Trip Report COMPLETED: Ex-Floridians take on Walt Disney World during summer

bee · Jul 25, 2015

Day 5: Monday, cont.

We decided next to do a little resort hopping. We stopped at the Polynesian for a Dole Whip. We were going to visit the CR and GF also but with all the Monorail problems we had witnessed and experienced we decided to stick with just one. From the Poly we took a bus right to Epcot even though we weren't planning on going to Epcot that day (remember, we can't stay away from our favorite park!).

Dole whip!

Poly lobby looking better than I remembered from last time. Still miss the giant water feature, though.

Our first stop in Epcot was the good ol' Vegetable Boat Ride. M heard another family call it the "Alligator Boat Ride" at some point. I like their name too.

Sunflowers coming along nicely!

Stanley! If you've been on the Behind the Seeds Tour you'll know Stanley.

Look at that blue sky!

Afterward we were hungry so we went back to Tutto Gusto for more wine and appetizers. We shared a quartino of a Rosé as well as one of the Gusto Plates for two called La Campagnola. The plate included marinated artichokes, giant tri-color olives, and tomato bruschetta. Side note: there is no "sh" sound in "bruschetta." The "ch" functions as a "k" sound in Italian. The Italian servers must cringe when they hear Americans call it "bru-SHET-uh" when it is "bru-SKET-ta." Sorry for the diction rant. All three selections were delicious; if I had to pick a favorite I would pick the artichokes but everything was great! The wine was good too! It was refreshing and fruity but dry. I think we have found a new traditional lunch/wine/snack spot!

WINE

La Campagnola appetizer trio

Did I enjoy the meal: Yes!

Will I be back: Absolutely!

Since we had FPs at DHS beginning at 6:05 at it was close to 5:00 we started walking toward the boat dock. We didn't have to wait long to board and soon we were on our way.

Pretty flowers waiting for the boat

Ok. This was the hottest boat ride EVER. It felt like there was no ventilation whatsoever and even the murky waters we were sailing on were starting to look inviting. When we finally got off 25 minutes later I was so hot that I NEEDED a margarita from High Octane Refreshments, naturally. I picked the Grand Margarita on the rocks and it was EXACTLY what I wanted.

Margarita. Mmmmmmm

Did I enjoy the drink: Yes!

Will I be back: Sure, if I'm in that part of the park

I also checked in for our flight on my phone and soon it was time for our FP+ for For the First Time in Forever. I don't really get the point of getting a FP for this show since you don't get a special entrance or anything like at Festival of the Lion King and instead just kind of cram in like everyone else. But maybe that's beside the point. We ended up near the middle of our row and had a great view. I was surprised at how much I liked this show. I was afraid there would be lots of bad lip syncing but there was hardly any at all until the end and it totally worked! The Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff actors were so in character, and I was especially amazed by how well the Elsa's speaking voice matched movie Elsa's speaking voice.

Waiting for Frozen!

Let it...soap?

When the Frozen show was over it was almost time for our Rock 'n' Roller FastPass. I didn't remember much about this ride other than I liked it when I rode it before. It was definitely fun but seemed short. Most importantly, though, I did not hurt myself like I did on Everest!

Told you I have to take photos of Snow White stuff!

The New York set area. Hahaha.

Next we had a FP for Star Tours. We were surprised to see that the plot of the ride was different this time! This time we went to Kashyyyk and I liked this version better. Does anyone know how many versions there are and how they are determined? Like is vehicle F always the same and is it always different from vehicle E, for example?

It was still hot and we were tired despite sleeping in that morning, so instead of staying for EMH until midnight like we'd originally planned we headed back to the resort.

On the way out

We were both a bit hungry so we shared a plate of nachos (minus the meat!) from Pepper Market. These may have been the best nachos I've had at Disney ever! Then we really wanted dessert so we shared a Chocolate Ganache Cupcake from Cafe Rix. Yum!

Nachos!

It was tough to choose between these two, but in the end we went with Chocolate Ganache.

Bagels from the Bronx. I'm sure they taste GREAT after being shipped to Florida in that plastic bag.

Did I enjoy the meal: Yes

Will I be back: Sure, if I stay at Coronado again and want some delicious nachos!

We headed back to the room to pack for our departure the next day. ):

El Centro and Casitas at night

Cabanas at night

Next up: Our last day ):

bee · Jul 26, 2015

Day 6: Tuesday

We got up around 6:30 to finish packing and leave all our bags with Bell Services since we wouldn't be back until hours after checkout time. We made it to Epcot in time for the beginning of EMH! After the entrance we could see the hoard divide into two smaller hoards: the Soarin' hoard to the right and the Test Track hoard to the left. Since we had a FP for Soarin' for later in the morning we went to the left. The ride was just opening and the standby line already had a 30 minute wait posted. The single rider line, however, said 0 minutes so we took the risk. When we got to the loading area there was literally no one there (besides CMs) because the TT hoard hadn't finished walking through the queue to get to the front. So for the first time ever, we got to ride in the same car despite having gone through the single rider line! And it was just us in the car, with no one in the cars in front of or behind us!

Empty cars in front of us! Empty cars behind us!

We wanted to go to Les Halles for breakfast but since it wasn't yet 9:00 we had to wait for that part of WS to open. So we decided to try out the orange level of Mission: Space. This may have been a mistake! I don't remember the launch being so intense! It was still fun though!

Mission: Space ORANGE LEVEL!!!

We stopped to watch the ducks on the way to the bridge into France and also stopped in the gift shop by the International Gateway to wait in AC until 9:00.

Duckies bobbing

The CM guarding the bridge said we couldn't get in right at 9:00 because she hadn't received the okay to take down the ropes. We got in shortly, though, and headed right to Les Halles. We each had a Quiche Florentine and shared a Pain au chocolat. Do two breakfast visits make it a tradition? If not, we'll be back for a third and certainly that will make it a tradition!

Did I enjoy the meal: Yes!

Will I be back: Yes! It's a tradition now!

I sure could go for a quiche and some chocolate bread NOW...

Next up we had FPs for Journey into Imagination with Figment. This was only my second time on the ride. It was silly but I don't care. I wish I could have ridden the first version of this ride because I've heard it was way better! Also, it's sad how old the "cutting edge" technology in the post-show area is.

Too bad we don't go in the Taste Lab!

We wanted to ride the Nemo ride but it was down earlier in the morning and by the time it was working again there was a huge, slow-moving line so we decided it wasn't worth it. Soon it was time for our FastPass for Spaceship Earth. Once again we made the most ridiculous faces we could manage for the photo and were not disappointed by our "future" at the end of the ride.

We had some time before our next FP (Soarin') so we stopped at Club Cool. I still miss the watermelon soda from China! My favorite now is VegitaBeta from Japan and my second favorite, believe it or not, is Beverly. I actually like the bitterness. By the way, I just learned that Beverly has been discontinued in Italy. So are they still making it but only for Club Cool and the Coke museums in Atlanta and Vegas now? Does Coca Cola just have huge vats of old Beverly syrup lying around that they have to use up for Club Cool and the museums?

Club Cool

Anyway, after Club Cool we still had time before Soarin' so we rode the Vegetable Boat Ride/Alligator Boat Ride for the last time of our trip. There was actually a wait this time! We didn't mind and it meant more people were enjoying one of our favorite rides!

Look at those sunflowers! I love how every trip on this boat is a little different.

CMs planting lettuces

We saw way more CMs out in the greenhouse on this trip that I ever remember from before

Then we rode Soarin' for the last time on our trip. The posted wait for the standby line was 125 minutes! ACK!

Waiting to soar one last time...

Originally we didn't have a lunch reservation for our last day but the day before snagged a reservation for Via Napoli, an old favorite. The last two times we ate there we shared a large pizza and it was WAAAAAAY too much food for the two of us. We made a pact not to let our eyes be bigger than our stomachs and just share one individual pizza. We were seated quickly and started with the Italian Craft Beer Flight. We tried the Moretti La Rossa, Moretti Lager, and unfortunately I don't remember what the seasonal selection was but it was delicious! M's favorite was La Rossa and mine was (Whatever the one was called that I can't remember!) Side note: If anyone does know what that beer was please let me know! It's the slightly darker red beer on the left in the photo (it looked redder in real life). Other side note: I've never really been into beer but apparently I'm a fan of Italian craft beer. On every trip to Epcot as of late it seems I discover my love for a new alcoholic beverage. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, haha!

Birra flight

We decided to share the Insalata del Contadino and individual size (yes, we succeeded in ordering the appropriate size!) Broccolini Pizza. Both were exceptional and, in my opinion, a great value. The service was excellent as well. Our water glasses were being constantly refilled and everything came out quickly.

Contadino

This size was just right!

Did I enjoy the meal: Yes!

Will I be back: Yes. We like to try new restaurants (and we tried plenty on this trip!) but I won't say no to an old favorite!

After the meal we realized it was raining pretty hard. We waited out the worst of the storm inside then headed to Mexico, where I absolutely NEEDED a frozen classic margarita before we left. It's tradition!

Rain

Margarita

Did I enjoy the drink: Yes

Will I be back: Of course! It's tradition!

It was getting close to 2:00 and our DME departure was scheduled for 3:15 so we headed back out of the park. On the way out I realized I had forgotten something: I had never, ever had a Mickey Bar and it was on my mental must-do list for the trip! Luckily we were very close to an ice cream kiosk! I did not expect the bar to be as good as it was! The chocolate coating was much thicker than your standard grocery store boxed ice cream bar and now I have a new tradition! EXCLAMATION POINTS!

MICKEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYY

Did I enjoy the snack: YES!!!!

Will I be back: YES! EVERY TRIP MICKEY BARS MUST HAPPEN!!!!!

It seemed like we waited a very long time for the Coronado bus to arrive at Epcot because it was so hot and humid, but it was actually only eleven minutes. We had plenty of time for some more tea in the Rapid Refill Mug before we had to pick up our luggage from Bell Services. Our Tragical Express bus arrived a bit early with only a few passengers on it from a previous pickup and we didn't have to stop anywhere else on the way to MCO.

When we arrived we printed our boarding passing and checked our bags. Our flight was delayed by about 15 minutes so we would have a tight connection in Nashville. Luckily (sort of???) the flight from Nashville to Newark was delayed also so we didn't have to rush. We had some sandwiches for dinner at the airport (no photos, sorry!) and boarded one uneventful flight after the other.

Waiting for security

We are going back in time??

By the time we got off the second plane, collected our luggage (no Magical Express luggage delivery for the return flight sadly!), and took an Uber home it was after 1:00am. We were exhausted! All in all we were away from home for two weeks, between the visit to Wisconsin and our Disney vacation. There is nothing like your own mattress and your own pillow after traveling!

Next up: Final thoughts

Allym146 · Jul 26, 2015

b33b33 said:
Day 1: Thursday, cont.

Bonus: Biergarten bathroom

Next up: First FastPass+ of the trip and my FastPass+ rants

Oh no! I am very well aquianted with the bathrooms there unfortunately hahah. Great trip report, off to read more!

12in12 · Jul 27, 2015

I did Mission Space Orange once, NEVER EVER AGAIN! I am glad your trip home was uneventful this time but I am sad your trip is over as I really enjoy reading your TR. I am very impatiently waiting for my trip and fill my time reading about WDW.

bee · Jul 27, 2015

Allym146 said:
Oh no! I am very well aquianted with the bathrooms there unfortunately hahah. Great trip report, off to read more!

Oh my! It sounds to me like there's a story there...

RedNoseMickey said:
I did Mission Space Orange once, NEVER EVER AGAIN! I am glad your trip home was uneventful this time but I am sad your trip is over as I really enjoy reading your TR. I am very impatiently waiting for my trip and fill my time reading about WDW.

The funny thing is I rode Orange all the time when it first opened and the ride was all "orange" without being called that and it never bothered me. And I've ridden Orange at least once on almost every trip. I guess I'm too old now lol.

bee · Jul 27, 2015

Final thoughts

Summer is hot. Summer in Florida is extra hot. Summer at Walt Disney World is super hot and super crowded. We thought that 18 (me) and 25 (M) years living in Florida would have prepared us but they did not. And that's okay because we went when we had time and had an absolutely blast! We will hopefully not go back during summer but we don't regret it at all!
FastPass+ is a mess. It's frustrating for Disney veterans and confusing for Disney n00bs. The fact that you HAVE to do some things on the app and HAVE to do some things at the kiosk, yet CAN'T do certain things on the app and CAN'T do certain things at the kiosk, is really annoying. I can only hope that TDO keeps making improvements to the system. (And I received links to three different surveys about the trip and voiced my complaints and concerns on all of them!)
On the next big trip I will both plan less (as in to keep it more spontaneous) and plan to do less (as in plan more downtime). Out of seven or eight planned EMH times we only ended up doing three of them, two at Epcot.
Our favorite park has always been, will always be Epcot! (Did you catch my Maelstrom reference there??) We decided that on the next trip we want to plan the last two or so days to just be at Epcot. Park hopping is fun but we get bored quickly at the other parks. We can spend entire days at Epcot, however, and keep finding new things to do and see!
Some people call Magic Kingdom a one day park. Some call it a two day park. I now call it a multiple half (or less) day park. While it has some of my favorite rides (and I LOVE New Fantasyland!), I don't really like the overall feel of the park (ie, crowded and congested by the nature of how it's laid out). Just getting out of the park was stressful on more than one occasion.
On the (planned) last day of our last time I got SUPER sad. I was not nearly as sad at the end of this trip because I know we'll be back within the next year! We now have APs again and DW's parents do too so I'm sure we'll all do a few days of Disney when we visit for Christmas. It also might be easier to plan weekend trips since Passholders have different discount booking windows from those of the general public.
I definitely enjoyed the relaxation, quiet, and immersive theming of staying at a Moderate level resort. I think I only heard people outside our room once during the evening, whereas when we've stayed Value there has been much more noise. Still, I love the theming and fun (and price!) of Pop Century and I'm sure we'll be back there soon. We're thinking about a split stay for the next trip so we can have some park-intense days (and cheap nights) at the beginning and a more relaxed feeling at the end of the trip.
Let's hear it for Tables in Wonderland! I kept track of the discounts we were receiving at each meal and the total savings for this trip was $86.25. It won't take long to break even on the next trip, and I plan to treat DW's parents at least once the next time we're all together so that's an obvious win!

Next up: Some miscellaneous photos and videos (if I can figure out how to upload them!) that didn't make it into the TR for some reason or another.

12in12 · Jul 27, 2015

I was thinking about you tonight B33 because I went to a production of Lekma.

FlaggNL · Jul 28, 2015

Thanks for sharing your final thoughts. Although they are not that good, hope overall you had a great trip! And about the planning issue I totally agree. We Europeans are not that planning kind of people. Last October we planned a lot of things and we had a rush feeling! For our next October trip we will do more spontaneously!

officialtom · Jul 28, 2015

b33b33 said:
Day 2: Friday

We decided to sleep in Friday morning since we were so tired the day before. While DW filled the mug with coffee I went to the check-in desk to figure out what was wrong with my MagicBand. Apparently I had been "locked out of the system" (whatever that means) but the CM reset my band and said it would work.

We had an 11:00 breakfast reservation at Kona Cafe and wanted to catch a MK bus and take the monorail, but the MK bus was leaving just as we got to the stop and we missed it. There was a DHS bus right behind it so we decided to take our chances with a transfer. We waited at the Poly/GF stop...and waited...and waited some more. With every passing minute we got more anxious that we would be late for our reservation. Three Caribbean Beach buses came all at once and our bus still hadn't come.

THREE Caribbean Beach buses and ZERO Poly buses ):

After we waited for what seemed like at least half an hour (but maybe was more like 15-20 minutes?) and with only 14 minutes to spare before the reservation, a Disney transportation van pulled up to the stop. A CM stepped out, asked us where we were going, and told us to get in. We got a private ride to the Polynesian from a fantastic Cast Member named Bill. He knew so much about Disney and had only worked there for two years as his retirement job. His wife is a concierge at one of the Boardwalk area resorts (I think either Yacht Club or Beach Club) and they both want to stay at least ten years so they can get the ten year Disney retirement benefits. He asked why we were eating at Kona instead of 'Ohana and we told him we wanted to try the Tonga Toast. He said it has been at WDW in some restaurant or another, and with some name or another, since the resort opened in 1971. He told us about staying in Disney resorts when he traveled to Orlando for work at his former job. It was so fun to hear about his love and knowledge of Disney and he got us to the Poly right on time. Yay for amazing CMs! We thanked him and he wished us a happy anniversary and then it was finally time for breakfast!

Our private ride with Bill the amazing transportation CM!

After checking in at Kona we were seated promptly. We shared the French press pot of 100% Kona coffee (my favorite kind of coffee!) and it was beyond amazing. DW ordered the Tonga Toast and the server offered her a side of fruit as an alternative to the meat since she is vegetarian and I ordered the egg white omelet since I'm not that big on sweet breakfast foods or bananas. My omelet was better than I could have expected. There was a very generous serving of goat cheese inside and the fruit on the side (different from M's fruit) was ridiculously good. She loved the Tonga Toast and I tried a bite and really liked it despite my pickiness. Also, the strawberry sauce that comes with it was ridiculous. I wanted to just drink it (but I didn't!).

French press of 100% Kona coffee!

The accompaniments

My omelet

I found a Hidden Mickey!

And of course, M's TONGA TOAST!!

Did I enjoy the meal: Yes

Will I be back: Probably. It seems that the menu changes seasonally and I do like to try new things, so if they get a new omelet or other veggie egg dish I'd like to go back and try it.

Next up: FPs for SM, HM, and 7DMT!

Your experience with Bill is a prime example of why we keep going back to WDW. Those are the bits of unexpected magic that make the World such an incredible place.

disneyfirstLJ · Jul 28, 2015

b33b33 said:
That sounds delightful! Would you mind sharing the recipe?

Easy Ratatouille with Quinoa Recipe
5 tablespoons olive oil
3 chopped garlic cloves
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green bell pepper
1 chopped eggplant
1 chopped zucchini
6 mushrooms, quartered
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup red wine
2 cups chopped canned tomatoes
1/2 cup tomato sauce
salt & pepper to taste
parmesan cheese
quinoa

In a large pot heat oil. Add garlic, onion, bell pepper, eggplant, zucchini and mushrooms. Sauté, uncovered, until veggies are tender but still have some texture. About 5-10 minutes. Add oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer for 1 minute. Add wine and bring to a boil. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered over low heat for 20-30 minutes.

In a separate pot, cook 1 or 2 cups of rinsed quinoa according to package directions. I use veggie broth in place of water to add more flavor to the quinoa. You can also add some butter at the end of the cooking process to add additional flavor. My favorite quinoa is from Trader Joe's.

When you are ready to serve you can either mix the quinoa in with the ratatouille or place the quinoa in bowls and then top with the ratatouille. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Please let me know if you make it as I would like to know if you liked it.

bee · Jul 28, 2015

RedNoseMickey said:
I was thinking about you tonight B33 because I went to a production of Lekma.

Did you like it? I haven't had the chance to be in a production of that show yet but it certainly has some beautiful music!

FlaggNL said:
Thanks for sharing your final thoughts. Although they are not that good, hope overall you had a great trip! And about the planning issue I totally agree. We Europeans are not that planning kind of people. Last October we planned a lot of things and we had a rush feeling! For our next October trip we will do more spontaneously!

Overall we had an AMAZING trip! I am hoping that the issues we had are just kinks in the system that Disney is working out (MagicBands not working, FP issues, etc.). I'm so excited to go back and to keep trying new things, including trying different touring styles.

officialtom said:
Your experience with Bill is a prime example of why we keep going back to WDW. Those are the bits of unexpected magic that make the World such an incredible place.

It's so true! They are what sets Disney apart from other theme parks and from life in general. Now that I've stayed onsite and stayed (more or less) in the bubble for a few trips it will be hard to stay offsite because that extra magic will be missing.

disneyfirstLJ said:
Easy Ratatouille with Quinoa Recipe
---
Please let me know if you make it as I would like to know if you liked it.

Thank you so much!! I'll let you know when I make it (which, admittedly, may take awhile for me!).

officialtom · Jul 28, 2015

b33b33 said:
Day 3: Saturday, cont.

We had awhile until our Magic Kingdom FPs and BOG reservation, so from Epcot we went back to Coronado to drink some COLD beverages and relax for a bit inside our COLD, AIR-CONDITIONED room.

Under an umbrella at Pepper Market

We then took the bus to MK and arrived around 6:30, right in the middle of our third 7DMT FP window. There were storm clouds in the sky which made for some cool photos of the castle!

I love the guy near the bottom left corner haha

This must have been taken before the other one because I think that's glasses guy, farther away from us

After we had scanned our bands at both checkpoints of the Mine Train, a CM announced that due to weather the ride would be closed. We were welcome to hold our spots in line or exit the line at that time. We had already redeemed the FP and didn't want to lose out on the ride but we had a reservation at BOG fast approaching. We started to exit and explained the situation to one of the CMs by the FP line and she very kindly gave us a paper FP to redeem later that night. We JUST missed the storm on our way to BOG.

We checked in and had just long enough to explore the lobby area before we were seated. It was a zoo in there! While we waited our host, The Beast, arrived into the ballroom for the first time during our time there.

Waiting!

More waiting!!

Still waiting!!! PS this is the French version of "Be Our Guest" ("C'est la fête" which translates to "It's the party" or "It's party time")from the French version of Disney's Beauty and the Beast (La belle et la bête), in something resembling medieval musical notation. I thought this was a clever addition!

Still waiting!!!!

We were seated in the ballroom and could not believe how immersive the experience was! My pictures don't do it justice. There were so many little touches throughout the restaurant. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu but seemed a little frazzled. Not that I can blame her. That place is loud and at times chaotic and there's a lot to remember!

Rose napkin!

And of course that gorgeous ballroom!

I ordered the wine flight of the two L'ombre de la bête wines (red and white) and the Rose enchatée (rose) wine. I wouldn't get this again as the pours were very skimpy for the price. I did like the red and wouldn't mind getting a regular glass of it next time. Our server also brought us fresh bread which we promptly devoured.

The wine. Nothing special and not worth $18, even at Disney!

There WERE four pieces of bread but we ate two before we could even get a photo. Disney makes me extra hungry.

We decided to each have a soup (French onion for me and potato leek for M--both were, surprisingly, vegetarian!), share the salad trio, and share the ratatouille. It's been FOREVER since I'd had French onion soup since it's traditionally made with beef stock and I was excited to try the BOG version. It did not disappoint! DW enjoyed her potato soup and the three salads were quite good as well. I really liked the ratatouille and quinoa and while my DW liked it she was not a huge fan and would probably not order it again.

French onion soup and it's vegetarian!

Potato leek soup, also vegetarian! Yay!

The salad trio. I don't think the names of the individual salads were actually listed in the menu but the top one had watermelon and was quite sweet, the middle was more savory and had green beans and tomatoes, and the last was semi-sweet with beets and mandarin oranges. M's favorite was the sweet watermelon one and my favorite was the one with green beans.

Ratatouille! I could have eaten like two whole plates of this myself! And it's vegan apparently and a flavorful, interesting vegan choice too!

It was impossible to pass up dessert and we HAD to try the Grey Stuff! We also decided to try the Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcake. It was tough to choose a favorite from the two but the Grey Stuff won.

The Grey Stuff and the Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcake

After eating we explored the West Wing and the Rose Gallery. I'm glad we did, not only so we could experience the rooms, but also so we could determine where to sit for our upcoming BOG lunch. Spoiler alert: We picked the Rose Gallery because it was brighter and I don't really like to eat in the dark.

THE ROSE AND THE MIRROR!!!!

Is it a real candlestick or a cursed human servant???

Heeeeeey, the wines I tried. In a box.

There are plenty of reviews out there for Be Our Guest and I imagine most of you have already been there or are at least planning to go in the future so I won't linger on the topic too much. But I have to say how thoroughly impressed I was with the restaurant, from the food to the theming. I don't think I've ever felt so immersed in a movie or story. The restaurant is truly an attraction in and of itself. I hope TDO builds more restaurants like this.

Bonus: Yes, I took a photo of the bathroom wall.

Did I enjoy the meal: Yes!

Will I be back: Yes, for lunch on this trip! Stay tuned...

Next up: Nighttime fun at the Magic Kingdom!

Two trips ago, mom and I lucked out and got test FPs for BoG lunch. It was a slight fiasco with the FPs not working right, but the lunch was good and we liked the immersive B&TB atmosphere. I've been reading a lot about how great dinner service is there, so we're going to try to get ADRs for our Jan-Feb 2016 trip (I can book in 3 days!!!). Your review kind of sealed the deal.

bee · Jul 28, 2015

officialtom said:
Two trips ago, mom and I lucked out and got test FPs for BoG lunch. It was a slight fiasco with the FPs not working right, but the lunch was good and we liked the immersive B&TB atmosphere. I've been reading a lot about how great dinner service is there, so we're going to try to get ADRs for our Jan-Feb 2016 trip (I can book in 3 days!!!). Your review kind of sealed the deal.

Yay! Best of luck getting the day and time you want! If you liked lunch you'll probably love dinner!

bee · Jul 28, 2015

BONUS! I attempt to take a photo of the Disney sign as we leave...and fail! This happened three times!

(PS Barbara Mönch isn't my real name. I wish it were though.

)

12in12 · Jul 28, 2015

I loved Lekma, the Flower duet brought tears to my eyes.
Thanks again for doing such a great TR!

lostpro9het · Jul 29, 2015

b33b33 said:
Other side note: I've never really been into beer but apparently I'm a fan of Italian craft beer. On every trip to Epcot as of late it seems I discover my love for a new alcoholic beverage. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, haha!

I'm with ya on the beer, Disney has a decent variety throughout the bubble. Your picture here opened my eyes to something though. I always knew VN was over priced but this picture really solidifies that. That $30 bottle of Armacord Bruna can be had at Trattori al Forna on the Boardwalk for $17!! FWIW, the food at TaF is pretty awesome too! Our Bottle from Saturday, very good stuff:

sheriffwoody · Jul 29, 2015

b33b33 said:
The "ch" functions as a "k" sound in Italian. The Italian servers must cringe when they hear Americans call it "bru-SHET-uh" when it is "bru-SKET-ta."

Never knew this! Luckily I've never ordered any at a restaurant

But it's good to know if I ever do.

ScarletBegonias · Jul 29, 2015

That Ghirardelli drink looks to DIE FOR. I need that when I'm there!!

Allym146 · Jul 29, 2015

Allym146 said:
Oh no! I am very well aquianted with the bathrooms there unfortunately hahah. Great trip report, off to read more!

Too much beer, too much schnitzel...

Hah

DisneyGigi · Jul 29, 2015

Enjoyed your trip report so much! I adore Coronado Springs! Part of me wants to try another moderate but we loved it so much I figure why mess with what you know you love.

2nd- the rabbits! 8 trips to WDW and I never saw a rabbit up close while there. We saw two last time, one in the middle of DHS under a bench. I have House rabbits that use litterboxes, lol so this was a huge omen to me that my bunnies missed me while I was gone.

The passholder boxes! Wow, we are upgrading our 10 day tickets while we are there, will they mail those to us? Or will we get them there?

All of the food and drink photos were amazing! I will definitely be trying that Margarita flight at some point this time.

Great report! Thanks for sharing, glad you had a good trip. 28 more days for me.

Trip Report COMPLETED: Ex-Floridians take on Walt Disney World during summer

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