Trick or Tweet! The Lurkyloos Do F&W, etc: 11/8 Last Day at WDW!

[lurkyloo]

Thank you! I'm only down 30 lbs. so far, I still have a ways to go, but I know I'll get there.

After I posted here I started reading through your older reports again to see if I could find information about the Roots and found there site and realized they don't live in FL. I "liked," them on FB and said something about this....they assured me they were in FL. all the time for weddings so for me not to worry. Did they ever live in FL.?

Yes! They lived in Florida until last fall, when they moved to Tennessee. However, they really are back in Florida for weddings all the time, so it's almost like they never left!

Love the Roots photos, as always! You and Patrick are just too cute!

Well, thanks!

I just played catch up from being off the boards for a couple of months. Your MK photos are wonderful. Also, I love the Duffy photos, DH and I became attached to Duffy on our trip in May. DH and I are planning to start a family in the very near future and bought a baby Duffy bear for our future little one.

Oh, what a cute idea! I see some matching outfits in that baby's future...

Absolutely fabulous killer update! Your makeup looks so beautiful and, of course, all the Roots pictures are out of this world. They are so super talented.

I can't tell you how much I enjoy a Roots update. I also really enjoyed Patrick's pictures. He got some gorgeous night time shots.

And dinner - first review of the Bistro I have read on the TR boards in quite awhile. It looked like a fabulous dinner. Just perfect!

Yay! Glad you liked the update. Sometimes I think people forget about Bisro de Paris—I know I do! But it's such a fun place to be during the fireworks.

Not to steal the show but I wanted to post a link to my travel blog for those that might be interested in reading about my adventures which start TODAY!! I leave in an hour for Yellowstone National Park. So anywho for those that would like to travel along with me click the link below and be sure to comment often makes blogging more interesting for me

Erica's Travel Site

Anyone is allowed along for the ride, should be a good one

Thanks for the link!

I know you're one busy bee, BUT.....any chance of an update to this TR before the Expo?

Well, yes and no... The bad news is, I don't have an update for this trip report ready. But the good news is... I FINALLY FINISHED MY D23 EXPO TRIP REPORT FROM 2 YEARS AGO!!! <---- (Frozen banana?) The mods haven't reopened it yet, though, so I'll have to put it straight on my blog. It should be up by tomorrow.

Hi Carrie,

The fantastic pictures posted on your first post here reeled me in. Awesome costumes and nice photography!

Your entertaining writing kept me reading on even through a whole lot of wedding venue content that typically would drive me away.
Love your writing style and wit!

This is the second report I have read where a Sony HX-1 was used and I am sold that this is a very nice P&S camera. You captured some excellent pics and you and/or Patrick have a good eye. I like the perspective on several of your pics. The Roots pics...well they are at another level. Simply awesome! The pictures of you and Patrick that they took are stellar!

Here is another pic of the "Progress City" model from TTA for you that I took on my last trip.

if you would like a copy of the full sized original, let me know and I will send it to you.

Looking forward for more....

WOW! Great shot - thanks for sharing it! I will PM you my address so I can take you up on your offer.

Thanks for the kind words about the report. I do wonder how much wedding-related stuff I should put in my general trip reports, but I know a lot of my readers are current and future Disney brides. So I just try to make it as entertaining as I can for the civilians!

 

[lurkyloo]

OK, so, if you're interested in something to tide you over til I can get back to this report, I have FINALLY finished the trip report on D23 Expo that I started 2 years ago. It was really bugging me to have one report I'd never finished.And now it's done just in time for my trip to cover D23 Expo 2011! So, if you want to see how it all turned out and you like to read on the DIS, click HERE.

And if you'd rather read it in streamlined form on my blog, click HERE.

Thanks for hanging in there!

(Don't forget, THIS guy's in the report!)

 

[lurkyloo]

OK, I'm back!

Today was all about Epcot. We were scheduled to be there for not one but two special events that night (because, once again, D23 didn't announce its event schedule in time and, once again, I bought tickets for something else that turned out to be right in the middle of the D23 event), so we decided to just spend the day there.

Tronorail!!!

I guess everybody hates the Tronorail for some reason? I don't care—I like the design!

Since nothing gets your day going like a 60mph jaunt in an open car, we started with Test Track.

I'm not sure what I was going for here with this gag shot—accident victim? Not very funny… Oh WAIT! I think it was supposed to look like I was *sleeping* in the demo car!

We're not exactly used to dashing straight to Innoventions first thing in the morning or, um, EVER, but I thought Patrick would like the Sum of All Thrills' virtual rollercoaster and had heard the lines could get long due to low capacity. The attraction here is that it uses the same KUKA robotic arm technology as Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey. I guess even though Disney couldn't get the rights to it for an Incredibles-themed ride on the Peoplemover track at Disneyland, they could get it for an experience nobody knows about in a part of Epcot no one visits…

The way it works is you sit through a painfully over-acted and unfunny pre-show video (seriously—these guys make Test Track's John Michael Higgins look like Sir Laurence Olivier) that's supposed to tell you how to use the computer screens to design your own rollercoaster, bobsled course, or jet flight that "totally rocks!" Then you dash to a computer station and have about 17.3 seconds to design your chosen experience by answering stoopid MATH questions in order for Sum of All Thrills to qualify as educational. The fingers of the children around us were a blur as they input data on their screens; meanwhile we were still trying to figure what the heck to do with the slidey ruler as the sinister countdown clock ticked to zero. D'oh!

"You're telling me Higgins got an OSCAR for his Test Track pre-show? Later, dudes!!!"

Your design is stored on a plastic card with a magnetic strip that you hand to the person in the loading area. They make you put your, well, *everything *in a free locker before you strap into the ride simulator. We designed our rollercoaster to be as wild as the computer would let us, and at the last minute I started to chicken out. But I knew we wouldn't be going completely upside down, so I stayed put. The ride was great! Too short (of course) but great! They just need to figure out a way to increase riders per hour, though, cuz even a short line seems to take forever.

"I-I-I-I am-m-m-m-m-m hav-v-ving a gr-r-r-r-reat t-t-t-t-time!"

From there we moseyed over to the Seas With Nemo & Friends, even though there's barely anything to do there anymore…

It was about time for World Showcase to open, so we made our now traditional trek to Mexico to see if the Animales Fantasticos painters were just starting on anything we could afford.

 

[lurkyloo]

Along the way, we got our first whiff of DuffyMania—or at least, the manufactured attempt at inducing it. You could almost hear consumers being hit over the head with the metaphorical hammer.


"This (wham!) is Duffy, and this (wham! wham!) is his backstory!"

"This is where Duffy hangs out (wham!) so that you can create spontaneous moments of interaction with him (whammy-wham!)"

"This is where you will be purchasing large quantities of Duffy merchandise (wham!)"

"Note that Duffy has an outfit for each (wham!) country (wham!) in World Showcase. You will collect them all! (whamitty-wham-wham!)"

"Remember (wham!), Duffy is watching you…"

"And if you don't submit to Duffy, MechaDuffzilla will crush you like an ant—how's that for WHAM?"

"As you can see, Duffy will soon control the entire world! SUBMIT TO DUFFY!!!"

It seems like every time we go to Epcot lately, I ask Patrick to try and get a flattering shot of the Epcot Public Library—I mean, er, the Odyssey Center—but there's only so much lipstick you can put on that pig…

All right, smile, you piece of garbage!

On the other hand, the Mexico Pavilion looks good from any angle!

We were in luck that day—the artist had just started on a small, affordable dragon, so we bought it on the spot and asked them to send it to our hotel when it was finished.

Before

After

Patrick then took a TON of reference pictures of the animals for the summer puppet show he was about to start building and which is now playing at a SoCal library or school near you: Dream Carver!

Neither I nor my pocketbook would like to meet THIS guy in a dark alley!

On our way out, we stopped to listen to the mariachis in their then-new home. I don't know if this means they don't play inside the pavilion anymore, but it is kinda fun to be able to enjoy them as you're passing through.

We didn't stop at the Hacienda cuz we were scheduled to have breakfast there the next day.

We did stop at the country's Food & Wine Festival booth, though!

Tamal de Pollo—good, but not as good as the chilaquiles in 2008!

 

[lurkyloo]

Somehow Patrick must've prevailed upon me to let him ride Ellen's Universe of Energy, because our photos indicate we reversed course and headed back into Future World. Maybe we'd suddenly discovered 45 minutes of our lives we never wanted to get back…?

He can never resist shooting Mission: SPACE when we pass. I liked this ride until a few days ago, when I found out it replaced Horizons and that Horizons was a dark ride filled with animatronics and fantastic environments. (I guess my family completely skipped this half of Future World on our one trip to Epcot…?) So now instead of being a welcoming respite from the Florida heat for guests of all ages, it's a punishing thrill ride suitable for only a portion of guests? Huh.

Looks like the brochure!

Patrick always wants to go on this ride because there are dinosaurs. I like dinosaurs too, but not if it means sitting through the other 38 minutes of faux-educational and hilariously pro-fossil fuels propaganda. So he gets to go on it once every couple of years or so.

By then it was time for our lunch with fellow DIS Boards members Trish (cdtola) and Christine (2excited2sleep)! Off we went to Le Cellier.

Le Cellier was looking underexposed, as usual

2excited2sleep, cdtola & lurkyloo, together at last!

Not only had Trish managed to get us a reservation at Le Cellier, she'd also brought me my all-time favorite Canadian food product, President's Choice peanut sauce! I always feel bad trying to bum this stuff off Canadian pals cuz it's not like I'm asking for a pack of gum—it comes in heavy glass bottles. But it is seriously THE best peanut sauce I've ever had (not too vinegary!) and a main component in one of my favorite guilty pleasure meals, Brad Thai (invented by another Canadian friend).

Christine got a treat too!

We got what we always get at Le Cellier, and it was just as difficult to photograph as it always is!

Breadsticks!

Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup!

This must be somebody else's cuz I never get the filet with the truffle oil on it and usually sub in cream cheese mashed potatoes for the risotto

No idea what this is… Steak salad, maybe?

S'mores dessert, which tastes absolutely nothing like an actual s'more

 

[lurkyloo]

It was really nice to spend our air-conditioned break in the day getting to know fellow Disney fans like Christine and Trish. It also turned out to be one of few opportunities to spend time with them even though we were all going to the D23 event the next day, just due to the logistics of Sip & Stroll. After lunch, Patrick helped Trish shoot her second-round Walt Disney World Moms Panel video submission, which was due that night! When they set such a narrow window for callbacks, they don't seem to consider that some finalists might actually be AT Walt Disney World on trips during that time....

(Pretend you're wandering around Canada waiting for Patrick.)

Escape wedding ceremony site!

(Oooh, and England too?)

When Patrick was done, we headed for The Epcot Ball Ride ™!

At least there's still one ride in Epcot that's packed with audioanimatronics!

Wow. I gotta start wearing self-tanner on Spaceship Earth. You can't be that pale and NOT look like a severed head in the computer game at the end!

The Severed Heads go surfing!

Off to the Land Pavilion to live with the land!

Sometimes I wish I could live here!

What we don't know is they're secretly irradiating us at this point in the ride

Alligators: "Save yourselves!!!"

 

[lurkyloo]

Zen gardener: "D'oh!"

By then it was time to go check in for D23's Sip & Stroll at the America Pavilion. We dropped the ball on lining up an hour early with the rest of the über fans, and there was a long, slow-moving queue by the time we got there.

We'd had no idea how to schedule Sip & Stroll around the other things we wanted to do that weekend because we didn't get an agenda until the moment we checked in. One thing we did know was that we weren't paying an extra $100 each to eat convention food in Living Seas Salon with Dave Smith on his last day of work, which was the main event that first day of Sip & Stroll. One of the big reasons I go to these D23 events is the chance to get inside the private event spaces I write about for PassPorter's Disney Weddings & Honeymoons, and since I'd already eaten inside Living Seas Salon, we saved a bundle.

The pre-dinner wine and cheese reception inside American Adventure was open to all Sip & Strollers, so we thought maybe we'd eat there before checking out the new Disney Dessert Discoveries event being held at World Showplace as part of the Food & Wine Festival.

Remember when you were a kid at an adult party and, after a quick look around, you'd realize there was nothing interesting to eat or do there? It was kind of like that. The menu consisted of wine, cheese, crudités and Le Cellier cheddar cheese soup but, inexplicably, no bowls to put it in! I didn't know what to do so I slopped some on my plate and then tried to dam it up with bread as it oozed all over my cheese and honeycomb. Huh.

That wasn't really enough to have in our tummies before bombing them with dessert, so Patrick and I went off in search of real food at the booths in World Showcase.

The Intrepid Explorer

Here we go: Cheesy, noodley casserole-y stuff in Germany!

I smell a photo-caption contest!!!

Looks like Duffy may need glasses!

Whoa—and a SHAVE!

 

[lurkyloo]

Finally it was time to go to the 3D Disney's Dessert Discoveries party over in World Showplace.

It was pretty much just like Party for the Senses, but with dessert only and fewer choices. There was lots of complicated, high-concept stuff and almost all of it had fruit and/or booze in it. I get that most people on this planet like fruit and/or booze in their desserts, but at $50/person couldn't they have thrown in a few old standbys like, you know, brownies or ice cream sundaes? What were the kids at this event eating?

Oh yes, and there were complicated-sounding drinks too!

Syrups to include Hershey's!

Hmmm…. Is it humanly possible to eat my $50 worth in candy…?

Sorta…

"Booze, anyone?"

Straight from the blue tin?

 

[lurkyloo]

Oh yeah, and there was a band

Eventually I invented the Butterfinger Donut Sundae, which involved stops at three stations, one for the donut (*before* it was flambéed in whisky), one for some booze-free ice cream, and one for the Butterfingers… And it still wasn't even that great!

What WAS great about the Disney Dessert Discoveries party was the reserved viewing area for IllumiNations. This spot, World Showcase Plaza, is between the two stores at the entrance to the showcase and is the same place they put you if you buy a Candlelight Processional dinner package. But usually they don’t let you fill in the very front section.

On that night the fire marshal (or whoever) let us go up to the very front railing, and, since we'd left the dessert party early and were at the front of the line, we got to stand right by the water's edge.

Oh my goodness, the view from there is AMAZING! You feel like you're almost inside the show, and there's nothing in front of you but water and fireworks. It was so beautiful, we were both weeping by the end.

So, if you're a picky eater, is the Disney Dessert Discoveries party worth it just for the reserved viewing of IllumiNations? Probably not. You could wait for a spot in Italy or the UK, if those terraces aren't being used by private parties. You can even watch from World Showcase Plaza without a ticket because only half of it is reserved for partygoers. And if one of the various Disney fan sites like AllEars or the Disney Food Blog is having a ticketed dessert party in Epcot, I'd say that would give you way more bang for your buck.

On the way out of Epcot, we saw this:

"That's right, Duffy has Mickey wrapped around his little finger. You'll NEVER see the last of Duffy!"
[

"Hurry baaaaack…. Hurry baaaaaaaaaack…"

Up Next: D23's Sip & Stroll, plus Howard Jones Won't Give Me the Time of Day!

 

[Aburns8]

Loving the update. That dessert party looked like fun. I even spotted some desserts that they served us on Sip & Stroll night. All of the food looked yummy.

Now I need to finish up my October trip report. I better hurry since we have 2 weeks before the cruise.

 

[cdotla]

Great update Carrie. And thanks to Patrick for doing his usual due diligence and taking all those photos of the desserts. Kinda confirms for me that I am safe in skipping that event.

Great reminder of how lucky I was to have you, Patrick and Christine helping me out with that Moms Panel video! Patrick was some awesome!!! I felt like a complete dork, standing around talking to the camera like I was Samantha Brown or something while all these people were looking at me...so out of my element!!!

Then, on our way back to the BC, Christine took another short clip of me in front of Crescent Lake for a change of scenery.

The only plus side to missing the start of the D23 kick-off event at the American Pavillion while I was at the BC frantically editing video and then fighting to get Disney's computer system to accept my video & documents was missing that long-line up to get in. By the time I strolled up over an hour late, there was no line at all. To bad it was such a complete snoozeroo in there! The Dave Smith evening was much better!

And I am totally laughing at your title for the next segment! Can't wait to hear that little tale again!

 

[burly]

woohoo an update. Awesome as usual with fantastic pictures.


good to see you back on board.

KIM

 

[mousescrapper]

Tronorail!!!

I guess everybody hates the Tronorail for some reason? I don't care—I like the design!

We liked it my husband caught a pretty decent shot of it:

we hoped we'd get a ride on it when we were there last Nov...but no luck.


I just loved all of the posts (that was alot)...laughing a ton while i read too I hear you about duffy...sorry I just don't get and won't be buying him for my kids...no thanks

we sat pretty close to the area you sat for Illumination last yr...just to the side by the rope. The space to the "mexico" side is roped off for no guests for safety and it was a great spot looking straight out

sorry the dessert party and the sip/stroll weren't up to par...makes me glad I'm not even considering them...figure DH and I can have quite a nice tour of the F&W booths on our own...but that pumpkin cheesecake w/ the candy corn on it...[drool]

 

[lurkyloo]

Loving the update. That dessert party looked like fun. I even spotted some desserts that they served us on Sip & Stroll night. All of the food looked yummy.

Now I need to finish up my October trip report. I better hurry since we have 2 weeks before the cruise.

Oh good—I feel better knowing you haven't finished your TR yet either! Also, re: desserts—ya think D23 maybe recycled the leftovers from the 3D party? I wouldn't put it past them!

Great reminder of how lucky I was to have you, Patrick and Christine helping me out with that Moms Panel video! Patrick was some awesome!!! I felt like a complete dork, standing around talking to the camera like I was Samantha Brown or something while all these people were looking at me...so out of my element!!!

I'm still in awe that you were able to create and edit an entire video while on vacation—they should give extra credit for that! And I'm glad to hear you thought the wine and cheese reception was a dud too. I thought maybe it was cuz we're teetotalers....

woohoo an update. Awesome as usual with fantastic pictures.


good to see you back on board.

KIM

Thanks for coming back to continue reading! We don't have any trips for the next 4 weeks, so I'm hoping to wrap this sucker up in a timely manner.

I just loved all of the posts (that was alot)...laughing a ton while i read too I hear you about duffy...sorry I just don't get and won't be buying him for my kids...no thanks

we sat pretty close to the area you sat for Illumination last yr...just to the side by the rope. The space to the "mexico" side is roped off for no guests for safety and it was a great spot looking straight out

sorry the dessert party and the sip/stroll weren't up to par...makes me glad I'm not even considering them...figure DH and I can have quite a nice tour of the F&W booths on our own...but that pumpkin cheesecake w/ the candy corn on it...[drool]

Great tip about the sight lines on the Mexico side! And I am with you on the DIY booth tour—heck, you could probably assemble your own pumpkin cheesecake with candy corn between all the bakeries and sweet shops in the World Showcase.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Sounds like you had a great Epcot day!! I'm with you, I could probably skip Ellen for EVERY trip, but DBF loves it...(and he loves the Backlot Tour possibly even more...)

Your view for Illuminations is fantastic - although those desserts sound a bit too big-kid for me too! I feel like the party settings would be too hectic for me to really enjoy anything too.

OH AND I DO NOT GET DUFFY AT ALL. Seriously. He's as appealing to me as going on Stitch's Great Escape.

 

[Happydog]

Oh Yay, Updates! So Duffy is doofy. Why oh why does he exist? (sorry if I have thus offended the Duffy-lovers out there)... So you suggest passing on the F & W dessert parties? I am meeting some gal pals in October (Christine is one of them! ) and I am glad to get an opinion about the spread, b/c I was on the fence (having done the dessert party/Wishes Viewing and not being impressed with the desserts). I am curious about the food blog events, etc.... would those be listed on their site? Thanks as always for fun posts and great candids!

 

[lurkyloo]

Yeah, I dunno... we were just not knocked out by the 3D party—and we certainly didn't find anything that was better than those convention-grade desserts they serve at the MK's Wishes dessert party! So I guess I'm not recommending it.

I believe AllEars and the Disney Food Blog have info about their respective dessert parties on their sites. AllEars is having one during their December to Remember, and the DFB's is during the first week of Food & Wine. It looks like the DFB one for this year is sold out, but they're promising another next year. Also, D23 just announced Sip & Stroll, so if my forthcoming description of that event doesn't scare you off, you could go to their dessert party in October (of course, it'll cost you $195, but it comes with a bunch of other events...)

 

[Happydog]

I believe AllEars and the Disney Food Blog have info about their respective dessert parties on their sites. AllEars is having one during their December to Remember, and the DFB's is during the first week of Food & Wine. It looks like the DFB one for this year is sold out, but they're promising another next year. Also, D23 just announced Sip & Stroll, so if my forthcoming description of that event doesn't scare you off, you could go to their dessert party in October (of course, it'll cost you $195, but it comes with a bunch of other events...)

Oh Boo to the DFB party being sold out -- I would have definitely considered that one. D23 event, $195.00 Hmmmm... not sure about that. There seemed to be some neat F & W events, especially in "Italy"... but not during our dates. Oh well, I am just excited to go! Looking forward to your next update!

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Hey Carrie,

I haven't been dising (? -is this a real verb???) in quite a bit, but I must thank you for helping get through a stomach bug over the past several days. I needed the laughs as well as the Disney fix.

The Duffy bear thing has me rather perplexed as well. My family just spend two weeks in California ending in 2 days/nights at Disneyland/DCA. My DD who will be 17 next month, and is a blessedly easy/delightful/intelligent teenager grew glassy eyed at the sight of Duffy and proclaimed him to be "so adorable". My mouth dropped to the floor...she never goes for stuff like Duffy. She proceeded to tell about how Minnie gave Duffy to Mickey...a symbol of their love...blah...blah...blah...

Anyhow, it was like watching some kind of virus take over her and make her slightly feverish and delirious... I feel I must shield her... "No Duffy virus...you can't have my baby..."

I also love your Halloween costumes and their inspiration and also am in envy of your trip to Japan. I was to DLP in March 2010...ok only for a day...but it still counts. But wow...DisneySea......I'm already figuring out how to work that out...

In the meantime, I must think of ways of protecting DD from the scourge that is Duffy-we will be at DWD in March next year...hmmm...maybe there is a vaccine...

 

[lurkyloo]

Oh Boo to the DFB party being sold out -- I would have definitely considered that one. D23 event, $195.00 Hmmmm... not sure about that. There seemed to be some neat F & W events, especially in "Italy"... but not during our dates. Oh well, I am just excited to go! Looking forward to your next update!

The cool thing is, you can have a fabulous time just wandering around Epcot sampling things at all the booths, which requires no scheduling and just the cost of food!

Hey Carrie,

I haven't been dising (? -is this a real verb???) in quite a bit, but I must thank you for helping get through a stomach bug over the past several days. I needed the laughs as well as the Disney fix.

The Duffy bear thing has me rather perplexed as well. My family just spend two weeks in California ending in 2 days/nights at Disneyland/DCA. My DD who will be 17 next month, and is a blessedly easy/delightful/intelligent teenager grew glassy eyed at the sight of Duffy and proclaimed him to be "so adorable". My mouth dropped to the floor...she never goes for stuff like Duffy. She proceeded to tell about how Minnie gave Duffy to Mickey...a symbol of their love...blah...blah...blah...

Anyhow, it was like watching some kind of virus take over her and make her slightly feverish and delirious... I feel I must shield her... "No Duffy virus...you can't have my baby..."

I also love your Halloween costumes and their inspiration and also am in envy of your trip to Japan. I was to DLP in March 2010...ok only for a day...but it still counts. But wow...DisneySea......I'm already figuring out how to work that out...

In the meantime, I must think of ways of protecting DD from the scourge that is Duffy-we will be at DWD in March next year...hmmm...maybe there is a vaccine...

That's high-larious! I have to admit to being tempted by Duffy a time or two myself, so I think a vaccine is definitely in order. And if you do get a chance to go to Tokyo Disney, I'll be interested to hear if you feel differently about him when you're there. Or maybe by then you'll have had your shots...