Day 3 – MK!

I had three firsts on this trip to Magic Kingdom!   We couldn’t get Fastpasses to the Mine Train which I had been on before so that was the first thing we did with no wait.  The ride was faster this time too! Then – two first time attractions for me!

1. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – This is hallowed ground of course and so I have always avoided it but I finally did it.  The “hopping” was neat.  The AC was appreciated.
2. Princess Fairytale Hall – to meet Anna and Elsa.   I was IMPRESSED. These are private staging areas that really make you feel special. I think they should have princes in there.

Then I went for a few tried and true attractions – Small World, Haunted Mansion, a stop for an Orange Swirl then onto my third new adventure!

3. Jingle Cruise – Absolutely did not disappoint.   The details make this amazing from the queue to the river.  Even if Santa is a tarantula.

Even though it was HOT I still couldn’t resist the call of the potato leek soup and quiche from Be Our Guest before heading back to Beach Club for some R&R for most of the afternoon.  Dinner was low key – Chefs de France mac & cheese.

We closed the night out with our first, and apparently last, visit to the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights!  (Double click to play movie)

Day 4 – 90 Degrees by 10am

It shouldn’t be this hot in November.   We started out at Cape May for Mickey Waffles and then went to EPCOT.   Walked all the way to Spaceship Earth and that was about all the heat I could take for the day.   We poked around in the Art of Disney store and meandered to the Living with the Land.  Then I called it and spent most of the day at the Beach Club cooling down!

For dinner we went to Jiko and unfortunately we were less impressed with the service this trip.   Took an hour for our dinner to be served.   At least the view before hand was nice.

My folks had driven to Jiko so we had them drop us off at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto!  This was our first time and we had so much fun!  We took home the Nautilus.

Day 5 – Making up for lost time

Since the day before wasn’t fit for any outdoor activity I spent this day of the trip making up for lost time.  We started out at Hollywood Studios – did you know about this Splash Statue?  It was a pleasant surprise to come across.  I wonder if it will last though all the renovations.

We visited One Man’s Story, Watto’s Grotto (where I bought a Star Wars scarf), Tower of Terror then on the way out stopped at Starring Roles Cafe for my favorite chocolate peanut butter cupcake for later.

Next up!  EPCOT Food and Wine for some snacks!   We went to Greece and had the Vegan Moussaka and Spanakopita followed by the Dole Whip with Rum from the Refreshment Port.  Then we went to Chew Lab to try the “Smoking Hibiscus“.  We checked out Captain Eo (and found out when we got home it would be our last time).

To stay cool we went to Nemo, Living Seas, and Spaceship Earth. 

The night ended at the Very Merry Christmas Party (a perk given to us by the hotel for a microwave malfunction that almost ended in a fire) where we rode Pirates, Splash Mountain, the Wedway People Mover and saw the “Holiday Wishes – Celebrate the Spirit of the Season” Fireworks.

My next post will talk about the last three days which include a big mistake and alcohol, the two of which are not actually related!

No better way to spend a snow day than to reminisce about my most recent Disney trip!  This was a seven day trip during a November heat wave and the last day of Food and Wine.   We stayed at the Beach Club Villas most nights with the exception of the Swan on night one.

Day 1 – Resort Hop

The new renovations at the Swan are very posh – I was so impressed I would actually stay there over the Beach Club Villas until they finally get their refurb.  Our arrival day was low key and didn’t involve any park visits.

Lunch – Beaches and Cream – We tried the new Beaches Veggie Burger – FINALLY a non frozen patty!  I don’t have pictures of it but its HUGE and definitely falls out of the tasty bun.   Get extra napkins.    Its worth the mess.

Evening – We went to the Polynesian and had a light dinner at Kona Cafe given the massive burger from earlier in the day.   We watched Wishes from the Poly Beach but it was crowded and we couldn’t hear the sound as well.   We did this more out of curiosity so I was glad I didn’t have any expectations.   Still, fireworks are awesome no matter what.

We were still full but how can you resist walking past the Pineapple Lanai and not get a Dole Whip? Much to our surprise – they give out free samples!  Its a few mouthfuls and satisfies the craving without overdoing it.

Day 2 – EPCOT

Before checking to the Beach Club we went to breakfast at Las Ventanas at Coronado Springs and it was one of  THE BEST breakfasts I’ve ever had at Disney.

After this breakfast and checking – in at Beach Club Villas we went to EPCOT to cool down.

France!

• Impressions de France – “PARIS, The City of Lights” (and sweet, sweet air conditioning)
• Shops (5)
• Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie

Morocco!

• Shops (4)
• Gallery of Arts and History  – This was my first time in this exhibit and its beautiful as evidenced by the gorgeous stain glass door and what lies inside is a bench for SITTING and the most glorious air conditioning you could ever want.   This will be my go to cool down hangout going forward.    A display with the history of the fez was also neat.

Japan!

• Bijutsu-kan Gallery – Featuring Kawaii (Japan’s Cute Culture) which I found terrifying.
• Taiko Drummers
• Pineapple Infused Sake from the Japan Food and Wine cart

This was the last country we visited.  We walked around the rest of the World Showcase and returned to Beach Club when our room was ready.  We got the view we wanted and spent the rest of the night relaxing at the resort.   I had a grilled cheese and fries from Hurricane Hanna’s because sometimes that’s just what you need.

In my next post I will write about all the other parks and the HEAT.

Edit March 9, 2015:   Didn’t make it to most places as the lure of table service at Germany and France was far too strong.    I included pictures from the places we did eat.

Making a quick trip to Disney and I’m once again excited about the food.  My last visit to this was 2013 and grazing the kitchens is fun.  My favorite was the one at Germany which I don’t see on the list yet – but if I get bummed – I’ll just go watch Captain Eo about it.

Items I am most looking forward to:

Botanas Botánico (between the France and Morocco) 

• Cachapas with Farmer’s Cheese
• Coconut Tres Leches

Urban Farm Eats

• Quinoa Vegetable “Naanwich” with Arugula Pesto and Oven-Dried Tomatoes

Pineapple Promenade

• Pineapple Soft Serve with Sammy’s Beach Bar Red Head Macadamia Nut Flavored Rum

Intermissions Cafe

• Vegan Trio (couscous, tabouleh, and hummus with pita)

France

• Gnocchi Parisien à la Provençal

China

• Vegetable Spring Roll
• South Sea Storm (Guava with Light and Dark Rum) – also a repeat from 2013

Morocco

• Mint Iced Tea (I wanted to try this in 2013 but never got to it) – Finally tried it – its basically cold Mint Medley.   I was hoping for the old Snapple Mint Iced Tea.  It was refreshing.  

I can really get into this.  There are certain restaurants in Disney where I know EXACTLY what I want to have and I can’t wait for it.   Luckily Be Our Guest is one of them when it comes to lunch.  I think the online ordering system is really neat.

I like that they aren’t super rigid with the offerings, and that you can still customize:

And pick your sides!

Ordering on the kiosks with all these options can definitely take some time – especially if you’ve ever been caught behind the family trying to customize their meal for 10 minutes, it can be frustrating – especially if you are hungry.  At the very least it can give someone some time in advance to think about their options.   I’m excited for this feature in this particular location!  And my Potato Leek Soup!

There’s been recent info about Disney leadership changes and I usually don’t pay much attention to these but this one caught my attention for a few reasons…

1. This one is related to the creative direction of EPCOT – something I think we can all agree needs some help.
2. The person taking over this position of “Creative Manager” is Imagineer, Tom Fitzgerald.  Or, you may know him as my BF from the 80’s as seen here:

     

I mean if the dude who coined the phrase “If you can dream it, you can do it.” can’t make it happen who can?

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

A few years ago we did the Pirate and Princess Party and had so much fun being in the park late at night with limited crowds.   Everyone tells me that the parade is the best part but I’m not big on parades so I spent the time on rides and they had no wait!

• Haunted Mansion – the incredible lighting and the actress on the lawn were amazing touches!

• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Thunder Mountain
• Happy HalloWishes Fireworks
• WEDWay People Mover
• Monstrous Scream-O-Ween Ball

There is so much to see at this event PLUS trick or treating with name brand candy!  The map shows all the locations where you can line up for candy.  Kinda funny to hear them blasting “Welcome to the Jungle” outside the Enchanted Tiki Room!

Days 6 & 7: EPCOT

So we all know the story.  EPCOT isn’t nearly as awesome as it used to be.  I know that, and I usually turn a blind eye to it and still have an incredible time.   That’s usually because I’m running around so frantically trying to get in as much as I can.  This time, I was able to have a relaxing trip – a stop and smell the roses kind of visit.  I was able to stand in Future World, look around, and honestly admit that its the pits.

• Ellen’s Energy Adventure?  45 minutes and a wait that included no shade in 90 degree weather.
• Empty Wonders of Life?  Its so hard to accept that this space has become the junk drawer of the park.
• Mission Space? 
• Journey into Imagination?  Its so lame that its almost creepy.
• Innoventions?  “The next show starts in 5 minutes.”

That’s A LOT of caca.  Knowing how great it all used to be to turn to what we have today breaks my heart.   You’ve all heard this before, this is nothing new.  I just had to get it out there.

Now that I’ve spit out my grumpies, let’s focus on the good stuff that’s there.  We spent a good deal of time at SeaBase in the Living Seas.  They had a lot of divers in the tanks and the dolphin training is really fun to watch!

Thursday (EPCOT)

• The Land – Sunshine Seasons (Breakfast)
• The Living Seas – SeaBase
• Captain Eo
• Fountain of Nations
• Fountain View – Peanut Brownie
• Base21 Lounge
• Spaceship Earth
• Gran Fiesta Tour – Mexico
• Food and Wine
• Nap Time!
• Beaches and Cream (Dinner)
• Rest of the evening was spent at the Not So Scary Halloween Party

Friday (EPCOT)

• Cape May Character (Breakfast)
• The Living Seas – Finding Nemo
• The Living Seas – SeaBase/Dolphin Training
• Malestrom
• Beach Club Solarium – It was FRIGID every time we walked through here but it was SO HOT on this last day we sat in here for over 30 minutes to cool down and that barely worked.  I will never complain about the temperature in here again.  I think it saved my life.