From Caracas to WDW. Our September '08 Trip: A (small) report.

[Luis Rodriguez]

Absolute LOVE your trip report and pics!! You are doing an amazing job and your English is better than some "American" TR's I've read on the Disboards so !!

Your family is beautiful How blessed you are to have a daughter - my youngest son was born when I was 40 and he has truly been a blessing (my husband died from a heart attack when we were just starting our WDW vacation when my youngest son was 1 1/2 yrs old so I feel truly blessed to have all my children).

You have a wonderful sense of humor and I rank your report one of the best I've read - thank you so much for sharing!!

heaven2dc,

Thank you for your kind comments about my family and my English. Fortunately all you get is the written part, so you are spared my terrible accent .

And yes, to have any child is truly a blessing. And I see you have a grandson!! Wonderful!

I was really sorry to read about your husband... The fact that he passed away during a family vacation (and checking the number of family icons in your signature) tells me of a wonderful time together.

Kind regards,

Luis

 

[alan_renfroe]

Luis,

We loved seeing your picture of Valeria petting the dolphin! How wonderful! Also, loved the picture of your hometown. The mountain is magnificent.

Hope all is well with you and your family!

Alan

 

[englishrose47]

Hi Luis ! We also loved SW!! My daughter (34) is a Dolphin lover so getting her away from the Dolphins is always hard !! We loved the show Believe too and we sat in thw soak section on purpose !!

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

Luis,

We loved seeing your picture of Valeria petting the dolphin! How wonderful! Also, loved the picture of your hometown. The mountain is magnificent.

Hope all is well with you and your family!

Alan

Hi Alan,

Don't think I have forgotten the Renfroes!! I've been following your pre-trip report with a lot of interest. The schedule you posted looks really nice. And the comment about your DD as a sort of "Neo-hippie"? With that lovely hair, she really looks the part of a 60's flower girl.

Hi Luis ! We also loved SW!! My daughter (34) is a Dolphin lover so getting her away from the Dolphins is always hard !! We loved the show Believe too and we sat in thw soak section on purpose !!

Valeria loves Dolphins!! I believe is a genetic thing, as her parents like them too We just love to see them swimming at the pool, so powerful and graceful at the same time.

We also sat at the soak section during the Believe show; unfortunately, we were just far enough that the splash missed us. Next time...

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

Afternoon at Disney’s MGM Studios… Sorry, DHS

Monday 8th was to be our first "rest morning ", which I had scheduled into our trip in order to have a more relaxed vacation…

Remember the post about the “best laid plans of mice and parents”? Well, that one was a take on a Robert Burn’s poem which goes “The best-laid plans of mice and men/often go awry," He wrote about men’s plans because even in the 18th century wives liked to go shopping, which often played havoc with her husbands’ plans. By the way, the name of Burn's Poem was "To a Mouse".

You have three guesses on what we did on our “off” morning...

After doing our best in getting lost returning to the resort (see previous post about “Flat Florida”), off we went to a 2pm ADR at DHS’s Brown Derby (we were quite hungry by then…)


This is a lovely setup near Brown Derby’s entrance.


My impressions about the Hollywood Brown Derby? It is ok, but in no way (at least for me) worth 2 TS credits of the dining plan.

Let me extend a little bit on that. First of all, the place is somewhat large and a bit noisy. Although we were seated at one edge of the dining area, we found the place crowded, with the tables set very close together.

Our server was a pleasant young woman who was really nice towards Valeria (who, by the way, was already wearing her birthday button). She was a little slow with the drinks but, other than that, very helpful with her suggestions about the menu options.

The food? Mercedes and I had the Salmon Bruschetta which was quite good although, maybe (just maybe), a tad dry. Valeria had the Salad (went straight away to mom) and the Grilled Chicken, with the BBQ on the side, where it stayed.

Daniel had the BBQ Chicken, which got high marks. None of that “on the side” nonsense for him.

For dessert, Mercedes choose the Pistachio Cheesecake, with good results, while Daniel and I decided on the “Double Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée”, which was superb! Reluctantly, I allowed Mercedes to take a bite and she agreed that we (Daniel and I) had won the best prize for dessert .

------

After we left the Brown Derby, we thought it better to take things a little easy, so went straight to the Indiana Jones’ show. Daniel had not seen it on his first trip, and Valeria did not remember it (at first). We were seated on the right side of the theater, near the airplane scene, and the kids were very impressed when the explosions went off.

On leaving the theater, the kids wanted to do Star Tours, as none of them had been able to do so during their previous visits, due to size restrictions. Valeria loved the pre-show, where you see the robot junkyard and, if anything, I have to agree with her. It's full of details, including a couple of talking robot “buzzards”. It seems that buzzards are a big thing with Disney, having stellar appearances in several movies ("The Jungle Book" and "Home on the Range" are a couple that come to mind).

Although the show is a little bit dated, it is always fun. I think it was one of the favorite Valeria’s attractions at DHS, as she still talks about it.

The day was very hot, so the Muppet’s 3D movie theater seemed like a good idea. I love the Muppets (my favorite is Beaker) and this one is a must for me.

Miss Piggy’s fountain is a classic.



See that sky? That was at 6pm. Beautiful, isn’t it?


As the waiting times for “Toy Story Mania” were too long, we decided to visit the Animation Courtyard, where the Voyage of the Little Mermaid is a wonderful show for kids (and adults’ too).

Found this guy in “The Magic of Disney Animation"


Waaaalleeeee


After the Animation Courtyard our next stop was “The Tower of Terror”. Valeria had heard a lot about this ride, and was eager to try it; although she had expressed some concerns about the “ghosts” part (I had told her a little about the attraction background story).

Valeria’s parents were, of course, worried a little bit more than about ghosts. They were thinking about that big elevator drop. Would be that too much for our little and delicate daughter?

Ha! Once more our daughter taught us that sometimes we underestimate her. She rode that thing twice in a row and would have done it a third time if it weren’t because we wanted to see Fantasmic. Sadly, the show was cancelled because of some (heavy) thunderstorms. Daniel took it hard, as he really wanted to see it (Mickey is his favorite character).

We decided to have a quick dinner at Rosie’s, visit the Hollywood Boulevard’s shops and just have a little walk around before returning to our resort.

When we returned to our room these guys were patiently waiting for us at the sink


Next: Venturing again outside the world: Universal Studios or, Uncle Luis, Why these guys hate us?

 

[Maria_O]

Just wanted to say again that i love your TR! I'm so looking forward especially to DHS, so it was great to see some photos of it.

BTW, maybe you've mentioned it earlier, but I don't remember: what kind of a camera are you using? Your photos are fabulous!

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

Just wanted to say again that i love your TR! I'm so looking forward especially to DHS, so it was great to see some photos of it.

BTW, maybe you've mentioned it earlier, but I don't remember: what kind of a camera are you using? Your photos are fabulous!

Thanks Maria!!

There will be some more DHS photos on a later post, as we did each park at least twice.

The camera I'm using is a Kodak Z1275. It is a small camera, nothing special. Pros: compact size, use of AA size batteries (handy, as you can find them anywhere), hi res (12 MP, although I use 10 MP in 4x6 mode), good color rendition and VERY easy to use. Also, it has a feature called “Perfect Touch”, which makes very easy to fix average photos. Cons: Not very good in auto mode in low light conditions.

In short, a good camera for its cost. Next time, though, I hope to get me a camera with a larger lens, maybe not so compact, but better in low light conditions. Just the same, maybe I will stick with Kodak.

BTW, the Epcot night photos were taken with the help of a Gorillapod, my favorite kind of tripod (http://www.joby.com). Unfortunately, after taking these photos, I lost the clip that attaches the camera to the tripod. Fortunately, the guys at Joby sell the clips separately, so it wasn't a total loss.


Regards,

Luis

 

[scottny]

great update and pics.

your Sea World pics are really nice.

Sorry the Fantasmic show was canceled.

Looking forward to more.

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

great update and pics.

your Sea World pics are really nice.

Sorry the Fantasmic show was canceled.

Looking forward to more.

Thanks scottny.

In fact, when we planned this trip we were quite sure that there would be one or maybe two days with really inclement weather. After all, this was right in the middle of the hurricane season!! Accordingly, almost all of the parks had at least two days planned for them (MK had three).

We were quite lucky that a high pressure front pushed the hurricanes away from the Orlando area, sending Hanna up towards the SC/NC area and Ike down and to the left where unfortunately, as we all know, it wrecked several Texas cities.

So keep tuned!! Had some PC problems (video card began to act up until it decided to go south completely), but they have been solved and I'm planning to write several new posts in the next few days.

Regards,

Luis

 

[Sabrina90744]

Luis great updates! Seaworld look likes lots of fun, can't wait to hear about Universal and IOA.

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

Venturing again outside the world: Universal Studios or, Uncle Luis, Why these guys hate us?

<DISCLAIMER/>
I know that there are several big fans of US/IOA on these boards, so let me be clear on one thing: I do not hate US/IOA. In fact, I think it has some wonderful rides, and make a point of trying to visit it when traveling to Orlando, so please keep that in mind when you read this post.
</DISCLAIMER>

Tuesday 9/9 was the day we had chosen for a visit to Universal Studios/IOA. As has been the norm during most of this trip, we wanted to do some of the old rides again and, in the case of the kids, visit rides that hadn't been allowed to them before, due to height requirements.

We arrived a little late at CityWalk, where we stopped for breakfast. And here comes my first gripe (and yes, I'm afraid this post has a number of them). Even as the food wasn't so bad, the same can’t be said about the cleanliness of the place we visited, and/or its quality of service. It seemed that they (CMs) were doing you (the customer) a big favor, and you were expected to act accordingly.

After buying our tickets we went straight to Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast, a simulator ride where your seat moves according to the film. This was one of the rides that Valeria hadn’t been able to enjoy completely during her first visit. She was too small, so had to make use of the fixed seats section at the front of the theater. Now we all could use the full motion seats only that, alas, after only a few moments into the movie, the film stopped and the seats went from full motion to zero motion . We got stuck at what seemed some 30 degrees left bank for about ten minutes, while a CM made a good effort of keeping the kids (big and small) entertained with a (Nickelodeon) Q&A Trivia Game. The ride got started again (from the beginning) and we were able to enjoy it nonstop till its finish.

What I found most interesting, though, was Valeria’s reaction to the ride: Although the attraction is a good one, and she knows all the movie’s characters, she found it just so-so. I think that the fact it is a big sized theater, where the seats are placed in groups a little apart one from another, does not allow you to “submerge” in the experience. Conversely, Valeria loved things like Star Tours and even Shrek.

After Jimmy Neutron’s it was time for the Big Green Ogre. Outside the theater there is a small area where you can interact with a robot Donkey. Daniel went to US/IOA with his Mickey’s cap and was “scolded” by Donkey about daring to use that in Universal Studios. He stood firm, though, and made a solid defense of his right to wear the Mouse’s image.

Daniel, Donkey and a Mickey’s cap.


The movie is a good one and we all got a good laugh. After it, we set forth to visit E.T., one of our favorite’s rides.

In route to E.T. we saw a billboard announcing Alex the Lion, from Madagascar. Valeria loved the movie, so we decided to wait a little for him. About ten minutes later, though, what we got was a visit from these guys:

Valeria and the penguins:


It didn’t matter, as our little princess loves penguins, so she wasn’t disappointed in missing Alex. By the way, those small circles in the penguins' heads? I’m sure they were put to good use, as the day was definitely a scorcher.

Went to E.T., where we waited about ten minutes before entering. Although a bit outdated, the ride is a nice one and Valeria loved the setting (trees, singing flower-like aliens, “baby” E.T.s., etc., just perfect for a small child).

Returning to Planet Earth, Valeria wanted to see some terrestrial creatures, so we went to the Animal Actors show, which started a little late (about 15 min). Although a nice show, IMHO it needs renovating.

Continuing our strolling thru the park we arrived to the “World Expo” area. I had heard a lot about the Simpson’s ride and wanted to try it. As we were doing the line, a couple of teens decided to jump the queue. I tried to find a CM in order to complain but was unable to find one. The ride was OK, although maybe my expectations had been set a little high, due to the reviews I had seen on the Internet. It’s basically the same old “Back to the Future” ride, only with a Simpson’s movie.

Afterwards, we decided to have a light lunch at the International Food and Film Festival. The kids, being kids, stopped at the Nathan’s cart for a couple of hot dogs. My reaction was: HOT DOG!!: $7.29 a hot dog?? It seemed that we were buying a ticket to NY. Also, it was here where Daniel (who is really a very easygoing and accommodating kid) made the commentary that gives the title to this post. He also added a Venezuelan expression that, loosely translated, comes out as “It seems that he wants to hit us”.

[Rant on:]
While there were notable exceptions (for example, the lady cashier who helped me in the “International Food and Film Festival” was really nice, cheerful and very kind), many of the CMs we found were either a) In a bad mood, b) Using the law of minimum effort, c) Really out of their depth when working with crowds (more on that later) or d) All of the above.

As I have said before elsewhere, although US/IOA does not have (for me) the sense of “Magic” I get while on WDW, I like the rides and some of the shows, so it is a pity that the personnel is not up to the same level as in WDW. Oh, I have read in these boards that many of them work at Disney also so, who knows, maybe it is just that Disney is more demanding of its employees. I won’t say that things at WDW are perfect, because they are not, but the level of service (again, IMHO) is way above of US/IOA.

In short, I was really disappointed of the service I received at Universal Studios, even to the point of making me think of skipping this park on a future visit to Orlando. That being said, in the IOA section of the park the CMs were better, so maybe I would be visiting it (IOA) again.

On a side note, although I’m not very knowledgeable about those things, Mercedes (who is) commented that most of the shirt prices were very high, vis-à-vis their quality (and she was comparing them to WDW!).
[Rant off:]


MIB – This a nice looking setup.


After eating, we continued our big circle route round the park, as we wanted to visit Jaws but unfortunately it was packed, with a wait time of about one hour, so thought it better to try Disaster! and The Mummy ride.

At Disaster! we were the first on line. After some 15~20 minutes, when the line behind us was quite long, the CM in charge let down the rope, although the doors to the attraction weren’t opened yet. The result? Disaster! The crowds surged, packing a small holding area in front of the doors. I had to step aside quickly as for a moment I was afraid that the people would knock down Valeria.

After the doors opened things were better. The show/ride is an updated version of the old Earthquake attraction, nicely done. Particularly interesting is the interaction between the Movie Company Owner (Christopher Walken, in a projection) and his assistant (a live person). The kids liked it a lot, especially Valeria, who laughed a lot at the final scene of the ride.

It was getting a little late, so went to the “Revenge of the Mummy” ride where, unfortunately, Valeria could not go, due to height restrictions. With some guilty feelings I went to the ride with Daniel. This is easily one of the best themed attractions in Universal Studios, and we enjoyed it very much.

As I said before, it was a little late, and IOA closes quite early, so off we went to see what we could do in the little time we had available.

NEXT: IOA

 

[englishrose47]

I only went to Seaworld and while I had no food or cm complaints it just doesn't feel magic !! The family wants to go to Universal but I will skip it !!Thanks for an Honest Review!!

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

I only went to Seaworld and while I had no food or cm complaints it just doesn't feel magic !! The family wants to go to Universal but I will skip it !!Thanks for an Honest Review!!

englishrose47,

I agree with you, as there only one place where, as the commercial says, the magic is "real" (at least for me). That being said, as per rides go, IOA is a good park, so maybe we would visit it on a future trip to WDW.

Regards,

Luis

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

IOA

Arriving at IOA Daniel and I went straight for the Hulk coaster as Valeria and Mom decided to check the Storm Force ride. The lines were a little bit long at Hulk, but it was worth the wait. This coaster won Daniel’s award for the Best Coaster of the whole trip. Meanwhile, Valeria had rode those spinning pods a lot, doing her best to get Mercedes dizzy.

During Daniel's previous visit, as a small child, we had visited the (then) new Islands of Adventure Park. At that time, he was a big fan of Spider-Man, so that was one of the rides we went to. In 1999 the lines were very long, and Daniel got really scared with the special effects, to the point that we had to get his 3D glasses off. Fast forward to 2008, we really wanted to see if Daniel had gotten over his childhood trauma. This time there were no lines, and no trauma. Both of them liked the attraction, although Valeria was a little intimidated at some of the villains.

Time was running short, and the nearest “land” was Toon Lagoon. In this trip we discovered that Valeria loves attractions that drop into water(e.g. Splash Mountain and Journey To Atlantis) and I, having last visited IOA in 1999, had some nice memories about Dudley Do-Right's Falls (In fact, I saw those cartoons a lot as a kid…). So that was my next choice, along a resounding “Yes!” from Valeria and Daniel. We did not find any lines and, in fact, there weren’t any CMs to assist us in getting onto the logs (particularly, I found this to be a big no-no in security terms).

Mercedes, wise gal as she is, decided to stay dry and perform as the group’s photographer.

We had an early Dinner reservation at The Wave just after IOA, so thought it better to use our ponchos. Forget it. That does not work. Our shirts stayed (mostly) dry. Pants and shoes? Well, let me just tell you that sometimes a hot day helps…

This one is a nice drop.


Valeria, being at front, did not get so wet.


Now, it was not only time what was running but us. With less than ten minutes to the park’s closing time, the wet section of the family decided to get wetter, so we went on a quick jog towards Popeye’s barges.

We sat down on the barge just on time. The kids liked this attraction, as it is a lot of fun and very well themed. We ended the ride just at closing time and asked the CMs if we could do it again, as no one wanted to step down. They agreed and we were able to go around a second time.

Yes! This is fun!


A very wet family (sans Mercedes, who wisely decided to stay dry )


Our day at US/IOA done, went back to the resort to have a quick clothes change done, in order to go to our ADR.

Next: Eating at The Wave (no, not this one…)

 

[englishrose47]

Great pix Luis !! You are an awesometrip writer !!

 

[alan_renfroe]

Great update, Luis! We feel like we already know your family!

Alan

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

Great pix Luis !! You are an awesometrip writer !!

Great update, Luis! We feel like we already know your family!

Alan

Oh! Thank you! You are making me blush

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

Eating at The Wave…

The Wave? We *loved* The Wave. There. I said it. No suspense, no if, no buts.

The “why” part is, as most of the whys are, a little more complex.

Let’s start at where this restaurant is located:

Sigh… The Contemporary Resort.


This is, at least for me, the most iconic and representative of the WDW’s resorts. I still remember when, as a young teen, I saw some documentaries made during the hotel construction. Wow!! A train ran thru it! Not just a train, but a monorail! Also, the rooms were inserted, drawer-like, into the A-frame, fully fitted!! Can you think of the impact on a young person living more than 1500 miles away? This was the future! Never mind that, as a future, it was limited to WDW. These guys had done it.

Strange as it seems, I had only once stepped down from the Monorail inside the CR, and that was over thirty years ago, on my first visit to WDW (in 1977). Now, with family in tow, I had a dinner reservation at a new restaurant called “The Wave”.

The Wave is, I think, one of the best restaurants I have ever visited at WDW. First of all, its decoration is one I would call “low-key”. Simple, unpretentious, it gives you a quiet and intimate feeling. Maybe because of the hour (8~9 pm), the season (September-light crowds) and/or the location (have I ever told you about my feelings for the Contemporary Resort?) this place felt wonderful.

As we arrived we were asked to wait in a nice lounge situated near the check-in desk, while our table was being made ready. This was, of course, a big hit with the kids although, alas, a too short experience, as the wait was really very short.

We were seated on table set against a wall, almost a semi-private booth. Our waiter was a nice young man called José. Despite his name, I began speaking in English with him, but as soon as he heard the kids speaking between themselves he switched to Spanish, very liberally mixed with English. It turns out that he is from El Salvador, and had served several years in the Concourse Steakhouse. He explained us that as The Wave was quite recent it was relatively unknown, so it was easy to get ADRs. I truly expect this to change soon (if it not already has).

José was really well versed about the menu, giving us excellent recommendations. Also, we never felt we were being hurried, even as I think that, due to the late hour, they must have felt glad when we asked for the check.

Giving the wonderful ambiance of the place, Mercedes and I decided to have a glass of wine each, opting for a Marlborough Pinot Gris, a very nice and full bodied white wine from New Zealand.

As per the food, our family’s selection was as follows:

Mercedes – Linguini with seafood (clams, rock shrimp). She rated this meal as very good.
Daniel – Had the “Sustainable Fish”. It just happened that what Disney could sustain that day was Cod, which was an excellent choice. He had many comments about how much he liked his meal.

Valeria – Her Kids meal consisted of a Salad, Linguini with marinara sauce and, afterwards, Yogurt as Dessert. The Salad went, as always, directly to Mom (who was nice enough to share it with Dad). She ate the Linguini and dessert with gusto.

Luis (me) – I asked for the Tenderloin with Cabernet Sauce and Roasted Potatoes. It was just superb! Mercedes had a bite and pronounced it the best choice of the evening (I’m afraid I almost made her regret her Linguini).

As for desserts, the way they present them here is in the form of three small selections or servings, each one with a different flavor. I suppose that some people would consider it too small but, for us, it was an excellent way to end a wonderful dinner.

Mercedes and Daniel had each the “Creamy Indulgence”, which consists of Cheesecake, Panna Cotta and a Passion Fruit Mousse. I had the “Decadent Flavors” (don’t you just love those names?): Yogurt Gelato with Blueberry, Lemon cornbread and Chocolate Mousse.

José suggested us that, as Mercedes and I hadn’t asked for any drinks included on the DDP, we took home (home being the resort) a couple of Evian water bottles (750ml) at no extra charge. We accepted his offer gladly, as in this trip we really consumed a lot of water (Remember? September = Hot Weather).

We left a good tip and, although the restaurant is a little costly, I think I would have paid it OOP gladly.

In short, we thought it was an excellent choice as a restaurant. That being said, and to be honest with myself (and my readers), I can understand that for many of my Americans friends *maybe* it would not be rated just as high. The Wave sticks to a feeling that says that, to enjoy food, you eat just enough. You experiment with different tastes (e.g., the dessert choices) and you leave satisfied, without feeling “stuffed” or heavy after eating too much.

Before leaving the resort, we strolled a little around the stores, which I found beautiful and tastefully decorated. I really would love to stay here someday.

Next: The Big Day – Valeria Turns six!!

 

[alan_renfroe]

Luis,

Based on your review of The Wave, our family plans to go there for lunch on our trip in May! We are very much looking forward to it!

Happy belated 6th Birthday to Valeria!

 

[scottny]

great updates and pics.

I have not been to US in 8 years. Plan on going back once Harry Potter opens. Best ride there is Spiderman.

Thanks for the review fo the Wave. Might give it a try. I leave 2 weeks from today.