We crushed our schedule! A May 2011 TR (Completed and new TR started)

[Chaitali]

Great photos!! I'm glad you liked CG. It does get pretty loud in there, though.

Thanks We didn't mind the loudness at that time but it's just something to watch out for since I've seen several places describe it as "romantic."

Geez, somehow I missed the last few updates.

I have never seen Push. I have been on the lookout, hopefully one of these days we'll came across him.

I love the Muppet show. It is one of my favorites. I don't care how old it is, I insist we see it every trip.

California Grill looks so good.

I hope you do come across Push on one of your trips, he was very amusing!

Thanks for the review of CG! Yay on getting a window table without even asking - the view looks great!

I will also know now not to go there expecting it to be a romantic setting as that is what I would have expected otherwise

Yep, it's just good to know what to expect. There were a lot of kids and it was loud. But I have to say, watching the fireworks from teh viewing patio was a romantic end to the meal as there weren't a lot of people out there. I'm not sure if that was just a fluke the night we were there. There were so many people in the restaurant I was really surprised more didn't come out to see the fireworks.

Thanks for the Cali Grill update....the food looks wonderful...
You had 2 great nights of meals!! What a wonderful trip your having!

Looking forward to more!!

It really was great food for most of the trip We were pretty lucky.

I'm envious of your views! How beautiful! We ate at The Wave, so we were in the dark underbelly of the Contemporary (though the food and service was really good, and the dark and cool was nice after the heat of the day!).

It's nice to hear that the food and service was good at the Wave. I keep hearing mixed things (which I guess is true of any restaurant) but I wanted to try it. I'll keep it on the list for the future!

What a perfect table and perfect view! Your food looks really tasty too!
I love your photo with space and the monorail!
What does blind box mean with Vinylmation? Are they all blind box because you don't know what you are getting?

There are some vinylmations that you can buy where you can see which ones you are getting. The one's that you can't see until you open the box are the ones that I was referring to as "blind box."

 

[Chaitali]

I was a weird kid but I remember loving Epcot when I was little. So I was pretty excited to be able to re-visit it as an adult and to take Mike there. It has changed a lot since the last time I was there so it was more like we were exploring it together but I did still love it. Though it was a lot more walking than I remembered. And the day we were there was very hot.

We were at the gates by 8:30 for a 9:00 park opening. There was hardly anyone there when we got there but it was definitely getting crowded by 8:45.


Line behind us by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Line in front of us by Chaita_1, on Flickr

We occupied ourselves by taking some photos in the morning.


Earned my ears by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Edited IMG_0580 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Edited IMG_0582 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Tron-o-rail by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Once they let us in we walked with the crowd to the area right past Spaceship Earth and they held us there with the rope. There wasn't much of a rope drop “show” but the characters did come out for some greetings.


Edited IMG_0589 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Edited IMG_0592 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Once the rope was dropped we walked (with much of the rest of the crowd) to Soarin'. We ended up having to wait around 20 minutes but the line to get fast passes was long too and we figured we might as well get it out of the way now. We loved this ride! It was a first for both of us and one of my very few regrets on this trip is that we were only able to do it once. The fast passes were already for around 2pm by the time we got off the ride. Since we were in the Land Pavilion we decided to see the little movie using the Lion King characters to talk about environmental conservation. It can see it being a nice little air conditioned break in the middle of the afternoon but it wasn't that great otherwise. After that we wandered over to the Seas with Nemo and got on the ride with a 10 minute wait. The ride was ok but I did enjoy the aquarium afterward. I'm not sure if it needed to have Nemo thrown in, but I can see why that might be useful to draw in younger children.


Edited IMG_0579 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Edited IMG_0596 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

We saw that Stitch was available for photographs on the Times Guide so we decided to wander up to the front of the park to see how long the line was since we had missed him at Animal Kingdom. When we walked up there we saw that there was a long line, but wait! It was all for Daisy and there was no one waiting for Stitch at all. We ran over to get a photo with him and he gave me a kiss as we left


Yay, Stitch! by Chaita_1, on Flickr

We walked back to check out Innoventions. Unfortunately, the line for The Sum of All Thrills had a line of 30 minutes so we decided not to wait. We walked around a bit but there wasn't anything else there that really interested us. We went over to Club Cool and I had to try the Beverly after reading all about it. I don't mind a little bit of bitter so I even thought I might like it. Definitely not! I didn't warn Mike and had him try it too Sadly I wasn't quick enough to get a photo of his reaction.


Winnie the Pooh by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Cars! by Chaita_1, on Flickr

By this point it was 11am so we decided to head over to the world showcase for an early lunch. My initial plan was to try Crepes but the kiosk wasn't open yet. So we wandered around France for a while, took some photos, and then decided to get lunch from the bakery. They didn't have a lot of vegetarian (non-sweet) options but we both had quiches and they were really good. We also shared a napoleon.


Lunch by Chaita_1, on Flickr

By this point, I was tired and hot and my feet hurt So we decided to head on back to the resort for a nap. It was extra magic hours that night so we would have plenty of time to come back later. We did stop for slushies on the way out of France I had the Grand Marnier slushie and Mike had the Grey Goose slushie. They were stronger than I thought they would be but so tasty! I took a sip of Mike's and I did think the Grey Goose slushie was a little bit better. We sipped our drinks as we waited for the boat and then we rode it back to the front of Epcot. I saw that the Jammitors were supposed to be performing soon so we decided to wait around. But we waited and they never showed up I guess they were running late and I was just too hot to keep waiting in the sun. We stopped for some photos on our way out and then onto the bus.


Edited IMG_0610 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Photo0076FourBySix by Chaita_1, on Flickr

 

[Chaitali]

After a couple hours in the dark and cold room, I felt a lot better. We hopped back on the bus to Epcot to explore the World Showcase. We started off by picking up our communicator for the Kim Possible mission! I used to love watching Kim Possible on tv so I was pretty excited about this Mike wasn't too into it so I only did one mission but I am proud to say that I saved the world in France. I thought that the way this was set up was very clever and definitely engaging. The only thing I didn't like was that once I had finished the mission, it kept beeping at me until I had a chance to drop it off at another Kim Possible station.


Kim Possible Mission by Chaita_1, on Flickr

We explored the U.K. and caught the new band. I really enjoyed their show. And I am a Beatles fan but I enjoyed the greater variety of music.


Edited IMG_0559 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Dancing girl in the UK by Chaita_1, on Flickr

We continued around the world showcase and spent a lot of time in Japan checking out the store there. It was amazing and a lot of fun little things to see. I was also feeling hot and tired again afterward so we got some Kaki Gori and sat on a shaded bench to enjoy. They were amazing and so refreshing on a hot afternoon! This might have been one of the best decisions we made. We also watched the Taiko performance after we finished up our snack.


Morocco marketplace by Chaita_1, on Flickr

A diamond in the rough by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Edited IMG_0587 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Edited IMG_0588 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Kaki Gori by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Taiko drummers by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Some more walking and then we checked out the clock store in Germany, which was really cool. Of course, we had to stop at the Carmel shop in Germany. We got a caramel pecan bar which was amazing.


Caramel heaven by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Edited IMG_0599 by Chaita_1, on Flickr


Looking at that it looks like we spent most of the day eating! But there was a lot of walking around and just taking in the various pavilions. We also rode the boat ride in Norway at some point. This is one attraction that really seemed in need of an update to me.

After our walk around the world, it was time for our dinner at La Hacienda. I knew that not all the tables had a view of illuminations but again, I figured I would just leave it up to chance and see what happened. We got lucky again and had a great table. It was one table away from the window and looked right over the water.


Edited IMG_0609 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

I ordered the margarita flight and Mike decided to stick with the classic margarita. Yummy! The margarita flight wasn't on the menu but I had read on here that you could ask for it. The flight was five little margaritas and it was a lot of alcohol.


Margaritas! by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Vegetarian menu by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Hidden Mickey by Chaita_1, on Flickr

We ordered the queso appetizer without the chorizo to share. I had the vegetable enchiladas and Mike had the fish tacos. I loved the enchiladas. They were flavorful with a lot of fresh vegetables and not smothered in cheese like a lot of other places. Mike liked his tacos also. I was pretty full by that point so I told Mike to just order whatever he wanted for dessert and I'd have a couple bites. He ended up ordering some sort of chocolate pudding thing. I thought it was only ok but it might just have been because I was full and not interested. Overall, we loved this restaurant And of course, we were able to see illuminations with our dessert.


Veggie enchiladas by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Fish Tacos by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Illuminations by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Now it was evening magic hours and we went over to the boat ride in the Mexico pavilion since we were already here. They did check our resort keys before we were able to get in line but the ride was a walk on. I know it's a little cheesy but we both enjoyed this ride.


Three Caballeros by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Donald in Mexico by Chaita_1, on Flickr

We then went over to Journey into Imagination, which used to be my favorite ride when I was a kid. It wasn't as good as it used to be but it was still fun. We also enjoyed the photo booths in the imagination pavilion afterward and got some photo booth stickers to bring home with us We then watched Captain EO. Talk about a blast from the past! We both remembered this from when we were little so it was fun to see again but it really hasn't aged that well. No line for either of these of course.


Imagination Pavilion by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Blast from the Past by Chaita_1, on Flickr

We thought about trying Soarin' again but the line was 45 minutes so we headed over to Test Track. We got in the single rider line which was 10 minutes. We weren't able to sit next to each other but Mike was in the row right behind me. We both really enjoyed this ride. We walked onto Spaceship Earth as our last ride since you can't leave Epcot without riding Spaceship Earth! We left the park around 11:45 and we were on the bus by midnight.

 

[aprilisis]

Your photos are awesome! I had no idea that La Hacienda had a vegetarian menu!!!! I'm going to switch up some reservations in November to try it out.

 

[itsalebeau]

I knew Epcot was big, but man, it is *really* big when it is hot out! We actually decided to push through our days there because it just seemed too far (esp. w/ two kids) to hoof it all the way to the buses to go back to the hotel.

the Kim Possible adventures are so cool! Princess Aurora brings back good memories, my daughter was having a meltdown and then we spotted the Princess all by herself and walked right up to meet her and it totally turned her day around!

You take such great photos.

We spent an hour in the store in Japan! And the tangerine Kaki Gori was so good!

/fangirling your trip

 

[orangecats2]

Just found your TR and I am hooked. Your pics are so crisp and clear I love all of them! Only read the first page so far so going back to read.

 

[TanzUnited99]

What a great review of Epcot! I was happy to read you enjoyed Soarin and although you only got to ride it once you will be able to get a chance to ride it again very soon!

Yay on meeting Stitch without having to wait! Sounds like you had a great time at WS and lol eating and drinking is all part of the exploring!

 

[Chaitali]

Your photos are awesome! I had no idea that La Hacienda had a vegetarian menu!!!! I'm going to switch up some reservations in November to try it out.

Yay, I would definitely recommend it Isn't it great to have a second trip coming up to pick up on some of the things you might have missed the first time around?

I knew Epcot was big, but man, it is *really* big when it is hot out! We actually decided to push through our days there because it just seemed too far (esp. w/ two kids) to hoof it all the way to the buses to go back to the hotel.

the Kim Possible adventures are so cool! Princess Aurora brings back good memories, my daughter was having a meltdown and then we spotted the Princess all by herself and walked right up to meet her and it totally turned her day around!

You take such great photos.

We spent an hour in the store in Japan! And the tangerine Kaki Gori was so good!

/fangirling your trip

Yay for fangirls and thanks for the compliment! That's awesome that seeing Princess Aurora was able to turn your daughter's day around. The characters really can be magical, even for adults. She asked Mike if he had slain any dragons for me yet

Just found your TR and I am hooked. Your pics are so crisp and clear I love all of them! Only read the first page so far so going back to read.

Thanks for the compliment! I hope you enjoy and that its helpful. I've found so much great information on this board.

What a great review of Epcot! I was happy to read you enjoyed Soarin and although you only got to ride it once you will be able to get a chance to ride it again very soon!

Yay on meeting Stitch without having to wait! Sounds like you had a great time at WS and lol eating and drinking is all part of the exploring!

Eating and drinking was definitely a big part of it for us! We also bought a package of fruit flavored marshmallow candies from the Japan store to take back with us.

 

[Chaitali]

We went back to Hollywood Studios this morning for Star Wars Weekend. We are both Star Wars geeks so we were pretty excited about this. We weren't interested in standing in line for autographs or anything but we just wanted to take in the Star Wars atmosphere Hollywood Studios was supposed to open at 8am so we were at the bus stop by 7am. This was the longest we waited for a bus all week, so it took a bit more than 15 minutes.

We were at the Hollywood Studios entrance by 7:40 but there was no line. Hmm... it seems like the park opened earlier than it was scheduled to. So we missed the rope drop show with the storm troopers but it was nice not to have to wait in a crowd. We walked right in and straight to Toy Story Mania. We were greeted there with absolutely no line! Yep, we walked right on to the ride. It was perfect and we absolutely loved the ride.


Edited IMG_0635 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

We headed over to Star Tours 2 for another ride but the stand by line was pretty long already so we decided to just get a fast pass. Our return time was 11:40am and this was only 8am. We walked over to Rock and Roller Coaster. I was really excited about this one since I am a giant Aerosmith fan. I absolutely loved the ride and can't wait to ride it again in October! We went out through the gift shop (of course) and I saw leather pants clad Mickey. Of course, he had to come home with us


aerosmith mickey by Chaita_1, on Flickr

They had a special tent set up for Star Wars merchandise (it was called Jabba's Hut) so we went there next. We spent more than we should have but a lot of it was gifts for other people, I promise! There were some cool limited edition things, lots of clever t-shirts, pins, etc. Since we were heading home the next day, we couldn't have the things sent to our resort but we did have them (and rock and roll Mickey) sent to the front of the park to pick up on our way out.


Star wars backdrops at Jabba's Hut by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Tatooine by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Disney star wars characters by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Carbonite Donald by Chaita_1, on Flickr

After we finished our shopping we went on the Backlot Tour. Eh... it just doesn't make too much sense any more now that its not a working studio. After that we just spent some time walking around and absorbing the star wars atmosphere. There were long lines everywhere for the characters and the actors but people seemed to be enjoying them. We decided it was time for lunch and stopped by the ABC Commissary but they didn't have any vegetarian options. So we wandered over to the Backlot Express. Mike had a burger and I had the veggie panini, which was awesome.


Our Kermie by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Darth Goofy and Donald Trooper by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Roaming Ewok by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Backlot Express lunch by Chaita_1, on Flickr

After lunch we went to Star Tours for our second Star Tours ride of the week. Most of the scenes were entirely different than our first ride, which was pretty cool.


Edited IMG_0684 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Edited IMG_0689 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

We decided to go get a good spot for the parade. It was really hot and it was the height of the afternoon. We ended up waiting outside for an hour and we got a spot really close to the curb but I'm not sure it was worth it. The parade was great but it was just too much time in the sun and in the middle of the giant crowd.


Waiting for the parade by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Jedi Mickey by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Princess Minnie by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Darth Goofy by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Donald Trooper by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Furry Power! by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Darth Maul by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Asoka by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Edited IMG_0784 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

We fought our way to the front of the park to pick up our shopping. The park was really crowded by this point so we were pretty happy to be heading out. It took about 15 minutes to get our package since there was someone in line in front of us but it was certainly not too bad. We then hopped on a bus (which pulled up right as we got to the stop) back to the resort for a bit of a rest before our dinner at Jiko.

 

[aprilisis]

Wow! Great photos!!! What lens did you use at DHS?
I'm so surprised that there was no wait for TSM- that is awesome!
Oh- BTW- I revised my dining in November to include La Hacienda!! Thanks for mentioning the veg menu because I LOVE Mexican food!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Yay at getting on TSMM with no wait!

Love the leather pants clad Mickey!

What great photos and the SWW parade looks soo cool! Can't believe your TR is coming to an end.

 

[itsalebeau]

OMG a Star Wars parade! How awesome! I'm bummed we missed SWW, but my son did the Jedi Training Academy and loved Star Tours so it was all good. He did forget to go back and build/buy a double sided lightsaber, which he is still pretty upset about. Guess we'll have to go back!

 

[407-W-DISNEY]

Love the 'rocker' Mickey in leather....so cute!!!

 

[lbuzz52]

i'm glad that you finally got to ride Soarin! so much fun!

That carmel bar looked so tasty, as did your Kaki Gori. It was so hot!

What time was your La Hacienda ressie? it would be so neat to score a table with the view.

I can't believe you had no wait at TSMM. Awesome! Maybe i'll schedule a dhs day during a future SWW morning for that reason alone. well, and to see the Disney characters costume's. Darth Goofy is so cute!

 

[Chaitali]

Wow! Great photos!!! What lens did you use at DHS?
I'm so surprised that there was no wait for TSM- that is awesome!
Oh- BTW- I revised my dining in November to include La Hacienda!! Thanks for mentioning the veg menu because I LOVE Mexican food!

I used a canon 50mm/1.8 lens. I love this lens b/c it's super sharp and has the wide aperture available for low light situations. It's also really light which was great at the Parks. Of course, the downside is that it doesn't zoom so the 50mm is the only option.

Hope you like La Hacienda!

 

[Chaitali]

Yay at getting on TSMM with no wait!

Love the leather pants clad Mickey!

What great photos and the SWW parade looks soo cool! Can't believe your TR is coming to an end.

I know, it's crazy that the TR is almost over but I've really enjoyed sharing it with people.

OMG a Star Wars parade! How awesome! I'm bummed we missed SWW, but my son did the Jedi Training Academy and loved Star Tours so it was all good. He did forget to go back and build/buy a double sided lightsaber, which he is still pretty upset about. Guess we'll have to go back!

Yep, you guys will definitely have to go back for the light saber The Jedi training is a great idea. My nephew did it one year and loved it.

Love the 'rocker' Mickey in leather....so cute!!!

He's awesome! I was trying to be good but I couldn't resist him

i'm glad that you finally got to ride Soarin! so much fun!

That carmel bar looked so tasty, as did your Kaki Gori. It was so hot!

What time was your La Hacienda ressie? it would be so neat to score a table with the view.

I can't believe you had no wait at TSMM. Awesome! Maybe i'll schedule a dhs day during a future SWW morning for that reason alone. well, and to see the Disney characters costume's. Darth Goofy is so cute!

The La Hacienda reservation was at 7:45 for a 9:00 Illuminations. I loved Darth Goofy and his boxers! I really was ready to face the stampede for TSMM so it was great that there was not only no stampede but no line at all. We were super lucky with that one.

 

[clearskies]

Hi Chaitali,

I came across you TR and I am glad that I did. You are doing a wonderful job describing your trip and your pictures are fabulous

I see that you brought a 55-200 and a 50 mm f/1.8 along for the adventure. Did you bring any other lenses?

Some random comments...

1. I never noticed that crank movie machine on Main Street. That Burlesque Bouncer title does not seem like your typical Disney entertainment though

2. I love the many food pictures you took. I assume you used your 50mm lens for most with the shallow depth of field. I got too hungry looking through your pictures.

3. Love the new Haunted Mansion queue pics. Can't wait to see it myself.

4. POR looks so nice. I am staying at POFQ on our upcoming trip and I hope it is as nice.

5. Great safari pics. It is tough to capture good shots on that ride with all the bouncing going on. Great pictures in general from AK. Love the Maharajah Trek as well.

6. V&A looks incredible. Thank you for sharing.

7. I agree on GMR...this is dated.

8. Your Cali Grill pics make me want to eat there just to get out on the observation deck again.

9. I am with you on Captain EO not aging so well

10. Wow on the no line for TSMM. I've never heard of that before.

and finally...

11. I am sorry to see your trip nearing an end and that I came in late.

 

[Chaitali]

Hi Chaitali,

I came across you TR and I am glad that I did. You are doing a wonderful job describing your trip and your pictures are fabolous

I see that you brought a 55-200 and a 50 mm f/1.8 along for the adventure. Did you bring any other lenses?

Some random comments...

1. I never noticed that crank movie machine on Maint Street. That Burlesque Bouncer title does not seem like your typical Disney entertainment though

2. I love the many food pictures you took. I assume you used your 50mm lens for most with the shallow depth of field. I got too hungry looking through your pictures.

3. Love the new Haunted Mansion queue pics. Can't wait to see it myself.

4. POR looks so nice. I am staying at POFQ on our upcoming trip and I hope it is as nice.

5. Great safari pics. It is touch to capture good shots on that ride with all the bouncing going on. Great pictures in general from AK. Love the Maharajah Trail as well.

6. V&A looks incredible. Thank you for sharing.

7. I agree on GMR...this is dated.

8. Your Cali Grill pics make me want to eat there just to get out on the observation deck again.

9. I am with you on Captain EO not aging so well

10. Wow on the no line for TSMM. I've never heard of that before.

and finally...

11. I am sorry to see your trip nearing an end and that I came in late.

Thanks for the compliments on the photos I've seen the photos in your trip report, which are amazing, so I really appreciate it!

As far as lenses I also had an 18-55 mm kit lens. I mostly used the 50mm for the speed and because it's so light. I only used the 55-200 at Animal Kingdom and it stayed in the bag in the room the rest of the time. I basically picked one lens for the day so I didn't have to carry multiple lenses around with me. We also had a point and shoot I could just stick in my purse for when we didn't plan to take too many photos and just enjoy ourselves.

We went by POFQ on the boats and it looked really nice. I hear great things about it all the time, especially its compact nature. hope you'll post about how you like it The boat to downtown disney was really great.

 

[clearskies]

Thanks for the compliments on the photos I've seen the photos in your trip report, which are amazing, so I really appreciate it!

As far as lenses I also had an 18-55 mm kit lens. I mostly used the 50mm for the speed and because it's so light. I only used the 55-200 at Animal Kingdom and it stayed in the bag in the room the rest of the time. I basically picked one lens for the day so I didn't have to carry multiple lenses around with me. We also had a point and shoot I could just stick in my purse for when we didn't plan to take too many photos and just enjoy ourselves.

Wow, keeping your lenses to basically one per day makes your work even more impressive. Truly an excellent job!

We went by POFQ on the boats and it looked really nice. I hear great things about it all the time, especially its compact nature. hope you'll post about how you like it The boat to downtown disney was really great.

The fact that POFQ is less spread out was one of the reasons I picked it but I was on the fence with POR as well. Hopefully I'll get to stay there one trip as well.

 

[Chaitali]

Yikes, I'm sorry its been so long since the last update. Things have been a but busy here, and I guess in some ways I didn't want the report to end, either. But I've got to add the last installment at some point, so it might as well be now!

So after a bit of a rest, we got ready for our dinner at Jiko. I was very excited about this dinner because I had heard great reviews about Jiko. I had also heard that the Animal Kingdom Lodge was fun to see so we decided to head over a bit early. We took the bus to Animal Kingdom and then another bus to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We had no wait at all for the first bus but waited around 15 minutes or so for the second bus.

The Animal Kingdom Lodge was gorgeous! I'd love to stay there at some point. The only downside I've heard is that if you get a room at the end of the hall, it can be a very long walk. Here are some of the photos from the Lodge.


edited IMG_0617 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

edited IMG_0619 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

edited IMG_0620 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

edited IMG_0623 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

edited IMG_0627 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

edited IMG_0634 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

edited IMG_0639 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

We then walked around the pool area and wandered back in to head down to the restaurant. It was very chaotic because Jiko was right across from another restaurant, I think it was Boma. Thankfully it calmed down once we got into the restaurant as most of the crowd was for the other restaurant. We were given a buzzer and told we could wait at the bar, so we decided to go ahead and get some drinks. Of course, the buzzer went off right as we got our drinks. At least we didn't have to wait long! The drinks were tasty and strong! I loved that the martini came with a shaker.


edited IMG_0641 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Our food was amazing, but our service was unfortunately a little off. If we hadn't had such amazing service all week, we might not have noticed at all. It wasn't bad service, but it was just that our waitress was a little scattered. Anyway, on to the amazing food.


edited IMG_0644 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

First, we shared the bread service. All of the dips were delicious. There was also a complimentary basket of bread that came with tandoori butter. This butter was amazing. It was definitely right up there with the bread service that we paid for.


edited IMG_0645 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

I can't remember what my entree was called but I loved it. It was a vegetable stack, a crepe with spinach and mushrooms, and a chickpea cake with a red pepper sauce. The crepe was one of the best things I had all week. I liked that I was able to sample several different tastes with this one entree. Mike had the filet with the hominy risotto which he said was really good.

Somehow I don't have a photo of our dessert. But it was some sort of chocolate-y thing (I let Mike choose). It was apparently not that memorable since I can't remember anything else about it. It was tasty but the rest of the meal had been better.

We then walked back to the bus stop and hopped on a bus to the Magic Kingdom. We hadn't had a chance to see the Main Street Electrical Parade yet and I remembered it from when I was little so I really wanted to see it. Plus the Magic Kingdom was open until 1am so it seemed ideal.

We decided to catch the second parade so we went straight to Frontier Land when we got to the Magic Kingdom. We rode Splash Mountain and grabbed a fast pass for Big Thunder Mountain. We hopped on Big Thunder Mountain as soon as we were done with Splash Mountain. It was definitely a fun and different experience at night. Space Mountain was closed. We later found out it was because someone had passed out on the ride. By the time we got off the mountains the first parade was already on and we were a bit stuck. So we took some time to get a soda and check out a store. Once the parade was over we went over to Fantasy Land. I wanted to ride Peter Pan again but the line was still long. I was surprised by that since I thought most people would be waiting for the fireworks. We went to see Philharmagic again, which I was happy about After that, we decided to grab a snack and a good seat for the parade. I hadn't had anything Mickey shaped yet so I got a Mickey shaped rice krispie treat. The second parade was not crowded at all so we had a seat right on the curb. I didn't take too many photos this weekend as we were just enjoying our last night but I'll leave you with these two.


Parade! by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Main Street Electrical Parade by Chaita_1, on Flickr