Our Magical WDW Adventure -24 Days of Food and Fun-Updated 3/8 -Come Join Us

[ariel2007]

Ariel, another great installment. I can't wait to hear what you have planned on your early morning. I have to say that I couldn't be more jealous that you and your DBF got to enjoy 23 days at Disney. I know that I've said that before, but just have to say it again, because everytime I read your TR I think that you enjoyed almost an entire month there. What an experience! How many days did you have on your park passes? Mexico was great btw. It was very hot, but I didn't mind. My oldest DD is still there with her aunt and uncle, so she will have been in Mexico for 2 weeks. Lucky girl.

We had 2 week park passes for Disney, 1 week for Universal and 2 weeks for Seaworld, Busch Gardens and Aquatica. It was wonderful to be there so long. When we went in 2006 we went for a whole month but we spent a week in Miami so this time was actually our longest time at Disney and we still didn't fit everything in.

Glad you enjoyed Mexico, Nick and I are thinking of going next year, I cant wait

 

[TrueEeyore]

And just what kind of water is that you're drinking in the beginning of this update, missy?? Shame on you!!

Great update, as usual. It looks like you had a great time in Animal Kingdom. You really did have great seats in Finding Nemo! Ours were way in the back when we saw it.

Can't wait for more!

 

[disneydusted]

Another great update! All of your pictures of the shows have inspired me to go. It seems when we were there that we didn't make it a priority to go while at AK and we missed them.... next time we will go! Any excuse to get back down there!

 

[kaysmommie]

Subbing I love your trip it's excellent. What and amazing trip. You gave me a ton of ideas for next to mix things up a bit since we usually do only 8 nights at a Disney deluxe and the 4 Disney parks. Your pictures are great too. I have to ask how did you like CSR? We are booked there this October and I'm worried since the last two stays have been at Poly.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Great updates! Love your pictures from the Nemo show and Festival of the Lion King. Both shows are fantastic! And I'm loving seeing all the goodies you bought.

 

[ariel2007]

Thanks guys, sorry to keep you waiting for so long I was having real problems with photobucket and my bandwidth kept exceeding. But it should be all sorted now so fingers crossed.

Anyway another addition will be up now.

 

[ariel2007]

Day 18 ~ The One Where We Become Pirates

We were up at 4.30am, got ready quickly and were out the door by 5am. We drove to the Best Western Lakeside on the 192 and here we were met by one of our guides in the lobby. Along with 3 other groups the guide took us into the buffet restaurant where we were introduced to a few of our guides and then were given some information to read and a form to sign. Once this was done the guides had a bit of a chat with us all and then we went outside and got into 2 vans. 1 van had the basket on the back and the other one with the balloon on and then a truck followed too, it was like we had an entourage. We drove for a little bit and then one of the guides told us they were going to stop at their first site and check to see if the weather conditions were ok to take off from. A few minutes later the guides jumped back into the trucks and we were off again to another. We then arrived at Spread Eagle Ranch, somewhere our guide had been telling us about. The ranch had big gates at the front and just inside lots of signs warning trespasses to keep out. There was a trailer inside the ranch in which the owner lived, lots of old rusted army vehicles and Hummers, a pool which was just filled with beer cans, it was quite like the old hill-billy places you see on TV. The guide driving us told us they just pay the owner with a couple of packs of beer a month so they can use his land to fly from, and apparently he accepts them naked half the time. The guides got out the trucks again and checked the weather at the site and decided it was fine. We all got out and watched as the guides started unloading the balloon. There was 10 guides with us today, they had joked at some point about there being so many but it made us feel more at ease. The guides got the basket out and then unfolded the balloon, it was huge and took quite a while to unfold it all, and when it was fully unfolded it stretched quite far across the field.

They then got two of the men in the group to hold the balloon open whilst they put the fans on at the bottom and filled the balloon with air. Again this took quite a while but was pretty wicked to watch it filling up, even at 6am in the morning.

It was quite a nice morning, not to hot or cold and the sky was pretty clear. The guides had already explained the process of the balloon and told us once it was full we would have to get in fairly quickly. Once the balloon was nearly full they started lighting the fire which was really cool to see, but very noisy.

The basket had a middle section where the fire bit and controls were and then 4 outer compartments for guests. There were 13 of us going up all together, they put a party of 5 in one side and then 3 guides in the next one and then we went in with 2 other English people and then a family of 4 American’s in the one next to us (Mum, Dad and 2 boys). Once we were all in the basket it started to tip to one side and rise on our side, it was quite cool but a bit scary too.

In the basket:

Our pilot was Trevor and he was accompanied by Pat who was one of the ones in charge, then there was 3 guides too, they were all really funny and joked about a lot. Trevor kept lighting the fire, it was really hot and started burning my head a bit. We then began to take off, slowly and just off the ground to begin. It was a really weird sensation to begin and we only rose really slowly.

At first we weren’t very high so we kept scraping through the trees which was a bit scary. We were flying over trees, and we went over a lake which was cool as you can see the reflection of the balloon really well.

Three other balloons went up behind us and it was cool to watch them behind us. The sun was coming up as we were flying, it was amazing to be flying up there as the sun was rising and it was such a beautiful sight.

As we were flying along we saw some wildlife which the guides kept pointing out, there were two bulls fighting, a wild boar, alligators and a possum towards the end which was cool to see.

Most of the flight was over trees but it was still really good, it was amazing to be openly flying along and it was so lovely to be up there. I don’t think the wind was great, we kept having to go up and down to get the right wind, the balloon is directed by taking it higher and lower and getting different wind currents, it can also be turned by the ropes so we could turn and see different views too. It was quite weird because at the beginning we were pretty low and literally just on top of the tree line. I thought it seemed quite low and that I was sure the balloons I had seen always seemed higher. Suddenly half way through the flight I looked down and we were so high above the trees, we had crept up so slowly we had hardly even noticed. Nick had been really worried about doing this flight as he is slightly scared of heights but because we went up so slowly he didn’t realize and loved it.

Towards the end of the flight we flew over the 192 then the US 27. We got to see Walmart, Chili’s, Glenbrook and even our villa which was really visible, it was so cool and we got some really good photos. We saw Disney in the distance too but it was quite misty over that way so we couldn’t make much out apart from the Swan and Dolphin.

The 192 with Chili's and Walmart:

Glenbrook Community:

Our villa, the middle one of the 5:

A close up, the middle one:

Disney World and the Swan in the distance:

 

[ariel2007]

... Continued from above.


Coming to the end of our flight:

It was then coming to the end of our flight. They decided to land just over a quarry, they told us the landing was the most dangerous bit which made everyone pretty scared. We had to face forward, hang on really tight and bend our knees. We gently lowered to the ground, at first we just skimmed the ground but then it began bouncing and tipping and was quite rough although we escaped unharmed. I think it was Trevor’s first time flying the balloon properly as Pat kept instructing him all the time, telling him where to land, how to fly it etc. The ground crew were in radio contact finding out where we were going to land, the English guide, Ian, told Pat to land us where we did so we got a bit longer flight.

Once we had landed we got out the basket and stood and watched whilst they deflated the balloon which was again pretty awesome to watch. The women then held the basket open whilst the men helped the guides load it into the bag which looked like pretty hard work. It was then pulled into the truck and then basket was loaded onto the back of the other truck.

After it was all tucked away the guides got out a cooler with some drinks in, there was champagne and orange juice for the adults and sodas for the kids. They gave us all a drink and then gathered round in a circle and chanted an Irish balloonists prayer. They congratulated the birthdays in the group as a toast and then we drank, it was such a lovely relaxed atmosphere on such a beautiful morning, I was having such a great time.

They came round and gave us more champagne before we then loaded back in the bus to drive back to the Best Western. On the way back we chatted to our guides and found out Trevor actually lives in Michigan but comes down Orlando a lot to help fly the balloons. He also joked around with us and the American family in the bus about how Michigan is apparently shaped like a boat and seemed really surprised we didn’t know this. We had to remind him we weren’t from the states and even the American woman didn’t have a clue about this but it made us all laugh.

Back at the Best Western we were taken to a private room at the back of the restaurant which had coffee, milk and orange juice set up on a table and we were told to help ourselves to the buffet in the main room. The buffet was quite good and had lots of fruit, bacon, sausage, scrambled egg, beans and potatoes, an omelette station and pancakes and French toast. Unfortunately the English couple sat on our table, and all they seemed to do the whole trip was moan, about the bacon being overcooked, the pancakes being to sweet (which they had loaded with sugar), about how that they wouldn’t do the balloon again and how they hadn’t really enjoyed it, they obviously weren’t in the same balloon as anyone else.
We were given certificates each, signed by Trevor which was really cool. We were given time to finish our breakfast and then paid the owner who was actually English. We then said goodbye and thanks to our guides and then drove back to Coronado Springs very tired but happy.

By the time we got back it was about 10am and we were so tired so we had a little nap. We had about 3 hours sleep but we were still so tired we had to drag ourselves out of bed. I should have really booked the earliest lunch sitting I could for the Whispering Canyon so we could have gone there after the balloon and then gone back to CS for a longer sleep but I didn’t think of that at the time. Anyway we then got up, got showered and dressed and headed over to Wilderness Lodge for our 2.20pm ADR at Whispering Canyon.

Arriving at Wilderness Lodge:

Inside:

Outside Whispering Canyon:

We were greeted and seated straight away, and met our server Chesnut. She took our order and came back with our drinks, a frozen margarita for me and a chocolate milkshake with sprinkles on for Nick, both were really good, especially the milkshake.

She chucked the napkins and straws all over the table which was funny, she was really in character and had this really sickly sweet voice, it was great fun. We both had the skillet for lunch which was ribs, chicken, beans, sausage, mash, corn, coleslaw and cornbread. It was all really good and all refillable although we could only eat another sausage for me and two ribs for Nick, that boy definitely loves his ribs.

I’m definitely glad we went to the Whispering Canyon, I was quite worried initially as we are both fairly shy and don’t like being picked on but it was a nice time to go as it was quiet so the waitresses were all still in character but didn’t pick on anyone to do anything silly.
Once we finished we paid the bill and then had a walk round the hotel grounds which were really lovely, definitely another hotel to add to my ‘Must stay in’ list. We had a quick look in the shop and then headed back to our hotel where we had another hours sleep.

We were up again at 5.30pm, got ready quickly and then were out the door just after 6pm. We were heading to the Pirate and Princess Party at Magic Kingdom and we both made an effort to get into character and dressed up a little.
We got to Magic Kingdom and when we got there there seemed to be lots of people going into the park, many of who were dressed up. There was lots of men dressed as pirates and the women mostly wenches with the odd princess, one woman was dressed in a Belle dress and then trainers, it was quite funny. We caught the tram and then the monorail and we were soon over to Magic Kingdom. We went through the turnstiles and were given wristbands for the party. The entrance under Main Street station had been decorated with red curtains drawn back and then a red carpet running through with lit up trees and smoke, it looked really pretty.

We went through and went straight over to Tomorrowland where we got straight on to Buzz Lightyear with no wait at all and again it was a great ride. We then went to Space Mountain, again it was a walk-on, no queue at all. As we left Space Mountain we saw lots of people that didn’t have the PPP tickets being asked to leave the park, they didn’t seem happy and I kept kind of sorry for some of them apart from one group of people who had driven in the park just in front of us. When they got to the parking ticket booth we saw the man telling them about the party and instructing them to the exit, which obviously they decided to ignore. Then when they were asked to leave once inside the park the man got really stroppy.
After Space Mountain and walked through Tomorrowland which had a few stalls set up with various carnival type games and a big DJ type box playing music.

We went and got some Treasure bags and got our first lot of gems which was quite exciting, it made me feel like a real kid again and I was determined to collect lots of treasure. We then walked over to Fantasyland bypassing the huge queues for photo points. There was some good photo points set up around the park, the most popular seemed to be with Cinderella’s coach which did look beautiful but we couldn’t be bothered to wait for over an hour to get a picture.

We rode The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh which was great. This ride is so clever, all the different effects are brilliant, especially when you bounce with Tigger, we hadn’t ridden it last time so I had forgotten it was as good (I know I am a baby).

We were now quite hungry and it was 7.50pm so we walked over to Frontierland. We got some chilli cheese fries each and an apple juice to share from Peco Bill’s and then went outside and got a place for the parade whilst we ate them. The fries were pretty good and they helped pass the time until the parade, Frontierland looked so pretty at night all lit up and had such a great atmosphere, it was great just sitting there waiting. The special parade PPP was at 8.30pm and was really good. It started with a big lit up banner and then regal looking men on horses. There was then various princess floats, pirates both on the ground and on a huge pirate ship, a big treasure float and then at the end a big sparkling float with Mickey and friends dressed up. We had a really good spot too and no pushy parents this time, although a really cute baby dressed as Tinkerbell.

Some parade pictures:

Continued below....

 

[ariel2007]

... Continued from above.

After the parade we went over to Thunder Mountain. The queue was less than 5 minutes and the ride was so good in the dark, it seemed totally different too, we both loved it. Then we went to Adventureland and rode Pirates. We were straight on, there was no queue at all. There had been literally no queues on any of the rides all night, it had been so great.

2 escaped pirates:

We then went on The Magic Carpets and met our first proper queue of the night. They seemed to be having technical difficulties so the queue ended up being about 15 minutes which wasn’t that long but it was cutting it pretty close till the fireworks. We then had to run to fund a spot for the Magic and Mayhem fireworks, we went to the wooden walkway in Frontierland overlooking the boat which was at the dock. The view was brilliant of most of the fireworks, there were some above the castle we couldn’t see fully other than that the view was brilliant and there was hardly anybody there. The fireworks themselves were amazing, they were themed around princesses and pirates and it was probably the biggest display we have seen.

Some fireworks pictures:

After the fireworks we grabbed some more treasure which we had been doing regularly throughout the night, and went over to Haunted Mansion which was about a 3 minute wait, but that was only for the lift. We then went to Fantasyland where we were straight on Its A Small World and then Philharmagic for the third time of the holiday. When we came out Sebastian’s dance party was in full swing in Fantasyland square and there was lots of good music playing loudly. We then went and rode Buzz Lightyear again and after that we decided to call it a night as we wanted to escape before the hoards. We got a photopass picture on Main Street, the only one of the night unfortunately and then Nick brought me a big Minnie head balloon as he knew I had never had one before, he is so sweet.

The castle all lit up:

When we left the park the boat was still running so we hopped on that as we hadn’t yet been on it and I love catching the boat, it brings back such good memories from my other trips. The boat was pretty empty too and there was a lovely cool breeze on us as we floated across the lagoon and passed all the beautifully lit up resorts.
Once back on dry land we caught the tram back to the car and then drove back to the hotel. On the way back we stopped at Hess for some crisps and then back to our hotel for a bit of TV and bed.


The party had been really good. Nearly all the rides were walk-ons, the most we queued was 15minutes. The photo spots they had had huge queues so we didn’t bother but there were lots of treasure points giving bead and gems and they had no queues either. There was also dance parties which the children seemed to be enjoying and the special parade and fireworks were both brilliant. It was definitely worth doing, even Nick thought so which was good.

Some extra pictures:
Me and my Minnie balloon:

The treasure we collected:

 

[ariel2007]

Day 19 ~ The One With Everything and The Kitchen Sink

We got up, got ready and were on our way to the Yacht Club just after 11am. We were so excited for today, we would be spending the night at the Yacht Club and had planned to spend the day just chilling around the resort and relaxing. We parked the car and walked across the little bridge to the reception. The resort instantly seemed pretty big but also very grand and impressive. The lobby was beautiful, very nautical with wooden floors, balconies, plush seating areas and a lovely giant atlas.

We were greeted straight away by some very friendly staff who promptly checked us in for the night. The lady who checked us in gave us lots of information about the resort, our room, our key cards etc and told us our room was already ready which was great. We walked to our room which seemed miles away as we walked through an endless sea of corridors, very clean, neat corridors. When we finally got to our room it was lovely, all decorated in the same nautical theme as the lobby with two large double beds, a desk and seating area, double sink area and nice bathroom.

We also found some hidden Mickey's:

And the really cool lamp:

We then walked out on to the balcony and were amazed again by our view. Our position was fantastic, we were opposite the Boardwalk and could see Epcot’s World Showcase to the left and the Swan and Dolphin to the right.

We spent a bit of time admiring the view, it was so peaceful form our balcony and it was great just to sit and take everything in for 5 minutes. We then dropped off our bags and made our way to Beaches and Cream for lunch. When we got there we were told it would be about 30 minutes wait for a table, the man in front had been quoted 50 for a bigger table, I knew it was popular but not that popular. We grabbed a table outside whilst we waited and I got us mint choc chip milkshake to share. Even thought there was only one person in front of me it took about 15 minutes till I got the shake, although it was worth the wait as it was really yummy. We sat looking over to the pool drinking the shake and enjoying our time here.
We were called in about 20 minutes which wasn’t too bad but I was really glad as I was pretty hungry. We were seated on a round table in the center, I didn’t realize how small the cafe was but the decor was really retro and cool just like an old fashioned soda and ice-cream shop.

We ordered some drinks, a pink lemonade for me and a coffee for Nick and then the food. “What did we order?” I hear you ask, well the Kitchen Sink of course, we are in Beaches and Cream and that is the law, is it not? Well I had been having doubts about getting it since the other people in there who had ordered it had been groups of 5 or more and even they hadn’t managed to eat it. Well finally it arrived and to celebrate this momentous occasion they set off flashing lights and made a big announcement to the cafe, I was so embarrassed and also pretty astounded. The thing was huge, I had read it was big but didn’t quite realize how big. It had everything in, brownies, cake, oreos, banana’s, mars bar, lots of different flavour ice-creams and sauces and a WHOLE CAN OF WHIPPED CREAM, which they announced to everyone. I could hardly eat any of it but it was good, especially the peanut sauce which was really yummy. Nick however ate loads, he just kept going and going and when he finished there was less than half left, he just kept eating.

At the beginning:

And after Nick had finished with it:

Once he was done and couldn’t eat anymore we paid up and left.

We went to the Yacht Club shop had a look around and brought a few souvenirs, unfortunately they didn’t seem to have much resort related stuff either but I did manage to get a shot glass.

The really cute Mickey in the shop:

We then walked over to the car, got our cases and dropped them back at the room before getting ready to go to the pool. We went down to Stormalong Bay, the Yacht and Beach Club pool which is more like a mini waterpark. It was huge and had different sections including a lazy river, a water slide and lots of different beach and sun lounger areas.

We got some loungers and then went around the lazy river for a bit, it was really good as it had a nice sandy bottom and was quite deep in places.
A family of ducks came in the lazy river with lots of babies, they were so cute. However there was a group of teenage girls who thought it would be funny to chase the ducks around and kept splashing them and scaring them. The mother and father ducks jumped out of the water to get away from the horrible girls but the babies couldn’t get up. The mother duck ended up getting back in and going around again before getting out again. This time the ducklings got out one by one but it took a while as it was a pretty high jump.

Well after all that drama over with we went in the spa for 10 minutes which was lovely and relaxing. We decided to head back to the room after that and stopped for a cocktail from the pool bar en-route. Nick got a Mojito and I had a Long Island Ice Tea which were both pretty strong and very nice. Back at the room we chilled on the balcony for a bit drinking our cocktails and soaking up some more of the chilled out atmosphere of the resort and boardwalk. We then went and got ready for tea which we were very excited about.

We headed down to The Yachtsman Steakhouse which was barely a few minutes walk from our room and checked in for our 5.30pm ADR.

The decoration was very nice inside the restaurant, it was laid back but in an elegant way. We were greeted and taken to our table by a very friendly lady and then our server then came and introduced himself, he was called Al and was from Brooklyn and was very nice and well spoken. He gave us some recommendations on the menu and then we ordered. Nick got a beer and I got a Pomegranate Splash cocktail which was vodka, pomegranate liqueur, soda and cranberry juice, it was really really nice and different to the usual margaritas. Al brought us some bread rolls, there was plain ones and onion ones with sea salt butter and roasted garlic. The onion rolls were really, really good, especially with the really nice garlic and butter I could have eaten lots of them.

We ordered crispy fire cracker shrimp to share to start which was one of Al’s recommendations and they came really quickly. The shrimp were in a really nice, light batter with crème fraiche drizzled over them and they were on a bed of lettuce in a really nice dressing. We both really enjoyed it, it was such a nice taste especially with salt and pepper on.

After we finished our mains were brought quite quickly and Al came over regularly to check we were ok and didn’t need anything. For mains Nick ordered the 14 oz Ribeye steak with Horseradish mash and red wine sauce. He really enjoyed it, I tasted a little and it was really tasty but slightly fatty for my tastes. I ordered the 12oz New York strip steak with peppercorn sauce and potato gratin. The steak and sauce were absolutely delicious and there was so much meat. The potato was really good too, it was nice and cheesy. Both meals came with a little bit of green stuff with onion in which was so good, really tasty but neither of us were sure what it was.

Nicks Ribeye:

My New York Strip:

We were both very happy with our meals, Nick was absolutely stuffed so just offered a coffee but I couldn’t resist a crème brulee and a frozen margarita, both of which were becoming a bit of a habit for me. The margarita was one of the best cocktails and margaritas I’d had and the crème brulee was absolutely delicious too. It came with berries on, raspberry’s, blackcurrant's, strawberry’s and blackberry’s which went so well together and also a little chocolate stick.

After our lovely meal we paid the bill and then went back to our room via the marina to check out our cruise time. We watched TV for 45 minutes and then went back down to the marina, which was about a 30seconds walk, for our Illuminations Cruise. We checked in at the marina and paid and then had to wait for all the other boats to go out first (6 altogether) as our Captain, Arin was working the office bit too. We finally got on our boat which was just like the one we had rented at Downtown Disney but had blankets placed on the seats and a basket with crisps and sodas for us. Nick had also ordered a chocolate Mickey with tuxedo chocolate strawberries for me which Arin had placed on the table between the two front sofas for us. The Mickey was so cool and the strawberries looked so delicious, I loved it.

We left the marina just before 8.30pm, Arin took us up past the Swan and Dolphin which looked really nice but slightly out of place at Disney. We went past the Boardwalk and up to MGM which was cool seeing it from the water, we were right by the Tower of Terror and the beginning Crossroads sign, it was a really different and unusual view.

Continued below....

 

[ariel2007]

...Continued from above.

Arin was very friendly and chatty along the way and was interested in our holiday and also told us about how she works for both Disney and Seaworld, I didn’t even know that was allowed?!?
Once we got up to MGM we turned around and went back to the water inbetween the Yacht and Beach Club and Boardwalk where we had started out and then went on to Epcot. We parked up under the bridge between the UK and France, there were lots of people standing on the bridge, they all looked cramped in and flustered as it was a pretty warm evening.

Arin offered us soda’s and snacks (coke, diet coke, sprite, iced tea, crisps, popcorn and pretzels), we had a drink each. Arin came and told us about Illuminations, the story and concepts behind it, it was actually really cool and there was a lot more to it than I imagined. She told us that the beginning bit with all the fireworks represents the chaos before earth began, then the globe comes round changing to different colors each representing the earth evolving, blue for the water, green for the vegetation etc. Then there are pictures of animals on the globe which turns to hieroglyphics symbolizing the beginning of human life, then there is pictures of different humans, then transport, then important or famous people like Thomas Jefferson, Neil Armstrong and Elvis Presley. All the torches round the world then go off and the one in the middle of the water lights up and fireworks come from it. Disney have their own colors of fireworks unique to them including lagoon blue, mint green, lavender and another one I cant remember. The fireworks and whole show with the lights, music and storyline is so creative and clever and seeing it from that angle and knowing the storyline behind it really gave it a different perspective. I really enjoyed it, as did Nick, and being able to just sit there on the water with a pretty unobstructed view was a really nice change of pace.

Some Illuminations pictures:

After the show Arin drove us back to the Yacht Club, we said thank you and goodbye and then took the chocolate Mickey to our room. We finished our lovely evening by watched some TV with a nice drink before bedtime.

The view from the marina at night:

 

[ariel2007]

Day 20 ~ The One Where We Drink Around The World... At Epcot

We got up at 10am, got dressed and then finished packing our overnight case. Once that was done we had to literally run down to the Captains Grill with all our stuff for our 10.45am breakfast ADR. We were seated within a few minutes and everyone we passed seemed to be very interested in the chocolate Mickey, it was like no one had ever seem one before. We both decided to have the buffet for breakfast, we were served coffee and orange juice and then helped ourselves to the buffet. They had quite a good choice, smoked salmon with bagels and cream cheese, bacon, scrambled egg, sausages, potatoes, an omelette-egg thing, waffles, pancakes, fruit, yourgot, cinnamon whirls, pastries and more. It was all good, especially the Mickey waffles and maple syrup, I love Mickey waffles, I think its just because they are SO Disney.

After breakfast we paid the bill and then drove back to Coronado Springs. We unpacked our overnight bag and by that time the holiday was catching up on us and we were really tired so we had a 90 minute nap. We were up again and ready to go by 2.30pm. We decided to get the Disney buses for the first time of the holiday and luckily it came pretty quickly and was pretty empty. When we got to Epcot it seemed pretty busy. We started with a visit to Club Cool to try the different drinks... oh and so Nick could try Beverly...

We then went over to the World Showcase stopping to see some of the beautiful flower displays on the way, they were all so clever and pretty and really brightened the park up.

Once we got to WS our plan was to go round each country doing any interesting attractions, having a browse in the shops and trying to have a drink from each country. We had heard about Drink Around the World At Epcot and although were not huge drinkers we thought it sounded like fun so thought we would try it. We didn’t want to get drunk or feel ill so decided beforehand that we would share most drinks. We started our tour at Mexico starting with the Gran Fiesta Tour which we got straight on. It was quite cute how they’ve incorporated Donald and the Three Caballero’s in the ride and the ride also really makes me really want to go to Mexico.

We had a quick look around the stalls inside the pyramid, the themeing and atmosphere inside there is so cool.

After the ride we went and got our first WS drink, we got a margarita each, Nick a mango and I got the Grand Fiesta one which was mango, lime, strawberry and green apple. We sat down and drunk our margaritas overlooking the water, it was so hot they were really refreshing but also quite filling, not very good for our drink tour.

Once we had finished we went on to Norway. The Maelstorm ride had a 20 minute wait so we got in line. The time was about right but at least it was semi air-conditioned, much cooler than outside. The ride was good, its quite a simple boat ride that shows different aspects of Norwegian life and culture through different scenes but its quite interesting and fun, especially the bit you go backwards. However I wouldn’t wait more than 20 minutes for it. After the ride we by-passed the touristy video bit as we had seen it before and went to look around outside. Neither of us felt like another drink so soon in Norway and could only see a wine stand so went on to China.

The architecture in and around the Chinese pavilion is really interesting and clever so we took a bit of time to look around.

We went to the Lotus Blossom Cafe to see what they did to eat and got some egg rolls (2), ginger ice-cream and a plum wine all to share and all of which was really good.

Next up around WS was Germany. We had a look around the really nice teddy bear and doll shop, I would love to get all the lovely bears they have in there. We walked through the glass and chocolate shops and went into the wine bit where we got a glass of Reisling to share which was also good.

The architecture in Germany is really nice, as it is in all the countries, but it has a really whimsical charm, probably because its themed like Fantasyland, or Fantasyland is themed like German architecture even.

Hidden Mickey:

Next was Italy where we had a quick walk through the pavilion and then got an Italian Margarita. It was really good, less icy than the normal frozen margarita’s and you could really taste the lemoncello in it, it was yummy.

The beautiful Italian architecture:

And the lovely Lady and the Tramp display:

In America we only stopped to look in the shop, we didn’t get a drink as we could only find beer and neither of us fancied that.

In Japan we had a look around the big department store, it is really big and they have some really cool stuff in here, especially for the home, its just a shame we couldn’t get anything back to our house. We did buy a set of chopsticks each though. We went and got a plum wine to share from the Kaki Gori stand which was really good again, Nick especially liked it so I let him finish that one.

On to Morroco, we had a quick look around and then got a tangerine daiquiri from the Tangerine Cafe. We sat in their little courtyard bit whilst we drank it, it was really peaceful and pretty in there. The daiquiri was really good although you could really taste tangerine more than anything but that was good and Nick let me finish that one since I had pretty much claimed it anyway, I like my frozen cocktails.

We moved on to France which is really pretty with the fountains and the Eiffel Tower in the background, it also brings back memories of being in Paris last Summer and climbing the Eiffel Tower which was great.

We got a Kir Royal from the drinks stand in France which is champagne and crème de cassis. It was really good but not quite as good as the Kir Bretagne’s we have in Brittany.

By now it was 6pm and we had come to the UK. We had a look in the shops and decided to by-pass a drink here as again it seemed to be beer.

So on to Canada where we had a 7pm ADR at Le Cellier. We completely forgot about seeing the Canadian film which was a shame because I love seeing that as its one of the countries I really want to visit. We did manage to check-in for our ADR early however and were seated within 5 minutes. This restaurant is really nice inside, it has a really warm atmosphere and its really nice how the people who seat you give you a bit of information about the restaurant, about Canada and how the room we were in reflects one of the Canadian Provinces. We ordered and our server brought our drinks, Nick had a glass of Canadian Riesling and I had the Year of a Million Dreams Blue Glowini which was really good and the glowing ice-cube is so cool.

We were brought our starter pretty quickly, we both ordered a cup of the cheddar cheese soup and she also brought us some bread. We both loved the soup, it was really delicious and not overly cheesy or creamy which was good for me. The pretzel bread was really good too, I ate quite a bit of that whilst Nick ate the rest.

Continued below...

 

[ariel2007]

... Continued from above.

For mains Nick had the pork tenderloin rubbed in chilli with noodles and a peanut sauce. He loved it and what I tasted was delicious, the pork was so tender and tasty and the peanut sauce was really good. I had the New York strip with garlic sauce and potatoes which was really good too. The steak was huge and had a lovely taste with the sauce although there could have been a bit more of it (sauce not steak that is).

Nick's pork tenderloin:

My New York Strip Steak:

We were both pretty full but they had maple crème brulee so we couldn’t resist. And we were glad we didn’t as the crème brulee’s were delicious, the maple flavour was really good. We had a coffee with it too and when we finished we were at breaking point but it was a very, very nice meal.

We paid the bill and then walked out stuffed, we will definitely be back here again. We had a look in the shop and then went to the Canadian stand where we got a Canadian shot glass and Goofy for my WS collection.

We were going to walk back round to Norway for some Norweigan school-bread and a drink from that country but we were too hot and full and it had started to rain. We stopped off at a Flower Festival stall to get my Grandad a Mickey flower thing as he has an allotment and loves decorating it and then went in the shop at the beginning of WS whilst the rain eased off.
We walked back round to Morocco where we had booked preferred Illuminations viewing. We had to wait about 5 minutes and then were let down to the walkway just above the boat landing. We couldn’t go all the way down but it was a fairly good view and there was only about 15 people there so no crowding and pushing again. We had to wait about 15 minutes for it to start, it was so hot and sticky out tonight and I was getting really tired again. Eventually Illumination’s started and was a great show again but we wished we were on the boat again with a nice comfy seat and a nice cold drink, we had definitely been spoilt.

A few pictures from Illuminations (not many as I posted loads from yesterday):

After the show we walked back to the Beach Club, it was quite busy walking back to the resorts which was a surprise to us. We then got a taxi back to Coronado Springs. When we got in The Incredible’s was on TV so we watched it whilst I sorted out some of our clothes, all the maps, brochures, leaflets etc we had accumulated and wrote my diary. Then it was bedtime.

Some of todays purchases:

 

[ariel2007]

So did we complete the challenge?

Well honestly the answer is no but we did try and we did have fun trying. We had some really yummy drinks which we were glad we tried but like I said neither of us wanted to be sick or miss out on our yummy dinner so by-passed America and the UK which only seemed to have beer and Norway as we had just had a big margarita each. We managed to try drinks from 8 of the 11 countries, here is what we tried and what we thought of them:

(we rated them out of 10 each, M = my rating, N = Nick’s rating)

Mexico: Me: Fiesta margarita, Nick: mango margarita: $18.11 M=8.5/N=7
China: Plum wine ($4.49) M=7, N=8.5
Germany: Riesling: ($4) M=6, N=7.5
Italy: Italian Margarita: ($8) M=8, N=6
Japan: Plum wine: ($4.50) M=7, N=8.5
Morocco: Tangerine daquairi: ($5.95) M=8.5, N=8.5
France: Kir Royal: ($10) M=7, N=7
Canada: Canadian Riesling: ($9) M=6, N=8

And not completing the challenge just means we have to go back again, oh damn !

 

[manntra]

Thanks for the update! You are so brave doing the hot air balloon....I don't think I could do that!! Stormalong Bay is nice isn't it. Love the sand on the bottom. Did you go down the slide. I did, I think twice. Funny because I remember ducks being there last year too. Thanks for the P&P pictures. Last year it was raining. A lot. They did the parade but it was still sprinkling so my pictures are eh. And we got candies (hershey kisses, etc.) instead of stones!! Here is a picture of me and my niece Brielle at the Cinderella carriage.

 

[ariel2007]

Love the picture of you and your neice, I would have loved to have got one with the carriage but just couldn't stand the queue. Shame about the weather for you, hope it didn't spoil it at all for you.

Yes Stormalong Bay was really good, especially the sand bottom. Unfortunately I didn't do the slide, we never got round to it. They seem to have ducks everywhere as everywhere we went there was always ducks walking around.

 

[kaysmommie]

Great update and pics.

 

[TrueEeyore]

Whoa, that was alot of updating!! I LOVED it!! I would never go in a hot air balloon, I'm too scared. I think you can see TOT from that picture of the Swan and Dolphin too!
It looks like a great couple of days. Don't tell me the trip is almost over already?!

 

[tink1957]

Wow, what awesome pics. It sounds like you had the perfect vacation so far. I admire you for doing the hot air balloon, I'm not very afraid of heights but the thought of it scares me for some reason.

 

[retiredkid]

Great update and pics!!
DH and I have been on a balloon ride during a balloon festival and loved it.. There were only 4 of us plus the driver. The landing was exciting!!
I love the shot of you with the Lady and the Tramp topiary.
Looking forward to more......(i know,i know, i'm never satisfied)