Let's see what this family does flying solo - the POST trip report!

[MEK]

Yes I do!! There will be a really cute Tinkerbell one in a few days!

Kristin -

You are very creative. Nice work with the dresses and the autograph books!

 

[YukiPhnx]

I can't believe it took me so long to get over here!

I swear Jon, you speak my mind sometimes.

I love snakes, I would've gladly picked it up if I saw one in Epcot (and then tried to take it home....but I'm sure my DBF would've stopped me).

I adore Emily's dresses. I love making little girl dresses for my younger cousins too. The best fabrics are made for little girls! That cherries fabric is hard to find up here though.

I love that Minnie Mouse dress. I'll probably be making that next.

I can't wait to hear more about your trip! You're only halfway through it too!

 

[manntra]

I also meant to tell you I laugh every time you say UNSWEETENED iced tea I too think I say it slow and loud to ensure that it is indeed UNSWEETENED....I don't like sweet tea at all and for that reason I don't think I could ever live in the south
Wallenpaupack is a crazy busy lake...my friend's husband is actually from Greentown....I don't know why I remember that
Funny about the character bodyguard from Bucks County....I too love my Turkey Hill products....especially the tea
Biergarten is one of my favorite locations to eat too.....I always get the Hefeweizen...one of my favorite beers...and the food....I just can't stop eating!!

Tracy

 

[nilla]

I too love my Turkey Hill products....especially the tea

Turkey Hill UNSWEETENED Iced Tea? Kristin got iced tea the other day that was, to her surprise, sweetened. She nearly threw it out like a Mexico pavilion margarita.

Welcome to all of the new readers! Hope you're enjoying things so far. We're actually approaching the close (1.5 park days left to relive), but like the trip itself, let's not think about when it will be over

 

[nilla]

When we last left our heroes, they were lost outside the Germany pavilion, searching for a Cast Member who can tell them what time Snow White will be returning. They look around...wait, there's one...it's Seth! C'mon, you know...Seth!

Who's Seth? Since your short term memory is apparently worse than Dory's, I'll remind you. Seth is only our most favoritest Photo Pass photographer in the whole wide world, that's who! He recognizes us and tells us the pics he took of us in Italy turned out great; we had yet to see them at this point. He also tells us Snow White won't be back for about 45 more minutes, to which we nearly reply, "Snow Who?" Princesses? Who cares about Princesses? It's Seth!!

Hey, Seth, while you're here...

He's a genius, that Seth. Kristin declares right then and there that she will be writing a letter to Disney Photo Pass letting them know how great he is, which she did when we got home.

After getting some snaps, we head over to the American pavilion, where we intend to finally see the American Adventure. We go inside and take a seat, listen to the Voices of Liberty perform, then head into the theater. Lining the walls are 12 statues, 6 on each side. I know they're supposed to represent concepts like Innovation, Discovery, etc., etc., and not actual people, but I swear that one is Seafood Shanty. It has to be. I would know her anywhere!

This is a very informative and detailed attraction, though, as Kristin points out, they do tend to gloss over some of the less than proud moments in our history. At one point, they show footage of World War I, during which Dylan turns to me and we laugh over an inside joke that would be guaranteed to tick some people off if I told it here. Rest assured, if you're sick like us, it's hilarious...and ridiculous.

Afterwards, we stop over in Japan yet again, where Dylan gets the awesome Gengar Pokemon shirt I told you he got the other day. Emily got a Hello Kitty kitchen timer because she likes Hello Kitty and wanted to get something. We actually do use that, though. Kristin got a Hello Kitty nightgown, and I got an egg shaped keychain that opens to reveal real, live, moving gorillas, only shrunk to the size of a pencil eraser. I feel a bit guilty for keeping them locked up in there all the time, but what chance would they have in the real world, really?

After Japan, it's over to Italy (drinking along the way, if you haven't already figured), where we run into another Photo Pass photog. And hold the phone - he's got Magic Shots!

Wow, that sky looks a bit ominous, does it not? Thank god those aren't real balloons, or we might be having a Ben Franklin moment with poor little Emily here. Oh, and did you see my mad fresh retro Epcot shirt? I saw a guy with one the other day, loved it, then saw in in Mouse Gear and realized that he did not, in fact, get it back in 1985. So now I can be awesome, too! We get some more Magic Shots:

Sorry, Kristin, but an online survey DID once tell me that Minnie was my perfect Disney mate. Oh, and did you notice my feet? No Crocs! There were some dark clouds in the morning, too, so I'm not risking anything. The kids played in the playground by Morocco fo a bit, then we moved on over to the UK for some hedge maze:

Some pictures:

And a Kim Possible mission:

We've now done them all. The UK's mission was really cool, and, like China, darn near impossible to find the ending. The forces of evil defeated, we now need to defeat the forces of hunger...and what better place to do that than Le Cellier?

 

[kristin t]

Kristin -

You are very creative. Nice work with the dresses and the autograph books!

Thanks!!
Before we had the kids, I was an elementary school teacher. I'm a planner by nature, as you probably figured out from the index cards, and I love arts and crafts!!

 

[KatMark]

Oh my goodness. I LOVE those magic shots! I want the one with Minnie...too cute. I really enjoy American Adventure, but they do "go over the rough spots" in our country's history. And good for Kristin for writing the ltter about Seth. I think some people forget how hard some of these CM's work and I truly believe that appreciative feedback is most appropriate.

 

[GoofyWife]

your trip report has been great, though laughing out loud at work while I read it is getting me a few strange looks! I'm glad you enjoyed staying at CSR - that's where I'd like to stay when I drag my husband there in a few years - Arizona is one of our other favorite spots so I think he would enjoy the theme of the resort. I'm also enjoying your "alcohol" updates from Epcot. My daughter and I want to go next May after her college graduation and I enjoy hearing about the drinks your wife has been trying - the pineapple margarita sounds delicious. So sorry your trip is almost over!

 

[manntra]

Wow!! Is there a magic shot you DIDN'T get??!! I am definitely going to look for Seth!! He does a great job and I'm glad you commended him....I always like to let others know when someone does a good job
Oh and I have two nieces with red hair....one is perfectly content..the other still has a twin and now that she is pregnant I think she is a triplet.
Looking forward to your Le Cellier dinner...I am sure you were too

Tracy

 

[nilla]

your trip report has been great, though laughing out loud at work while I read it is getting me a few strange looks!

You aren't supposed to be reading Disney Trip Reports at work; you're supposed to be WORKING at work.

Oh, wait - so am I

 

[saraheeyore]

Yes I do!! There will be a really cute Tinkerbell one in a few days!

do u go on the disboutique bit on these boards. what pattern did u use for the cherry dress and i think thats the sort of dress i need to do a lot of in different disney fabrics

 

[kristin t]

do u go on the disboutique bit on these boards. what pattern did u use for the cherry dress and i think thats the sort of dress i need to do a lot of in different disney fabrics

I don't know what the disboutique is, but it seems like it could be something I would like.
The cherry dress is Simplicity pattern #2688. I got both the material and the pattern at Joann Fabrics. I've made 4-5 dresses with that pattern - it's super fun!!

 

[lshaw6]

The disboutique is fabulous! It really makes me wish I knew how to sew.

Nilla, I will definitely have to look for Seth on our next visit. You got so many nice photos this trip!

 

[YukiPhnx]

Joann fabrics huh? I'll have to look into that. Up here in Canada, we have fabricland. Great fabrics, but nothing as cute as that cherry one.

Oooh, I have GOT to do that Minnie picture when I'm there! Or maybe there's a version with Mickey? That looks like a lot of fun

 

[nilla]

Ok, back to the action! First off, 5 points to Kristin for correctly identifying the Italy picture I had accidentally stuck in with the UK pictures. Good eye! Now stop criticizing my Trip Report!

Dinner, as I mentioned before, is at the wonderful Le Cellier. The hostess stand is now located rather far away from the restaurant, actually closer to the beer stand. Don't ask me why; it just is. A couple is being told by the hostess that it could be several hours before they can be seated. After they leave, Kristin walks up and informs the hostess that we have reservations. "That is music to my ears!", the hostess says. It's funny how those not in "the know" think you can just walk up and get into these places. No, what it takes is for the husband to work from home until it's time for the kids to get up, so he can feed them and take them to school while the wife sits on the phone with Disney Dining from the minute they open on the first possible day they can make their ADR. Well, at least that's how I hear you have to do it.

We wait for a relatively short time (we're early, as usual), then in we go. We're seated near the back, and we're excited. Not only is this one of our favorite WDW restaurants, but the kids were good here last year, AND they ate. It can't get much better than that.

To drink, Kristin got a carafe of some white wine, while I got a bottle of the Unibroue Trois Pistoles, a great dark beer boasting a 9% alcohol content. Forget the outside beer vendors; if you want the really good beers in Epcot, the restaurants are the answer. The kids got whatever drinks came with the light-up Buzz and Tinkerbell. Does it really matter what the beverage was? Light-up Buzz and Tinkerbell!

All four of us got the cheddar cheese soup, and dug into that and the delicious bread they brought out. I'm all about the pretzel bread, but they others they offer are great as well. You can't go wrong with that soup, either. A waiter (not ours) tells the kids that they should try dipping the pretzel bread into the soup. Yep, he was on point with that suggestion.

Note to self: Take more pictures of the dinners for next year's TR. Sorry for the lack of food porn, everyone Someone should start a thread or two dedicated to that subject.

For dinner, the kids get hot dogs, but who cares about that - get to the good stuff! Ok, ok...Kristin got the standby, the Mushroom Filet, which was top notch as always. I strayed from the routine to get the Kansas City Strip Steak, on recommendation of my friend, Eric, from work, who got the same last year when he was here. Outstanding! Tough call as to whether I'd pass on the Filet next year, too, because two years without it is a long time, but this was really good, too.

The same waiter who suggested the pretzel-in-soup trick stops by again, and shows them the ultimate - you take the hot dog without the roll and put it between two french fries. Sound good? Well, hold the phone - he's not done yet. You may want to buckle up for this one : a hot dog between two fries, dipped in the cheese soup. Ok, I have to try that. Yep, it's awesome. My unadventurous kids, however, are content to just eat the hot dogs as is. Seriously, sometimes I wonder if they have any of my DNA in them at all. I order a Trois Pistoles, another 9% behemoth, to cope.

It's a great meal so far, and if don't believe me, just look at how much these two are enjoying it:

Yes, that says it all. By the way, that's Emily's "I'm being good" pose. She used to do it when she was younger when she wanted something from us. It was her very first action done deliberately to try to influence us. The rest is con artist history.

It's time for dessert, and as usual, I'm so stuffed from the main course and appetizer that I'm not the least bit hungry at this point. I have to overcome, though, because there's maple creme brulee at stake here. Kristin jokingly notes that we don't eat creme brulee 50 1/2 weeks a year, but eat it almost every night in WDW. This is the best one, too. Quite possibly the best dessert in WDW, even better than the "glass of puddinged booze" I got at the Coral Reef on our first Epcot day. Love us some LC! Anyone know if there's any truth to the rumor that it's going "2 Dining Plan Meals" next year?

 

[nilla]

Slight digression:

I noticed TONS of New Orleans Saints fans on this trip. Jerseys, hats, shirts, everything. First year for that.

I was actually a Saints fan back in second grade, but saw the purple and gold light soon after. I still had some love for the Saints up until one fateful night this past January that I would rather not talk about. Ok, I would love to rant about it, but I'll spare you non-football fans my whining.

I mention my observation to Kristin, "of course. That's because they won the Superbowl."

Makes perfect sense. No paper bag masks this year. Enjoy it now, though - we'll get you in September!

 

[nilla]

After dinner, we headed over to the playground near all the Flower and Garden stuff. I can barely walk, I'm so full. We let the kids go nuts for a while. We really tried to push them from attraction to attraction less this year, and instead let them hit the playgrounds often, since it's a nice change of pace, keeps them active, and makes them really happy, as shown below:

Afterwards, we returned to Canada to watch the "O Canada!" movie, which is hilarious. Martin Short was Oscar-snubbed for his role as the title character in "Clifford", and I'm still bitter about that, but at least I can enjoy him here. Afterwards, we get a picture of the waterfalls...

...then start thinking about what to do next. Illuminations will be starting before too long, but we've already seen that several times, so we instead head over for one last spin on Test Track. The number 7 cannot be mentioned in our house since this trip without one of us saying, "Seven? Yeah, seven." This is definitely one of my favorite rides in WDW, and may just be Emily's favorite ride not featuring singing, dancing dolls dressed in attire from different cultures around the world. Oh, and not starring a honey-obsessed, yellow bear. We ride with a couple who willingly gets split between the front and back seats so we can go two-and-two in the front and back seats. They are new to WDW, but are truly enjoying it, and really seem to like how into it we are. Our vehicle speeds toward the wall...


...and out we burst into the night air, Illuminations fireworks booming up in the sky ahead of us. What an experience, and what a great way to close out another year of my new favorite Disney park.

Sad and dejected, we head out of the park, but not before putting on our happy faces for one more Photo Pass shot.

Don't get me wrong, I've always loved Epcot, but never understood how Kristin could like it more than the Magic Kingdom. I mean, MK "is" Disney World to me. But Epcot is something more. 5 days in Epcot, and we never got bored. And forget this "Epcot doesn't have much to do for kids" crap you sometimes hear. Kim Possible, Innoventions, the many playgrounds, Kidcot, characters at every turn, great snacks, the hedge maze in the UK...I can go on and on. Epcot really endeared itself to me this year with it's wealth of diverse attractions. I mean, the Biergarten, Mission: Space, and Club Cool, all in the same park. The movies in World Showcase (with the possible exception of "Norway in the 80s"), Soarin', and the Living Seas. All very interesting, engaging, and so different that it almost makes no sense to group these together, but Epcot does it almost seamlessly. I could spend another two weeks in this park alone.



Oh, and it's got great alcohol.



Up next: our last () day in a Disney Park for 2010, as we exhaust the Magic Kingdom for our third and final time. I'll try to hold back the tears, since water in a keyboard does not make for a happy computer...

 

[SoonerGirl]

I always feel so stuffed after LeCellier too, probably because I eat enough for 3 people when we go - I just can't help myself, it's so good! I've heard the same rumor about LeCellier going to 2 credits, hope it's not true.....

 

[KatMark]

Jon, I am just glued to your report...you are such a great storyteller. I would tell Kristin the next time she criticizes your TR to do one herself. That's what I always tell Mark. He had a problem with my PTR (I forgot something and did NOT go back and put it in). I told him to become a DIS member and do his own PTR.

Oh, and we love LeCellier and I am a filet gal. You must try the Chocolate on Chocolate Whiskey Cake sometime. Oh my...it is to die for.

Love the last "family" photo in front of Spaceship Earth.

 

[YukiPhnx]

Awww, it's your last day already.

I think it's so cool to ride Test Track and come out to Illuminations.

I've never been to Le Cellier,but I really have to go. Being Canadian, it just didn't ever cross my mind to go, but I keep hearing about the great food! It'll be a must do in the future. I hope it doesn't go 2 TS credits.