Trip Report You Could Land A Cessna In Here! -- Now With Time Travel

I finally got around to starting a PTR for my upcoming trip.

Who: Me and A with our friends M and L for part of the trip (Sat-Tues)
When: October 13-21
Where: One night at the Doubletree by DS and then one of A's family's timeshares
Why: If I need to explain that I am not sure why you are here...

If you have read my other reports, you will notice that my mom is not joining us this time. Walking around the parks was getting to be too much with her back pain and she decided to not renew her annual pass.

However, don't feel too bad for her. She will be enjoying Disney magic during the same time as us, but in a new way for her. She is going to be doing her first Disney cruise. She is joining her best friend and her friend's daughter's family. They are setting sail on 10/14 but they are going down a few days early to stay at Disney. They are doing one day at HS with the kids to see Toy Story Land and Galaxy's Edge. They have rented a scooter for my mom and her friend to use so hopefully it won't be too horrible on either of their backs. If anyone has any tips that I can pass on to a first time cruiser, please let me know. She will really appreciate it.

Hopefully, there might be some fellow Magicians there that I might run into.

 

[Minnie1986]

Late to the party, but following along!

 

[BwlrBry212]

DAY THREE -- OCTOBER 15TH

I guess I should revisit this TR since my next trip is coming up in a couple of weeks. Many details are foggy so I will do my best.

Today was a Hollywood Studios day. I don't understand why this park always has the biggest back up at the tapstiles in the morning. But we were finally tapped in and I believe we started at MMRR.

We had an ADR for Oga's in the late morning but we were both hungry how so what better thing to do than tap drop my favorite place in HS...Baseline Taphouse.

Breakfast of Champions!

It was close to our time for Oga's so we made our way to Galaxy's Edge.

We were seated (stand-ed?) at a table with some people who noticed our Phillies gear who went to college in the city so we had a nice little chat with them.

Speaking of the Phillies, this trip was in mid-October and right in the middle of the playoffs. A and I made sure to have our Phillies gear on for each game and we were not alone. We had dozens of other Phillies fans yell out "GO PHILS!" as we walked past each day. We were definitely in the majority as far as fan representation. Even our flight attendant on the way home was watching the game on her phone and was making score announcements on the intercom the whole way home.

This is where the day gets blurry because I don't have any more pics from HS that day. I remember that wait times were high because at various points of the day one or more headliners were down which forced the wait times up everywhere else.

As some point, we hopped over to Epcot because that is where my next pictures were taken.

Beignet aux Trois Fromages: Warm Beignet filled with Three Cheese Blend and Parisian Cosmo Slush: Vodka, Grey Goose Le Ctiron Vodka, Grand Marnier and Cranberry Juice.

These are always winners and did not disappoint again. Who can go wrong with cheese stuffed inside of bread?

Apparently, I was on a cheese kick because this was my next and final picture of the night.

Warm Raclette Swiss Cheese with Alpine Ham, Baby Potatoes, Cornichons and Baguette and Stiegl Brewery Key Lime Radler.

This is another winner for me but you have to be a fan of stinky cheese because the raclette does have some funk to it. Also, it is better during the day when it is warmer because it gets tough to eat when the cheese cools down and becomes more solid. The beer was a nice and light, citrusy contrast to the heavy cheese dish.

We slowly walked to the front of the park and halfway watched Epcot Forever as we strolled. We would be back in the morning for the opening of Journey of Water.

 

[Swissmiss]

Ok, you can eat potatoes with fondue (and I prefer it with potatoes) but bread does NOT belong with raclette. Totally agree with you on the stink factor - I’m also up for going over to someone else’s place to eat either fondue or raclette (or going to a restaurant) but I very rarely make it at home because it takes at least 24 hours to get rid of the smell.

 

[BwlrBry212]

DAY 4 -- OCTOBER 16TH

Not sure what we did in the morning because my first picture is from after 12pm. I know that I was able to secure a virtual queue spot for the official grand opening date of Journey of Water. I know we also got a boarding group for GOTG.

Our return time for Journey of Water was not until the afternoon so we grabbed some food and drink at some festival booths first.

Tostada de Carnitas: Braised Pork on a Fried Corn Tortilla with Black Beans, Avocado Mousse, Queso Fresco and Chives

Fly Away Margarita: Nocheluna Sotol, Pineapple-Ginger Juice, Chile Ancho Verde Liqueur and Tequila with a Sweet Dried Chili Salt Rim

Both of these were great. The pork on the tostada was super tender and all of the other toppings worked very well together. The margarita was pretty tasty as well. It was a little heavy on the ginger but I enjoy ginger so it didn't bother me at all.

We continued around WS to America where we got drinks at the stand outside of Regal Eagle.

This is the Tennessee Lemonade which is a lemonade with Jack Daniels and peach. It was on the sour side but very refreshing.

At this point it was time for our virtual queue for Journey of Water so we had to go all the way back to the front of the park from the very back of WS.

There really wasn't much of a wait to get into the attraction. Honestly, it took longer to check in for the virtual queue than it did to be allowed inside.

I think that this area fits in very well with the spirit of Epcot and the edutainment theme of the front part of the park. I thought everything was beautiful and I enjoyed trying to find all of the hidden characters in the rockwork and landscaping. I am looking forward to exploring it again when it is less crowded that opening day.

After our walkthrough, it was time for us to go to our ADR at the new restaurant, Shiki-Sai, which meant going from the front of the park to almost the very back of WS again. An amateur planning move from park veterans.

 

[BwlrBry212]

DAY 4 CONTINUED -- OCTOBER 16TH

I am not a fan of Asian food but A really wanted to try the new restaurant in Japan, Shiki-Sai and there were some options on the menu that sounded like I would enjoy them so I went along with it.

We scaled the stairs and were seated shortly after checking in. It was nice to have the cultural representatives back in Epcot but it was a little difficult to understand everything our waitress was saying. The meal started with them bringing us warm towels to wash our hands with which I assume is a Japanese tradition. I ordered an Ichiban and enjoyed the great view from our table.

I was going to play it safe and get the Tempura Shrimp which I knew I would like but I decided to get a little more adventurous.

Ishiyaki Sukiyaki Rice -- Grill strips of beef in hot stone bowl at your tableside along with spinach and rice in a sweet garlic sauce

Everything comes out in a super hot stone bowl and the beef gets cooked tableside and the rice on the bottom gets super crispy, which was the best part. I was a bit underwhelmed with this dish. There was very little beef compared to the amount of rice especially for the $28 price tag. I regretted not getting the shrimp. I also learned that if I was forced to eat every meal with chopsticks that I would weigh 100 pounds less. Overall, it was a nice atmosphere but I am not in any hurry to go back.

After we left, we continued to stroll around WS stopping for some beers in UK and Canada. I always try to stop for at least one Moosehead while in Canada. It was our friend's dad's favorite beer and I make sure to send a pic to my friend as a toast to her dad.

Lunch was not very filling combined with my failure at eating with chopsticks meant that I was hungry for a snack before we hopped over to MK for the rest of the night.

Jonah Crab Claw Cocktail with stone-ground mustard sauce

These were so tasty and I loved the mustard sauce that went with them. They were a little expensive at $12 but there was a decent amount of meat in each claw. This booth would end up being one of my favorites but I don't think it will be back because there was never a line there any time that we went past it.

After this we made our way over to MK for the night.

This was my only picture I took for the rest of the day which proves we were at MK but I can't remember any specifics that we did that night.

 

[BwlrBry212]

DAY 5 -- OCTOBER 17TH

Well, I am not going to finish this TR before my next trip because my flight leaves in 7 hours from now...but here is a little more. If anyone is going to be in the world this weekend, keep an eye out for me.

We started our day back in MK. Pretty sure we got a Tron BG but I didn't take any pictures over there so I am not sure.

I do know that we took a morning ride on the railroad aka MPB and we had Shirley status to boot. Now I know what it feels like to be @Tuvalu.

One of the cast members saw our Phillies gear and told us that the engines for the railroad were all built in Philadelphia and the largest one was actually built on Broad Street which is where all of the sports teams play. He said he tried to convince them to paint it orange and name it the Broad Street Bully in honor of the Flyers. We were skeptical at first but a quick Google search confirmed that he was in fact telling the truth.

I am pretty sure we had a lazy morning at MK because we also rode the steamboat.

I love being able to get pictures of attractions from different vantage points.

We did not stay too long at the MK because we had a date with my favorite burger on property at Steakhouse 21 for lunch.

After lunch we would hop over to Epcot.

Again, my memory is terrible and pretty much the only thing I took pictures of was the food that I ate so enjoy a night worth of grazing the F&W booths.

First up, Bubbles and Brine:

Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail with prosecco cocktail sauce and grilled lemon

The shrimp were pretty big and cooked perfectly. The cocktail sauce was nice and the grilled lemon added a great flavor.

Next up, was right across the way at Swirled Showcase:

Mickey-shaped Liquid Nitro Cake

This was fun. It is made to order and you get to watch them dip it in the liquid nitrogen and add the sprinkles on the outside. I love a dessert that comes with a warning. We were told not to bite it until it stopped smoking. At under $5, this was a great sweet treat that you don't find everywhere. You do need to be a chocolate lover because it was super chocolate-y. I believe this is still currently available because this booth took over the temporary Starbucks location in WS.

I know I grabbed a beer at the UK cart outside of Rose and Crown and went over to listen to the band playing in the back of the pavilion. A is not as big of a fan as I am of live music so I know it killed him to stop and listen but I didn't feel too bad because it was my vacation too. I may have stopped back there three different time throughout the week though... I was impressed because during those three stops the band never played the same song twice.

As a reward for suffering through live music, we stopped and got Grand Marnier Slushies in France.

We continued to wander around WS and stopped again in Italy to try one of the new items on the menu there to see if the booth would continue to be a disappointment or not.

Focaccia Ripiena: Freshly Baked Focaccia, Beef Meatballs, Tomato Sauce and Burrata Cheese
Italian Margarita with Tequila and Limoncello

This was definitely a step up from the past offerings at this booth but it wasn't a home run either. The bread was nice and fresh and the meatballs had good flavor. The sauce just tasted like a jarred sauce from the store. The cheese was advertised as burrata but it was not. It was more like a whipped ricotta. It was good because it was cheese but not as good as burrata would have been. The Italian Margarita is a perennial fave and did not let me down.

Judging by the timestamps on my pictures, we slowed down on the eating for a while but I needed to grab on last snack before we left for the night:

Fry Flight — Sea Salt and Malt Vinegar Fries, BBQ Bacon Fries with smoked aïoli, and Sweet Potato Casserole Fries with candied pecans, toasted marshmallow cream, and maple bourbon glaze

This was a hit last year and a hit again this year. The BBQ fries remind me of BBQ potato chips and the sweet potato fries remind me of Auntie Anne's cinnamon pretzels. This is a great one to share even though I had it all to myself.

Tomorrow would be a HS morning with another night at Epcot.

 

[erstwo]

View attachment 767392

Mickey-shaped Liquid Nitro Cake

You do need to be a chocolate lover because it was super chocolate-y.

I will be stalking this on my next trip. Sounds amazing.

Have fun on your next trip/ safe travels!

 

[cgersic]

I didn't even notice this when I was there!!! Love it and great eye!

 

[Tuvalu]

Mickey-shaped Liquid Nitro Cake

At under $5, this was a great sweet treat that you don't find everywhere. You do need to be a chocolate lover because it was super chocolate-y. I believe this is still currently available because this booth took over the temporary Starbucks location in WS.

It’s not. Just soft serve ($6.50) and floats ($6.75) currently.

Have a great trip!

 

[Tuvalu]

I will be stalking this on my next trip. Sounds amazing.

You’ll need to find something else to stalk.

 

[BwlrBry212]

I am going to jump forward in time to report on my recent trip while it is still fresh in my memory. So hop in your DeLorean and join me in the future (from this TR) and the past (from now).

Thursday February 8th -- Travel Day

This trip would also just be A and myself like our October trip. Typically, we fly out on the first flight of the day and head right to the parks. The timing and price didn't line up for this trip so we were flying down a little after 6pm and starting at the parks on Friday. I had the whole day off but A worked an opening shift so A's parents picked me up and we picked A up from a Home Depot parking lot near his work. Ironic, since I work for Home Depot just not the one we met him at. His parents would back track after dropping us off at the airport to split up and take A's car home.

For the first time, we were flying out of Trenton airport instead of Philly. We flew home into Trenton once but this would be our first time leaving from there. Let me tell you, this airport is tiny. We pulled up in front of the entrance and walked in and were basically right in front of the Frontier check in kiosks with zero lines. We checked in and walked our bags over to the one staff member and weighed in and then walked our bags over to the security person to run them through the scanner. Up a small flight of stairs, there was a bar/restaurant and then the rest of the terminal was downstairs. In hindsight, we should have gone upstairs and had a beer and a snack.

We went downstairs and got in line for TSA. The line was literally A, the woman who cut me off at the stairs, and then me. We both have Pre Check and were wondering how that would work at such a small airport. When we scanned our boarding passes, we were handed a little piece of paper with the Pre Check logo on it which allowed us to keep on our shoes and jackets and skip the scanner in favor of the metal detector.

The waiting area was about the size of a school cafeteria (maybe smaller). There was another flight also waiting there for a flight to Tampa so there were no seats to be found anywhere. Our flight was leaving out of Gate 2 so we camped out in an area near our gate. Spoiler alert: there were only two gates total. Once the Tampa flight left, we were able to grab seats and I grabbed us some sodas and a soft pretzel from the snack bar in the back corner.

The boarding process at Trenton is also unique because there is no jetway. You board the plane right on the tarmac. Of course, like most things, people did not pay attention to directions. Rows 1-15 were to board the plane from the ramp in the front of the plane and rows 16+ were to board the plan from the stairs at the rear of the plane. Eventually, we got seated but unfortunately, there was a woman seated in the middle seat between us. A has an uncanny ability to immediately fall asleep as soon as he hits the seat on a plane even before we even push away from the gate (or non gate in this case). Our flight ended up not being full and the woman between us moved to an empty seat to give all of us more room. When A woke up at some point mid-flight he looked over at me and was confused to see that the woman between us had seemingly disappeared.

Flight was uneventful and we made our way to baggage claim and it was a relatively short wait for MCO. We grabbed our bags, went and got our car, and we were on our way to the hotel. We were staying at a place that we had stayed previously with A's timeshare but we booked it through Expedia this time. We stopped at Wawa to grab some food before checking in. I regret stopping there just because there are so many fast food/chain restaurants down there that we don't have at home in PA that we could have tried but A knew where the Wawa was and it was close to our hotel.

We finally got checked in. I was sent a link to pre-check in and was told that all I had to do was go to the kiosk in the lobby, scan the QR code they gave me, and it would print our keys. Of course, I scanned in and it said that QR code check in was not available. Eventually, we got to our room, ate our food, and went to bed at a reasonable hour with our alarms set for 6:55am to get Guardians boarding groups in the morning.

 

[BwlrBry212]

Friday February 9th -- Day 1

We successfully got our boarding groups and they were a high enough number that we could get some more sleep before heading to Epcot.

I missed this sight.

We started our day by going over to The Land because Soarin was showing a 10 minute wait and you can't pass that up. The wait ended up being closer to 20 minutes but that wasn't a surprise. The surprise was that we were almost caught in a fight while in line. We gotten to the end of the trivia screens and about three people with phones pressed to their ears pushed past us to "meet up with their party." They stopped a few people in front of us but it didn't appear that they knew any of the people near them where they stopped. Shortly after, four more people joined them. The guy behind us was very loudly complaining (and rightfully so) about it the whole time. When we got to the CM to get sorted into terminals the two woman directly behind the line skippers told the CM that they just cut off the whole line to no response. The guy behind us got louder and the dad of the line skippers said that there were catching up to the rest of their group. When the now tag team duo of the women behind them and the guy behind us asked where their group was, the dad responded that the rest of their group was already on the ride . That set off the tag team even more prompting them to question why they needed to cut the line if their party was already on the ride. Then, the line cutters started to whine that it is really hard to travel with kids and that they were separated from their group while measuring the kids to see if they were tall enough. At the point, that they pushed past us in line, we had already been waiting 10-15 minutes. It has been a long time since I have been to Disney with someone with kids but I don't think that it takes 10-15 minutes to have two kids stand next to a stick... Finally, tempers cooled and we were able to enjoy what would end up being our last ride on OG Soarin since I just saw that it is ending on 2/28.

With all that excitement behind us, we took a stress reducing ride on LWTL. Although, we ended up being squished on our boat because the people who were told to wait for the next boat insisted on pushing their way into our row and again the CM did nothing to stop it.

At this point, we were getting a little hungry and still had some time to kill before our ADR at Space 220 Lounge. A grabbed something at one of the booths near Creations. I opted for just a beer. We wandered towards Test Track and I got dessert first from the Deconstructed Dish booth.

Deconstructed Key Lime Pie: Flexible Key Lime Curd, “Key Lime” Mousse, Graham Cracker Cake, and Meringues

This is a returning favorite and a fun take on one of my favorite desserts. It was just enough to hold me over until it was time for our lunch.

 

[k8einwdw]

It has been a long time since I have been to Disney with someone with kids but I don't think that it takes 10-15 minutes to have two kids stand next to a stick...

Can confirm it takes roughly 10-15 seconds.

 

[BwlrBry212]

February 9th -- Day One (continued)

It was time for our lunch reservation at Space 220 Lounge. I prefer the lounge because you can order items a la carte and they have some options that are not part of the prix fixe menus at lunch and dinner. Also, if you are so inclined you can also order the prix fixe meal in the lounge as well.

I started with a Saturn 2.0 -- Bacardi 8, Velvet Falernum, Orgeat, Passion Fruit, Lemon Juice.

This was tasty and tropical. Very reminiscent of a tiki drink you would find at the Poly.

I have always seen the burger while eating here in the past but I could never justify the $55 price tag to order a burger on the prix fixe menu. But in the lounge the burger is available on its own.

Gemini Burger -- Signature Beef Blend, White Cheddar Cheese, Bacon, Shredded Lettuce, Tomatoes, Roasted Pepper Citrus Aioli, French Fries

This was definitely better than your standard quick service burger but it did not compare to my favorite burger at Steakhouse 71. The bun fell apart and I could not even taste the aioli that was on it. Also, not worth the steep $28 price tag. My other option was getting two small plates which would have cost the same if not more so I am not disappointed price wise compared to other options just compared to other locations.

While waiting for the food, I also discovered that the prix fixe menu is a bit of a rip off at least for some options. The burger is available at the lounge for $28. The most expensive appetizer was the calamari at $19. So getting the burger and calamari at the lounge would be $47 but the prix fixe menu is $55. It does include a non-alcoholic drink but that does not make up the remaining $8. Very tricky Disney...

The space elevator on the way out malfunctioned. We were loaded in and the screens never played the video and the room didn't vibrate and then the door just opened. The CM was caught off guard and said "um, welcome back to Earth I guess."

We decided to hop over to HS after lunch. We exited the IG and walked past the boat that was docked there. I said to A "there is no way I am walking there" and then I realized his plan...the dreaded Skyliner. I am not a huge fan of traveling via the dangling glass coffins but didn't have my mom there to flat out refuse to ride. I will admit that it is much faster and convenient but I do not care for it.

HS was fairly crowded and to the surprise of no one the wait times for everything were high. The fact that Rock'n Rollercoaster was down for refurb did not help at all. We hit up Star Tours first because no matter what is going on in HS there is almost no wait. We got a wonky time travel sequence that took us from Hoth to Naboo.

We made our way to Muppets next but decided to bail because we just missed the next show and didn't want to wait out the whole show.

We headed to Galaxy's Edge next and did single rider on Smuggler's Run. When we got to the point where they split you up into your groups there was a mother and her daughter who was maybe around 10 were at the front and refused to be separated despite the fact that they were in the single rider line. The CM told them that they would have to wait a while before he could put them together. He even made a point of pulling parties of two forward from the standby line to join groups of 4 just to make the mother and daughter wait which I applaud. I was paired with a family of 5 who had a father/son driving combo that made for a very bumpy ride.

We went over to Toy Story Land next and got in a reasonable line for Toy Story Mania. The line didn't stop until we got into the room with Mr. Potato Head so I was hopeful. But then they started to make the announcements about keeping up with the party in front of you to reduce wait times which is code for "You're gonna wait longer than expected." We finally got up the merge point with LL and I knew why the line was so delayed. I counted and they let 50 people though the LL and then would send 2 people from the standby line. I understand that people paid a premium for LL but on a ride where there are multiple tracks like TSM, they really should send LL to one side and standby to the other and then fill in where needed.

After that, we had missed the start of any shows we might want to see and everything else had long wait times so we hopped back to Epcot via the death boxes to graze festival booths and catch a concert.

 

[cgersic]

Death boxes So sorry you don't like them. I have a real vertigo problem, but the Skyliner is probably my favorite mode of Disney transport (behind the trains) just because it's quick and efficient. That will change if I ever get delayed on it for any period of time though.

 

[fractal]

Thanks for all the detail in your report. The claws and the shrimp looked great! We have flown out of Harrisburg and Allentown on occasion (if you can get the right flight) and it's so much easier than the big airports much less Philly. I'm going to have to add Steakhouse 71 for our next trip. Phillies opening day right around the corner!

 

[BwlrBry212]

Thanks for all the detail in your report. The claws and the shrimp looked great! We have flown out of Harrisburg and Allentown on occasion (if you can get the right flight) and it's so much easier than the big airports much less Philly. I'm going to have to add Steakhouse 71 for our next trip. Phillies opening day right around the corner!

Thanks! Eventually I will finish up this report.

Go Phils! Actually, my next scheduled trip is to London in June for the Phillies/Mets series. I can't wait!

 

[fractal]

Thanks! Eventually I will finish up this report.

Go Phils! Actually, my next scheduled trip is to London in June for the Phillies/Mets series. I can't wait!

That sounds like a great trip!

 

[BwlrBry212]

February 9th -- Day One Continued

We made it back over to Epcot and we were on a mission for some food. We stopped at the The Artist's Table in America first.

Duck and Dumplings: Smoked duck breast, ricotta dumplings, baby vegetables, and duck jus and Lost Coast Brewery Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Stout

I very rarely ever go for duck because it is tough to cook properly and usually ends up being chewy. This was a pleasant surprise. The duck was super tender and I even had a little bit of crispy skin. The dumpling were also very tasty. I thought about getting this again later in the trip but never did.

The beer was also fantastic. It was like drinking a Reese's cup.

One of my goals for this trip was watching one of the Broadway concerts. I've seen them in the past on trips with my mom but A is never a big fan of stopping for shows. Tonight's show was Mandy Gonzalez (“Aida”) and Michael James Scott (“Aladdin” and “Tarzan”). My mom and I actually saw Michael James Scott as the Genie in Aladdin on Broadway he was amazing! Please enjoy my terrible picture of the show.

We backtracked after the show and went over to France for some more food.

Crème de Brie en Petit Pain: Warm creamy brie in a house-made bread bowl and Frozen French Martini: Grey Goose Vodka, Chambord liqueur, pineapple, orange, and grape juices with lemon-lime foam

These are both go-to dishes at FARTS for me. Who can go wrong with melted cheese in a bread bowl??? My only complaint is that they should give you some more bread on the side for dipping before you have to tear open the bread bowl.

The martini is my favorite of the festival offerings that I have had. It kinda reminds me of Sweettarts in the best way.

We wandered around a little more and then grabbed a spot near China to watch Luminous. I really enjoyed the show. I thought it was a perfect mixture of IP and original music and it had a cohesive theme throughout the show.

After that, it was time to sleep and get ready for MK in the morning.

 

[BwlrBry212]

Day 2- February 10th

We had a brunch reservation at Homecomin' this morning so we started our day at DS. The food was great as usual but I didn't take any pictures because I always get the same thing. When we left, there wasn't a huge line for Gideon's but I couldn't convince A to wait for cookies.

We made our way over to MK.

Again, too much time has passed to remember what rides we went on. It was pretty crowded since it was a beautiful Saturday so a lot of wait times were high.

We checked out the progress on Tiana's Bayou Adventure.

And then got in the long-ish line for Tiana's "beignets." There was actually a taped off queue for them at Golden Oak Outpost. Since they were not on the menu sign, just on the temporary sign at the register, we amused ourselves by listening to people walk up and wonder why so many people were in line for chicken fingers.

The "beignets" were tasty but they weren't really beignets hence the air quotes. They were fried croissants with powdered sugar. The strawberry sauce that came with them was delicious and if there weren't so many people around I would have been tempted to drink the rest. I really hope that there is a plan to get real beignets in that area with the opening of the new attraction.

We finished up what we thought we could accomplish at MK for the day and made the risky decision to hop over to Epcot on a Saturday night.

While on our way there, A was looking a menus and discovered that our favorite soup, the Crema de Elote, was finally back on the menu at La Hacienda after being missing for years. He was able to book an ADR right before park closing so we would get the added bonus of getting to watch Luminous from inside.

We did hit a few booths for some appetizers before our dinner.

When on vacation, always eat dessert first.

Neapolitan Dessert Trio: Chocolate tart, vanilla bean cheesecake, and strawberry mousse and the beer flight (3 Daughters Brewing Strawberry Blonde Nitro, 81Bay Brewing Co. Vanilla Porter, and Playalinda Brewing Co. Milk Stout)

The desserts were good and the flavors of each one were very pronounced but they all had the same texture. It would have been nice to throw in some crunch somewhere.

The beers were all decent. There was only a hint of strawberry flavor in the blonde. The vanilla porter was the best of the bunch. The milk stout was meant to be the chocolate part of the flight but there was no chocolate to be found.

We wandered around WS with surprisingly light crowds. I know that we stopped to watch the band in England which A actually suggested which was another surprise. Then, I forced him to watch Impressions de France because it has been a while since we had seen it and it has such limited viewing.

Afterwards, we went to the France booth for another bite.

I got a little adventurous and got the salmon duo: Saumon Fumé Mousse et Aspic, Blini et Fromage de Chevre: Salmon mousse, smoked salmon, dill, and flaxseed biscuit, served cold and Vol-au-Vent de Saumon et Epinards, Sauce Chardonnay: Puff pastry with salmon and spinach and a chardonnay-shallot sauce, served warm
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this dish. I am not a big fan of smoked salmon but it went really nicely with the goat cheese that was not mentioned in the description but made the dish for me. The warm salmon was also really good. The salmon was cooked perfectly and the spinach went really well with it.

A got the bread bowl and a frozen martini but when he got to the window they handed him two drinks so he didn't question it and took the accidental pixie dust. This would come back to haunt us later...

We made another lap around and arrived at La Hacienda for our dinner. When the waiter came over, he asked if we wanted any chips and salsa or guacamole or queso. I said chips and salsa and we ordered our margaritas and beloved soup. We also ordered the mixed grill to split. There used to be a meat and seafood option but they only have the seafood one right now and the price went way up from the last time.

When they brought out our food, they brought the chips and salsa along with queso and guac which we did not order. I thought maybe we got some more pixie dust since it was the end of the night. We also got our Crema de Elote.

The picture does not do this soup any justice. The presentation has changed since the last time. It used to come out with corn and spicy tortilla strips in the bowl and the soup was poured over it tableside. The tortilla strips were replaced by the crispy thing on the side and there was no pouring tableside but it tasted as good as ever. It is creamy and buttery and sweet and a little spicy. I would eat this soup on the hottest, most humid Disney day and be very happy.

We enjoyed the rest of our meal while watching Luminous which is why I didn't take anymore pictures. We got our check and that was when we got some Disney sticker shock. Our meal was waaaay more expensive than we were planning. It turns out that we were charged $13(!!!) for the chips and salsa with the guac and queso that we didn't order. This was our instant Disney karma for A getting an extra frozen martini. We will definitely be back for the soup but I think it will be soup and an appetizer and not a full blown meal. I would rather go to Rosa Mexicana at Swan and Dolphin and spend less for a better quality meal.

The advantage of the late dinner was getting to walk out of the park that was practically empty. I took advantage of that and got some really nice pictures on the way out.

I just got a new phone (iPhone 15) before this trip and I was really impressed by the quality of these pictures.