The Disney Exchange -Episode 006 - Epcot's World Showcase

by Nick


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-The Disney Exchange is Lisa Green, David Hodges, and me, Nicholas Maglio

-Main Topic- Epcot's World Showcase, country by country.

-Dave asks what direction we generally start in, as this is a personal preference for most, and I respond it doesn't really matter which way we go, but generally it's Mexico. Dave always goes towards Canada. Lisa once again agrees with me, stating that it changes for her and her family.

-We then start our tour in Mexico, since I am the one who made the list and not Dave, who would've started us off in Canada.

-Mexico : We all like the Gran Fiesta Tour, as well as the overall atmosphere of the pavilion.
I talk about my love of La Cava del Tequila and that my wife and I have eaten at all the restaurants, my favorite being La Hacienda de San Angel. 

Nick and Barbie

-Norway : Dave likes some of the offerings Kringla Bakeri og Kafe, particularly the School Bread, but is not a fan of the shop Puffin's Roost due to the overwhelming scent of the perfume, Laila. (Fans of Laila please direct all hate mail to David Hodges). I say how I enjoy the Bakeri, as well as walking through Puffin's Roost, and talk about the very good Princess Storybook Lunch we had at Akershus.

Lisa tells about her families Viking hat tradition.

Photo: courtesy of Lisa Green

-China : I confess I've never eaten at the restaurants here but like the Chinese BBQ Pork Buns from the Joy of Tea stand. Dave has eaten at The Lotus Blossom Cafe, and found it simply adequate. We all enjoy the acrobats. Lisa likes the shop.

-Germany : Lisa confesses she has never eaten at Biergarten, but has enjoyed Sommerfest, their quick service eatery, as well as the occasional adult beverage, particularly the Schofferhoffer Grapefruit beer. Dave has an even more shocking confession; he has only ever gone into Karamel Kuche, and isn't a German food fan. (German food fans address all hate mail to David Hodges).

I profess my love of Biergarten, and the entire pavilion in general.

-Italy : Dave doesn't want to pay $90 for a pizza, but does like to walk through. It should come as no surprise that I love all the restaurants in the pavilion. Lisa really enjoys it as she has visited Italy, and tells of a favorite New Years Eve memory at Tutto Italia, and how this pavilion will always have a special place in her heart.

-American Adventure : USA, what's not to love? The show gets me every time. Lisa loves Voices of Liberty and feels this is the best thing of the pavilion, and fears losing it in this era of changes in entertainment in World Showcase. Dave says that the burger at Liberty Inn was very good.

-Japan : One of Lisa's favorite places is the Mitsukoshi Department Store, and especially likes seeing her son in the snack area. I mention I have never eaten at Teppan Edo, but thought Tokyo Dining was just okay. (Fans of Tokyo Dining direct hate mail to Lisa Green). Dave talks of spending time in Japan in the military and how his wife has retained her knowledge of the language and he also spends considerable time in Mitsukoshi, and has a good warning pertaining to candy purchases. He also tells of eating at the Katsura Grill, their quick service. He also gives discount tips on the eateries and stores.

 Photo: Lisa Green

-Morocco : Dave and Lisa tell of the only things they have had in the pavilion. Dave gets the Sultan's Colada, while Lisa warns us to NOT order the Casa Blanca beer. Lisa's husband Raymond gets coffee each trip, while Lisa and the kids peruse the shops. I tell of eating at all the restaurants, and that I was not a fan of Spice Road Table. 

-France : I have gotten Dave hooked on 1664 Blanc, which I introduced him to when my wife and I met him last month.

 me and Dave

I proceed to thoroughly murder the French language, and walk through the places and foods I've enjoyed. Dave, wisely, doesn't even try to pronounce Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie, and describes his meal there. Lisa tells about her food and wine pairing at Monsieur Paul's and free flowing wine. We all agree it's a lovely pavilion, and that if you can score a seat it is a lovely place to relax. 

-The United Kingdom : Lisa shares her love of the Single Malt Scotch Flight at the Rose and Crown Pub, and Lisa and I agree we love the Fish and Chips at the Yorkshire County Fish and Chips shop. 

I tell why I've never eaten at Rose and Crown, and my love of Shandys from the Pub.

I also mention the great shops and wonderful Cast Members we've met there.
Dave stops in The Tea Caddy each visit and of a free tour which I had not heard of previously. He also brings up the British Revolutionm, which we all agree is a very good band, and that he had a very good meal at Rose and Crown.

-Canada : Dave talks about motion sickness issues with the film O Canada, as well as a certain Lumberjack show I'm not even going to mention, as well as the fact he has not ever eaten at Le Cellier! Lisa goes to Canada for the film, Le Cellier, the general surroundings, and their Food and Wine offerings. I mention I felt our last Le Cellier visit was mediocre. (Okay Le Cellier fans send all hate mail to me.)

-This weeks Wheel of Distany topic is our Favorite Places to Watch Illuminations. 
(Please note, I get insulted as I am a Diva, and throw down my headset and storm off, and my headset has issues after I eventually return. I apologize for the noises, but shall never apologize for being a Diva!) Lisa's favorite spot is from the FastPass viewing area. Dave sees it as he's leaving Epcot and that he is not a huge fan of Illuminations-hatemail to Dave, etc. etc. My favorite spot, if not from a room at the Boardwalk, is from La Hacienda de San Angel.

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Holiday Storytellers Around Epcot's World Showcase

by Nick

I love Santa Claus. Always have, I am, after all, named after the Saint himself.

I also enjoy hearing and reading about the various gift givers that different cultures have.
One of my very favorite things about the Holiday Around the World at Epcot is the storytellers that several of the countries have.

My wife, friends, and I caught as many of the offerings as possible on our recent trip, and I've shared a brief look in my trip reports, but I thought it appropriate to share a more in depth look at them on this Christmas Day.

Heading around to the right of World Showcase, we'll start with Father Christmas, who can be found in the United Kingdom.

Each pavilion's storyteller has a scroll describing customs and traditions from that country, and you can find appearance times in park guides.

Father Christmas shares a few of the traditions that started in the UK, such as the sending of Christmas Cards in 1843, and the hanging of mistletoe which dates back to the Druidic ceremonies of the Winter Solstice. 

Many storytellers also pose for photos with guests.

 

Left to right: Barbie, Nick, Father Christmas, Jill, Nicole, and Josh

Moving on to France, we find Père Noël, who delivers gifts to children on Christmas Eve.

He tells of the importance of the Creche, or Nativity Scene. Traditionally, candles are lit around the Creche, or a special Yule Log is burned on the fire.
He continues telling us of le reveillon, a feast after Midnight Mass, and how children set our shoes around the Christmas tree in anticipation of a visit from le Père Noël.

Continuing on to Japan, we learn about O-Shogatsu, the Japanese New Year. lasting from January 1st through the 3rd. An important symbol of the New Year is the Daruma Doll. There are no pupils in the Darumas eyes. The tradition is to make a wish, and paint a pupil in the left eye. If the wish comes true, you paint in the right pupil.

We'll come back to The American Adventure later. Our next stop for now will be Italy.
To me, the most heart wrenching tale of a gift bringer is that of the kind-hearted witch La Befana who arrives on the eve of the Epiphany, January 5th, to grant gifts to good children.

As her story goes, the Three Wise Men visited Befana at her home and asked if she knew where to find the baby Jesus. She did not, but offered them shelter for the night. The magi invited her to join them on the journey to find the baby Jesus, but she declined. Later, La Befana had a change of heart, and tried to search out the astrologers and Jesus. That night she was not able to find them, so to this day, La Befana is searching for the little baby. -sniff- This story gets me every time I hear it.

In Germany, we meet Helga, who teaches us how to say Merry Christmas in German. She explains how many Christmas traditions such as the advent calender and Christmas trees began in Germany. She also tells us of her first nutcracker.

Norway has, in my opinion, one of the most entertaining gift givers, Julenissen, the Christmas Gnome.

But before we meet him, we meet Sigrid, who cannot see Julenissen, only we, the audience can at first.

While we learn of the traditions of Christmas in farm communities in Norway, Julenissen gets up to mischief, and plays tricks on poor Sigrid, with the help of the audience, until, in the end, he reveals himself to her.

Back to The American Adventure, where Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are represented, both of which we never did get to see this trip.

Here, you won't hear a story from Santa, but instead, get to sit on his knee, and tell him what you'd like for Christmas. He is joined by Mrs. Claus.

Did we get our photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus? Of course!
In fact, Barbie made the dress she is wearing for just this occasion!

Regardless of how you celebrate, we wish you a happy and safe holiday, and Merry Christmas!

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.