Never Mind The Clever Title, Here's My Trip Report! December 2014 Solo Trip (Completed)

[darrenf67]

Have you done the dessert party? I'm wondering if there are tables set up?

 

[PrincePluto]

Have you done the dessert party? I'm wondering if there are tables set up?

No, I've only seen other people's private dessert parties, and also when it's used as an Illuminations viewing area, from the other side of the rope. I am pretty sure that there are tables set up, if I recall correctly...

 

[PrincePluto]

As I was walking into France, I took a couple of pictures:

I saw that according to the times schedule, it was about time for Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) to greet the public, so I got on line and I was the first one on line, and everyone else got on line behind me... pays to have experience!

I asked Princess Aurora if she had a good sleep (I'm sure she rolled her eyes internally!) and she showed me how to stand like a prince, and grasped me by the elbow for the pose.

I then went over to the Chefs de France beverage kiosk and got a yummy Grand Marnier slushie:

I then wanted to get my picture taken with Belle, but I had a good 40 minutes before her next session, so I decided to go over to Morocco and have lunch at the Tangierine Cafe.

I had the Lamb Shawarma platter. Plenty of meat, a pita, and three sides. Pretty good deal for $13.99, by Disney standards!

While I was eating, I called home to talk to my brother in New Jersey, told him it was around 80 degrees and got to hear him being jealous as it was in the 20's up there...

When I was done eating, I got in line for Belle:

I then continued back to Morocco, where I took more pictures.

 

[darrenf67]

Love Belle my favourite princess

 

[rmom50]

Fun trip report! You look charming with them all, but I like you with Belle the best.

 

[PrincePluto]

I then walked back towards Morocco, continuing my counter-clockwise trip around the World Showcase, with the end destination of Germany for my dinner later in the evening.

I took a picture of the poster for the Aladdin and Jasmine photo opportunity, but it was an hour until the next opportunity, and I had seen them a year ago, so it was not high on my list of priorities:

I took various pictures around Morocco.

The Brass Bazaar:

Fez House:

The Gallery of Arts and History, or what I refer to as the "Morocco museum":

The Art of Henna - another opportunity to separate guys from their money to spend on their wives and daughters:

A scroll that talks about holiday celebrations in Morocco:

 

[PrincePluto]

Fun trip report! You look charming with them all, but I like you with Belle the best.

Thanks! If you look at my December 2013 trip report (link in my signature), you will see when I got my picture taken with Belle then, it was cooler, and Belle had a blue cloak on...

 

[hokieinpa]

Subbing in! I'm planning my first solo trip for next summer so I'm excited to read about your adventures!

 

[PrincePluto]

Subbing in! I'm planning my first solo trip for next summer so I'm excited to read about your adventures!

The more the merrier!

 

[PrincePluto]

I continued on to the American Adventure, and poked my head in when I saw that the Voices of Liberty were singing Christmas music.

I sat on the floor to get a better audio experience. Boy, I am nowhere as limber as I was as a child; I could not get comfortable. I tried sitting in what we used to call "indian-style", but is no longer politically correct, and the teachers now call "criss-cross applesauce".

I took some videos too, but I am not good at figuring out how to post a direct link to a video, so I will just post links to the embedded links on Flickr, and you can right-click them to open in a new tab:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/8729032@N06/15931493164/in/photostream/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/8729032@N06/16366394908/in/photostream/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/8729032@N06/15933879103/in/photostream/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/8729032@N06/16528058716/in/photostream/

I then went into The American Adventure with the crowd, and thoroughly enjoyed the show as always. I always tear up a little at the Civil War song about "Two Brothers" and at the montage at the end to "America (Spread Your Golden Wings)".

After I got out of the American Adventure, I went to the gift shop to see if they had any Voices of Liberty CDs. They did not have a one of Christmas music, but they did have two others, so I bought one which featured various Americana songs.

I had gotten several compliments on my T-shirt over the course of the day, both from cast members and guests, so I decided to take a selfie of it. It is a T-shirt I had bought at Hot Topic, a Doctor Who shirt, which features the 13 TV Doctors (13 including the War Doctor, featured in the 50th anniversary special, who goes between the 8th and 9th official Doctor). If you look at the photo, David Tennant, Matt Smith, and Peter Capaldi are cut off the bottom.

 

[PrincePluto]

I decided I would do an Agent P Adventure, so I went to the recruiting booth, and chose Germany for my adventure, and I was handed a F.O.N.E. and proceeded to Germany and went on my "unpaid internship" to help Agent P. catch Dr. Doof.

After the adventure ended, I took some pictures around the Germany pavilion:

Playmobil sets for sale:

The outdoor railway layout, called the Romantic Road. I seem to recall that like 20 years ago, there were more complete train sets on this layout, whereas now it's more individual trolleys.

I took some more pictures in the shops of Germany:

These Grumpy figurines say "I know a little German" followed by the German translation of this phrase. I know this is a pun in English, as it could refer to a knowledge of the German language or familiarity with a short German person, but I am not sure the pun translates...

"letzte runde" translates as Last round.

A mixture of German and English: German beer makes me dance

Another mix of German and English: Real (married) women drink beer

 

[darrenf67]

I've never done an Agent P adventure - I might do it this August I think

 

[PrincePluto]

I've never done an Agent P adventure - I might do it this August I think

It's fun! Many of the setpieces are repurposed from the Kim Possible Adventure, but also some new hidden elements have been added. Also, when I did it in 2013, the phone was a basic video flip-phone, and in 2014 it had been upgraded to a smartphone, with a touch screen and a larger video area.

 

[PrincePluto]

Next, I went into the Weinkeller (wine cellar):

Gluhwein - literally, "Glow wine" which got its name from the way it was originally heated, by putting a hot (glowing) iron in it to warm it up.

Various other alcoholic beverages and novelties:

Weinkeller also has cookbooks and German food specialties:

 

[PrincePluto]

I decided to go nextdoor, to Kunstarbeit in Kristall (Artwork in glass):

Tiaras!

 

[rmom50]

did you get me something? those tiaras look like they would all fit.

 

[PrincePluto]

did you get me something? those tiaras look like they would all fit.

Sorry, no... Those were pretty pricey, compared to those at Magic Kingdom... I didn't take any pictures in this batch that included prices, but the next section does.

 

[PrincePluto]

This is all still in Kunstarbeit in Kristall. This has to be the single store with the highest-priced merchandise in Epcot.

This Glass Slipper was pretty, but it was ridiculously expensive...

Various other crystal creations:

Smaller glass slippers, with birthstones, for $19 each:

Genie:

At only $1995, this is a steal! (not)

A (slightly) less expensive version of the Genie figure:

Mickey figurines:

Nifty Tinkerbell stuff:

Sorcerer Mickey, from Fantasia:

Next up: Hummel figurines!

 

[PrincePluto]

They had a pretty good selection of Hummel figurines, which are based on the drawings of Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel, a German nun, from the 1930s. My grandmother (on my mom's side) used to collect them, so I decided to take some pictures of the current offerings:

 

[PrincePluto]

I had a 6:00 PM reservation for a Biergarten Candlelight Processional package, so I got in line at the podium and was handed an electronic blinky thing. I sat down at a table outside with a couple of guys from the midwest who were enjoying their beers, to wait until I was called, and before I knew it, I was being led to my table.

The Oompah band was visible from my table:

I ordered a liter of Oktoberfest beer, and we went up to get the food. The line seemed to move a lot more slowly than the previous time I was there. I had sauerbraten, spaetzle, wurst and red cabbage, and for dessert I had rotegritze and strudel.

After dinner, I had some time before the Candlelight Processional, so I went and saw the German Holiday Traditions storyteller, who talked about the soldier nutcracker:

I went and got online for the Candlelight Processional. The line was already past Japan, and I was about an hour early. It had gotten really cold since the sun had set. As the line was not moving, I decided to take pictures of the lagoon:

We were let into the theater. The narrator was Edward James Olmos, who is best known as the lieutenant on Miami Vice, and as Commander (later Admiral) Adama in the reboot of Battlestar Galactica.

I didn't take many pictures, because it was really cold, and I ended up leaving early.

I walked toward the Future World section, and took some pictures of the Christmas Tree as I passed.

I exited the park, drove back to my timeshare, and went to bed.