The 2400mi Drive - A March 2012 trip to remember, and some parts to forget!

The 2400mi Drive - A March 2012 trip to remember, and some parts to forget! **7/1**

:wave:Jambo!:wave:​

I am Liz, and I will be guiding you through my most recent trip with my best friend Pat. When I returned from WDW in October, the free dining offer really made me want to book another trip. Yes, I know going during peak season and getting the free dining plan does not really save any money. But, if we had paid for it, we would have spent more than we saved.. There are hardly any pictures of myself or Pat in this TR because we both hate having our picture taken. I am better behind the lens, anyways!

A quick re-cap for those of you who did not read my PTR:

The whole vacation was supposed to take place March 22 2012 – April 1, 2012. Unfortunately, a friend and former teacher of Pat passed away earlier in the week that we were going to leave. The services were to be held Thursday night and Friday morning. We pushed our departure date forward one day. It was not a problem at all to do this because it meant we would be at WDW quicker than previously planned!

Here is the link to my PTR:​

It's a Long Way Down the Holiday Road​

​

Here are the links to the chapters in this TR:​

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Chapter 1: Goodbye, Connecticut! Hello, Florida!​

1-1: Great Timing​

1-2: The Longest Road, Ever​

1-3: No Stopping?​

1-4: The Faultima Made it to WDW!​

1-5: Our First Night on Property, and we Choose to Leave?​

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Chapter 2: The Kingdom of Magic​

2-1: Up Early on Vacation, and it was Worthwhile!​

2-2: Walk-On City​

2-3: The Hub Models​

2-4: "Do you know what 'Ohana means?"​

2-5: 'Ohana Review​

2-6: Resort Hip-Hoppin'​

2-7: I Don't Feel Like we are in WDW Anymore.. / Part 2​

2-8: Main Street Electrical Parade​

2-9: It's a Tough Battle..​

​

Chapter 3: Pat's Birthday​

3-1: “50 minutes? No way. The line is inside!”​

3-2: The Bank is on Fire​

3-3: Shaded Queue Lines are Really Nice​

3-4: Sneaky, Sneaky​

3-5: Crescent Lake Shuffle / Part 2​

3-6: Kouzzina Review​

3-7: A Night at the BoardWalk​

3-8: Illuminations, Round 1​

3-9: The Night to Remember​

​

Chapter 4: EPCOT Day 1​

4-1: Late for Rope Drop​

4-2: Living with the Land​

4-3: "In the big, blue world.."​

 

[diddy_mouse]

Well now I'm officially going to Starring Rolls on my upcoming trip. I almost licked my laptop screen when I saw that cupcake picture!

 

[MagicKat103]

Hey fellow Connecticutian!
How was the drive for you? We didn't find it too incredibly busy. Touring Plans really helps with wait times.. as long as you can get up early

The drive for us was great. We left wednesday night at 5:45 and hit Disney at noon the following day. We drive straight through, with me taking the night shift. But I'm used to it, I work 7p-7a a couple nights a week. We were able to do everything we wanted with our 2 girls. The parent swap helps since we have one that has yet to hit the height requirement for the 40 inch rides. We are definitely early risers with our kids going full steam until we decide to call it a night. I hope they stay that way! We are going back in October, but flying. I'm dreading it. Not a huge fan of flying.. even out of Bradley!
Great trip report!!:wave:

 

[emcclay]

I upgraded to Photobucket Pro. So, the pictures that are not showing up should be within the next few hours.

 

[emcclay]

The red velvet cheesecake cupcake is on my list to try in 10 days!!!! And add the caramel apple margarita onto the list.... I just LOVE anything with tequila in it!!! lol

I'm in the same boat as Pat, I've never seen the Star Wars movies before but I loved the original Star Tours. Haven't been on it since the refurb though but I am looking forward to it.

Can;t wait to see how ya'll liked Kouzzina. It was a place we were eyeing to try but my sister and I are both really picky about our food and that place looked a bit adventurous for us!

Get a marg and people watch. It's worth the $10!

Stars Tours is super cool! You will love the refurb version

My Kouzzina review will be up tonight or tomorrow!

Great trip report so far! Your pictures are beautiful!!!!!

Thank you thank you :wave:

 

[emcclay]

Well now I'm officially going to Starring Rolls on my upcoming trip. I almost licked my laptop screen when I saw that cupcake picture!

All of the cupcakes there look so freakin' good. Starring Rolls itself is really tiny. But, there are plenty of shaded tables outside. Enjoy :sohappy:

Hey fellow Connecticutian!
How was the drive for you? We didn't find it too incredibly busy. Touring Plans really helps with wait times.. as long as you can get up early

The drive for us was great. We left wednesday night at 5:45 and hit Disney at noon the following day. We drive straight through, with me taking the night shift. But I'm used to it, I work 7p-7a a couple nights a week. We were able to do everything we wanted with our 2 girls. The parent swap helps since we have one that has yet to hit the height requirement for the 40 inch rides. We are definitely early risers with our kids going full steam until we decide to call it a night. I hope they stay that way! We are going back in October, but flying. I'm dreading it. Not a huge fan of flying.. even out of Bradley!
Great trip report!!:wave:

Lucky! I wish either Pat or I were used to be up all night. We definitely could have made it straight through then. Getting up early every morning pays off! It's a nice feeling to leave at 12pm and see all the people packing into the parks. Fly jetBlue! My dad was absolutely petrified, which he kept a secret till the day we left. There are plenty of channels and music to listen to. You will be fine, and at WDW in less time than if you drove

 

[emcclay]

Crescent Lake Shuffle

With both of us feeling fine from the margs, we decided to do a resort crawl around crescent lake. The BoardWalk area is so pretty and I definitely want to stay in one of the resorts after I try Wilderness Lodge.

I’ve decided to get married on Crescent Lake. It’s so darn pretty. Hope my future hubby does not mind.

Next, it was over to the Beach Club!

Then the Yacht Club..

I have been searching Etsy for clover & aloe candles. Has anyone found any that retain their scent? All the ones I have bought smell great in the bag, yet you can't smell them when they are burning!

Continued in next post
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[foreverbelle]

The kid was so annoying and he was being so sarcastic with the CM. Such a shame!

Good to know other people feel the same way about ToT :sohappy:

I hope, for your sake, that the TSMM line is not long and FP's aren't for an hour before park closing!

Maybe you can ask a chef to make you a special cupcake that caters to your allergy!:

Oh don't you worry I get plenty. Had a special allergy free chocolate chip cookie and ice cream that was incredible. The hubs said the cookie was the best he had ever had :sohappy:

 

[foreverbelle]

Ah Boardwalk, we are staying there for the first time in July...looking forward to it, your pictures are only making me more anxious!!

 

[emcclay]

Crescent Lake Shuffle pt. 2

We journeyed on to the Swan and Dolphin resorts. The architecture of these two resorts is so unique. In return this makes both buildings so very photogenic.

While I was taking a picture, Pat spotted a bunny!

Ain’t he (or she) a cutie?

Unfortunatley, we did not get to the fountain at the Swan. Next time..

Our resort hop was really relaxing. It was great to be at the EPCOT resorts area during the golden hour. 6:55 was slowly approaching.

I had read in previous reports about checking in early for ADR’s and still being seated fairly quick. So, that’s what we did! It was a little after 6:30 when we checked in and we were seated within 10 minutes. This also became a trend for the rest of our ADR’s.
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[emcclay]

Kouzzina Review

Hidden Mickey!

Barbara was our waitress that night. Let me just start off by saying she was a gem! Her knowledge of the menu was never-ending and she always provided great suggestions for appetizers, entrees, drinks, etc. But, she was not pushy. You could tell she was honest while discussing the menu items. Gold Star for Barb.

For a drink, I ordered Cat’s Ouzo-tini.

This was an odd combinations of flavors that surprisingly went so well together. It is made with Mexta Ouzo, which has an anise flavor. Licorice is not my favorite flavor. But, I like to try different things on vacation. It comes in a sugar-rimmed martini glass that is shaken and served table-side.

Pat ordered the Cabernet Sauvignon. Red wine gives me a headache, so I did not try it. But he had two glasses and no complaints.

The appetizer we ordered, Kouzzina Spreads, is a great choice for those who are not familiar with Greek cuisine.

You can choose from 6 spreads. We went with the whipped feta with peppers, greek olive tapenade, and chickpea hummus. It is served with warm pita bread. The other options are a Tzatziki (a cucumber spread), Taramosalata (a spread made with fish), and an eggplant spread. Pita bread always pairs well with Greek spreads.. maybe because it IS Greek.. haha!

On to our entree’s. Pat ordered the Braised Short Ribs per Barbara’s suggestion.

The short ribs come with feta mashed potatoes and seasonal veggies, which happened to be broccolini. He loved this dish.

I ordered the Oak-fired Pork Tenderlion. The pork has a molasses glaze that encrusts the pork when it is being cooked. It is served with feta, zucchini cornbread, and the seasonal veggie. Alright, this may or may not be a weird description of my meal. But, the pork kinda melted in my mouth.. which was perfect! The chef suggest it is cooked medium-well to leave a little pink in the middle.

You can see it a little better here:

It was the most delicious pork I have ever had. You would think the taste of the molasses crust would overpower the pork, but not at all! The zucchini cornbread was a great component to this entree.

Kouzzina has an open kitchen and I think that is fantastic. I would love to work dessert bar here if I get into the Disney Culinary Program..

Speaking of dessert! I ordered the baklava

It was seriously a huge portion for dessert and I ended up taking half of it “to-go”. The baklava is served with a vanilla-praline gelato. Baklava is made with phyllo dough, and has a nutty cinnamon-vanilla filling. This particular one was drizzled with chocolate and also a vanilla glaze. To go along with my dessert, I ordered a glass of Muscat. If you are not wine drinker, but want to start out, go with a Moscato. It is a very light and sweet wine.

Pat ordered the Galaktobouriko-made with phyllo dough and a custard filling. I did not try it. He was also brought a cupcake and Barbara had our whole side of the restaurant give him a big “OPA!” for his birthday.

I’m pretty sure it is obvious what I am going to rate Kouzzina. 10/10! The food was exquisite and Barbara really made us feel like she was catering to us. If you go.. ask for a table near the kitchen, and for Barbara to be your waitress. The atmosphere is really upbeat. You will hear a plethora of Opa’s for various celebrations.
​

 

[emcclay]

A Night at the BoardWalk

Our delicious meal came to an end. I knew I wanted to get some night shots of the BoardWalk area. So, Pat and I headed out of Kouzzina. The first thing we saw was a street performer!

We headed towards the Beach Club next.

We spotted those pontoon boats heading out to World Showcase Lagoon..

Definitely going to look into renting one for my graduation trip!

At that moment, I checked the time and remembered Illuminations was going to start at 9!​

 

[emcclay]

Illuminations, Round 1

There were hardly any people on the boat dock at the Yacht Club. So, I took a few pictures of the light house, BoardWalk, and Yacht Club.

Then we heard the music and those first fireworks shot into the air. I only got a couple good shots from this night. For my next trip, I will be well prepared with a faster memory card.

Illumiantions is my favorite fireworks show at WDW. Which is why we unintentionally (or was it intentional?) saw it so many times.

The night was still young! Pat and I walked to the Dolphin. I knew I wanted to get a night shot of the fountain after seeing it earlier that evening.

I noticed that the lights on top of the Swan and Dolphin are on at sunset. But, then they are turned off a few hours later. Why is that? My idea is because of a distraction to possible theme park views..​

 

[emcclay]

This update is a bit wordy, I apologize in advance :wave:

Our final stop for the night was... Jellyrolls! I thought it would be a perfect place to end the night. This was my first visit to a dueling piano bar. If you are over 21, go here! It’s fantastic. They play so many good songs and the audience really gets into it.

Before I go any further, let me remind you that this is a BAR at WDW. This particular night, there was a group of conventioneers sitting to one side of the stage. After about 20 minutes of being there, in WALTZES a lady. She continues waltzing and shaking her tush over to the group of conventioneers. When the pianists were through playing the song at the time, one called out the lady! It was hilarious. She was wearing a mustard colored shirt. So, for the rest of the night she was “Mustard Lady” to Pat and I. She was seriously a trip, and it was great. You could tell that she.. had no boundaries? I guess that would be the appropriate way of saying it. I’m sure her co-workers, both male and female, had PLENTY of stories to tell her the following day.

Next up on the list, was this very odd couple. Now, I’m pretty sure it is safe to say they were either on a first, very awkward, date.. or this guy may have hired a woman to go on a date with him. Heh. The woman, let’s call her Anita, was extremely loud and was clapping off the beat every, single time! Maybe Anita's level of inebriation was just so high that she could not help it. No clue. It was entertaining to say the least.

After two-and-a-half hours of singing at the top of our lungs and clapping on the beat, we decided to catch a bus back to the MK and then catch a bus to CSR. We walked to the Swan.. where a very interesting round of karaoke was occurring. Or, was it just a terrible cover band? It was in Kimonos. Another spot to add to my list of places to visit! Wahoo! There was a few other people at the Swan bus stop. The first bus that arrived was for MK. Awesome, right? The bus was almost full. Since I have never stayed at one of the resorts around Crescent Lake, I was unaware the bus still had three more stops to make. Everyone cleared out by the time the bus got to the Beach Club. We were seated in the very back and half asleep, when the bus driver asked us where we were headed. Pat told him “Coronado”. The bus driver then told us if no one got on at the next stop, he would check and see if he could drop us off at CSR. With our recurring good luck, no one got on the bus at BWI! He called in to his supervisor (or equivalent) to get permission to drop us off at CSR. He got the “okay” and asked which bus stop we needed. We were so thankful he was bringing us straight home that we just told him the main stop was fine. He wouldn’t have it! We told him stop #3. Sure enough, he took us there. Pat was so happy, and told Gary (the bus driver) it was his birthday and how this “put the icing on the cake” for him. This is where Disney truly excels in customer service. Gary was an awesome driver- he really did not have to do what he did. :sohappy:

The next morning, we are finally off to EPCOT!
​

 

[emcclay]

Late for Rope Drop

Now we are on to March 27, 2012. I was so looking forward to finally going to EPCOT. There were EMH that morning starting at 8am. I woke up around 6:45 snd got ready. Yeah, we didn’t make it to RD. But, here are some pictures of CSR!

How great is the theme here? Does it not look like we are in some southwestern neighborhood?

We were off to Pepper Market for breakfast. No complaints from here, again. The food is consistently delicious.

The bus came a few minutes after we made it to bus stop 1. But, it was packed! Soon enough, we arrived at EPCOT.

The Mickey topiary is very cute. But, I think they should have styled it a little differently. You see the same Mickey at the Contemporary and DHS.

I seriously love my fisheye!

First up on our “to-do” list was Soarin’. The standy-by was up to 50 minutes at 8:55am. Sheesh. We grabbed FP’s.

I’m sure you can guess what we did next. While everyone is in line for Soarin’, we did Living with the Land! This ride is so interesting. Next time I’m at WDW (and I have the time), I really want to go on Behind the Seeds.
​

 

[emcclay]

Living with the Land

I am devoting a whole section to LwtL since I took so many pictures!

Is this buffalo family, with the random prarie dog, just the cutest?

Got it!

Next time you are by a pond and get hungry..

My favorite fruit. Maybe where the Lapu Lapu pineapples come from? Food for thought..

‘Nanners!

What do you think this fish is trying to say?

Once, I grew a sunflower that was 8 ft tall!

If any of you are familiar with “1 tequila, 2 tequila, 3 tequila floor”

The girl behind Pat and I was freaking out about this lemon. She was so happy to see it!

Put some “pepp” in your step!

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[tropicalsmile]

I LOVE your trip report! It makes me want to be there now. The Land pavilion is one of my favorites at Epcot, I just booked the Behind The Seeds tour a couple of days ago for September! Can't wait to read more. Your pictures are awesome BTW

 

[foreverbelle]

Ah Boardwalk looks so magical at night. Seriously I can't wait to be there myself. 89 days myself....

And Living with the Land. I love this ride. We rode it a couple of years ago not having a clue what it was, and we have made it a point to do so every time we return. I am sure people think its old, and boring. But I love it. Not to mention its a great mid day break time

'Mustard lady' sounds like a trip....always good for a future story to tell friends...I love running into those kind of people..

 

[disneyny]

I am loving your trip report and pictures. I wish I knew how to take such amazing photos and everytime I see great photos in people's trip reports I want to learn. I have a super nice Nikon camera that was a gift and I know it would do amazing things- but the operator does not have amazing skills. We drove down last March from NY so I can relate to the drive. We always stop at South of the Border- not even sure why. I always get so excited when we hit a new state- love how you took photos entering the states. Great report and very thorough!

 

[clee687]

Great report and beautiful pics! I am going crazy looking at all of your food pics while waiting on my hubby to get home so we can have dinner...he better hurry!!! Can't wait for next update!

 

[wdweric2.0]

Great Report, Great Pics! Love the Lapu Lapu!