Our Hurricane Matthew Weekend : Part 3

By Nick

Part 1
Part 2

Saturday, 10/8/16

Up and out very early to meet up with my Disney Exchange Podcast co-host Lisa at the Magic Kingdom before rope drop at 8 am.

As our bus was pulling into the drop off area, I saw Lisa and her family walking along the path from the Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower, so I texted her and let her know I saw her. We walked up to security check at literally the same time and got photos in front of the train station.

After rope drop we went our separate ways, and Barbie and I headed back to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Jill and Zach met us back there and we got in the stand-by queue, which was immediately 30 minutes. They had never ridden it, so we decided to just go for it.

We went across the way from there to ride The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and ran into Lisa and her family again!

Next up was Pirates. On our way from there to the Haunted Mansion we stopped for a little snack.

As we exited the HM I got a text from our friend from England, Chloe, who we had met when she was a Cast Member on the International program at the United Kingdom Pavilion, and who has been featured in a few articles right here on Disney Musings!
Chloe and her boyfriend Josh had JUST gotten engaged! Congratulations again Chloe and Josh!

We took a stroll through Big Top Souvenirs before going over to Liberty Square to watch the The Muppets Present Great Moments in American History. The show was really well done, and features my favorite Muppet, Sam Eagle, along with Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie and Gonzo.

While watching the show, I got a text from my other Disney Exchange co-host, Dave telling me he and his daughter Dannielle had arrived at the Magic Kingdom. He'd come down to say hello and hit a few booths at Epcot's Food and Wine Festival, but stopped at the MK first to say hello and pick up gifts from Lisa and friend Dave Tupper.

We chatted for a bit before going our separate ways. The girls decided to do a little shopping while Zach and I stopped into Casey's for a snack, followed by a walk around Tomorrowland, and a ride on Space Mountain using our last MK FastPass, before heading to Disney's Hollywood Studios.

We walked through the shops to escape the heat, and then noticed a crowd gathering out front. We stepped outside just in time to see the beginning of the First Order Troopers march by. What made this even cooler was, as we were near the front of the park, we were able to then march behind the procession as it moved up Hollywood Blvd!

Afterwards we stopped into Keystone Clothiers to say hello to our long time friend Marilyn.

We had dinner at Disney's Hollywood Brown Derby, another excellent meal at one of my favorite restaurants anywhere.

The Great Movie Ride seemed like a great choice as a spot to digest, so we grabbed FastPasses via the My Disney Experience App, and took a stroll over.

This was followed by a walk through Star Wars Launch Bay, where a Jawa wanted to trade a light cube for my iPhone. I said no thanks, but was treated to a selfie...taken by the Jawa!

We had planned on meeting Dave and his daughter for the Star Wars : A Galactic Spectacular show, but they were tired so decided to leave early, and we were pretty beat as well, so also decided to skip it and called it a night.

Throwback Thursday : Our First Trip to Walt Disney World, Part 2

By Nick

Sun 9/17 2006

We were up early and took a walk around the beautiful lake at Coronado Springs before getting to Animal Kingdom for rope drop.

They had a wonderful opening show with the fab 5 at the time.

Lunch was at Tusker House, back when it was a counter service restaurant.

This was our first time at the AK, and we spent a good portion of the day there before heading to the Magic Kingdom.

After riding a few rides, we hopped the monorail to the Polynesian for dinner at O’hana.

Before the very tragic accident in 2009, guests were allowed to ride in the front.

Following a delicious dinner, we went back for a few more rides at the MK before calling it a night.

Mon 9/18

Rope drop at Epcot, and another opening show that is a distant memory.

Over to Mission Space, where my wife rode the green and I rode orange. Even the non spinning side made me ill, while the green side threw her hip out! Someone that was on with her was out in front of the ride visibly ill! Never again for either of us!

We took a boat over to MGM (yes, Disney's Hollywood Studios was still Disney MGM Studios in 2006) for dinner at The Hollywood Brown Derby, which until this day is my favorite restaurant in WDW.

Part 1 can be found here. Please stop back next Thursday for part 3.

Princess Half Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World; Part: 1

By Nick

Part 1 : Thursday, February 18th

My last trip to Walt Disney World may have been another trip without my wife, but I don't necessarily consider it solo, as I spent a lot of the time with friends and family.

I set out very early and right off the bat ran into a long time friend, Timmy, at the airport!

When I arrived at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Kidani Village, I was very happy to find my room ready. It was a standard view, but with a nice view of trees at least.

I unpacked my carry on bag, and then headed for Epcot, where my first stop was La Cava del Tequila followed by a ride on Gran Fiesta Tour.

This was followed by lunch at the Tangierine Cafe in the Morocco Pavilion.

I walked around World Showcase enjoying the absolutely gorgeous day before heading back to the room to change.

I was contacted by my wife's cousin Jill and her husband Zach, who were visiting at the same time! This was a happy coincidence. They were visiting to support their friend Amber, who was doing the Princess Half Marathon.

We met at Disney's Hollywood Studios and hit a few rides using our FastPasses, and got a photo with Kylo Ren at Star Wars Launch Bay, who I must say, is more intense and intimidating than Darth Vader!

 Amber and her husband Ryan arrived a little later, and we all were treated to an excellent dinner at The Hollywood Brown Derby by Zach. Thanks Zach!

 Amber, Ryan, Jill, Zach and me.

It was a great start to another great trip. 

Wine at Walt Disney World

I'm not a big wine person, preferring beer and Scotch, but Lisa knows her wine! This week on Saturday's With Lisa, she she shares some of her insight. Please note, Flying Fish is closing / is closed for a refurb. -Nick

By Lisa Green

Enjoying Wine at Walt Disney World

 
I love a glass (or two, sometimes) of good red wine.  I may occasionally enjoy a nice chilled glass of Chardonnay, but predominately I like Cabernet and prefer to enjoy a glass with dinner.  This is never more true than when I’m on vacation.  Raymond has similar taste in products from the vine, so when we eat at a Disney table service restaurant, we usually order a bottle to share.  I’ll add that it doesn’t go as far as it used to now that one of our offspring has reached the ripe old age of 24 (this week!) and has inherited her parents’ taste in wine.  (Happy Birthday, Megan!)  I suppose perhaps this is why we’ve only dined at Cinderella’s Royal Table one time.  I would have enjoyed the experience much more with a glass of wine!  No, I am not advocating a rule/menu change, just making an observation.  But (as usual) I digress.

Back to Wine!  Let me preface the rest of this post with a disclaimer – I am not a sommelier.  I’m not an expert or even a wine snob, really (except I do tend to steer clear of most pink wines) – I just have developed a love for a good, tasty wine – I’m thinking maybe all those lessons learned at wine tastings on Disney Cruise Line are taking hold.  I thought I’d discuss a few of the places we’ve found at Walt Disney World with especially good wine selections and ask you to comment with your suggestions on where else we should go for good vino!

Flying Fish Café – Just having eaten at this popular Boardwalk eatery in May for the first time, the memory of the delicious food and wine is fresh in my mind.  We loved absolutely everything about the Flying Fish – especially our waiter, Bob!  Should we have needed assistance with selecting a wine to enjoy with dinner, I’m confident Bob would have been more than up to the task of making an excellent recommendation.

Jiko at the Animal Kingdom Lodge – In general, we don’t drink a lot of African wines, so here we do rely on our server’s assistance.  Last time we ate at Jiko, we had a wine pairing for each course and this worked out very well for us.  Kudos to Jiko!  Always exceptional food and service – and excellent wine.

The Wave at Disney’s Contemporary Resort– Raymond and I have only eaten here once – we stopped in for a late lunch, sat at the bar, and let the bartender select a wine for us to enjoy with our Bison Burger – I don’t know which we loved more – the wine or the burger!  Both were top shelf.  If I’m not mistaken, the wine was a Bommarito Cab from Whitehall Lane Winery and Vineyards.  It was an exceptionally great late lunch at The Wave!  Afterwards, I remember Raymond headed off for a massage at the Contemporary’s spa and I, for the fist time ever, went to the Magic Kingdom by myself.  I can even remember wearing my classic Donald sweatshirt that day.

Tutto Gusto – Small plates, huge wine selection – that’s what you can expect in this cozy little corner of Epcot’s Italy Pavilion.  This may not be the place if you’re looking for a big meal, but it sure won’t disappoint you if you want a snack and a great glass of wine.

The Hollywood Brown Derby – The Derby has my vote for one of the coolest restaurants on Disney property for atmosphere – sweeps you away, far from its location smack dab in the middle of Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  The food is great and as far as the wine list, guests can select from “Old and New World wines from Italy, France, California, Australia and beyond” (as described on Disney’s website).  If you want a good meal and glass of wine in the Studios, this is the place.

Are you also a Walt Disney World wine lover?  What have I missed that I need to try?  We’re less than two months away from our next visit, so any and all suggestions will be most welcome!

This article was originally posted on Lisa's Living a Disney Life Blog.
She can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LivingaDisLife and on Twitter at @life_of_green

Please be sure to check out Lisa along with me and David Hodges on The Disney Exchange Podcast!