January 2015 Walt Disney World Trip Highlights : Part 1 of 4

By Nick

I thought rather than doing a daily trip report, I'd share highlights for each day of our most recent vacation.

We spent quite a bit of the trip with our friends Kandi and John, and their kids Jazzlyn and Grayson, and met several Disney friends throughout the week, which were certainly highlights, but I'm going to share daily high points as well.

Kandi, Grayson, John, Barbie, Jazzlyn, and me

Saturday - 1/10 

To start things off, we checked into the Boardwalk Villas, and within minutes, before even leaving the lobby, we were sent a text that our room was ready. And better yet, the room's view was fantastic!
I'm going to share the room number with you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone! 4007.

We could see Wishes, and we watched Illuminations each evening we were there, sometimes from bed!

 Wishes

Illuminations

At Disney's Hollywood Studios, we met Baymax and Hiro from Big Hero Six at The Magic of Disney Animation.

Also at DHS, we had lunch at Hollywood & Vine for the first time. This is character meal with Disney Junior pals. I'm not very familiar with the characters, but the food was terrific, and I'll feature a more in depth article in the future.

Me and Jake

To cap off the evening, I got to meet Dave Hodges one of my co-hosts on The Disney Exchange Podcast for the first time. We had a really good time hanging out, enjoying entertainment on the Boardwalk as well as grabbing a beer over in Epcot's France Pavilion.

Sunday - 1/11

I was awoken by the sound of loud music and fireworks (this isn't a highlight, just an observation) which was the start of the Walt Disney World Marathon, which our friend Kandi ran, and watching people run the marathon and cheering them on WAS a highlight! Congratulations to all our friends, and, well, everyone that participated.

Before our cheering our friend and other runners on, we had breakfast at the new Trattoria al Forno located on the Boardwalk, and it was really, really good. Barbie and I both had the same thing, the Waffle, with Espresso-Mascarpone Cream and Bacon.

And since I'm on the subject of food, (and, really, it isn't often that I'm NOT) I'm going to put dinner at Trail's End at Fort Wilderness on my highlights list as well. It's never disappointing!

Finally, we have Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Yes, I rode it for the first time back in October, but this was the first time I rode it at night, and it was so much more fun in the dark, when you don't see the twists and drops coming!

Oh, and my favorite seat is in the back!

Have you ridden Seven Dwarfs and what's your favorite seat?

December '14 Walt Disney World Trip Report: Part 6

By Nick

Thursday, December 11th

Off to Disney's Hollywood Studios for rope drop, but instead of rushing off to a ride, we went directly to Starring Rolls Cafe for breakfast, specifically, in Barbie's and my case, cupcakes.

Breakfast of champions.

Next up, a trip into The Twilight Zone, our friend Jill's first!

Front row, left, me, Barbie, Jill clutching Josh tightly with eyes shut.

Once was enough for Jill, but Barbie, Josh and I went on again, before heading to Toy Story Midway Mania followed by a visit with the Muppets.

We headed for lunch at Mama Melrose's.

Everything was very good, especially the appetizers.

We worked some of the very filling meal off by walking to the Boardwalk to see the holiday display.

We walked over to the Yacht and Beach club to check out their decorations as well.

The train display at the Yacht club:

Gingerbread carousel at The Beach Club:

We then took walk through the International Gateway to Epcot, and over to France for a snack at Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie, followed by a nap in Impressions de France.

It's a lovely film, and we see it almost every trip, but I was out almost immediately after sitting down.

We took a boat back to Disney's Hollywood Studios, and took a ride on the Great Movie Ride.

I took a Yuletide Cheer break before a really good, and fun dinner at 50's Prime Time Cafe.

The Einstok Doppelbock, while not as good as their white ale, was pretty tasty.

The Christmas decorations at 50s Prime Time:

We got very lucky in getting a great server named Nick. And I LOVE their Fried Chicken.

I'll have a full review of both lunch at Mama Melrose's and dinner at 50s Prime Time Cafe in the future.

For other parts of the Trip Report : Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5

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.

Traveling With an Old Friend to Walt Disney World

by Beth Skarp

I just returned from a trip to Walt Disney World. This trip, just my youngest sister and myself went. Due to medical reasons, the rest of the family could not join us (we had just returned from the World a mere three weeks prior). 

This trip we were to meet up with some Disney friends who are part of a special Disney Facebook group I belong to. This particular group came from overseas—mostly England—although I did manage to meet up with and enjoy some time with some local friends as well. Our meet-up was called the “British Invasion”. Many from the Facebook group wanted to be a part of the British Invasion, but for one reason or another they were unable to attend. Since this particular Disney Facebook group uses Jiminy Cricket as the Mascot, I figured I would take Jiminy along with me, and I'm so glad that I did!

First off, let me mention that Jiminy is a rather “rare” stuffed character. Several of the cast members I encountered commented that Jiminy had not been seen in the parks “for a good many years”. I can't begin to count the number of times I was approached and asked where in the “World” I got Jiminy. One guest even flashed me a one hundred dollar bill and asked if they could purchase my Jiminy right on the spot—dirty nose and scuffed up as he was. Sorry, Jiminy was not for sale. I have had Jiminy for many years and was unwilling to part with him.

I wanted Jiminy to do all the things that my fellow Disney Facebook group members would do, if they were with us. But I got to thinking. Jiminy was rather small. He could possibly do things that someone of my size could not. So, what sort of things could Jiminy do?

First off, Jiminy took a trip completely around World Showcase, visiting each and every land and posing with something or someone that would depict that particular Country. Since I love the Gran Marnier Orange Slushie from France—our group even has a “special” table we frequent all the time when we go—I figured we would begin our Jiminy Adventure here. I quickly learned that Jiminy loves the same drinks I do. How do I know this? Every time I tried to pose him, he would fall face first into my drink. I am sure Jiminy is not really a lush, but my sister and I got a laugh out of his doing this no matter what we tried. We quickly learned to keep the wet-wipes handy to clean his face.

Here are some pictures of Jiminy's Adventures Around World Showcase. He really had quite the Adventures.

 Jiminy, going through security at International Gateway.

 

With the Boat Captain who piloted us to International Gateway.

Notice how I had to "prop" Jiminy up here. This is after he fell face first into the first glass.

  

Getting a little bit artsy in France.

Stopping for a quick nibble in Morrocco.

Everyone has to try on the Fez hats....including Jiminy.

Hmmmm....I wonder if that kimono comes in a size small enough that I could wear. As a matter of fact, it does.

 

Wow, that fish pond in Japan looks really inviting. Have you ever taken the time to view the fish here?

Since I knew how much Nicholas Maglio loves beer, i wanted to capture this shot. I am curious....has anyone ever had any of these beers?

This wonderful Cast Member loved Jiminy and asked if she could pose with him outside of the American Adventure Gift Shop.

Jiminy enjoyed visiting the KidCot Centers as well. Here he is in Italy.

He also tried to "hide:" among the masks. He didn't really succeed.

I think Jiminy was still fun from France, or he would have enjoyed a stein of beer in Germany as well. He did enjoy getting cooled off from the fountain though.  

 
The FIFA Soccer games were going on. Jiminy wanted to show a bit of his soccer side as well.

On the pathway in the Outpost area, just before you get to the bridge.

 

 China.

 Rubbing Buddaha's belly for good luck.

Troll hunting in Norway.

Trying on the Viking hat.

  
A Jiminy sized Sombrero.

A Goofy sized hat.

 
My favorite shot actually. This cast member worked and worked to get Jiminy to hold still long enough for this picture. Just outside of Le Cellier in Canada.

Our final stop....Rose & Crown in United Kingdom.

Since Jiminy had a great time at World Showcase, we figured we would venture out and see what other mischief we could get into. Stayed tuned for the further adventures of Jiminy's Travels in the World.