Vernon and Harry's Excellent WDW Adventure!

Vernon and Harry's Excellent WDW Adventure: Day 1

Greetings from the Boardwalk! We drove 10 hours, flying down I-75 and the turnpike, and got here) just after 5. Checked into our excellent room (we have a view of the Eiffel tower from our balcony. Then we strolled over to Italy for Dinner at L'Originale Alfredo di Roma. Vern had the chicken, I had the veal scallopini. Excellent! This was our first time there. The pleasant surprise (besides the food and Giuseppe our waiter) was that it wasn't some stuffy quiet place. It was rocking fun! They had a little ensemble with an accordian player that went from table to table, and all the wait staff joined in the singing (as well as some of us more boisterous customers.) After stuffing ourselves, we still found room for Tiramisu (Vern) and cannoli (me). YUM! Then we waddled out front and got the best view of Illuminations ever. Now we are unpacking (and I'm watching the UGA game.) More tomorrow.

 

[hcswingfield]

Catching up Thursday, Epcot FWF

I was so tired when I got in from EMH last night I didn't turn the computer on, just went straight to sleep. This after taking a mid day break for a dip in the pool and a nap. I am not the target audience for EMH!!! I get tired at 9 PM, regardless. Vern, of course, stayed till after the park closed, and got on the last ride of Soarin. He's asleep now as we take our mid afternoon heat break.

So I think I can put an end to the rumors that it is cooler in September, and the parks are less crowded because the kids are in school. The heat is still on, and there are school age kids everywhere. But neither is a big problem. With fast pass, we haven't had to wait in any long lines except once last night for Soarin, but we had a delightful conversation with a woman from Long Island so the time went really fast.

We went back to MGM Thursday morning, took a few more rides on RnRC and ToT, then headed over to the Movie Ride where by chance we were seated with our friend Jennifer and her mother from Birmingham, whom we had run into on Monday as well.

Had the best lunch ever at 50's Prime Time. Cousin Tom waited on us, and remembered us from 2 other trips where he has been our server, and Aunt Claire was in the same room, so we got quite a floor show. As always, the fried chicken and meatloaf were great comfort food, a nice respite from some of the exotic fare we've sampled through the week.

After a few hours of napping and splashing in the pool, we walked to Epcot. Food and Wine Festival was having a soft opening, but we had reservations at Marrakesh, so we did not snack last night. The food was great (we had the royal feast) and the wait staff is probably the most attentive of any restaurant we've eaten at. This is a high compliment, as we've had great service everywhere.

Ran into my friend Leslie and her husband and son. This is their first trip down, and they were bubbling over with excitement over all the fun they've had. Vern and I have been giving them travel tips for several months, so it was great to run into them and see how much fun they were having.

This morning we spent 2 hours in the Land pavillion, riding Soarin over and over using fast pass and taking advantage of early short lines. By the time we left the lines had gotten really long, though. We lunched our way halfway around the world sampling fare from the FnW booths. Everything was delicious, but we really liked the cold cucumber and tomoto salad with pomegranite dressing from the Turkey booth. It hit the spot on the hot day. We also stopped in China and France for the air-conditoned movies, and to view the exhibit on the imagineering at Disneyland Hong Kong.

We'll head back over there tonight, then head for home first thing in the morning. Here are links from a few photos I took yesterday and today. Enjoy!!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=9lpw765.8dd5y0b1&Uy=e8j46&Ux=0


http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=9lpw765.9zcv6l65&Uy=-6zuedy&Ux=0

 

[FanofDinsey1981]

The pics of the flowers you took are fantastic. the colors are so rich and vibrant!

 

[hcswingfield]

The pics of the flowers you took are fantastic. the colors are so rich and vibrant!

Thanks! I don't use a flash, so the colors stay truer. Also the flowers were pretty vivid to begin with.

 

[mayrag]

Love your pictures. It must be sad to be back home

 

[hcswingfield]

Love your pictures. It must be sad to be back home

Yes and no. I miss WDW already, but I love my home, my garden and my cats and missed them while I was gone. Work, however.......