Don't touch that! I need a picture first! TR - **NEW 04/17 PTR IS UP

[englishrose47]

Well tomorrow I will be shopping again !!I'm hoping for some more good sales this week too!!!!

 

[jenbear123]

Well tomorrow I will be shopping again !!I'm hoping for some more good sales this week too!!!!

It's times like this that I wish I lived closer to the states!! Would love to see a post on your bounty that you got!

 

[YukiPhnx]

It's times like this that I wish I lived closer to the states!! Would love to see a post on your bounty that you got!

I know the Eaton's Centre had tons of stores that held Black Friday sales too!

But we have our boxing day! I really love boxing week shopping, it's the best.

 

[jenbear123]

On our way back, we quenched our thirst on a variety of Coca Cola products from around the world.

It was very busy in there. Seems like the word as got out about this place. I wouldn't be surprised if Disney started charging for these samples.

My favorite flavor is Beverly. Ha! Just seeing if you were paying attention. No, actually my flavor of choice is Vegeta Beta from Japan. Bubba likes the Smart Watermelon from China.

We checked in at the tour desk right beside Soarin'. We were still 15 minutes early, like they told us to be, so we took a seat over by the washrooms. I spent the next 15 minutes trying to get my name tag to stick properly on my shirt. I hate those sticker things. My hair always gets stuck to it and it hurts! Right at 11:30am, our tour guide (can't remember her name now) came out to gather everyone together. She must have been new because she was super bubbly and almost hyper about the whole experience. We were a group of about 10, which was bigger than what I expected.

The tour started with an introduction of everyone. There were people from all over the states and one lady from Montreal! There was a little boy who said he was missing school for a trip to Disney so he had to do something educational. He was so adorable. Moving on....

To start, we were taking out behind Soarin' to where we could look into a lab. It looked like this area used to be used for other things as there was a television up on the wall but had seen better days. I wish I took notes because I can't remember what this lab was used for. Probably lots of plant research. Then we went into another small room through a backstage entrance. There were about 6 containers that contained different types of insects. We watched a video explaining how insects are used to control the bad insects. It was really neat! The good insect actually lays it's eggs into the larvae of the bad insect. When the good insect hatches, it eats the insides of the larvae. It was like watching another Aliens movie. Creepy! One of the good insects in the insect family are ladybugs. Our tour guide went into a fridge and pulled out 2 containers of dormant ladybugs. They go dormant in cold climates. In order to wake them up, she got some volunteers to hold the containers so they warm up. The plan was to empty these good insects onto some of the plants in the greenhouse to control the bad pest population.

Onward we went into the greenhouse.

The only thing we were not allowed to do on this tour was touch the plants and the sand. Why? Apparently there are little microscopic bugs that can be carried on our hands and bottom of our shoes. They are no harm to us but will stick onto us until they come in contact with the sand or the plants. These bugs then end up eating away all the nutrients that keep the plants alive. I found it creepy knowing these little bugs could be hitching a ride around on me! Our tour guide talked more in depth about hydroponics and how it worked. We were able to see down inside where the roots were sprayed with the nutrient rich water.

We even learned how to make our own hydroponic contraption at home

By this point, we were getting hungry so when our tour guide told us we were going to try a sample of cucumbers, we were like ravenous dogs! The cucumber was nice and fresh but didn't taste much different than those you can buy in the store.

For some vegetables, these molds are used to shape the vegetable into a mickey head. I wish they sold these in the stores!

Our tour guide turned our attention back to the ladybugs that were now wide awake inside the containers. Those that had volunteered were now told to empty the ladybugs out onto some plants.

Live long, and prosper ladybugs.

The group made our way around the whole greenhouse (well except the side across the river) until we came to the alligators. Apparently those critters are friendly and our tour guide claims they like to be held. Not sure is she was being sarcastic or not...

There were two Hidden Mickeys here, both of which I've never noticed before! The one with the hose I swear you could only see if you go on this tour.

When we reached the fish tank, cups of fish food was given to everyone to throw into the pool. It was a feeding frenzy! I doubt even half of those fish in there get a piece of food.

Our last stop was a test to one of our senses: smell. There was a variety of plants/herbs that weren't labelled and we had to guess what they were. All of the scents were labelled in their plant form around us. We just had to match them up. Bubba was sure of one scent which was the licorice root. We used to buy these raw licorice roots all the time when we went to Pioneer Village near where we live. It's a bit ironic since Bubba doesn't like black licorice anymore!

A nice close up of bananas only because it reminded me of when I went to Costa Rica. These bananas were growing everywhere!

Overall, we really enjoyed the Behind the Seeds tour. It's very informative and educational. It's also the cheapest tour Disney offers. If you have a green thumb, this is the tour for you. It made me want to go out and plant a tree!

Coming up next...

"Uh Jen, I can feel a blister forming on the bottom of my foot!"
Lunch at Via Napoli
"Don't touch that, I need a picture first!" - This is coming, I swear!

 

[Flossbolna]

Thanks for the Behind the Seeds tour review! I have wanted to do this for quite some time and it really sounds interesting.

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

Hey Jen! I wanted to let you know I'm joining in! I'm going to read and compare our trips that were at the same time!!

 

[YukiPhnx]

Wow, this was a really good update! Really makes me want to go on it. I'll have to add it to my list.

Did they let you hold the alligators? I would've asked to...they look so cute!!!

You live near Black Creek Pioneer Village???

 

[jenbear123]

Thanks for the Behind the Seeds tour review! I have wanted to do this for quite some time and it really sounds interesting.

It is! I read your Wild by Design tour review. It also sounds really neat!

Hey Jen! I wanted to let you know I'm joining in! I'm going to read and compare our trips that were at the same time!!

yay! Before I left I could only find one other DISer who was going at the same time. Too bad I didn't know you were going before hand!

Wow, this was a really good update! Really makes me want to go on it. I'll have to add it to my list.

Did they let you hold the alligators? I would've asked to...they look so cute!!!

You live near Black Creek Pioneer Village???

Definitely give it a try. The only downside is that they don't give you a pin, which is probably why the cost is so low. They didn't let us hold the alligators but they might have been hungry....

I don't live close to Black Creek Pioneer Village but used to go there ALL the time for school trips or as a family. We don't go there much anymore because of the area it's in. It's not the nicest of neighbourhoods anymore unless you're inside YorkU of course.

 

[YukiPhnx]

I don't live close to Black Creek Pioneer Village but used to go there ALL the time for school trips or as a family. We don't go there much anymore because of the area it's in. It's not the nicest of neighbourhoods anymore unless you're inside YorkU of course.

Yeah...that neighbourhood has really degraded....My baby brother is in the Schulich business program at York!

I've only been to Black Creek once, on a school trip. I had no idea it was so close! I really want to go back for a visit

 

[jenbear123]

Yeah...that neighbourhood has really degraded....My baby brother is in the Schulich business program at York!

I've only been to Black Creek once, on a school trip. I had no idea it was so close! I really want to go back for a visit

I didn't realize either! It always felt so far away from my elementary school. I guess everything feels longer when you're younger. It would be neat to go back. Maybe in the spring. Too cold to go in the winter!!!

 

[glennbo123]

Thanks for the Behind the Scenes tour of the Behind the Seeds tour Jenbear!

 

[jenbear123]

It was 12:35pm when the tour ended. Our ADR at Via Napoli was at 12:45pm. We had to get our butts in gear if we were going to make it all the way to Italy! Maybe I didn't factor in the walk it would take to get to Italy from The Land when I booked our ADR....

We speedly said thank you and goodbye to our tour guide and started our brisk walk to Italy. This brought back our speed walkin' holly jolly holiday trip where we had to speed walk everywhere we went. Oh, the memories....

About half way there, Bubba started to feel the burn from how fast we were walking. She was wearing her favourite flip-flops, which never gave her foot problems. But right then and there, it happened.

"Uh, Jen. I think there's a blister forming on the bottom of my foot."

Uh oh. This means bad news in the world of WDW touring. I kept saying we could slow down but she was adamate we kept going at that pace. Can't say I didn't offer. In record breaking time, we arrived at the newest addition to the Italy pavilion, Via Napoli!

If you had joined me on my PTR, you will know how much I was looking forward to this. Disney finally made the attempt to recreate REAL pizza from where it came from in Naples, Italy. Two years ago, I was sitting in an authentic Naples pizzeria enjoying the real thing. I was anxious to try Disney's take on it. Would it live up to my expectations?

We barged through the doors with a bit more eagerness than was needed. The check-in area was empty and the restaurant itself wasn't very busy either. At least we were on time! The CMs probably thought we were kinda strange as we huffed and puffed up to check in. We waited maybe 5 minutes until we got a table for two on the right hand side of the restaurant, right beside a window.

As you might have heard, Via Napoli also has these larger tables where larger parties are seated together. Similar to Biergarten. I'm not sure if this concept works very well. When I walked around the restaurant, it seemed to clutter up the flow of the dining area. It also seemed to make the servers have to do alot of weaving to get around the tables. Large round tables might have been better or smaller square tables.

You can see that it's a very open concept dining experience. This is similar to Chef Mickey's and 1900 Park Fare where the noise level peaks over the point where it's hard to hold up a conversation. I'd hate to see how this place is on a busy night. Even when the dining room wasn't completely full, it was pretty noisy.

With the bad stuff out of the way, I'll get to the good. Our waiter ... oh my goodness this man was the complete Italian package. Sweet and charming with the ladies. Another good was the FOOD! Yes, it was very impressive. But before I get ahead of myself, let's start from the beginning with the menu.

We started with the Mozzarella Caprese. Since I had tried this very similar appetizer already at Tutto Italia (and was disappointed), you'd think I'd put two and two together that it would be the SAME mozzarella. Well clearly I was feeling optimistic and hoped it would taste better.

It didn't. This was the beginning of my "Don't touch that!" after I already ate half of the food on my plate. It was presented as two slices of tomato with a slice of mozzarella cheese on top. Pretty skimpy for the $6 pricetag, but what can I say - I'm cheap! Disney will never have the same mozzarella as they do in Italy. You can only get the quality of Italian mozzarella cheese in Italy. The end. Now if I could only remember that the next time I'm tempted to order it when I'm eating out.

With that disappointment out of the way, Bubba and I decided to each try a fancy drink. I tried a Limonata Acqua Frescas at Disney's Suggested Retail price of $5

I found this drink to be a lot more tart than expected. Without telling Bubba, I offered her a try. Her face went from pleasant to the Beverly face. I almost spat my water out all over the place it was so funny! Obviously not Bubba's kind of drink. Maybe what she ordered was better. She tried the Aranciata San Pellegrino.

This was too ordinary and typical Italian for me. There are sold everywhere around here but Bubba had never seen them before. I guess it was new to her. This basically tasted like carbonated orange juice. Not my favourite but Bubba seemed to enjoy it.

By this point, I was feeling underwhelmed and unimpressed by Via Napoli so far. I really hoped, prayed, begged that our main course would be what I wanted it to be. We decided to share an Individual size Margherita pizza with the basics: basil,mozzarella (or so they say),and tomato. The way a pizza should be IMO. Our server put it on our table and my eyes lit up. Bubba went to take a slice but I said Don't touch that! I need a picture first! So it began....

This is what I remembered. This is what pizza should look like. But, is this how pizza should taste? This was the undying question. I took a bite and.......



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It was DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


This was probably the closest I've gotten to Naples pizza outside of Italy. The cheese was better melted than what we had for the appetizer. Go figure. The crust was cripsy but cooked perfectly. The sauce was just the right amount and the basil added just the right flavour. I was in pizza heaven. We raved about this meal through the rest of the trip. It was that good. The individual size was just the right amount between us two. We still had room for dessert!

Ooooooooohhhh, aaaaahhhhhhh. The choices we had! Bubba decided on the Pistachio gelato and I just shared with her.

Bubba went to take the cookie out and it was another "WAIT! Don't touch that!" She carefully put it back in place for my lovely picture you see above. This was sadly another disappointment. The gelato is SO much better in Italy but this is Disney and well, can't have it all I guess. It was still yummy ice cream and we polished most of it off.

Overall, the highlight of this meal was the pizza and that's what Via Napoli is for: a pizzeria. They definitely do what their name says very well. If you want good on property pizza, this is your spot. And whoever may be on the lookout for an Italian hottie (Rosie), this is your place!!!

On our way out, I just had to see my Muppet ovens

Coming up....

F&W
Where's my I.D.?

 

[englishrose47]

Don't know how I missed your SEEDS tour but it was great !!I would enjoy it but I think the kids would be bored !!! Too much like school


So the Pizza is good at Via Napoli !! As for the HOT ITALIAN I am jealous !! But where is th pix !!!

 

[glennbo123]

And here I thought the "Don't touch that" was going to be directed to the waiter who tried to serve you up the first slice. Bubba should know better by now! How long has she traveled with a trip-reportin' DISer? Well, at least she "took one for the team" trudging on with her blister. No blister'd slow me down at Disney. (At least not on somebody else's foot. Amputate and let's keep moving!)

I'm glad you liked the pizza, maybe I'll have to give that a try some day. I realize the appetizer was half-gone for the picture, but still, it looks a little skimpy for $6.

 

[Flossbolna]

Thanks for the great review!

I had the suspicion from looking at the menu, that it would be like you said: great pizzas, but stay away from the rest. I never got it why people would pay premium prices for a few slices of tomatow with mozzarella? I love the combination, but it is so easy to make yourself. Here in Germany it is an absolute classic which you would find on nearly any buffet. Unless it was restaurant which I trust to have real buffallo mozarella and excellent tomatoes, I wouldn't bother with it... Ok, but then I might be a mozarella snob, because you can buy excellent (most often real Italian) mozarella in most higher-end supermarkets here in Germany. I sometimes wonder wether Germany does not eat more mozarella than Italy!

I was suspecting from the beginning that your TR title had to do something with food porn. After four trips with food pictures, I know this situation too well!

 

[YukiPhnx]

The pictures are great! I had a few of those moments with Andrew too. But it was more of a...

Me: *takes a bite* Mmmm
Andrew: Don't you want a picture?
Me: Oh snap! That's right! *rotates the food* There, it looks good as new

I really want to try that Margherita pizza! I've never even heard of such a pizza until the Dis and now it's the one pizza I've been dying to have.

 

[All7OfUs]

I knew I should have hurried up my TR!!! I did the Seeds Tour too, and have many of the same photos. It was GREAT wasn't it??!!

I poked my head into Via Napoli too, and liked what I saw. Most, in fact, wasn't even pizza. Those ovens are WAY cool! I got a shot of them too.

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

great review! If I liked tons and tons of pizza sauce, that pizza would be great for me. I guess I'm just strange like that lol. I wonder where your ID is..?????

 

[redlight]

Glad you enjoyed the Italian food and the Italian waiter!

Her face went from pleasant to the Beverly face.

I think I can imagine it, but what is the Beverly face?

It's too bad that Bubba got a blister especially early in the day.

 

[onescgirl]

The SEEDS tour looked pretty cool.
Your pizza looked sooooooo delicious! I don't know how ya'll decided on which dessert to order. Everything looked good in that dessert menu!
Those pizza ovens rock!