That's it! Just nine more days of work and trust me, it cannot be over fast enough. I'm anxious as heck to get outta Michigan for a long weekend. Work seems to be more and more of a serious ache an pain in my bones and in my mind. It's like an infection that brings me down with every passing day. Luckily, I have more things to look forward to than just Disney that will help take my mind off of my day to day job and boring surroundings.
While the plans for my upcoming Disney trip hasn't become much more laid out, I'm really excited and looking forward to it. If there's something interesting that's going on before I leave (related to my trip) then I'll make sure I update you.
My husband and I have decided to do a Couch to 5K program with each other. Matt's really fit now. While he doesn't do regular cardio, he lifts 2 or 3 times a week. I'm not so motivated. Haha! A few years ago I got into running and actually started to feel good about going out and working out. Then, the cold came and I just stopped cold turkey. The program is really smart because you start off small and then work your way up to more jogging and less walking. Matt will DEFINITELY push me and I think having me next to him will challenge him as well. My goal is to lose weight and get in a regular routine of running. Matt's goal is to just see how fast he can run a mile at the end of the program. He doesn't have any intention to take up running. I, on the other hand, would really like to enter my first 5K and finish it. While I've never been overweight, I've always struggled with my endurance. Fact: Skinny girls can be out of shape too.
Matt and I are starting the program tomorrow (Monday) and will continue on Wednesday and then again Friday morning or Saturday afternoon. Not sure. That being said, I'll be... drumroll please... running on my own the following Friday at Disney World! Gonna have to test out the All-Star Resorts jogging trail for myself.
Okay, that's all of my info for now! Check ya laterrr! (Dazed and Confused reference)
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Sunday, August 19, 2012
I'm Almost There, Florida!
I feel really lucky to be going to Disney World again in less than three weeks. It's my happy place. It's where I ALWAYS want to be. Just fifteen more work days and I'll be back there.
When I'm at Disney World, I have a specific thought often that I don't think I have EVER talked about publicly before in my blog writing. Right now, I'm watching a Disney Parks show on Netflix and it made me think of it again. There are times that I'm absolutely amazed at my surroundings and the first thing that comes into my mind are the Imagineers. It takes just seconds for me to imagine all of the people that put time, brain power, body power, creativity, imagination, and endless research into something SO simple yet so complex.
For example, the pavement in between the Fountain of Nations and Spaceship Earth. If you're a person who pays attention to detail, you probably already know what I'm talking about. At night, the ground is illuminated with what looks like tiny Christmas tree lights. It's a detail I remember from my first trip to Epcot when I was just 9 years old. I'm sure it didn't take just one person to create this "finishing touch." Someone had to think of the idea. Someone had to figure out how it was going to look with the overall theme. Someone had to come up with HOW this was going to work mechanically and survive the elements. Then, someone okays the budget on this tiny magical detail. All of this work was put into something that isn't even an attraction. It's simply "plussing" the ground with detail. It's the things that no one needed to do, but they did so that way the guests could feel that much more immersed in the Disney magic. THAT is what makes me see how different Disney is from other theme parks. Details like that seriously bring me to tears and I'm so thankful to be there in that moment.
I appreciate so many things about the parks and I think that's why I'm able to go back so often and have it feel new every time. It seems that there is something new to be discovered with every visit. There's just never enough time in my book.
Wanna know some details about my upcoming trip? Alright, so, it's starting to unfold a little bit more since my departure day is getting closer. However, there's still no real itinerary due to the unknown of who I'm going to see and when. Thursday, my arrival day, I know I have to pop over to Magic Kingdom at some point to meet up with a family member of a "family member." It's my lifelong honorary big brother's older sister, Jennifer. She's a big Disney fan and will be visiting WDW with her family at the same time I will be. The next day is the Touring Plan's meet in Morocco. I'm sure I'll be hanging with Touring Plan's folks for most of Friday. Saturday, my free day with no plans to see anyone. If I do, cool. If not, no biggie! On my last day, Sunday, I'll end at Magic Kingdom so I can visit with the Robbins family. They're awesome people that I met through my love of Kelly Clarkson. Ric was a band member of Kelly's for about three years. Being friends on Facebook, he saw my love for Disney and connected me with his gorgeous wife, Gaby. Throw in their three kids and you've got a huge Disney loving family. My kind of people!
I have a feeling that this trip is going to feel really short and go by really quickly. I wish I had an abundance of vacation days to use so I could stay a few days longer. However, I only have 4 1/2 days left for the rest of the year and I have to use them wisely.
Be sure to follow me on Twitter, @Stacey87, if you don't already so you can watch me tour WDW in a few weeks!
When I'm at Disney World, I have a specific thought often that I don't think I have EVER talked about publicly before in my blog writing. Right now, I'm watching a Disney Parks show on Netflix and it made me think of it again. There are times that I'm absolutely amazed at my surroundings and the first thing that comes into my mind are the Imagineers. It takes just seconds for me to imagine all of the people that put time, brain power, body power, creativity, imagination, and endless research into something SO simple yet so complex.
For example, the pavement in between the Fountain of Nations and Spaceship Earth. If you're a person who pays attention to detail, you probably already know what I'm talking about. At night, the ground is illuminated with what looks like tiny Christmas tree lights. It's a detail I remember from my first trip to Epcot when I was just 9 years old. I'm sure it didn't take just one person to create this "finishing touch." Someone had to think of the idea. Someone had to figure out how it was going to look with the overall theme. Someone had to come up with HOW this was going to work mechanically and survive the elements. Then, someone okays the budget on this tiny magical detail. All of this work was put into something that isn't even an attraction. It's simply "plussing" the ground with detail. It's the things that no one needed to do, but they did so that way the guests could feel that much more immersed in the Disney magic. THAT is what makes me see how different Disney is from other theme parks. Details like that seriously bring me to tears and I'm so thankful to be there in that moment.
I appreciate so many things about the parks and I think that's why I'm able to go back so often and have it feel new every time. It seems that there is something new to be discovered with every visit. There's just never enough time in my book.
Wanna know some details about my upcoming trip? Alright, so, it's starting to unfold a little bit more since my departure day is getting closer. However, there's still no real itinerary due to the unknown of who I'm going to see and when. Thursday, my arrival day, I know I have to pop over to Magic Kingdom at some point to meet up with a family member of a "family member." It's my lifelong honorary big brother's older sister, Jennifer. She's a big Disney fan and will be visiting WDW with her family at the same time I will be. The next day is the Touring Plan's meet in Morocco. I'm sure I'll be hanging with Touring Plan's folks for most of Friday. Saturday, my free day with no plans to see anyone. If I do, cool. If not, no biggie! On my last day, Sunday, I'll end at Magic Kingdom so I can visit with the Robbins family. They're awesome people that I met through my love of Kelly Clarkson. Ric was a band member of Kelly's for about three years. Being friends on Facebook, he saw my love for Disney and connected me with his gorgeous wife, Gaby. Throw in their three kids and you've got a huge Disney loving family. My kind of people!
I have a feeling that this trip is going to feel really short and go by really quickly. I wish I had an abundance of vacation days to use so I could stay a few days longer. However, I only have 4 1/2 days left for the rest of the year and I have to use them wisely.
Be sure to follow me on Twitter, @Stacey87, if you don't already so you can watch me tour WDW in a few weeks!
Friday, July 27, 2012
Holy Crap!
I haven't been in hiding or anything but I have been away from Blogger for quite some time simply because I've been so busy with other things and me blabbing about Disney nonsense is simply on the backburner. I could update you on all the things in my personal life but, let's face it, that's horrifically boring. However, I will tell you that I've been keeping very busy writing about Disney World still over at the TouringPlans.com blog. This past month, I've had overwhelmingly awesome responses to my posts and it keeps me motivated to write more.
Over here on my "confessions" blog, I believe I left off somewhere around me leaving for a WDW trip for my birthday in April. Yeah! I did that and it was awesome! Mom and I had a lot of fun touring the parks and eating at awesome places on property. We stayed at All-Star Sports and had a decent experience. It was pretty good other than the noise level in our "Football" section and the really bad food court. My friends threw me a birthday party at Sanaa which was a highlight of my trip. I was insanely overwhelmed the whole time since no one EVER throws parties for me. While I grew up loving being in the spotlight, I've definitely come to realize that I enjoy keeping to myself a bit more as I grow older. It's funny what we learn about ourselves as we mature and evolve.
In exactly (how on, let me count) ...40 more days I'll be going down to WDW for my third trip this year. Three trips in one year is a record for me! As some of you may remember, I took my first solo trip to WDW in January and had the time of my life. Honestly. I can't explain how perfect that trip was. It was so wonderful that I've decided to do it again.
WHEN: September 6th-9th - I'm leaving early in the morning out of Chicago Midway Airport with a non-stop flight to Orlando International. When I leave Orlando, I'll take a 6pm flight out and have a short layover in Baltimore before finishing my trip in Grand Rapids, MI.
WHY: Solo trip round two! Some other TouringPlans.com folks will be vacationing around the same time as me as well so it'll be fun to meet some of them for the first time. Also, my friends, the Robbins family, will be there so I'll get to see them!
WHERE: All-Star Music Resort - I have never stayed here before. With my Annual Passholder discount, I could have chosen All-Star Sports or Music and after looking at the Broadway section online, I knew I had to give All-Star Music a shot.
Here's the trippy thing about this vacation... I'm not planning a thing. No, really. Super anal planner Stacey is cooling her jets. I'm basically forced to not plan anything because there are a lot of people that I want to meet up with when I'm down there and it's going to be impossible to know a schedule for things like that. I don't have a dining reservation anywhere and I'm not doing day plans like I usually do. I'll simply wake up and go wherever I want. Most likely, I'll be taking advantage of Extra Magic Hours where I can since I'll only be there for less than 4 full days.
What I'm a little nervous about is forcing myself to not ride EVERYTHING that I like. I'm really not sure how people that live down there do it. I feel like I still have that little trigger in my brain that tells me that I need to do everything and see everything even though I've already probably done it in the past year. For some reason, I have this thought in the back of my head that every trip to WDW could be my last and I need to make sure I get the most out of it when I'm there. It's crazy. I know. On my last solo trip, I had this big idea of touring all around the Epcot resorts and taking pictures. I didn't even set foot inside one of thos resorts! I was too busy in the parks. This time, I really need to just do what I want and not feel forced to ride things out of obligation because I'm walking by them.
I have two goals to accomplish before I leave for Disney in September. Ready to hear them? Okay, the first is to lose 10 pounds. I really just want to feel better in my clothes and in my own skin and I figure that no motivation is as good as Disney World. My second goal is one I've already started working on. I want to learn the words to "Canada, You're a Lifetime Journey" from the Circle-Vision film in Canada at Epcot. I LOVE this show and this song. I've known the English lyrics for the longest time but I always stumble on the French part... even though I took a few years of French in high school. I can do the majority of the French lyrics flawlessly but I still have a few lines that I slip up on. I should record myself lip syncing the words when I'm actually watching the movie in Epcot. Ha! That'd be hilarious proof that I did it.
That's enough of me yapping. Have an awesome day!
Over here on my "confessions" blog, I believe I left off somewhere around me leaving for a WDW trip for my birthday in April. Yeah! I did that and it was awesome! Mom and I had a lot of fun touring the parks and eating at awesome places on property. We stayed at All-Star Sports and had a decent experience. It was pretty good other than the noise level in our "Football" section and the really bad food court. My friends threw me a birthday party at Sanaa which was a highlight of my trip. I was insanely overwhelmed the whole time since no one EVER throws parties for me. While I grew up loving being in the spotlight, I've definitely come to realize that I enjoy keeping to myself a bit more as I grow older. It's funny what we learn about ourselves as we mature and evolve.
In exactly (how on, let me count) ...40 more days I'll be going down to WDW for my third trip this year. Three trips in one year is a record for me! As some of you may remember, I took my first solo trip to WDW in January and had the time of my life. Honestly. I can't explain how perfect that trip was. It was so wonderful that I've decided to do it again.
WHEN: September 6th-9th - I'm leaving early in the morning out of Chicago Midway Airport with a non-stop flight to Orlando International. When I leave Orlando, I'll take a 6pm flight out and have a short layover in Baltimore before finishing my trip in Grand Rapids, MI.
WHY: Solo trip round two! Some other TouringPlans.com folks will be vacationing around the same time as me as well so it'll be fun to meet some of them for the first time. Also, my friends, the Robbins family, will be there so I'll get to see them!
WHERE: All-Star Music Resort - I have never stayed here before. With my Annual Passholder discount, I could have chosen All-Star Sports or Music and after looking at the Broadway section online, I knew I had to give All-Star Music a shot.
Here's the trippy thing about this vacation... I'm not planning a thing. No, really. Super anal planner Stacey is cooling her jets. I'm basically forced to not plan anything because there are a lot of people that I want to meet up with when I'm down there and it's going to be impossible to know a schedule for things like that. I don't have a dining reservation anywhere and I'm not doing day plans like I usually do. I'll simply wake up and go wherever I want. Most likely, I'll be taking advantage of Extra Magic Hours where I can since I'll only be there for less than 4 full days.
What I'm a little nervous about is forcing myself to not ride EVERYTHING that I like. I'm really not sure how people that live down there do it. I feel like I still have that little trigger in my brain that tells me that I need to do everything and see everything even though I've already probably done it in the past year. For some reason, I have this thought in the back of my head that every trip to WDW could be my last and I need to make sure I get the most out of it when I'm there. It's crazy. I know. On my last solo trip, I had this big idea of touring all around the Epcot resorts and taking pictures. I didn't even set foot inside one of thos resorts! I was too busy in the parks. This time, I really need to just do what I want and not feel forced to ride things out of obligation because I'm walking by them.
I have two goals to accomplish before I leave for Disney in September. Ready to hear them? Okay, the first is to lose 10 pounds. I really just want to feel better in my clothes and in my own skin and I figure that no motivation is as good as Disney World. My second goal is one I've already started working on. I want to learn the words to "Canada, You're a Lifetime Journey" from the Circle-Vision film in Canada at Epcot. I LOVE this show and this song. I've known the English lyrics for the longest time but I always stumble on the French part... even though I took a few years of French in high school. I can do the majority of the French lyrics flawlessly but I still have a few lines that I slip up on. I should record myself lip syncing the words when I'm actually watching the movie in Epcot. Ha! That'd be hilarious proof that I did it.
That's enough of me yapping. Have an awesome day!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
A Disney Filled Birthday Celebration
It's finally April 1st! That means in just 12 days, on April 13th, my mom and I will be heading down to Walt Disney World. Words cannot express how excited I am. This morning, my mom and I watched the Top 7 Must Sees in WDW together. Something about that video that gets me really pumped to tour the parks.
This was a trip that almost didn't happen. Flight prices were all over the place and just when I found a REALLY good deal (like $140 round trip) the prices shot up the next day and then a few days after that, the airline filed for bankruptcy and cancelled every flight until May! Every other airline was so expensive out of every city and I just became discouraged. That is, until I found a flight out of Grand Rapids, MI through AirTran. For about $220 round trip and with decent flight times. We've never flown out of Grand Rapids before but the airport will be really simple to get to and will be shorter drive than we're used to going to Detroit.
The flight leaves at 12:10 p.m. I'm a supporter of really early morning flights because that means more time in the parks that day. However, I really didn't have a choice in this situation. 12:10 was far better than the other options I was given with more expensive airlines. We should arrive into Orlando International Airport at about quarter 'till 3. A quick potty break and then we'll be on Disney's Magical Express bound for All- Star Sports Resort.
We decided to stay at a value because we're trying to go cut costs where we can. All-Star Sports was our cheapest option with the help of a friend's cast member discount. If you can remember, I've stayed at A.S.S. (haha) before. Last year I took a trip down in March and stayed there. I actually find the rooms inside of the All Star resorts to be nicer than the rooms at Pop Century. The grounds are just okay but I don't spend that much time at the resort to really care. I really like the big surf themed pool but didn't get to use it last time. I have a feeling the weather is going to be scorching hot in a few weeks so we'll definitely want to partake in some swimming.
My mom surprised me and told me that I got to pick a meal to celebrate my birthday and she'll pay. I went back and forth, back and forth. It took me two weeks to decide on California Grill only to see that I can't get a reservation. Fail. I really wanted to try something NEW but due to the schedule and difficulty with Disney transportation, I decided to do Boma (my 3rd time, mom's first) a day after my actual birthday.
We'll also be doing some other cool things throughout the trip. On our first night, a large group of people from the Disney online community that live in Flordia will be getting together at Biergarten to celebrate three birthdays!! There will be another friend dinner at Sanaa one night and even some mini golfing at some point. I'm doing another solo meal one night at my new favorite restaurant, Jiko. Mom didn't have any interest in it so she'll hang out at the hotel while I'm feeding my face. On top of all of that, a super fun Touring Plans meet is being planned!
I'm REALLY excited about seeing my friends again at La Cava del Tequila. I fully intend on trying even more things on the drink menu, including the new Coffee Margarita. My favorite guacamole in the whole world is served at La Cava as well. I think I should treat myself to a shot of Don Julio 1942 for my birthday since it's my favorite. :)
My actual birthday is April 15th and on that day the Magic Kingdom will be open until three in the morning for Extra Magic Hours! I don't think I can get my mom to go that long but hopefully we'll get to enjoy a good amount of nighttime at Magic Kingdom.
I think that's all of the important details to share with you all! Will report back soon!
This was a trip that almost didn't happen. Flight prices were all over the place and just when I found a REALLY good deal (like $140 round trip) the prices shot up the next day and then a few days after that, the airline filed for bankruptcy and cancelled every flight until May! Every other airline was so expensive out of every city and I just became discouraged. That is, until I found a flight out of Grand Rapids, MI through AirTran. For about $220 round trip and with decent flight times. We've never flown out of Grand Rapids before but the airport will be really simple to get to and will be shorter drive than we're used to going to Detroit.
The flight leaves at 12:10 p.m. I'm a supporter of really early morning flights because that means more time in the parks that day. However, I really didn't have a choice in this situation. 12:10 was far better than the other options I was given with more expensive airlines. We should arrive into Orlando International Airport at about quarter 'till 3. A quick potty break and then we'll be on Disney's Magical Express bound for All- Star Sports Resort.
We decided to stay at a value because we're trying to go cut costs where we can. All-Star Sports was our cheapest option with the help of a friend's cast member discount. If you can remember, I've stayed at A.S.S. (haha) before. Last year I took a trip down in March and stayed there. I actually find the rooms inside of the All Star resorts to be nicer than the rooms at Pop Century. The grounds are just okay but I don't spend that much time at the resort to really care. I really like the big surf themed pool but didn't get to use it last time. I have a feeling the weather is going to be scorching hot in a few weeks so we'll definitely want to partake in some swimming.
My mom surprised me and told me that I got to pick a meal to celebrate my birthday and she'll pay. I went back and forth, back and forth. It took me two weeks to decide on California Grill only to see that I can't get a reservation. Fail. I really wanted to try something NEW but due to the schedule and difficulty with Disney transportation, I decided to do Boma (my 3rd time, mom's first) a day after my actual birthday.
We'll also be doing some other cool things throughout the trip. On our first night, a large group of people from the Disney online community that live in Flordia will be getting together at Biergarten to celebrate three birthdays!! There will be another friend dinner at Sanaa one night and even some mini golfing at some point. I'm doing another solo meal one night at my new favorite restaurant, Jiko. Mom didn't have any interest in it so she'll hang out at the hotel while I'm feeding my face. On top of all of that, a super fun Touring Plans meet is being planned!
I'm REALLY excited about seeing my friends again at La Cava del Tequila. I fully intend on trying even more things on the drink menu, including the new Coffee Margarita. My favorite guacamole in the whole world is served at La Cava as well. I think I should treat myself to a shot of Don Julio 1942 for my birthday since it's my favorite. :)
My actual birthday is April 15th and on that day the Magic Kingdom will be open until three in the morning for Extra Magic Hours! I don't think I can get my mom to go that long but hopefully we'll get to enjoy a good amount of nighttime at Magic Kingdom.
I think that's all of the important details to share with you all! Will report back soon!
Monday, March 26, 2012
2 Months Later...
Instead of getting into WHY I haven't blogged in 2 months, I'd rather just get back into it full force.
My solo trip was where we last left off. My first solo trip ever. So, how did it go?
Outstanding.
If I said life-changing then it probably would sound a little corny but it also is entirely accurate. I never knew that I really was so capable of having a great time by myself. I did what I wanted when I wanted. I took my time and really enjoyed just BEING in Disney World.
I did so many cool things on my trip including a tequila tasting, TWO solo dining experiences, my first signature dining experience, my first Touring Plans meet, and also discovered a love for Animal Kingdom that I never knew I had.
I could go into detail of everything I did on each day but I'd rather create a picture book for you guys as sort of a walk through experience. I have written a handful of articles on the Touring Plan's blog so feel free to read them and learn about some of the things that I did in January.
A Solo Trip Recap
La Cava del Tequila: A Taste of Mexico
Solo Dining Review: Jiko
Solo Dining Review: Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano
Animal Kingdom Appreciation
On April 13th, my mom and I are doing our 3rd mother/daughter trip to Walt Disney World! We're going to have so much fun! I've never celebrated my birthday in Disney World before if you can believe it. I'll post some details on the upcoming trip very soon so be on the look out!
My solo trip was where we last left off. My first solo trip ever. So, how did it go?
Outstanding.
If I said life-changing then it probably would sound a little corny but it also is entirely accurate. I never knew that I really was so capable of having a great time by myself. I did what I wanted when I wanted. I took my time and really enjoyed just BEING in Disney World.
I did so many cool things on my trip including a tequila tasting, TWO solo dining experiences, my first signature dining experience, my first Touring Plans meet, and also discovered a love for Animal Kingdom that I never knew I had.
I could go into detail of everything I did on each day but I'd rather create a picture book for you guys as sort of a walk through experience. I have written a handful of articles on the Touring Plan's blog so feel free to read them and learn about some of the things that I did in January.
A Solo Trip Recap
La Cava del Tequila: A Taste of Mexico
Solo Dining Review: Jiko
Solo Dining Review: Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano
Animal Kingdom Appreciation
On April 13th, my mom and I are doing our 3rd mother/daughter trip to Walt Disney World! We're going to have so much fun! I've never celebrated my birthday in Disney World before if you can believe it. I'll post some details on the upcoming trip very soon so be on the look out!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Disney World Solo Tripping!
If you follow me on Twitter or are friends with me on Facebook, you probably are aware that in just one week I'm going down to Disney World on my first solo trip adventure! I've outlined the basic details of my trip as well why I've chosen to go solo in my latest post at the TouringPlans.com blog. Go ahead... check it out!
Many of you like a lot of little details and I'm happy to share what I'm going to be up to while I'm in Florida.
My flight leaves Detroit around 8:00 a.m. My hubby will be driving me up to Detroit very very early... bless his heart. We'll probably leave here around 4:00 a.m. and get to the airport a little after 6:00 a.m. depending on the Michigan snow that is pounding down outside as I type this. It'll probably be closer to 6:30 a.m. just because Matt always has to stop and go to the bathroom or grab some breakfast.
I should get into Orlando a little before 11:00 a.m. I'll haul tail off of the plane and essentially run to the Magical Express pick-up area. I wanna start my magical trip as soon as possible! Since I've already checked into Pop Century online, my check-in experience should be short and painless. I'm going to ask for a room in a building that is close to Everything Pop, the main building, since I will be by myself and I don't want to take a weird walk through parking lots when it's dark at night. That just doesn't sound the safest to me... even if it is at Disney.
If I can get a room, I'll go freshen up there and head out to a park. If my room won't be available then I'll just freshen up/change my clothes in the Pop Century restroom and call it good. The first park I'm going to will be determined by whichever bus shows up at the bus stop first. I'm definitely going to end my first night at Epcot though. La Cava margarita in hand and I'm a happy camper.
The rest of my days I'm honestly playing by ear. I KNOW! You've gotta be shocked. I'm going where I want when I want. I've not booked any advanced dining reservations at all since it's just me and if I want to eat somewhere, I can pop in pretty quickly without much effort and fuss. I have chosen to treat myself to a signature restaurant... my first signature restaurant! It's a tie right now between Jiko and Flying Fish Cafe. I just can't determine which one at this point. I took a vote on Twitter and Jiko won with about 75% of the votes. We'll see what I end up doing!
My last park day I'm actually letting my Twitter followers and TouringPlans.com readers weigh in on! Everyone is free to pick a park for me and whichever they choose is the park I'll be tweeting live from. I figure since I'll be right there in the magic, I should share it with some awesome people.
So excited to be doing a lot of photography as well as research for the great folks at TouringPlans.com! I just LOVE my side job!
So excited to be doing a lot of photography as well as research for the great folks at TouringPlans.com! I just LOVE my side job!
From next Wednesday the 18th, through Sunday the 22nd, prepare to be Disneyfied "Disney Nerd" style. I'll post the final day of my trip report back from October here in a few days. Gotta finish it up so I can share all of my new adventures with you guys!
Stay tuned!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
A Nautical Disney Adventure - Day 5
It's our last full day at Walt Disney World so we hit up my personal favorite park, Epcot.. We got there a little later than I would have liked but it was only just after rope drop. We grabbed a couple of FastPasses for Soarin' and then headed to Character Connection before the line got too long. Barbara isn't the biggest fan of costumed characters so she and Ben stayed out of the photos for the most part but I required them to get a picture with the big cheese... Mickey Mouse. Standing in line we saw the cutest little boy ever. Barbara and I named him George.
After Soarin', my gang went over to Club Cool, quenched our thirst, and continued to Mission: Space. The boys did the crazy side and the girls did the tame version. I've done the wild one before and totally regretted it. I felt sick for a couple of hours after. Barbara REALLY doesn't do well with motion simulators so it was a clear choice for us as to which side we'd ride.
If my memory serves me correctly, we enjoyed the campy nature of Captain EO and of course, skipped Figment. As soon as World Showcase opened we were buying our Food and Wine Festival wristbands out for the kill (or food and alcohol). Let's dig in.
Right away, Matt shocked me by grabbing some Maple and Moosehead Beer-glazed Salmon with Barley Salad in Canada. He's picky about salmon and doesn't want it often. It was really really amazing. I'm sort of kicking myself for not getting a portion for myself. Yumtastic!
I'd also like to point out this dude's fashion statement. I don't know who he is but I'd like to tip my hat to him. Brave, brave man.
Who doesn't love cheese, right? Barbara and Matt certainly did. They loved this option while I still think one of them tastes like feet. Give me cheap cheese and I'll be happy. Fancy cheeses don't make me feel fancy. Anyway... they loved it.
My first thing I wanted to try was a bold move... Escargots! I LOVED IT! The tiny bread bowls with butter really complimented the snails well. It didn't taste "snaily" as my husband pointed out.
Coming up to the Belgium pavillion, Ben grabbed Steamed Mussels and I nabbed a Hoegaarden. Mmmm... beer. All tasted amazing. The beer was perfect for the overly warm day.
Portugal surprised me with the Calamari Salad. It was outstanding. I wish I would have gotten two. I love calamari anyway but this was a really unique way to try it since it wasn't warm and breaded like I'm used to.
Matt stopped at Hops and Barley and absolutely needed a Maine Lobster Roll. After Ben saw Matt's, he went over and got one. Totally worth a snack credit! Yum!
We stopped for Matt to get a Carlsberg (beer) in Norway and then met Snow White. We decided to stop at Maelstrom where I snapped perhaps my favorite shot of the entire trip. Funnily enough, as we got up to the attraction, we found out that it just shut down due to mechanical problems. Fail!
I twisted Barbara's arm (okay, not so much) into getting School Bread in Norway's Kringla Bakeri since she absolutely loves coconut. Barbara loved it and decided to keep the other half for breakfast the next morning.
Scandinavia was calling to me with their Taste of Scandinavia. There was a sampling plate of Shrimp Salad, Cured Salmon, and Herring. While everything was really good, the salmon was outstanding. I think the portions were great for a snack credit. I like the idea of getting multiple food items with one credit. Makes it feel more worth it.
Our next stop was the Caribbean where Barbara and Ben both got the Jerk Spiced Chicken. I believe this was their favorite of everything that they tried. The booth was crazy busy so obviously Disney's chefs were doing something right. Barbara also got the Frozen Rock Coconut Mojito. I think it was a little pricy for the size but the flavor more than made up for it. Delicious!
I DEMANDED that we stop at La Cava again. I'd tweeted the bar earlier in the day and they actually asked me what I wanted the special of the day to be. I said, "a margarita!" They tweeted back positively so I knew I had to show up and get a special deal. The Hibiscus Margarita was only $10 so I asked for that and also an order of chips and guac. Their guacamole is the best I've ever had. Truly. Wow. Everyone snacked on it but I ate most of it (guilty). Ben and Barbara shared an Avocado Margarita since we learned how delicious they are on the first day of our trip. Before we left I also wanted the Twitter "shot special" for only $5. AMAZZZINNGGG presentation and delicious tequila. Getting the bill, I learned that you can only have ONE Twitter special for your order so I took the discount on the margarita and payed a few extra dollars for my tequila shot. Not a big deal. I still think it's worth the cost.
Guess who I bumped into at La Cava? Mike from Coaster Radio! A few years ago I became a frequent guest of the Coaster Radio podcast for a little while. Mike was vacationing with his lovely wife, Molly and they just happened to be at La Cava at the same time as us. I loved visiting with them for a little bit. Truly the nicest folks.
I was feeling nice and loopy walking out of the bar and I had energy to boot. Ben and Barbara were still hungry so they stopped at Hawaii and each got a Pork Slider.
Barbara and Ben wanted to cool off so they went back to Caribbean Beach Resort to swim and take a nap while Matt and I took another lap around World Showcase. It's clear to us that Matt and I are obsessed with World Showcase and we always spend more time there than any other place in Walt Disney World on every vacation. Matt took the camera and went crazy with it. We made sure to hit up the Circle-Vision show in Canada since we LOVE it.
Guess who Matt just HAD to stop and meet? Mary Poppins!!
Once we made it to France, we stopped at the bakery and grabbed something to cure our sweet tooth. Honestly, I don't know what Matt got. I drank "too much" at that point and didn't write it down. It looks like a turnover of some sort... probably apple. I got the Napoleon which I LOVE. We were excited to watch the movie in France for the first time. Thing is... I don't remember it. I remember entering the theater and sitting down. The next thing I know, Matt is waking me up. I fell asleep! I felt like I'd been sleeping for a few hours! This is what happens to me when I drink... I sleep.
I was drowsy but we pressed on. We had a blast goofing off and taking more pictures. My stomach even got a second wind when I saw the word "sushi." Hey, Spicy Tuna Roll! Welcome to my mouth!
Time rolled around for us to meet back up with Barbara and Ben by Spaceship Earth. We hadn't even done this attraction yet at that point. We all enjoyed it... especially the silly pictures at the end. Next up was a trek back to the World Showcase to dominate Maelstrom since we missed out earlier in the day. Can't stay away from those vikings. We even stayed for the movie at the end for the first time ever. Fact! It will be my last time ever unless they change it. That was the loudest movie I've ever sat through, and also, the most dated.
Barbara stopped at Karamell-Kuche in Germany and got a cookie covered with a wonderful caramel drizzle.
After finishing up walking through the World Showcase, we visited the Innoventions buildings. I suggested (okay, demanded) that we have fun in "Where's the Fire?" It's so much fun and all of us really liked doing it. We even got a cute picture after the interactive game.
We had a dinner reservation at Coral Reef at about 8:00 p.m. and showed up early in hopes of getting a table by the tank. I was assured upon checking in that, "all tables have a great view." Well, okay. There went that idea. We waited about 10-15 minutes, the longest wait on our trip, and then got seated in the 3rd tier of the restaurant. Our waitress was very sweet and took our drinks orders. For some reason, I never wrote down what drinks we got. I think Matt and I both got a water while Barbara got some type of alcohol drink and Ben got a beer.
I was the only one to get an appetizer. I happen to love the Lobster Soup only on this trip, it fell flat. It was very watered down and I had ONE piece of lobster that I could even taste. Not worth the cost. The table bread and butter that we were given complimentary was actually more appealing and that's not saying much given that it was pretty plain.
For Ben's entree, he chose the salmon. It was very plain and only one side was that good. He said it was overcooked (not a great thing for salmon) and not prepared well. The best part of the dish was the rice.
Matt's choice of Mahi Mahi was acceptable. The fish itself was juicy and pretty good. He subbed the original side of rice for potatoes and they were pretty standard mashed potatoes... nothing exceptional.
I decided to go for the Pan-Seared Sustainable Seasonal Catch and sub the mushroom risotta for mashed potatoes. The fish wasn't bad but it certainly was bland. I can't even remember what kind of fish it was that I got that day. It had a crispiness to the outside that reminded me of fried chicken. Perhaps the fish would have been better if it would have been accompanied with something other than bland mashed potatoes. Flavor wise, I was disappointed.
Barbara got the winning entree of the group... the Grilled New York Strip Steak with Horseradish Potatoes and Vegetables. The steak was quite good apparently (I didn't try it since I don't eat anything that lives on land) but the highlight was the mashed potatoes.
Barbara got the winner of the desserts as well. Her creme brulee was exceptional and she said she had no complaints. Ben got cheesecake which he said was just too fancy... like they were trying hard. The wafer that accompanied the cheesecake tasted like paper. Matt and I got the Chocolate Wave. We've had this many times before and this was the worst we've had it. It wasn't bad but it also wasn't exceptional. The cake was just barely warm and not gooey enough. We wanna see chocolate lava pouring out.
Super full, we paid our bill and got the heck outta there. As we were going past the Leave a Legacy tombs, I remembered that we had to look for NSYNC's photos! I looked up the exact location on my phone and we went in search. The boys wanted to leave so badly so they were searching extra hard. I have to give the credit to Ben for finding it (it hurts to say that).
Most of us packed up our stuff that night once we got back to Caribbean Beach Resort. We knew we wanted to get up and going to Disney's Hollywood Studios the next morning for our last hours in the park. We could not believe our awesome trip was almost over.
After Soarin', my gang went over to Club Cool, quenched our thirst, and continued to Mission: Space. The boys did the crazy side and the girls did the tame version. I've done the wild one before and totally regretted it. I felt sick for a couple of hours after. Barbara REALLY doesn't do well with motion simulators so it was a clear choice for us as to which side we'd ride.
If my memory serves me correctly, we enjoyed the campy nature of Captain EO and of course, skipped Figment. As soon as World Showcase opened we were buying our Food and Wine Festival wristbands out for the kill (or food and alcohol). Let's dig in.
Right away, Matt shocked me by grabbing some Maple and Moosehead Beer-glazed Salmon with Barley Salad in Canada. He's picky about salmon and doesn't want it often. It was really really amazing. I'm sort of kicking myself for not getting a portion for myself. Yumtastic!
I'd also like to point out this dude's fashion statement. I don't know who he is but I'd like to tip my hat to him. Brave, brave man.
Who doesn't love cheese, right? Barbara and Matt certainly did. They loved this option while I still think one of them tastes like feet. Give me cheap cheese and I'll be happy. Fancy cheeses don't make me feel fancy. Anyway... they loved it.
My first thing I wanted to try was a bold move... Escargots! I LOVED IT! The tiny bread bowls with butter really complimented the snails well. It didn't taste "snaily" as my husband pointed out.
Coming up to the Belgium pavillion, Ben grabbed Steamed Mussels and I nabbed a Hoegaarden. Mmmm... beer. All tasted amazing. The beer was perfect for the overly warm day.
Portugal surprised me with the Calamari Salad. It was outstanding. I wish I would have gotten two. I love calamari anyway but this was a really unique way to try it since it wasn't warm and breaded like I'm used to.
Matt stopped at Hops and Barley and absolutely needed a Maine Lobster Roll. After Ben saw Matt's, he went over and got one. Totally worth a snack credit! Yum!
We stopped for Matt to get a Carlsberg (beer) in Norway and then met Snow White. We decided to stop at Maelstrom where I snapped perhaps my favorite shot of the entire trip. Funnily enough, as we got up to the attraction, we found out that it just shut down due to mechanical problems. Fail!
I twisted Barbara's arm (okay, not so much) into getting School Bread in Norway's Kringla Bakeri since she absolutely loves coconut. Barbara loved it and decided to keep the other half for breakfast the next morning.
Scandinavia was calling to me with their Taste of Scandinavia. There was a sampling plate of Shrimp Salad, Cured Salmon, and Herring. While everything was really good, the salmon was outstanding. I think the portions were great for a snack credit. I like the idea of getting multiple food items with one credit. Makes it feel more worth it.
Our next stop was the Caribbean where Barbara and Ben both got the Jerk Spiced Chicken. I believe this was their favorite of everything that they tried. The booth was crazy busy so obviously Disney's chefs were doing something right. Barbara also got the Frozen Rock Coconut Mojito. I think it was a little pricy for the size but the flavor more than made up for it. Delicious!
I DEMANDED that we stop at La Cava again. I'd tweeted the bar earlier in the day and they actually asked me what I wanted the special of the day to be. I said, "a margarita!" They tweeted back positively so I knew I had to show up and get a special deal. The Hibiscus Margarita was only $10 so I asked for that and also an order of chips and guac. Their guacamole is the best I've ever had. Truly. Wow. Everyone snacked on it but I ate most of it (guilty). Ben and Barbara shared an Avocado Margarita since we learned how delicious they are on the first day of our trip. Before we left I also wanted the Twitter "shot special" for only $5. AMAZZZINNGGG presentation and delicious tequila. Getting the bill, I learned that you can only have ONE Twitter special for your order so I took the discount on the margarita and payed a few extra dollars for my tequila shot. Not a big deal. I still think it's worth the cost.
Guess who I bumped into at La Cava? Mike from Coaster Radio! A few years ago I became a frequent guest of the Coaster Radio podcast for a little while. Mike was vacationing with his lovely wife, Molly and they just happened to be at La Cava at the same time as us. I loved visiting with them for a little bit. Truly the nicest folks.
I was feeling nice and loopy walking out of the bar and I had energy to boot. Ben and Barbara were still hungry so they stopped at Hawaii and each got a Pork Slider.
Barbara and Ben wanted to cool off so they went back to Caribbean Beach Resort to swim and take a nap while Matt and I took another lap around World Showcase. It's clear to us that Matt and I are obsessed with World Showcase and we always spend more time there than any other place in Walt Disney World on every vacation. Matt took the camera and went crazy with it. We made sure to hit up the Circle-Vision show in Canada since we LOVE it.
Guess who Matt just HAD to stop and meet? Mary Poppins!!
Once we made it to France, we stopped at the bakery and grabbed something to cure our sweet tooth. Honestly, I don't know what Matt got. I drank "too much" at that point and didn't write it down. It looks like a turnover of some sort... probably apple. I got the Napoleon which I LOVE. We were excited to watch the movie in France for the first time. Thing is... I don't remember it. I remember entering the theater and sitting down. The next thing I know, Matt is waking me up. I fell asleep! I felt like I'd been sleeping for a few hours! This is what happens to me when I drink... I sleep.
I was drowsy but we pressed on. We had a blast goofing off and taking more pictures. My stomach even got a second wind when I saw the word "sushi." Hey, Spicy Tuna Roll! Welcome to my mouth!
Time rolled around for us to meet back up with Barbara and Ben by Spaceship Earth. We hadn't even done this attraction yet at that point. We all enjoyed it... especially the silly pictures at the end. Next up was a trek back to the World Showcase to dominate Maelstrom since we missed out earlier in the day. Can't stay away from those vikings. We even stayed for the movie at the end for the first time ever. Fact! It will be my last time ever unless they change it. That was the loudest movie I've ever sat through, and also, the most dated.
Barbara stopped at Karamell-Kuche in Germany and got a cookie covered with a wonderful caramel drizzle.
After finishing up walking through the World Showcase, we visited the Innoventions buildings. I suggested (okay, demanded) that we have fun in "Where's the Fire?" It's so much fun and all of us really liked doing it. We even got a cute picture after the interactive game.
We had a dinner reservation at Coral Reef at about 8:00 p.m. and showed up early in hopes of getting a table by the tank. I was assured upon checking in that, "all tables have a great view." Well, okay. There went that idea. We waited about 10-15 minutes, the longest wait on our trip, and then got seated in the 3rd tier of the restaurant. Our waitress was very sweet and took our drinks orders. For some reason, I never wrote down what drinks we got. I think Matt and I both got a water while Barbara got some type of alcohol drink and Ben got a beer.
I was the only one to get an appetizer. I happen to love the Lobster Soup only on this trip, it fell flat. It was very watered down and I had ONE piece of lobster that I could even taste. Not worth the cost. The table bread and butter that we were given complimentary was actually more appealing and that's not saying much given that it was pretty plain.
For Ben's entree, he chose the salmon. It was very plain and only one side was that good. He said it was overcooked (not a great thing for salmon) and not prepared well. The best part of the dish was the rice.
Matt's choice of Mahi Mahi was acceptable. The fish itself was juicy and pretty good. He subbed the original side of rice for potatoes and they were pretty standard mashed potatoes... nothing exceptional.
I decided to go for the Pan-Seared Sustainable Seasonal Catch and sub the mushroom risotta for mashed potatoes. The fish wasn't bad but it certainly was bland. I can't even remember what kind of fish it was that I got that day. It had a crispiness to the outside that reminded me of fried chicken. Perhaps the fish would have been better if it would have been accompanied with something other than bland mashed potatoes. Flavor wise, I was disappointed.
Barbara got the winning entree of the group... the Grilled New York Strip Steak with Horseradish Potatoes and Vegetables. The steak was quite good apparently (I didn't try it since I don't eat anything that lives on land) but the highlight was the mashed potatoes.
Barbara got the winner of the desserts as well. Her creme brulee was exceptional and she said she had no complaints. Ben got cheesecake which he said was just too fancy... like they were trying hard. The wafer that accompanied the cheesecake tasted like paper. Matt and I got the Chocolate Wave. We've had this many times before and this was the worst we've had it. It wasn't bad but it also wasn't exceptional. The cake was just barely warm and not gooey enough. We wanna see chocolate lava pouring out.
Super full, we paid our bill and got the heck outta there. As we were going past the Leave a Legacy tombs, I remembered that we had to look for NSYNC's photos! I looked up the exact location on my phone and we went in search. The boys wanted to leave so badly so they were searching extra hard. I have to give the credit to Ben for finding it (it hurts to say that).
Most of us packed up our stuff that night once we got back to Caribbean Beach Resort. We knew we wanted to get up and going to Disney's Hollywood Studios the next morning for our last hours in the park. We could not believe our awesome trip was almost over.
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