Trip Report Another Jolly Holiday ~ JOY From the World ! *COMPLETED*

At the conclusion of my last trip report
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/a-jingle-bam-birthday-completed.922901/
I ended with To be continued....

Well, here's the continuation. Though to be fair, the trips were totally different and not connected in any way except they both included Me (yep, a humble one I am!) And for the second time in a year, I left WDW only to return a week later. I am very grateful that I can visit my favorite place as often as I do and am honored that y'all follow along.

I booked this trip on a bounce back offer while vacationing last year:
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/its-a-jolly-holiday-completed.909445/

And this year I may have booked a bounce back offer for December 2017. Okay, I did book. But my love/hate relationship with traveling in December and a few unknowns for the fall may cause me to cancel. Time will tell.

Ready to read about our latest adventures? There's DRAMA . And ELEVATOR COOKIES . And maybe even a RED CARD .

Dates: December 10-15, 2016
Resort: Disney's Wilderness Lodge (duh....it's Christmas!)
Cast: Tuvalu and Woody

Who's in?

 

[Tuvalu]

Hi Tuvalu
I have only been to Whispering Canyons once and it was a long time ago
I assume the Red and Green card is a way to state if you want to participate in the hijinks?
Do you know when this started? and obviously now it is not being used?

Thanks
Max

While I don't know when the Red and Green cards started, they were on our table in December 2015.

 

[PrincessL]

What store sells them? And how's the selection? When we were there in Spring '16, we were told only Downtown Disney sells them and we never made it there

 

[Tuvalu]

@PrincessL the store in the Imagination pavilion (at the exit of the Figment ride) sells tsum tsums in Epcot and the store in Town Square (at the exit of the Mickey meet and greet) sells them at MK.

 

[MinnieM123]

O.k. I've heard everything now: "elevator cookies"?!!

 

[TheMouseFan]

You're welcome! The food was very good. Perhaps we dined on an "off" night?

I'm guessing you must have. My brother just got back from a trip, and he said they had fantastic interaction with their waitress!

 

[Tuvalu]

I'm guessing you must have. My brother just got back from a trip, and he said they had fantastic interaction with their waitress!

Good to hear.

 

[PrincessL]

@PrincessL the store in the Imagination pavilion (at the exit of the Figment ride) sells tsum tsums in Epcot and the store in Town Square (at the exit of the Mickey meet and greet) sells them at MK.

Thanks for the info! My boys love tsum tsums! They're soooo darn cute...I may be just as obsessed with them

 

[Tuvalu]

Woody and I weren't in a hurry today. Correction ~ I wasn't in a hurry today. I am the hare and Woody is the tortoise and you know which one wins the race. The temptation of rides/attractions is a constant pull for me and it is hard to just "be". But the gorgeous sunshine highlighted the beauty of Woody's favorite park and I was determined not to rush through it. We strolled from the Land towards World Showcase.

We get a kick out of seeing how Topiary Goofy is repurposed each season.

A leaf-man?

From this angle the ToT is barely visible.

The colorful garland makes La Cantina so festive!

Ha! I spied a Photopass photographer.

Confession ~ I could not resist the pull of the Three Caballeros.

But it's such a quaint, relaxing boat ride!
(C'mon, you knew I'd have to see the interior of Mexico all aglow for Christmas again!)

 

[Tuvalu]

We stopped to listen to the storyteller in Norway. Oh that Julenissen is a mischievous gnome!

China and the African Outpost were both quiet so we passed them by.

 

[Zipadeelady]

Do you know if the storytellers stay out through New Years?

 

[Tuvalu]

We lingered in Germany. This Santa in the window caught our eye.

Note the rich, ornate details of his costume....even down to his shoes!

Santa was in the window here:

Karamell-Kuche might be the best-smelling shop in all World Showcase. If we are too full (or don't want to spoil our appetites), we avoid this place like the plague! So many yummy caramel treats. The CMs always seem extra friendly in here too ~ perhaps all that sugar makes them sweet?

I convinced Woody to go inside. His favorite Karamell-Kuche goody is only a couple bites and certainly would not ruin his appetite for lunch.

The caramel marshmallow roll.

Then we browsed in the adjacent gift store. Love the Nutcrackers!

The Pickle tree! Do you know the tale of the Christmas pickle?

At the base of this tree were containers of the most lovely (and very fragile) ornaments. I took pictures of them (rather than purchase) because they would never survive Poly and Kona's tree antics.

I really like the white hearts.

 

[Tuvalu]

Do you know if the storytellers stay out through New Years?

The storytellers are scheduled from November 24 through December 30, 2017.

 

[Tuvalu]

Last time we were in this spot, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs topiaries occupied it. Now it's Santa Mickey (heads!)

Stopping to watch the trains is a must-do. Notice the teeny-tiny wreaths.

 

[mlegerto]

Great TR Tuvalu! I've been reading your TR's for a while, but I think this is the first time I am commenting. Just wanted to share with you how much I enjoy them.

 

[Tuvalu]

Up next ~ Italy!

I was hoping to catch La Befana's performance....she's my favorite Epcot storyteller....but the timing didn't work out. In fact, our timing was off for the rest of the storytellers. The times are staggered and it is impossible to simply move from one country to the next to hear them all. Em and I made a concerted effort several years ago to experience each one and we needed two afternoons to do it. (It was totally worth it....we had great fun!)

Lunch was at @Doc Disney's beloved restaurant.

Our experiences at Via Napoli have been hit or miss. We've never had any complaints with the food (though we've also never been given a poorly-made pizza like @BuddyThomas) but the service is either really good or really BAD. How would it be today?

While the communal table is visually appealing, it is AWKWARD for a party of two. (Just ask @TrolleyFollower91!)

Thankfully Woody and I were seated at a table for 2.

Woody was in the mood for an appetizer and suggested the arancini. In a previous TR, I referred to Via Napoli's arancini as "little bites of heaven." (Ok, I'm not sure "bites" was the b-word I used, but the b-word which immediately came to mind seems a tad inappropriate ) Of course I agreed to partake!

Wait a minute...didn't there used to be three (b-word)?

In fact, I know there used to be three, as there was always one for Woody, one for Em and one for me. At first I was annoyed because the arancini cost the same as before. Then I realized that each b-word was now larger. And then I was annoyed again because the bigger ones did not taste as good as the smaller ones.

Too much risotto and not enough filling!

But our pizza was truly delish.

After all, it was baked in this:

We had an excellent server and waterboy. Overall, one and a half thumbs up for Via Napoli.

(Note to @amjt660 ~ the "Schweddy b-word" SNL skit also makes my top 5! )

 

[Tuvalu]

Great TR Tuvalu! I've been reading your TR's for a while, but I think this is the first time I am commenting. Just wanted to share with you how much I enjoy them.

Awww, thanks @mlegerto !

 

[Tuvalu]

The view as we left Italy:

I must have stopped taking pictures on the rest of our walk around the world. Guess I just wanted to "be."

However, we did pose in France for the Photopass guy.

Someone tried to be artsy.

Oh! Here's a pic of the teapot in the U.K.

(And a bird. If @bee had taken this picture, she would have made a gif from it....cause that fellow was walkin' fast!)

 

[Tuvalu]

Did we make the left turn back to Future World after completing the circuit? Nope! We had the very-hard-to-come-by "golden ticket" of all fastpasses ~ and we were NOT letting that go to waste!

(Yep, this is the end of the fastpasses line!)

Clearly the gal in front was having way more fun than we were!

(But then we weren't terrified like the little kids behind us!)

 

[Tuvalu]

Woody had a late afternoon teleconference to attend so it was time to make the long walk out of Epcot to the bus stop. It wasn't a leisurely romantic stroll since we were pressed for time. It had also become very warm outside and "Schweddy hands" are best left un-held.

We did not wait long for the bus and soon were back at the lodge. Our first destination was Roaring Fork for a couple of cold drinks.

Had the elevator been repaired? I'll let the picture speak for itself....

Yes, @MinnieM123 ~ these are elevator cookies!!!!!!!

 

[bee]

Someone tried to be artsy.

The photog was trying to get an angle that didn't include Woody's hat!

(And a bird. If @bee had taken this picture, she would have made a gif from it....cause that fellow was walkin' fast!)

Thanks for the fast bird shout out!