I say to wrap this chapter up? How about this: Hey, it might not have been all that exciting to read about in a trip report, but just meandering through the World Showcase is one very enjoyable way to spend an afternoon at Disney.





Up next: Via Napoli

 

[glennbo123]

Via Napoli



We only rested for a short while after we got back to our suite at the Boardwalk because we had an ADR to get to, at Via Napoli in the World Showcase. I guess when I made the reservations it didn’t seem like 5:45pm would be too early, but after our lunch at Chefs de France, and a cronut tasting mid-afternoon, we weren’t feeling all that hungry when it was time to leave for dinner. I had even tried calling the dining reservation line to see if I could get it moved out a little bit, but no luck. But really, when you’re on vacation is there such as thing as too much food? (Don’t answer that.) We’d just have to soldier-on. Soon, Lauren, Marlene, Judy and I were hoofing it through the World Showcase (James was still at Hollywood Studios).



Heading through Morocco on our way to the Italy pavilion.

I had wanted to try this place for quite a while. I mean, who doesn’t like a good pizza? Also, my Dis-friend, Andy, @afwdwfan, seems to go here just about every trip. However, I’m sure that Judy wasn’t really thrilled with this particular restaurant choice. Since she’s been eating gluten-free, it’s very seldom that we go to any Italian restaurants. With all of the pasta and dough-based menu items, they might as well call them “glutalian”. But I was sure that she’d be able to find something she could eat. And by “sure”, I mean that I was hoping with fingers crossed.



The Via Napoli building is in the back of the courtyard. I’m pretty sure that I had never even ventured into the Italy pavilion this far before.

We were seated in a dining area kind of off to the side. It left a little to be desired, in my opinion. It was kind of messy and lacked the ambiance of the main dining area.

In the weeks prior to our trip, I’d been helping a co-worker plan his trip to Disney. He was exasperated because it had started out as just him, his wife, and two daughters who would be going, but then morphed into something quite different. His original plan was that since his daughters were young, they could go before school let out, before the big crowds and the summer heat. But then his wife invited her parents, and then her parents invited her siblings, and they had to wait until summer vacation-time, plus they wanted to plan all of their meals and fastpasses together... You get the idea – the planning kind of got away from him. Anyway, I tell you that story in order to explain this next picture. Being the sympathetic guy that I am, after the waitstaff set up these tables for a large group near us, I took a picture and sent it to him, saying, “your table is ready!”

After we placed our order, I went to photograph the main dining area.

You can’t miss the brick ovens at Via Napoli.

The girls and I would split a pizza with prosciutto and melon.

Marlene gazing, and couldn’t wait to dig in. I think we must have been waiting for Judy’s order to arrive.

Judy got a caprese salad.

I think we each only had one slice, we were still so full from lunch. Afterwards, we boxed up the leftovers and headed back to the room. Walking back to our suite, Judy and I took a selfie on the Boardwalk.

We passed Dundy’s Sundries, a little gift shop in the Boardwalk resort, and I realized that I hadn’t taken any photos of it yet. Since I had photo-documented almost all of the rest of the resort, I had to get a couple of shots.

So what did I think of Via Napoli? In my opinion, it was just okay. The pizza was a step up from counter-service, but it didn’t blow me away. I wasn’t crazy about the melon that we got on our pizza, but that was probably a poor ordering decision on my part (I think the girls swayed me on that one). The prosciutto though, of course was a hit. (It’s basically bacon, so yeah.) Also, the menu was really limited for someone requiring gluten-free. While writing this chapter I asked Judy what she thought about the caprese salad and she said that it wasn’t memorable. (In a later chapter I’ll post a caprese salad photo from “Vine” at Hilton Head that’ll put this one to shame.) And the dining area overall didn’t have the ambience that I was expecting, for a table-service restaurant. I’m glad that I tried Via Napoli, but with so many other options in the World Showcase, I won’t feel bad about trying something different next time.





Up next: So many fireworks

 

[glennbo123]

So Many Fireworks



Judy started winding down for the evening but the rest of us were just getting started. So, while she watched some tv and started getting ready for bed, Lauren, Marlene, and I walked to Epcot to view IllumiNations. We found a decent spot from which to watch, near the American pavilion. While we were waiting for the fireworks to start, we hatched a plan to try to catch the Frozen fireworks at DHS too. The Epcot fireworks would start at 9pm, Frozen at 9:30. I probably should have started stretching, right then and there. On the plus side, my regular diet already had me covered as far as “carb loading”!



We got there early enough that I was able to take several pictures of Spaceship Earth as twilight transitioned into night.

The show began. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

I guess that part-way through I got a little distracted by the big torch near us.

Back to the show.

The moment the show ended, we started jogging through the crowd. We zigged and zagged around people and made our way from the American pavilion to the International Gateway. I had hoped that by some pixie-dust miracle there would be a boat loading there that would take us to DHS, but that was not to be. I don’t remember if there wasn’t one there or if there was one but it was full, but regardless, we made the decision to just keep jogging and go completely by foot. I think we made it to the Boardwalk before this out-of-shape trip reporter had to start taking some walk-breaks. Once I caught my breath, we’d pick up the pace again. I had to repeat that process a couple of times, but soon we were through the Boardwalk and on the path heading towards DHS.



continued in next post

 

[glennbo123]

continued from previous post



As we got closer to Disney Hollywood Studios we started to see fireworks in the sky and I got worried. But then we realized that they were the Fantasmic fireworks – we still had time. We got through the park entrance right around 9:30 and found a spot to stand in the midst of the crowd on Hollywood Boulevard. It seemed like once I stopped running, the sweating really kicked-in, in that Florida humidity. I was glad that the crowd wasn’t so thick that someone was pressed up against me – I would’ve felt bad if I accidentally slimed someone.



I texted James and found out that he’d gone to Fantasmic with his friend’s family. They had an unused ticket from the dinner package. We agreed to wait until after the fireworks to find each other.



Here we were on Hollywood Boulevard, ready for fireworks. We actually had a little time to spare!

Soon, Olaf appeared on a screen to start the show.

I usually don’t like things obstructing my fireworks, but when it’s Disney palm trees, I’ll make an exception.

So what makes the “Frozen” fireworks different from other fireworks? Snow! Snow showered down onto Hollywood Boulevard after the last firework burst. This was very cool.

Snow and Mickey at the Crossroads.

Right after the fireworks we met James and his friend’s family in Starbucks. We talked for a couple of minutes but then got kicked out as they were trying to close the store. As we walked toward the front of the park, the snow was still coming down on Hollywood Boulevard. I’d had enough walking (and/or jogging) and we opted to take the ferry back to the Boardwalk. Lauren got off at the Swan in order to walk to the Screen Door General Store to get some bride/groom ears for her upcoming wedding (the next summer).



Once back in the suite, James and I had some leftover Via Napoli pizza. Cold pizza hit the spot at that late hour. We’d had a big day, but the kids were still not ready to call it quits – they wanted to go night swimming. Without waking Judy, who was sound asleep in the master bedroom, we all got changed and made our way down to the pool by Community Hall. We came back to the suite near midnight. I worked on trip report notes and turned the lights out around 12:30. I think we’d squeezed just about every ounce that we could out of this last Disney day.





Up next: On to Hilton Head

 

[GoofyFan1515]

Some things never change.

o, he walked over to Hollywood Studios, stopping at our suite on the way to make a sandwich to take for dinner. (I guess I neglected to remind him that his magic band had charging privileges! Oops.)

I think i've had that very same oversight before.

The torii. (Too bad we’re not playing the Judy game anymore, there’s a good one in this picture.)

And like all good celebrities wearing a disguise and trying to blend in with the masses so her legions of fans won't notice her. ....

Olaf made an appearance on Lauren’s head in Norway.

Looks more like Goofy wearing an Olaf hat

The new graduate, looking smart.

More like. ...Can you believe they actually gave me a diploma?

Lauren was engaged at that point (now married), and so I put this overlay on the picture in case I needed a photo of her for the upcoming rehearsal dinner or some other occasion.

Judy got a caprese salad.

Since when did one leaf of something green (guessing spinach) qualify as a salad?

In my opinion, it was just okay. The pizza was a step up from counter-service, but it didn’t blow me away. I wasn’t crazy about the melon that we got on our pizza, but that was probably a poor ordering

Pat and I go there often and love it.....but maybe not if we had cantaloupe on our pizza! Need to give it a try with real pizza ingredients. We've always been in the main dining room so that might have helped also.

Soon, Olaf appeared on a screen to start the show.

Olaf? You mean they ditched that Star Wars thing already?

Snow showered down onto Hollywood Boulevard after the last firework burst. This was very cool.

Perfect conditions after a late night run

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

As we got started, James expressed that he wanted to meet up with his friend (who just happened to be a girl ) for whom he had bought a bracelet a day earlier.

(I guess I neglected to remind him that his magic band had charging privileges! Oops.)

Veteran move.

The torii. (Too bad we’re not playing the Judy game anymore, there’s a good one in this picture.)

Took me a while to see her!

I had to visit my favorite smiling terracotta warrior guy in China.

No one has ever been happier to march endlessly.

Starting back around the World Showcase again, we finally got our Cronut. It was worth the wait! Fried dough with sugar. Perfect.

So....good....

I don’t know if this was soap or chocolate or a deck of cards, but does it really matter?

No. No, it doesn't.

Lauren was engaged at that point (now married), and so I put this overlay on the picture in case I needed a photo of her for the upcoming rehearsal dinner or some other occasion.

You need to hold all of these for future reference.

Somehow, I was able to resist pulling these pictures out for any special occasions. Quite frankly, I’m not sure how I did it.

I'm...disappointed, actually.

We were seated in a dining area kind of off to the side. It left a little to be desired, in my opinion. It was kind of messy and lacked the ambiance of the main dining area.

Huh. Never been in that part of it before.

Anyway, I tell you that story in order to explain this next picture. Being the sympathetic guy that I am, after the waitstaff set up these tables for a large group near us, I took a picture and sent it to him, saying, “your table is ready!

So cruel. Of course, I love it.

The girls and I would split a pizza with prosciutto and melon.

Melon? I think I see the problem here.

So what did I think of Via Napoli? In my opinion, it was just okay.

Sorry it didn't wow you. I blame the melon.

We got there early enough that I was able to take several pictures of Spaceship Earth as twilight transitioned into night.

Nicely done.

I guess that part-way through I got a little distracted by the big torch near us.

I'm guessing that was during the endless spinning globe part.

I was glad that the crowd wasn’t so thick that someone was pressed up against me – I would’ve felt bad if I accidentally slimed someone.

Ew.

We actually had a little time to spare!

Nice job!

So what makes the “Frozen” fireworks different from other fireworks? Snow! Snow showered down onto Hollywood Boulevard after the last firework burst. This was very cool.

Cool! That's a neat effect.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Sounds like a great last day! And amazing that you managed to see 2 sets of fireworks.

I think Via Napoli is good pizza not amazing pizza if you live somewhere where you can get brick oven pizza. It probably didn't help that you guys weren't that hungry either.

 

[mustinjourney]

making it from epcot to DHS while fighting through the crowds in about 18 minutes is pretty impressive.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Sounds like a busy, long and satisfying last day! I had to do a double take. The kiddos in your Italy photo look like my old boss's kids. They also went in 2015. Then I realized the parents in the photo were not my boss, and their trip was in April. So I guess they are dopplegangers. LOL
I'm impressed that you were able to take in Illuminations and the DHS fireworks back to back! Good Work.

 

[natebenma]

Wow! That was quite a full day. No wonder it took 3 months to properly document it!

It has been ages since I have checked in on the Terra Cotta warriors. I didn't know much about them until going to the Seattle Science Museum last year. They had an IMAX movie, which was fascinating, and several of the actual warriors on display (for an extra fee that was apparently too expensive for our blood).

The photobooth pictures are hilarious. Definitely something to hold on to for the proper occasion. Or blackmail.

Sorry your meal at Via Napoli was underwhelming. Understandably so. I have been there once- it was a large group of friends, we were at that big table in the middle of the dining room and the experience was memorable mainly for those experiences.

YAY! Illuminations!

We found a decent spot from which to watch, near the American pavilion. While we were waiting for the fireworks to start, we hatched a plan to try to catch the Frozen fireworks at DHS too. The Epcot fireworks would start at 9pm, Frozen at 9:30.

WOW!!!

Especially impressive since you weren't even starting from the International Gateway, but from literally half-way around the world!





These are GORGEOUS!!!

I usually don’t like things obstructing my fireworks, but when it’s Disney palm trees, I’ll make an exception.

 

[GoofyFan1515]

I'm...disappointed, actually

Opportunity....lost.

But then all things considered likely Disaster....averted.

Melon? I think I see the problem here

 

[rdkeim]

I'm glad you haven't abandoned this TR! Still following along. What a packed last day! How fun to watch both firework shows. Looking forward to seeing what comes next!

 

[glennbo123]

Some things never change.

Top of page is top of mind.

I think i've had that very same oversight before.

We've probably saved a lot of money that way!

And like all good celebrities wearing a disguise and trying to blend in with the masses so her legions of fans won't notice her. ....

You've got it.

Looks more like Goofy wearing an Olaf hat

Well, good thing you're a Goofy fan.

More like. ...Can you believe they actually gave me a diploma?

Probably wouldn't have had these photos come to light beforehand.

Since when did one leaf of something green (guessing spinach) qualify as a salad?

It's actually a basil leaf, but I hear ya. Caprese salad is tomato, mozarella, basil leaves, and usually either olive oil or balsamic vinegar.

Pat and I go there often and love it.....but maybe not if we had cantaloupe on our pizza! Need to give it a try with real pizza ingredients. We've always been in the main dining room so that might have helped also.

Yeah, I got outvoted on the toppings 2 to 1, I'm sure that didn't help.

Olaf? You mean they ditched that Star Wars thing already?

Hey now.

Perfect conditions after a late night run

If only they would have adjusted the outside air temperature to match, I would've been all set.

 

[glennbo123]

Yes, get ready dad. How long until you're taking prom pictures?

Veteran move.

I'm a dad and a penny-pincher.

Took me a while to see her!

You're a little off your game.

No one has ever been happier to march endlessly.

True. The other warriors must hate him.

So....good....

Mm-hmm.

You need to hold all of these for future reference.

Oh yes, they're in safe-keeping.

I'm...disappointed, actually.

Maybe I'll find an opportunity to post them on the internet somewhere.

Huh. Never been in that part of it before.

Yeah, it's apparently where they put the undesirables. Kind of the Via Napoli Pit of Misery.

So cruel. Of course, I love it.

I couldn't resist.

Melon? I think I see the problem here.

Yeah, we chose...poorly.

Sorry it didn't wow you. I blame the melon.

That was probably a big part of it.

Nicely done.

Thank you.

I'm guessing that was during the endless spinning globe part.

I think you're right!

Ew.

I probably shouldn't have been surprised that no one was that close to me, huh?!

Nice job!

Exhausted and out of breath, but made it.

Cool! That's a neat effect.

It was!

 

[glennbo123]

Sounds like a great last day! And amazing that you managed to see 2 sets of fireworks.

It was a pretty good day! Yes, I think we’ll be bragging about that feat for some time.

I think Via Napoli is good pizza not amazing pizza if you live somewhere where you can get brick oven pizza. It probably didn't help that you guys weren't that hungry either.

I agree, and I was probably a little hard on them in my assessment. But I still think that I’d choose to go other places, with so many great options in the World Showcase.

making it from epcot to DHS while fighting through the crowds in about 18 minutes is pretty impressive.

Thank you mustinjourney. I think it was quite a feat! It’s times like that when you realize how out of shape you are!

Sounds like a busy, long and satisfying last day! I had to do a double take. The kiddos in your Italy photo look like my old boss's kids. They also went in 2015. Then I realized the parents in the photo were not my boss, and their trip was in April. So I guess they are dopplegangers. LOL

That’s wild! I know that stranger things have happened. I remember reading a story where a husband (or maybe wife) was looking at a picture of their spouse when they were a young child, taken at DisneyWorld. In the photo behind them, the other spouse was walking with their parents – they were there at the same time and were even in the photo!

I'm impressed that you were able to take in Illuminations and the DHS fireworks back to back! Good Work.

It wasn’t easy, but it’s something I’ll be able to tell my kids. Oh wait, my kids were there. Okay, it’s something my kids can tell me when I can’t remember anymore!

 

[glennbo123]

Wow! That was quite a full day. No wonder it took 3 months to properly document it!

Thank you for understanding Dee!

It has been ages since I have checked in on the Terra Cotta warriors. I didn't know much about them until going to the Seattle Science Museum last year. They had an IMAX movie, which was fascinating, and several of the actual warriors on display (for an extra fee that was apparently too expensive for our blood).

Very cool. Weren’t they discovered by some farmer, plowing his field? (Who probably wishes he’d just kept his mouth shut.)

The photobooth pictures are hilarious. Definitely something to hold on to for the proper occasion. Or blackmail.

They could come in handy!

Sorry your meal at Via Napoli was underwhelming. Understandably so. I have been there once- it was a large group of friends, we were at that big table in the middle of the dining room and the experience was memorable mainly for those experiences.

Yes, the company is the best part of any meal.

YAY! Illuminations!

Yes, sounds like it was my last time seeing it, too.

WOW!!!


Especially impressive since you weren't even starting from the International Gateway, but from literally half-way around the world!

Thanks! Yes, I probably shouldn’t have said that we hatched a “plan”. A “plan” would’ve been something like, “hey, let’s move over to like France or the UK to watch IllumiNations so that we’re closer to the exit”. What we did was more like set a goal, with not a whole lot of “plan”.

These are GORGEOUS!!!

Thank you so much!

Hey, I will probably dm you sometime to ask about coordinating fastpasses, I know you’re an expert at that.

Opportunity....lost.

But then all things considered likely Disaster....averted.

Exactly!

I'm glad you haven't abandoned this TR! Still following along.

Thanks for hanging in there with me.

What a packed last day! How fun to watch both firework shows. Looking forward to seeing what comes next!

It was great to catch both shows, and getting from one park to the other was an adventure in itself!

Great, thanks!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

That’s wild! I know that stranger things have happened. I remember reading a story where a husband (or maybe wife) was looking at a picture of their spouse when they were a young child, taken at DisneyWorld. In the photo behind them, the other spouse was walking with their parents – they were there at the same time and were even in the photo!


I think I remember hearing that story too. Pretty crazy.


It wasn’t easy, but it’s something I’ll be able to tell my kids. Oh wait, my kids were there. Okay, it’s something my kids can tell me when I can’t remember anymore!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I agree, and I was probably a little hard on them in my assessment. But I still think that I’d choose to go other places, with so many great options in the World Showcase.

that is really the problem! There are so many good choices! And if there a festival, you almost don't even need a sit down meal!

 

[Steppesister]

Been a bit scarce on the DIS these days with a heavy workload and some other stuff going on, but I am still reading and enjoying your great photos and TR. I enjoyed VN, but not enough to go back to before trying other places. And yes, I think I'd have been disappointed in the side room too.

You made serious tracks that day!! I'm impressed! And then capping it off with a late night swim- perfect!

Glad you caught Illuminations one last time. Not my favorite, but I know you guys enjoyed it.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Glad to see this is still going. You definitely get the perseverance award for a three year old trip that we are all still interested in hearing about.

We also had a so so meal at Via Napoli a few years ago and haven’t been back. We love Tangerine Cafe and Les Halles and tend to eat in one of those two places.

Loved the Frozen fireworks pics. Somehow we never saw those, but I think I have seen the Star Wars fireworks at least 8 times. Also good to see some more Boardwalk pics as we are headed back there next month after a 13 month absence.

Can’t wait to read about HHI