You just lost your job, where are you going next?! DISNEY WORLD About This Page:

[cubfancolleen]

OK, sorry! Still haven't been home long enough to work on adding pictures. I feel like a professional chauffer these days. I promise to work on adding photos in the next day or two - I know I always love TRs with pictures!!

But until I can do that, I am posting our next day at the World. Enjoy! Thanks to all who've said they like the report so far!

Saturday, January 29
We were all up around 7, and did get out the door pretty close to 8. First stop was Roaring Forks at the main lodge, as the kids decided they could NOT wait until our lunch ressies at 11:30 to eat. DD got sides of potatoes & bacon (she loves her meat!), and DS got a couple of biscuits. We paid out of pocket for those, as this was not a meal figured in to our plans.

Then it was off the bus stop to wait for the Epcot bus. We waited about 10 minutes I think, and then found that the bus was going to Fort Wilderness before going to Epcot. I was a bit surprised, as there were other buses solely for transport between FW & WL.

We arrived at Epcot just a hair past 9, and made a beeline for Soarin’. The wait was posted as 15 minutes, and since we’ve never gone through the regular line, we decided to get FPs for later, and ride now in the regular line. I guess because the line was still so short (we waited less than 10 minutes) none of the interactive things were up & running yet, so it was a little disappointing, as that was the part we wanted to check out. We got middle row, and were soon up flying over California. I LOVE this ride – no matter how many times I ride. It reminds me of everything I loved when living in California, and I love the smells they pipe in, the music, all of it!! Unfortunately, it made DH feel sick this time – most likely connected to this mystery ailment he seems to have. (he’s ridden MANY times before and never had a problem; had been told to avoid roller coasters this trip, but didn’t think this would be bad) So, that was a damper to some extent, as it brought home to us just how different this trip would be with him feeling the way he does.

We were able to walk right on to the next boat to go through Living with the Land, another favorite in our family. We love seeing those gardens, not sure why? Maybe because I have a black thumb, and the size of some of those fruits & vegetables just amazes me! How can they grow them that big, and looking that healthy?! Sadly, they didn’t have any Mickey-shaped items growing this time. While on the ride, we agreed that one of these days, we NEED to eat at Garden Grill!

From the Land, we went over to the Seas to visit our buddy Nemo. Our DD decided a few years ago that she just adores the Nemo & Friends ride. She even said this time she isn’t sure why she likes it, she just does! After that, we went to check out the various fish tanks, and then caught an informative session about the manatees. DD announced she thought we needed one for a pet! Not sure where we’d put one of those – have you seen the size of them?! The bigger one is over 1400 pounds!!! And I thought DS ate a lot!!

Our FP for Soarin’ was ripe, so we went back to ride one more time, this time just me and the kids. DH warmed a bench for someone. Just as good the second time – makes me want to plan a trip to Sequoia/King’s Canyon with the kids!

We made our way over to Test Track next, for the kids to ride. Now, I should mention, DS is NOT a lover of thrill rides – or so we’ve always thought. He won’t even ride Splash Mountain!! But on our last trip, a year ago, he tried Barnstormer and loved it. Yes, that Barnstormer. The one made for 4 year olds. He did realize how silly that was that here he was loving a kiddy ride. But it seemed to get him over some kind of block, and prior to this trip, he’d told DD that HE would ride the roller coasters with her (she’d been heartbroken to learn that her normal riding partner, her daddy, would not be able to ride). We kept warning DD that while we knew DS SAID he’d ride, when push came to shove, he just might not be able to bring himself to do it. OK, so Test Track. He’d ridden that before, years ago, once. Said never again. They went on, with DS looking a bit unsure. When we next saw the two of them, he was GRINNING ear to ear! HE LOVED IT! Wanted to ride again immediately! We convinced him to get a FP for later, which they did. They actually got 4, since we got one with each of our tickets, and neither DH or I were going to ride (I find TT really aggravates my back pain).

After a stop at the Cooling Station for some delicious Coke samples, it was time to head to World Showcase for our lunch ADR. We were eating at a new place for us, Via Napoli. This was under construction (behind the mystery wall) last year when we were at the World. I was excited to try it, as I’d read some good reviews here on the board. We arrived at 11:25, and had 11:30 reservations. Turns out, 11:30 is the first of the day, so they weren’t seating anyone yet. They took us right at 11:30. We’d been maybe the 3rd or 4th family to check in, but by the time they were seating, there was a good-sized crowd waiting. We were seated against the glass wall that opens on to the reception area, facing the ovens. I really enjoyed the décor there – especially those ovens!! Our server (can’t remember her name!) was outstanding – and of course DS thought she was gorgeous (which she was). We were on the DDP, and would be using 1 TS each for this meal. DD was now counted as an adult, since she turned 10 last March, and this was the first trip we’d done since her birthday, so she was initially a bit uncertain about ordering from the adult menu. To my surprise, she ordered the frutti di mare pasta – which I thought was the least kid-like thing on the menu!! She loves seafood, though, so when she saw it had shrimp, clams, and calamari, she was all for it! DH ordered the chicken pasta dish – rigatoni noodles, with chicken and peas in an alfredo-type sauce. Both thought the pasta dishes were outstanding, and I would agree (of course I had to taste them for credibility sake in my TR, right?!). DS & I decided we both wanted pizza, and agreed we’d get two individual ones that we’d both like, and then share 50/50. He ordered one with spicy Italian sausage, tomatoes, and mozzarella. I went a bit more daring and got one with artichoke, pecorino and mozzarella, and black truffle oil (Carciofi). OH. MY. GOSH. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. Where to even start on this? After my first bite, my first thought was “there is NO WAY I am sharing this with DS”. Of course his first thought was “I hope Mom hates this one” when he bit into the artichoke one. The Italian sausage pie was good, don’t get me wrong, but this was OUTSTANDING. Just the crusts on the pizzas there are amazing – but then the toppings work beautifully together. They are not applied with a heavy hand, and I think that’s part of what makes them so good. You can taste each individual element, as it isn’t buried in cheese (like American pizza). I would give anything to have another slice of that pizza……mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Oops, sorry! Got distracted!

For dessert, the kids both had gelato – DS had pistachio, DD had chocolate. DH didn’t want dessert (his appetite is zilch these days, too), so he said I should pick 2 things I wanted to try! Don’t have to tell me twice! I ordered tiramisu, and an order of the ricotta donut things (Zeppole di Catarina). The tiramisu was YUMMY, but I REALLY liked the donuts. They are served with a little tureen of chocolate sauce, as well as whipped cream. I didn’t use any whipped cream on them, and dipped just the littlest amount of chocolate on them. They were light and airy, and DELISH! DS loved the tiramisu, so he ate most of that, along with his gelato. (Why can’t we all have the metabolism of a 14 year old boy?!)

After lunch, we wandered around World Showcase for a while, and had a debate about whether or not DH should head back to the hotel for a nap. Our dinner ADRs were for 7:45, and then we were going to watch Illuminations, so I wasn’t sure he could keep up for that long. He decided that he’d try and did not head back to nap. In retrospect, probably a mistake.

The kids were anxious to get back on Test Track, so we made our way to that section of the park, and they rode, while DH & I did some shopping at Mouse Gears. We were excited to find two new Plutos (DD has the world’s largest collection) that they didn’t have last year. When DD finished riding, we brought her in to see them, and of course she bought them right away and we had them shipped back to the hotel. The one is like a pillow pet – a big Pluto that when un-velcroed is a big soft pillow with a Pluto head. The other is the best – it’s actually Mickey Mouse, wearing Pluto jammies! Pluto slippers, a Pluto nightcap, and a top that says Pluto. They also had a Minnie dressed up like Marie from the Aristocats. Adorable! DD had managed to spend her souvenir budget for the trip in one stop!

Back to World Showcase, we had to ride Maelstrom and the boats in Mexico. We had even more fun on Maelstrom than usual, having visited Norway over the summer on our DCL Baltic cruise! DS bought a cool woven leather bracelet in the shop in Norway.

The kids must have gone back to do Test Track, AGAIN, while DH & I walked on to Germany and the caramel shop. Again, OMG, when you open the door to that place, it’s like walking in to a wall of butter – the smell just smacks you! So yummy!! And SO overwhelming trying to pick something! We used 2 snack credits and got a milk chocolate dipped caramel, and a small bag of caramel corn. They packed the caramel corn right out of the pot – it was still warm. WOW is that GOOD! I was sorry I’d agreed to share with DH!! But glad we didn’t have to share with the kids.

We met back up with the kids, and watched the acrobat show at the China pavilion. It was a great show – I always enjoy it. This time there were 2 women doing some pretty phenomenal demonstrations of flexibility!

We had 7:45 ADRs at La Hacienda, and I was excited to try that restaurant too – it was another one hidden behind a construction fence last year. We checked in outside and received one of those little restaurant beeper gadgets. It buzzed around 7:55 I believe. This restaurant was fully booked for the evening – we saw many people turned away when they tried getting in without a reservation. We were so excited to get a table right against the windows! I’d selected this restaurant, and this time, so that we could watch Illuminations from inside the restaurant. We were glad about this, as it was pretty cold out that night – I think in the 40’s.

I had been planning for a margarita ALL DAY, so quickly placed my order for the Raspberry Lime margarita. I did think about getting the spicy one, but decided I wasn’t quite up for that tonight – I was feeling pretty tired by now (maybe going to bed at 1 am last night?). DH & I shared one of the platters for two – the La Hacienda. It had steak, chicken, and little baby chorizo, plus this wonderful spicy corn and grilled veggies. They serve rice and DELICIOUS black beans family style. DS ordered the arrachera (flank steak). DD decided she didn’t like the look of any of it (I’d hoped she might be convinced to get the shrimp tacos), and was not happy she couldn’t order from the kids’ menu. Our server said that she could, but that he’d have to charge us for an adult meal. I thought about saying I’d pay for hers out of pocket, but then realized having 1 TS credit to use up at some point was pretty useless for a party of 4. Fine, chicken nuggets it is, charged as an adult meal. (I really do wish you didn’t have to do the dining plan for everyone in your group – it would have made a lot more sense for us to get it for 3 of us, and then pay OOP for her) For dessert, three of us had the apple empanada – which is apples and caramel in pastry dough, with caramel over the top, and ice cream on the side. It was very good. DS had chocolate custard, which he thought was very good. I was actually too full to even take a taste!

Right at 9, the sound from Illuminations is piped in to the restaurant. We had a great view of the show from our table. I will say, that while I could hear the soundtrack perhaps even better than when we’ve watched outside, it did somehow take away from the experience a little to be watching through a window. But as I already mentioned, it was a lot warmer inside!! Once the show ended, we began to make our way to the buses. We arrived to a HUGE line – longer it seemed for WL than any of the other hotels. It wasn’t until the 3rd bus that we were able to get on. But I was glad that when we did get on, we were able to get seats, rather than standing, as we were all wiped out by now. It was at least 10 when we got on the bus. We were all exhausted, and quickly fell into bed when we got back to our room.

Next: Where is the boat?!