Trip Report My First Trip Report! *COMPLETED*

My First Trip Report!
​

Hi y'all! I'm tcool, and it's great to be here! For years I used these forums, and one day happened to come across this very forum I'm in right now! I thought it was an interesting idea, and have always wanted to create a report. However due to either never having the time, or the lack of pictures I could never commit to creating a report. However inspired by @Tuvalu 's many reports I decided to jump right in as it seems like community is just as nice and fun as that over at the Imagineering forum. So without adu? ado? adue? here's some background info on the trip!

When: February 16th to February 19th, 2018 AKA President's Day Weekend
Where: The Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham
Who: My brother, father, and I
Why: The Festival of the Arts, and to satiate the thirst for Disney

With those simple questions behind us, let's get to the real meat of a trip report: the trip!

Day 1: Pathelic Cilantro​

You may be looking at the title of the day, and be wondering what is Pathelic? Well don't worry it'll be explained in due time! Around 2:40 PM my father and brother picked me up from school, and we left Miami to drive north towards the most magical place on earth: Walt Disney World! On the drive up my brother and I sang the entire Coco soundtrack as I'm just un poco loco for Coco, and if any song starts playing I quickly shift into karaoke mode including overdramatic flairs along with unnecessary pitch changes. No one said I was a trained singer

After of two hours we made it to the namesake of the day, the Port St. Lucie/Fort Pierce plaza. The plaza started off with a bang for you see it was newly renovated, and was nice and modern. Located in the plaza was a chain known as Chicken Kitchen which in my book is a knock off Pollo Tropical. Now Pollo Tropical is one of my favourite fast food places, and they have a Tropichop which for me is a bowl of brown rice, black beans, and chicken. Chicken Kitchen offered something similar with their Chop Chop, and to change it up I decided to ask for brown rice, chicken, and Garlic Cilantro! However to my dismay it tasted like nothing losing all flavour of the garlic and cilantro. I felt robbed of something that on paper sounded delicious, but ended up being an Americanized mess of flavours. However the rice and chicken were okay, and maybe next time I'll see if they have any lime instead to add some flavour. The sauce in my book was disappointing enough to be the main title of the day as it was a Pathe-lic Cilantro sauce.

For the remainder of the trip up my family played a road trip game we call the Animal Game. The Animal Game is a game in which you say a letter of the animal you're thinking of, and everyone else has to guess what it is; based on a limited amount of hints that they request. On the way up my brother tossed in an animal that starts with L, any guesses? Llama? No. Lemur? No. Lion? No. Liger? No. Leopard? No. Need some hints?

1. Have we (my family) seen one? No.
2. Is it alive? I think so.
3. Is it real? I don't know, but I've heard people talking about them.
4. Who talked about them? People...

Loch Ness Monster? No. And then we found out. If it wasn't obvious from those "helpful" hints it was a locust, and fun fact they're real!

My pictures were much too blurry, so here's one I found right now. Don't worry the trip was only photo lite for now.​

We reached the entrance sign at 7:00 PM, and from there we were only a short drive and ferry ride to the Magic Kingdom. We were on our way to the Magic Kingdom aboard the ferry, and arrived at 7:55 PM by this time Happily Ever After had already started. However that didn't stop us! We stopped in the Town Square as we watched the fireworks above. After the show we entered the Main Street bypass, and the backside of Tomorrowland as we entered into Tomorrowland. The time was 8:30 PM, and our fastpass for Peter Pan ended at 8:25 PM. We knew about the grace period present at the park, but we were worried would we make it? Would we queue Peter Pan's Flight? Would I have time to eat a Cheshire Cat Tail? I guess y'all just have to wait and see Also don't worry the pictures will start flooding in after this post

 

[Kiwiduck]

My First Trip Report!
​

Hi y'all! I'm tcool, and it's great to be here! For years I used these forums, and one day happened to come across this very forum I'm in right now! I thought it was an interesting idea, and have always wanted to create a report. However due to either never having the time, or the lack of pictures I could never commit to creating a report. However inspired by @Tuvalu 's many reports I decided to jump right in as it seems like community is just as nice and fun as that over at the Imagineering forum. So without adu? ado? adue? here's some background info on the trip!

When: February 16th to February 19th, 2018 AKA President's Day Weekend
Where: The Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham
Who: My brother, father, and I
Why: The Festival of the Arts, and to satiate the thirst for Disney

With those simple questions behind us, let's get to the real meat of a trip report: the trip!

Day 1: Pathelic Cilantro​

You may be looking at the title of the day, and be wondering what is Pathelic? Well don't worry it'll be explained in due time! Around 2:40 PM my father and brother picked me up from school, and we left Miami to drive north towards the most magical place on earth: Walt Disney World! On the drive up my brother and I sang the entire Coco soundtrack as I'm just un poco loco for Coco, and if any song starts playing I quickly shift into karaoke mode including overdramatic flairs along with unnecessary pitch changes. No one said I was a trained singer

After of two hours we made it to the namesake of the day, the Port St. Lucie/Fort Pierce plaza. The plaza started off with a bang for you see it was newly renovated, and was nice and modern. Located in the plaza was a chain known as Chicken Kitchen which in my book is a knock off Pollo Tropical. Now Pollo Tropical is one of my favourite fast food places, and they have a Tropichop which for me is a bowl of brown rice, black beans, and chicken. Chicken Kitchen offered something similar with their Chop Chop, and to change it up I decided to ask for brown rice, chicken, and Garlic Cilantro! However to my dismay it tasted like nothing losing all flavour of the garlic and cilantro. I felt robbed of something that on paper sounded delicious, but ended up being an Americanized mess of flavours. However the rice and chicken were okay, and maybe next time I'll see if they have any lime instead to add some flavour. The sauce in my book was disappointing enough to be the main title of the day as it was a Pathe-lic Cilantro sauce.

For the remainder of the trip up my family played a road trip game we call the Animal Game. The Animal Game is a game in which you say a letter of the animal you're thinking of, and everyone else has to guess what it is; based on a limited amount of hints that they request. On the way up my brother tossed in an animal that starts with L, any guesses? Llama? No. Lemur? No. Lion? No. Liger? No. Leopard? No. Need some hints?

1. Have we (my family) seen one? No.
2. Is it alive? I think so.
3. Is it real? I don't know, but I've heard people talking about them.
4. Who talked about them? People...

Loch Ness Monster? No. And then we found out. If it wasn't obvious from those "helpful" hints it was a locust, and fun fact they're real!

My pictures were much too blurry, so here's one I found right now. Don't worry the trip was only photo lite for now.​

We reached the entrance sign at 7:00 PM, and from there we were only a short drive and ferry ride to the Magic Kingdom. We were on our way to the Magic Kingdom aboard the ferry, and arrived at 7:55 PM by this time Happily Ever After had already started. However that didn't stop us! We stopped in the Town Square as we watched the fireworks above. After the show we entered the Main Street bypass, and the backside of Tomorrowland as we entered into Tomorrowland. The time was 8:30 PM, and our fastpass for Peter Pan ended at 8:25 PM. We knew about the grace period present at the park, but we were worried would we make it? Would we queue Peter Pan's Flight? Would I have time to eat a Cheshire Cat Tail? I guess y'all just have to wait and see Also don't worry the pictures will start flooding in after this post

Looking forward to your report and especially hearing about your off-site hotel as most of the reports here are on-site ones.

 

[tcool123]

Night 1: Magic Everywhere!​

The mickey turned green! We were safely in and out of Neverland with little to no hassle it weren't for my brother. He kept yelling out my name from behind my dad and I, and then he would turn on and off his phone's flashlight. It drove me up the walls, but luckily my dad told him off and that was it for tonight.

It seemed to us we still had time before our next fastpass, and thus we entered the handicap entrance to the happiest cruise that ever sailed, it's a small world!

​

While riding we noticed that the elephant was missing one of the dolls riding its tusks. While unfortunate I'm sure it will return soon, and who knows it may return by my next trip

Upon exiting we found out that Pirates of the Caribbean was temporarily closed which worried us as this was going to be our last change until the auction scene, or so we thought

We had a fastpass for that attraction, and as such we had a multiple experience pass to now use. Any guesses?

Now my father can't bend his knee pass a certain point. The trio of mountains all unallow him to ride any of them, and as such he asked to drop him off between to the two Frontierland mountains. We used our passes on Thunder Mountain, and when we came back my dad made a new friend! As we were riding, a cast member had given my dad and his friend a free Mickey bar! A true stroke of magic!

The magic of the night didn't end there! We had a singular pass left, and we wished to ride Splash Mountain. So I scanned, and it turned green. Up came my brother, and what came up what was a white mickey! Luckily he was allowed to board anyways!

On our way to our final fastpass we stopped for a quick photo of the castle

To be continued....

 

[tcool123]

Night 1 : Magic Everywhere! Cont.
​

Our next fastpass was for Space Mountain. However my brother is the only one who rides it, and as such he went on to ride it. On our way to the Tomorrowland Light & Power Co. was a stray pin on the floor. I picked up, and shrieked with glee as it was Jose Carioca! He is by far my one of my favorite classic characters along with Panchito Pistoles. A true momment of magic

Forgot to take a picture of it myself, woops!
​

My brother rode through the cosmos, and we crossed over to save the galaxy with Buzz Lightyear. This is were we had our first ever ride break down! We had entered the first shooting room, and as such had plenty to photograph. While some say it would ruin their trip, if anything it enhanced ours adding something new we typically have never experienced.

​

Our final magic moment was ready for the night. It was our first trip for the calendar year, but we had hit what I believe is defined as #ShirleyStatus

​

Not only were we the last train, but we were the only ones on said train. The ride was flawless, and it was nice to see Tomorrowland calmed down.

​

We were one of the last ones out of the park, and were able to catch the last ferry out of the park. Now for some unfathomable reason my throat was extremely sore for whatever reason. However I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact I had sang for two hours straight, nor the fact I felt the cold creeping onto me. I publicly announced to my brother and dad that I needed to buy some medicine at Walgreens, and my brother replied that he had decided to instead go buy some food at Wawa.

Needless to say much to not my surprise, and my brother's disdain we had to go to Walgreens as "shockingly" Wawa did not carry anything that would help my throat. We had purchased the medicine, and drove across the street to our hotel, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham.

@Kiwiduck here's what you waited for my thoughts on the hotel. Also the following are not my images as I was always tired upon reaching the room.

Cons:

• Confusing layout. This is due to the homogenous look of all the buildings, and that some of the rooms are only visible within each plaza for the building pictured above.
• Parking. There are few parking spots near your room, and at times you would have to pack very far from your room. This would induce plenty of times where my dad goes towards the wrong direction as he looks for the car.
• No elevators. To most this may not seem like a con, but my dad has issues with not only his knees but his feet as well. As such walking up stairs is something he now has great difficulty with. Luckily it was only one flight of stairs, and can be avoidable by requesting a room. Unfortunately the hotel was fully booked, and there were no rooms on ground level left.
• Drive to Disney. It is a 20 minute drive to Disney, but that is only a small factor. I believe shuttles were provided, but we prefer to avoid the usage of shuttles due to their often horrible schedule. I have no idea if that was the case at this resort as we no longer check. However if you plan to to visit Universal or Seaworld this hotel is much closer and is only a 10 minute drive, and is located right on I-Drive.

Pros:

• Price. We paid a total of $237 for our three night stay during President's Day Weekend. Which is ~$80 dollars or so cheaper than an All Star
• Breakfast. The continental breakfast was nice, and included your typical fare of toast, bagels, muffins, fruits, actual scrambled eggs, sausages, fountain soda, juices, water, yogurt, and a waffle maker! Plus it was free something that an All-Star lacks.
• Parking. How can a con be a pro? Simple it was free! Something that is hard to find at some hotels.
• Rooms. The rooms were nice. Tile floors, a full on kitchen with a fridge, microwave, stove and oven, safe, coffee maker, two beds, a sofa bed, and large bathroom and closet to boot. Nearly identical to the picture above.
• Wi-Fi. It was free now common, but I know that some hotels do not offer such an amenity.
• Location. It is located on I-Drive, and within walking distance to a Walgreens, Wawa, and a 14 minute walk to the Orlando Eye Complex. Driving would probably be faster, but needless to say there are plenty of dining options for all price points along with convenience stores right there.
• Money Back. I'm not sure what is was for, but for some reason we received 50 dollars back after checking out. Thus dropping the actual price to $187.

Overall when compared to the Disney hotels it is a great value. If you plan on driving around while at Disney, or if you plan to use things such as Uber or Lyft I would say go for it. The pros for at least me far outweigh the cons.

 

[tcool123]

Day 2 : An Artful Epcot
​

At 7:45 the alarm came on, and we were soon all out of the room. We walked towards the lobby, and had a simple breakfast of toast, jams, and scrambled eggs. This was conditioning needed as today we planned to treat ourselves at Epcot and The Festival of the Arts.

​

My brother claimed to know Walt Disney World like the back of the hand since he was there last week. Well thanks to him knowing the resort like the back of the hand we ended attempting to enter at a backstage entrance near Test Track. So much for the back of his hand

​

Things were looking up as there seemed to be little traffic to get into the park, and we glided past the security and straight to our first fastpass of the day. We reached Mission: Space, and we discovered something. Green is far too boring, and Orange is far too intense for me. Due to my father's knee he rather not ride Mission: Space out of fear that he wouldn't fit. Leaving my brother as the only one wished to ride, but opted not to as he didn't want to ride by himself. So instead we decided to wander around looking at the nearby chalk art.

​

I loved how the water got caught in the flower early in the morning so I made sure to photograph that.

​

This lightbulb one is one of my favorites simply because of how realistic it is.

I told myself I would come back to see the finished art piece, and to which my brother stomped his foot down. Not sure why; we didn't really have any plans later in the day other than World Showcase. Unfortunately I forgot to bring it up later on as we finished the world tour. However I'm sure it came out looking real nice. I definitely got some Tron vibes from what we saw at the time.

So while our first fastpass went unused, our second definitely didn't get missed though as we could never pass up a ride on Test Track. After our quick drive, we began our tour to explore the artistic and culinary world starting with the majestic country of Odyssey famous for being the unofficial Festival Center!

Our culinary tour round the world began with my brother and father splitting the Gallery Bites. As for me? I was off enjoying myself in the attraction poster gallery.

Thank you Disney Food Blog as I couldn't always get a picture for the food.

​

To be continued...

 

[awelpjourneys]

Following! I appreciate your honest review of off-site properties. The pictures of the chalk art are amazing!

 

[Much-Pixie-Dust]

I am following. Love the pics. I was down there at the same thing me. Thinking about doing my first trip report, but it seems a little overwhelming.

 

[tcool123]

Following! I appreciate your honest review of off-site properties. The pictures of the chalk art are amazing!

Thanks for the follow!
You're welcome for the honest review, and maybe there'll be another honest review in the not too distant future
Also I agree the chalk art is stupendous, and I can't believe how people could draw such vivid images with only chalk. Whenever I try it always come out dusty, but then again they're professionals.

I am following. Love the pics. I was down there at the same thing me. Thinking about doing my first trip report, but it seems a little overwhelming.

Thanks for the follow, and for the pictures compliment I was really worried how would they look on a computer as on my camera screen they all looked pretty decent.
Hopefully you weren't at Hollywood Studios that night because boy was it packed to the gills. However the temperature during that rip was heavenly 80's with low humidity during the day with slight breezes, and 70's with slight breezes at night. Except Monday it was HOT. Overall it was a great weekend, the crowds were manageable, the temperatures were nice, and I had a great time which hopefully you did too
I say just do a trip report I thought it was daunting at first too, but going through the pictures and memorizing your day is just a fun way to relive your Disney experience!

 

[Rista1313]

I'm in... can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip!

 

[Zipadeelady]

I'm in! And welcome to the Nice, Happy Thread!

 

[tcool123]

I'm in... can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip!

I'm in! And welcome to the Nice, Happy Thread!

Thanks !

Glad to see you both here!

 

[tcool123]

Day 2 : An Artful Epcot Cont.​

As we began our trek to World Showcase I noticed that they have already began preparations for the Flower & Garden Festival. I decided to take a picture of the flower mural, but left most topiaries unphotographed as it may ruin the exclusivity of the next festival.

We started our tour of the arts with Epcot with Pop Eats, and its shrimp ceviche with lime mint foam. My brother disliked it greatly, but my father took a liking towards it. As for me? I wouldn't eat my first thing part of the festival until much later in the day. Once again Disney Food Blog saves me

Upon reaching Mexico I quickly gre excited as I had learned that they have brought in some Coco exhibits, and if my avatar didn't give it away I'm a huge fan of the film! The music, the characters, the aesthetic, just everything about that movie makes me fall in love with it

On we went to the Three Caballeros, and the line was insane! However due to my dad being handicapped we were able to sip the line, and board in the handicap access point. I suggested my father to stay in the boat as I know it is hard for him to get in, stay in, and get out of the boat. However he declined my idea, and decided to go in anyway.

Not going to lie if a Coco ride replaced the Three Caballeros I would definitely miss Panchito and Jose, but I do think that Coco would be a much better fit into the Epcot ideals than the Three Caballeros. After our Gran Fiesta Tour in Mexico we made an artful pitstop at the China Pavilion! Against the protests of my brother my dad ordered the Fortune Cookie, and my brother ordered Crispy Fried Shrimp.

I excused myself as I went off to buy lunch at the Lotus Blossom Cafe, and no technically not part of the festival so till have not eaten anything from the festival I decided to order my go to lunch from here, the Orange Chicken. The chicken and orange sauce work well together, but the rice and sauce combination aren't the greatest flavour combination in the world.

As I picked up my order my brother and father joined me, and they handed me a nonalcoholic version of the Fortune Cookie which I thought was odd however I decided to keep it for later. We sat down right in the shade, and my brother raved about the drink he previously claimed tasted like paint. In hindsight was a warning sign, but no I could not see any red flags. So by the time I finished my meal I decided to take my shot of Fortune Cookie.....biggest mistake ever. It felt like my throat was quite literally burning, and guess what it wasnt non alcoholic . Needless to say I prefer Beverly over the atrocity that is the Fortune Cookie. We the burning aftertaste in my mouth we continued our march through the countries.

I asked to explore the countries, but was met by a no from my brother. When I asked why, he claimed we wouldn't have the time to explore. To which I replied we have no other plans for the day, and by that there was literally nothing else planned after Test Track we were just going with the flow. The flow of what my brother wanted to do that is.

We kept marching through the countries until we reached America, and picked up our Passholder gift. A lovely Belle print in which the paint was rolling down the print itself. We picked up three; one for myself, one for my mother, and for my brother's girlfriend.

Then outside we visited The Artist's Table, and is where I finally ordered my first Festival oriented food option. I ordered the Artist Palette Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookie, and my father ordered a Pan-Seared Scallop. Surprise! I actually took a picture of the food we bought! I'm proud of myself Let's just ignore the scallop's watermark

The cookie was soft and gooey, and the forsting while concerned me as I thought it would be too sweet was really good. Using the paintbrush my brother cut the cookie right in the middle, and as such I received an additional color on my cookie as I painted the cookie. The blue's viscosity was pretty thick, but red and yellow were easily spreadable.

My brother surprised us with another stop in a different country! This time we made a pit stop at Morocco, and headed into Tangerine Cafe to order some Baklava, and some tangerine slushes. My father ordered a Chocolate Honey Baklava, and me and my brother the tangerine slushes. And we're back to the trend of never really photographing the drink or food. I call upon you, Disney Food Blog!

I took the longest with ym drink as I simply love oranges and tangerines, and have a tendency to savor whatever drink they are featured in. I loved the slush, but my brother? Eh, not so much. He got halfway before giving it to my dad in case he wants. We were soon on our way once again. Once again we had another stop-in! So much for not exploring any countries


But what country was it? Did we have to backtrack after missing something someone wanted to try, or was the stop-in just getting lost looking for the bathroom? I guess we'll just have to wait till Part 3

 

[21stamps]

My First Trip Report!
​

Hi y'all! I'm tcool, and it's great to be here! For years I used these forums, and one day happened to come across this very forum I'm in right now! I thought it was an interesting idea, and have always wanted to create a report. However due to either never having the time, or the lack of pictures I could never commit to creating a report. However inspired by @Tuvalu 's many reports I decided to jump right in as it seems like community is just as nice and fun as that over at the Imagineering forum. So without adu? ado? adue? here's some background info on the trip!

When: February 16th to February 19th, 2018 AKA President's Day Weekend
Where: The Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham
Who: My brother, father, and I
Why: The Festival of the Arts, and to satiate the thirst for Disney

With those simple questions behind us, let's get to the real meat of a trip report: the trip!

Day 1: Pathelic Cilantro​

You may be looking at the title of the day, and be wondering what is Pathelic? Well don't worry it'll be explained in due time! Around 2:40 PM my father and brother picked me up from school, and we left Miami to drive north towards the most magical place on earth: Walt Disney World! On the drive up my brother and I sang the entire Coco soundtrack as I'm just un poco loco for Coco, and if any song starts playing I quickly shift into karaoke mode including overdramatic flairs along with unnecessary pitch changes. No one said I was a trained singer

After of two hours we made it to the namesake of the day, the Port St. Lucie/Fort Pierce plaza. The plaza started off with a bang for you see it was newly renovated, and was nice and modern. Located in the plaza was a chain known as Chicken Kitchen which in my book is a knock off Pollo Tropical. Now Pollo Tropical is one of my favourite fast food places, and they have a Tropichop which for me is a bowl of brown rice, black beans, and chicken. Chicken Kitchen offered something similar with their Chop Chop, and to change it up I decided to ask for brown rice, chicken, and Garlic Cilantro! However to my dismay it tasted like nothing losing all flavour of the garlic and cilantro. I felt robbed of something that on paper sounded delicious, but ended up being an Americanized mess of flavours. However the rice and chicken were okay, and maybe next time I'll see if they have any lime instead to add some flavour. The sauce in my book was disappointing enough to be the main title of the day as it was a Pathe-lic Cilantro sauce.

For the remainder of the trip up my family played a road trip game we call the Animal Game. The Animal Game is a game in which you say a letter of the animal you're thinking of, and everyone else has to guess what it is; based on a limited amount of hints that they request. On the way up my brother tossed in an animal that starts with L, any guesses? Llama? No. Lemur? No. Lion? No. Liger? No. Leopard? No. Need some hints?

1. Have we (my family) seen one? No.
2. Is it alive? I think so.
3. Is it real? I don't know, but I've heard people talking about them.
4. Who talked about them? People...

Loch Ness Monster? No. And then we found out. If it wasn't obvious from those "helpful" hints it was a locust, and fun fact they're real!

My pictures were much too blurry, so here's one I found right now. Don't worry the trip was only photo lite for now.​

We reached the entrance sign at 7:00 PM, and from there we were only a short drive and ferry ride to the Magic Kingdom. We were on our way to the Magic Kingdom aboard the ferry, and arrived at 7:55 PM by this time Happily Ever After had already started. However that didn't stop us! We stopped in the Town Square as we watched the fireworks above. After the show we entered the Main Street bypass, and the backside of Tomorrowland as we entered into Tomorrowland. The time was 8:30 PM, and our fastpass for Peter Pan ended at 8:25 PM. We knew about the grace period present at the park, but we were worried would we make it? Would we queue Peter Pan's Flight? Would I have time to eat a Cheshire Cat Tail? I guess y'all just have to wait and see Also don't worry the pictures will start flooding in after this post

I love how this is starting!!!

P.S. I miss Pollo Tropical sooo, so, so much.

 

[tcool123]

I love how this is starting!!!

Aw thanks

P.S. I miss Pollo Tropical sooo, so, so much.

If it's any condolence there's plenty down in Miami, and all their classic menu items are still there too. So if you're ever down here I guarantee that they'll be around

 

[Tuvalu]

P.S. I miss Pollo Tropical sooo, so, so much.

Come to Atlanta, we have a bunch!

 

[21stamps]

Aw thanks


If it's any condolence there's plenty down in Miami, and all their classic menu items are still there too. So if you're ever down here I guarantee that they'll be around

I know, I spent most of my life in SoFla. When I visit now, I spend most of my time eating.lol. Can you mail a good Cuban sandwich to me, please?

So awesome that your dad and new friend were pixie dusted with Mickey Bars! What a great 1st night!

 

[21stamps]

Come to Atlanta, we have a bunch!

I didn’t even know that! Good to learn!

 

[Suchomimus]

 

[21stamps]

Day 2 : An Artful Epcot Cont.​

As we began our trek to World Showcase I noticed that they have already began preparations for the Flower & Garden Festival. I decided to take a picture of the flower mural, but left most topiaries unphotographed as it may ruin the exclusivity of the next festival.
View attachment 267130

We started our tour of the arts with Epcot with Pop Eats, and its shrimp ceviche with lime mint foam. My brother disliked it greatly, but my father took a liking towards it. As for me? I wouldn't eat my first thing part of the festival until much later in the day. Once again Disney Food Blog saves me

Upon reaching Mexico I quickly gre excited as I had learned that they have brought in some Coco exhibits, and if my avatar didn't give it away I'm a huge fan of the film! The music, the characters, the aesthetic, just everything about that movie makes me fall in love with it

View attachment 267132
View attachment 267131
View attachment 267133

On we went to the Three Caballeros, and the line was insane! However due to my dad being handicapped we were able to sip the line, and board in the handicap access point. I suggested my father to stay in the boat as I know it is hard for him to get in, stay in, and get out of the boat. However he declined my idea, and decided to go in anyway.

View attachment 267140View attachment 267141
View attachment 267181

Not going to lie if a Coco ride replaced the Three Caballeros I would definitely miss Panchito and Jose, but I do think that Coco would be a much better fit into the Epcot ideals than the Three Caballeros. After our Gran Fiesta Tour in Mexico we made an artful pitstop at the China Pavilion! Against the protests of my brother my dad ordered the Fortune Cookie, and my brother ordered Crispy Fried Shrimp.

I excused myself as I went off to buy lunch at the Lotus Blossom Cafe, and no technically not part of the festival so till have not eaten anything from the festival I decided to order my go to lunch from here, the Orange Chicken. The chicken and orange sauce work well together, but the rice and sauce combination aren't the greatest flavour combination in the world.

As I picked up my order my brother and father joined me, and they handed me a nonalcoholic version of the Fortune Cookie which I thought was odd however I decided to keep it for later. We sat down right in the shade, and my brother raved about the drink he previously claimed tasted like paint. In hindsight was a warning sign, but no I could not see any red flags. So by the time I finished my meal I decided to take my shot of Fortune Cookie.....biggest mistake ever. It felt like my throat was quite literally burning, and guess what it wasnt non alcoholic . Needless to say I prefer Beverly over the atrocity that is the Fortune Cookie. We the burning aftertaste in my mouth we continued our march through the countries.

I asked to explore the countries, but was met by a no from my brother. When I asked why, he claimed we wouldn't have the time to explore. To which I replied we have no other plans for the day, and by that there was literally nothing else planned after Test Track we were just going with the flow. The flow of what my brother wanted to do that is.

We kept marching through the countries until we reached America, and picked up our Passholder gift. A lovely Belle print in which the paint was rolling down the print itself. We picked up three; one for myself, one for my mother, and for my brother's girlfriend.

Then outside we visited The Artist's Table, and is where I finally ordered my first Festival oriented food option. I ordered the Artist Palette Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookie, and my father ordered a Pan-Seared Scallop. Surprise! I actually took a picture of the food we bought! I'm proud of myself Let's just ignore the scallop's watermark

The cookie was soft and gooey, and the forsting while concerned me as I thought it would be too sweet was really good. Using the paintbrush my brother cut the cookie right in the middle, and as such I received an additional color on my cookie as I painted the cookie. The blue's viscosity was pretty thick, but red and yellow were easily spreadable.

My brother surprised us with another stop in a different country! This time we made a pit stop at Morocco, and headed into Tangerine Cafe to order some Baklava, and some tangerine slushes. My father ordered a Chocolate Honey Baklava, and me and my brother the tangerine slushes. And we're back to the trend of never really photographing the drink or food. I call upon you, Disney Food Blog!

I took the longest with ym drink as I simply love oranges and tangerines, and have a tendency to savor whatever drink they are featured in. I loved the slush, but my brother? Eh, not so much. He got halfway before giving it to my dad in case he wants. We were soon on our way once again. Once again we had another stop-in! So much for not exploring any countries


But what country was it? Did we have to backtrack after missing something someone wanted to try, or was the stop-in just getting lost looking for the bathroom? I guess we'll just have to wait till Part 3

I love shrimp, but sorry, that foam and ceviche combo looks a little gross.

What is the white drink that you had? Is that called a “Fortune Cookie”? What’s in it? Looks great!

Morocco is my absolute favorite pavilion, Tangerine Cafe is my absolute favorite QS in Disney.

 

[tcool123]

Day 2 : An Artful Epcot Cont.​

The minimal wait is over!

The answer is last post's question was.....neither We actually went to the Japan pavilion to look into the pond they have set up. My father has been meaning to build his own pond in his backyard, and decided to look into the pond for inspiration. However my ulterior motive is too get my dad ready for an animal filled day at Animal Kingdom with ducks! Besides did one really go to Disney if you didn't see a Disney duck?

Also we may or may not have spotted a hidden mickey within the water of the pond.

It was at this point my brother had grown impatient waiting for us to finish our bird watching. We were soon out of Japan, and back into the walkways of the road. For once I was allowed to stop by my brother as I looked at some art! Of course I can't afford said art, but window shopping is fun nevertheless. Once again I forgot to take a picture of the art that I liked, but I found what I was looking for online!

I love the attention to detail, the sunset, and how all the countries just blend in together. Also I think I see a hidden Figment and Mickey in there somewhere give me a holler if you spot it

Our trek through the nations unfortunately ended unceremoniously as we exited Canada with no mishaps, nor new foods. However that would change at the Deconstructed Dish. My brother and I both ordered the Pop-artsicle, and my father the Deconstructed BLT. And look another picture of a food I took! Am I getting better, or still equal as I forgot to capture the BLT.

On our trek towards the exit there was one last artful experience for my taste buds to try, and a language barrier to cross. And trust me this is not your typical language barrier

We had reached what I had waited for all day, Decadent Delights home to the S'Mores Tart. Now the day before I made the mistake of hyping myself up with the Pathelic Cilantro, and would I make the same mistake twice in one trip? The answer is yes I did overhype myself, but the hype had been met! The toasted meringue is something I could probably eat all day if I really wanted too! And while not expecting much from the cake I was wrong it was sweet, and delicious. I had a homely feel to it.

Now for the language barrier. I do not speak English nor Spanish; I unfortunately speak Spanglish, and this came into play. As when I was ordering I kept saying meringue as merengue the way to say it in Spanish. Normally in Miami no one would bat an eye, but this was not Miami. The misunderstanding had the cashier thinking I was attempting to order the Crisp Caramel Chocolate Mousse Bar, but no I kept backpedalling. Eventually I gave up as I couldn't figure out how to say it in English. I settled for the S'mores thing. It was only after I asked my dad what it was that I found out it was meringue.

Just looking at it makes me crave it once more! Oh how I hope I can taste you again soon

On our way out, approaching Spaceship Earth I had remembered something. While the wait was 50 minutes there is a disability entrance in which you typically wait about half that, and get to sit in comfy chairs as well. I happily waited as we relaxed to board our very own time machine!

Anyone want to take a guess to which picture our ride vehicle had stopped for? I'll give you a hint it's the least blurry one

As we departed from the grand and miraculous spaceship we headed towards the exit taking one last look at Epcot.

However our Disney adventures would not end now. No we still had places to be, magicbands to lose, and donuts to eat all at night

Also I would like to give a special thank you to the Phoenicians without them we wouldn't have the alphabet you know