My 1st PTR/TR: An unexpected trip, Disney in December 4 *Day 3 6/5 Illuminations!*

[julezdisney]

Way cool, Jess. I love the stuff she is making! You said it's candy? Is this the same woman that does origami? It couldn't be- isn't she older? I can't wait to get to Epcot!

 

[Roxychica7]

Way cool, Jess. I love the stuff she is making! You said it's candy? Is this the same woman that does origami? It couldn't be- isn't she older? I can't wait to get to Epcot!

I didn't know there was someone who did origami! I'm pretty sure she said it was "coooorn seerup" and she has this little tune she says "I maka caanddyyyy fo yoou" Not sure why I put sugar, I think that's just what I calling her so that Blake knew what I was talking about. Oh gosh they were so pretty. Make sure yours kids stand in the front, she always tries to get 1 per family with kids and they get to take them home

 

[kschafer]

I love the wine and candy section. All the colors and shaped bottles and cartoon images on them. So cool!

Yay and update before you go for your weekend

This wine was really good!! I got a small cup of it at the saki stand in that room. when I looked at the bottle, it was $40!! Um, I don't think so!

I wanted to see Myuki so bad but we never seemed to catch her. thanks for the pics

 

[Roxychica7]

Yay and update before you go for your weekend

This wine was really good!! I got a small cup of it at the saki stand in that room. when I looked at the bottle, it was $40!! Um, I don't think so!

I wanted to see Myuki so bad but we never seemed to catch her. thanks for the pics

Blake's brother had bought a bottle of this when he went in May 2008 and he wanted to show his brother that he had found it at the store. It was really good, when I tried it at his house, but I'm with you, $40..don't think so!
Myuki! That's her name..she's so funny!

 

[Lady Lallie]

Awesome light pictures! I also LOVE the koi fish pictures, very pretty.

I think the candy lady is so talented!

 

[disneydusted]

Yay!!! Jess, you found your card! I agree, Japan is amazing... so many things in that department store. Our DD bought a purse there and DS bought Pokemon cards!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I'm so glad you found your memory card! Great update. Aren't evenings around World Showcase just the best? Ah... wish I were there now!

Hope you had a fun weekend in VA!

 

[stacikristine]

Yay Yay Yay for the update!! I've never seen the candy maker. This is a MUST for our Sept trip now! Great pictures. I hope you had fun this weekend

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

Yum! I want a pretzel from Germany!

I forgot to try Kaki Gori AGAIN on my last trip. Maybe next time...

That candy lady is AMAZING!

 

[Roxychica7]

Awesome light pictures! I also LOVE the koi fish pictures, very pretty.

I think the candy lady is so talented!

She really is! She makes a point to say she's the one "woman" that knows how to do the candy making!

Yay!!! Jess, you found your card! I agree, Japan is amazing... so many things in that department store. Our DD bought a purse there and DS bought Pokemon cards!

Yay! I did I did! I always get fascinated by that store!

I'm so glad you found your memory card! Great update. Aren't evenings around World Showcase just the best? Ah... wish I were there now!

Hope you had a fun weekend in VA!

I wish I were there too! You're right though, nothing like an evening in WS! There's SO much to see!

Yay Yay Yay for the update!! I've never seen the candy maker. This is a MUST for our Sept trip now! Great pictures. I hope you had fun this weekend

You must definitely check her out! We found her in the evenings, she's not on the map, so you just have to keep checking back for her!

Yum! I want a pretzel from Germany!

I forgot to try Kaki Gori AGAIN on my last trip. Maybe next time...

That candy lady is AMAZING!

Dbf LOVES him some pretzels. I want to try and find the sweet filled one's next year, I think they're in a different park, but they sound good! Kaki Gori...yum! So refreshing!

 

[Roxychica7]

So, after a very very long hiatus (I can't believe it's almost June already!), I think it's about time to update this TR!

When we last left off, we had a visit in the Japanese department store and watched the sugar lady make her candy animals. Now about this time, I was ready for a drink. I had been wanting to try the Grand Marnier slushie way before I started my PTR. I'm not a huge fan of Vodka, I am definitely a rum drinker, but figured hey, Grand Marnier is orange, I like orange, I'll go with that one! So we made our way over to the France pavilion, and I snapped this one of the Epcot ball and a light fixture for LL!

Then I found it. And Dbf and I found a nice romantic spot over by the fountain. We had some photopass pics taken, which turned out lovely! I'll show them at the end of the TR, if that day ever comes
I can never figure out the camera settings for light pictures at night.

Trying a cautious sip and trying not to spill! Man they really fill that thing up high!

And then posing with the yummy drink!

Now I think if you buy the drink after 6pm, they add an extra dollar to the price, so ladies and gents, if you want either the Grey Goose or the Grand Marnier slushie, get it in the afternoon!

Then Dbf decided to pose with my drink. I think he wanted one of his own!
Careful sip

And the pose! Make sure that pinky is extended!

I had never checked out the France pavilion before, so we browsed the wine tasting section. And then I found this little baby. Beauty and the Beast is one of my all time favorite movies! Notice the drink still in hand

I finished that baby up in no time, so we were ready for another snack around the world! I snapped a pic of the lovely France pavilion and the canal where we had walked around to get to Beaches and Cream earlier in the day

What was the snack I had decided upon??

YUM YUM YUM!! Dbf and I decided that next trip, we are definitely getting our own! It was so delicious and the fries (chips) were amazing and the portion was quite large, but of course I ate most of it! I think Dbf was still full from his earlier snacks. We will definitely eat here again for lunch next time.
Look at all this deliciousness!

We parked ourselves at a bench overlooking the Epcot ball and ate our snack and then decided it was about time to get some photopass pics since the lights were all lit up now and Illuminations wasn't that far off!

 

[julezdisney]

Wow an update!

I LOVE the look of that slushie! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!

 

[kschafer]

I went last year with every intention of trying the grand Marnier slush but there was something about the color that frightened me (I don't care for brightly colored food unless created by mother nature) so I went with the grey goose. I will def return...yum!! Maybe one of my gnomies will let me try their grand marnier first.

I also really wanted to try the fish and chips but was never hungry when I passed by...put it on the list!!

 

[Roxychica7]

Wow an update!

I LOVE the look of that slushie! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!

I know right!? I dont think I realized it had been that long!
Oh the slush, yum, it was soo good!

I went last year with every intention of trying the grand Marnier slush but there was something about the color that frightened me (I don't care for brightly colored food unless created by mother nature) so I went with the grey goose. I will def return...yum!! Maybe one of my gnomies will let me try their grand marnier first.

I also really wanted to try the fish and chips but was never hungry when I passed by...put it on the list!!

I'll let you try mine!
It really was good, not too strong or too orangey. I may have to try the Grey Goose next trip

 

[disneydusted]

Hey Jess, good to see an update! Don't you love walking around WS at night? It's all so pretty. You guys are so cute taking pictures in France with the slushie!

 

[stacikristine]

YAY!! An update I have decided that I have to try a Grand Mariner Slush!! They just look so yummy

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

welcome back, i know what you mean about the long TR, i just finished mine 6 months into it.

 

[Roxychica7]

Hey Jess, good to see an update! Don't you love walking around WS at night? It's all so pretty. You guys are so cute taking pictures in France with the slushie!

Hi!! I'm glad to see an update myself! Any upcoming trips for you and your family? I do though, I LOVE walking around WS, Illuminations is my favorite and up next!

YAY!! An update I have decided that I have to try a Grand Mariner Slush!! They just look so yummy

Everyone is so surprised for an update! (It's ok, I surprised myself!) Oh you must try a slushie, SO good and so fun!

welcome back, i know what you mean about the long TR, i just finished mine 6 months into it.

It's amazing how long it takes to finish a report! Although, I guess I did have an excuse with missing that memory card for a while, but it is nice to still have an update to rely on, especially when the next trip is so far away!

 

[Roxychica7]

Hey guys, Dbf is gone this weekend. He decided to go home again and I have too much work to do with my thesis, especially if I want to go to Myrtle Beach for a week with my family in August. Oy. I can't wait until this thing is over with!

Well, I think with this post, I will finally be able to finish up our Epcot day, what...a good 5 1/2 months post trip? Ok, so we had just finished our last snack, or rather, I ate all of the snack from the Fish shop. It was getting somewhat near to the time for Illuminations and we wanted to get some photopass pics in and get some of the lights/tree lit up at night.

A tad blurry, but still pretty

This one is the backup picture that we got the photopass person to take

I was SO amazed at how many photopass people they had! We took our turn going down and hitting all of them. We got a few poses with the tree in 3 different distances from it, with the last one so you can see all of the tree. Then we got a few in front of the fluffy white snowflake lights, which were my favorite (I'll post these later) and then we got pictures with the arch lights at different distances. The cool thing with lights is that they were timed to music, so each pose they took was a different pattern or color in the background, I can't wait to post all of those for everyone.

Dbf and I then walked around the giftshop at the entrance between FW and WS and then looked around the MouseGears shop, the really big one...that one is certainly one of my favorites. Man, was it packed though! After a while, we were about 30 minutes out from Illuminations and I wanted a snack. I was dead set on getting nuts. I absolutely love the roasted almonds that they sell, with the brown sugar that coats them? Yum! Dbf and I are pretty much experts when it comes to where to sit for Illuminations. We sit near to the boundary between FW and WS like just in front of the one gift shop, but at an angle so that there's palm trees in the background with the fireworks pictures. We decided that once everyone is done seeing the show, they book it and you end up getting stuck and waiting for several buses back to your resort. So, while I went to get nuts, Dbf found our spots. It took me almost 25 minutes to get the nuts. I had to wait for another batch and since I was already there, the CM took orders ahead of time and when they were ready, I RAN back to Dbf, just in time!

Now I am a HUGE fan of Illuminations. I listen to the soundtrack all of the time, so I like to happily hum the music while it's playing and I know when it's getting close to the finale to get pics.
I took these because it looks like straight fire and my dad is a fireman and they remind me of him

I thought of LL on this one, the light fixture stood out so cool with the fire!

I always forget how bright it gets!

And some of my favorite shots of the show

Now the thing that confuses me is during the talking part, most people left and the finale is the best part! I'm not sure if they thought it was over cause the music does sort of end or they were just ready to go home!

And one from the finale

After singing the music to myself, I knew it was getting close and Dbf and I started moving quick! We were exhausted and wanted to catch the first bus.

Here's the last shot I have of the night

It's the twinkle lights in front of the Epcot ball as you walk out. It certainly doesn't do it justice, but I wanted a picture gosh darn it! And of course Dbf's shoe is in the way

I don't really remember what we did when we got back, probably just watched some tv and went to sleep quickly as the sleep was overcoming us. Next up..FINALLY day 4...Disney's Hollywood Studios! (arhm...MGM)

 

[julezdisney]

movin' right along there, Jess!