What's the Sitch? The Great Disney D-Tour! (12/19 Lego Tribute)

[pipersmom]

Thank you two for the warm welcome The pirate area looks very cool! If we get the dates we want, we're going to be just a bit too early for the F&G, I think. Looking forward to hearing about your next KP mission...

 

[thecapells]

Thank you two for the warm welcome The pirate area looks very cool! If we get the dates we want, we're going to be just a bit too early for the F&G, I think. Looking forward to hearing about your next KP mission...

Too bad you'll miss F&G - it was really a neat time.
As for KP, another mission is coming right up!

 

[thecapells]

We quickly learned that Professor Dementor was constructing a mind-control device using pretzels baked in Germany.
He was testing his mind control on the scale model of trains at the edge of town where we had to hack into the signal he was using.
Then we needed to find the decryption password which led us to singing steins – here’s their song.


and a secret code protected by Toy Soldiers

Once we cracked the code, we were able to break the mind control link by calling Professor Dementor and leaving a message on his answering machine.
This was definitely our favorite mission.
We explored the whole pavilion and had lots of interaction with everything (the trains, toy soliders, steins, etc.)

Mom, on the other hand, was once again stuck with X.
They continued to watch the Friendship Boats pass and even saw the big globe make its way into the World Showcase Lagoon for Illuminations

Then Mom and X headed over to follow along from the courtyard taking pictures of the things we made happen.
They also happened to be standing there on the hour so they caught the clock ringing

And saw the rooster

And then came the finale which was definitely one of our favorites.
As the villain makes a break for it, a German Hummel figurine is hot on his trail!!

Here’s a video


There’s just something very cool about pushing a button and activating something in a World Showcase pavilion that large.
So large that people in the courtyard were caught off guard and stopped to look.
So large that elderly people below the “chase” jumped up in shock.
So large that someone doing the mission before you could spoil the ending (that’s the downside).

We had a blast but it was time to move on.
We dropped off our Kimmunicator in the drop box (battery was finally starting to run low) and headed back into the World Showcase...

 

[pipersmom]

Ohh, that KP mission was totally cool! I keep going back and forth on it because of the time involved, but Piper would totally groove on making something happen like that. Plenty of time to figure it out though. Great pics!

 

[thecapells]

Ohh, that KP mission was totally cool! I keep going back and forth on it because of the time involved, but Piper would totally groove on making something happen like that. Plenty of time to figure it out though. Great pics!

They're only about 1/2 hour each so it's actually not too much time.
I definitely recommend them - we had a blast at each one!

 

[meeko_33785]

I think Germany is my favorite out of the missions we've done thus far. The finale is by far the best. So much fun.

 

[dawnbu40]

Nice post about Germany's KP mission! That one was one of our favorites too

 

[thecapells]

I think Germany is my favorite out of the missions we've done thus far. The finale is by far the best. So much fun.

Nice post about Germany's KP mission! That one was one of our favorites too

Yeah, it was really cool to activate something in the World Showcase that large for everyone to see.
We literally scared some people who were standing beneath it.
It's a great ending to a fun mission!

 

[thecapells]

The World Showcase was now starting to fill up a bit but was still a site to be seen.

We thought the American Adventure might be a fun show to watch as the kids had never seen it.

The next one was starting at about 4:45 or so but then we noticed it was 45 minutes long.
We had 5:30 dinner reservations so that would be cutting it close.
Not to mention that X wouldn’t be able to sit that long.
So we weren’t sure what to do now.
Yeah, I couldn’t believe it either.
I had lists in my head of what we could do but X was cranky and Mom was cranky about watching him.
The kids wanted to do more missions of course. Mom didn’t.

So we finally decided that Mom would take X for a boat ride – a relaxing ride for her that hopefully would occupy X.
I would take the kids for one last mission.
We dropped Mom and X off at the Germany boat docks and then headed over to Italy for the Lady and the Tramp topiary shot

The kids didn’t want to be in this one so I had the Photopass photographer shoot just me:

Then we found the secluded KP Mission kiosk next to the donkey cart and checked in.
Armed with a new Kimmunicator, we bee-lined toward the Orient to battle Monkey Fist.

After a brisk walk to China, we checked in with our buddy Wade.
We were excited to keep our missions rolling but knew this one had to be quick.
The first thing we saw was the awesome Chinese Dragon awaiting us in the lake.

Then Wade directed us to the back of the pavilion to deal with Monkey Mania.
It seems that the villain Monkey Fist has brought his monkey minions to China in search of the Jade Monkey and all its supernatural powers.
(I don't think there were enough monkeys in that last sentence).
We combed the pavilion, rang the ancient gong, and electronically broke into the Hostile Hostel to eavesdrop on Monkey Fist.
We even had to search the Temple of Heavens for clues to answer some questions.
And all this while the Dragon Legend Acrobats were performing so there were crowds we had to weave through.
The mission was topped off with my favorite Kim Possible video.
The video shows you how adults “get it”, 7-yr olds take some time to "get it", and 5-yr olds just sometimes don’t pay attention.


So we saved the world again by rescuing the Jake Monkey.
At that point, Mom called but it was not for congratulations.
She had completed her boat tour of the World Showcase Lagoon and was back in France.
She wanted an ETA as she was already checking in to Chefs de France.
We hung up and took off for Paris in a sprint.
On the way, as I waited for the kids to catch up to my brisk pace, I had to stop for the perennial picture:

It was a long trip and we were exhausted upon arrival but we made it.
So grab the wine and cheese and join us for dinner.
Bon Appetit!

 

[MrsSpratt]

You are SO COOL.

I love seeing the Kim Possible - I think it may be better for grown-ups!

 

[dawnbu40]

I love the topiary pics! I'm looking forward to hearing how you liked Chefs de France. We've never eaten there and Caitlin would like to try it in Sept.

 

[pipersmom]

Very cool Lady and the Tramp topiary, that's one of our faves. Looking forward to hearing about dinner!

 

[DisneyMom5]

Great updates!

 

[thecapells]

You are SO COOL.

I love seeing the Kim Possible - I think it may be better for grown-ups!

We definitely had fun, and in style!

I love the topiary pics! I'm looking forward to hearing how you liked Chefs de France. We've never eaten there and Caitlin would like to try it in Sept.

Coming right up mademoiselle!

Very cool Lady and the Tramp topiary, that's one of our faves. Looking forward to hearing about dinner!

Lady and the Tramp came out pretty cool.
Kinda random that they were thrown into Italy though.
I know Tony's was an Italian restaurant but that's pushing it a bit I think.
I would've expected Pinocchio over here instead...

Great updates!

Thanks! Here's some more!

 

[thecapells]

Bonjour messieurs et mademoiselles!
Bievenue a Les Chefs de France!
Nous arrivons – wait, on second thought, I should probably not do this whole thing in French.
Let’s try that again…

Hello everyone!
Welcome to Les Chefs de France!

We arrived exhausted after saving the world literally half way around the world.
We found Mom and X just getting our table
It was located near the entrance so we sat and each guzzled down a glass of water.
The tables were small and all arranged very close together.
You definitely get to know your neighbors here.
It felt like they decided to add more tables at some point and just did so without regards to personal space.
We ended up with a half booth but we felt as though our elbows could touch our neighbors’ elbows.

After we ordered, a woman with what seemed like a covered cheese tray came by.
She lifted the cover and there was our friend from Ratatouille!

Remy – the smallest audio animatronic to date – was moving and squeaking to us right there in the restaurant!
We couldn't understand him, of course, since we were humans and not fellow rats.
We had watched Ratatouille again on the drive from the grandparents since I wanted it to be fresh in everyone’s minds. And it was.
The kids were literally dumbfounded - DD was all giggly, DS was smiling, and X just kept shouting “Remy! Remy!”
I don’t they could tell if he was real or not.
Here’s a video I shot of our encounter:


We watched as Remy made his way to the other tables.
Mom and I desperately tried to discover out how the CM was controlling the little rat (and I think Mom figured it out).
All in all, it was well done and worth seeing.
But since we were in a restaurant, we figured we should eat something too.

It was an okay meal – the menu was a bit eclectic for our tastes.
Translation – the kids had some trouble ordering.
They ended up with the Friand au Fromage (cheese pastry puff) for an appetizer.
DD & DS didn’t eat it but X enjoyed it

For their entrée, they got the Blanc de Poulet Aux Nouilles (breaded chicken strips served with pasta).
We tried to convince them it was chicken nuggets with butter noodles but they weren’t happy.
They did cheer up when presented with glace (ice cream) for dessert.
Mom ordered soupe a l’oignon gratinee (French Onion Soup) while I had just a salade maison (house salad) for appetiziers.
For dinner, I ordered the Carnard au miel, haricots vert et pommes de terre douce.
Or, in English, the roasted breast of duck and leg confit, French green beans and sweet potato with a spicy, honey sauce.
I gave the leg to Mom but enjoyed the medallions and the breast.
Mom ordered the Demi poulet fermier roti, pommes rissolees et tomate grilee (1/2 of a roasted chicken with rissole potatoes and grilled tomoto).
For dessert, I had the Profiteroles au chocolat (a pastry puff with ice cream and chocolate sauce) and Mom had crème broulee.

All in all, it was pretty good but we wouldn’t rate it top tier.
That is, while the duck medallions and leg were scrumptious, the chicken and sides were very average.
I doubt this will be someplace we return to often but it was a fun adventure and Remy definitely made it an experience.
In fact, I’ve seen since some mouth-watering dishes on the DIS I’d like to try in the future (the briande looks good) so we’ll have to come back someday.
But bottom line: it’s Disney and we all had a good time.

I think our recommendations would be to ask for a circular table (the ½ booths were the ones that felt smushed together).
And get something away from the entrance so Remy doesn’t visit too soon.
I think it would’ve been more fun if he came in the middle of the meal or between courses.
But I think it’s definitely worth trying at least once.
After all, what’s the fun of the World Showcase if you can’t try meals you normally wouldn’t get?

We finished up, had bathroom breaks, and got ready to leave.
But I wanted to take a picture with the fabulous French wine.
I asked a waitress to take a picture of me next to a bottle.
She had a better idea.
She led me over to the largest bottle of champagne you’ve ever seen and then HANDED IT TO ME.
Apparently, she knew how much of a picture dork I am since this was such a great shot!

After dinner, we headed back out into the pavilion.
DD was in a good mood and wanted pictures next to the pretty perfume topiaries

And then she wanted to make a wish in the fountain.
How could I say no?
So, armed with a penny, she made her wishes

I hope they come true.
It was getting dark and late and it had been a long day.
But the atmosphere made for one last great French picture

Now it was time to work off our dinner before heading home.
Anyone willing to guess where the kids could unwind, get lost, yet still remain in full view of Mom and Dad?
If not, stay tuned for the answer…

 

[meeko_33785]

Nice updates! Isn't Remy just adorable? Thought that he was such a fantastic addition to the Chefs de France experience. Nice to know they're keeping him around.

 

[All7OfUs]

Not sure how I could get 3! episodes behind!! Zowie!

You have me perfectly excited to try the KP Missions! I think I will start with Germany, and if it goes well, I'll move on from there. They look like just too much fun!

Too bad they are cramming folks into these restaurants like sardines. But, I guess if there's that high of a demand they are trying to accomodate it. Good business for them, cramped dining experience for us.

Hmmm.. another stumping one for me.

 

[dawnbu40]

I love the pics and video of Remy! It looks like you all had fun!

The pics of Rayna at the fountain are adorable and I hope she gets her wish too

 

[thecapells]

Nice updates! Isn't Remy just adorable? Thought that he was such a fantastic addition to the Chefs de France experience. Nice to know they're keeping him around.

Yeah, he definitely added to the ambiance.
And, honestly, we probably never would've tried Les Chefs if not for Remy so it was good marketing too!

Not sure how I could get 3! episodes behind!! Zowie!

You have me perfectly excited to try the KP Missions! I think I will start with Germany, and if it goes well, I'll move on from there. They look like just too much fun!

Too bad they are cramming folks into these restaurants like sardines. But, I guess if there's that high of a demand they are trying to accomodate it. Good business for them, cramped dining experience for us.

Hmmm.. another stumping one for me.

Since I couldn't post due to the photobucket issue, I wrote the segments and had them waiting.
So when my account reset, you got lots of quick updates!

As for Les Chefs, I think it would be better at one of the non-booth tables as I mentioned.
Hopefully we'll give it another shot next time (but there's so many restaurants and not enough meals!!!)

I love the pics and video of Remy! It looks like you all had fun!

The pics of Rayna at the fountain are adorable and I hope she gets her wish too

Yeah, she was pretty adorable at those fountains.
I couldn't resist letting her make a wish and taking lots of photos!

 

[thecapells]

We always love to stop on the bridge over the “English Channel”.
The view is awesome and there’s usually a Photopass photographer all set up to catch it.
And since we always tend to go clockwise around the World Showcase, it always tends to be dusk which just enhances the atmosphere of the shots.
But first, one on my camera of course:

And then the mushy shots.
Hey, it has been 20 years since we met – I figure we deserve it.

Then it was off to the United Kingdom.
Mom was in search of the Mad Hatter Tea she had last year.
She had it during her afternoon tea at the Garden View Lounge in the Grand Floridian but hasn't been able to find it since.
So I grabbed a picture of Mom next to her passion

And then she was off to search Twinnings for her prized tea.

Meanwhile, I took the kids into the back of the pavilion to let them unwind.
Yup – it was Hedge Maze time!
They love it here and have a blast winding through the paths.
Turns out the British Invasion was just starting so I sat back and listened while the kids ran wild.

Mom soon joined us with a frown – they didn’t have the Mad Hatter Tea.
So if anyone knows where to get some, please let us know!

We headed out of the UK but I had to boost her spirits.
And what better way than a silly picture in her home country of Canada!!!

Finally it was time to exit the World Showcase for good.
We only had one day but it sure seemed like we covered a lot of ground.
And I think the kids were starting to discover that they have a new favorite park.
But before we go, we have some unfinished business in Future World.
There’s still a “grand and miraculous spaceship” that is calling our name…