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

By Nick

Friday-1/16

Right off the bat, the biggest highlight after a couple of overcast days and a rainy previous evening, was the weather. It was on the cool side, but beautiful. We spent quite a bit of time in Epcot's World Showcase in the morning just taking photos.

We made our way to Mouse Gear in Future World where we were spotted by a Cast Member who remembered us from years earlier, Trinh, and we spent time just chatting.

Barbie was coming down with a cold, and I suggested that a shot of Tequila from La Cava del Tequila at the Mexico Pavilion would knock that right out. Makes sense right? To my surprise, she agreed! Barbie doesn't drink, so to see this was a highlight to me!

We made our way back to Future World to meet with our friends Kandi and John, along with their kids. A friend we met at Walt Disney World a few years ago, Kelly, saw us getting a PhotoPass pic, and came over to say hello.

This was just the first of many friend sightings/planned get togethers on this day, which Kandi  and John dubbed "Disney Musings Day."

We meet up with and spent a bit of time walking around and having lunch with Laurie and Angelo.

Right after Laurie, Angelo, and I got a few adult beverages at Rose and Crown, we happened to be in the right spot at exactly the right time to have a really incredible character encounter, which I will be recounting tomorrow, so please stop back!

 Heading back to Future World for Soarin' FastPasses, we ran into more friends, Beverly...

...and Barbara and Al!

Later, heading back to World Showcase for margaritas...

Me and Kandi

...Alan and Joe, Facebook friends, and fans of the blog (thank you again, you really don't know how much I appreciate it), saw us and took a selfie!

Joe, Alan, Barbie and me - Photo courtesy of Alan

We were also met by friends we met years ago on our Disney Cruise to Alaska, Marilyn and Peter, but it was dark, and I didn't take a photo, but, as always, it was wonderful seeing them!

Finally, on the way back to our room, I contacted a Facebook friend, Jennifer, who we had managed to miss on 2 previous trips, despite being fairly close, and met up on the Boardwalk. As a bonus, I got to meet another friend, Rene.' 

Rene,' Jennifer, and us

To everyone that we saw, thank you for making it a really wonderful day!

Saturday- 1/17

Our last day was another lovely one, and we started off in Disney's Hollywood Studios, where we saw the extended Cinderella preview, which was just terrific.

We took a slow walk over to Epcot, had Fish and Chips in the United Kingdom Pavilion, and just sat and enjoyed the weather, watching the boats go back and forth across the lagoon, which prompted us to do something we never really had done, which is actually take the boats back and forth across the lagoon!

We chose outdoor seats and rode back and forth on both boats taking pics of the World Showcase pavilions.

For dinner that evening, we ate at the newly opened Trattoria at Forno on the Boardwalk, enjoying a really fine meal!

Like so many of the highlights of the trip I've shared in Parts 1, 2 and 3, I will be posting a more in depth look at this experience in the future.

Do You Remember: When Figment Posed with Guests?

by: Nick

Somewhere, maybe in a box in the attic or garage, hopefully not lost along with so many other photos of Walt Disney World from the early to mid 90's, I have a photo of me with Dreamfinder and Figment in front of what was then simply the Journey Into Imagination pavilion in Epcot's Future World.
Dreamfinder has, sadly, been gone for a very long time. But as recently as November 2007 Figment still posed with guests.

Me and Figment. I'm looking at my wife, Figment is looking at the FastPass Photographer!

I haven't seen Figment since then, and, as there are those occasional rumors of Journey Into Imagination with Figment closing for good.

Me, Figment, and Barbie

I'm going to try and stay positive, and hope that Figment stays in some capacity at the park, and perhaps they will be improving rather than replacing the Imagination Pavilion. 

 

December '14 Walt Disney World Trip Report: Part 7

By Nick

Friday, December 12th 

Last day.
We brought our luggage to bag check and headed for the Magic Kingdom early, as we had an 810am Advanced Dining Reservation at the Crystal Palace.

On the way up Main Street we stopped for several PhotoPass photographers, as we were determined to get the most out of Memory Maker.

Jill, Josh, Tinker Bell, me, and Barbie

As we approached the hub, I saw a young man getting up from a kneel. He had just proposed! I had heard of many people doing and seeing this, but this was a first. All the people paying attention applauded and shouted congratulations. It was an awesome start to the day!

Note in the background, there was filming going on for the Disney Parks Frozen Christmas Celebration. I asked a cast member who was on stage, and they said they thought it was Ariana Grande. Interestingly, I watched the show on Christmas Day, and didn't notice this stage setup at all.

Breakfast at the Crystal Palace was not only delicious, but it is with the gang from the Hundred Acre Wood!

As I mentioned in Part 4, Jill really likes Tigger.

We made our way back down Main Street to the Town Square Theater to visit with Mickey Mouse.

We were a bit early, and the line for Tinker Bell was only a few minutes, so we were shrunk down to Tink size and brought to Pixie Hollow.

We then used our FastPass+ for Mickey, who asked if we were familiar with the Haunted Mansion and the Hitchhiking Ghosts, which we of course said we were. He then asked if we'd like to pose like them!

We spent the rest of the morning riding rides, and heading for Pirates through Liberty Square when we saw a queue for the Haunted Mansion! As the Mansion was supposed to be down for refurb during our entire stay, this was a very pleasant surprise, so we got in the reasonable 15 minute line.

Next, Pirates, followed by a Dole Whip Swirl.

This was my first try of a Dole Whip Swirl. I'd got Pineapple mixed with Vanilla at Barbie's request, as she thinks the straight up Dole Whip is too sweet. The swirl WAS better, and I'll only eat it that way going forward!

We decided to head back to the Wilderness Lodge for lunch at Roaring Forks, their counter service restaurant, and relax for a couple of hours before Magical Express was scheduled to take us to the airport.

We all dozed on and off by the fire. Finally it was time to say goodbye to the beautiful lodge.

Thank you for following along, and have a safe and Happy New Year!

If you missed past parts: 
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4- Part 5 - Part 6

Flea Market Find: EPCOT Center Ornament

By Nick

I bought this glass ball Epcot Center ornament from 1985 at the Columbus Flea Market a couple of years ago.

I am constantly on the lookout for reasonably priced Epcot ornaments on Ebay, but this is the first time I’ve found one at the flea market. And at a price that I couldn’t believe. More on that later.
First let’s take a look at the ornament.

Not the most colorful of ornaments, but I love the graphics, which depict the pavilions existing in Future World at that time.

Here we have, of course, Spaceship Earth with the Monorail going by.

As we turn the ball, we have the Journey Into Imagination…

… and next to that, the Universe of Energy.

Then, maybe the artist realized he was running out of room, so put The World of Motion, and my beloved, and much missed, Horizons, pretty much on top of each other. Next to that is The Land.

A terrific addition to my Epcot collection. And the cost? $.50!

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.