Episode 83 of The Disney Exchange - Epcot Food & Wine Festival Planning

By Nick 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download 

The Disney Exchange is Dave, Lisa and ,me, Nick! 083 The Disney Exchange- Epcot Food & Wine Festival Planning. 

Dave talks briefly about his weekend trip to Walt Disney World and we have some shout outs.

Listener Shendl posted that I was correct about something on Facebook, which doesn't sit well with my co-hosts. Shendl also had a good point concerning something discussed on last week's American Patriotism at Walt Disney World episode; there is a bald eagle at Animal Kingdom's Flights of Wonder show, and THAT is indeed pretty patriotic!

We gave some advise to listener Ken back on Episode 76 and he sent a really nice email thanking us! Thank YOU Ken, glad you had such a wonderful day, and your daughter is doing so well!

This week we share pre-trip planning tips, things we are looking forward to most, and touring suggestions for this year's Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.

The Wheel of Distiny topic: Favorite Scene from Spaceship Earth. It seems we may have covered that already, but somehow it made it's way back onto the wheel, so we just go with it.

Do you have a Wheel of Distiny topic you'd like us to discuss? A show idea? A Disney etiquette question? Have a question in general? Have an answer? Please drop us a line at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedisneyexchange
Twitter: https://twitter.com/disneyexchange
Or email us at: info@thedisneyexchange  
Thank you for listening to the Disney Exchange Podcast.

Walt Disney World Through The Eyes of a 19 Year Old College Student

By Rebeca Marshall 

I am beyond blessed to go to Walt Disney World all the time. My first time going, I was in 5th grade and my family and I visited the Magic Kingdom. From that moment on, I knew that Disney was a part of me.

Each time I visit a Disney Park, I always bring the essentials, like my camera, IPhone, backpack, and chargers. When I go to a Disney Park, I need to bring at least 4 chargers for my camera otherwise I end up with a dead battery…and that’s no fun. I love taking photos of basically everything when I go. It’s more for memory and sharing them with friends and family. I just love it.  I love Magic Kingdom (and no it’s not just for little kids) because I really love the rides. Yes, I admit that I actually like riding Peter Pan’s Flight and The Many Adventure’s Of Winnie The Pooh…don’t be fooled by the names of those rides, adults enjoy them, too!

Every time I go to Epcot, I have to take a photo of Spaceship Earth. Basically, every time I walk in, I take out my camera and snap away. If I am lucky, sometimes I even get the monorail in there. Walking around Epcot, I usually like to head over to the France Pavilion first and take photos. That’s because it’s my favorite out of all the countries. And while you are in France, make sure you check out the delicious desserts at the Boulangerie!

Let me just start off by saying that Hollywood Studios is my absolute favorite Disney park! I love the classic Hollywood feel and the vintage charm. I love taking photos of the detail and architecture that this place has. It’s truly amazing. Make sure you slow down a moment to notice the wonderful buildings. My absolute favorite thing to do here, besides take amazing photos, is riding The Great Movie Ride which is located in the Chinese Theatre. Be sure to check out the famous footprints in front! Once again, I love the old classic Hollywood feel.

Alright, I have to admit that Animal Kingdom really isn’t on my list of places to really go to. I mean yes, the animals are neat to see, but there isn’t really a lot to do there that I enjoy. I don’t see the live shows, but you might like them…I really only ride Expedition Everest. And to me, it’s a confusing park to navigate through. Everything is so spread out. Yes, if you like animals, it’s the place to be, but from my perspective it’s not on the top of my list of things to do.

Clearly, Walt Disney World has much to offer. And as many times as I’ve been there, I always discover something new. So, the next time you go, keep your eyes opened, you never know what you’ll find.

Disney Worldless Wednesday: The (Spaceship) Earth and the Moon

Photos Nick

Wordless Wednesday: My Favorite Ride in Each of Walt Disney World's 4 Parks

By Nick

Pewter Spaceship Earth Bell and Figment Figure

By Nick

I picked these two pewter pieces up in the early 90′s.

I love Spaceship Earth, so I had to have this for one very good reason, I imagine.
It was affordable.

..

No indication as to where it was made.



Of course, regular blog readers will know why I bought this pewter Figment. Love.

.

Beautiful detail.



Again, no indication where it’s from, just that it’s for the Walt Disney Co.

McDonalds 100 Years of Magic Disney Glass Set

by Nick

In 2001-2002, Disney celebrated what would have been Walt Disney's 100th birthday with the 100 Years of Magic Celebration.

McDonald's released this glassy, er, classy, set of glasses to commemorate this occasion.

Each of the four glasses featured a park icon, with movie and character trivia, and even a quote from Walt!

This first glass features Spaceship Earth.
Park Trivia: EPCOT originally stood for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow
The Walt Disney quote: "Today we are shapers of the world of tomorrow."


Movie Trivia: Buzz Lightyear said "To Infinity and Beyond" only 2 times in "Toy Story"


Character trivia: Belle is the French word for beauty.


The inside bottom of the glass.


This glass displays Cinderella Castle.
Park trivia: Tinker Bell starts the fireworks nightly at the Magic Kingdom.
The Walt Disney quote: "Fantasy...lies beyond the reach of time."


Pinocchio had to be "brave, truthful and unselfish" to become a real boy.


Dumbo's real name was actually "Jumbo Jr.".

Bambi was taught that "twitterpated" meant falling in love.


Park Trivia for this next glass: There are 325 animal carvings on The Tree of Life at Disney's Animal Kingdom
The Walt Disney quote: "...nature herself writes the most interesting stories"


Goofy-first known as "Dippy Dawg"-stars in "Mickey's Jammin' Jungle" Parade.


"Simba" is the Swahili word for "lion".


The outside bottom of the glass.


Mickey's Sorcerer Hat at the Disney Studios is 122 ft. tall.


"Kiss Me" were the only words ever spoken by Pluto.
Donald's middle name is "Fauntleroy."


"...it was all started by a mouse." Walt Disney



Happy New Year, and here's to the next 100 years of Disney Magic!

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.