Trip Report *FINISHED* The "How did all these people get in here?" That's what she said Trip Report

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Hello!

First off my thank you's to people will be held at the very end of my report. So if you feel like you should be thanked for something, or shown my appreciation for something...you're going to have to wait a while. Nobody cares about you anyway.

Secondly, I used the up-loader on this site for my pictures and it kind of did a number on them. Once I get everything situated with a photo hosting site this will continue. Thing that sucks is all those sites are blocked through my work computer so I am going to have to actually do this on my on time and not works time.

*Warning*

What you’re about to read are my thoughts and feelings from my most recent trip to Walt Disney World. A lot of sarcasm and pointing out the moronic things other humans do…along with their rudeness and pure oblivious behavior to others around them will be written here.

If you put kids on your shoulders to watch fireworks, leave messy food trays at tables or other places other than a trash can for someone else to clean, take flash pictures on or in “dark attractions”, stop in the middle of rows to sit down, talk during shows, pull that metal latch on the hotel door so it stops your door from closing and you continue to open your hotel door and let it slam shut 20 times in a row at 7am and other dumb inconsiderate things…you MIGHT not want to read this.

If you enjoy sarcasm, “decent” photography, food ography, side stories, pictures of people dressed “special”, and most of all ME!!! Then you are in the right place.

Swear words might be abbreviated. I may think that things YOU do are ignorant and inconsiderate to others around you. Please don’t be offended. LEARN from it. Don’t cry about it. I am not going to argue with you or justify why you should be beat with wet dish rags because you like to hang out and talk with other guests in your party in doorways leading to the entrance/exit of an attraction or the middle of stairs. There is just no hope for you.

This report is made to be funny. It is also made to be serious and informative as well. I don’t have ANY behind the scenes knowledge but I do feel like I have a pretty good grasp on how to have a pretty great time in Disney World and where you should eat delicious food.

I take a TON of photographs and I work rather hard to get good photographs not only for myself but for all of you to hopefully enjoy as well. I pride myself in taking awesome food photographs. I like to feel someone responsible for the big “boom” on this around here.

When I first started planning Disney Trips on my own I always wanted to see what the food looked like before I arrived. There was really NOWHERE to find it. So, I said to myself “Take pictures of EVERYTHING you eat and see and post them to help other people in the same boat as you.” I am a picky eater, which is why this was important to me. I hope along the way I have helped some people out. I hope this report does too. I took 3,444 photographs on just MY camera alone!

This trip is two years, well it WAS two years in the making.

The cast of this trip my fiancée Colleen and me.

Here I am...

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Here is Colleen, she is so hood.

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Also an "Artist"

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...and the much needed couple post...

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We knew we were going to, and when we were going to go but we booked it for real in April. That was the deadline so that we could do our 180+10 dining reservation thing.

We booked All Star Sports Resort arriving on October 9th and departing October 23rd! I missed the big turf field and being able to go out there and throw football after a long day of Typhoon Lagooning, Dining and Park Hopping. But that plan would soon crumble just like most of our plans this trip.

After calling and speaking to Disney World for what feels like 80 times checking for further discounts on the Cast Member plan never ever never once did they mention to me “Oh by the way, the food court at All Star Sports will be closed during your stay.” I had to accidentally find out about it on here.

So now we are faced with our first “White People Problems” of the trip.

Stay at All Star Sports and use Movies and or Music Food Courts?

Or…

Try for Art of Animation or Pop Century which we both hated on a previous trip?

We ended up at Pop because Art of Animation was booked solid. We figured we could walk across The Generation Gap Bridge and eat at AoA because that was really the only thing that appealed to us about staying at AoA in the first place. So here we are now at a hotel we both really did not want to stay at. We are 3 months out and we are already switching things around that we really did not want to switch at all. We almost considered spending more money and staying at Port Orleans or Caribbean Beach. It just did not make sense because we do not spend a lot of time at the resort, or so we thought…

About a month our from our arrival date I got an email asking if I wanted to participate in testing for Magic Bands. Umm, of course I do. You just made me feel really important by sending me this email. So we selected our colors and a day later we got these via UPS!

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A few days later our Magical Express packet came.

Now all that is left is our trip. No more ADR’s, no more waiting for things in the mail…the next big step is near.

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Day 1 10/9/2013

Finally…The day has come. Up at 3am, well alarm is set for 3am. We don’t have to leave until 4am. I think we dragged ourselves…yes we still had to drag ourselves out of bed knowing what was waiting for us a few short hours away. I think we left the house at like 4:15am for the 25-30 min right to Pittsburgh International Airport. Pretty weird that it’s 25 minutes from Pittsburgh though. Oh well.

We got to the airport checked our bags got through security all less than 10 minutes. Our gate for Air Tran was as far away as possible. I never have been that far back in the airport. The funniest thing I noticed at the airport is that it was 5:20am and Quaker Steak and Lube was about to open up. (Skip ahead 15 days) We passed it again when we returned home at 9:50pm and they were closed. That is pretty weird.

(Back to present time)

It is now time to board our flight. Our flight was pretty full. Normally our plane is half full but there were not too many seats open on our plane. AWESOME flight though. No bumps or dips at all. We arrived at MCO in about 1 hour and 50 minutes. 25 minutes earlier than posted. Sorry no airplane pictures. It was dark the whole time and then nothing but clouds. We came out of the clouds and landed 5 minutes after.

I know where I am going once we get off the “monorail” at MCO but it always strikes me as odd that they have pretty much zero signs saying where to go to check in for The Magical Express. Oh well…good thing I am not new at this. This is really all the help you get, but it is down on the bottom floor when you should pretty much already know where you are going!

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Then at the 2 mile point we saw this...

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To be continued...
 
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blackthidot

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
Yes
Day 1 10/9/2013 Continued...

We finally arrived at Disney's Magical Express after what seemed to be a 3 mile walk. We were the ONLY people down there. I mean…it was DEAD and there was NOBODY on the whole bottom floor. Stuff like that makes me nervous and I start to doubt if I am on the wrong floor or if something is going to eat me. Okay I really didn’t think anything is going to eat me.

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Once we walked outside to get on the bus it was cool outside. I am used to getting kicked in my stomach with heat and humidity that first time we step into the Florida weather. Not this time it was awesome.

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We got on the bus, sat in the front row to get pictures of The Disney World Entrance Sign. We waited 5 minutes. A family of 4 got on the bus and we were off. All 6 of us on a charter bus. I am glad that we did not have to wait but it’s pretty silly they took a huge bus like that for only 6 people. The other people weren’t even going to Pop.

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Here is the sign I have somehow NEVER got a picture of…

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Saw this cool truck on the way as well!

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blackthidot

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
Yes
Day 1 10/9/2013 Continued...

We were at Pop in what seemed to be like 10 minutes. It definitely took 25 minutes but it flew by. We saw the Pop Century Resort sign and turned in. From what I remember it took an eternity to actually get to the resort once you turned at the light. Not this time. It seemed like we there right away. Not going to be mad at that. That was a HUGE gripe we had with Pop. Not anymore.

Before I knew it I was stepping off the bus onto the red carpet with someone blowing bubbles in my face. They could have been throwing chewed bubble gum at me and it would not have mattered. We made it back! It’s now around 9:15am. Our room WAS ready but I wanted a king size bed. They said I can have a king but it won’t be ready. That is fine so we got our Keys to the World Cards...

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Then took some pictures…

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...and I remembered you Kelly ( @sweetpee_1993 )

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We had to put our carryon bags in storage and the plan was to go to Epcot and get our AP’s. Well, Hollywood Studios had nobody in line while Epcot and Magic Kingdom had HUGE lines. So we just went to DHS. I started thinking about how overcast and cool it was. The weather had NO rain in the forecast at all for the next 10 days. I thought to myself “Man; I will trade blue skies in my pictures for this weather ANY DAY.” Then as I looked at my phone and realized it was 9:45am and I started thinking “It’s just really early still…it’ll be 90 in a few hours...ugh!”

Last time we stayed at Pop the bus service was just horrific. It would take us 10 minutes to get to DHS one day, and the next day it would take 25 minutes. Well this trip was 10 minutes on the dot. Not bad Mr. Bus Driver. Not bad.

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Upon arrival there were people EVERYWHERE. I just figured it was because the park was just opening. Did not really think too much of it especially since nobody was in the ticket line. We redeemed our vouchers, got our passes…

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Magic Bands worked perfectly...and we are in!

I get about half way down Hollywood Blvd and without thinking I yell out MF’er!!! When opening my wallet I realized we forgot to redeem our extra 10 day tickets I had towards our AP’s. Oh well. I did not feel like going back and try to rewrite Disney’s system. I will just sell them to someone I know going down or put them on eBay.

What really had my attention was there were people EVERYWHERE. I had never been at DHS with this many people stampeding around. We stopped at Starring Rolls for cupcakes but it was so busy we just kept going our way.



We made our way over towards Echo Lake and ended up at Star Tours

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To be continued...
 

blackthidot

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
Yes
View attachment 38708 Day 1 10/9/2103 Continued...

Star Tours had us on Hoth and The Boba Fett scenes. Pretty much EVERY TIME we rode it those were our “adventures”. I will say that The Hoth adventure is probably the most realistic out of them all.

They had some pretty nice artwork in the gift shop…Oh, check our Han’s shadow!

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Then we hit up Muppet Vision. This is such a great show all around. The pre show is awesome as well. The screen inside the theater still looked good from the last refurb that was done. I do not think this attraction can get old. The only thing that bothers me is Bean Bunny's major role in this. But it's not even that big of a deal. Still love this show!

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We were already hungry going into Muppet Vision. We were going to try and eat at DHS but the Counter Service Meals there are kinda cheeks (butt). So we decided to get on the Ferry to Epcot and eat at Sunshine Seasons!

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To be continued...
 

blackthidot

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
Yes
Day 1 10/9/2013 Continued...

Got to The International Gateway and Magic Bands were down. We scanned our passes but Colleen’s pass showed she was already admitted to the park a minute earlier so even though hers flashed blue instead of green, it worked. I did not even scan mine so who knows if mine would have “worked” as well. Now Epcot is jam packed as well. To be completely honest with you all…the only thing on my mind was Strawberry Shortcake though. When we got to SS I really wanted to try something else rather than the “Sustainable Fish” that replaced The Salmon on our last trip. To my surprise though…they had The Salmon! At this point I am a pretty happy camper. The Land area was pretty dead. We found seats right away. Snapped pictures of the meals…

Colleen had The Togarashi Seared Tuna Noodle Salad...

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I had the AWESOME Salmon with some AWESOME Mashed Potatoes!!!

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It looks like such a dull "dish" but it is SO good. It's better than some table service meals we had.

For dessert I had...come on, I had Strawberry Shortcake...

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For Colleen it was Tiramisu in a cup...(I think?)

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Just in case you forgot about it...

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Wow…Sunshine Seasons just punches you in your mouth. It is so good. From the first time I have ever eaten there I have also said “Enjoy this while you can before they realize it’s too good a thing and take it away or cheapen it.” On my last trip I really thought I was starting to see them “cheapen it” by taking away The Salmon. Well it is back and hopefully for good. If they even mess with The Strawberry Shortcake…I legit, may stop going to Disney World. No joke. It’s that important. It’s that damn good.

After lunch we decided to go on Living with the Land. We both really love this ride. Not really going to try and list reasons why we do but we just do. There is never a line for it either. Always walk on. Maybe that has something to do with it but I for one love seeing how everything is grown. The nice relaxing ride in the AC after you eat is pretty cool too!

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To be continued...
 

blackthidot

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
Yes
Day 1 10/9/2013 Continued...

After Living with the Land we decided to head back to Pop just to rest a bit and hopefully check into our room. We both agreed that Spaceship Earth needed to be boarded before we left though. No lies...

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"I'll chisel someones butt closed...I don't even care. I shall practice on this statue first." He actually kind of looks like the type of person who would do that kind of stuff too.

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To be continued...
 

blackthidot

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
Yes
Day 1 10/9/2013 Continued...

Okay so NOW we are headed back to Pop. There are just droves of people all over Epcot. Now I am starting to really worry about these crowds. Anyway we went to the bus stop; of course it was the LAST bus stop.

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Wow, another nice bus ride. I think it only took 15 minutes to get to Pop from Epcot. Last trip these rides we anywhere from 20-35 minutes. That was absurd. If this keeps up…we are going to really enjoy our stay at Pop Century.

At Pop our room was ready. We were in 50’s Building Number 2 with a water view! OF THE POOL! The woman advised me of that beforehand. So it was not like we were walking over there expecting a nice view of the lake or anything.

Ahhh home for the next 2 weeks!

Our room was pretty nice. Seemed like we had a good bit of space too. I don’t know how or why but I forgot to take pictures of our room. We then realized that we were both kind of dressed like “bums” and had an ADR at California Grill at 5pm. It was now 3:30pm. I just said forget it. We don’t have our luggage yet. I am showering and we are going. We are not dressed offensive or bad…we just had on our “Go to the parks” clothes. Well Colleen called the front desk while I showered and our luggage was there. They brought it over to us right away. We changed and left the room around 4pm. Not many people in line for MK so we sat on the bench and as soon as we did that bus came. No complaint. MK ride was around 20 minutes. We got off the bus and had to walk in a big circle to walk over to the Contemporary. First some monorail shots though…

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I love the monorails. I could sit and watch them for a good bit. Hopefully someday it will be a normal way to travel locally. They need to do something about the elephant smell inside of them though. That I really do not enjoy at all.
 

blackthidot

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
Yes
Day 1 10/9/2013 Continued...

We arrived to The Contemporary at 4:45pm. Not bad.

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I need to get one of these rugs for my house. It would make absolutely ZERO sense but I want one for my front door. Anyone who wants to gank one for me...PM me for me home address.

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After walking around The Contemporary and taking photos we finally made our way to the check in counter for California Grill. We were then escorted upstairs and here we are. The inside of NEW California Grill is weird. It’s cool. I really like it. But it is certainly weird and different. Here are pictures from inside of some of the table settings and from the observation deck...

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We were sat at exactly 5pm. Man, what an AWESOME view. The sun finally decided to come out as well. The temperature really did not change much either. But wow…what a view. We have not stepped inside MK yet so this was our first view of The Castle and pretty much all of MK. ALL of MK at once. Man it was awesome. I don’t really think it ranks up with turning the corner of Town Square and seeing The Castle between the Emporium and Confectionery but still pretty cool way to take in the first view.

Now… Onto what matters and what most of you are probably following along for. The food!

I am sure I have explained this before to you guys, I know a lot of you will understand and know what I mean. The Fountain Coke in Walt Disney World is just phenomenal. At home, I do not drink soda/pop at all. I drink Iced Tea. The soda/pop in restaurants/bars here is disgusting. Tastes like watered down syrup. The whole time I am in Disney…I drink The Coke. Just the fountain Coke though. So with that said…here is a few pictures of a Coke!

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So so so good. I should really count how many of these I go through next trip.

Well I am out of photo space for this installment.

To be continued...
 

blackthidot

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
Yes
Day 1 10/9/2013 Continued...

Up next was some bread and sea salt butter...

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Man that salty butter really is tasty. You can really taste the salt which is a bit strong, but I like that.

Up next, the entrees…

Colleen’s Dish…

Wild Columbia River Salmon Southern Sweet Corn Pudding, Crispy Salmon Cakes, Spiced Saffron Broth.

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Her Salmon was very good. The Crispy Salmon Cakes were a 3-Run Homerun.

My Dish…

Oak-fired Filet of Beef Heirloom Tomato Risotto, Marinted Baby Vine Tomatoes, Basil, Tomato Butter.

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Ummmm…



W
T
F



This Steak was the best food I have ever had in my life. KILLS Le Cellier. Everyone knows how I feel about Le Cellier. It’s not even on the same planet. This Filet was absolutely amazing. In fact I really did not believe it. Next bite…even better because it had more of The Tomato Butter on it. Normally I will eat my sides first and my entree last. I have no clue why I started with The Filet first but I am glad that I did. As for The Tomato Risotto was pretty good as well…at FIRST. I am a very picky eater and give myself a bunch of credit for even trying this. I don’t really like soft and “crunchy” to mix. The tomato skins in there made it crunchy so I picked through them. It was a good side but really tangy. It eventually got to be too much. Almost like eating a bunch of sour candy. It just becomes too much eventually. I ate about half of The Risotto. I am not mad that I did not substitute something else. Very glad I tried it.

I feel like I just wrote a whole book on my entree.

Now we must keep this moving and discuss desserts.

Colleen had…

Chocolate Pudding Cake Luscious Chocolate Cake with Nutella Filling, Meringue Kisses, and Mint Chantilly.

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Chocolate and salt? Let’s F’ing go! Just another perfect blend of salt thrown on top of the chocolate. Depending on how my dessert goes…I might be having one of these when we come back later in the trip.

I had The Sundae Sampler Unique and playful Sundaes with a nostalgic twist: Caramel Corn, Coke® Float, and Strawberry and Basil!

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Everything with my dessert was good. I love strawberries so the Strawberry and Basil was a hit with me. My “Coke” Float was actually Root Beer. I hurried up and drank it because I am not a fan of ice cream just sitting in soda for a while. The caramel portion was pretty good too. All three items were good. It just did not match the power of the entree. I felt like the cake Colleen got did though. I knew I would be getting that next time and that cake was it!

To be continued...
 

blackthidot

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
Yes
Day 1 10/9/2013 Continued...


I wanted to head down to The Contemporary Café to see if they had Strawberry Cupcakes. Of course not. So I took some pictures of what they had…

Red Velvet Cupcake

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Worms in Dirt Cupcake

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Monster Cupcake

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Root Beer Float Cupcake

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and we are off to The Monorail to go to Magic Kingdom!


It was a freaking zoo before we even got through the gates. Between Magic Bands not working, and idiots just having no clue why they even have a Magic Band on. Inside the park was just insane. More on that in a minute. I want to walk in and see The Castle and smell The Confectionery. That view, coming around that corner regardless if you enter from the right side or the left is not describable with any words or typing. Even though all of you reading this know exactly what I mean, and how that feeling is…you can’t describe it and do it any sort of justice. Especially when they sky is pink from the sun setting right before dark. Man…


Anyways, Main Street was a complete zoo. The sidewalks were LOADED with people waiting for Main Street Electrical Parade. That was almost refreshing because I knew it was a mad house but with everyone waiting for the parade I figured ride wait times would be manageable. Wuuuhh Wuuuuh!!! NOT! Haunted Mansion STEADILY had a 35 minute wait. I NEVER in my life saw it go past 10 minutes. Pirates was the lowest with….TWENTY MINUTE WAIT!!! We waited it was more like 15 minutes. During our wait this lady in front of us had this “awesome” tattoo of her crazy son…

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This thing looked nothing like him. In fact this tattoo is creepy and I would pay money to see it when she is 60. She would have been better off with a Tom Bricker ( @WDWFigment ) in his Elf costume tattoo. Pirates was pretty much left in the same shape it was in when we visited in 2011. No projection of Black Beard. The mermaid thing would have been cool if it did not look like someone took a flash picture of the water next to you. The mermaid song was cool and creepy. Pretty fitting for that section of the ride.

To be continued...
 

blackthidot

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
Yes
Day 1 10/9/2013 Continued...

We can kick this off with some photos from Pirates!

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We had some Splash Mountain FP+ to use now. This would be our first time using this. It worked like a charm with no issues. Splash looked pretty good. All effects were working except the shooting water fountains. They were off the whole trip.

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To be continued...
 

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