Trip Report: October 11th-October 17th 2014 - Part 1

by Nick 

Saturday, October 11th

If you follow the blog or our Facebook page, you'll know I suffer from TETSS. Too Excited to Sleep Syndrome. Well, for once, I followed my own advise, and actually managed to get a good night's sleep, despite waking up at 3:00am to get showered and ready for our 4:00am airport shuttle pickup.

Our flight departed from the Philadelphia International Airport at 6:30am, and we were actually 20 minutes early. We fly Southwest Airlines almost exclusively.

We were loaded on our Magical Express bus very quickly, there was barely a line at 9:00am, but we did wait about 15 minutes for more people to load before we were on our way to the Beach Club Villas.

As soon as we checked in, we left our carry on luggage with bell services and headed for Epcot. First stop, the Refreshment Port located by the entryway to World Showcase, where Barbie had a Croissant Donut.

I only had a bite, as I was saving my appetite for the International Food and Wine booths.
We headed for the Festival Center, located at the old Wonders of Life Pavilion in Future World.

 

We browsed around, and made a couple of purchases. I decided that, as it was a very hot day, a nice cool beverage was in order, so I bought a beer at the Intermissions Cafe located conveniently right there next to the merchandise section! The Einstok Icelandic White Ale is a favorite new find.

We then headed back towards World Showcase as food kiosks were just opening. First stop was New Zealand, where I had the Lamb Meatball and the Green Lip Mussels. The Mussels were a little dry, and tough perhaps because of all the breadcrumbs; but the meatball was excellent! A really strong start, and one of my favorites from the festival. 

Next we visited the Farm Fresh stand, where we sampled both selections they had to offer, the Pepper Bacon Hash, and the "Yard Bird," which is chicken.

The Hash was pretty good, the yard bird, meh. I also had a couple of beers: Duke's Cold Nose Brown Ale and Orlando Brewing's I-4 IPA. Both...meh. I'm not a big brown ale fan, and this IPA was unimpressive. At least the Cast Members at this booth were high energy and fun.

Next stop, Germany, where Barbie picked up the Berliner-Yeast Doughnut filled with Apricot Jam. It was pretty good, but could not compare to the Croissant Donut. I had a beer from the Brewer's Collection, the Braufactum Palor, a pale ale. Not bad, nothing to write home about.

It was now well past noon, and HOT. So, yes, I was in need of another beer. I got the Snapshot from New Belgium Brewing at Hops & Barley. This was at least better than the previous 3 beers I'd had, but, not in the same league as that Einstok from earlier in the day.

We were lucky to have found a shady spot and enjoyed a slight breeze off of the beautiful World Showcase Lagoon. 

Our next kiosk was one I'd missed last year, Brazil, and I got the Crispy Pork Belly. It was very good, not as great as I'd hoped. I think I'd hyped it up in my own head to a level that nothing short of excellent could have truly satisfied me. Yes, I really like pork. I also had a Xingu Black Beer, which was actually very nice.

If you've been keeping track, I'd had many beers that day, and it was about 130 degrees, and I really needed a swim. Luckily, I was sent a text that our room was ready. A quick change into our bathing clothes, and we were off to my favorite pool in all of Walt Disney World, Storm-along Bay.

We spent a few hours here and at the resort before heading back to Epcot in the evening for more food. 

When we arrived, it being a lovely Saturday evening, Epcot was absolutely jam packed.

Barbie said she wanted fish and chips, so off to the United Kingdom we went. There was barely a line at the Yorkshire County Fish Shop, as everyone was sampling the F & W booths. We ate overlooking the Lagoon.

We then headed for France. The line for this kiosk looked to be about as long as the queue for Soarin', so we headed around World Showcase, and stopped at Italy. 

I had the Filetto di Pollo, or Chicken with Marsala Sauce. It sounds like a simple dish, but it was delicious, especially the mushrooms and sauce. I also had a Moretti La Rossa. I've had regular Moretti Lager, and was not impressed, but this Doppelbock was much better, highly recommended.

Our last stop of the evening was Singapore, where we had the Mahi Mahi and Jasmine Rice. The fish was very moist and the rice and "Singa" sauce was as good as it smelled. An excellent dish.

Walking back towards the International Gateway, we made a short side trip the the Chase Lounge located at the American Adventure Pavilion. Stop back tomorrow for more details on this very nice feature for Disney Visa card holders.

 

On our way out of the park for the evening, we decided to watch Impressions de France, and I'm really glad we did, because on the way out, we spotted our friends Marilyn and Peter in the shop! We met this lovely couple on our first Disney Cruise back in 2012. It was a really great surprise, and a wonderful end to a wonderful day.