Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho. It's off to the Grand Floridian We Go! June 2014 (Update: Video)

[FancyNancy]

Thank you so much for that little detour! I've always wanted a peek inside that museum!

 

[annie170]

That was an enjoyable read. Thank you for sharing it with us.

 

[jedijill]

Great mini report! I grew up near Marceline but I don't believe the museum was there then. I should go back some of these days when I'm back in Missouri...I'm so glad the family is keeping the museum going!

Jill in CO

 

[DaeHyFoog]

Stephanie,
Great job on your trip report. Since we never made it to Animal Kingdom this trip, it was good to see all your pictures. And, I must say, you took some awesome pics just like Matt. I never knew about Princess losing her pink Magic Band there at Animal Kingdom. I did notice she had a gray band, but thought that was the color she chose...Lol. Anxious to read more from you and Matt both.
Mimi

Thanks, Mimi. We had an adventure. It was fun reading about your time at HS, too. Star Wars Weekends looked like a lot of fun.

Great job Stephanie on your AK review with the kiddos : ) always so extra hot at AK it seems to me. I just got caught up and what a lovely trip!

Thanks, disney meema!

 

[MarbleBob]

Best detour ever! How cool is that!

Thanks. Marceline is darn cool if you ask me

That's a great addition to this TR! Thank you for adding it in!

Thanks!

Thank you so much for that little detour! I've always wanted a peek inside that museum!

Cool! It's really a neat place, hopefully you'll be able to get more than a peak some day.

That was an enjoyable read. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Thanks Annie

Great mini report! I grew up near Marceline but I don't believe the museum was there then. I should go back some of these days when I'm back in Missouri...I'm so glad the family is keeping the museum going!

Jill in CO

I think the museum opened sometime around 2001. If you are ever back in Missouri, I think you should indeed

 

[MarbleBob]

Day 6 - Sunday the 8th - Part 1 - Soarin' or Bust!

All, right our second full day at WDW! Since Pickle's birthday was tomorrow, and we had a big day at Magic Kingdom planned, we decided to spend today at EPCOT. We also planned to get back to the resort a little early, so that everyone could get a good night's sleep. My team had FP+'s for Soarin' from 9:15 to 10:15. Cassie's team was from 10 to 11. We decided to head out a little later than normal and tag along with them. No worries, we have an hour window, there's plenty of time....

We were ready a little earlier than Cassie's group, so we explored the lobby of our building for a few minutes.

A beautiful flower arrangement in the center of the room.



Everyone else decided to just relax in the seating area....



And I stepped outside the back door to grab a couple photos of the lagoon.

Looking pretty much straight out, you can see the construction at the Poly. Those "over the water bungalows" are looking pretty cool!



Looking more to the right, you can see the GF's beach area.



This place is so cool!

A few minutes later, and the others were ready. Let's march!



We made it through the lobby...



And up to the monorail boarding area. Nice leadership skills and a salute to Randy!



Let's go!

[Imagine the sound of the Price is Right Losing Horn.]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ytCEuuW2_A&feature=kp

The monorail was down!!!!! Bummer. We still have an hour before our FP+ window closes. No problem right? Let's hop down to the buses...

Oh no! A big line. No buses for TTC in sight. Wah!!



Bus after bus came by, but none for TTC. Starting to get annoyed now! It took nearly 30 minutes for the bus to come!!! Are we going to miss our FP+ window?!?!?!

Oh well, nothing we can do about it now. Let's go!



Duffy didn't seem too terribly annoyed.



So the bus dropped us off and then we headed over to the Epcot monorail loop.

Cassie and gang waiting patiently...



We still had about 30 minutes before our FP+ window closed at 10:15. It's going to be close. Unfortunately, it took a while for the monorail to arrive.

Stressed about time or not, riding the monorail is always fun!



So it was 10:25 when we arrived in the park. We missed it! Oh well, let's try anyway. If we explain that it took 75 minutes to get here from the time we were turned away from the monorail, maybe they'd be lenient.



So we zipped right over to the Land Pavilion. We walked straight up to the line and waived our bands without saying anything. The attendant said that we were, 18 minutes late, but said to go on in. Since he didn't have anything do with the unreasonably long commute from GF, instead of explaining ourselves, I just gave him a big "thanks" and we headed in.

Sigh of relief... we did it! Yahoo!!! Soarin' is one of my all time favorite Disney rides and we only had plans to ride it once, so I was really happy that it all worked out. And nice to "test" the leniency of the FP+ late policy. After that, I never really stressed out about being late again the for rest of the trip.





They waived us right through the line and we were seated quicker than normal. Yes, we ended up in the front row in the middle line. That means we'd be right in the middle of the screen, in the top row. No distracting feet dangling above us. Cool!

iPhone selfie!





This was Pickle's first time riding Soarin' at Epcot, but she rode the original version at California Adventure last fall, so she knew what to expect. As always, it was a fun and relaxing ride.

 

[MarbleBob]

Day 6 - Sunday the 8th - Part 2 - Epcot Continued

After Soarin', we stopped for a bathroom break, and then we all headed over to ride Living with the Land, which we also had FP+'s for. That line went fast too. You know, these FP+'s can be stressful, but when they work, they really work!!!

This is one of those rides that we typically ride only once every two or three trips. Probably didn't need to ride it this time, but there aren't a whole lot of FP+ options in Epcot, so we picked that one since it would be convenient.



I have a garden at home, so I always find it interesting.



Smile!



A tomato tree?!?! Cool



After we rode Living with the Land, we decided it was time to eat. Stephanie had wanted to eat at Sunshine Season's pavilion, but nobody else was interested, so we headed out to the World Showcase for lunch. Sorry Stephanie, maybe later in the trip

Stopping for a couple photos as we head out..



Pickle did not want to cooperate this time! Wearing her nickname proudly!



We decided to stop at Club Cool on the way to the World Showcase. I try and stop here two or three times per trip. I love it!!!



OK. Pickle is happy again!



They've changed the flavors since the last time we were here. Cool. New things to try. But I did miss the watermelon soda from before. And why keep Beverly?!?!?! I guess it's too much fun watching the gag reflex of unsuspecting guests.



I have no idea what Princess and Louie are drinking here, but I'm 100% certain it wasn't Beverly.



And buddy picked up a some salt water taffy. Yum!!



We were now refreshed, but still hungry. Heigh-ho, heigh-ho... off to the World Showcase we go!!!



Of all the times we've been to Epcot, we've never tried eating at Morocco. After trying some of the Mediterranean food in California Adventure last fall, and LOVING it, we wanted to give the Tangerine Cafe a try.

Cassie and gang weren't interested, so we split up and left them to eat in France.

We're here!





They where super friendly



We decided to eat outside in the shade.



What did we eat?

Stephanie and I decided to share a Chicken and Lamb Shawarma platter.



It was really good. Now that I think about it, it's just about dinner time and I wish I was eating one of those right now!!

Princess had a lamb wrap. She enjoyed it, but didn't think much of the lentil salad.



Pickle and Buddy weren't feeling too adventurous... Pickle had a burger.



And buddy had his stand by... Chicken.



We took our time to eat and relax by the fountain. What a fun experience!

We got a text from Cassie saying that they were headed over to Japan next. So we finished up and met them at the Mitsukoshi department store.


.

 

[annie170]

That is so unfortunate that the monorail was down. I think that is one of the drawbacks to the monorail resorts. Soarin' is my favorite ride in all of WDW, so hooray for a nice CM that still let you on.

My husband and I love Tangierine Cafe. There's so much food on that schawarma platter, it's such a good value on the dining plan.

 

[AAshleySEG]

I love Tangierine Cafe!! It is definitely one of if not my favorite QS at Epcot! We don't get a chance to eat there very often because, we usually go to Epcot during Food & Wine, but you get so much food and variety for such a small cost, it is definitely a good place to go if you have the QS Dining Plan!

That's also really great that you guys were able to still use your FP+ for Soarin! I LOVE Disney, but sometimes their transportation is a little hit or miss!

 

[annegirl]

Stinks that the monorail was down- but awesome that they let you through to Soarin' anyway!
I have wondered about Tangeriene Cafe. Glad you enjoyed it.

 

[FancyNancy]

Yay for still being able to ride Soarin!

 

[JAMIESMITH]

I loved the mini update! The museum was really interesting and I'll be that it was even more so in person

 

[KelleyK75]

Fun detour in the TR to hear about Marceline. It sounds like a really cool little town.

That stinks the monorail was down. But awesome that they let you on Soarin. We never were late and tried to see if we could still use it, but I know we were a few minutes early once and they let us in. Maybe it depends on how busy and/or the CM working the queue.

 

[DaeHyFoog]

I really enjoyed the Tangierine Cafe. We should definitely go back there again. I think Disney was smart to put both a hamburger and chicken tenders on the kids' menu here. We could have gone elsewhere to get meals for Buddy and Pickle, but it sure was nice that those options were available here. It makes this restaurant much more convenient for families like ours, where mom and dad and older sister are more adventurous, but the little ones can get what they like, too.

 

[PrncessA]

I was looking for my family in the background of your Epcot photos, as we were there that morning as well!

Love your detour to Marceline! You now have me thinking about a trip that way. We were thinking of taking a trip to Springfield, since DS is a huge Lincoln fan, this summer. We might have to extend it and take the detour over to Marceline!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Thanks for the side-trip TR for Marceline - that was really interesting. Especially all the focus on trains and that hand made model of Disneyland was awesome!

that would be cool in they did rebuild midget-autopia - though they might need to change it to a more PC name

****************

Glad there were no issues with getting to Soarin' late ... that sounds really annoying - 75 mins to get from GF to EPCOT is pretty crazy. I know we can't expect the monorails to run perfectly (especially after getting hit by lightening like apparently happened recently) .... but one of the reasons to pay extra for a monorail resort is the ease in transportation - if they do go down I feel like Disney should be better with back-ups and get a ton of busses going to the TTC, etc.

We love Living with the Land - one of our favorites and definitely a must do.

We've eaten at the table service at Morocco (actually did a wine pairing there during F&WF one year) but not the counter service - will have to keep that in mind

 

[MarbleBob]

That is so unfortunate that the monorail was down. I think that is one of the drawbacks to the monorail resorts. Soarin' is my favorite ride in all of WDW, so hooray for a nice CM that still let you on.

My husband and I love Tangierine Cafe. There's so much food on that schawarma platter, it's such a good value on the dining plan.

You are right about it being a drawback of the monorail resorts. It's both a blessing and a curse. Unfortunately, this wasn't the only time it was down for us.

I love Tangierine Cafe!! It is definitely one of if not my favorite QS at Epcot! We don't get a chance to eat there very often because, we usually go to Epcot during Food & Wine, but you get so much food and variety for such a small cost, it is definitely a good place to go if you have the QS Dining Plan!

That's also really great that you guys were able to still use your FP+ for Soarin! I LOVE Disney, but sometimes their transportation is a little hit or miss!

I hear you. I'd say it's now one of my favorite QS restuarants in Epcot too! (My favorite is the QS in Japan.)

Stinks that the monorail was down- but awesome that they let you through to Soarin' anyway!
I have wondered about Tangeriene Cafe. Glad you enjoyed it.

Yes, it was sure was a relief that they let us in!

Yay for still being able to ride Soarin!

Yahoo!!

I loved the mini update! The museum was really interesting and I'll be that it was even more so in person

Thanks. Yes, I left out A LOT of details from the museum. It really is cool to see in person.

Fun detour in the TR to hear about Marceline. It sounds like a really cool little town.

That stinks the monorail was down. But awesome that they let you on Soarin. We never were late and tried to see if we could still use it, but I know we were a few minutes early once and they let us in. Maybe it depends on how busy and/or the CM working the queue.

We arrived late a couple other times and never had any issues, but those were only a couple minutes late. Seems like you can get in a few minutes early without issue, but I saw them turn away people that were arriving more than 5 or 10 minutes early. You are probably right about it depending on the CM who is working the queue.

I really enjoyed the Tangierine Cafe. We should definitely go back there again. I think Disney was smart to put both a hamburger and chicken tenders on the kids' menu here. We could have gone elsewhere to get meals for Buddy and Pickle, but it sure was nice that those options were available here. It makes this restaurant much more convenient for families like ours, where mom and dad and older sister are more adventurous, but the little ones can get what they like, too.

Yes, we should go back and eat there again. How about we ditch the kids with the grandparents and go on a spur of the moment trip to Epcot this weekend? (I can at least daydream about it.)

I was looking for my family in the background of your Epcot photos, as we were there that morning as well!

Love your detour to Marceline! You now have me thinking about a trip that way. We were thinking of taking a trip to Springfield, since DS is a huge Lincoln fan, this summer. We might have to extend it and take the detour over to Marceline!

I took hundreds of photos but only shared a few. I'll have to look through them and see if I can find you guys. Funny, on our last trip report to Disneyland, I shared a photo of Princess and Buddy on California Screamin' and the kids in the back of the photo belonged to one of the people reading the TR. Small world!

Looks like Marceline is about 3 hours due west of Springfield. If you can add a day trip from Springfield, it might be worth it.

Thanks for the side-trip TR for Marceline - that was really interesting. Especially all the focus on trains and that hand made model of Disneyland was awesome!

that would be cool in they did rebuild midget-autopia - though they might need to change it to a more PC name

****************

Glad there were no issues with getting to Soarin' late ... that sounds really annoying - 75 mins to get from GF to EPCOT is pretty crazy. I know we can't expect the monorails to run perfectly (especially after getting hit by lightening like apparently happened recently) .... but one of the reasons to pay extra for a monorail resort is the ease in transportation - if they do go down I feel like Disney should be better with back-ups and get a ton of busses going to the TTC, etc.

We love Living with the Land - one of our favorites and definitely a must do.

We've eaten at the table service at Morocco (actually did a wine pairing there during F&WF one year) but not the counter service - will have to keep that in mind

It's funny how times have changed. Midget Autopia probably wouldn't pass through Disney's marketing/HR department these days.

And Walt's relationship to trains has always fascinated me. We plan to drive out to California next summer, and hope to see his barn and ride the trains at Griffith Park while we are there.

Yeah, Living with the Land is pretty cool. It's been a while, but we had a birthday dinner for Buddy at the Garden Grill when he was 3 or 4. Pretty cool to know that you are passing under the restaurant when you are on the ride.

And opposite of you guys, we are going to have to keep the table service at Morocco in mind for our next trip

 

[jedijill]

And Walt's relationship to trains has always fascinated me. We plan to drive out to California next summer, and hope to see his barn and ride the trains at Griffith Park while we are there.

The train/barn area is only open 1 day a month (I think the 3rd Sunday). I drove by and the area is locked up tight and I couldn't see a way to get a better look. They were also doing road construction and the road was blocked off.

Hopefully you can plan your trip around it. :0

http://carolwood.com/walts-barn/

Jill in CO

 

[MarbleBob]

Day 6 - Sunday the 8th - Part 3 - More Epcot

So after lunch, we headed over to find Cassie and her family at the Mitsukoshi department store in the Japan pavilion.



Without a doubt, this is my favorite part of the World Showcase. I love the pagoda, the torii gate in the water, the water features with the fish, the food, the giant shopping store, and the friendly people. So much fun here!



We headed inside Mitsukoshi first. The kids had a blast (as always) looking at all the dolls and toys up in the front of the store. And personally, I love that their Studio Ghibli offerings have grown over the years. I never get tired of looking at the Totoro's, Ponyos, Cat Busses, Kiki and Gigi's, etc!



We explored and shopped around for nearly 45 minutes. Pickle bought a cool Hello Kitty doll and a bunch of candy. Princess got a bunch of bento related items (bento box, accessories, chop sticks, etc.) Buddy and I got some candy too. But my favorite was Pickle's hard candy that looked like a sushi tray!



After a quick break, the girls and I went back inside and then Stephanie and Buddy relaxed outside.





It was bittersweet to see all those Pokemon dolls in the windows. Princess used to be obsessed with Pokemon from ages 6 to about 10, and would get a couple dolls each time we visited. She's moved on from them now, but it brought back great memories from her Pokemon days. (She actually won the Missouri state championship for the Pokemon Trading Card Game when she was about 9 years old.)

After everyone finished shopping, we explored some more outside, and then decided to part ways with Cassie and gang. And Princess went off with Huey and Louie. (Now that they are 14 and 15, it was weird letting them go off on their own. "Call us if you need anything, otherwise be back at the hotel by 10pm.")

Cool. The taiko drums are going!!!



All right, we CAN'T pass Kabuki Cafe and NOT get a Kakigori (shaved ice).





It's so simple and not really unique to WDW, but for some reason, this is pretty much my favorite treat at Disney. There are plenty of things that are MUCH better, but for some reason this is what I look forward to on every trip. I go back between Rainbow (mix of Strawberry, Melon, Cherry, and Tangerine) and just Melon. I went with Rainbow this time.



Buddy went with melon. Good choice. I was wishing I had too.



And pickle got strawberry.



We ate and walked at the same time. Stephanie decided that she wanted to look for something in the American gift shop, so we stopped there for a while.

Brain freeze!!!!



A few minutes later, we were heading towards Germany. Buddy decided that he wanted to do "Agent P's World Showcase Adventure". He's done the Kim Possible one before, but not this one, so why not?



Pickle wasn't interested, so I took her inside to start a Duffy at the Kidcot station. (And I enjoyed sitting in the air conditioning.)





In the meantime, Buddy and Stephanie worked through their adventure.





Similar to the Pokemon story, it was strange to visit Germany and NOT spent a ridiculous amount of time watching the garden trains. Buddy is still a big train fan, but he's moved on from the need to spend an hour watching the trains. He sort of took a look and moved on this time. I'm having one of those, "oh, no my kids are growing up too fast" moments right now.



At that point, we knew that we'd be back to the World Showcase later in the week, so we passed on China and Italy. Buddy did want to stop at Norway for the Maelstrom ride.



Pickle was still freaked out by this ride, so she and Steph stayed back to hang out with Duffy and Duffy.



We waited through the line. It probably took about 25 minutes.



Personally, I'm can take or leave this ride, but Buddy really likes it. So it was worth it!

We still had FP+ for Spaceship Earth coming up, so we decided to save the rest of the World Showcase for later in the week and we headed back.







This ride has always been one of my favorites. I can ride it over and over and over again, and never really get tired of it. And if I do, no problem, it's nice and cool and great for a 10 minute power nap! Haha


.

 

[MarbleBob]

The train/barn area is only open 1 day a month (I think the 3rd Sunday). I drove by and the area is locked up tight and I couldn't see a way to get a better look. They were also doing road construction and the road was blocked off.

Hopefully you can plan your trip around it. :0

http://carolwood.com/walts-barn/

Jill in CO

Thanks Jill. We actually planned the whole two week trip around that one particular day next June. We will be visiting San Francisco, Yosemite, Anaheim, and Grand Canyon. We have the Yosemite and Grand Canyon rooms booked already, based on our plan to visit Walt's Barn. Haha