The Magician on Crescent Lake. A sister TR 4/28-5/4/24, New TR link 9/22**

[disneyAndi14]

Yes! I'm looking forward to trying out the Lounges more. Fran was very opposed to drinking cause her father was a raging alcoholic, but traveling with Jill I think we can do more casual dining in the Lounges as opposed to having dinner reservations at the restaurants.

We love doing this and you can have more spontaneous times at Disney since we all know much planning is required!

Well, you don't really want my life because it means you don't have your partner anymore, at least for my travels. She couldn't live without me cause I had to do basic things like out her shoes on in the morning. It's bittersweet that I'm getting to do all this.

I’m sure life is really different for you now and I am so sorry for your loss. I’m just happy to see you traveling and I love following along on FB when I see you on a trip or out eating a fancy meal!

 

[disneyAndi14]

This is it for F&G

Today we took our time, I noticed H takes a long time to get ready, we did go down to the QS restaurant and gift shop to get coffee. I mobile ordered a kids waffle meal with bacon, sausage and a small water. H &D didn’t want a breakfast.

We went back up to the room and my Mickey waffles were so delicious! H&D split one of the waffles and loved it. YC waffles were so good. The best I have had in a while. Fluffy inside with the best lightly crunchy outside texture. A big hit!

I did not buy Genie+ today. I did buy a fancy ride for GotG for us. The cost for 3 was $44.37.

We made our way over to the IG. I love this entrance, even though it is far from the front, it is still very magical!

Yes, I miss seeing SE upon entering but France with the Eiffel Tower, waterway, and colors is beautiful!

We decided to walk the WS starting in France.

It is always busy here especially with Remy Ratatouille.

We spent some time in the perfume shop looking for the one fragrance we loved a year ago and it was sold out. I can see why, it smells really good. I’m going to check and if it is here in the fall I will purchase it! I hope it isn’t sold out again.

There was a Photographer near Morocco with the Miss Piggy Topiary. We got some nice pictures.

We made our way to Japan and I got an order of Frushi, one of my F&G favorites. H has a sensitivity for coconut and this does have a small amount on top so she skipped trying it. D&I shared this and really enjoyed it.

We walked through Mitsokoshi and browsed but did not buy anything.

We continued our walk and H was really enjoying how much people get into Disney. She loved seeing all the Lounge Fly backpacks, shirts, and ears everyone was wearing. She bought the same ears as I did from Amazon and she really enjoyed wearing them.

She was looking at some Disney themed t shirts and wanted to buy one. She eventually does but not today.

We made our way to Figment. We just did a few rides since we didn’t have Genie+ At the end of Journey we met Figment. I was really excited for this and it was really fun.

D&H didn’t know much about Figment other than the silly ride but are good sports and meet him with me.

We got some really cute pictures with Figment. He does look like he could topple over at any time!

Next was the Seas and Finding Nemo. The SB line said 15 minutes and I think it was about 10 minutes.

We spent a little time checking out the aquarium and saying hi to the manatees and the eels!
It was time to ride GotG, we had a great ride and our song was one way or another.

A few pictures at GotG and one with the Groot topiary.


We went to see if the line for the AP magnet was long and it was so I skipped it today. I was planning to try for it tomorrow.

We did head into Club Cool and tried some free soda. Of course, we made H try Beverly and the China one that tastes like BBQ sauce, yuck

My favorites are the ones from Moldova, Korea, and Madagascar

We had fun and it wasn’t too crowded today!

It was time for lunch, we decided on the QS in Mexico. First, I stopped at the F&G booth and got the souvenir cup with the floral margarita. I always get a cup for Andi each festival! The drink is cherry liqueur, Mezcal, Hibiscus Tea, and lime juice with a sweet chile salt rim. Now why I thought I would like this is beyond me! I do not like Mezcal or cherry liqueur but I needed that little souvenir cup!
The drink was okay and D&H helped me drink it.

I will show a picture of it in another post because of the dumb 10 photo limit.

I met up with H and D, we ordered Nachos to share with guacamole and the kids empanadas with chips and queso.

I knew about the seating in La Haceinda and we got a nice booth in the air conditioning to eat our food.

The food was really good.

We decided to head out after our lunch. We stopped for a picture before leaving.

We got the orange bird magical shot!

As you can see, we didn’t visit the F&G booths much at all!

We have a special dinner tonight and yes, it makes me cry In a happy way!

Stay tuned for a truly magical evening!

 

[suse66]

There was a Photographer near Morocco with the Miss Piggy Topiary. We got some nice pictures.

This is a great picture!

We made our way to Figment. We just did a few rides since we didn’t have Genie+ At the end of Journey we met Figment. I was really excited for this and it was really fun.

Love it!

We spent a little time checking out the aquarium and saying hi to the manatees and the eels!

I love the seas. I can happily spend an hour just strolling around with lots of time to watch the manatees.

It was time to ride GotG, we had a great ride and our song was one way or another.

Yay! Such a great song!

A few pictures at GotG and one with the Groot topiary.

More great photos!

We decided to head out after our lunch. We stopped for a picture before leaving.

Love the Orange Bird magic shot!

 

[suse66]

Ooops! Somehow I forgot to reply to this post!

MK photo pass pictures

Love the balloon shot of you three!

After this none of us wanted to go swimming! We had good intentions to swim several times and spoiler, we never did!

I know this pool area is awesome but we never felt like swimming so we never did enjoy that beautiful pool.

I can't believe you never got to the pool! The allure of that lovely balcony was too strong!

I totally forgot about the signature drink here that I wanted to try. The Hoodunit Punch. I was into the Dirty Martinis this trip so I had that and so did D. H got a Mule of sorts with the Ginger Beer. Our drinks were very good but we all thought the drinks at Ale and Compass are a little better.

Dirty Martinis are dangerous! I love the Pepper's Ghost cocktail there.

The lounge is dark and mysterious and I got the vibe of a 1920’s cocktail bar.

I really like the theming there too.

The stool did not have a back and for us, more mature women, none of us wanted to sit there so we all sat on the couch. It was a little hard to visit because we were in a row! It was okay but not ideal.

Laughing at your description of the "more mature women". I always think hey that's my mom's age because in my head I am still 27. But then I realize that I will be 60 (!!!) in only 2 years. How did that happen??

I will rate for you all and let me know what you think.

1. Nomad Lounge
2. Baseline Tap House
3. Bar Riva
4. Geyser Point
5. Dahlia
6. Jock Lindsey’s Hanger Bar
7. Ale and Compass
8. Steakhouse 71
9. Space 220
10. Abacadabar

Here's mine;

1. Nomad
2. Geyser Point
3. Baseline Taphouse
4. Steakhouse 71
5. Dahlia
6. HBD lounge
7. Banana Cabana
8. Tambu
9. Enchanted Rose
10. Abracadabar

This was a really nice evening to take in the wonderful Boardwalk area. I think it is a must when you stay at The Epcot resorts.

A perfect evening!

 

[cheshiregoofy22]

Wait...you can eat your quick service Cantina food inside La Hacienda??? I did not know this!

 

[Wood Nymph]

The kids meals are a great value. They are also a cheap way to get a beverage.

 

[Stacybaeasm]

You had a really great Epcot day. I actually love coming in through the IG. Maybe because it puts me closer to that Grand Mariner slushie??? But really, I just find it a more peaceful entrance into the park.

 

[vamassey1]

Today we took our time, I noticed H takes a long time to get ready,

I take a long time to get ready too, but try to get up earlier to offset it.

We went back up to the room and my Mickey waffles were so delicious! H&D split one of the waffles and loved it. YC waffles were so good. The best I have had in a while. Fluffy inside with the best lightly crunchy outside texture. A big hit!

Now you have me wanting some Mickey waffles.

Cute Picture!

We got some really cute pictures with Figment.

Yes you did!

Love this! Your shirt is perfect for this. I'm still sad I missed seeing Groot.

I knew about the seating in La Haceinda and we got a nice booth in the air conditioning to eat our food.

I need to remember this.

Great magic shot!

 

[pkondz]

Today we took our time, I noticed H takes a long time to get ready,

H &D didn’t want a breakfast.

We went back up to the room and my Mickey waffles were so delicious! H&D split one of the waffles and loved it.

Didn't want breakfast and then steals a waffle?
She's lucky she didn't pull her hand back with a fork stuck in it!

We made our way over to the IG. I love this entrance, even though it is far from the front, it is still very magical!

We spent some time in the perfume shop looking for the one fragrance we loved a year ago and it was sold out.

Too bad. Hopefully next time you go.

We got some nice pictures.

Yes you did!

We made our way to Japan and I got an order of Frushi, one of my F&G favorites. H has a sensitivity for coconut and this does have a small amount on top so she skipped trying it.

Nope!
Coconut is a hard no for me, too.

We walked through Mitsokoshi and browsed but did not buy anything.

I do this. I always walk through and never buy anything.

H was really enjoying how much people get into Disney. She loved seeing all the Lounge Fly backpacks, shirts, and ears everyone was wearing.

She bought the same ears as I did from Amazon and she really enjoyed wearing them.

At the end of Journey we met Figment. I was really excited for this and it was really fun.

Glad you did.

D&H didn’t know much about Figment other than the silly ride but are good sports and meet him with me.

Good of them to indulge you.

We got some really cute pictures with Figment. He does look like he could topple over at any time!

He does! Top-heavy.

Of course, we made H try Beverly and the China one that tastes like BBQ sauce, yuck

How did H react?

I always get a cup for Andi each festival!

Awww.

Now why I thought I would like this is beyond me! I do not like Mezcal or cherry liqueur but I needed that little souvenir cup!

We got the orange bird magical shot!

It looks almost real! Perfectly placed bird.

We have a special dinner tonight and yes, it makes me cry In a happy way!

Can't wait to read all about it.

 

[amazingact21]

Sounds like you all were having a great morning in Epcot. I never really thought about what all the Disney outfits and accessories would look like to a non-Disney veteran. I'm glad your sister enjoyed it and liked her ears.

Trying Beverly for the first time is like a rite of passage for anyone visiting Epcot. Glad you could introduce that flavor into their lives.

 

[disneyAndi14]

This is a great picture!

Thank you, Miss Piggy is a favorite and her topiary deserves a photo pass CM

I love the seas. I can happily spend an hour just strolling around with lots of time to watch the manatees.

Same! Andi and I have been there during the 10am feeding with the divers in the aquarium love it!

Yay! Such a great song!

I think this song goes really well with the ride!

Love the Orange Bird magic shot!

I know you do and I love your outfits and accessories to this little bird!

Love the balloon shot of you three!

It was fun!

I can't believe you never got to the pool! The allure of that lovely balcony was too strong!

I know it is crazy not to take advantage of that great pool. To much work for us. Lol!

Dirty Martinis are dangerous! I love the Pepper's Ghost cocktail there.

I can see that happening, never more than one for me!

Laughing at your description of the "more mature women". I always think hey that's my mom's age because in my head I am still 27. But then I realize that I will be 60 (!!!) in only 2 years. How did that happen??

This is very true isn’t it! I feel the same way except for sitting on no back stools!
I love your lounge list. I have never been to the bar at CBR, may have to remedy that in December! We could do a Skyliner crawl, maybe less dangerous lol

 

[disneyAndi14]

Wait...you can eat your quick service Cantina food inside La Hacienda??? I did not know this!

Yes indeed, you can go into the restaurant on the side right next to where you order from the Cantina. It does close at 2pm to get ready for the dinner service but before that time you can go in!

The kids meals are a great value. They are also a cheap way to get a beverage.

Very true. Always a go to for me!

You had a really great Epcot day. I actually love coming in through the IG. Maybe because it puts me closer to that Grand Mariner slushie??? But really, I just find it a more peaceful entrance into the park.

Same! I love entering through the IG, less hectic and you can start sampling drinks and food right away!

 

[disneyAndi14]

I take a long time to get ready too, but try to get up earlier to offset it.

I’m always in a rush because of Andi so it is nice to take it a little slower sometimes.

Now you have me wanting some Mickey waffles.

I want them everyday

Yes you did!

Figment was such a fun meet and greet! I loved it!

Love this! Your shirt is perfect for this. I'm still sad I missed seeing Groot.

I love that shirt because it has a F&G connection with Groot!

I need to remember this.

It is a nice little perk to eat in the restaurant especially when it is really hot out!

Great magic shot!

Thank you!

Too bad. Hopefully next time you go.

Yes for sure!

Nope!
Coconut is a hard no for me, too.

I knew you were going to say that

I do this. I always walk through and never buy anything.

We usually do as well. Sometimes I bought the fruit gummies for Jack he loves those!

He does! Top-heavy.

He did fall over on his first day!

How did H react?

She thought both of these are gross. I actually think the China soda is worse than Beverly! BBQ sauce pop no thanks!

It looks almost real! Perfectly placed bird.

I was happy with all our pictures at Epcot today and I love the orange bird shot!

Can't wait to read all about it.

coming up soon!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Sounds like you all were having a great morning in Epcot. I never really thought about what all the Disney outfits and accessories would look like to a non-Disney veteran. I'm glad your sister enjoyed it and liked her ears.

It was a wonderful time at Epcot even if we mostly missed out on all the F&G booths! H was really surprised how much people get into the Disney theme she loved it!

Trying Beverly for the first time is like a rite of passage for anyone visiting Epcot. Glad you could introduce that flavor into their lives.

It really is. D actually doesn’t mind Beverly
I think the China one is the worst of the two

 

[disneyAndi14]

Wishes are all around us!

After a nice afternoon rest, it was time to head to dinner.

We had went back and forth on restaurants and after I watched a review of the recently reopened 1900 Park Fare, I was sold on it! The food reviews were great, character interaction awesome and oh yeah the Wishing Ceremony!

The plan was dinner at 6:30pm then MK for HEA and extra hours for deluxe resort guests from 10pm-12am.

We took a Lyft from YC to GF for $14.99 total with tip.

I checked in on the app and we spent a little time in Basin washing our hands with the scented scrub, this is a favorite activity for me if I am near a Basin!

I got the table ready text soon after and we made our way to the restaurant.

This is a buffet. Buffets are not my favorite and Andi disliked them before the “sickness” haha I have been watching Sweet Tooth and I think calling a virus like Covid the sickness is perfect. I also like how they refer when the sickness came it caused the big crumble. Okay, I digress. Anyways Andi won’t go within 50 feet of a buffet nowadays.

Now looking back, I wonder if this is where I got my sickness? Remember I had a nasty cold with nausea at the end of our trip. P.S. it wasn’t Covid but definitely a sickness.

Okay, enough already. Let’s get to the meal review!

There was a room in the back of the restaurant and we were seated back here. It was actually nice because it was a room with mostly adults and older children.

There was a table next to us with 3 adult women just like us celebrating being adults at Disney!

Our waitress was an older woman and she was too busy to give proper attention to us. we kept saying “Karen is MIA” (her name was Karen) so unfortunate since Karen is now tied to being a crabby old lady. Haha

We did get our drinks. Diet Coke is included with the buffet so that was what we all ordered. We never did get any refills, but did also have water. Huge pet peeve of mine is not getting my beverages topped off ugh

We went up and started with the salads and peel and eat shrimp. I loved the shrimp and I had a small garden salad with this delicious focaccia bread. Everything was very fresh and so far we were pleased.

Next I tried all the favorites of the All Ears staff. The prime rib, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and the carrots.

Everything was delicious and I enjoyed it all. I also had a small bowl of Tiana’s gumbo. She said we had to try it! It was very good.

Part way through the meal, a wishing ceremony narrated by Jiminy Cricket happened! This made me cry a little. It reminded me so much of Wishes and all my mom/dtr trips with Andi I loved this. We held up our wishing cards which also has the characters signatures on it. I had not put my wish on it yet when I took the picture.

Can you guess my wish? Well if you guessed something like more Disney with Andi and the health to keep doing it! You are right!

Jiminy Cricket says this and you repeat after him, holding your wish card high in the air.

Repeat this phrase after me.

“I wish my wish as wish makers do to believe in Myself to make it come true!”

This is a small part of what he says. I loved it!

How about a little Strawberry soup for dessert with a parade of characters? Yes please! I love this! It seems so weird but it is yummy

We could only get one picture with all 3 of us because the character attendant was also MIA, ugh! He was to busy talking with other CMs he forgot about pictures and the characters.

The table of the 3 ladies next to us were upset about this and noticed him slacking right away.

We tried to help each other out by taking some pictures for them and they took one for us with all 3 of us.

Mirabel came over first, she was very sweet and talkative!

Aladdin made his way over next and he was awesome! We talked about Jasmine, the castle, and of course Abu.

Tiana in her new outfit came by next. We talked about her gumbo and her love for food and adventure.

Cinderella was our last character interaction. She is lovely as always!



Our review:

4 out of 5 stars and that mainly not a 5 experience was because of our server and the character attendant. The food, wish ceremony, and characters made the experience for us. Just an FYI, it is hectic in there and loud at times but the back room we were in really helped with this.

I don’t know if the food will slip or change over time but during its Honeymoon phase it is delicious!

Probably won’t need to go back anytime soon but I am so glad we decided to give it a try!

Now it was time for us to get into MK and Fantasy Land before HEA starts!

Will we make it? Is it like swimming upstream again like December? Do my sisters think I am crazy?

Stay tuned and all these questions will be answered for you!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Thank you for your review of 1900. I loved that place before the great pause. I have done both breakfast and dinner (although breakfast was my favorite with Mad Hatter and Mary Poppins). I just don't feel the characters they have there now. I understand the concept, just personally don't feel it. But I think the wishing ceremony sounds lovely and I would have teared up a bit too.

 

[Wood Nymph]

That's too bad that you had a bad server. At least the food was good.

We ate here when it was the Cinderella dinner. Our granddaughter was three years old at the time and happened to decide that this was a good time to have a toddler meltdown. We've all seen them. It is almost a guarantee that the screaming kid is 3 years old. Anyway, Cinderella helped to calm her down and all was right with the world after that.

 

[KPeterso]

Appreciated the review of 1900 Park Fair. It was always a favorite dinner for us before the "sickness" (love the new term). The reviews I have seen have been mixed but your food looks so yummy, so maybe I will put it on the list for September. We are not big fans of the food at MK so always looking for options outside the parks for dinner. Just still not sold on the characters...

 

[Paulaparm]

Love your happy place t-shirt!
I’m really thinking of giving this buffet a try next time.

 

[pkondz]

I knew you were going to say that

My coconut distaste is becoming well known.

He did fall over on his first day!

No! Really???

She thought both of these are gross. I actually think the China soda is worse than Beverly! BBQ sauce pop no thanks!

I don't remember that one... hmmm... I'll have to pop in next time.

I watched a review of the recently reopened 1900 Park Fare, I was sold on it!

I've heard good things in the past... glad to hear it's still doing well, if not better.

We took a Lyft from YC to GF for $14.99 total with tip.

Cheap! And far better than the hour + it would take with Disney transportation.

I also like how they refer when the sickness came it caused the big crumble.

Now looking back, I wonder if this is where I got my sickness? Remember I had a nasty cold with nausea at the end of our trip. P.S. it wasn’t Covid but definitely a sickness.

At first I thought "Probably not"... but was just thinking of the food. If you're serving yourself, there's a lot of different hands on all the serving utensils.

Our waitress was an older woman and she was too busy to give proper attention to us.

we kept saying “Karen is MIA” (her name was Karen) so unfortunate since Karen is now tied to being a crabby old lady. Haha

Huge pet peeve of mine is not getting my beverages topped off ugh

Shows a definite lack of service. Either they're not staffing properly (quite likely, it seems, these days) or she's not good at her job.

Whoa! Glad to hear AllEars didn't steer you wrong.

Part way through the meal, a wishing ceremony narrated by Jiminy Cricket happened!

Can you expand on that? Is it just his voice on a loudspeaker? Or is there something animated that happens?

Can you guess my wish? Well if you guessed something like more Disney with Andi and the health to keep doing it! You are right!

How about a little Strawberry soup for dessert with a parade of characters? Yes please! I love this! It seems so weird but it is yummy

I've heard so much about this soup! I must try it some day.

We could only get one picture with all 3 of us because the character attendant was also MIA, ugh! He was to busy talking with other CMs he forgot about pictures and the characters.

Sheesh. The CMs are really falling down on the job here.

Nice shot of the 3+1 of you.

Aladdin made his way over next and he was awesome! We talked about Jasmine, the castle, and of course Abu.

Go for his strengths.

4 out of 5 stars and that mainly not a 5 experience was because of our server and the character attendant.

Considering the CMs... that's pretty high praise!