Our Fantastic November Adults-Only Trip w/Pics & Food Reports *7/2/11 BB & CBR**

[SaberJ]

Am with you on the GF being the last deluxe resort I would want to stay in...don't know what it is but it just doesn't appeal to me as much as Poly or Contemporary. You managed to get some great pics of the place.

Wow you guys are patient waiting that long for a buffet dinner...especially as you had not eaten much during the day.

The debate with Lady Tremaine sounds funny! It's a shame the food wasn't that good but at least there was strawberry soup! Hope you managed to catch MSEP later on in the trip

I'm sure Russell will chime in on his enjoyment of that conversation. And as far as MSEP....ugh, the one bad thing about the trip. But at least it leaves my wife with another "first" experience when we go back.

That is a really good Cinderella. Like I mean, that is exactly how I picture Cinderella to look in my head. I hate when the characters don't look like how I think they should look.

Yeah, she looked really good. But the one thing that is weird, looking at the picture is that it looks like she has dark hair and it's showing under the wig. I'm not sure if that's a light issue or not, because I don't remember it from when we were there.

 

[Jack Talon]

Am with you on the GF being the last deluxe resort I would want to stay in...don't know what it is but it just doesn't appeal to me as much as Poly or Contemporary. You managed to get some great pics of the place.

Wow you guys are patient waiting that long for a buffet dinner...especially as you had not eaten much during the day.

The debate with Lady Tremaine sounds funny! It's a shame the food wasn't that good but at least there was strawberry soup! Hope you managed to catch MSEP later on in the trip

Lady Tremaine just would not listen to reason. She said that she hated mice, and since she found out about them helping Cinderella, she hates them even more. I tried to explain that the mice were only helping her get her chores done faster and that should make her happy, but nooooo. Apparently she has no desire for the chores to be done in a quick manner, she just wants to be mean. I tried to explain that if she didn't give Cinderella so much work to do, she wouldn't need the help from the mice in the first place.

That lady just cannot be talked to about serious issues.

And no, no MSEP. We got close to seeing it a couple of times, but we always missed it. Apparently we just weren't meant to see it this trip, which sucks because it was one of the things I was looking most forward to.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Lady Tremaine just would not listen to reason. She said that she hated mice, and since she found out about them helping Cinderella, she hates them even more. I tried to explain that the mice were only helping her get her chores done faster and that should make her happy, but nooooo. Apparently she has no desire for the chores to be done in a quick manner, she just wants to be mean. I tried to explain that if she didn't give Cinderella so much work to do, she wouldn't need the help from the mice in the first place.

That lady just cannot be talked to about serious issues.

And no, no MSEP. We got close to seeing it a couple of times, but we always missed it. Apparently we just weren't meant to see it this trip, which sucks because it was one of the things I was looking most forward to.

There is just no reasoning with some people You will have to see if you can get any sense out of her the next time you see her.

It's a shame about MSEP - at least you now have an excuse to go back!

 

[SaberJ]

There is just no reasoning with some people You will have to see if you can get any sense out of her the next time you see her.

It's a shame about MSEP - at least you now have an excuse to go back!

Not that we really needed one.

 

[Jack Talon]

By the way, in case anyone wants it, here is the link to my youtube page. Tons of Disney videos and more on the way.

 

[SaberJ]

Sorry for the longer than usual break. It's been a busy week. But now let's continue, and get day two finally wrapped up so that I can start into Epcot with Day Three.

Day Two: Return to Magic Kingdom

So the original reason that Magic Kingdom was scheduled on this particular day is because it had Wishes, Main Street Electrical Parade, and Extra Magic Hours. But as I mentioned in the previous post, our dinner reservations made it next to impossible to get back in time for MSE. We tried arriving early in hopes that we would get in and out early, but that just made it so that we could get in on time rather than later.

So following dinner at 1900 Park Fare, we rode back over to MK on the monorail. Entering the park again was interesting, considering the flood of people that were exiting. However, we eventually got to a section of cast members that were separating the two flows of traffics to make it easier to move.

We kept getting ushered forward, and so we went with the flow until the traffic started to slow down. Then we took a position where we could all see, and waited for Wishes to start. Luckily, it wasn't too much of wait, considering we got there so late.

So this is probably one of the things I took the most pictures of while I was there. I've tried to go through and sort out the crap to make sure only the best pictures remain in my album. And of those, I'm going to post the best. So I'm now going to post the best of the best pictures. Sorry in advance for those that aren't interested in fireworks. Join me after the pictures for more discussion on rides.

Also, we have a few HD videos for Wishes:

Finding a place to watch
Wishes Pt. 1 and Pt 2

Following the firework show, our arms were numb. Russell got video of the whole show, and I took about 200-300 pictures. I can only imagine how many pictures we would have ended up having, had we gotten to see MSE. I love Wishes, but MSE is what I remember from being there as a kid. I would have went crazy with my camera if we had seen it.

Anyway, following the fireworks show, we decided to head for the rides that were busy all day long. That meant it was time for the dark rides. So first we hit up "it's a small world". I was looking forward to seeing how Tabitha liked the ride, since it's one of the iconic Disney rides. She seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. Though me and Russell both told her the whole time how creepy and long it was going to be, so I'm sure we didn't help.

The line for it's a small world was relatively long. But by the time we got out, they had started checking for keys to the world, so the lines went down considerably after that. We hit up Peter Pan's Flight as well while we were in the area. That was the other one that had insane lines all day. And just so we could say we did it, we also ended up on the teacups. Which, BTW, were not made for three adults.

The park is really cool at this time of the night. It's dark, not particularly crowded, and after the fireworks they spray areas down. It all works together to give everything an ambiance that I find to be cool.

I'm not really sure what else we did that night, as it was getting late, and we had been going at it all day with very little sleep. I know we rode Space Mountain again, but I'm not sure if it was this time, or the other day we ended up coming back. But either way, that happened.

Following the excitement of those last few rides and Wishes, we decided to call it a night. We wanted to get out of the park before people started leaving en mass. But before we headed on out, we decided to take a couple pictures using the Castle as a backdrop in the night.

By the way, Russell always annoys me with how every picture he is in is a good one. It reminds me of Barney from How I Met Your Mother. He just takes insanely good pictures, in my opinion.

So it was still pretty close to closing by the time we got out, and our bus line was still pretty long. But I believe we ended up being the first ones on the second bus that came along. Which meant we got to sit down on the way back to the resort. Which Tabitha always like to do, so she could get her micro naps in.

Once we got back to the room, we quickly got ready for bed, and then headed off to sleep. We didn't have any ADRs for the next morning, so that was good. But at this point, we were still being naive in thinking we could get to the park opening every morning and it wouldn't wear on us. At the same time, we were thinking we were going to milk every minute out of every park. The two don't mix together well for too long.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Great pictures and videos of Wishes and the castle - it just captures the magic of the evening!

on being able to ride the rides that had the long lines earlier in the day!

Looking forward to hearing about Epcot and how you handled the realisation that trying to get to park opening every morning and milking every minute of the parks did not mix together for the duration of your trip.

 

[Jack Talon]

Who is that really tall guy always in shadow from the castle? :3

Also, I will have video of us on the teacups up, uh, "soon".

 

[SaberJ]

Wow! 3 weeks since my last post! I need to stop slacking. Maybe if I didn't feel the need to detail every part of every day, I could fit more posts in my free time. Anyway, where was I?

Ah, right...

Day Three: Epcot

Epcot has always been my favorite park. I'm a huge technology geek, and even before I came to that realization, the sort of "future technology" promise that Epcot offers (even when it's often fake future technology) was very appealing to me. When we started to talk about doing a Disney Trip as an adult, Epcot was the big thing that me and Russell looked forward too. As kids, there were certain things that didn't really interest our parents, and as a result, Epcot usually got plowed through at full speed. And we intended to take in every single minute of the experience this time.

As I mentioned last time, the PLAN was to actually get up in time to get to the park for opening. But with two late nights in a row, we were already starting to feel the side effects of the constant running. Still, I believe we did manage to at least wake up soon after the park opened. And by the time I took my first picture, World Showcase had been open for about 25 minutes. So overall, we didn't miss too much of the day.

This was probably one of the prettiest days of the week. That's not to say that the rest wasn't great as well. However, the skies were perfect on Epcot day. It wasn't too hot like it was for Animal Kingdom at times, and it wasn't all that chilly even by the time we left. It made for some great picture-taking weather. I actually ended up with more pictures on day three than on any other day. And that's counting the crazy number of fireworks pictures that I took at Magic Kingdom.

When we first got into the park, we took a moment to check out the large stone...tablet thingies. The ones with all the names and such on them. What's up with those. We never could really figure that out. But it did make for a very nice looking entry pavilion. After grabbing some schedules, maps, and Food & Wine brochures, we took a long break to pose for several pictures. I won't bore you with all of them, but I really like the pictures by the water.

Those were probably my favorite pictures of us from the whole trip. It really sums up the beautiful surroundings of Epcot, and Florida as a whole.

The immediate plan was to get to the two "big" rides that none of us had ever rode. The first one being Soarin', as I had heard that the Fastpasses for that ride run out really quickly. But before we headed off in that direction, I knew that we had to get in a ride at Spaceship Earth. I don't know why, but I totally go for the total cheese from the Disney animatronic rides.

Since the last time I went in Spaceship Earth, I think they've improved it quite a bit. It's still a slightly humorous experience with the rickety track back down from the top of the geosphere. But everything is really slick, and actually pretty educational. It was probably one of the only animatronic rides we went on that Tabitha didn't try to nap on. In fact, when we were going to hit a couple of extra rides at Epcot later in the week, she actually requested this one again.

The wonderful thing about Epcot is that it's almost the opposite design philosophy as the rest of Disney. Instead of cramming anyone into small paths and letting them see restricted views of the park (Which is cool how it's done, and the effect it gives), they have big wide open areas where you can see so much beautiful landscaping. So there were a lot of opportunities for pictures as we went along.

When we picked up our Soarin' Fast passes, the time to come back was something like 4 hours later. So we were very glad that we came immediately when we entered the park. And sure enough, by the time we went to ride, they were all out of passes, and I get the impression that it didn't take the whole 4 hours for that to happen.

Because we had 4 hours to blow before our fast pass times came up, we decided to go ahead and make our way around the world showcase. We had specifically set aside any breakfast and lunch plans, and intended to eat our way around the world for the Food and Wine Festival. Since we were already starting to get pretty hungry, it was the perfect time to start on that quest. And we planned that by the time we made our way around, we could probably hop on Test Track, and then it would be about time to hit up Soarin'.

I don't want to try and rush through the F&W Festival, so we'll save that experience for the next post. Beware: plenty of yummy food pictures lie ahead on the road through our trip. I'm pretty sure we grabbed a good shot of everything we tasted. And I say tasted because as good as all the food was, there was barely enough for a taste. Which was good, because we would have never made it through the whole thing without the small portions (And usually splitting those portions even then).

Anyway, that's all coming up in my next post.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Glad to see you back and updating us with a new post..thought you had gone back to Disney World to relive the experiences!

I am looking forward to spending lots of time at Epcot as it sounds like a great park! Love your pictures of Spaceship Earth - it must have been great if Tabitha stayed awake!

The fountain pics look good. Am looking forward to hearing about your experiences at the F&W festival.

 

[Jack Talon]

How about you quit goofing off and post another report? C'mon man, chop chop, get to it! *lazy*

 

[palaemon]

How about you quit goofing off and post another report? C'mon man, chop chop, get to it! *lazy*

I just told him the same thing earlier on Twitter.

He said he post something "tomorrow."

I said, Mmmmm - Food & Wine!

 

[SaberJ]

Day Three: Epcot Food and Wine Festival

As per *friendly* (ahem) requests, it's time to push forward. Life is just so busy! But I'll soldier on, somehow. Anyway, let's talk about eating around the world, shall we?

We entered the World Showcase on the Canadian side, eh? We had a list of food to definitely get to as we made our way around the world. But for the most part, we just wanted to wing it, and see what tickled our fancies on each menu.

Our first stop was Greece. We decided to start off with a dessert that I had always heard people sing the praises of, but had never actually tried. That's right, I was a Baklava virgin. Was being the keyword there. This tasty morsel ended that problem.

I was pretty pleased with it. Unfortunately, since it was my first, I can't really compare it with past experiences. It had a good taste to it, and an interesting texture. It was also extremely sticky. But overall, a great experience. So I'll definitely be getting more of this somewhere in the future.

After we all had a taste of the Baklava, we took made our next stop in Canada. Russell got a taste of his first beer, but we all made sure to try one of the must-haves on our list, the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup. Now as I understand it, Le Cellier also serves the Cheddar Cheese Soup, which is where we first heard of it. However, we weren't able to get reservations to Le Cellier, since it's one of the more difficult places to get into. Especially with virtually no planning ahead of time.

I'm a huge fan of cheeses, and cheddar in particular. So this was a great treat for me. Unfortunately, this was the first real time that I felt like you didn't get nearly enough for what you paid. That's a tiny cup, and we are talking about nearly $4 for that little bit of soup. It was pretty crazy. But with that said, this was delicious, and I would've loved to get another. But there was more to taste, and better things to spend my money on.

Moving on around the World Showcase, we had the a Segue tour pass us. I had seen something on this tour before we headed to Disney World, and it looked marvelously dorky, so I had to take a picture. I would totally do it, if I was on unlimited funds.

The next stop for tasting came in Ireland for another dessert. I'm an extra picky eater, so desserts got the majority of the tasting privileges. However, this was no ordinary dessert. This was a magnificent creation called a Chocolate Lava cake. With Bailey's Irish Creme Ganache. I think we all agreed that it was fantastic, and definitely one of the best things we ate the entire trek around the world. It was definitely on the rich side, but the texture was just right, the chocolate was perfect, and the temperature really topped it off. Not so hot that it was scalding, but definitely warm enough to improve the experience.

I'm a person with a ton of hobbies. It's one of my weaknesses. It's the whole "Jack of all trades, master of none" flaw. But among all my hobbies, two stand out as true passions. Travel, and food. I went to school for Travel, but I strongly considered culinary. It probably would have been the better choice, because I'm pretty certain I could have put that education to use. But ultimately I figured I was a picky enough eater that it just wouldn't work out. Chefs need to be able to taste there own work. But what I would have really loved would have been a Pastry Chef, or just a Dessert Chef in general. The Chocolate Cake is the sort of thing that really makes me respect the magic that a good chef can work. The blending of flavors, the knowledge to make the texture just right...everything about it was inspiring. The only flaw to this item is that it was the pinnacle of high cost for very little food. Seriously, I could have easily ate the entire thing in one bite. But that didn't stop them from charging $2.75, which is a little insane, IMO. But...it's a vacation! And a new experience!

In addition to the food though, this trip was obviously special for the experiences. One of the reasons I enjoy Disney World so much is because just around every corner is yet another reason to stop and say, "This is why Disney World is so special. They just get it." Of course, you could never actually stop that often if you planned to get through a majority of the parks. But just think if any other company ran the Disney parks. It would be far too extravagant for there to be so many character interactions, random street parties, spontaneous song and dance numbers, etc. In this case, right outside of Ireland, there was a comedy troupe giving a story telling performance, that relied on audience participation. And again, Disney does it right. I've seen some things like this at other parks. But at Disney? It just works. People get involved, have fun, and ultimately convince other people to stop and watch for a while.

Now, we came in a bit late for this show, so I can't tell you exactly what it was about. I think it involved the Holy Grail, but I'm not for sure. Honestly, we were just waiting for Tabitha to finish a bathroom break while we watched. But it was just one of those things that came together with the great food on this trip to put me in a state of Travel & Food nirvana.

We continued on around, and gave serious consideration to joining up with the Kim Possible spy team doohickey they had going on. I had no real interest in the game, but I had saw where the devices they gave out actually controlled some things in the environment around the World Showcase. Ultimately though, I wanted to act a little bit closer to my age, so we all ended up passing. Instead, we headed to France.

France is one of the places where I wish I wasn't so picky. The Escargot was flying out of that place, and I just thought, "Man, some people are so lucky to be able to eat and enjoy anything they want." Me, there was no way I would ever consider eating Escargot. But I did briefly consider the braised short ribs. Ultimately, I passed on them. However, another of the items on my "must try" list was the Creme Brulee au Chocolate au Lait. I love Creme Brulee anyway, but the idea of giving it a chocolate milk taste really made my mouth water. So once again, we got a dessert option.

In this case, I think that the value was a little higher. $1 more than the chocolate cake, but we are talking about 4-5 times the amount of food. So how did we feel about it? Well, I believe I mentioned before that I prefer warm Creme Brulee. And again, this was pretty much ice cold. However, I hinted to it in my first post about food...this was my favorite Creme Brulee of the trip. It was pretty much the same old top to the dish, but the filling inside had a wonderful chocolate flavor to it that really made me way happier than I should have been.

I believe that Russell enjoyed it, but liked the Wolfgang Puck Express option better. But he also dipped his Krispy Treat in Chocolate chips, so we already know he's insane. Anyway, while this was a better deal than most options we tried, it was still far from a "good" deal. There wasn't enough, but that's probably for the better, as we still had a long way to go. But before we continued on, we decided to get a picture of Tabitha with Belle and Beast. Unfortunately, it had a tacky advertisement for the Blu-Ray and DVD sets. But she loves the movie, so she needed a picture with them.

Also, in that same area, France has a non-Food and Wine area where you can get Fruit Crepes. The last time I had the chance to get a Fruit Crepe, I wasn't aware that Fruit Crepes were different than the Crepes that are served sort of like an omelette. So this time, I made sure to get one. And since it's not a Food and Wine item, the price was actually decent. However, I believe that this is the time that I realized there was probably no better chance to start burning through our snack credits. Luckily, most of the Food and Wine items could be bought using that snack credit. And since they were so pricey, this was a good way to use it.

I should also point out at this point that me and Tabitha were sharing most of these items. And with the larger items, we invited Russell to try them if he wanted to. But I was definitely not getting one of each item per person. So at this point, I'm still not getting full. But I think Russell was starting to feel it.

The Crepe, though, was absolutely delicious. It's like thinner version of a pancake, filled with fruit, and dusted with sugar. It's like the love child on a pancake and a funnel cake, assuming that the baby ended up really skinny. I'm a huge fan of strawberries, so that's what I ended up getting. I'm not sure why these things aren't all that popular in the US. Perfectly sweet, and lightly fried. Seems like the perfect combination. But I guess if it doesn't get deep fried, then it doesn't work.

While we sat down to finish off our crepe, I had to tell the story of the newest adorable kid I had ran into. While waiting in line, I was behind a little girl that was just going on about something in another language. I can't remember for the life of me what that language was now. But I want to say German. Perhaps French, however. Anyway, when they get up to the window, just as easily she starts speaking in English. I know that's probably not all that impressive to most people. But to me, it was impressive. Most dual language people I've seen in my life struggle with the second language. It just goes to prove how much learning ability we have as a young child. Humor me, it was a neat experience.

After finishing off my first crepe, we headed off to try similar item. Over in Belgium, we wanted to try the Belgium Waffles with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream. We were all eager to try this, so I believe we each got our own. Personally, I really liked mine. I mean, ultimately it was just a waffle with some berries and whipped cream on it. But it was good. And probably the first time I ate a waffle without syrup. However, Russell didn't have a good experience with his. He said that the berries were definitely too tart. And I could definitely see how that would be a problem. But personally, I didn't think mine were too bad.

After finishing up the waffles, we had a lot of areas ahead of us that we weren't really interested in. So we grabbed a few pictures as we went along, looking for the next item.

We eventually spotted another item of interest. In Australia, we wanted to try the Grilled Lamb Chop with the Potato Salad and Red Wine Reduction. The Lamb Chop was pretty good. Probably about 1.5 ounces of meat, but still good. The potato salad was horrible, but I also don't like potato salad. Still, it tasted like raw potatoes covered in some nasty goo. Wasn't a fan of that.

We moved on to Japan, where Russell was eager to try some sushi and Saki. You'll have to ask him how he liked them, because I'm not a fan of either.

However, just around the corner at the "non-Food and Wine" Japan station, we all tried the Kaki Gori and the Plum Wine. Both of which I found to be pretty good. I still like traditional American shaved ice better than Kaki Gori, but it's definitely an improvement over Sno-Cones. It's kind of like a combination of the two, actually. It's hard like a Sno-Cone, but the juice stays with the ice, like with a Shaved Ice.

Me and Tabitha got Strawberry and Tangerine, while Russell just got Tangerine. I was a fan of the Strawberry, but not the Tangerine. And I had no interest in Honeydew Melon.

I've again reached my picture limit, so this will be continued very shortly...

 

[SaberJ]

Day Three: Epcot Food and Wine Festival Part 2



Continuing on around, we found some excellent opportunities for pictures, since we were now on the opposite side of the lake from Future World.

Finally, we got around to Germany, and we had decided to get something from there. But first, I had to play around with taking pictures of the tiny train village.

Also, Tabitha decided to get some Cannoli Al Cioccolato from Italy. I scoffed at the idea, because I didn't think I liked Cannoli. Unfortunately, it was extra delicious, and I missed my chance to get one as well. A fantastic dessert. Quite rich, though.

On to Germany, I had already decided I was getting the Apple Streudel with the Karamel Sauce. Russell decided he hadn't managed to get nearly enough beer so far, so he got a glass of that, as well as the Nurnberger Sausage on the Pretzel roll. Again, I scoffed, because I don't like sausage. Which is bizarre, since I love bacon. But I don't.

Once again, I regretted my scoffing once I gave the sausage a taste. Not only was it the most delicious sausage I have ever tasted, but the comically small pretzel roll really added to it. I think I enjoyed it so much, because it was missing the spice that I'm used to in sausage. I wish I had got my own. However, this was the end of the line for the Food and Wine festival, and I was starting to feel pretty full. It was a great idea, however, to make the F&W our Breakfast and Lunch. It was a nice change from normal restaurants. However, come willing to pay the somewhat ludicrous prices, or expect to be disappointed. Still, I would recommend giving it a go as long as you have that in mind whenever the 2011 edition rolls around this fall.

At this point, we finished out the World Showcase. We were eager for the remainder of Future World, and then we had a fabulous dinner reservation for that night. I was a bit eager to try it, but my picky senses were tingling. Where were we going? None other than Teppan Edo. Did we enjoy it? I'm not going to just give out spoilers willy-nilly. You just hold on until I get to that part.

In the meantime, enjoy the remainder of out trip through World Showcase. First, we went ahead and hit up the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros. It was a pretty low key ride that I guess was completely different last time we went. It was nice enough, I guess. A little uninspired by Disney standards, perhaps.

After that, we definitely wanted to ride Maelstrom in Norway. Last time we were there, that ended up being one of the rides that stuck out to us. Unfortunately, it didn't really hold up. For one thing, they seemed to have gotten rid of a couple things. For instance, we all remembered a troll spitting on you at the top of the ride where you look out at the park. That didn't happen. But other than that, it was just ok. Perhaps it was so good last time, because it was one of the more thrilling rides we got to go on with our parents. Who knows.

Following this ride, we bid World Showcase a temporary adieu, and headed back to Future World. But we would be back for some snacks we wanted to save until we were hungry again. In the meantime, we were deposited back on to the Test Track side of the park, so we went to hit that up in order to continue waiting for out flight time on Soarin'. But you'll have to wait a bit more for the remainder of Epcot's story.

 

[lakohls]

Planning for Nov 5-12, 2011 so I was happy to stumble across your trip report - especially the info on the tastings available in Epcot. Have always heard Nov was a "slower" time at Disney, so if you have any more opinons/info on crowd levels as you post the rest of TR that would be really helpful too. THANK YOU!

 

[Jack Talon]

The berries on that waffle were insane. I literally couldn't bring myself to actually eat them and I spit them out. I don't know what it was, but they were just horrible. Maybe it was because I was expecting something sweet and they were most certainly not sweet, but for whatever reason I wanted to hurl.

I'd also like to comment on something that Randy forgot about (shame on you, brother!), the Plum Wine. None of us are really wine drinkers (with the exception of maybe Tabitha). I like my beer and fruity tropical drinks, and Randy and Tabitha like just fruity tropical drinks. However, the idea of Plum Wine intrigued me, and I love trying new things, so we got some. It was delicious. All three of us agreed that if more wine tasted like that, we would all we wine drinkers.

I'd also like to point out that the pub near where we got the lava cake and they were doing that random comedy show on the street is where Dan Conner stopped off for a yard of beer in the Disney World Roseanne special. I had wanted to go there to sort of recreate the scene or something, but all of the outside tables were gone, so I lost interest. :<

Last, but not least, the sushi and sake! The sushi was sushi, and the sake was sake. That is about all there is to it. It was pretty much on par with the food I get at my local sushi bar.

 

[Jack Talon]

Planning for Nov 5-12, 2011 so I was happy to stumble across your trip report - especially the info on the tastings available in Epcot. Have always heard Nov was a "slower" time at Disney, so if you have any more opinons/info on crowd levels as you post the rest of TR that would be really helpful too. THANK YOU!

The crowds really kind of went up and down for us. When we went to The Magic Kingdom the first time, it was pretty packed in most areas. Then we would go back another day and it would be almost dead. Same with the other parks. Just depended on the time of day and what area you were in.

Overall the parks were pretty slow. With some careful Fastpass planning we ended up only ever having to really wait in line on Test Track and Mission: Space (but for a completely different reason. Randy will get to that I'm sure). Everything else we walked on or had a Fastpass for.

Just try to plan your day out, be smart about Fastpasses, and ignore the popular rides at peak times.

 

[SaberJ]

Day Three: More Epcot Rides

With the breakfast/lunch hybrid excursion to the Food and Wine festival over with, it was time to get back to riding rides in Future World. We had a lot of area to cover still, and we were still waiting for our Fastpass time to come up for Soarin'. Unfortunately, that meant that it was impossible to get another Fastpass for the moment.

However, we still had another "Must Ride" ride in Epcot. Test Track was being built the last time we came to Disney World. And our childhood minds ran away, taking our imaginations with them. Needless to say, it's a ride that I've been interested in riding every since then. Ultimately though, nothing can ever compete with the things that happen in your imagination as a kid. Right?

Well, we were about to find out. With no Fastpass, we decided to wait out the line. We knew that Fastpasses for Test Track disappeared almost as fast as Soarin', and we weren't going to rely on "probably" to come back and ride this ride. So with plenty of time left before Soarin', we hopped in the regular line. And waited.....and waited....and about dozed off a few times. For a change of pace, I took some pictures of the test track garage atmosphere. Then I went back to waiting. And then, we turn the first corner of the line. And waited some more.

The bad news was that this line was pretty long. Very likely the longest wait of entire trip. The good news was that this was very likely the longest wait of our trip. And it still wasn't THAT bad. Probably an hour and a half to two hours. Considering the last time we went to Disney just about every line was like that, I think we got off pretty lucky. On the one hand, this was a comfortable building to wait in. It had plenty of things to see and hear. On the other hand, repetitive sounds get very annoying in a short amount of sounds. Each area you stood in had a new sound like that. So you would get annoyed at a sound, feel relieved as you got a new one, and then be cursing that sound after another 5 minutes of waiting in that area.

But the line was ultimately worth it before we had even got to the ride. At the very top of the ramp, right before you get counted off to go watch the video, I found possibly one of the funniest things I've ever see on a sign.

I don't know why I found this sign so funny. Well, actually I do. That bottom duck has apparently manage to develop the ability to move him leg all the way up to come out of his chest. He looks like an Olympic hurdler with incorrect anatomy. Ultimately, it's just a poorly drawn sign, but I got a lot of laughs out of it. Had to make sure I took home a picture.

Finally we reached the area where we got counted off and ushered to the room where you watch the video. Apparently, someone got stuck in our room, however. Not only were we in line for the last door to open (the middle door), but I'm pretty sure one of the other doors opened twice before ours ever opened. By the time the door did open, I was ready to find the nearest wall, and slump against it. Walking is one thing. You are constantly shifting your weight. But standing still for so long just about kills me. I'm still waiting for the first theme park to come along with moving seats to sit in while you wait in line.

After a hokey video, we proceeded....to another line. But at least now you could see the line. And in this case, the line wasn't nearly as long. After another 10-15 minutes, we were sitting in our car, ready to experience the test track.

So was the ride the same as my imagination led me to believe? Of course not. We didn't get to drive the car. However, it was probably just as fun. It's not an intense thrill ride. But there was enough "fun" happening through the entirety of the ride, that what little "thrill" there is became all that much more enjoyable. We each gave this ride two thumbs way up.

Following the ride, we grabbed some pictures of the cards outside, and let ourselves dream of owning cars so fancy for a bit.

After getting out of the Test Track area, we decided to start making our way back toward Soarin'. While it still (!) wasn't time for our FastPass return, it was starting to be a lot closer. Plus, it was on the opposite side of the park anyway, so pretty much everything else we wanted to ride was in that direction.

Russell really wanted to make sure he got to ride Mission Space. I've grown past the age where I like spinning rides, and that includes centrifuges. But I was willing to go on the "wimpy" side of the ride. Luckily, the line for the ride was incredibly short! Our side? 5 minutes! The other side? 15 Minutes. Score!

However, once we got inside, we realized that someone had counted wrong. The other side was completely empty, whereas our side had a line. Still, it wasn't such a long line. Until a bunch of other people got to go in front of us. Strollers, wheelchairs, people with VIP access. You name it, and they probably got to go in front of us. And the annoying thing is that the line would only move every few minutes, thanks to the nature of the ride. Granted, when it did move, it took a lot of people in. But when there were 10 new people waiting to get in front of you as soon as that happened....well, it just took a while, that's all.

The ride itself? If you aren't on the centrifuge side, I wouldn't even bother. Yeah, it was still a motion simulator ride. However, it was built on the idea of interactivity. The "players" were actually piloting, landing, commanding, etc the ship. Only nothing we did actually mattered at all. If we decided to fly the ship to the left, and it wanted to fly to the right, it flew to the right. Great idea, horrible execution. Still, we can make anything more fun than it ought to be, so we had a great time arguing playing pretend. As the commander, I took great pride in my ability to dole out commands to my inferiors.

The rest of the rides, I'm not sure of the order on. I know before we hit Soarin, we went ahead and rode Living with the Land. What is it about Disney's ability to turn even the lamest rides into something worth experiencing? I mean, it's a freaking boat ride through greenhouses. But I still find it to be entertaining and somewhat fun. Granted, it is what it is. But all the talk about hydroponics and such makes me a lot more interested than I really should be.

I believe at this point, we went ahead and got in line for Soarin'. We were a little later than our allotted time period, but they didn't mind at all. For all the instances of kids running around the park, this was the first and possibly only time I had a negative thought concerning it. We were waiting behind a guy and his two sons, and they were just off the wall hyper and annoying. Swinging off the chain that setup the line, yelling, screaming, fighting. You name it, and they probably did it. And the dad the whole time was barely even paying attention to it. It was as if he had one of those, "I'd rather be your friend than father" relationships. I kind of felt bad for him, because I got the impression that he probably didn't get to spend much time with them. But even so, when it came time to get counted off into rows, I thanked whoever was looking out for me when they got put in a different row.

I really enjoyed Soarin'. Did I enjoy it for the mass hysteria that comes along with it that included a multi-hour wait for the FastPass return? Heck no. But I enjoyed it pretty well. I'm not sure I can say the same for Tabitha and Russell. They just seemed "ok" with the ride at best. I think Tabitha disliked the smells. Which surprised me, because nobody seemed to complain about the putrid "burp" smell in the Stitch's Great Escape ride the previous day. But for whatever reason when we came back, nobody was really high on the idea of re-riding Soarin'. I was fine with it either way, but I was surprised that nobody loved it in the group, considering how popular it is. But I guess in the end, it's still just a moving theater ride.

Following Soarin', I'm pretty sure we hit up the Imagination Pavilion area. It was retro-Disney time. Figment's Journey into the Imagination was always a favorite of mine, as well as Captain EO. I considered myself extremely lucky to get the chance to watch EO one more time. I loved it as a kid, and I was never as impressed with Honey I Shrunk the Audience. I'm not sure which order we did these rides. I usually rely on pictures to tell me that, but in this case, they are out of order. So let's just talk about them in some fictional order.

I was really impressed with the "recreation" of Captain EO. They had the sign back up, and they were showing the original "pre-movie" show. This really took me back. I can't believe I actually almost missed the opportunity to get a picture taken beside the EO sign. Luckily either Tabitha or Russell reminded me, and we both got one in before we headed in to watch the pre-movie.

I forgot how cheesy the movie actually is. I can see why I liked it so much as a kid. It had a goofy muppet cast complimenting Michael Jackson. Jackson has always been one of my favorite performers. We Are Here to Change the World is probably still one of my favorite songs by him. So for that reason alone, this movie didn't have to impress me. But it was still very neat. I didn't remember the fact that the movie theater's floor itself moved during the show. It was very loud, and the special effects were quite impressive for the time they were done in. As a kid, this show terrified Russell, due to the long finger nails of the Supreme Leader. I don't think he was as scared this time, but you'll have to check with him to be sure.

We were both surprised to discover most of the way through the movie that Tabitha was sound asleep. Moving, shaking theater, and loud music and special effects aside, she was in another place. There were some times during the week that we were impressed with her ability to fall asleep during rides, but this took the prize. How anyone could fall asleep in such an environment is beyond me.

We also had Figment's Journey into the Imagination. Which I loved in the 90's. I don't know which version I saw at the time, because I didn't remember it that well. But I'm pretty sure it was one of the other two. Because I definitely remember Figment being in a zeppelin, and that didn't happen in this version. I don't think Russell remembered Figment all that well at all. Before we went in he definitely wanted to ride it. But afterwards, it was a complete transformation. He was obsessed with the character for the rest of the trip. He got a plush, several pins, a shirt...anything and everything he could find. Tabitha on the other hand about had a heart attack during the explosion in the ride. Between the loud bang, and the blast of air, I don't think she was expecting it at all.

Following those rides, we decided to get in to what I believe was the last showing of Ellen's Energy Show. All I remembered about this "show" was that as a kid, I was completely surprised by the fact that the theater started moving, and I got to see dinosaurs. I was really worried about the change to Ellen and Bill Nye. But ultimately, I don't think you can go wrong with those two. It was definitely a more entertaining experience from what I can remember. And they left the dinosaurs in, so there is that. I approved of the ride. Unfortunately, I didn't approve of the refrigerator that they made you wait in for the pre-show. Brrrr.

After this ride, we were finished with Future World. We had a while to go still before dinner that night at Teppan Edo, so we decided to take some pictures,and head back over toward World Showcase. There were a couple snacks we still needed to grab, so that would serve as a way to hold our hunger over, as well as to waste some time.

So we headed on over to Kringla Bakeri og Cafe in Norway. Most people will tell you that this place has a few wonderful treats. By far, the three most popular seem to be School Bread, Cloudberry Horn, and the Sweet Pretzels with Almonds. Me and Russell were mildly interested in the Pretzels, very interested in the Cloudberry Horns, and not at all interested in the School Bread, due to the presence of Boston Cream, of which neither of us is a fan. Ultimately, we decided to go with the Cloudberry Horns. Tabitha, however, went for the School Bread.

I'm glad that Tabitha tried the School Bread. I managed to sneak a bite, and I was actually very impressed with it. Of course, at this point, I think I would have found a rock tasty. We were getting extremely hungry. But the School Bread was a lot better than I was expecting something with Boston Cream filling to taste. I heartily approve, and can only imagine what actual Boston Cream fans think of it.

Either way, I still don't think it can compare to the Cloudberry Horn. The horn was made of a pastry with a nice chew and crisp to it. It was also covered in a crystallized sugar, which gave it a nice taste. The Cloudberry filling was light and airy like a whip cream, but with a much better taste. I had never even heard of Cloudberry before seeing this as a suggestion. So chalk up another victory for trying new things. Definitely one of my favorite snacks of the trip. If it had a flaw, it was that just like ice cream, I ran out of filling before I ran out of horn. But the horn was still good, so it's wasn't a big problem. I guess the other thing is that it isn't really a fulfilling snack. It doesn't fill you up at all. But considering it was almost dinner time, that wasn't a huge problem either.

So after leaving Norway, we headed straight for Japan, where we would be having dinner. I mentioned before I believe, but I'm just not a huge fan of Chinese and Japanese cuisine. So I was eager, but skeptical. So join me next time, and hear how it turned out.

 

[SaberJ]

Russell took and posted the video of us on the Test Track. Should be available in HD soon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jisiyuQB7rg

 

[TanzUnited99]

Sounds like you had a great day at Epcot! Love the information about the F&W festival - thought we would be able to see it this year but we had to change our dates and miss out

Am looking forward to Captain EO and the cars at the end of Test Track - think we will be spending a lot of time there