Polynesian Pixie Dust: A Love/Hate Vacationship. An October 2017 TR *updated 2/12x3 and Complete*

[chunkymonkey]

Love this picture!

While we were waiting to check in, we witnessed an almost fist fight. Some guys standing next to us were drunk and leaning against a merchandise shelf (with Elena of Avalor merch. Disney Junior. Which makes this worse.) and someone shoved a camera up in his face and tried to take his picture - like a big dslr with a large lens. Just some random person, not in their group. The guy shoved camera man, and nearly knocked the merchandise shelf over. It took a minute to register what exactly had happened. So weird!

Eek! Although I must admit I saw A LOT of drunk people at Epcot during F and W!!

My mom's margarita was pretty good. It was sweet but not overwhelming. It tasted kind of like boozy juice. I'd say it was slightly above average. The guacamole was kind of bland, but fine. Very chunky with basically like half of a whole avocado in there that was challenging to break up - we had to use a fork. It was served with chicharron (pork rinds) which was a fun twist and kicked it up a notch from regular tortilla chips.

My margarita?? Well, it was kind of disappointing. It wasn't bad by any stretch, but it wasn't the most flavorful either. The sea salt on the rim was bright red and dripped all down the side of the glass staining the white table cloth and leaving it looking like a crime scene. I was disappointed that I didn't get the horchata margarita instead - it's the choice for next time. I've had avocado margaritas at other Mexican restaurants and really loved them. This was one fine, but nothing to write home about.

Oh yum that guacamole with the chicarron sounds delicious! I love that it's low carb, LOL that means it's good for you right?
I do think the avocado margarita needs more avocado flavor, but I still do enjoy the drink.

The salsa verde was my favorite. The red was ok, but it had a very distinct smokey chipotle pepper flavor that isn't my preference, but my mom liked that one the best.

I like the salsa verde too! Steve likes the red one.

Overall thoughts - I'd go back, but I'd order something different. Not because mine was bad, but because I think there are probably better things on the menu. The atmosphere is just so cool, though.

I think I got the Pollo a las Rajas or something like that the first time I went. Going again next month! So excited to try more stuff!

Soooo pretty....sigh

Also, Spaceship Earth and the Fountain of Nations - does it get any better??

No, it does not

I love Jerrod Maruyama's Kingdom of Cute series, and was hoping to find some of the blind bags to buy.

certainly caught my eye. They also had them in Boutiki, so I contemplated buying the sweetest little Dole Whip many, many times. It did not make it home with me, sadly. Maybe next time!

They also had the Mickey's Premium Ice Cream Bar

I bought these on the shop parks app!! They are so cute!

I thought about buying it too, LOL! Every 30something needs cute food shaped plush and giant bow headbands, right??

I love it! It suits you!!!

Where can I get sidewalk like this?? I want to repave my back patio with these!

#dreamhomegoals

That guava cheesecake - oh my gosh!! My favorite dessert of the night, and I was excited to know that this rotation would come around again before our trip came to an end. I had another on this night, and then daydreamed about it everyday afterward!

ooh guava cheesecake, sounds delicious!

My mom would probably be horrified at some of the pictures I'm sharing, but I'm trying to be selective. After going through chemo, she lost a few teeth and has to wait awhile longer before her gums are in good enough shape to fix anything. She is very self conscious about it. So she either doesn't smile and looks like she's posing for a mug shot, or she makes a weird face!

Aww kudos to your mom. I know many people who have gone through chemo and it just sucks. But your mom looks lovely, healthy, and happy and that is what matters!

Our reservation was for 8:35. I think we got to the park around 7:30ish?? My mom went through the bag check line and I went through the bagless line...and she somehow got in before me. This wouldn't be the only time that happened either!! Kind of like the AP line I guess, ha!

Exactly like the AP line, LOL!!!

I found it very hard to take pictures inside the restaurant b/c of all the glare from the windows and lights.

IT was so dark in the restaurant! I could hardly take pictures too!

I was finished eating before the princesses began coming around. First up was my favorite, Snow White! I was really looking forward to meeting her - as if you couldn't tell by my ears! I was also wearing my Snow White character jersey. I love me some Snow White She paid a lot of attention to my ears and in her sweet little voice said, "Oh, I see you have my stepmother on your ears", and then I turned so she could see the dwarfs on the back. She made a comment about how only her prince was missing.

Aww so sweet.

This was my third time riding, I think. The first was last December and Elsa was not working during the Let it Go scene. It made for a pretty lackluster cruise through the fjords of Arendelle. In May, she was working but I just thought the ride was "eh". THIS time around, I thought it was really fun! I don't know if it was b/c my mom was excited or what, but it was just a better overall experience and we had a good time.

I do admit I like this ride more and more but maybe it's because I remember less and less of the Maelstrom...

On our arrival night, my mom realized she had forgotten her new prescription for her cancer meds. She had just had it refilled and left it on the table by the door at her house. Thanks to DisBoards, I knew about Turner Drug, and was able to get the number for her. She called them and they took care of everything, and were able to get her a 7 day prescription and would deliver it to the resort later.

Good to know!! Thanks for the info!

 

[xlsm]

Ha ha! I know the guy in front of you on Frozen!

Ha!! I love when this happens!! Someone once saw themselves in one of my castle pics and it made my day.

Okay it's not the same one , I saw one on a food booth I think closer to Mexico.

Hey, that just means with our teamwork we found two! Only...lots more to go,

It appears that your mom is having a good time. Yay. Sounds like Epcot is a win so far.

I think it was probably our best morning of the trip!

I'm so jealous! The kids have half days Monday-Tuesday (so, at least they're not teaching days - it's Turkey Trot on Monday and self-directed project-based learning) while we have parent-teacher conferences. I'm already run down and exhausted and it's only Wednesday!

mmmmm....I hear my childhood calling me! last time I went there, Jen and I basically devoured all the brunost (we call it peanut butter cheese, because it's the same peanut butter color) and salmon lol.

This is the happiest picture I've seen of people on Frozen! We're going to rope drop it next summer I think, because no one really wants to use a FP on it (which I get) - I'm kind of excited to fill up an entire boat specifically for this picture!

Our district doesn't do half days, although before moving here our schools in Missouri did all the time - I always felt bad for teachers trying to get kids to be any kind of productive on those days, b/c when I was in school I was zero percent motivated on half days!! The weekend is in sight, I hope today and tomorrow go quickly for you!!

the "peanut butter cheese" freaked my mom out and she wouldn't touch it, so I was the one to try it. It wasn't my favorite but wasn't bad!!

I feel the same way! Everyone on the boat looks so happy, when most pictures turn out only slightly better than the Pirates picture. I feel like this is why I enjoyed the ride so much this time! It will be so fun to fill a boat with all of your group!!

That is pretty funny!

Hilarious!

Haha-I will be posting all the photos (minus 1 or 2) when I finally get around to that day! They were all pretty cute!

I really want to know how they come up with some of the things they say!!

I never end up remembering to hunt for whatever creature is hidden around the World Showcase. I find one or two and then totally forget - you will be my Remy finding hero!!

YES!!!


Yep, kind of like the AP line


That's amazing.


I haven't been, and honestly I haven't seen Akershus make a ton of appearances in TRs, so I was very excited to read about your experience.


Ahhh, Laila! Is there a better perfume scent?!

Why is the AP line always longer than the regular one?? AND, this time, sometimes they even asked me to open my tiny lanyard pouch. The first time was this morning at the TTC before getting on the monorail. She asked me to see inside and I mentioned that no one has ever asked to check it before. She said she was there from Epcot and it wasn't her usual post, but at Epcot they always check. (not true, b/c I've never been asked anywhere ever) Then, when we got to Epcot, yep, they asked to look inside. I was also asked once at MK coming off the ferry boat from the Poly. But never again at any park or the TTC. Not that it was a big deal but just held me up sometimes when I thought I could cruise right through.

Akershus is a one and done for me most likely, but I'm glad we went so I could have the experience! I was happy the princesses didn't totally bypass us or rush us b/c we were adults. They all talked to us and were very much in character. It did feel a little slow. The princesses didn't start coming out until I was finished eating (to be fair, I barely ate anything there) and we were in what I'd consider the main room toward the entrance, and they start in the room to the far left of the restaurant and then move to our room toward the back. On my first visit there way back before it was a character meal, Akershus was one of my favorites and most remembered meals. I'm sad that it isn't the same, but the princesses were fun!

Laila is the BEST! I'm so glad I finally bought it after talking myself out of it over the years!

Love this picture!

Eek! Although I must admit I saw A LOT of drunk people at Epcot during F and W!!

Oh yum that guacamole with the chicarron sounds delicious! I love that it's low carb, LOL that means it's good for you right?
I do think the avocado margarita needs more avocado flavor, but I still do enjoy the drink.

I like the salsa verde too! Steve likes the red one.

I think I got the Pollo a las Rajas or something like that the first time I went. Going again next month! So excited to try more stuff!

Soooo pretty....sigh

No, it does not

I bought these on the shop parks app!! They are so cute!

I love it! It suits you!!!

#dreamhomegoals

ooh guava cheesecake, sounds delicious!

Aww kudos to your mom. I know many people who have gone through chemo and it just sucks. But your mom looks lovely, healthy, and happy and that is what matters!

Exactly like the AP line, LOL!!!

IT was so dark in the restaurant! I could hardly take pictures too!

Aww so sweet.

I do admit I like this ride more and more but maybe it's because I remember less and less of the Maelstrom...

Good to know!! Thanks for the info!

Thank you!!

We didn't see many drunk people, but this whole experience was so weird! I wish I knew exactly what was going on with the guy taking the picture - i need more backstory, LOL!!

There are a lot of things on the menu I want to try! Every time I look at it I think, "WHY did I not order...". The Queso Fundito is at the top of the list. There is no way to cram it into next month's trip for us, but I want to find a way. I AM going to find a way to work in La Cava though...even though part of me is terrified to drink anything in Epcot on NYE b/c I've heard rumors of two hour long lines for the bathroom

I admit I've gone on the shop parks app and added the dole whip to my cart like three times, but still haven't pulled the trigger, haha

The guava cheesecake was AMAZING.

Thank you she's doing really well, and aside from a few side effects from her meds, she did way better on the trip than either one of us expected.

Every picture I have in there is terrible. The pics of my mom with the princesses are all fuzzy with light glares

I'm afraid I'm forgetting more of Maelstrom too I was a big fan of it!

Turner Drug was awesome. All she had to do was call, tell them the name of the medication and her pharmacy, our resort name and room number, and they handled everything else. They called her home pharmacy and took care of everything, then called her back to tell her it would be delivered to the resort. I would 1000% recommend them to anyone who needs anything like that while at WDW.

 

[xlsm]

WooHoo!! Friday!!
​

Welcome to the weekend everyone! It's the day I've been desperately waiting for because there is no school at all next week!! Let's not think about how I'll be cleaning and cooking the entire time, ok?? OK!

I also bought myself and Xavier a super fun stocking stuffer:



they are colored pencils. Hamilton themed colored pencils. I die.

But let's keep this on task...
Chapter Three Part Two:

We left Norway with my mom's medicine ordered from Turner Drug and me with a bottle of Laila and a stuffed troll in a jaunty little sweater. #winning

Our first fast pass time was open, but we had to make time to stop for Photopass.

Typical Tinkerbell:



And what will go down in history as one of favorite magic shots EVER:



How cute is this little Remy?? Ahh!!

After our little photo break, we had to move it to our FP location - Character Spot! No first visit to Walt Disney World is complete without a visit to the main mouse, and I knew this would be the best place to do it since Epcot is skimpy on fast pass options.



I love this picture:





I laughed when I saw this of the three of us b/c mom was kind of bending down. I laughed b/c afterward she commented that Mickey was so small...I said, "Well, he is a mouse!"

Goofy was up next



and he was weirdly into my ears. His helper said, "Ooh Goofy, look! She's wearing Snow White ears!" and he just freaked out. So I showed them off



and then showed him my shirt too. He was like, jumping up and down. Usually characters just react with such enthusiasm if you're wearing THEM somewhere or their counterpart. It was odd but fun!





Minnie was last - sweet and adorable as always



She kicked me out of the picture when she heard my mom was there for the first time, and spent a lot of time with her.



We left our fabulous friends and had some time to kill before our next fast pass, so I knew the best place to go!



The line was so long! All the way to the door. The posted time was 25 minutes or something, but I never thought it would actually take that long. It moved pretty much constantly, but still felt like it took forever. By the time I decided I didn't want to wait in it anymore, we were stuck in the middle and it would have been harder to get out than keep going. But, I did get to see more of the fun things in the queue along the way.



the people next to us on the ride kept taking flash photos and I was SO ANNOYED. My mom asked what the big deal was...I thought about throwing her out of the seashell - ha!

We took a little time to wander through the aquariums, but it was very crowded in there. It wasn't as bad in the manatee viewing area. My mom had never seen anything like that before.



We stayed to listen to the CM talk about them, and my mom asked if I still had my stuffed animal one. When I was 14 or so, I went on a trip with my aunt somewhere and got a stuffed manatee that I slept with every night through college. I hadn't thought about it in years, and I have no idea where it ended up.



It was a hectic visit under the sea because of the crowds, but we survived. It was time to venture back up on land and see what was waiting for us there!



That's it for now!! I started writing this around 11ish and it's now after 2:00 - I've been dealing with all kinds of PTO stuff today off and on, so a longer update will have to come later. Hopefully next week when we don't have to worry about school!

Enjoy your weekend!

 

[krysenchips]

Sounds like a fun albeit busy time in Epcot! I love the extra attention that they gave your mom!

Where did you get those colored pencils! My sister loves Hamilton and those would be a great addition to her Christmas gift!

 

[missangelalexis]

Adorable Character Spot Pics!!

That's crazy that the wait for Nemo was so long!

 

[Pluto0809]

How cute is this little Remy??

I LOVE this magic shot! They better have it again next year when I'm there for food and wine.

No first visit to Walt Disney World is complete without a visit to the main mouse

I laughed when I saw this of the three of us b/c mom was kind of bending down.

I do the lean thing all the time! I think it's because I'm so tall. I need to train myself to not do it though because I always look so awkward in the pictures.

The posted time was 25 minutes or something, but I never thought it would actually take that long

Mom and I actually saw this one posted at 50 minutes on our last trip!

 

[AV007]

Your mom looks like she's having a blast for her first trip! Can't wait to hear about the rest!

 

[xlsm]

Sounds like a fun albeit busy time in Epcot! I love the extra attention that they gave your mom!

Where did you get those colored pencils! My sister loves Hamilton and those would be a great addition to her Christmas gift!

It was a really fun morning! I felt like we were covering ground efficiently, which is most important to me, LOL!

I got the pencils HERE
They also have crayons with the same color names. My 14 year old will be excited about them, I hope! He's my Hamilton buddy
The shipping time can take awhile b/c they're printed as ordered. I could see myself spending a lot of money there on myself!!

Adorable Character Spot Pics!!

That's crazy that the wait for Nemo was so long!

I thought they came out really well!
I've only ever seen the Nemo line long when we were there the week before Christmas so I was caught off guard by it on a random October Monday!

I LOVE this magic shot! They better have it again next year when I'm there for food and wine.



I do the lean thing all the time! I think it's because I'm so tall. I need to train myself to not do it though because I always look so awkward in the pictures.

Mom and I actually saw this one posted at 50 minutes on our last trip!

Isn't it the cutest?? I loved it so much. The photographer said he likes to try and come up with different ways to add to the shots and he was amazing. The best surprise was that it ended up being Remy - he told us it would be Tinkerbell when he shot it!

I feel you on the leaning in pictures! I tend to do it in photos if I'm taller than someone too. I have a few very awkward pictures of me with the Quiz Bowl team I coached last year. I was standing by the shortest kid on the team and it looks so funny!

It was long last December, and so was Figment. It surprised me to see it with a long wait on this day, though. The line was all contained inside, but right up to the door. At least it was cool inside!

Your mom looks like she's having a blast for her first trip! Can't wait to hear about the rest!

I think she genuinely was having fun on this morning!

I have so much more to share...it's funny how it goes so fast while you're there and then you get back and think, "how the heck did we have time for all this??"

 

[Raeven]

they are colored pencils. Hamilton themed colored pencils. I die.

Omg I love them! So cute

 

[coloredimage]

Okay so I need these in my life. Puns + Broadway = love!

Also I just realized that we could have crossed paths again your Epcot day lol. We decided to go for a couple of hours in the morning that day too!

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

Finding Nemo is strange that way, it doesn't seem like it should have long lines but I find that it usually does starting from 10am on or so. It was our third ride at Epcot last trip and it was posted at 10 minutes but essentially a walk-on. But I've used FP for it in the past and found it to be a good use of a 2nd tier FP, especially around lunchtime.

We got the Remy shot too! One of my favorites, especially since I never got to eat at Chefs De France when he was there. Keep hoping they'll bring him back someday.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Let's not think about how I'll be cleaning and cooking the entire time, ok?? OK!

Uggh. I feel you. This is how I spent my break the week before last.

they are colored pencils. Hamilton themed colored pencils. I die.

OMG! I can't get over Burrple. And Maroon where it happens!

And what will go down in history as one of favorite magic shots EVER:



How cute is this little Remy?? Ahh!!

So much magic! Remy is adorable!

I laughed when I saw this of the three of us b/c mom was kind of bending down. I laughed b/c afterward she commented that Mickey was so small...I said, "Well, he is a mouse!"

the people next to us on the ride kept taking flash photos and I was SO ANNOYED. My mom asked what the big deal was...I thought about throwing her out of the seashell - ha!

UGH! Oh my gosh!! Apparently Nathan's mom also did this, and I wasn't there to tell her to stop, and it makes me cringe!

 

[xlsm]

Hello!!

I didn't do quotes yet but will try to get to it later.

I hope everyone had a great weekend! We didn't do anything too extra, but DH and I did come to an agreement/decision...we think we're going to put our house on the market this spring and hope to move into a new home closer to the lake *or* do a custom build. We have been looking on and off for the last year, and I think we're both ready. We bought this house about four years ago, and I love it, but we have all been expressing a desire to be closer to the water, or at least have more land and less neighbors. Let's see if this actually happens The kids just want a pool, they don't care about much else! I just think about how much work it's going to be...

I am going to try and speed things up regarding updates this week and today will be two back to back posts to continue this Epcot day, our second full park day!

Here is...

Chapter Three Part Three:

We exchanged our flippers and fins for legs and left The Seas for The Land



It was time for Fast Pass number 2, Soarin':



I was so nervous about taking mom on this ride. This was going to be our first real test of the motion sickness issue. Mom was prepared with her little seaband thingies. We also ended up in a row together with a large family of first timers. I was the only one who knew what was going on and what was in store...that's a lot of pressure, assuring my mother and a group of strangers that they were in for a good time!

So what was the verdict??

Success!!



She really liked it (and so did the family riding in our row!) and didn't have much of an issue with motion sickness at all. There was one swoop that made her close her eyes for a second, but it didn't bother her. She said she thought it was easier b/c the seats moved as well and weren't stationary. I was just happy no one puked!

After our ride, mom went to get something to drink from Sunshine Seasons. One thing I have learned about myself, I don't stop for food and drink much throughout the day outside of meal time. It didn't occur to me to be thirsty before going back to the World Showcase and hitting up the Food and Wine kiosks. I guess that's weird

I waited for her, and then we got in line for Living with the Land!

I tried to avoid taking pictures and just enjoy the ride, but you can probably guess how well that went.



The fall decorations were really cute!!



Looove the Epcot 35 symbol stamped into the sand.

There was a brief moment of creeper-ism when I snapped a picture of a group on the Behind the Seeds tour:



I really want to do Behind the Seeds but I never think about it until I'm on the ride! I had planned to book it in May when I thought my MIL was coming with me, but when she backed out of the trip it got scrapped. Hopefully someday, though!

We wrapped up our time in the land, paid a quick visit to Chef Figment




and then began our trip around the World Showcase. Goal One: Find a food booth to visit!!

Our first stop was The Chocolate Lab. We got two items here.

The Sweet Dark Chocolate Raspberry Torte with Whipped Cream and Raspberry Dust:



Oh. My. Goodness.
This was rich and decadent. Not too sweet with an awesome bite of raspberry flavor. This is something I wish they would offer year-round.

The second item was the Liquid Nitro Chocolate Almond Truffle with Warm Whisky Caramel:



This tasted good, but was a major pain to eat. It was rock solid...they use a little hammer thing to break it open before handing it to you. Seriously. But it's so hard and kind of gummy when melting, that it makes it a challenge to eat with plasticwear on paper plates. There might have been a Julia Roberts with escargot moment.



This was one of the warmer days in the parks during our week, so I sat it in the direct sunlight and just hoped for the best. It was delicious and I powered through to finish it off!

None of the other food sounded good in the heat at that moment, and we decided our priority was water. We stopped in a very long line at The Refreshment Port to take care of that. I expected to see a lot of people getting Dole Whip with rum while we were there, but the Dragonberry Refresher featuring Dragon Berry rum seemed to be the drink of choice from everyone waiting. We did not try anything offered here other than ice water!

I took my mom to see a little bit of the Canada pavilion



and told her about @MeghanEmily having her wedding there over the summer



We considered stopping for Fish and Chips at Yorkshire County Fish Shop, but mom wasn't feeling it. We also considered some of the other Food and Wine kiosks, but nothing stood out to us...it was really, really hot and everything seemed like warm cozy comfort food. It didn't work with gazillion degree temps! Instead, we just looked around in stores and tried to get as much a/c as possible!

We admired the ceilings in the UK stores



and I took a picture of everything Doctor Who related for L (my 12 year old DS, for new friends!) Here's a sample:



They have much more merch than this, but I didn't figure everyone wanted to see ALL of it, lol!!

We kept walking and I explained to my mom about the International Gateway as we walked toward France



That picture is hardly extraordinary, but I like the way the Eiffel Tower on the flag mirrors the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

Again, we checked out the kiosk food offerings and decided nothing sounded overwhelmingly MUST HAVE, and mom was ready for something other than sweet stuff, so we passed.



My hair was still down, but starting to get reallllllly frizzy. How much longer will it last do you think??

We decided to cool off with Impressions de France and reevaluate the food situation after that



More coming up as soon as I can type it!

 

[xlsm]

Chapter Three Part Four

What was mom's Impression de Impressions de France??

It made her motion sick. Yep. She survived Soarin' but was woozy from IdF. She said it was probably b/c she was sitting still. I have to say, I've felt a little from the movement of the images on the screen before too, so I get it! It did strike me a little funny that the stationary movie was the wildest experience of the day!

So what's next??

FINALLY we decide on a food! Brazil ended up being the winner. We got the Crispy Pork Belly with Black Beans, Tomato, and Onion:



YUMMMMM!!

It might not look like much, but it was DELICIOUS. We didn't try a *ton* of F&W offerings compared to some people, but this is in my top three. So much flavor in the meat, but the black beans were the best part. Mom was gagging over the layer of fat on the pork belly, but I just peeled it off and hid it in a napkin so she'd get over it. She really liked it too, but vastly preferred the black beans and the tomato/onion. She is not adventurous about food in the slightest and just seeing the fat almost made her not try the pork belly.

I needed a drink at this point, so I settled on the Frozen Caipirinha featuring LeBlon Cachaça. The Caipirinha is the national cocktail of Brazil, so I had to try it!



This was pretty good. I needed the coolness of the frozen drink. It was kind of like a margarita...but also not. I don't really know how to describe it. Was it the best drink ever? No. Did I enjoy it overall? Yes!

I didn't think it had much alcohol in it while drinking it, but I was feeling it by the time we got to Italy, ha!

If you're missing my awkward selfies, here's one for you:



This was a selfie with a purpose - to make sure my lipstick wasn't smeared all over my face and that my hair looked ok after putting it up in a ponytail!

The next country on our tour was Morocco. Is anyone else obsessed with the Morocco pavilion?? I feel like it's under appreciated. We spent a long time here looking at everything. I spent way more time in the shops here than I ever have. Usually I just get all googly eyed by all of the outside stuff!

Mom found a camel friend:



and then abandoned him for the next shiny thing that caught her eye.

Poor lonely camel.



It's ok buddy, someone else will come along to keep you company soon.



On the way out, we stopped for awhile to listen to the band and watch the belly dancer



If you can manage to hear them play and not want to dance yourself, check your pulse!

We shopped in Japan and managed not to buy anything



Italy was our next destination.



AKA the place where I realized there WAS alcohol in the Caipirinha and we took a ton of Photopass pictures







I was ready to go to Germany, and was expecting my mom to want something from Karamell Kuche. She didn't. Whaat?? She was intrigued by Biergarten, though



When I was planning this trip, I strongly considered booking an ADR here, and I asked her if she wanted me to check for a reservation, but she said no. I'm not sure I really believed her, but I said ok, and we kept moving.

We took a quick pass through China but didn't spend much time here



Don't worry, I know we're rushing through this part of the World Showcase, but we had another evening planned here later in the trip!! Part of the reason for rushing was us trying to make it to our Spaceship Earth FP on the way out of the park. Would we succeed??

Not if these Vikings had anything to say about it!



We were hot and hungry and ready to leave, so missing our Spaceship Earth FP wasn't the end of the world. I got on the app and changed things around so we'd be able to ride it the next time we visited Epcot, so no real loss.

We got to the front and took the monorail back to the Polynesian. My phone was dying, so I dropped it off to charge in the room. I went with mom to the lobby to pick up her medicine that Turner Drug had dropped off at the desk, and we spent some time shopping. I had forgotten my bathing suit, so I bought one from Boutiki...and then when we walked by the pool we decided it was too crowded. We got back to the room to drop off the meds and my suit and looked out our sliding doors to the "quiet" pool (it wasn't all that quiet, lol) and it was packed too. So we decided to go up to the lounge and see what was available - they were setting up for the heavy app service, so we just sat in front of the windows and admired the view of the Magic Kingdom and drank POG juice (well I drank the POG, mom didn't care for it!) and waited for food!

My phone was plugged in in the room, so no pictures, but I"m pretty sure this is the night we had chicken skewers, tuna poke salad, hummus/babaganoush with veggies, chips and a couple of different dips. The tuna poke was delicious - mom wouldn't try it. There was also a goat cheese tart that mom liked, but I don't care for goat cheese so I was one and done.

The time in the lounge had refreshed us, even though we'd already had a very busy day. I wanted to watch Happily Ever After, so we made the decision to go ahead and make our way to the Magic Kingdom for the night!

Bye Polynesian, see you later! We had more magic to see!!



I'll try to have more up tomorrow!! Enjoy the rest of your Monday!

 

[missangelalexis]

Yay I'm glad your mom liked Soarin!

It sounds like you guys had fun exploring WS. Love all your pics! I have never seen the film in France but I want to one day, along with the one in Canada!

It's nice that you could take advantage of the club level snacks!

Can't wait to hear about your night at MK!

 

[MeghanEmily]

we have all been expressing a desire to be closer to the water, or at least have more land and less neighbors.

Sounds like a dream!! Congrats on the decision! I hope the whole process goes as smoothly as possible for you.

She really liked it (and so did the family riding in our row!) and didn't have much of an issue with motion sickness at all. There was one swoop that made her close her eyes for a second, but it didn't bother her. She said she thought it was easier b/c the seats moved as well and weren't stationary. I was just happy no one puked!

Yay no puke!! I also get motion sick super easily and I can also handle Soarin', so I'm glad she did well and liked it!

I really want to do Behind the Seeds but I never think about it until I'm on the ride! I had planned to book it in May when I thought my MIL was coming with me, but when she backed out of the trip it got scrapped. Hopefully someday, though!

If it helps, they often seem to have room on the very next tour when you go up to the desk if you ever decide you want to try it on a whim. Spoiler alert: Nathan and I got our own private tour in August because we were the only two who signed up, and we just went up about fifteen minutes before our tour and asked if there was availability.

Oh. My. Goodness.
This was rich and decadent. Not too sweet with an awesome bite of raspberry flavor. This is something I wish they would offer year-round.

Yum! Looks amazing!

and told her about @MeghanEmily having her wedding there over the summer

I feel like a celebrity!

I took a picture of everything Doctor Who related for L (my 12 year old DS, for new friends!) Here's a sample:

Yay L! He has good taste!

What was mom's Impression de Impressions de France??

It made her motion sick. Yep. She survived Soarin' but was woozy from IdF. She said it was probably b/c she was sitting still. I have to say, I've felt a little from the movement of the images on the screen before too, so I get it! It did strike me a little funny that the stationary movie was the wildest experience of the day!

Haha oh no! I get this though. I won't watch any of these films at Epcot because I know they'll do me in. Sometimes I even have my moments in regular 3-D movies.

If you're missing my awkward selfies, here's one for you:

And the hair goes up!

Is anyone else obsessed with the Morocco pavilion?? I feel like it's under appreciated. We spent a long time here looking at everything. I spent way more time in the shops here than I ever have.

Yes. Absolutely. It's one of the pavilions with the most stuff for sure, similar to Japan in my mind in terms of interest level for me, and also super gorgeous!

On the way out, we stopped for awhile to listen to the band and watch the belly dancer

I have to say, I miss the old band and dancer. Mo'rockin' forever!!

well I drank the POG, mom didn't care for it!

Whaaaat!??? Silly Mom! POG is delish!

 

[SpaceMtnGirl]

I’m late to the party but I’m all caught up and really enjoying your report! Your mom is so cute!

 

[heaven2dc]

All caught up again! So glad your mom enjoyed Soarin' - it's always a sigh of relief when a newbie doesn't have a bad experience.

I had to chuckle to myself when you realized there was alcohol in the drink from Brazil by the time you got to Italy Alcohol sneaks up on me like that lol We were supposed to visit WDW the end of October and were so excited to finally go during Food & Wine Festival but ended up having to delay our trip until next year.

 

[paradesintherain]

I'm joining in for the fun!

If you recall from my other reports, I live by the rule: If you see a monorail, you must take a picture of the monorail!!

This is pretty much my motto too. And that monorails improve every picture!

I wanted to admire alllllllllll the fall things!! Everything looked so pretty!

I loved the fall stuff! it's just so happy!

Flying Carpets look so pretty early in the morning:

This picture is great, plus I love the Carpets

I had to take a sad, sad picture of the beloved yet out of commission Splash Mountain:

so sad to see the best ride down!

Great pic!

Sometimes I would buy a drink just because I saw they had Halloween cups leftover!

Yesss, the exhibits were great and I especially loved this sign.

These tables look so close together!

This is the absolute best PhotoPass, taking a picture of Remy is so clever!

So what was the verdict??

Success!!

Woohoo! So glad she could ride and enjoy it!

This is the best location for photos!

 

[Tracy161]

I also bought myself and Xavier a super fun stocking stuffer

O. M. G. I am obsessed with Hamilton. Like haven't taken the CD out of my car since last Christmas obsessed LOVE these!

It didn't occur to me to be thirsty before going back to the World Showcase and hitting up the Food and Wine kiosks.

I tried to avoid taking pictures and just enjoy the ride, but you can probably guess how well that went.

Oh I get that. It's impossible.

I really want to do Behind the Seeds but I never think about it until I'm on the ride!

Same!

Our first stop was The Chocolate Lab.

This would have been my first stop too

That picture is hardly extraordinary, but I like the way the Eiffel Tower on the flag mirrors the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

I love this shot! For exactly the same reason. Also, I love the cheese cubes that make up the Eiffel Tower on the flag

Is anyone else obsessed with the Morocco pavilion??

Um... YES!