Wedding Crasher: Lurkyloo’s 4 Parties in 3 Nights with 2 Cameras and 1 Fabulous Hat

[DisneyFairy66]

OMG add me to the list of a PB and chocolate lover. YUM! I called my sister and I told her that our trip in september must consist of PB and chocolate cake at Boardwalk!

 

[figmentfan814]

Okay, I caught up... it was so neat to see the LSS for another party. I agree about the light in there. On a tip from another DisBride I requested that the lights be kept up during our reception and it helped a lot for our photos! I have one shot in the area you showed with the mirrors near the front, although since I was taking it as everyone was bustling me up, you can't really see the room

 

[dallastxcpa]

I continued following the music in the direction of Canada, but just before I got there, I discovered a path off to the left that I’d never noticed before (goodness knows why – it was wide enough to drive a pair of Mack trucks through). At the end was... someplace I have since learned is called World Showplace Pavilion. Disney bills it as “the world’s largest indoor facility located in a theme park,” and yet I had never noticed it before!

However, between me and “an extraordinary gathering or dining experience... ideal for exhibitions, trade shows, receptions, banquets, conferences, and meetings of virtually any type” were two more of those pesky Event Guides—which meant whatever was going on in that building had to be good.

As I approached, one of them asked, “Are you a chaperone?” to which I cleverly replied, “Uh… no.” (D’oh!) It turns out there was a prom going on inside—those lucky little bozos! They got to have their prom in EPCOT! We had to have our prom on a tourist trap of a riverboat on the Sacramento Delta (the theme was “An Evening on the Titanic”… and the venue was kinda my fault cuz I was class president… but what did they expect from someone whose previous experience was Junior Prom Silverware Committee Chairwoman? … At least I eventually got to marry my date’s cousin, so it all turned out OK in the end. Now where was I…?).

And so the mystery of the booty-shaking music in the UK Pavilion turned out to be easily and boringly solved.

Small rant here! Let me please tell you about the World Showcase Pavillion; It is butt ugly! It would take a ton O' money to make it even half way decent as a reception site.

We had a dessert party in 2003 when we were married and our back up location was supposed to be the American Adventure VIP and they wound up sticking us in the first room of that big ugly blue monstrousity of an area.

To top it off the guide who was supposed to have our area secured, The Upper UK, let people into it. My husband was furious.

Disney did attempt to make it right by throwing us another party the next night, but most of our guest were leaving town the next day. If I had it to do over again though I would have made my husband keep his tux and secured the photographer for the next night. Our fireworks photos were ruined by all the people that were everywere.

Oh just a bit of history the place is huge. It was used in 99/2000 as an exhibition hall of types for many different countries, ie World Showplace and it is huge. I think they also use it for some of the food and wine festival dinners.

 

[DisneyBrideToni]

Your dress was super cute!!! I would love to see it with the hat. Very Audrey Hepburn I am sure!

 

[A-T-G]

I made the 5 minute chocolate cake recipe and it was fab! I added a little butter to the recipe and made it a little moister (is moister a word?). Topped it off with a chocolate frosting. Delish!

A very dangerous recipe, indeed!

 

[lurkyloo]

Actually its more dangerous....I am now 2 minutes away from cake batter!

Oh my gosh - it's worse than I thought!

Not quite how I pictured Aunt Mabel's toilet tank tissue holder, but equally funny! That's some serious decorative artwork. A tad busy, I might say! Thanks for the flicker feed. You made my day!

Any time! I just need reminding some times...

Okay, Carrie, I just found this report, so needless to say I'm only on pg. 20 and my comments are going to be a little old
1. That's great to hear confirmation about the Socerer Hat being removed. Last year the week of our wedding, my parents dined with an Imagineer and he told them that removing the hat was in the plans, but no definite timeline had been set yet.

Hiya! I'm so glad you found me! Apparently the Imagineers at that anniversary presentation were dropping strong hints about the hat, but no one has officially said anything yet. We can all keep our fingers crossed... except for InkedUpMomma, who loves that hat, and that's fine too!

OMG add me to the list of a PB and chocolate lover. YUM! I called my sister and I told her that our trip in september must consist of PB and chocolate cake at Boardwalk!

Whohoo! You're only, let's see... four months away!

Okay, I caught up... it was so neat to see the LSS for another party. I agree about the light in there. On a tip from another DisBride I requested that the lights be kept up during our reception and it helped a lot for our photos!

I think that's prolly the best-looking shot I've ever seen of that room! That is a really good tip about leaving the lights up. The room feels really nice, though, and I'll bet your guests had never seen such a cool reception site!

We had a dessert party in 2003 when we were married and our back up location was supposed to be the American Adventure VIP and they wound up sticking us in the first room of that big ugly blue monstrousity of an area. To top it off the guide who was supposed to have our area secured, The Upper UK, let people into it. My husband was furious. Disney did attempt to make it right by throwing us another party the next night, but most of our guest were leaving town the next day. If I had it to do over again though I would have made my husband keep his tux and secured the photographer for the next night. Our fireworks photos were ruined by all the people that were everywere.

Oh no! That is horrible! A second dessert party sounds nice but, like you say, it doesn't help if no one's going to be there to see it. What a bummer....

Your dress was super cute!!! I would love to see it with the hat. Very Audrey Hepburn I am sure!

Audrey Hepburn by way of the 50 ft. Woman! I think there's a shot in the next installment of the trippie....

I made the 5 minute chocolate cake recipe and it was fab! I added a little butter to the recipe and made it a little moister (is moister a word?). Topped it off with a chocolate frosting. Delish!

A very dangerous recipe, indeed!

Sounds fabulous!

 

[29apr00]

In the weeks leading up to the party I had been desperately curious to know A) what flavor the cake would be and B) what it would look like. (Yes, OK, I think about cake a lot!). Right before I left on the trip, I was blathering about it to someone who suggested that maybe the cake would look like a giant PassPorter—and I thought that had to be it! What a stroke of genius! Cakes are rectangles, books are rectangles... it was a natural.


Apparently Epcot’s pastry chef had a different inspiration...

....

That was MY idea and they should have listened because that is the worst looking Walmart cake i've ever seen!! BLAH all that frosting just SCRIBBLED on top of it! Waste of a perfectly good cake IMO.


and LOVING the dress! Looks so cute, what we could see anyway. I believe you need to put the dress back on, with the hat, and have Patrick take a pic for us so we can see the whole emsamble!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I made the 5 minute chocolate cake recipe and it was fab! I added a little butter to the recipe and made it a little moister (is moister a word?). Topped it off with a chocolate frosting. Delish!

A very dangerous recipe, indeed!

I made it too and topped it off with chocolate frosting! It was super yummy. And I have the burnt tastebuds to prove it

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

At the end was... someplace I have since learned is called World Showplace Pavilion. Disney bills it as “the world’s largest indoor facility located in a theme park,” and yet I had never noticed it before!

World Showplace is where they host the Party for the Senses during the Food & Wine Festival. Let me tell you...it is BIG! Our party had about 900 people, but the max capacity is 1500!

It looks beautiful during the Party. The set up food stations based on colours and then drape fabric of that colour (red, yellow, blue, green, pink and purple) from the ceiling and light it up, but my guess is that it would be pretty ugly otherwise LOL

 

[QueenofPrideRock]

Just finished catching up... gives me something to do besides Wii fit and working all summer, haha!

Oh no - I'm sorry to hear your before-college trip has been postponed! Has college been postponed too?

I am also sorry to hear about your post-piccolo traumatic stress. Perhaps the piccolo is redeemed by its ability to call dogs?

Thank goodness no. But the ridiculous cost of college may or may not have played into it...

 

[MissK]

Wow I came back to much updates! LOVE your hat and dress combo. I don't think there's anything wrong with being dressy at Disney, I plan on rocking the sundress when I'm there (except maybe at AKL dunno).

At least the cake was delicious? It does remind me of my Aunt's toilet paper cozy I am not going to lie

 

[CharacterFan]

Oh geez - I hope I didn't come down on it too hard there! It is really nice in the salon - really well maintained, and the aquarium windows are a big bonus. It's just too bad they couldn't have sunk a skylight in there or something.

No not too hard. I knew it was dark, but had only seen professional pics and they have nice equipment. I'd never seen pictures from a normal camera. The aquarium windows are nice, and the sky light idea is great.

DFi is upset they are removing that hat. He says if they do that and cancel Fantasmic all together. He's not going to Studios for at least a year. At least now I have a point for not doing the ceremony at the hat.

Can't wait to read more.

 

[lurkyloo]

That was MY idea and they should have listened because that is the worst looking Walmart cake i've ever seen!!

A-ha! I knew it was too good an idea to have had on my own! I think maybe if the screen print hadn't been smeared and had a line right down the middle of it the effect could have been slightly classier.

I made it too and topped it off with chocolate frosting! It was super yummy. And I have the burnt tastebuds to prove it

Me too! I just couldn't wait for it to cool down....

World Showplace is where they host the Party for the Senses during the Food & Wine Festival. Let me tell you...it is BIG! Our party had about 900 people, but the max capacity is 1500!

It looks beautiful during the Party. The set up food stations based on colours and then drape fabric of that colour (red, yellow, blue, green, pink and purple) from the ceiling and light it up, but my guess is that it would be pretty ugly otherwise LOL

Oh I've always wanted to go to one of those! But then every year I hear it's not as good as the year before. By the time I can afford it they'll prolly just have an In-n-Out Burger truck set up in the middle of World Showplace and call it a day...

Just finished catching up... gives me something to do besides Wii fit and working all summer, haha!

Thank goodness no. But the ridiculous cost of college may or may not have played into it...

Ah - gotcha! Well, at least you have your priorities straight!

Wow I came back to much updates! LOVE your hat and dress combo. I don't think there's anything wrong with being dressy at Disney, I plan on rocking the sundress when I'm there (except maybe at AKL dunno).

At least the cake was delicious? It does remind me of my Aunt's toilet paper cozy I am not going to lie

I think everybody really liked the cake.

No not too hard. I knew it was dark, but had only seen professional pics and they have nice equipment. I'd never seen pictures from a normal camera. The aquarium windows are nice, and the sky light idea is great.

DFi is upset they are removing that hat. He says if they do that and cancel Fantasmic all together. He's not going to Studios for at least a year.

He won't miss much! I kid... I kid... I know I bag on DHS too much. But how great that you have an excuse now to pass on the Hat as a reception location - and the pricey DJ/lighting/entertainment package they require you to buy with it.

 

[lurkyloo]

After the party, my first order of business was to obtain a neon blue lemon slushie in order to keep from dropping dead of heat exhaustion. I got one in September during the Food & Wine Festival, but I was convinced that it had been from a permanent stand and these things were available throughout the park year-round. I tried the slushie cart between the Land Pavilion and the Imagination Pavilion, but they had some berry flavor in all the slushies—gack!

No Neon Blue Lemon Slushies served here!

The kid behind the counter sent me trekking across the park to the slushie stand in front of Test Track, which only serves Coke-flavored slushies. Curses! Foiled again! Finally I ended up at one of the nondescript snack stands at the entrance to World Showcase that you blaze by on your way to Le Cellier and other more interesting eateries.

They’d never heard of blue, but they did have boring old yellow lemon slushies.

I’ll fix the color in “post”

The next order of business was to unload the bag of party loot I’d been hauling around, so I went to the International Gateway to rent a locker. I was getting pretty tired of carrying the backpack too (another unpleasant side effect of taking a trip without DH!), so I emptied my little Domo bag of its embarrassing contents and stuffed it with the essentials for a trip around the world.... showcase.

By a stroke of luck, Disney bride Jonni and her husband Taz were also visiting WDW from California that weekend, and we had planned to meet up in Epcot that day. Taz has photographed numerous Disney weddings, and he has a super-helpful website of Disney wedding location pictures that has been a boon to those of us planning WDW weddings from a distance. He and Jonni graciously allowed me to use some of these photos in my book, so I was looking forward to meeting and thanking them in person.

When I got in touch with Jonni, they were finishing up lunch at restaurant Marrakesh with none other than Disney Wedding World Record-holders Dani & Benji! Bonus! Dani & Benji have had not one but five Disney weddings because they renew their vows at Disney every year! (I know... I know... don’t get any ideas, Lurkyloo...) Not only that, but they brought their adorable 8-month-old daughter, Kiara. Double bonus!

When we got outside, I asked Taz to take a pic of we three Disney brides with my iPhone so I could blog it. We each posed with the cutest thing in our possession...

I think Dani wins the Cute-Off!

Then we did that polite thing you do when you’re with a group and nobody wants to be pushy and you just sorta wander and chatter. The fellas pushed the stroller and talked about I dunno, whatever fellas talk about. Grilling meat, perhaps? We ladies got acquainted and, of course, talked about weddings. I was too engrossed in the conversation to take pictures, so you’ll just have to imagine us staggering around the World Showcase from Morocco to Norway in the punishing heat.

When we got to Norway, I remembered they had water there and you could ride around on it in a boat – that sounded refreshing! I decided this was such a good idea that I would risk pushiness to suggest it. [Cue crickets] Finally Jonni took pity on me and agree to go on Maelstrom – whohoo!

We had the nicest time! It was cool and dark, and we had a great conversation in between ominous warnings from trolls. Here we are riding Maelstrom...


Trust me... that’s totally our boat...

For once I was glad to wait five whole minutes for the doors to the theater to open at the end of the ride, cuz it gave me time to try to wangle an invitation to visit Jonni and Taz at their home near Carmel!

Afterward we met the others, who may or may not have been eating School Bread at the Kringla Bakery without us...! Then I made my exit before I’d completely worn out my welcome and headed back around the World Showcase.

To make up for the previous lack of pictures, I took a lot more than necessary.


I’ve never heard of a wedding ceremony in Norway, but this platform might be a great spot!

I always take too many pictures in China cuz I love all the colors...

This guy was one of the coolest things about the Flower & Garden Festival to me.

Wouldn’t it be fun to live upstairs?

In the market at the exit to the China movie, I found DH his Souvenir of the Day:

It’s so cute, but we didn’t realize what it was supposed to be until last week, when DH met a critter called a sugar glider at a gathering of school assembly acts. (At least, we’re pretty sure it’s based on a sugar glider):

And they can fly!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-4nJUf1fJQ



Another cool thing about the festival were the children’s play areas they tucked into a lot of the dead space between pavilions. I think they should be permanent!

Thought I’d better get a shot of a booth for the PassPorter Photo Archive.

Watch out for this speed-walking trap in Germany – these Scooter Cops will nab ya!

For $5, this group will pose for solo travelers like me. Grandma always said photos were more interesting if they had people in them...

...And then I was involved in a nuclear experiment gone horribly awry and gained the ability to fly!

“Everything’s so tiny from up here – it looks like a train set!”

I soared over the Rhine....

...and spotted GINORMOUS copper discs at the bottom of the river! Would my newfound superpowers enable me to extract them?

>Sigh< Raise your hand if you wish you were here right now:

 

[lurkyloo]

I’m pretty sure they had extra flowerpots out in Italy, because I don’t ever remember it being this beautiful:

DIS bride Lori—whom you may recall from Day 1 of my trip report, which I posted about three years ago—had a bridal portrait session in the World Showcase, and she was lucky enough to get some lovely shots with all the extra flowers.

I grabbed a shot of the America Gardens Theater decked out for the Flower Power concert series, if by “decked out” you mean “containing a sign that says “Flower Power”...

And I got caught up in the excitement of a Genie, Aladdin and Jasmine meet ‘n’ greet.

“OMG – I know her! Yoohoo! Jasmine! Remember me? The one who mocked your tan...?”

Another special exhibit for the Flower & Garden Festival. I think this one was about conservation?

Thank goodness for this handy list of “green” vacation tips – who knew I could “use provided recycle bins if available”? I’m just not so sure about this whole closing the doors when the A/C is running thing – how am I s’posed to cool the entire neighborhood?

In France I noticed something I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen before...

Closed

Open!

I’ve been needing a good reference photo of the view from “French Island Arm,” one of the IllumiNations dessert party venues available to smaller groups.

This’ll do!

View from Upper French Island

View from Lower French Island (duck not guaranteed to appear)

By the time I got back to my locker at the International Gateway, I had a weird window of time before my ADR at Tutto Italia that was too long to go straight there and too short to do anything like movies or serious shopping. However, it was just right for conducting a photo tour of the World Showcase’s drinking fountains. (I’d spent the whole day dragging myself from one to the next – why not commemorate these lifesavers on “film”?)

I give you Drinking (Fountains) Around the World Showcase!

“Our tour begins with the fountain at the International Gateway. This handsome fixture offers picturesque views of the France Pavilion – but keep your eyes on what you’re doing or you’re likely to get a snootful!”

“Located on your left as you round the corner into the UK from the International Gateway, this simple, sturdy fountain reflects the hearty spirit of the island’s denizens.”

“France’s fountain combines the elegant sophistication of a Parisian brasserie with the insouciant charm of a fresh-faced dairy maid lolling in a field of flowers. Contrary to popular belief, the source of the France Pavilion’s drinking fountain is not the waterway behind it.”

This one wins for Coldest Water

Oh! Pretty!

“The fierce nomadic spirit of the Berbers permeates the Morocco fountain’s rustic design. Don’t be fooled by its proximity to the restrooms—this fixture has been offering pure, feces-free liquid refreshment since 1997!”

This one wins for Warmest Water

“In Japan we find individual monoliths sheathed in pebbles dredged from the Shinano River and flown over individually on the backs of Japan’s national birds, Kiji, or green pheasants.”

“Watch out for the playful nod to the trickster character popular in Japanese literature!”

Bonsaaaaaaiiiiiiii!

When necessary, bonsai can camouflage themselves in surrounding greenery to avoid detection.

“As you would expect from a country as large and ostentatious as the U.S., the American Adventure offers not one but two drinking fountains. To see them both requires a perilous journey across “America” on foot, relieved only by a pin cart, a DVC booth, and a beer stand.”

“I’m afraid we’ve run out of time, so we’ll conclude our tour in Italy, where seeds cast into an urn by the goddess Flora were germinated by a cherub’s spit to give you the flower-bedecked drinking fountain seen here.”


This one wins the award for Prettiest Fountain!

Up next: Dinner at Tutto Italia and dessert in front of Fantasmic!

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

There's no reason for me to quote my favorite stuff from your latest update. I cackled through all of it! Great update! I love your sense of humor.

And ewwwwwww at the Morocco water fountains, right next to the restrooms, having the warmest water. Ewwwwwwwww!

 

[KatGarcia]

Holy crap I was cracking up at the water fountain tour!!! Great stuff!!

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Dani & Benji have had not one but five Disney weddings because they renew their vows at Disney every year! (I know... I know... don’t get any ideas, Lurkyloo...)

Oh man, I want to be them!!! A Disney vow renewal every year?? I'm green with envy.

Loved the water fountain tour!

 

[CW4DW]

Just found your report and am making my way through - can't wait to hear how everything went... I am only on page 3 right now but I will get there...

 

[29apr00]

another great update!