Pandora and Disney's Animal Kingdom - Episode 111 of The Disney Exchange Podcast

The Disney Exchange is Lisa, Dave, and me, Nick

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The show starts with breaking news from me, live at Walt Disney World. Are you ready for this? Hold onto your hats!

My wife and I requested to change rooms at Disney's Boardwalk Resort. 

Earth shattering I know. 

As promised the area we were in... 

and the bulkhead.

Other photos of the studio at the Boardwalk Villas.

I share some of our experiences from the first day of our vacation, such as some of the wonderful food offerings at Epcot's International Festival of the Arts, such as the Trio of Savory Croissant Doughnuts. 

We met Heather Brainerd and her husband Rich!

Heather, Barbie, me, Rich

We met listener and long time blog friend Gaylin at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

 Me, Barbie and Gaylin

I preferred the old Star Wars: Symphony in the Stars show to the new Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular, but that could be because we didn't have the best view for the fireworks, which are now off to the right of the Theater, and a tree blocked our view. 

We talk a very long time about clothing before Lisa decides to move the show along.

After I leave for Disney Springs, Lisa and Dave carry on the show, discussing our main topic;
How will the opening of Pandora change Disney's Animal Kingdom, such as siphoning crowds away from traditionally popular attractions, and conversely, Tiffin's, which is relatively unknown at the moment will be very popular.

They speculate on the new ride capacities, wait times, gift shop offerings, and dining options.

Please share your opinions on Pandora and Avatar!

The Wheel of Distiny topic: What is your favorite scene from the original Fantasia?

You can send us an email at info@thedisneyexchange and reach out with show suggestions, submit Wheel of Distiny topics, or request a listener number (remember those?) on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedisneyexchange, Twitter: https://twitter.com/disneyexchange

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Thank you for listening to The Disney Exchange!

Throwback Thursday: Walt Disney World-September/October 2008 - Part 2

By Nick

Part 1 can be found here.

Sunday, September 28th, 2008

After a, surprisingly, good nights sleep, I woke up at 5:30AM.
We checked out of Pop about 6:30, and were at the Boardwalk Resort by 7.
I asked for a room on the 5th floor, facing the green. The CM at the desk said there would be nothing facing the green available on 5, in fact the only thing available would be 2nd floor. I said we were really hoping for a higher floor. She started clicking away, and after maybe 2 minutes said there was something close to what I'd requested. So, I said that would be fine.
Off we went for coffee and a danish at the Belle Vue Lounge.

We took a walk around the Boardwalk, and by then it was almost 8:15, so we walked over to Disney's Hollywood Studios.



We were one of the 1st people in line, and immediately after rope drop, we, along with everyone else, headed for Toy Story Midway Mania.
After riding, Barbie got in a conversation about pin trading with a nice couple from the Netherlands,
while I waited in line for FastPasses to TSM. I waited longer for FPs than I did to get on initially.
Barbie made some great pin trades, we walked over to TOT and rode twice. Nobody was there.



We walked through some shops till it was time for our FPs at TSM, and rode again. It was 11:15, and the wait was already 70 minutes.
After the ride, we walked over to Mama Melrose, where we had ADRs for Noon. While waiting for the restaurant to open, I found a couple of hidden Mickey's, and wound up starting a hunt with some other nice folks. We found 1 more in the lobby, and was told there were more, but, it was time to eat!



After lunch, I called to check if our room was available. It wasn't so we walked back to the Boarwalk, and grabbed our swimsuits out of luggage, and took a swim.
I love the Kieister Coaster. We stayed at the pool for 2 hours, till 4, and called and got our room. It's a good thing I love the pool, because our room was dead center overlooking it. Room 5060 is indeed very near where I had requested, it's across the hall from the room I'd hope to get!



By now it was 4:30, and we had tickets to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.
I wasn't sure about the weather, but it turned out to be a lovely evening. I was Fred Flinstone, Barbie was a hippie.








When we arrived I called our friend Pam, and told her we were there. A little latter we met Pam and her husband Tom at The Haunted Mansion.
We had a blast trick or treating, getting pictures with characters, and riding rides.



There is a story behind why Barbie and Tom are looking off to the side, and that can be found here.

At about 8:45, right after the 1st parade, we staked out a spot on a bench facing the castle, next to the Partners statue and watched the 9:30 fireworks from there.



Great show. Then we got some more candy, rode Pirates, and went over to Frontierland and got a perfect spot for the 10:30 parade. Afterwards we rode Big Thunder, and walked around the rest of the park, getting candy. By that time it was 11:30, my feet were on fire. We headed out. Pam and Tom drove us back to the Boardwalk.

I showered and don't even remember getting into bed.

Part 3 next Thursday!

Trattoria al Forno at Disney's Boardwalk Resort

By Nick

A few months ago, Trattoria al Forno opened at Disney's Boardwalk Resort in Walt Disney World, replacing Kouzzina by Cat Cora.

Trattoria al Forno takes it's patrons on a taste tour of Italy featuring regional specialties as well as classic dishes, such as wood-fired pizzas made with house-made-daily mozzarella and pastas prepared al forno, which is Italian for baked in an oven, using authentic ingredients and recipes hailing from all over Italy.

There is a wonderful back story created by Walt Disney Imagineering that tells of an Italian family that ran a modest tavern and boarding house on the boardwalk, which expanded over the years into a popular restaurant. As the establishment was handed down, each generation added their own touches to the meals and the restaurant’s design.

The interior helps to convey this story, starting with the original Entrata, or entrance, where the story begins, with intage family photos lining the walls introducing the generational story. A custom wine cabinet displays authentic regional wines offered on the menu.

The story continues into the dining areas, which were once boarding house spaces. There are four distinct rooms, with furnishings, finishes and lighting relating to the character of each original boarding house room.

The three main dining rooms are open to the show kitchen and to each other.

 On to the important part. The food!

My wife and I had dinner here in January, and it was the best meal of that trip.

The meal started with a warm loaf of Ciabatta Bread.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a beer guy, but I chose to go with the Romantic wine flight on that evening, primarily because I wanted to try the Sogno d'Italia Chianti, which is made exclusively for Disney.
Trattoria al Forno has an extensive, 100% Italian, wine list with over 60 offerings by bottle and more than 25 by glass.

For an appetizer, we shared the Fried Calamari with White Balsami and Lemon Agrodolce which is a traditional sweet and sour Italian sauce. Calamari is one of my favorites, and this was in all honesty one of the best I've ever had. Perfectly cooked and the sauce was excellent.

 

While our entrees were very good, we both agree we'd try something different next time.

Barbie had the Eggplant Rollatini with shaved fennel-arugula salad. 

She actually preferred my meal which was the Braised Beef with house-made cavatelli. The beef was very tasty, but it could have used more sauce, as it was a huge hunk of meat, which would have benefited from more of a flavor variety.

Desserts were terrific. Barbie had the Tiramisu, lady finger-soaked espresso and layered with Italian mascarpone cream.

 I had the Bomboloni, essentially an Italian doughnut with dark chocolate, served with vanilla gelato.

Both my wife and I look forward to returning to try more meals at Trattoria al Forno in the future.

This article was originally published on The Disney Exchange Blog and Podcast, which Nick co-writes and co-hosts.

Trip Report: October 11th-October 17th 2014 - Part 6

by Nick

Up early, after not having the best night's sleep. A cold was coming on. Not completely there yet, but inevitable.

We showered and made our way to Cabanas, where I was expecting a continental breakfast, but was pleasantly surprised to find that there was a wide assortment of breakfast items.

We headed downstairs to disembark, which went very smoothly. When we went outside for our Magical Express bus, we were offered a van instead, which left almost immediately. By 8:30am we were at the Boardwalk Resort checking in.

We checked in, dropped off our luggage, grabbed a coffee at the Belle Vue Lounge, and headed off to Epcot. We walked slowly through World Showcase, taking photos and enjoying the absolutely beautiful weather, sunny and not nearly as hot as it had been on the previous Saturday.

We spent most of the morning in the Seas with Nemo & Friends, watching the fish get fed, something we'd never seen. We also caught the tail end of the eels being fed, but I wasn't quick enough for a photo.

By now, it was closing in on 11:00am, so we headed for World Showcase, with our first stop being the Puerto Rico booth. This is easily the nicest food booth at the Festival, with a nice area to relax.

Unfortunately, the food offerings I sampled didn't impress as much as the surroundings. The Ensalada de Corrucho, or Conch salad, was good, but the onion was overwhelming. The Carne Quisado, or slow braised beef, was rather dry.

Next, we got the griddled cheese at the Greece booth, which was not as good as in previous years, Barbie even stating she thought the cheese had a hint of "goateness," and, as she isn't a goat cheese fan, that was not a compliment.

Our next stop was the France booth, which had been absolutely jammed on the previous Saturday, and for good reason, the food here is terrific. The Escargot Tart, which was not as tasty as the old way it was served, in tiny little brioche, was still very good. The Boeuf Bourguignon and the Creme Brulee were excellent, among my favorite items at the Festival.

While enjoying these offerings,  around 11:45am we were texted our room was ready. We went to our room, both laid down, and both fell asleep!

We didn't head back to the park until after 2:00pm. We stopped at the Patagonia booth, which used to be Argentina. Last year, our perennial favorite, the Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce was dry, but this year it was back to it's former glory, and moved back to being a favorite.

 The Roasted Verlasso Salmon was very good, but a bit dry.

While eating at a table in a nice shady spot, we were joined by another couple who had the Grilled Lamb Chop from the Australia booth. As it looked really good, I walked over and picked one up for myself. Yep, it was as good as it looked. Sorry, the photo below doesn't do it justice.

By now, it was nearing 3:00, so we headed to the Craft Beer pavilion where we were meeting our friends Lisa and Raymond. For the first time this year, this pavilion is housed in the Odyssey Center.

I had a Wild Hare Pale Ale by Spoetzle, meh, a Rye Pale Ale by Terrapin, again, meh, and a Punkin Ale by Dogfish Head which is a favorite.

Lisa and Raymond got there around 3:45, and we could've spent hours talking, but they had to leave to get ready for the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.
 
We walked with them to the front of the park, as we had FastPasses for Spaceship Earth.

photo courtesy of Lisa

We then walked back to World Showcase, where we got the dessert trio from Desserts & Champagne.
Barbie's favorite was the Passion Fruit Coconut Creamsicle, mine was the Chocolate Expresso Opera Cake. We both thought the Blueberry Lime Cheesecake Roll was bland.

Next, I decided to give the Seared Sea Scallop at Scotland a try. Last year, their Salmon dish was a let down, and perhaps I wasn't the only one who felt that way, as it hasn't returned this year. I'm really glad I got the scallop, as it was one of the best selections at the Festival. Moist and tender, and the spinach-Cheddar Gratin and Crispy Bacon was amazing.

I was so impressed with this offering, I went and got another, and while I was there decided to try the Potato Pancake with Smoked Scottish Salmon, and it was almost as good! I paired this with Innis & Gunn Oak Aged Beer.

By now, I was feeling rather run down, so we headed back to the Boardwalk. I started watching Illuminations from our room, but headed to bed before it finished.

Links to the first 5 parts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5.