The Bear and the Bow: Christmas with the Mouses - Update 9/11

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Are you going to do a Disneyland TR? Please do a Disneyland TR!!! At least, post some pictures here!

Agreed!!! Disneyland TR!! Disneyland TR!!

Hahaha the Friendship boats are certainly not the fastest mode of transportation, but they are lovely!

YES Living with the Land did have CM narrators in the past! :yes:

 

[Merida]

Bear’s conversation didn’t go too long and we (I) were tucked away in bed to watch TV (sleep) very soon after.

Our typical Disney wake-up time is around 6:30 – enough time for a sit-down breakfast and still be within 15 minutes of (normal) park opening. Breakfasts out are one of my favorite parts of vacations and rope drop isn’t nearly as important. And I’ve found that the actual ‘rope drop’ event itself is way too crowded. Five minutes late is good enough for me.

Smiley Towel


PJs​

Bear had been disappointed that we hadn’t gotten a new towel animal the day before so while he was in the shower, I recycled some of our old ones. Obviously I do not have the same towel-folding abilities as our rose-making Mousekeeper, but he (said he) liked it.

The Backside of Water Wheels


Established 1875
​

Given that I had yet to eat my body weight in Mickey waffles, Bear and I headed out to the Riverside Mill. I love waffles – plain (just a hint of vanilla) with butter, powdered sugar, and maple syrup is best. None of that fancy-schmancy ‘fruit’ I keep hearing about. It should pretty much be a 1:1 carb:sugar ratio and the Riverside Mill didn’t let me down. Bear didn’t care as much for his bacon, but that’s his fault for not picking waffles.

Riverside Mill


Port Orleans​

After stuffing ourselves in the Mill (sub par bacon included), we ambled through Port Orleans. Counter service breakfasts don’t take anywhere near the same amount of time as a table service and we had ended up with some spare time.

Pool House


The Mansions​

Our mansion (and thus our parking lot) was right next to the quiet pool. For some reason, I was obsessed with the little pool building that we always passed on the way to the car, I’m not really sure why. The whole area is very peaceful (and quiet, obviously!) and has some nice foliage, but I never took an actual picture of that. Instead, I focused on the backside of the pool house? Maybe all the powder sugar hadn’t kicked in yet.

The Globe​

But we managed to make it to the car – and eventually to Epcot – without fanfare. Epcot day was one of the few times we made it to rope drop and Bear certainly wasn’t impressed. I don’t think he realized that the lines were because no one was being let in the park yet and not that it was going to be massively crowded all day.

Pink Mickeys​

At least the person in front of us had an excellent headband on; I had a good idea for a picture that I don’t think ever materialized. I have multiple versions of this picture saved on my hard drive but this is closest to what I had in my head.

I took up enough time trying to discreetly photograph a woman’s bouncey Mickey headband that we in shuffling through the turn stiles, following the crowd to Soarin’ before I knew it. The mad dash to Soarin’ is incredibly tame and doable in my opinion, and really can’t be compared to the Toy Story Mania run. Maybe it was just crowd levels on the different days, but Epcot’s layout is much less prone to bottlenecking and traffic jams than MGM’s.

Soarin' Queue​

I chose to ride standby and pick up Fastpasses later after a quick glance at the crowds by the machines; Bear chose to follow me. The line moved quickly enough that I never figured out the “games” (I think?) in the standby line. What are they?

Soarin'​

Bear was adamant that we would request row B1; his friends had instructed us to do this for optimal viewing during our Earl of Sandwich dinner and Bear likes requesting seats. It was an easy enough process; the Cast Member simply ushered us to the back of the B1 line and we waited an additional cycle.

Flight Crew Only​

Plus we got to stand by one of my favorite employee only doors. Flight crew!

The lines – and Patrick’s introduction – went quickly and we were soon strapped in and ready for lift off. Neither of us were very impressed this go-around; we were both expecting a more continuous film (maybe with more Patrick?). At least some more transitions instead of the blink-and-now-you’re-on-boat thing they have going on. Or the golf ball – Bear insists that golf balls go that high, but how high up are we supposed to be at that point? Certainly not at gliding altitude. And are you supposed to be a single high glider or all three stacked? Because someone’s feet would definitely be on the ground at that point and there’s no way you’d just go up again.

Take Off!​

It wasn’t the fault of the ride, ride operators, or even film quality. We just had no idea what to actually expect and had gotten different impressions from friends and the Internet. It certainly wasn’t a bad ride and our seats were excellent for the hang-gliding effect but it didn’t have that ‘must ride’ factor.

The Land Pavilion​

We decided to still pick up a set of Fastpasses, figuring they’d come in handy later. Plus Bear had promised I could walk around the Land Pavilion. I love the balloons and we’d been in such a rush the day before I hadn’t gotten a chance to appreciate them. So Bear grabbed Fastpasses while I tried to figure out that best way to shoot inside the land; he was finished before me.

Seasons


Balloons
​

Since we had just done Test Track the night before, I wasn’t too concerned about joining the post-Soarin’ dash over. Bear had different plans and hovered anxiously while I hurried to finish up.

 

[Merida]

By the time we made it over to Test Track, the lines – standby and for Fastpass - were long enough that both of us were grumpy – me because I could’ve taken a few more shots that I wanted and Bear because I’d taken too long.

Space Pavilion​

Of course, our Fastpass slot wasn’t open yet, so – I argued – it didn’t matter about the line for Fastpasses. We could ride Mission: SPACE and by the time we finished up there, everything would be just fine.

Rocket to Mars​

Bear couldn’t think up any counters to this on our way over; of course, he loves Mission: SPACE far more than me. I still don’t trust it 100% to keep me alive through the whole thing.

Flight Training​

But I love the queue, in a five-year-old stomping-feet tantrum-y sort of way, where I refuse to listen to any criticism (wrong or right) of it. The lighting, the random space trivia, and the fact that the Imagineers threw in pretty much anything and everything space travel related. It’s just such a hodgepodge of ‘This is used in space!!’ that it makes me laugh.

ISTC


Moon Buggy


Tables​

Especially this table. What a great table – practical and ugly and so, so NASA-y.

Lady Cosmonauts​

Valentina Tereshkova! A momentary diversion: She was (is?, she’s still alive) an amateur parachutist (in Soviet Russia!!) chosen from over four hundred applicants to be the first female cosmonaut in space. And she eventually became a major general in the Soviet Air Force. Not too shabby!

Gary Sinise guided us on another successful mission to Mars and then Bear guided us on a successful mission for Test Track Fastpasses. Not quite on the level of being the first woman in space, but good enough for two vacationers.

We had lunch reservations in the Yacht Club, so we decided to explore the other side of Future World before wandering up through Canada and England to the Boardwalk (only in Epcot does that make sense).

Journey into Imagination​

I vaguely remember the Figment gift shop from when I was eight, but never went near the Imagination Pavilion on any other trip. Either I couldn’t find it (most of my Epcot time is spent in Mexico or Norway) or didn’t realize you could go in. It was a confusing period of time, trying to find more Figment but continually missing the giant glass pyramids. Like a really bad romantic comedy, but featuring a girl and a building. Emphasis on the ‘really bad.’

Reception


No Dancing​

It was a toss-up on which Imagination attraction we’d do first, since neither of us remembered the originals of EO or Figment. Figment won out in the end, since it had a non-existent line (like usual) and we would have had to wait for the next EO showing.

Reception Figment


Testing
​

Honestly, I didn’t think this version of Figment was so terrible. What I do remember of Figment is mixed together with the old version of Spaceship Earth so at least these new versions are definitely separate things? That’s really stretching it, I know, but there’s really not much to say now about Figment, which is sad.

Oranges


Figment​

I’m watching the original Journey into Imagination now (literally, thanks youtube!), and I remember more of it (it’s also kind of.. schmaltzy? The intro certainly isn’t the best scriptwriting I’ve ever heard. And I dislike that the science creativity segment is faux-science jingoism – “electron beams” – instead of, you know, actual science? But it’s a small thing in an overall excellent ride that makes at least an effort at including sciences and the inherent creativity involved instead of just lauding the arts as the more beautiful, humanist, etc. form of expression. I just have lots of feelings about the dual nature of art and science! That are not actually addressed in Journey to the Imagination so…)

Figment, Televised​

We were finished with Figment practically seconds after getting on (it’s so short! NEED MORE FIGMENT) and were dumped unceremoniously in the gift shop. I had high hopes for in here because I clearly remember it – and it was, of course, nothing like I had pictured.

Oh well.

Pyramids​

I did talk Bear into picking out a Vinylmation to try and get a Figment-y souvenir. We ended up with the Disney Cruise Line one (picture.. to be included later?), which wasn’t so bad. Only at that point, we had no plans to ever go cruising ever (my how things change!) so the poor li’l yellow guy was essentially worthless to us.

Entrance to World Showcase​

Bear was hungry and eager to head up to our reservations – he had agreed to try walking this time and was positive we’d end up being late. The walk to International Gateway from Future World is especially pleasant in the early lunch hours – no one waits in line to visit Canada at 11AM precisely, so we had Future World all to ourselves.

 

[Merida]

It looks like you guys were being very efficient and getting some stuff done in EPCOT. I can't wait to hear what you thought of Kouzzina. Do you and the BF typically like Greek food?

Yes! I love Mediterranean food in general (my favorite is Turkish, followed by Egyptian). One of my favorite places out here in Colorado is Greek-American fusion and they have the most amazing pita dessert ever - pitas coated in cinnamon sugar, fried, and then dipped in maple syrup. Not quite Greek, but still delicious! I don't get much Turkish/Egyptian out here - my favorite places are in Germany and New Mexico (respectively) and thus are a little too far for a dinner date.

Ohh okay... well, I don't know who that is. BUT! We definitely weren't in there at the same time, then. We were pretty much there right at the start of the party.

I could care less about Cirque honestly haha. FotLK doesn't seem theme parkish to me, I feel like it's not really trying to be a certain type of show, it's just itself. I love it... like, immensely.

Oh man, a gondola ride in the Italy pavilion would be amazing! Especially considering that Italy doesn't even have a movie hahah.

Yeah, we were with Tiana + Naveen then. My boyfriend was thrilled that the Christmas party turned into Prince + Princess Palooza.

I mean, the quality of FotLK is amazing and everything, but I think I was expecting something different based on reviews of FotLK. In most of the reviews I read, FotLK was compared to full-stage productions in a 'as good as' sort of way, never seeing HOW it was as good as them. I go to more of those than Disney staged shows (e.g., never been to Disney on Ice, anything in MGM), so I was thinking the scope was the same! And obviously in those, there's more space, limited performances, etc. that allow for more complexity in choreography and story. So I just wish people wouldn't compare it to, say, Broadway productions because it's not and it's not meant to be!

Or.. I agree with you!

I KNOW. World Showcase should totally turn into Boat Rides Around the World.

 

[Merida]

Glad to hear you enjoyed Kouzzina! It sounds like a pretty awesome place. I forget, were yall on the dining plan? If not, did you really pay over $100? GOOD LORD hahahaha.

Yup, we were on the dining plan. We did upgrade from the free one to deluxe, but I totally would've paid for it as well. Kouzzina was our big 'break even on the dining plan' ADR so we went all out. If I was paying OOP (I pay for all food on our trips), we definitely would've scaled back some. I like nice meals, but $100+ nice meals is pushing it just a bit!

The Boardwalk area...I adore it as well!! Isn't it just the most wonderful, peaceful area? One of my favorite Disney memories is being on the Boardwalk super-early with DBF, sitting outside the Boardwalk Bakery eating breakfast.

(Of COURSE it involves food!! )

Glad you enjoyed your dinner at Kouzzina! That restaurant really is great, isn't it? I do totally agree about the sign fonts though. And that rogue apostrophe. It drives me a little nuts too!

It's such a great area. I really, really wish the Bear liked it a little more; he'd rather stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge than Yacht/Beach Club or Boardwalk Inn. AKL is great and everything, but we could WALK to Epcot. And eat food all the time!! Kouzzina is my best argument for a Yacht Club stay because Bear still talks about that meal, 5+ months later. It was probably his favorite thing this trip, besides from our Kona dinner.

Yes! I just can't figure out that sign. It drove me bonkers the entire time we waited for Kouzzina to open. I really want to try breakfast at Kouzzina next time - feta cheese eggs (and the fact that honey is on pretty much everything offered for breakfast!) sound so delicious!

I love the Boardwalk as well! We actually were trying to rent DVC points for our upcoming trip there but it didn't work out so no Boardwalk for us Did you stop in to the Boardwalk bakery by any chance? They have the best cupcakes!

The Boardwalk is just such a great location, especially since they redid the Yacht/Beach club rooms. Sooo pretty and relaxing. And the pools!! Neither of us have swim suits but I'd TOTALLY buy one just for use on the Boardwalk.

We didn't! I keep meaning to try Disney cupcakes but never get around to it. They're just so massive and Bear isn't quite the dessert-y person that I am (except for ice cream and cheese cake!).

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I like that I'm not the only one that makes their own towel animals while at Disney!! Very nice smiley face!

I love how the pink Mickey headband/SE shot came out! Very cool!

Soarin' is a teensy bit over-rated, I think. The film definitely could stand for better scene transitions, and a bit longer showtime!

 

[Merida]

Are you going to do a Disneyland TR? Please do a Disneyland TR!!! At least, post some pictures here!

The International Gateway looks really pretty, all decorated for Christmas!

I love Living with the Land, I don't know why we skipped it in May! I don't remember it ever having a real person narrating, but I'm with you, I'll take the pre-recorded narrator any day! I kind of wish they would do that for the Great Movie ride, but then I guess they'd have to give up on the whole gangster/cowboy story lines.

POR is so beautiful, I bet it's really pretty, all decorated for the holidays!

I definitely will, I'm just trying to figure out where the best spot (in here, in my PTR, on the Disneyland TR board) will be!

The Great Movie Ride narration really needs more improv, like on Jungle Cruise! From my experience, it seems like the JC skippers get a whole stack of jokes that they'll put in the script at random - and they won't tell all of them all the time. There has to be tons of gossip-y Hollywood stories they could tell! Or, I don't know, have them come up with their favorite parts of each movie (ha - better yet, make them WATCH each movie!).

I love POR. It's always going to be our home resort; I'd love to try places like POFQ, the Boardwalk, Contemporary, and the Poly, but POR will always be that special one.

Oh my god, I'm so jealous that you had a trip to Disneyland! Argh, I want to go back so badly.

I love Living with the Land, but I actually miss the people who used to operate the ride. I like the more personal touch.

It's so great there! We split our big December trip into two smaller ones (this one and one in December) and I'm SO glad we did, especially with all the new stuff coming. And the weather!! Although the World of Color song is still stuck in my head...

My hesitation with the real people operators is that, depending where they're pulled from, they may not actually know that much about the ride. So at least this way, I'm guaranteed a narration with a certain level of knowledge on the operations in the greenhouse. I'm also used to science presentations not being very personable (at least in atmospheric science! We're not very good at public speaking. ). I also feel like more info can be crammed into a recorded narration compared to a memorized one (that may be totally wrong! Just based on my experiences presenting; I would way rather have recorded something beforehand and just played that back ).

I want to go to Disneyland.

Living with the Land looks awesome at night. You take wonderful pictures.

Go! It's so amazing. And the drive from Colorado -> California is WAY better than the drive from Colorado -> Florida!

I love the greenhouse at night! It's just such a great ride - I prefer it to Soarin', actually, and think it's a much better fit in the Land Pavilion.

Thanks!

Agreed!!! Disneyland TR!! Disneyland TR!!

Hahaha the Friendship boats are certainly not the fastest mode of transportation, but they are lovely!

YES Living with the Land did have CM narrators in the past! :yes:

I went through and sorted out all my WDW pictures so it shouldn't be too long. I want to have everything done by our December trip (..which seems SO FAR AWAY) and I'd fail miserably at multiple TRs.

They are! Our captain wasn't very talkative (I've read that some are?) but he stood very nicely at the front, looking all nautical and impressive.

 

[ZehnJahren]

Okay, sorry this is a long comment but I'm trying to catch up:

For the record, you aren't the only person who likes Dinoland in AK. (Sorry I've been MIA, but catching up now!) I really love the cheesiness and the colors; there's nothing like it in any other park! I love the goofyness; it was the part I remember most fondly. Of course, I've only been to AK two times now, but I like it a lot!

I have to mention again how much I enjoy all your pictures; the colors are so nice and clean, and everything is so crisp.

I hate it when you get some delicious looking pastry of some sort, like that Mickey Mouse cookie, and it's not as good as it looks. I get especially irritated with cookies; there are two kinds, good tasting cookies and crappy cookies. The wrong icing can make a good-tasting cookie into crap, and cookie icing seems to be so hit and miss sometimes! I would love a delicious Mickey cookie.

I haven't been on LWTL or Ellen's Energy ride in over a decade. I need to ride some of this stuff; I just know that I can't handle Ellen. The idea of being locked into a ride for over a half hour makes me feel a little nervous. Anyway, LWTL - they're doing research on SPACE AGRICULTURE?? Is that even a real thing?!?!

Come to think of it, I've never been on MS, either. I get a tad claustrophobic sometimes so I wonder how I'd do with it, but I know I could walk through and take the chicken exit just to check it out. I need to go see the actual ride time and how long the ride is; I can handle anything as long as it's brief. haha

And I can agree with you about Figment; it was a favorite of mine when I was a kid and it's too short, regardless. I really oddly love the mechanism that takes you through this ride; aw, I have the best memories of the Figment ride from childhood. This last trip, I rode it a couple times and paid close attention to the ride vehicles and the track; yep, still a favorite for nothing more than the method of locomotion.

 

[Nermel9]

Yay, I'm so glad you're doing a Disneyland TR! I would say either do it in your PTR (for an upcoming trip, I'm assuming? You're going again this December right? Or am I totally making that up? I keep thinking I should go in December instead of November so I can see the Fantasyland stuff. But my DH really wants to go for the end of Food and Wine. Ughhhh. ) or over on the Disneyland section of the DIS. I always go over there and look for good Disneyland TR's to read, but there are not many to pick from!

I love that Flight Crew Only door at Soarin' too, so cute! Your pictures of the Land are so pretty, I love that pavilion!

Haha, that table IS really NASA-y! I've never noticed it before!

 

[marDgreen88]

Once again, you take such great pictures!

I sometimes feel like I have the intelligence of a graham cracker when I read your updates... hahaha. That's all.

 

[Merida]

I like that I'm not the only one that makes their own towel animals while at Disney!! Very nice smiley face!

I love how the pink Mickey headband/SE shot came out! Very cool!

Soarin' is a teensy bit over-rated, I think. The film definitely could stand for better scene transitions, and a bit longer showtime!

At Disneyland, we saw a Mousekeeper teaching kids how to fold real towel animals in the hotel lobby. I wanted to join in but Bear said no. Those things are hard to make!

It's funny because I didn't notice all the film quality issues (dust specks? People seem to have a big problem with stuff like that on the boards) because I was so confused with what was going on! I definitely think they could have spent longer establishing each spot they visited - I never would've guessed that the river scene takes place in the Redwood State Park! Or maybe I'm just really oblivious?

The music is AMAZING, though.

Yay, I'm so glad you're doing a Disneyland TR! I would say either do it in your PTR (for an upcoming trip, I'm assuming? You're going again this December right? Or am I totally making that up? I keep thinking I should go in December instead of November so I can see the Fantasyland stuff. But my DH really wants to go for the end of Food and Wine. Ughhhh. ) or over on the Disneyland section of the DIS. I always go over there and look for good Disneyland TR's to read, but there are not many to pick from!

I love that Flight Crew Only door at Soarin' too, so cute! Your pictures of the Land are so pretty, I love that pavilion!

Haha, that table IS really NASA-y! I've never noticed it before!

Yup, we have our December-ish Disneyland trip, and then we're (most likely) moving down to Orlando (which I have started freaking out about already. I've never applied for non-academic things before so there's a significant chance that I - gulp - won't get into the Disney Professional Internships! I've been revising my resume off and on for the past few months - and hard core the past two days - and the applications don't even come out until August! At least Bear's been following up on some leads too, so I don't feel quite as nutty with my job obsession).

I feel like this fall, WDW's going to be PACKED. Maybe that will convince more people to not go in that time frame next year? I know people were really upset about the big ticket price increases at Disneyland but if crowds keep increasing the way they have been, Disney's going to have to do something drastic like that. I'd definitely pay more for guaranteed lower crowds.

But really, do Disneyland! It's an adjustment but so much fun. It is hard to "break into" the DL boards, there's not a big following.

 

[Merida]

Okay, sorry this is a long comment but I'm trying to catch up:

For the record, you aren't the only person who likes Dinoland in AK. (Sorry I've been MIA, but catching up now!) I really love the cheesiness and the colors; there's nothing like it in any other park! I love the goofyness; it was the part I remember most fondly. Of course, I've only been to AK two times now, but I like it a lot!

I have to mention again how much I enjoy all your pictures; the colors are so nice and clean, and everything is so crisp.

I hate it when you get some delicious looking pastry of some sort, like that Mickey Mouse cookie, and it's not as good as it looks. I get especially irritated with cookies; there are two kinds, good tasting cookies and crappy cookies. The wrong icing can make a good-tasting cookie into crap, and cookie icing seems to be so hit and miss sometimes! I would love a delicious Mickey cookie.

I haven't been on LWTL or Ellen's Energy ride in over a decade. I need to ride some of this stuff; I just know that I can't handle Ellen. The idea of being locked into a ride for over a half hour makes me feel a little nervous. Anyway, LWTL - they're doing research on SPACE AGRICULTURE?? Is that even a real thing?!?!

Come to think of it, I've never been on MS, either. I get a tad claustrophobic sometimes so I wonder how I'd do with it, but I know I could walk through and take the chicken exit just to check it out. I need to go see the actual ride time and how long the ride is; I can handle anything as long as it's brief. haha

And I can agree with you about Figment; it was a favorite of mine when I was a kid and it's too short, regardless. I really oddly love the mechanism that takes you through this ride; aw, I have the best memories of the Figment ride from childhood. This last trip, I rode it a couple times and paid close attention to the ride vehicles and the track; yep, still a favorite for nothing more than the method of locomotion.

Yay Dinoland fans! I like some goofiness in my theme parks - I mean, it's a theme park! I think it's weird if it took itself so seriously all the time.

Thanks!

The worst cookies are the ones were they completely overdo it on the almond (or lemon) extract. I just want a nice simple sugar cookie, it's not that hard!! And there aren't very many cookies around Disney World, not since cupcakes became so trendy. I can't wait for fancy cookies to become popular again (I've never had a problem with chocolate chip ones, just the sugar/iced ones).

Just sleep through Ellen! The dinosaurs are the most interesting part and they're at the beginning, so it's the best option for a quick nap. Living with the Land, on the other hand...

I haven't been able to find much on the space agriculture; this TR actually is in the top 10 results when you goole 'epcot space agriculture.' Time to do the Behind the Seeds tour!

I like Mission Space a lot! I've never really been claustrophic or gotten motion sickness, so I'm really lucky in that regards. I don't think the forces and such are that bad - Rock'n'Roller Coaster is worse to me. But I've also seen pretty much every space show to ever be aired on TV, so it would take quite a bit to keep me off the ride!

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with this stuffed Figment we had. It took me ages to realize that he was a Disney character (without a TV show!! Or a movie!! The horrors!). He was just so much fun to play with because he could do anything. I wish that the Imagination Pavilion could be revitalized - I think it's the most kid-friendly/important part of Future World.

Once again, you take such great pictures!

I sometimes feel like I have the intelligence of a graham cracker when I read your updates... hahaha. That's all.

Thanks!

Haha, I just have lots of time on my hands right now. I'm waiting for models to finish running so I end up reading all sorts of random stuff on the Internet, which then influences my stuff here.

 

[Merida]

Canada​

We passed through Canada quickly; I really have never spent any time here. Never seen Off Kilter, never tried the beer, never tasted the cheddar cheese soup.

Totems​

I haven’t spent much time in England either, so it’s not just the Canada pavilion that’s horrendously boring. Honestly, why couldn’t a few more countries sprung for some rides? The England pavilion could have easily done a Ghosts of Royalty/haunted castle ride/walk through. Tower of London, maybe? A few ravens wouldn’t be amiss here.

UK Pavilion​

Or they could play up the English Garden theme and do something based around Capability Brown, one of my very favorite (western) landscape architects (see also: Frederick Law Olmsted; Eastern landscape design is in a class all its own).

To The Lighthouse​

We quickly made it out of Epcot and into the Boardwalk resort area. Walking this route is so much faster than the boats, almost ridiculously so. I think Disney should expand the boat-as-resort-transportation idea; some of the moderates are massive and would definitely be improved with water taxis!

The Yacht Club​

Our lunch was at the Captain’s Grille; I had picked this out at random. None of the other Yacht/Beach Club restaurants were appealing and affordable and I really wanted to see all the deluxe resorts.

More than that, I wanted to show them to Bear. I love hotels and staying in new ones; Bear is too, but he has been strangely hesitant about the Disney (Boardwalk) deluxes. The best way I could think of to convince him was resort dining.

Snow Tower​

The lobby was impeccable, as expected. Nice and dark and boat-y. The Beach Club’s lobby is too similar to the Grand’s, in my opinion, while the Yacht Club has a unique atmosphere.

Yacht Club Christmas​

And we had plenty of time to soak up that atmosphere – we were there incredibly early, before lunch was being served. Bear relaxed in the leather couches while I fidgeted and wandered around; I must have gotten about ten cups of the free ice water.

Disney's Yacht Club​

I managed to explore most of the lobby before the Captain’s Grille opened for lunch. Lunch was absolutely delightful. Great service, out-of-this-world vinegar fries, and delicious chicken and prosciutto sandwiches. Bear ended up eating most of my appetizer, since he ordered some weird entrée that he didn’t actually want. I think it was the hamburger; Bear said it was tasty, just not what he was in the mood for.

DCL​

I showed Bear around after we finishing stuffing ourselves with gelato. The cruise boat model piqued Bear’s interest – we’d never thought of cruising before, but goodness, the cruise ships are pretty! (Also pictured: our vinyl!)

Courtyard


Courtyard


Shipwreck Bay​

We eventually made it out of the Yacht Club and ambled along slowly, taking it the scenery. Bear was also impressed with the little we could see of Stormalong Bay – I think there’s definitely a Yacht Club stay in our future (especially if I can get a cast member discount!).

Alice​

Alice was out as we passed back through England, making the pavilion about a hundred times more interesting. Bear didn’t want to stop; I had agreed to watch the CircleVision Canada film and obviously a film that is on loop throughout the day is more important than more princesses.

We had just done the gauntlet of Christmas party princesses, so I let Bear drag me on to Canada. The Canada movie is actually really good; I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Not too long, lots of nice scenery, and decently funny.

The Falls​

I managed to snag a Duffy-on-a-stick as we exited the movie. I don’t miss the masks, I have to say. I never thought that they were an inspired design – I mean, it was a mask. Nothing particularly related to World Showcase. At least Duffy is, canonically, a world traveler! My Duffy was much more durable than the mask – mine always got bent or ripped and never actually got around the world.

Gardens​

I explained the Duffy-on-a-stick to Bear as we headed back to the Imagination pavilion. The Canadian Duffys were in a pile, stacked up by Cast Members who were furiously stamping.

Bear agreed to take Duffy around the world, collecting stamps. He was slightly more interested in this than Kim Possible, which is to say, not very.

He should start trusting me on these things.

To Change the World​

Captain EO was Bear’s choice for our next attraction; I’m not sure why he’s so cautious about my activity choices when he has voluntarily chosen Ellen’s Energy Adventure and Captain EO!

Not that Captain EO is bad – we’re both big MJ fans and this was pretty much what I want out of a “new” MJ bit. Excellent choreography, cheesy special effects, some catchy tunes, and puppets. I have a weakness for 80s music videos.

Soaring​

Plus there’s no wait for EO and we were headed to Soarin’ next. It’s nice to hit up all the not very popular rides; walk-ons make me feel like I know how to tour the parks. The Fastpasses reduce the wait for Soarin’, but never eliminate it entirely. Bear also insists on waiting for row B1, which adds another 5-10 minutes to our wait. Not too bad, but it can add up!

Neon​

My appreciation for Soarin’ increases with every ride; I really enjoy the hang-glider sensation and the score is brilliant. I just want the film to be different! The Christmas at Disneyland is good, but not quite enough to make up for the abrupt transitions.

The little girl next to me loved the fireworks as well. On the way out, her mother kept prompting her about the Mickey head, but the girl just wasn’t getting it. I’m not sure if she didn’t understand her mother’s questions or she legitimately didn’t see the Mickey fireworks, but she kept saying she saw Donald Duck.

Car Crashes​

We headed over to Test Track next; our Fastpasses were finally good. The standby line here is not my favorite and I pretty much will only do this with Fastpasses.

Windshield Tests​

For some reason, I can never think of much to say about Test Track. I just don’t care that much about cars? And testing them? I wish they’d turn it into a history of transportation pavilion, where they include early models ad then also include the ~future of transportation.~ It’s a fun ride, there’s just… not much there right now?

Crash Tests​

I am excited for the refurb, all neon and futuristic. And it certainly can’t be more bland than the previous incarnation.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I think the Yacht Club is my favorite resort. It really is beautiful, isn't it?? I've only had breakfast at the Captain's Grille though!

Ellen AND Captain EO?? Sounds like Bear and DBF would have a great time park touring together! I agree with your thoughts on TT, there is so much more that could be done there. It'll be interesting to see what comes of the refurb this summer!

 

[marDgreen88]

I like your methods... letting the boyfriend see the resorts to pique his interest. BRAVO! Hahaha, did it work?

We're in total agreement about the Test Track standby 'queue.' The music drives me crazy! Fastpasses or nothing! hahaha

 

[Nermel9]

Aww, I love the Canada and the England pavilions! The only one I find really, really pointless and kind of boring is Italy, I mean, there is seriously nothing there. I think they should stick some kind of roller coaster in one of the countries.

I love the Yacht Club, which is weird, because I used to hate it! It's so perfect at Christmas, the next time I go in December I'm definitely staying there! Haha, I used the same tactic with Brandon, I made him visit AKL and the Poly a few trips back and now he really wants to stay in both! We just haven't gotten around to it yet!

Glad you liked Captain's Grille, it's very underrated!

 

[IheartDDuck]

I agree with your assessment of some of the WS countries. I've always wished that the countries had more rides in them, but no there's nothing else. It's kind of depressing actually.

 

[Merida]

1. It is my birthday (at least it is where I am. All you other people in weird time zones may have already gone on to June 16th but it is totally still June 15th here. 1.5 more hours birthday girl goodness for me)! In honor of this auspicious occasion, I’m pretending to be all adult-y and do some things I’ve been procrastinating on.

2. Also, it’s now kitten season and we’ve been slammed. We’ve had 4+ kittens (in addition to our two cats and the hedgehog) since mid-May. The litter we have now was of six kittens and I was cleaning the litterbox four times per day, among all the extra feedings/missed-the-litterbox accidents/etc. After that, I was fit for nothing except reading wedding trip reports and saving favorite wedding cake designs to Pinterest. One of the two runts had to be put down yesterday morning and the other is now in 24-7 vet care after they stopped eating. I only have four healthy 4-week-old kittens to look after, which is a nice break.

3. We got a Wii! We have the Toy Story Mania game, Epic Mickey, Wii Sports Resorts, Mariokart, Lego Batman, and Oregon Trail. Any other recommendations?

4. Finally: any trip report recs? I need to go through all my subscribed threads and see what I’m behind on, but new things would be great!


When we got off Test Track, it was finally time for our super secret spy mission. My number one Epcot priority was to do a Kim Possible mission (other number one priorities included eating lots of food, riding Soarin’, and riding the Mexico boats approximately one trillion times) and we’d already amassed an impressive number of KP fastpasses so we could ‘do one later.’

Bear lagged behind as we used the shortcut to head to Mexico; he even stopped on the bridge to dawdle.

Turtle​

Because who can pass up watching an Epcot turtle float around?

Turtles​

Or – better yet – two Epcot turtles?

We watched the turtles for a good ten minutes; the bottom one kept trolling the other one and it was fun to watch them play in the lagoon (lake? Large body of water?).

China​

Our KP fastpasses sent us to Norwary, where we were assigned a mission in China (I still don’t understand this set up? Why not just send us to China?). Bear had never seen the Kim Possible show, so he wasn’t as enthralled with the game themeing. I, on the otherhand, had gone through a period of being obsessed with girl spies (Kim Possible, Totally Spies, etc) and was more interested in the phone gadget than actually solving the mystery. Bear did most of the detective legwork while I noodled around with the phone, getting absolutely nothing done.

Cri-Kee


Kim Possible


China Pavilion​

It was a really cute game – Bear thought that one was enough but I could’ve done more – and I think it’s needed in the World Showcase. Yes, there’s an argument to be made about ~integrity but all the countries have agreed to it and who goes to the World Showcase for the true Norwegian experience?

China plants


Winning KP


China flowers​

This at least gets people into the pavilions without rides and (bonus!) encourages some sort of critical thinking (I still think that some people exaggerate the true educational worth of Epcot; it’s a tourist-y, rather stereotypical depiction of a very, very small slice of a country’s history/culture, with the intent to convince you to travel to that country. Not my preferred educational tools).

China flowers


KP Clue


China Pavilion​

I do love the World Showcase and think it’s absolutely beautiful – I’d rather spend time here than in Future World. But it’s slowly slipping down on my list of favorite parks; there’s just more things I want to do or see in Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom.

Terra Cotta Soldiers


Terra Cotta Soldiers 2​

Except if I was staying in a Boardwalk resort – then I’d totally live in Epcot and explore all the little nooks and crannies. But on a short trip, I want a little more action and activities.

China Pavilion


Elephants​

We finally finished our grand tour of China – got our Duffy stamped and everything – and headed back towards Norway.

Viking​

The Kimmunicator was safely returned to the KP stand – which, I’m kind of sad that this is being turned into Phineas and Ferb because Kim will always be a more important character than Perry. There are just so very few female characters in Phineas and Ferb and it’s so nice to see girls in something not typically coded female. It also means that people aren’t watching Kim Possible which is a shame! Such a great show.

Green Roof


Churches​

There was still more time before our dinner reservation, so we did the quick tour of the Norway pavilion. One boat ride, one Duffy stamp, and one bathroom break later and we were ready to go!

Norway​

Our entire stop in Norwary was maybe twenty-five minutes if you count the bathroom break, much more representative of our normal World Showcase touring style than our China explorations. I know there are lots of little museums scattered throughout these pavilions but I’ve never gotten to them. They just keep getting pushed down the list in favor of food or one more spin on the Mexico boat ride.

Mexico Pavilion​

Our dinner reservations that night were at San Angel; we had even gone so far as to do the Candlelight Processional package (I’m not sure why. Just that we had free dining so why not use up some credits?). We were both ready for food and air conditioning and Bear was starting to brainstorm increasingly ridiculous schemes to ensure we got a waterside table. We were on our way to Mexico!

 

[Merida]

I think the Yacht Club is my favorite resort. It really is beautiful, isn't it?? I've only had breakfast at the Captain's Grille though!

Ellen AND Captain EO?? Sounds like Bear and DBF would have a great time park touring together! I agree with your thoughts on TT, there is so much more that could be done there. It'll be interesting to see what comes of the refurb this summer!

Yes! It's such a different feeling from most of the other resorts (much darker! I think Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom are the only ones that come close?) and feels just like fine leather and mahogany and being old money.

In all fairness, I did insist we go on new Figment! But yup, he totally loves them both (and I have a soft spot for EO because of my huge soft spot for anything MJ and muppet related).

I like your methods... letting the boyfriend see the resorts to pique his interest. BRAVO! Hahaha, did it work?

We're in total agreement about the Test Track standby 'queue.' The music drives me crazy! Fastpasses or nothing! hahaha

Hm, kind of? I think moving to Florida and one of working at Disney (and thus getting CM discounts) is turning out to be the better strategy. We're still butting heads on the value resorts - the only one he'll consider is Pop (for tie-dyed cheesecake) and Art of Animation (it's new). Which makes me sad because I love the All Star food courts for some strange reason!

And camping in Fort Wilderness is not going well either. But that at least is a mutual feeling.

I am SO optimistic for the TT refurb because it looks so TRON-y. I have never seen anything Tron but I LOVE the neon aesthetic and TT now looks like lightcycle accidents gone wrong. Perfect!! They should keep the duck crossing sign because it is literally flawless.

Aww, I love the Canada and the England pavilions! The only one I find really, really pointless and kind of boring is Italy, I mean, there is seriously nothing there. I think they should stick some kind of roller coaster in one of the countries.

I love the Yacht Club, which is weird, because I used to hate it! It's so perfect at Christmas, the next time I go in December I'm definitely staying there! Haha, I used the same tactic with Brandon, I made him visit AKL and the Poly a few trips back and now he really wants to stay in both! We just haven't gotten around to it yet!

Glad you liked Captain's Grille, it's very underrated!

I feel like something is missing in Canada? Like there's all that space and no real view of Illuminations? I've never seen the band or tried Le Cellier, so that might be part of the problem! I wish they would add in a ride focusing on the northern parts of Canada that would just be four minutes of the aurora borealis and polar bears and snow. So Balto: the ride, only in Canada and not Alaska. It would make the pavilion about 6 zillion times better!

Resort hopping is seriously the best. Our favorite restaurants are pretty much 100% resort ones and I've really grown to appreciate the themeing and tranquility of (most) of the resorts. If only Disney would update their website photos, I wouldn't have to figure out a way to introduce Bear to new resorts in preparation for future stays! I just want to see the new rooms!

I agree with your assessment of some of the WS countries. I've always wished that the countries had more rides in them, but no there's nothing else. It's kind of depressing actually.

I know! I wonder if they just didn't feel like spending money? Or spent all of the money on weird things like working waterfalls? I've seen the plans for the Germany ride and it looked so cool - such a poor decision to scrap that! idk, I think Epcot is really in need of a major renovation. It just seems like there never was a cohesive, overall vision (or it got lost somewhere) and that WDW needs to really define the goals of Epcot before wasting money on something like Avatarland.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Happy Birthday!!!! Hope you have a fantastic day!! (It's pretty early morning here on the 16th, so you'd have a whole birthday day in NJ ahead of you!!)

ALRIGHT I'll forgive you for wanting to explore other parks than Epcot! No, I do totally understand on a quicker trip wanting to still get a taste of Epcot, but not necessarily explore EVERY nook and cranny.

Did you know that the green roof in Norway is trimmed by hand by CM's with clippers?