Christmas Along the Waters of Walt Disney World

                                    

Our first full day was exactly that, full! After our fabulous breakfast at Boma, our goal was to see as many resort decorations as possible, then head to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. We would visit the Epcot hotels and try to see at least one Magic Kingdom resort. A hotel is referred to "Magic Kingdom" if it borders the lake that sits in front of the Magic Kingdom park. From our hotel we caught a bus to Disney's Hollywood Studios. Above is the tree just outside that park's main entrance. We loved all the tinsel used to represent the obvious, Tinsel Town! 

For those that haven't visited Walt Disney World, there is a lengthy trail that connects Epcot and Disney Hollywood Studios. It was a beautiful day for a long walk. 

The first hotel we explored was The Boardwalk. This hotel has a lot of the time share type rooms, but I do hope to one day stay here. We love the New England shoreline theme. I would say all the hotels along this body of water, apart from the Swan & Dolphin, share a similar theme. Their holiday decor was just as interesting. Don't believe me? This Christmas tree made Eric so happy, he flew right off the pavement! Peter Pan doesn't have anything on him. 

In the Boardwalk's lobby, between these two trees was a concession stand made mostly from gingerbread and candy. Cotton candy was being made fresh. And, one could of course buy gingerbread, some snacks, and I believe lemonade. I ask myself now why we didn't buy anything, but I am certain we were too full from breakfast. 

                                 

Even without this Christmas overlay, the buildings and furnishings set a specific tone. We felt ourselves slide into the past where seaside carnivals evoked a sense of fantasy and sinister characters. Speaking of oddities, check out these two chairs we found. Would you want to take a rest on these two antiquities? 

Eric and I found something a little more full of comfort. We rocked in those seats for a bit, sat back and enjoyed this view. What a day! 

This hotel, Disney's Yacht Club, would be the next stop on our walking tour of Christmas decor. 

Look at Eric! Man......so lucky I married this man. This morning/afternoon was perfection. The two of us weren't in any hurry. We took in the colors of the sky, the colors of the decor, and the sounds of the land. "BICYCLE coming through the boardwalk!!!" 

Ok so we were in the way of a few bicyclist, but I think you get the idea of our day so far. 

I'm a sucker for photographs where our wedding bands are shown. But my goodness! Our walking shoes are massive!!! As you have seen so far, we had a long walk, and a lot more walking ahead of us. 

The Yacht Club had a traditional feel to its overall decor and holiday additions. Lighthouses and sail boats were a running theme. There was a fun train set and town that we watched for a bit. As we watched the trains go around and around, I thought of Gomez Addams, a lover and wrecker of train sets. And, of course Walt Disney came to mind. I bet Walt's largest train set is circling Disneyland 365 days a year. 

                           

We have seen a boardwalk and a harbor, but now it was time to visit a hotel on the beach. Disney's Beach Club color scheme reminds me of the house we rented for a while in Newport Beach, CA. Our place was the same color and trim, until it was painted. But, that is besides the point isn't it? Or, maybe I just wanted to insert that so you'd know we lived in a cool beach house for 5 years! 

Your eyes are not deceiving you. 

                        

Inside this hotel we encountered a lot of chocolate made into unexpected creations. There was a fascinating carousel rotating as if to tease the senses. Well I regressed to my 4 year old self and was ready to climb through the poinsettias, and take the biggest bite out of it! But you know, people were watching and this was a classy hotel. 

We even found an underwater castle, Atantica, where Ariel the mermaid once lived with King Triton. CHOCOLATE again!

The designers even included some information as to what ingredients were used for the carousel. I would have even eaten this list!

                          

Eric and I had seen what these three hotels had to offer for Christmas, but time was slipping away. Our goal was to start for Magic Kingdom park by 3 PM and it was nearing 1:30 PM. In order to stay with our goals of the day we needed to head straight into Epcot via the park's rear entry, maybe see one attraction, and then exit at the parks front entrance to catch the Monorail to Magic Kingdom. There are so many ways to get around Walt Disney World. In one day you could use all forms of transportation. 

In the next phase of the blog you'll hear about how we were almost late for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party. This day was jam packed with Christmas and we loved it! Keep in mind, not one attraction had been ridden this day, so far. 

                           

Food, Alcohol, and a Few Attractions

If there is one thing that the folks at Disney can entice their adult guests to accomplish, it's this : 1) Get as stuffed as possible, and 2) Get as drunk as possible. Although the advancement of ride technology and learning is apart of EPCOT, I think I will fall back on my first statement. Even though the event is later in the trip, this park is the setting of  EPCOT's Food and Wine Festival. We had ourselves armed with our dining plan snack credits and a taste for a few adult beverages.

There is food everywhere here! You can even learn about it! They tell you where it grew, how long it took them to grow it, and even where you can eat the food! It is true The Land pavilion exists to tell all who enter that preserving the planet is important for all, but in the end we still have to eat.

Eric enjoying his crop inspired cruise.

Rey and Brandi are getting even more hungry!

Throughout the course of our trip we must have ridden Living with the Land at least four times. I think everyone was a fan. Was it just chance that we all enjoy our food too? After our trip down the canals of interior farmland, we had a huge appetite. The first country we would hit has margaritas and food....Mexico!

Thanks to the magic of iPhone 5 technology, I give you our panoramic shot at La Cava de Tequila. That is the name of the bar inside the Mexico pavilion. One fun fact about this shot is we didn't have help from a sixth person. After the humid air outside the temple, this was just the drink to cool us down. We would soon chow down on a Mexican dish, but we couldn't help noticing that guests received a discount on shots if you were following the bar's Twitter account. Well it just so happened we already had done just that! The result was being treated to $5.00 shots from Ricky!

I love the interior of this place so I threw in another shot!

We decided on the water front food location outside of the temple. Our Disney Dining Plan was going to be stretched to the limit! The dish I chose was Cheese Empanadas (type of fried quesadilla) w/chips and Churritos for dessert. The other dessert option was a type of frozen fruit bar so we all ordered the Churritos. Some locations don't have enough dessert options. I would like to see at least three options. As you can see in the photo, we all had our Churritos. They were tasty!

Churritos came with a dipping sauce. Dipping is fun!

If you haven't been to EPCOT you must know that walking is something you can't avoid. To get an idea of just the size, The Magic Kingdom can fit in the parking lot. With all that walking, all this food is needed. Something also needed are hats! To fit in with Ricky and his Perry hat, Eric and I had to get shopping!

U.S.A

Morocco

I can't say that I have ever joined in with the rest of the vacationers and bought a silly hat. Sure, this one isn't big and purple, but it was the most obnoxious one I was going to buy. And who knows? I may wear it on July 4th and the one after that!

Now, it seems for this day I lacked to take a lot of food photos. We weren't "falling down drunks" but the excitement must have put my head elsewhere. We did have a nice drink that evening in France. It was a Grey Goose, orange liqueur, Grand Marnier concoction that we all loved. To me, it tasted like a 50/50 bar! There are a few shots with that drink during another day of this trip.

As we drank around the World Showcase, we had two more friends arriving back at the hotel. It would be their first time to the resort. Would they get lost or stay at the hotel? I can report that as we closed down the park, the two of them went to Downtown Disney twice! What troopers!

iPhone 5 shot of Space Ship Earth

Does anyone reading this have a favorite lounging area in EPCOT? I believe ours became Mexico, for obvious reasons. Or maybe you have a favorite place to eat at the park? Please share in the comments below.

Heat, Friends, Food, and Joys at Disney World

After a year of not visiting Florida, Eric and I returned with six others. As expected we found a steamy weather pattern that blanketed the area in what felt like 100% humidity. Although that weather is well known as what Central Florida has to offer, we took a chance on this tail end of Hurricane Season. To our luck we had no hurricanes. We did have an encounter with a downpour not ever experienced by this California native and a few distant lightning strikes. It goes without saying that even with this weather we had a great vacation that I'm excited to share. I have many photos to sort through from my regular camera and iPhone 5. A few of these are from the panoramic feature that I went a tad crazy using.

It may be a bit much to recount all of the 8 days here. As of now I want to focus on our version of Epcot's 30th anniversary, Islands of Adventure, the Dining Plan, Twilight Zone 10 miler, and of course various attractions at Disney World. We had a few "first timers" and I think all four of them left with a good impression. The trip wore them out, but I feel they really enjoyed themselves and had many laughs. I hope those laughs get them through rush hour traffic or a bad day at work. I'll be posting more very soon!

Walt Disney World's 40th continued

    Ever take a red eye flight? It can be quite exhausting if, like me, you can't sleep on planes! Although I can't sleep, Eric seems to have no problem knocking out on a flight. I will say that it definitely saves time. Leaving home at 7 AM to arrive at 7 PM is just crazy! With the red eye we arrive just before 7 AM and BAM! We are in Florida!! (or as Eric and I like to "sing song" the state's name, "Floridaaaaaaaa!")

    Being tired we make it to the hotel via Disney's Magical Express. You are whisked away to your resort on a Disney themed shuttle (included in hotel price). The crew picks up your luggage from the airport and delivers it to your room. It's like a limo, but not a limo!

    Even though we are pretty tired we knew exactly what we wanted to do. Our plan for day one is to visit Blizzard Beach. It's a water park with a unique story. There was an out of the ordinary snow storm right in the middle of Florida! A gator decided to open a ski resort for all to enjoy. But, it turns out it's too hot in Florida and the water started to melt. Well, now what's left is the melting water and the pools of water. There's even a huge lazy river! (which is what we had our eyes on)

Summit Plummet

Lazy River

    This snow blanketed water park is home to one of the scariest water slides I've ever ridden. SUMMIT PLUMMET! It is a 12 story drop straight down to the pool. Eric was very jazzed at the idea of facing one of the great fears in Central Florida! I was slowly walking behind him but had no intention to chicken out. The park has a ski lift that takes you up the side of the mountain. Very cool idea!!

    When you sit at the top of that slide it's like looking at all your fears and doubts about the world and saying, "Yes. You may take over." The queue was very short. We watched the few ahead of us take the plunge and immediately my instinct is to not do this. Eric was not bothered but was maybe a tad nervous. Even though I had nerves I had to do this. Eric went over before I could blink and the attendant looked at me. "Cross your arms, push yourself, then cross your hands."
 
    The rush you feel as you "fall" is exhilarating! You leave the slide for just a moment. It was so quick that I don't even remember if I made as much as a peep. I was already at the bottom and could see Eric flashing a smile at me. I told him, "I think I'm good. I did it and I'm good".

The gator got a little carried away!

The Gator that started it all!

    We spent the rest of our time there relaxing (sleeping), enjoying the wave pool, splashing down the various slides, and taking lots of pictures. With a camera in my hand I am unstoppable! We found the theme displayed in cheeky vignettes throughout the park. It was a little sad but funny to take photos along side the melting snowman family. Aww, they're dying.

    After this visit we have seen both of Disney's World's waterparks. I have to say that as an adult, Typhoon Lagoon is the better park. The uniqueness of the themes are both great, but Typhoon Lagoon is a little more relaxed. One even has that "I'm stuck on a tropical island" sensation (although fast food is present). If all you readers out there have a chance, visit both.

    Although we had some good times at Blizzard Beach it was time to move on. Eric and I both agreed that since Extra Magic Hours were taking place at our favorite park, we had to go! We hit the room for a quick refresh and were out the door to resort shuttles that would take us to EPCOT.

    Some friends think we are a little nutty for not renting a car. But why rent a car when Magical Express is your to/from airport transportation and the resort has shuttles? I think they don't like to wait. But I don't want to drive. I do that enough while I live my everyday life. In this trip report you'll see how we conquer the WDW transportation system.

    Getting to EPCOT always brings about excitement in Eric and myself. This is the park that we can just sit and watch stuff happen. We know we've made it to the park when we hear the entrance area music. I have read on other trip reports and also heard from friends that the EPCOT area music is special to them. It's just so 1980s/electronic retro.

    It was late afternoon/early evening now and the park icon, Spaceship Earth, stands out amongst anything else. To those who haven't visited, Spaceship Earth is that "golf ball looking thing". (at least that's what I knew it as when I was younger) The structure houses a favorite attraction of ours called by the same name, Spaceship Earth. It's an omnimover/conveyor type attraction where you travel through the ages of communication. It's what our good friend Karla once called "Epcot's Thesis Statement".

    I think Eric and I are lucky in that we share a lot of favorite attractions. We both also keep a very open mind about what our schedule is to be. Since Spaceship Earth is literally at the park entry we queued up for it. It's narrated by Dame Judi Dench and we have a blast imitating the narration afterward. Yes, we are dorks but we love each other! The wait for this attraction always is shorter than it looks. And most times, like in this case, it's merely a walk up the ramp.

    One could easily spend three consecutive days at EPCOT as they see all the offerings. On this night our goals are summed up by the phrase "Do whatever sounds good". During Extra Magic hours only hotel guests can experience attractions, so the lines are short. While the park was still open to all guests, we decide to try the Mexico Pavillion's new Taquila bar La Cava del Tequila. The menu is pretty vast and has a few drinks I wasn't too sure about, like the Jalapeño Margarita. Eric ordered the Midnight Blue margarita mixed with Agave Tequila, lime juice, Curaçao with a hibiscus Himalayan salt rim. I ordered the Pineapple Margarita comprised of also Agave Tequila, ginger liqueur, pineapple nectar, lime juice, agave nectar, served on the rocks. You can see both drinks here. They gave us a little bit of a buzz.

    Hey look at that! We both just got a text message! Our friends Daniel and Josh just happened to be at EPCOT as well and thought we should meet up. They were on the far end so we said we'd meet after the pyrotechnic show ILLUMINATIONS.

    Meanwhile, we sat within the Mexico pyramid, sipping our adult beverages, and gaze across the plaza. This pyramid has that similar trick Pirates of the Carribean uses. When you enter the pyramid it appears as though you are outside, during the twilight hours, in a plaza. From there stores, eateries,     the new bar, and a boat ride branch off. Eric and I glance at each other and say, "Here we are. We made it." Moments like this are perfect and I'll always remember them. There is plenty more to see, but we are very thankful we could make another trip.

School Bread!!!

    On our way to stake out a spot for the pyro show we notice we have time for a snack. And, not just any snack but a pastry! We head over to the next World Showcase Pavillion, Norway. The bakery there has a great little pastry called School Bread. I haven't researched as to where the name comes from but it's excellent! The donut type pastry is covered in coconut shavings, and has a custard at the core. We visited so many times before our friend Miley discovered it. How could we not know??? My point? If you find yourself at EPCOT, try this little treat and you'll love it.

    With most things we love, Eric and I both LOVE the pyro show called Illuminations. It always happens at park closing and blows my mind. This show doesn't make Disney references as you would find at Disneyland or during World of Color. This show is about everyone and how we all live on this Earth. Sounds so cheesy right!! (well its not) If nothing else, the pyro is excellent! Guests can watch from all around the huge lagoon that sits at the center of World Showcase. Referring back to our friend Karla, she aptly called this show "EPCOT's Conclusion". It ties everything you saw during your EPCOT experience together.

Show Finale

    After the show ended we found our pals Josh and Daniel. They had been there a few days before us and also were looking forward to the Magic Kingdom's 40th Anniversary. They told us a few stories from their trip and the four of us ran around the park. They too can appreciate the downright goodness of the park and also when to poke fun. Like the Judi Dench narration, you must make fun of it and love it simultaneously.

    As you may have guessed, there's so much to do at EPCOT that we couldn't possibly visit all attractions. As the trip progresses, we'll visit again. After we closed down the park, "tired" was an understatement. We had been awake too long and our next day would take us "into" the movies!