Trip Report This is the End, Beautiful Friend - October 2020 Trip

Ok ok, the title is a bit dramatic, but if you get the music reference, we can be friends. Fun fact: I used to write that on the last page of all my journals in high school :hilarious: I have always been a bit of a drama queen.

I've gone back and forth about even doing this trip report because, as you can probably tell from the title, we were not as happy with the current state of WDW as others are. I'll tell you up front, we don't plan to go back until things are back to semi-normal. I guess we'll use our judgement on how normal it needs to be before we make the effort.

Here we are, well what you can see of us...


I'm in the middle of busy wedding season, but I'll try to get this all written up quickly! Hope you're all doing well, I've enjoyed following along with everyone else's reports, so I hope you'll enjoy mine. The good and the sad 😬 We did have TWO magic meetups, which were highlights of the trip!

Let's do this thing!
 

MinnieM123

Premium Member
Thank you for the LWTL photos, in particular. That is one of my top 3 attractions in all of WDW. I think part of it is just the uplifting daylight inside the dome, not to mention all the interesting plants in that massive greenhouse. Always brings up my mood any time I've been in there (I've also done the Behind the Seeds tour about 4-5 times over the years.)

LWTL has not changed very much over time, and I like that. (The only aspect I miss is when they used to have a "live" CM on each boat, who was there to explain all the plants, etc.; and the guests could also ask the CM questions.)
 

Zipadeelady

Well-Known Member
Look Up Kansas City Chiefs GIF by DICK'S Sporting Goods


I was thinking the same thing about that farmhouse pic. Whenever I take one it turns out bad, when I saw it i was like....


Love You Reaction GIF by Bounce
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thank you for the LWTL photos, in particular. That is one of my top 3 attractions in all of WDW. I think part of it is just the uplifting daylight inside the dome, not to mention all the interesting plants in that massive greenhouse. Always brings up my mood any time I've been in there (I've also done the Behind the Seeds tour about 4-5 times over the years.)

LWTL has not changed very much over time, and I like that. (The only aspect I miss is when they used to have a "live" CM on each boat, who was there to explain all the plants, etc.; and the guests could also ask the CM questions.)

Aww so glad you enjoyed those pictures! I have heard about the old days with the CM on the boat. Hate I missed that!

Your photos are always excellent, but that one in LWTL of the farmhouse is spectacular!

Look Up Kansas City Chiefs GIF by DICK'S Sporting Goods'S Sporting Goods


I was thinking the same thing about that farmhouse pic. Whenever I take one it turns out bad, when I saw it i was like....


Love You Reaction GIF by Bounce

y'all are too sweet!
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Oct 26 continued

We thought about doing Soarin next, but the wait was around 30 minutes I think, and R just doesn't love it. I don't really care about it that much either, so I don't make him ride it too often :hilarious: The wait for Spaceship Earth was low, so I wanted to take advantage. It had been higher most of the time we'd been there. We bypassed Nemo so we could get to SE.




I think we waited 10 minutes. The line kept moving, so it didn't seem long at all. We stopped for several minutes once, but we were in the shade thank goodness.




Tried taking some creative pictures of my shirt with the ride in the background. At least with the mask, you can't see up my nose!

After the ride, I hopped over to the pin store and I was able to trade! It was the first board I'd seen out, and I got a castle pin from a set @blreinsel had mentioned the night before. Had to snag it for her while I could, since the boards seem pretty scarce these days! I really missed pin trading on this trip :cry:



We headed back to World Showcase via the other side of Future World. We thought we might ride Test Track, but changed out minds. We walked by The Odyssey and I decided to run in the first aid station and ask about an antihistamine since my bug bite was still very swollen. They suggested a topical cream since it wouldn't make me drowsy like Benadryl, so I took that. It didn't really work that well, but it was worth a shot.

While I'd been at first aid, R had hopped in line at a booth.



I have this picture but I have no idea where it's from. It's not Mexico, and I can't figure it out! If I figure it out, I can edit this.



This is definitely from Mexico!
Ribeye Taco: Ribeye Steak with Ranchera Salsa in a Corn Tortilla topped with Onions, Chives, and a Lime Wedge
Mango Smoky Margarita: Mango Purée, Mezcal, Applejack, Lime Juice, and Agave Nectar with a Tajín Chile-Lime Rim

All VERY good!



Such a lovely day!

We skipped a few booths and stopped in Karamell-Kuche for something I had my eye on! It's a sweet caramel gingerbread cookie sandwich. I'll wait to talk about it later when we ate it.




We continued around World Showcase. Couldn't talk R into Regal Eagle since we didn't have room for a heavy meal.




These were from the Japan booth. Definitely Flower & Garden vibes!

Frothy Ramen: Chilled Noodles and Dashi Broth with a Light Foam Topping
Chirashi Sushi Flowerpot: Fresh-cut Salmon, Salmon Roe, and Spinach served over Sushi Rice with Furikake and topped with Poke Sauce

I know the ramen is divisive, but we like it! I also thought the sushi flowerpot was good and the presentation was adorable.

We did some shopping at Mitsukoshi and I picked up some fun stuff, then we headed back to the resort.






I told y'all I couldn't walk by without taking pictures of the murals :hilarious:

I stopped by Le Petit Cafe on the way up to the room and got the Almond cold brew with house-made honey almond cream. The cold brew was way too sweet and just not my fav, but it was better when the cream was mixed in.



I ate about half the cookie and OOOOOHHHHMYYYYYGOSHHHHHHH it was so good! I think about it often to be honest :hilarious:

We saved the rest for later. It was quite rich!

Up next: back to Epcot
 

LadyBelle

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Oct 26 continued

Unlike in the past, there were no ropes blocking the way at any point in World Showcase. So we headed off toward France. We knew nothing was open, but we figured we'd rather stroll around than just sit somewhere. We previewed some of the menus as we walked.






So empty! A truly beautiful thing.




You can tell it was a little on the cloudy side, but no rain, just not bright sun at the moment.




I never really paid attention to this fountain, but I love it. One of my favorite things about Rome is that there are fountains everywhere. Might be in other cities too, but that's the only one I've been in for more than a couple of hours :joyfull:



Obviously it was warm, my hair is already up in a ponytail and we'd been there for 10 minutes.





Y'all tired of empty Epcot photos yet?




I never really stop to take pictures of the fronts of these pavilions because there are always people everywhere, so it was nice to take a second to snap these!



We had about 10 minutes to go at this point!



I just realized we never went and saw the new Canada film! Something for the next trip, I guess. At least that is something LP would probably like.

I'm pretty sure we just meandered around that area until 11, and them we went into World Showplace, where they had several booths set up and plenty of tables. I was excited for the air conditioning after our morning stroll!



  • Gourmet Macaroni and Cheese with Boursin® Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese topped with Herbed Panko – $4.50
  • Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese with Boursin® Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese Sauce topped with Carrots, Celery, and Blue Cheese Crumbles – $5.50
  • Lobster Macaroni and Cheese with Boursin® Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese Sauce and Lobster Cream topped with Herbed Panko – $6.50
These were all decent!! The gourmet one was our favorite, then I think lobster was next and then buffalo. I would have rather just had the gourmet, but I'm glad we gave them all a shot! We also got a 12oz pour of Stiegl Brewery Radler. The 12oz pours were AWESOME!!! We love to share, so it was perfect for us.

I had to visit the restroom while we were here, and I was blown away by how huge it was. Had it all to myself too :hilarious:




Next we got the liquid nitro cake pops, one plain and one with M&Ms. We should not have gotten two. They were good, but soooooo rich! We threw a lot of it away. I prefer the old liquid nitro dish, but oh well, these were still tasty.

Up next: more Epcot
The way one of those cake pops is blocking the table top, it looks like it’s either dripping or has legs.... 😂😂
 

PolynesianPrincess

Well-Known Member
Loving this TR so far!! I love Food and Wine Festival!! The only mac and cheese I tried was the plant based one but OH MY WORD, it was goooooood!! I regret not going back and getting again later in the week!

Riviera looks beautiful! I'm hoping to get over there in the spring and check it out!!

Can't wait to read more!!!
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Following along! Such beautiful pictures, and no we are NOT tired of empty Epcot pics!! :)
Thank you!! I guess it is a pretty idyllic situation!
good stuff, great pics!
Thanks!

Ugh I can't get my quotes to go in properly
Yes I HATE the bugs :grumpy:
Those empty Epcot photos are everything!!!
The bugs are the grossest!

The way one of those cake pops is blocking the table top, it looks like it’s either dripping or has legs.... 😂😂
Hahaha I didn't notice that.

Loving this TR so far!! I love Food and Wine Festival!! The only mac and cheese I tried was the plant based one but OH MY WORD, it was goooooood!! I regret not going back and getting again later in the week!

Riviera looks beautiful! I'm hoping to get over there in the spring and check it out!!

Can't wait to read more!!!
Well dang I should have tried that one!!

Thanks for sharing. Loving the photos.
Thank you for following along!
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
October 26 continued

We headed back out to the park at about 4:30pm. Getting to Epcot from Riviera is a BREEZE. Definitely a benefit of this resort for us.




There are two Skyliner lines leaving from Riviera. The one you get to first is the line to Caribbean Beach, where you transfer to Hollywood. You walk around to the other side for Epcot, but its not a long walk.





Clearly I was photo happy.



Once we got to Epcot, we headed around via France. I had to get my hummus fries!!



They weren't as good as normal, but still made me very very happy.





I wanted an Italian margarita, which I thought was offered all the time, but turns out it was at the festival booth.



R was interested in the pizza and tortellini stuff. I thought the pizza was pretty good, but the other stuff was meh. The marg was also very meh...not worth my effort trying to find it.

  • Margherita: Rustic Italian Flatbread with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella Cheese
  • La Classica: Cheese Tortellini with Ricotta, Provolone, Fontina, Parmesan, Vodka Sauce, and Crispy Bacon – $8.50
I don't know why they were calling basic cheese pizza "margherita"...






Got this at the Earth eats booth
  • Playalinda Brewing Company Violet Lemonade Ale, Titusville, FL
Met up with a friend from Instagram around the Hawaii booth while R got some pretzel bread and soup from Canada



After we chatted for a few minutes, R and I headed to Frozen Ever After. I don't remember what the wait time was, but we got in line about 15 minutes before closing, and we got out after the ride had closed.



Apparently I didn't take any more pictures in Epcot! As we were walking out, a lady was asking a cast member how to get to the Skyliner (she didn't know the right word and I can't remember what she called it) and R called out "just follow us!"

Unfortunately she followed us and talked to us :hilarious: I'm mostly kidding, she was fine. But walking out just me and R would have been nice. We told her multiple times that the Skyliner was outside the park, but she kept asking if it was in each pavilion that we passed. She stopped to wait for her family at the park exit, so I hope she made it to the right place.



Walking back to the room.



Up next: Finishing up the night
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
October 26 continued

Took a detour to Bar Riva.

When I was in Italy one of the girls I was with kept mentioning getting an Aperol Spritz. I don't remember if she ever got one, but there was one on the menu, so I figured I'd get it! I don't know what I had in my head, but it wasn't that. I should have looked up a description of Aperol first and I would have steered clear. I hated it :hilarious: I got some fries to help me choke it down (I paid for it, I wasn't going to waste it!)



The fries were delish!




I liked this spot! It's right by the pool and it's open air, but it feels like a regular lounge.

And that's it! We headed back to the room and finished our delicious cookie from Germany then went to sleep. It was nice turning in a bit early, if I'm being honest. I love sleep.

Step count for the day: 18,068 (8.1mi)

Up next: MAGIC KINGDOM!!!
 

Bullseye1967

Is that who I am?
Premium Member
Better late than never :) Great TR so far

I have a little story that may pertain. My Dad is in his 80s and had a Volvo he loved and had for almost 30 years. On one visit he had a new car and I asked him where it went. He told me he sold it to some musician who played piano for a rock band. I thought he meant a local band. He couldn't remember the name of the band but said the guy was kind of surprised he didn't know them. He did say he had given him a book he had written. He went and found it and presented me with a signed copy of Snake Moon by Ray Manzarek from the doors who collected old Volvos o_Oo_O

 

Songbird76

Well-Known Member
October 26 continued

We headed back out to the park at about 4:30pm. Getting to Epcot from Riviera is a BREEZE. Definitely a benefit of this resort for us.




There are two Skyliner lines leaving from Riviera. The one you get to first is the line to Caribbean Beach, where you transfer to Hollywood. You walk around to the other side for Epcot, but its not a long walk.





Clearly I was photo happy.



Once we got to Epcot, we headed around via France. I had to get my hummus fries!!



They weren't as good as normal, but still made me very very happy.





I wanted an Italian margarita, which I thought was offered all the time, but turns out it was at the festival booth.



R was interested in the pizza and tortellini stuff. I thought the pizza was pretty good, but the other stuff was meh. The marg was also very meh...not worth my effort trying to find it.

  • Margherita: Rustic Italian Flatbread with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella Cheese
  • La Classica: Cheese Tortellini with Ricotta, Provolone, Fontina, Parmesan, Vodka Sauce, and Crispy Bacon – $8.50
I don't know why they were calling basic cheese pizza "margherita"...






Got this at the Earth eats booth
  • Playalinda Brewing Company Violet Lemonade Ale, Titusville, FL
Met up with a friend from Instagram around the Hawaii booth while R got some pretzel bread and soup from Canada



After we chatted for a few minutes, R and I headed to Frozen Ever After. I don't remember what the wait time was, but we got in line about 15 minutes before closing, and we got out after the ride had closed.



Apparently I didn't take any more pictures in Epcot! As we were walking out, a lady was asking a cast member how to get to the Skyliner (she didn't know the right word and I can't remember what she called it) and R called out "just follow us!"

Unfortunately she followed us and talked to us :hilarious: I'm mostly kidding, she was fine. But walking out just me and R would have been nice. We told her multiple times that the Skyliner was outside the park, but she kept asking if it was in each pavilion that we passed. She stopped to wait for her family at the park exit, so I hope she made it to the right place.



Walking back to the room.



Up next: Finishing up the night
That's what cheese pizza is called in Europe. A pizza that is just the tomato sauce and cheese will be called "Margherita". At least it has been everywhere here in the Netherlands, and in Germany and Belgium. Everywhere we've been that I've noticed.
 

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