Trip Report englanddg's Surf and Turf Experience

englanddg · Aug 9, 2013

There, fixed.

englanddg · Aug 10, 2013

Day 9 - Everythings Gonna Be O-Cay!

Magic - 1 (Animators Pallet)
Peeves - 3 (Aggressive People...again, Teenagers)
Breakfast - None
Lunch - Corn, Beef Roast with Gravy, Beef Chow Main on Rice, Skirt Steak, Pasta (me), Chicken Nuggets and Fries (kid)
Dinner - Marinated Garlic and Herb Shrimp, Prosciutto with Melon, Sesame-crusted Tuna Sashimi, Buttered Popcorn Soup, Roasted Filet of Beef Wellington, Baked Alaska (me)
Cheeseburger, Mac and Cheese, Mixed Steamed Veggies, Fries, Make Your Own Cupcake (kid)
Snacks - 1 Coffee Toledo (me), 2 cans of sprite (kid), 2 Rum and Cokes (me), 3 slices of pizza (shared), 1 bag of chips (kid)
Dining Credits - N/A on the ship
Steps - 22 steps, 0.01 miles, 0 active minutes, 2,822 calories burned (yeah, I forgot to wear it for most of the day!)

Well, the last day has finally come. We awoke to an amazing view of Castaway Cay!

Sorry about the foggy picture...the lens was missing the A/C in the room compared to the outside air!

It's a beautiful little island, with white sand beaches. The weather today was pleasant. Not very hot at all, and sunny. I wish I could report more about the Cay itself, but we never went!

We had a Glass Bottom Boat tour scheduled, but when I asked the kid if she wanted to go, she said she'd rather not. She wanted to hang around the ship instead. Considering that most of our fellow travelers had left the ship, I didn't think this was a bad idea at all.

I did offer her repeatedly to go, including trying to entice her with "lets go build a sand castle". The kid loves the beach, and it's hard to find better beaches than ones in the Caribbean. However...she just wasn't interested. <shrug>

So, she watched TV for a bit (she is addicted to the free Disney On-Demand) while I worked on packing our luggage to get ready for the next day. Around noon we decided we were hungry so I ran up to Cabana's and picked up lunch.

I had Corn, Beef Roast with Gravy, Beef Chow Main on Rice, Skirt Steak, and Pasta. The steak wasn't very good (something I've noticed throughout the trip...if I do another one, I will avoid the steaks. But, since this is a buffet, I didn't expect a fantastic steak. So, it was ok, for what it is. I also got some carved beef roast. This was very good, with a tasty gravy. When I walked up, I wasn't looking at the server, rather I was admiring the meat. "Sir, would you like some roast?" I responded affirmative, and he offered me the tiniest piece, more like a shaving. I looked up and it was one of my servers from my Dinner team. He grinned at his joke, and I laughed. Too funny! Of course, he got me a larger piece.

The pasta was also very good. I wish I'd gotten twice as much!

The kid got...wait for it...Chicken Nuggets and Fries. <sigh> So much for an adventurous palate!

Afterwards we finished our last Midship Detective adventure. The kid figured it out before we'd finished the whole mission, and was quite proud of herself when she was proven correct. "SEE, I TOLD YOU YZMA DID IT!"

Along the way we stopped by the Vista Cafe and I got a coffee. The kid enjoyed the free (yes FREE) pastries / snacks!

We walked the shops one last time, and I asked the kid if she wanted to go see a show or movie. Nope...she wanted to go hang out in the stateroom.

I brought another plate of snack with me (tee hee).

Okey dokey, back to the room... I finished all our packing and did a thorough check of the room. I had put out the Privacy sign this morning, since we were hanging out. As a result, Carlos had not cleaned the room...so, I put out the "please service" sign so he could clean up while we were at dinner.

I set out our outfits for debarkation tomorrow, and watched Fantasia with the kid while we munched on our remaining sodas / snacks in the fridge. No sense in throwing good snacks away!

I was, frankly, surprised to discover that the kid loves Fantasia. When I was her age, I said I liked it, but that's because I felt like I was supposed to (because my parents raved about it)...but, outside of Sorcerer's Apprentice and Night on Bald Mountain, I never liked it all that much. The kid, on the other hand, adores the movie. Learn something new every day...

Dinner time was coming up, so we got dressed. The kid wanted to go swimming later, so I allowed her to put her swimsuit on under her dress so that we could go straight up to the pool after dinner.

Tonight, we were assigned to the Animator's Palate again. I was expecting a repeat of Crush and Pal's visiting with us, as we saw a few nights ago...but I was wrong. I'll expound on this later...

The dinner service was "expedited" according to our service team, though I really didn't notice it going any faster. The only difference I noticed was that the Appetizers were not a "choice" as previous nights, rather they were all served as a trio sampler.

The Marinated Garlic and Herb Shrimp was ok. It was served with a "zesty lemon aioli" that was pretty tasty. As was the Prosciutto with Melon. The melon was honeydew. They could have put a bit more prosciutto on it. Likewise the Sesame-crusted Tuna Sashimi was decent. The tuna itself was nice, as was the Wakame Salad. I couldn't taste the soy sauce or the wasabi though.

Now came the Buttered Popcorn Soup. This...well...lets just get into what it is. Lets start there... It's a buttery soup with caramelized Popcorn and spiced cornbread. First, the cornbread didn't really taste "spiced" at all. In fact, it was bland and mealy. The Popcorn was very good, but really just tasted like cracker jacks (sans peanuts). The soup...well...it was terrible. I suppose the idea (at least I tried it like this) is to mix all the items together. That didn't taste very good. And, outside of the popcorn, none of the items tasted nice separately either.

So, verdict. I will never eat this again, but it was interesting and worth a try (but not worth more than a few bites).

The menu offered a Seafood Linguine Pasta with Lobster, Scallops, Shrimp, Clams and Asparagus with a white wine sauce and a Roasted Half Cornish Hen with Israeli Couscous, Zucchini, Peppers and Eggplant in an Lemon-Herb sauce. Both these dishes caught my eye....and I came very close to getting either one. But, instead I went for a dish I make for myself a few times a year, and adore. Roasted Filet of Beef Wellington.

This was covered with a mushroom stuffing, wrapped in puff pastry and served with Fingerling Potatoes, Baby Vegetables, and a Cabernet Black Truffle Jus.

So, lets break it down. The mushroom stuffing...had breadcrumbs in it. That's not how it should be made. Rather, the mushrooms should be finely chopped, some salt, pepper, minced garlic and olive oil added, and then sauteed until most of the water evaporates out. A tenderloin should be sealed in pan with butter or olive oil, then coated in mustard, then coated in the mushroom mix. Wrap that with prosciutto and then the puff pastry. Coat the puff pastry with egg wash and score it. Then bake at 400 degrees until the pastry is browned, about 15 - 20 minutes for the steak to be at medium.

THAT is Beef Wellington. This was not Beef Wellington. This was beef roast with a mushroom like breadcrumb filling wrapped in a thin slice of floppy pastry. It may have been a filet, but it wasn't tenderloin. It wasn't served with fingerling potatoes, it was served with Yukon Gold (or similar) yellow potatoes. It wasn't served with baby veg, but rather regular veg that had been chopped to look small.

Positives though? Not really. The Jus was ok (though, I didn't taste any hint of cabernet or truffle, rather it tasted like reduced beef stock).

Now, all this is nitpicking, I freely admit. The dish was pretty good. Not good enough to finish (I noted my table mate didn't finish hers either)...but it was under-seasoned and rather bland. I would not get this again, and I regretted not going with my gut and trying the Hen or the Pasta.

For dessert I had the Baked Alaska. Now this, in keeping with my other dessert experiences on the trip, was AWESOME! I would gladly get it again. The sponge loaf was tasty (I couldn't get enough) and the ice cream was the perfect ratio with the rest of the ingredients. The only thing I'd note...the burnt meringue wasn't meringue. I thought I was going crazy, but my table-mate noted it as well.

Instead, it was the consistency (and taste) of freeze dried ice cream. You know, like the "astronaut ice cream" you can get at Mission: Space or Cape Canaveral. Still, it was very tasty, and really I'm glad they prepared it that way, as I found it unique and thought it added a great texture to the dish.

Now, a few nights ago I was expecting our drawings to be "animated", but it didn't happen. Instead, Crush and friends visited with us the whole night. I mentioned it in my post regarding that experience. However, what I didn't realize is that that would happen tonight!

The kid and I both adored the show, and I must say the animations they do are impressive. I expected dancing stick figures, but it's much, much more than that. Characters danced with each other to the Sorcerers Apprentice, then danced with different Disney characters copying their moves, including Genie from Aladdin It was just a ton of fun, and well worth checking out! One note, if you do this, use the markers, not the crayons. The drawings must be done with the markers. Different color markers are also available upon request (something I didn't know until after the show...so both the kid and I had purple characters, because that was the only marker color we had on our table)...

At the end of the meal we were presented with our original drawings which had been certified with a gold sticker making us "official Disney Animators". Neat!

After Dinner we were going to head to the pool, but I needed to stop by and take care of some business first to get ready for tomorrow. I got a Customs Declaration Form from Guest Services as well as a preliminary breakdown of our room charges. While I waited, the kid took a liking to the chair that's near Guest Services.

After this we walked through Shutters, and I picked up our "folio". I don't think I've talked about this in much detail. Shutters is the equivalent of "Photopass" for the Cruise. Throughout the cruise pictures that DCL Photographers take of you end up in a "folio" that you can access. You can handle the actual photos, and pick which ones you care to purchase.

The thing is...it's 'spensive. REALLY 'spensive! We only had 5 pictures in the whole thing (though they had printed them up in several sizes). Two from when we were boarding the ship (one of the kid alone, and one of both of us), two from dining experiences, and one from when we met Stitch. They were cute pictures, but yeah, for those prices...I'll pass.

After this, we stopped by the kid's club to return the kid's Mickey Band.

I don't think I've discussed the "Mickey Band". Basically, they are an RFID based band (a clunky version of a magicband?) that is attached to the kid with a plastic wristband. This cannot be removed. In fact, on and off throughout the trip, the kid complained that she hated it and it was irritating her. However, as I said, the only way to remove it is to cut it off. If that happens, you can go by the kids club and they'll put a new strap on for you. But, for the most part, be prepared for kids to complain about this. I thought repeatedly how a magicband would be a better fit for this. Hopefully soon!

When we stopped by the club, I explained to the kiddo that once I turned in the band, she couldn't come back to the club. This made her very sad, and she pouted just a bit...but she perked up when I said she could go to the club for an hour or two if she'd like, and then she could go swimming. "I want to do both." she said...and it took her a bit to realize, she could! I've been working with her on understanding "time"...because she wants to do everything, but doesn't understand that decisions have to be made sometimes about priority and timing. She got a lecture on it a few days ago, so apparently that stuck...

Anyhow, after dropping her off I went and got an "adult coffee" and went back to the room to fill out our debarkation questionnaire and our customs form, as well as give everything a final check for the morning.

People had started putting out their luggage...luggage luggage everywhere!

I am not checking luggage, because we are doing the DCL Magical Express back to Port Orleans, so I don't want our luggage to leave my sight if I can avoid it! Especially since I've already had to deal with lost luggage once on this trip!

I walked the forward "adult decks" one last time, just to do it at night (the only other time I had done this was during the early morning)...

After that I puttered online for a bit, and stopped by deck 3 to confirm with Guest Services when the DCL busses would be running. I think I confused the poor lady behind the counter. I also had them print out a list of my room charges, and went through them to confirm I approved of them all.

Outside of the laundry charges, I had no issues. Though, I did note they still charged for the Glass Bottom Boats, even though we didn't do it. I payed that without questioning it...

So, note for those who want to skip and excursion...they will still charge you. Call and cancel them! My fault, so my loss...financially.

Something I've noticed with greater frequency as the cruise progressed are two behaviors which somewhat get on my nerves. First, un-monitored teens running and playing games. For example, I once got stuck with another family in an elevator where two pre-teens (I think) had thought it would be funny to press every button in the elevator. Later, I got stuck on an elevator with a large group of girls who were excited to get to their club.

Of course, I know that I was probably just as wild and irritating when I was that age, and it does make me realize I'm getting older that these things bug me...so, take that observation with a grain of salt. I do. <grin> However, it was bothersome enough that it would be worth it, to me, to skip the elevators that service the teen clubs.

Another behavior that bothered me are people who rush the elevators. What I mean is...as soon as the elevator doors open, there they are, right in the door, with their family of six, and before you can get off, they've already loaded as if the elevator was going to sail away at any moment.

Just...annoying. In my experience, I've noted that most of the guests are not like this, and will gladly hold elevators, and help other guests, etc. But, there are a few who obviously think that everyone is pressing the "close door" button as soon as a lift stops, and therefore they have to bum rush inside. Oh well...

At this point it was nearing 9:30, so I went to pick the kid up so she could spend her last few hours swimming, something she's come to adore on this trip. I watched the movies on funnel vision and finished up yesterdays report and posted it (typos and all!). Then I started working on this post. All while sipping on a rum and coke.

See, I had brought my own liqueur on the ship, something Disney allows you to do as long as it's in your carry-on. I needed to finish the bottle, because I didn't want to have to deal with customs tomorrow with it. So, slow sips...about 2 fingers to drink. I don't think I'm gonna be able to finish it, but I at least gave it a go!

The kid swam until the pool closed, and then we got a few slices of pizza, a bag of chips and a cup of sprite for the kid. Back in the room, we started Treasure Planet while the kid ate. Then she got dressed for bed, brushed her teeth, crawled under the covers and before I knew it she was zonked.

Something I will be too in about 15 minutes...a very early day tomorrow with a 7a check out.

Oh, when we got back to the room, this bad boy was waiting to say goodnight to us!

So, good day and good night, until tomorrow!

Moving on...Day 10 - You say Goodbye, and I say Hello

joanna71985 · Aug 10, 2013

Loving the TR! Can't wait to see the pictures

tare · Aug 10, 2013

Great report so far. I love reading these.

littleroo · Aug 10, 2013

Awesome reporting! enjoy POFQ! Say hi to Shelly for me at Mardi Grogs. We will be there Friday!

englanddg · Aug 12, 2013

Day 10 - You say Goodbye, and I say Hello

Magic - 6 (Guest Services at Disney Fantasy, Lost and Found at DCL, Customs Agent, Waiter at Biergarten, Tablemates at Biergarten, Staff at Living Seas)
Peeves - 0 (Another great day!)
Breakfast - 2 cups of Coffee (me), An Orange and Skim Milk (kid)
Lunch - Potato Salad, Tomato Salad, Cucumber Salad, Macaroni Salad, Wurst Salad, Creamed Asparagus Soup, Pretzel Bread, Roasted Potatoes, German Cheese, Pork Schnitzel with mushroom gravy, Speatzle with mushroom gravy, Beer Flight (me)
Roast Pork, Mac and Cheese Bake, Strawberries, White Roll, Fanta (kid)
Dinner - Taste of Morocco Royal Feast, Mimosa, Coke (me), Chicken Nuggets and Fries, Coke (kid)
Snacks - 2 Sodas, 2 Coffees, 3 Beingets (DP) (free) (me), 1 Sprite, 1 Popcorn, 1 Fanta, 1 bag of Cheetos, 1 Dips Ice Cream (DP) (kid)
DP Credits - 54 - 4 = 50 Meal, 36 - 2 = 34 Need $127, used $148
Steps - 20,841 Steps, 10.11 Miles, 62 "Very Active" minutes, 3692 Calories Burned

I am exhausted. So is the kid. Today has been very long, and both of us are only on a few hours sleep from a very busy last day (doing nothing) yesterday.

So, "You say Goodbye"...the day had come. We planned on skipping breakfast and beating the mass debarkation so we could get over to WDW to relax at our resort or at the Parks. Plus, I had lunch and dinner ADRs at EPCOT already set up for today, so I wanted to get going so we could relax before heading off to the Parks.

I woke up around 5a, after a rather fitful night of sleep. I'm not sure what was going on, but for some reason the engine vibrations (which really hadn't bothered me since the second night) really bothered me last night, and I never slept more than an hour or two at most before waking up briefly, rolling over to get comfortable again, and going back to sleep.

I went for some last minute coffee at the 24 hour drink station on Deck 11 (which, I'm going to miss) and went for one last early morning walk around the ship. During the night, it seems we had arrived at Port Canaveral. I watched the early morning happenings on the port, and went back to the room. It was now around 6a, and it was time to get the kiddo moving. While she showered and did her morning routine, I did a final check through the room, made sure our debarkation documents were ready and moved our luggage outside.

Carlos, our room steward had already started his routine. A bit early today, but to be expected. It amazes me that the ship will be clean stern to aft, reloaded, and off on another adventure by this afternoon. Talk about efficient operations! This sort of thing shouldn't impress me (it's rather dull), but it does!

Our Captain (Tom) came over the shipboard announcement system to thank us for cruising with them. Even though he's from Norway, he sounds like Ricardo Mantalban. If you don't know who I'm speaking of...think Kahn from Star Trek. Or, more appropriately, the Captain from the Love Boat!

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At some point the Carnival Dream returned to port and joined us with the debarkation announcements and just being generally busy herding all us now well tanned and relaxed cruise-goers off the ship so they can service their next group of vacation junkies.

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An announcement was made that US Borders and Customs had approved unloading, and the kid and I gave the room one last...sad...look.

It had come. Time to leave. You say goodbye... (hums the Beatles song)

On the way out, I was doing a final check (check number 52, by my count) to be sure that I had all the appropriate documents required to exit the ship...except...this time...I couldn't find the kid's Key to the World card! I was positive I hadn't lost it (it actually spent most of the trip locked up in the room safe)...but somehow I'd mixed it up with her KTTW from DisneyWorld (which acted as our "permanent power on card" in the Stateroom)...

Oh, while anyone who has done a Disney Cruise or even done any basic research on one knows what I'm talking about, I'll explain just for clarification. If I've already mentioned this in a previous post, sorry for the repetition!

So, Disney Cruise Staterooms have a keycard slot INSIDE the room, just inside the front door. This is where you are supposed to put your keycard when you come into the room, and a few seconds later all the power in your stateroom turns on. This way, when you are not in the stateroom, you aren't wasting ship power. I, personally, think it's pretty neat. It's sortof like having an "on/off" switch for the entire room...in fact, that's exactly what it is. The only thing I don't like about it is that it makes it difficult to leave things charging in the room whilst you are out and about.

Others agree, so it's been leaked that pretty much any card with a mag strip will work to "trick" the system into thinking that your KTTW card is there. While on board, walking by rooms being serviced, I glanced room keys from other hotels, disney room keys (like what we used), and even a AAA card!

One thing I did note is that my room Steward would pull the card out just enough to turn off all the power each time he serviced the room. This annoyed me a tad, but I assumed he had been instructed to do so by someone higher up, so I never said anything to him.

I think if Disney would just provide one or two "always on" outlets, they may find that guests utilize this feature more often. I really hate thinking my camera battery has been charging all day, to come back and it dies on me (hello, missed Fireworks!)...<shrug>

A quick dash over to Guest Services and they printed the kiddo up another KTTW card. This was faster than me sitting in the middle of the Grand Atrium tearing our bags apart to find it (I did find it, later in the day...I'd put it with my paperwork in the outside pocket of my suitcase...silly me).

I also turned in our comment card, something the Cruise Line pushes you to please return. Mostly excellents on my card. A few Very Goods (ok, I wasn't very impressed with Royal Court or Enchanted Garden, sorry!), one or two "Just Okays" (Guest Services was one, as I found them a bit iffy. The other was for room service food quality, as I recall...but, I didn't take a picture I can refer back to...) and only one "Poor" rating...the Launderette! I made sure to explain that in the space provided. But, as I said, it was mostly excellents. And, when asked if I would do another DCL cruise and/or refer it to others, both were massive "Absolutely"s!

I felt a tad guilty not marking everything excellent, since we enjoyed the cruise so much, but I feel that if I'm not honest on these surveys (even a touch brutally honest) then it really doesn't serve any purpose...so, honest I was.

Then, the long lonely (well...not so lonely) walk down the gangplank. It was a fun cruise, and we enjoyed it thoroughly. I'll post a summary of my thoughts and lessons learned later tonight as I sit by the pool. But, for now, we have places to go and Mickeys to see!

One thing the kid and I had in dispute with each other is the case of her missing Sunglasses. They had been missing since Day 3 of the cruise, and I kept telling her she had left them at the Kids Club, but she swears she gave them to me (I distinctly remembered asking her if she really wanted to take them in and her saying yes).

She was a bit bummed about the loss, but neither one of us thought to check with Lost and Found. But, when you exit the ship, they remind you that Lost and Found will be transferred to the terminal, and if you have any items you should check there. That reminded the kid of her glasses, so as soon as we got down to the Customs area (underneath the in-processing part of the terminal), she saw the Lost and Found and while I stood in line, she ran over and asked if they had her glasses.

They DID! After having asking her some specific questions and having her sign a claim form, the kid was rushing back, admitting that indeed, she had left them in the Kids Club. Yeesh, why didn't I bet her some money on it! <grin>

I was expecting Customs to be a nightmare, but I'd filled out our declaration form completely, and had everything ready. The line moved steadily, and the Customs Agent we dealt with was thorough, but also fun. He grilled both of us, asking my kid repeatedly if she was sure she wasn't sneaking anything in, and giving her the questioning eye!

She promised she wasn't over and over, and the he broke into a smile, and welcomed us back to the United States. From there it was a short walk back to Disney Transit, where we were asked if we minded using a van (mind you, we departed well before most of the ship). I said no, and within 10 minutes we and two other families were on our way to our separate resorts, and to my delight, French Quarter was the first stop!

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The ride took about an hour, start to finish, and it was rather comfortable. Not as nice as the bus where you can doze off during it, but still good enough. The driver was doing the Florida Speed Limit (10 - 15 miles above posted speed limits as long as traffic is moving with you...I wouldn't recommend you do this, but I've seen it enough in Florida over the years that I wear it's an asterisk on their drivers exam!)...

Then again, I really can't say anything...in Atlanta it's fairly common to see people going 70 on the posted 55mph interstates...but, you'll only see that in Atlanta. The rest of the state I wouldn't recommend it!

Finally, we were here!

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I had neglected to do online check-in for this portion of the stay, but I had called from the ship before leaving to confirm two things...

1) I wanted to be sure everything was ok with the reservation

2) I wanted to know if the package (new iPhone) I was expecting had arrived.

Happily, the answer to both questions was yes! And, sure enough, as soon as I checked in the CM informed me that Bell Services had a package for me, and asked if I would like to have it delivered to the room (neat!). I said sure, and we were off. I was happy that they had the room ready for us, as we were in very early (remember, it's only around 9a at this point...guests are still eating breakfast and getting ready to head to the parks!).

It felt odd to check in so early! Normally we arrive mid-day and don't hit the parks until around 2 - 3p. But, this trip we've had early check-ins both days. I...kindof like it! Even though getting up those mornings, and the sheer length of the day as a whole, takes a bit out of me...the extra time is relaxing in it's own right.

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Our room is in Building 4, which is great. I have a Garden View. Originally I had booked us a river view, but I decided to save the $150 bucks or it cost, as a Garden is fine with me. Turns out this was a great decision, and we lucked out. Building 4 is right next to the Food Court / Main Building, so it's an easy walk for drinks / snacks / shopping pick up. As it turns out, it's also very near to the Bus Stops (in fact, it's the closest building to them!) An easy walk down two flights of stairs, and a short walk through a garden and we are there!

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Immediately I was glad I had opted to do a moderate this go round instead of a Value. The extra room size, dual sinks, etc...all are worth it in my opinion. That being said, and I know CBR gets a bad rap for "nasty rooms"...but, I don't like this room nearly as much as the two rooms I had in 2010 and 2011 at CBR. It isn't dirty, but it feels beat up and worn down. Our bottom drawer is missing one of it's knobs, which I called the front desk to inform them (the still hasn't been replaced as of today).

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I also miss the empty space underneath the TV at CBR and Pop's TV stand, and the "footstool/bench" unit here isn't a storage cabinet, like it is at CBR, which bums be out as I like to use that as the kid's toy bin (really, it's where I consolidate all the souvenirs...but the kid likes to call it her toy bin, and that is where her toys go...so!)...

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The sink area is fine. Nothing special. I do like the long counter above the sinks and under the mirrors. This worked very well to organize our respective toiletries. Not as nice as the Cruise Ship where we both literally had our own "sinks" in separate bathrooms, but still nice!

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The bathroom...I don't like. For one reason alone. The light and fan.

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While it meets my minimum requirements for a shower (good heat, good pressure, drains well), there is only one light in the restroom. And, it is incredibly dim and casts a yellowish light that makes everything look tobacco stained and grimy. Add to this that it is hard wired into the bathroom fan, so you have to listen to that annoying "whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr"

"rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr"

"rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr"

Whenever it is on...no thanks!

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Anyhow, while it could be worse, it could be better...so, moving on. We unpacked, and I went about my now normal "get the room ready" process...

This is fairly common between all the resorts we've stayed at because they all have pretty much the same room layout!

First I arrange all our toiletries and find a place to stash our toiletries bags. Then, I unpack clothes into the drawers. Top drawer is mine, middle drawer is the kids. This year the bottom drawer is for souvenirs / toys.

After this I pull out the nightstand and plug in the charger for my phone. In years past I've emptied the drawers and set up a charging station inside for various electronics, but this year I decided to do that on the side of the TV stand.

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After all this was set up, I tested the iPad connectivity to the TV, which the kid thought was neat. I brought an Apple Media connector with me that will let me connect the iPad to an HDMI in. It's neat for watching iTunes movies, etc. on the TV itself. Then, I took a shower (even though we hadn't done anything, it was still a lot of walking and heat, and I sortof had gotten spoiled by the cruise I suppose, where we got in the habit of showering at least twice a day for the kid, and two to three times for me!)...

I also noted that our fridge is victim of the Great Disney Fridge Shortage of 2013.

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Plus, I had debarked the ship in jeans, an undershirt, and a button up shirt (because they are bulky in the suitcase, so I did it to save on space)...no way was I wearing that to the parks in August!

As I got refreshed and packed up my park bag with various things we might need, the the kid showered and changed, and it was off to EPCOT!

Along our way, the kid wanted to check out the pool. So, we took the "long detour" to the buses! The pool looks neat. Two water slides, a waterfall area. I think the kid will enjoy it. Especially now that she seems to have gotten over her fear of being underwater (thank you Dolphins!).

On our way we passed by the famous Gator Band!

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This guy was quite helpful on a hot day such as this!

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One thing I noted was that the drumstick on the bass drum Gator is loose. A kid had pulled it out and was beating on the drum while her parent watched. Nice...see, this is why we can't have nice things!

While waiting for the bus, the kid wanted a soda. No worries, I had my Credit Card with me. Too bad the CC reader on the machine didn't work (don't worry, this will become a recurring theme!). Well, Disney, $3 you could have made off me, but didn't. Oh well...

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The bus ride was uneventful, and rather pleasant actually. Before I knew it we were looking at the big beautiful ball again. My kid has taken to calling this a Golf Ball (not unique, I know...but it annoys me a touch...it's the world's largest freestanding Geodesic Dome...A wonder of engineering! Show it some respect!) <grin>

DSC01390

They are doing a lot of construction at the gates here. I assume installing the new style RFID gates. We had some time to kill before our first reservation, so I left the plans up to the kiddo.

The kid has been introduced to the concept of "hidden mickeys", as I've mentioned before, and now she is constantly pointing them out everywhere. She found this rather unique "hidden mickey" made of old gum near Spaceship Earth. (nice spotting there, kiddo)

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<continued next post>

PUSH · Aug 12, 2013

How'd you like the beignets?

englanddg · Aug 12, 2013

PUSH said:
How'd you like the beignets?

Loved em!

PUSH · Aug 12, 2013

englanddg said:
Loved em!

I tried them last time when I walked over from POR, and I liked them. They were hollow and they weren't really traditional beignets, but still good. Although they don't compare to others I've had.

englanddg · Aug 12, 2013

PUSH said:
I tried them last time when I walked over from POR, and I liked them. They were hollow and they weren't really traditional beignets, but still good. Although they don't compare to others I've had.

I would agree. Certainly not authentic, but still tasty. And for around three bucks, a nice evening treat!

flynnibus · Aug 12, 2013

any credit card sized card will work in the switch... it's just a physical switch displaced by the card.. no mag strip interaction. They've been common in europe for a long time

Re: paying for excursions... yup... 'no show' = you pay! You have to cancel ahead of time.. but they don't actually charge you until day of the excursion.

englanddg · Aug 12, 2013

flynnibus said:
any credit card sized card will work in the switch... it's just a physical switch displaced by the card.. no mag strip interaction. They've been common in europe for a long time

Re: paying for excursions... yup... 'no show' = you pay! You have to cancel ahead of time.. but they don't actually charge you until day of the excursion.

Ah, so it's just a basic switch. That makes sense...

englanddg · Aug 12, 2013

Post updated and some pictures added to the last post.

englanddg · Aug 12, 2013

So, First stop...Figment!

The ride was better than I remember it from times past...but maybe that's because of the music. I still don't like the new "troublemaker" Figment. Totally out of character. I won't get into it much more than that as the rant could easily take up another 3 pages of the thread! So, lets just say...it was fun, but I miss the old ride. However, the kid still adores it. And that says something about the strength of the character!

After the ride we stopped by the gift shop and picked up a Figment Doll for the kid's sister. It seems the two of them are getting into fights over the kid's Figgy doll that she got in 2010. Well, fine. If that's an issue, I'll get another one to keep the peace!

Last year Disney had a bunch of retro EPCOT merchandise (seems they still are selling it). My Mom loves EPCOT and Figment from that era, and I'd asked her what, if anything, she'd like me to pick up for her. She indicated that she'd like a Figment Nightgown. In 1982, she bought one, and I remember her wearing that all through my childhood...she wore it until it was literally falling apart. Well, I searched all over last year and couldn't find one. I was a touch bummed.

So, imagine my surprise when we walk into the gift shop, and displayed near the entrance is something I've been looking for for a while! My parents aren't much into souvenirs or trinkets, but I had to pick this up for my Mom. Hope she likes it!

After Figgy, we went to check out Captain EO, but it was a 20 minute wait. The kid said she really wanted to see it, but wanted to come back later. So, next stop?
Time for us to head over to Germany for our reservation at Biergarten! On the way we stopped by the Cool Spot...but they were out of a lot of the sodas...including the much loved Beverly! For shame! A guest was complaining to a CM about this, and she said "I'm sorry, blame Coke, not us!". Um...ok. I will do just that when I get back to Atlanta!

We walked around to the German Pavilion. I had checked the show times when doing ADRs and booked so that the show would start about 30 minutes after we got there. I figured this would be enough time for us to eat and then we could nibble, enjoy the show, sing along, and maybe dance! I'm fond of the show here. My sister was born in Germany, and I spent quite a few of my formative years there. Since the kid was 3 I've taught her the tiki taki (or ziggy zaggy, take your pick) oi oi oi chant (which isn't German alone, but it is a part of Ein Prosit, which is "a toast" in English, is a popular German drinking song).

So, on with the meal! My goodness, was it delicious! We haven't eaten here since 2010, and I remember it being good last time, but nothing spectacular. I also remember there being tables sitting dirty around the restaurant for a long time, and the service was decent, but nothing to rave about. Anyhow, it's been a while, and I thought the kid would enjoy seeing the band again. And, I'm glad we did! This year, it was fantastic!

The kid wasn't able to choose Chicken Nuggets and French Fries here, so you finally get to see something new for her!

She got strawberries (which she loves), roasted Pork (which she loved), a dinner roll (no butter, I've learned this trip that the kid doesn't like butter on her bread...BLASPHAMY I TELL YOU!), and some baked Mac and Cheese. She ate everything, but wasn't interested in going back for seconds. She did enjoy it though, she said.

As for me, well, I was famished. We had eaten no real breakfast this morning, and normally I don't eat much for breakfast (a heavy breakfast for me most of the time is fruit smoothie or something...normally though I don't eat anything at all...just coffee, a glass of pink grapefruit juice and a multi-vitamin)...but after a week on the Cruise, I've gotten used to a hefty breakfast, and my body was frustrated that I didn't treat it to eggs and sausage and other breakfast goodies today!

So, I was completely ready to raid the buffet!

My first plate consisted of most of the cold items they offered. I had potato salad (eggs, Red Potatoes, Mayo, Mustard, Seasoning) which was pretty darned tasty. I had Tomato Salad which had chopped sweet tomatoes with chopped garlic and sliced red onion in a vinaigrette. This was awesome! I tried the Macaroni Salad which had macaroni (duh), peas, red cabbage and a mayo dressing. Yummers!

Then there was the Cucumber Salad, which consisted of sliced red onion, thinly sliced cucumbers tossed in a vinaigrette and finished with fresh dill. Oh, it's getting tastier each bite! To finish off this round, I had the Wurst Salad. This is a cold meat salad that had a variety of wursts (which they also offered separately on a cold platter if you don't want them mixed, but they are SO good mixed together). This had thinly sliced pickles and a vinegar based dressing. I devoured it all quickly.

Next, I tried the Creamed Asparagus Soup with some Pretzel Bread. This was simply ok. It tasted a touch bland, though it was a bit chunky, which was nice. It was a good "middle dish" in the meal, and a hearty soup (especially for a veggie soup), but I can't rave about it. I think it could have used some more seasoning myself. The Pretzel Bread isn't as good as the stuff at Le Cellier, but it was still tasty, and a great match to sop up the leftover soup!

Around now, the Beer Flight I ordered showed up. It it was a great deal for $10.50! I got four beers in 5 oz glasses. In this order...a 1) Radeberger Pilsner, 2) Altenmunster Oktoberfest, 3) Shofferhofer Welzen, 4) Hovels.

While I sipped on each throughout the whole meal, here's my breakdown of each one.

1) Bitter with a sweet aftertaste. Hands down by favorite beer of the lot. Went VERY well with the food.
2) Sweet, with a great head. Fruity taste. I liked this one a lot.
3) Light and sweet. This is a lightest of the beers. It was good, but not my taste.
4) Pretty much the same as #3, but a tad lighter in taste. Also good, but I preferred the first two.

Round two on the plates for me! This time I got hot offerings!

I got 2 different types of Wurst, and both were excellent. I also got a meatball, which had a sweet sauce and was well prepared. It could have been cooked a tad longer in the center, but I'd rather it be moist than dry, so I'm not complaining! The saurkraut was warm and delicious, as were the green beans. I also tried some german cheeses, which were ok...but I'd skip them in the future. The cheese plate is something new (to me), and I like the idea, but it looked pretty beat up when we were there. Guess it's popular!

Round 3 at the buffet! This trip was saved for my favorites. Schnitzel with hunters gravy and Speatzle! The noodles (Speatzle) were awesome, perfect and buttery. The Schtizel had a great crust...but it was Pork Schnitzel, and I prefer veal. But it was still delicious. <grin>

The band had started up, and we were sitting with a lively group at our table. For anyone who hasn't eaten here, you don't get "private" tables. Rather, you are sat at the same table as other families. This is to simulate the tents / experience at a true Oktoberfest. It's a great chance to have small talk with others and share the general experience. As it turns out, two of our table mates are College Program participants (in other words, Cast Members), and their father (I assume) had done considerable amounts of work in Germany (and consumed considerable amounts of beer!), so he was feeling quite jolly!

As always, the show is a blast! We were the first (and sometimes I think only) table that was responding to Tiki Taki! All of us pumping our beers (or sodas) in the air and yelling "Oi, Oi, Oi!" as loundly as we could, much to the delight of our host.

Oh, I haven't mentioned him. He was fantastic. Interactive and funny, as well as on top of service, I thoroughly enjoyed what he brought to the experience. I believe he went by "Max", and silly me for not getting his name. But, if I got it right, awesome job! It was so fun, I'm considering trying to book another ADR before our trip is over. I may not, but we really did enjoy it!

So, satiated and happy, we strolled out into the German Pavilion and a rather mild day for August. The heat hasn't been nearly as bad this year as it was last year...or maybe after a week on the Cruise, I'm just used to it. Whatever it is, I've enjoyed it! We went over to check out the train model just outside of the Pavilion while we waited on a Friendship Boat to show up.

One of the trains had derailed and a maintenance guy showed up to right it as we were watching, much to the delight of my kid. I'm glad to see she shares my fascination with models (then again, who doesn't think scale models are neat? I've never met anyone who doesn't...)

The Friendship Boat came. If you don't know what that it, it's two boats that run as a ferry service between the entry to World Showcase (on each side of the Main Giftshop in the center) and landings that are near the Germany Pavilion and the Morroco Pavilion. They don't run later in the day because they are getting ready for Illuminations, but they are a lot of fun to grab if you can rather than walk the whole circle.

I am pleased to say the A/C was working in the boat, and while it was crowded, it was very comfortable. The kid and I weren't able to sit, but it was still an enjoyable ride.

Once back on the other side of the lagoon, we decided to snag a popcorn and soda to share as we walked back over to Futureworld. Then the kid noticed the Ducks, which had congregated next to the refreshment stand. After snapping a few pictures (she likes to take pictures of birds, for some reason).

Once I got my camera back, I found myself a bit distracted taking pictures of my own.

The next I knew, my kid was tapping my leg. I looked down and she was holding an empty bucket of popcorn. There was no way she ate it all that quickly, and my suspicion was correct! She had fed the whole bucket to the ducks! Well, I thought to myself...at least someone (or someduck) got to enjoy it!

We walked on, and now back safely in FutureWorld, the kid decided on The Living Seas with Nemo.

The ride was a literal walk-on, and as always is cute. Being sortof old school about EPCOT, I still prefer the original theme / story, but I can live with this. Along the way we passed our favorite birds.

"Mine...mine...mine..." The kid and I started doing it to each other in the queue, and it seems we were not alone with that idea. A guy following about 10 feet behind us (no one between us, like I said, it was a walk-on!) was doing the same with his kids. Had the queue been crowded, I'm sure it would have been incredibly annoying, but since it was just us and the other family trailing behind, it was sortof fun to do fake "seagull" calls back and forth between our two groups!

As I said, the ride was cute. I still like the projection technology on the tank, and I personally don't mind the inclusion of the characters in the pavilion. I just wish they did something more unique with them. "Looking for Nemo" isn't really much fun...at least for me. The kid, however, like Figgy, has no memories of the old EPCOT, and thoroughly enjoyed it. This is "her" EPCOT, and the fact that it's her favorite park, as it is mine, tells me that even if I don't like it, Disney did something right here.

We spent a lot more time in the Pavilion than I thought we would. She was thoroughly pleased with the fish displays, as usual, and insisted we take a picture in Bruce's Mouth! We are friends, not FOOD!

We wandered around the pavilion for nearly 2 hours. One thing I noted was that there were more Cast Members out and about than I remember seeing in the past. They were actively engaging Guests, answering questions and pointing out neat things and offering neat factoids. I really like this sort of interaction, even though I know it costs labor to do so. It makes the experience feel grander and more special in some way to me...plus, who doesn't like to learn neat things about what they are seeing?

On the upstairs level we ran into the Manatee tank. These fascinated the kid, and easily 1/4 of our time was spent here, between the upstairs surface tank and the downstairs tank. A patient CM answered all my kid's questions (which were plentiful) about them. Then it was off to see Crush! She also thought the cuttlefish were incredibly ugly (and therefore interesting). She asked why they were named "Cuddlefish" (misspelling intended)..."is that because they cuddle you?"

I had to explain that no, that's no the reason. But, it still made me smile.

The show was ok this year. Not as fun as I remember in the past, or as fun as the Crush on the cruise. I've seen it enough now that I recognize the recurring jokes, and I was glad that this performer did have some fun ad-lib points. But, something about his voice and mannerisms were off. It's hard to explain, but it just didn't feel like a seamless character to me. Something was just off. Of course, the kid didn't notice any of this! She wasn't selected this time to chat with Crush, but she didn't seem to mind.

The theater was looking a tad run down, and one thing I don't like about the show is how they dump you into part of the Nemo queue at the end. It just feels cluttered. I'd like to see them clean up the theming here. It is such a neat experience.

All that being said, this is a MUST do in the pavilion, especially if you have kids. And, even if you don't, you'll still enjoy the interactions, I suspect.

Our next ADR was approaching, but we still had time to burn, so we walked to Innoventions, stopping along the way to grab some Ice Cream Dips. I love these little Ice Cream things, as does the kid. "I only get these at Dinsey!" she exclaimed as she shoved them in her mouth happily! Along the way we ran into Chip and Dale, but the kid declined to wait in the line for their autograph. "I'm hot, we'll visit them later." Yeah, ok...(makes a mental note to book Garden Grill for later this week!).

So, it was off to Innoventions West! Inside, if you weren't already aware, is one of our favorite things to do at EPCOT. The T. Rowe Price Piggy Bank Adventure! However, the line was long. Looped all the way around. The kid took one look at it and said "Lets go make a Video Game instead! We'll come back!" I was fine with this because this is one of those attractions where the outside line is indicative of a longer inside wait. See, after you queue through the first part of the line, they put you into a "staging" area where you select your savings goals and collect your piggy bank buddy.

This means that even when the outside line is very short, there is still a wait to get into the attraction that is partially hidden from view. So, we went off to make a video game...to find...IT IS GONE! <gasp>

IBM has taken this spot and replaced it with a Think exhibit. And...this exhibit...is...terrible! Once you get over the aesthetics, which are rather pleasing, you realize there really isn't much to do. They have these monoliths that have interesting historical points on them...yeah, ok, that's sortof neat...for a museum. I enjoyed them more than the kid, obviously...but even I found them rather bland.

They have a touchscreen game you can play and a small theater that plays a movie. The touchscreen game was confusing, and reminded me of those old water squirt games where you had to get the basketball into the hoop or the balls in a cup. I've played more entertaining games on an iPad...and the kid had too, and her interest in this rather redundant (and hard to unclear) game waned quickly. She did stick it out long enough to "win" a round...but it was mostly trial and error...

I think the premise is something about recognizing special IBM logos. <yawn>

I poked my head in the theater and the movie looked ok, but there was only one person in the theater. Yeah, I don't think they've got a winner with this exhibit...

On the way out the kid was offered a free button, which says "I love my IBM computer!" Well, since I like Windows...and I use Lenovo's at work, I guess, in a way, this is true...but it's sad that this was the most exciting part of the attraction.

Sofar unimpressed, we walked over to the Where's the Fire exhibit. We got in line just in time to be part of the last group...and then were informed that it's broken! That's a shame...the kid and I like to do this. She calls it "Firebusters...get it Daddy, like Ghostbusters?" Yeah, ok Milton Berle, Jr...of course I give the appropriate Daddy chuckle at this.

<Continued Next Post>

englanddg · Aug 13, 2013

We rounded the corner and skipped the other interactive part because, since the primary attraction was down, that area was packed. So, we headed off into the little house!

Here the kid pretended to start fires everywhere and run away! She always has fun here, though I wish they'd spruce it up a tad (maybe some signs or something explaining the hazards?)

Then it was back to T. Rowe to check on the status of the Piggy Line! Along the way we passed the Video Game Wall, which I despise! But, we both stopped and played for a while. She did the Wall-E game, and I played Brave. The Brave game seems pretty fun...I may have to pick it up for my X-Box (which, I'm sure is the intent of this wall...moichendising, moichendising, moichendising!) It's a rather easy game, and sortof mindless. But, I enjoy games like that from time to time. The graphics are also rather impressive, I thought.

I also noted that Segway has completely moved out now (they were merely closed last year), and no one has moved in to fill that spot. This leaves the whole section feeling very void.

On this loop, the line for Piggy was down to one family, so we rushed inside quickly!

The kid decided we would save for our Retirement (say wha...?). "We are going to retire on the cruise, so we need money!" she informed me. Mr. Banks and Scrooge McDuck would be proud (as is her Daddy...<grin>).

The attraction was fun as always, though we failed to meet our goal by about 1/3rd! Oh well, all the more reason to try again. For some reason, I don't remember the balloon stage being so difficult last year! Though...that could be because I did most of the driving last year!

The time had come to head off to Morocco for dinner. The original plan was to run by Test Track and try and pick up some FastPasses, but we had spent too much time at Innoventions, so we had to high tail it across the park. Along the way, the kid needed to use the restroom, so we stopped by the restrooms at the entrance to World Showcase, just before you get to Canada. Next door is a concession stand, and I went over to get us a soda to share while she completed her business. We agreed we would meet at the bench outside the restrooms / line for the concession stand.

One thing I've enjoyed this trip has been her nearly 9 year old self. It was something I noted last trip, that she's finally getting old enough where I don't have to watch her every single second. Checking up on her and keeping a loose eye is generally enough. So, I had no issues letting her go potty while I went right next door (which still had a clear view of the outside of the restrooms) to get us a soda. In the past I would have insisted we do this together (well, I would let her potty herself starting last year, but I wouldn't have gone more than 10 feet from the ladies restroom door!)...

So, soda in hand, I walked the 20 feet or so and started to wait. And...wait... And...wait... And...oh, you get the idea. I didn't think this was too odd, as the kid is still in the "take my time" phase of potty breaks, but after 10 minutes, and seeing other ladies / kids walk in and out of the restroom, I began to get a bit concerned. I got as close to the door as I could without feeling like I looked like a creeper and called out her name a few times. No answer. So, I stopped a lady going in and asked if she would mind checking inside for me. She did, and came back out and said there was no little girl matching her description inside.

This is not something any parent wants to hear...ever. A stone began to form in my gut as I walked the immediate area, rather frantically, trying to stay under control...looking for her distinctive braids and listening for her voice, while calling out her name. I kept expanding the search further and further out towards the lake. After what was probably less than 2 minutes (but felt like an hour) I spotted her over next to the other concession stand, about 100 feet away, looking at the ducks she had fed earlier! Now...the fear turned terror that had welled up in my chest subsided and was replaced with something else. First...relief. Second, well, lets just say she got a very stern and private talking-to in the family restroom.

This shattered her mood, but I frankly don't care. She needs to understand that she can't just wander off wherever she likes. Had she asked if we could meet at the ducks, I still wouldn't have agreed to it, because the Ducks are out of sight of the line I was in...our meeting place and the restrooms were not. She must have slipped by while I was ordering and paying...

So, we continued on to Morocco. It took her as far as the UK pavilion and spotting the red phone booths before her mood reset... We tested the booths, and sure enough, they are still not functional. That's a shame...as I've had her mom call her at those booths every year since 2010 as a surprise. She also had fun with the Chalk Drawings that were done on the pavement there, including a neat looking hopscotch. I've seen this on youtube, and think it's a neat idea. I hope we run into the CMs doing them live sometime on our trip.

Soon we were walking into Morocco and venturing back to Marrakesh.

We stopped for a moment to glance at the shops and at our friendly Camel "Mr. Fez" (as the kid has named him...and yes, I had to explain what a Fez is to her...and she thought it was a hilarious name for a hat).

We were seated promptly. They were sort of busy tonight, busier than last year at least. We were seated at a table that had an ok view of the dance floor, but wasn't as nice as the floor-side seat we had last year.

As usual, the restaurant was clean and beautiful. I absolutely adore the ornate decor. Our server introduced himself and we ordered quickly. Guess what the kid had?

I was feeling a bit adventurous, so I started with a mixed drink. I got the Oasis Mimosa. This has sparkling wine, orange juice and grand marnier. It was pretty tasty.

This was followed by the "Royal Feast". I almost got the Marrakesh Feast because it includes Harira Soup, which I adore...but everything else on the menu (especially the lamb) seemed really good with the Royal Feast, so that's what I went with.

It included Jasmina Salad (Lettuce, tomato, green olives, feta cheese with a mustard vinaigrette) and Seafood Bastilla (thin pastry filled with grouper, shrimp and mushrooms) for appetizers. While I loved the salad, the Seafood Bastilla could have had a bit more filling or a bit less pastry. But, it was still ok.

The band started playing, and soon the belly dancer came out to do her show. The kid enjoyed this, but didn't want to go dancing with her like she did last year. Oh well...

For the Entree, the feast had a plate of Lemon Chicken (braised chicken with green olives and preserved lemon), Roast Lamb Meshoui (roasted lamb shank in natural juices) and Couscous with Seven Vegetables (semolina pasta with various vegetables, mine had chickpeas, zucchini, shaved carrots, and marinated red and yellow peppers).

The Lemon chicken was excellent, but the lamb was a bit dry, and I found it hard to get through. The Couscous was very nice. I didn't finish most of this dish, because it is a LOT of food (and I'd gorged myself at Biergarten only a few hours ago!)... It was a bit disappointing, and next time I think I'll go for the Marrakesh feast, and avoid this one.

Still, it was good.

We also got to witness several Moroccan versions of Happy Birthday, which was neat to see (and appropriately embarrassing for the victims!). The table next to us was also celebrating their third anniversary, and the staff brought them out a massive dessert and sang to them as well (no picture, sorry...didn't want to be all up in their business with my camera). In all, this part of the experience was great.

However, around here, the kid's early morning and long day was catching up to her. Here, look, tell me this isn't a tired face...

So, I really wanted to go ahead and get my dessert and have a few bites (I was honestly stuffed, but I wanted to try it anyway) and get on back to the hotel so we could get some rest. But, my server had disappeared!

It was a good ten minutes before we saw him again. He took my unfinished plate, concerned that I didn't like it. I had to assure him that I did repeatedly, I was just very full (which was the truth...but I don't think he believed me!). He brought out my dessert with some coffee. The kid passed on her dessert, and continued to color. Yep, kiddo is tired!

This dessert is on the menu as "Assorted Moroccan Pastries" and was pretty good. The Balaclava was excellent, as you would expect, but I found the rest of the desserts a bit underwhelming. I think the quality of desserts on the Fantasy has spoiled me! <grin>

Again, my server disappeared (argh!)...and it was another 10 minutes or so before he came back and I was able to request the check. Again, he eyeballed my incomplete plate, and again I had to reassure him that I did enjoy the meal thoroughly, and had no complaints (because I didn't!). He brought out the bill, and boxed up the kids leftover nuggets and fries...and we headed off home.

By now it was nearing Illuminations time, and I offered that we stay and watch it, but the kid really wasn't in the mood. So, we leisurely walked back to the front.

As we walked we were followed by a family who seems to think that potty / adult humor is appropriate for all ages, including their 8 - 10 year old children. They were comparing all the dirty t-shirts and hats they had bought at the beach a few days earlier. While I don't care what people expose their children to in this respect, I really wish they hadn't discussed it loudly in public at EPCOT for all to hear. Luckily my kid didn't ask me any awkward questions after this, but I'm sure after the 10 minute walk back to Spaceship Earth she is probably well qualified for her Health Class next year.

Along the way we ran into these...

I do enjoy that the bus stops for Port Orleans at EPCOT are closer than Pop / AoA / CBR (which, all three years, have been all the way in the back section of the bus stops). One of the busses had the new paint scheme on it. I've already seen one in person earlier in the trip, but I have to say, I like the new look!

Our bus came up quickly and soon we were back at the resort. I walked the kid up to the room and plopped her in the bath while I unpacked my day pack and started copying my pictures off my camera / phone.

Goodbye EPCOT. See you later!

Then, while she got dressed and settled in her bed, I walked over to the food court and snagged some Beignets and coffee! What first night at POFQ would be complete without these powdery sweet goodies????

When I got back up to the room the kid had found the Disney Cartoon channel at the resort on TV (hrm, I guess they added this since my last trip?), but had already fallen asleep cuddling her Dolphins from Cozumel.

Ok, so one last thing to do before moving on to Day 11 (Sunday). Lets take a look at the value so far of the Deluxe Dining Plan.

To break even we need to spend around $127 a day on dining. Today we spent:

Biergarten Lunch
Me - $25.99
Kid - $13.99
Tax - $3.29

Snacks
Beignets - 3.99
Dips - 3.99
Mugs (one time credit) - $33.00

Marrakesh Dinner
Royal Feast - $45.00
Kids Chicken - $7.99
2 Cokes - $5.98
Tax - $4.42

Total = $147.64

So, it's close! If I didn't include the $33 mugs (which break down to $1.50 per day for each of us in terms of soda / coffee to be more than a value, which we will easily meet...then I come out about $12 dollars shy of breaking even. Then again, I only got 2 snacks on the plan today.

Next, Day 11 - Lions, Zebras and Yeti's, Oh My!

englanddg · Aug 13, 2013

Day 10 updated, formatted and now has pictures!

sweetpee_1993 · Aug 13, 2013

Still totally enjoying it. As ou get further away from your cruise I'm curious to see how you reflect. Like I said, it was after we were back at WDW from our first cruise that we truly realized how much we adored it.

englanddg · Aug 13, 2013

sweetpee_1993 said:
Still totally enjoying it. As ou get further away from your cruise I'm curious to see how you reflect. Like I said, it was after we were back at WDW from our first cruise that we truly realized how much we adored it.

Hah! I'm already missing it. It's difficult to get adjusted to having to leave for something at least an hour in advance!

Spoiled, I tell ya!

sweetpee_1993 · Aug 13, 2013

englanddg said:
Hah! I'm already missing it. It's difficult to get adjusted to having to leave for something at least an hour in advance!

Spoiled, I tell ya!

It does spoil you! Isn't it incredible how vastly different the entire vibe of the different vacation segments are? That never ceases to amaze me!

englanddg · Aug 13, 2013

sweetpee_1993 said:
It does spoil you! Isn't it incredible how vastly different the entire vibe of the different vacation segments are? That never ceases to amaze me!

Funny, since I started the 7 day cruise feeling out of place...and now...I feel out of place at WDW!

Cruises are EVIL, I tell you!

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englanddg

One Little Spark...