Lights, Cameras, Cancellation! An Unorthodox Excursion to the Wonderful World O’ Disney. (Updated 6/15 - Of Rats and Rockets)

[Paulaparm]

Your early morning pictures are beautiful..especially your breakfast

 

[GreatBiscuit]

I have no idea what poutine is, but I've heard things. Still, I've been banned from Canada (both the country and the WS pavilion for starkly different reasons). If they don't want me, I don't want their food!

My grandmother had a saying also! But it was, "get your filthy feet off my coffee table, you little piece of #*&&!"

Your pictures are amazing as always. We love the GF; it's a very Disney feeling place. Have never been to the Polite Pig. Query, if one only has one afternoon in Disney Springs, should he chose Art Smith's Homecoming or the Pig?

Sounds Like your grandmother was a hoot! Art Smith's. All the way.

Following! Love your writing style! (And ZZUB's as well ) Looking forward to the rest...

Thank you! I appreciate it!

Hey GB, I'm here. You can start now...

Oh. Wait.

Sorry!!

I'm here now, please continue.

Back to read!

Continue I shall!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Seems like every trip has some level of nonsense.

#Truth

Love your enthusiasm and how fun this was for you. YAY!!! [/QUOTE} It's one of the few things that gets me going.

How long was the seat next to you occupied?

They never seemed to realize the dangers they faced.

{QUOTE="Northwest No More"]You're hitting all the nostalgia buttons.

They're the best buttons to press!

Absolutely gorgeous!


Sigh... perfection!

Thanks!

That said, in answer to Z’s question (and I suspect you’d agree), Art Smith still wins. It’s a totally different experience, though. Quick vs. sit down, with the latter being significantly pricier. But both are great meals, with awesome mac & cheese!

Most definitely.

I am also a big fan of GF Cafe, though your breakfast looks mediocre. That might have something to do with my aversion to egg whites. That bacon looked a little undercooked for my taste, too. But I love me some GF and it looked so pretty and peaceful at that early hour! Great videos in both installments, too! Can’t wait to see what you did in my favorite park!

The main beef I had with the place was the portion size. Had I not been planning to hit up the FARTS Food booths, I'd have been miffed.

Had to jump in to say there is at least one other person here that knows about WCAG standards. I work in an ADA compliance office and wish I knew about this conference opportunity in Orlando! Really enjoying the trip report so far!

Woohoo!!! ATIA is an amazing conference! I always learn something new and it's always stuff that applies. Microsoft has some incredible workshops and at the one 2 years ago, WebAim did a fantastic pre-conf seminar.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Your early morning pictures are beautiful..especially your breakfast

. Thank you so much! I appreciate it!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

There isn’t really anything I can think of to add to this, so I present my next update:

Next Installment: #31

 

[cccory]

Great trip report. Thanks for sharing.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Great trip report. Thanks for sharing.

. Thank you, I appreciate it!

 

[footballmouse]

The Grand Floridian pictures were so pretty.

 

[vamassey1]

Loved the pre-dawn photos at GF. I need to get caught up on the videos.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

The Grand Floridian pictures were so pretty.

Thank you!

Loved the pre-dawn photos at GF. I need to get caught up on the videos.

Thanks, I appreciate it!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Greetings y'all!


The post-spring break weeks have brought a rush of web projects and playoff games to cover for radio, but life has settled once again. When this monorail last left the station, I was a passenger on my way to the wild world of Epcot. It was a drizzly and rainy morning and I was eager with anticipation over my first park day since the pandemic began some two longs years ago. Few things are as exciting as heading to the park and this was certainly no exception. Adding to the excitement was my mode of transportation. Riding into the park on the monorail was a first for me. While I have ridden from Epcot to the Magic Kingdom many times, I have never gone the other way…until now. It was a fantastic way to enter the park!


The moment the monorail came to a stop and the doors opened a herd of people came thundering down the ramp. While my older (read as younger) self would have been leading the herd, this time I held back. This was to be a park day unlike any other. It was to be savored and enjoyed like a fine steak at Jiko, not wolfed down like a Chili dog during a commercial break in the press box. I slid my way over to the rail and once the crowd had flooded by, I just took a moment and appreciated where I was standing.



It was great to finally be back!


I had a loose plan for the day and while I had managed to grab a Genie + for Test Track that morning, that window didn’t open for another hour and I was in no hurry to be anywhere. By the time I got to the gates, the mad rush had started to slow down and I entered the courtyard and took in the view. The tombstones were finally gone and the new fountain looked amazing! After a few moments of indulging in the obligatory stare at the underbelly of Spaceship Earth, I turned and made my way over to the The Land Pavilion.


As one does.


Soarin was a walk on so I felt obliged to walk on.



Feeling content to let the chips fall where they may, I didn’t make any special requests, yet still wound up with a front row seat. I enjoyed the attraction as always though I still prefer the original show. During the long walk back through the exit, I snickered at the musings of a 5ish year old youngster who was adamant that Disney had tried to blow him up in the final scene and was resolute in his determination that they ride something that “doesn’t go in the air”. Poor little feller. After making it back into the pavilion proper, I decided to Live with the Land before moving on to other things.



Halfway through the greenhouse journey I made my usual vows of starting my own hydroponics farm, but then halfway back up the ramp out of the pavilion I remembered that I’m a fat little feller with bad knees and probably wouldn’t make a good farmer.


The rain (the actual rain not the simulated storm on Living with the Land) was making its presence known when I exited into the world formerly known as Future. After visiting Jordan Yosh’s favorite restrooms, I ducked into Journey to try to dry off. The rain was only increasing, so I figured I’d just go ahead and ride the thing and hopefully the offending storm cell would be compelled to move along. What can one say about this ride? It’s nostalgic in its own way but it also stinks. Literally.


Fortunately the worst of the weather had cleared by the time Figment returned us to the loading dock and I made my way over to the other side of the park. My return window for Test Track had opened during my time riding Journey but Test Track was still down. (In accordance with the Prophecy.) I received an anytime use Genie+ to return to TT later, and my next Lightning Lane window had opened up so I grabbed a return time for Spaceship Earth that was only 5 min out. By the time I got over that way, it was time to board and I was soon enjoying my journey through linguistic history. I can’t quite explain why I enjoy this ride as much as I do, but….I do.



When it was all over but the future telling, I managed to find my way back outside and check on Test Track.


Still down.


Mission Space was right there and I was feeling artificially optimistic so I queued up to the orange side (read as - walked into an empty preshow) and regretted it almost immediately. I have no idea why I ride this thing. I don’t really like it. I have no nostalgia for it. Yet invariably I wind up on it. It’s the Christmas Fruit Cake of Disney Park attractions.

When alas the deed was done and I finished questioning my life choices, I exited the pavilion and heard a loud and familiar roar. After a moment’s panic (that ride squeezes all the gas in your body downward) I realized it wasn’t me and that Test Track was back up and running.


I hopped aboard, enjoyed a ride and called it good. At this point I had only been in the park for a couple of hours and it was time to move on to what for me was the primary attraction of the day, Epcot’s Festival of the Arts. (FARTS to all who know and love it.)


But that’s a story for another day.

Video of my morning rides and wanderings:

 

[MaleficentMe]

I remembered that I’m a fat little feller with bad knees and probably wouldn’t make a good farmer.

When alas the deed was done and I finished questioning my life choices,

I exited the pavilion and heard a loud and familiar roar. After a moment’s panic (that ride squeezes all the gas in your body downward) I realized it wasn’t me and that Test Track was back up and running.

Many chuckles at all of these this AM, thanks!!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Many chuckles at all of these this AM, thanks!!

Thanks for reading along! Happy to be of service!

 

[erinch]

Following! Write faster!

 

[vamassey1]

Adding to the excitement was my mode of transportation. Riding into the park on the monorail was a first for me. While I have ridden from Epcot to the Magic Kingdom many times, I have never gone the other way…until now. It was a fantastic way to enter the park!

I agree, this is the best way to enter the park.

Soarin was a walk on so I felt obliged to walk on.

Of course you did.

I enjoyed the attraction as always though I still prefer the original show

I agree with this too. I still like it but liked the old film better.

After visiting Jordan Yosh’s favorite restrooms, I ducked into Journey to try to dry off.

I almost went to these restrooms when I was there the week before last. I had the same thought, "I should use Jordy's favorite restrooms", but didn't.

I was soon enjoying my journey through linguistic history. I can’t quite explain why I enjoy this ride as much as I do, but….I do.

I enjoy it too!

It’s the Christmas Fruit Cake of Disney Park attractions.

Perfect description.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Following! Write faster!

Thanks! Update coming shortly.

Perfect description.

Thanks, I was proud of that one.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Greetings friends and neighbors and welcome back. When last I left you, I had spent the morning enjoying some of my favorite Future World attractions. (Yes I know Future World has decided to rename itself into some ridiculously convoluted amalgam of arbitrary monikers, but to me it is and shall always and forevermore be known as Future World.

Long live Disney MGM studios.

I have spoken.

Lest we delve off into the unending blackhole of semantics, let us get back on track.

At this point, it was around 11:40 in the morning. The Grand Breakfast from the Grand Floridian Café at the Grand Floridian Resort was no longer satiating my appetite in a Grand manner. In short, Bubba was hungry. My food plan for the day was simple. I had not made any reservations, I had no plans to visit a counter service restaurant, and I was spending the next 10 hours in this park. Thus everything I was going to eat for the day was going to come from a Festival of the Arts food studio.

Like all good Disney fans I had done my homework before departure. I had a plan. It was a good plan. And I knew it well. I was going to stop at four different food studios for lunch, then spend a few hours wandering around World Showcase, then visit four more for dinner. The portion sizes are of course very small at these things, so I figured four of them ought to do the job as a meal replacement.

It actually wound up working quite nicely, but that is getting ahead of myself. My first stop was near the Mexico pavilion at a little booth called El Artista Hambriento.

The very first time I ever visited Festival of the Arts, my favorite dish of the entire day came from this very studio. Picture it, 2019, a tubby little Texan eats a plate of Seared Scallops in a Habanero Sauce. (Callo de Hacha en Salsa de Jengibre y Habanero to be specific.) It was an amazing dish. I absolutely loved it. It was, as I said, my favorite thing of the day.

If you are so inclined, you can view that video here (once you read the rest of this of course):

I was eager to return and try something new this year. Before I go any further I should probably layout my rules for this year’s FARTS touring. They are self-imposed, and completely capricious, however I held to them fervently and am glad I did. I decided that I was going to visit eight different places, try things I had never tried before, and try a variety of flavors. We now return to your regularly scheduled digestion. This year at El Artista Hambriento I decided to try the Carne Asada. It was described thusly: seared beef tenderloin, grilled queso fresco, refried beans, scallion, and ranchera salsa. This retailed for $9.50.



It was definitely small, and I think it was priced about a dollar or two over what it should have been. BUT, I will say it tasted very good and I did enjoy it.

With the first dish down it was time to head straight for number two. (Not THAT number 2, this isn't the Canadian Outpost for crying out loud.) Almost directly across the promenade from the first booth was the 2nd that I chose, The Craftsman's Courtyard. Here I went with: Cast Iron-seared Steelhead Trout with parsley salad, grape tomatoes, Kalamata olives, capers, and lemon aioli. $6.75.



And in that moment, I had derailed my entire plan. This was amazing! This was perfection. No other dish the entire day could possibly hope to compete against the goodness that was this thing. It was one of those booths where the food wasn’t just sitting under a warmer. I had to wait several minutes while it was being seared. And it was worth every single nano-second. I would fly to Orlando again just to eat this. It was that good.

I was now on a food high and sailing proud. Yet like a well forged boat anchor, the next dish I sampled would send me crashing back to the ground and prove that what goes up, must invariably come down. Unless of course it’s the Voyager probe. Then it returns centuries later and nearly destroys the planet, but that’s a Trek for another day.

My next stop was The Deconstructed Dish and it was here that I committed another fatal miscalculation. In the past I’ve stuck with dessert at this locale. But alas, this time I chose savory. My logic seemed sound in the lead up to the trip. It was most terribly flawed. You see one of the things that I love is French Onion soup. I don't order it much anymore because I wound up eating it at Chefs de France. Once I had it there, no other French onion soup ever quite compared. Yet here I was back in Epcot and surely the chefs in charge a Festival of the Arts would be able to recreate this wonderful and amazing culinary sensation wouldn’t they?

No.

No they would not.

When I arrived at the food studio, I ordered up the Deconstructed French Onion Soup. It is described as: Beef broth ravioli, Gruyère espuma, onion bread pudding, and onion textures. It sold for $6.50.



I don't even know how to describe this thing. All I know is that a few minutes into trying this dish, I felt violated. And a little sad. Not to mention confused. I don't know exactly what they were thinking when they came up with this one, but I'm pretty sure alcohol was involved. I don’t know that I would say the flavor was bad, it was just weird. It tasted different than I expected, the textures were all wrong, in short it just didn’t work for me.

My final stop in the morning happened, ironically enough, in the France pavilion. I needed something to cleanse my palate and fortunately my carefully prepared list of food selections was able to deliver. Though the line was alarmingly long, I queued up at Lart de la Cuisine Francaise. I ordered up a Crème de Brie en Petit Pain which is described as warm creamy brie in a house-made bread bowl. This sold for $8.50.



Yep. Cheese and Bread.

There is no greater comfort food. Warm, creamy, and delicious, it soaked up the sadness and eased the regret of not making a dining reservation. I wouldn’t rank this as a festival favorite to be sure. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t all that creative, over the top or overly flavorful. But it certainly filled a need and was great for what it was.

There was now a several hour break in the dining festivities while I meandered about the World Showcase and rode Remy. I will describe all of that at another time. For the purposes of today’s narrative, I shall now take you forward a few hours in time and continue on my culinary quest for the best of the best.

The Japan pavilion is the home of a next stop. There's a booth there called Goshiki. During the last festival I had one of my favorite dishes there. This time around I was eager to try the Chicken Kushiage. While the description is: Breaded and fried chicken with yum yum sauce and vegetable for $8.50, the actuality is the dish is Fried Chicken on a stick.



As a southern dwelling fat man, this spoke my language. Two things we love down this way are fried chicken, and food on a stick. You put those two things together and I’m a happy-happy man.

It was, in short, fantastic.

Quite tasty.

Most excellent.

Next up on the list was a new booth, Vibrante & Vivido Encanto Cocina. I had debated between two dishes here in the lead up to arriving, and was still a bit on the fence. Ultimately, I went with the House-made Chorizo and Potato Empanada with turmeric aïoli and annatto aioli for $6.50.



It wasn’t bad.

It didn’t blow my socks off.

But it wasn’t bad.

I was a little surprised because I expected to like it more than I did. Part of the issue was that it was a bit soggy. Granted it had been raining ALL day and I’m sure the humidity played into it. I also was expecting a bit more spice.

I wandered slowly through World Showcase and found my way to the America Pavilion. A light drizzle accompanied me most of the way and I found a mostly deserted queue in front of The Artist’s Table. Though it didn’t know it, (nor would it have cared), this Food Studio was entering a battle of redemption. Two Festivals ago I tried the Beef Wellington and LOVED it. The following year, I had the scallops and love was the last emotion on my mind.

Come back after you finish this installment and you can see this fiasco (along with the goodness) from that festival here:

This time I was back to try the updated recipe for the pan seared scallops. According to the description they are served with vanilla-butternut squash purée, brown butter cauliflower purée, and lime foam and retail for $7.00.



All I can say is, they redeemed their honor. (No Worf). It was a fantastic dish! The best one I had during the 2nd half of the day to be sure.

With high hopes for what was to come, I headed off to the final booth of the night. At the last festival I attended my absolute favorite dish came from The Pastoral Palate in the Germany Pavilion. (It was the braised beef short rib in case you are curious. See the last video posted above.) But because I had imposed a stupid rule of not repeating a dish, I did not eat this glorious creation. Instead I went with the Wild Boar. Specifically, the Wild Boar Cassoulet with duck confit, ham hock, and wild boar sausage for $9.00.



I had very high hopes for this. And like those who waited their entire life, to see their childhood hero Luke Skywalker brought back to life on the big screen, reality crushed those hopes, burned them, and doused them with putrid green milk. It was off. Just off in every way. The dish wasn’t very warm, the sausage was very dried out, the flavors just weren’t there, and the entire thing was just a miss.

So there you have it. 8 Dishes over the course of 9ish hours. How did the final ranking come down? Did the scallops trump the trout? Was the soup worse than the sausage? How does the Chicken on a Stick stack up?

Watch this and find out:

 

[MikeWsGirl]

Sir I hereby present you with the prize for most amusing commentary.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Sir I hereby present you with the prize for most amusing commentary.

I thank thee sir! I shall display it with pride!

 

[vamassey1]

This update has made me very hungry. I'm so sorry I missed FARTS this year.