The ghostly carriage in front of Haunted Mansion
As before, rope drop for the International Gateway was right before the bridge that leads towards France, so the people at the main entrance had a head start, but by the time we got to The Land, it didn't seem like all that many got there before us this time. We grabbed our Fastpasses and hopped in the standby line, rode, then got breakfast at Sunshine Seasons (our typical Epcot morning routine), after which our Fastpass time was up and we rode again.
Next up was our first ride on the updated Spaceship Earth. I believe near the start you are supposed to look at a camera, that will take a picture of your face for a later part of the ride, but it appears for some reason it didn't work - perhaps because DW wasn't looking at the camera, or the kids were too short or something. I saw it work for others though. Some of the ride is unchanged, but other scenes were changed significantly - notably the "garage computer" scene. Judi Dench's narration wasn't bad, but I think I liked Jeremy Irons better.
During the descent, is where that picture comes in to play. On the touch screen in front of you you select one of several possible visions of the future, which features an animation utilizing your faces (if it captured them) and a bit of humor as you go about your chosen future.
After this we grabbed Fastpasses for Test Track and rode Mission: Space. Since we had time afterwards before our Fastpass, and it was now after 11am, we decided to head over to the edge of the World Showcase and try a few things in lieu of lunch.
One of the goals of F&W was to get DD#1 to try new foods - she's a very stingy eater, but had agreed and was eager to try various foods. We didn't need to remind her - she probably tried about 80% of the items we got. Also, we are not wine drinkers, so we were more after the food ourselves. We didn't plan any of the special events as there were none that particularly interested us during our stay, and having the kids in tow would make it difficult.
It was a bit disappointing that the newly named "Tables in Wonderland" card (formerly the Disney Dining Experience card) couldn't be applied to the "Cities in Wonderland" theme of the festival. Could have saved us quite a few coins. The portions in most cases were quite small - nothing more than an appetizer sized portion, which at $2-$7 adds up when you are sharing and trying to make a meal of it.
For the complete details of what we had from the Food and Wine Festival, see below.
After a few "appetizers" from F&W, we headed back to Test Track, rode, and then went back to the resort for a break and a little swim in Stormalong Bay. Unfortunately our swim was cut short as a storm moved in. So we got dressed and headed back for more Food and Wine Festival goodies.
Then it was back to the resort to rest up for a short day at Magic Kingdom and then back to Epcot.
For Day 4, we intended to have a relatively short day at Magic Kingdom. We wanted to take the monorail at some point this trip, so we drove to the Ticket and Transportation Center. Upon reaching the monorail platform we asked if we could ride in front. The Cast Member said that we might have to wait a couple of trains, but that was fine with us - we weren't in a hurry. Apparently there was some training going on so the cockpits were full. We only had to wait for the second train anyways, although there were a couple of looks our way like we were in trouble for something, made to sit to the side...it turns out that we only just missed rope drop anyways.The ghostly carriage in front of Haunted Mansion
The crowds were relatively light. We pretty much were able to walk on everything we wanted to do today, which was meant to be a short day at MK. Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, It's A Small World, Mad Tea Party, and Space Mountain were all short waits, and we only needed to do a Rider Switch for Space Mountain. We even took a spin on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, and still got out pretty early - but the crowds were definitely starting to pick up.
We went back to the Beach Club for a bit - still no Art to be seen! I'll have to ask when I get a chance.
Then it was back to Epcot for more Food and Wine goodies, and then unfortunately our last day this trip.
First thing we bought was some cheese at "The Mouse Catch" - a plate of Asiago, Manchego, and Dorothea cheeses. For DD#1 to try cheese is not a stretch, but these were definitely new to her. If I remember correctly, the Asiago was a bit dry, but the Dorothea was good and our favorite of the three.
We got two other entree items - the spicy beef empanada from Santiago, Chile and the Grilled Beef with Chimichurri sauce from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Also from Chile we got a bit of Dulce de Leche for dessert. All were delicious - DW especially liked the beef and chimichurri.Beef and Chimichurri from Buenos Aires
After a short break we headed back to the World Showcase to continue our food trek around the world. I stopped at the Brewers Collection and had a Scottish beer who's name now escapes me. We then stopped at Montreal, Canada for the Cheddar Cheese Soup (more please!) and Maple Glazed Salmon with Arugala and Roasted Corn, which was delicious. In Athens, Greece, DW had the Spanikopita, which she said was "too spinach-y" (I'm not a fan of spinach at all). At Krakow, Poland, we got the Kielbasa with Potato Pierogies and Caremelized Onions. DD#1 now loves pierogies. We passed by San Juan, Puerto Rico as nothing appealed to us. We intended to get the Pistachio Baklava from Isstanbul, Turkey later, but forgot.
Just then the storm moved in again and it poured out, so we ducked into the stores at the front of the World Showcase for a while until it started to let up, which was a bit of a wait.
We then shot past the booths we had already visited and next hit Mexico City for Chilaquiles and Quesadilla con Chorizo - on the latter one, it needed more Chorizo - it was fairly light on the meat, but DD#1 said this was her favorite food. Next was Madrid, Spain and the Seared Tuna Loin with Spice Red Pepper Coulis and Garlic-Herb Ciabatta. The tuna was two cubes about an inch wide - not much to go on. We also got the Churros and chocolate sauce - they seemed a bit stale.
Next up was Vienna, Austria, and Beef Goulash with Bacon Dumpling and Tafelspitz (a form of boiled beef). The former tasted like a typical beef stew, with the latter being somewhat bland.
In Shanghai, China, we got the Chicken Sha Cha, Pork Pot Stickers, and Ginger Ice Cream. All yum.
New Delhi, India had Red Curry Shrimp over rice. DD#1 did try it, but it was too spicy for her, so I had it all to myself. It was on the spicy side, but well within my tolerances.
I don't remember why we skipped Cape Town, South Africa or Munich, Germany other than we probably figured we'd hit there on a second pass. Melbourne, Australia had a big setup between the two as a "featured" city. DW was going to skip but I couldn't resist Grilled Lamb Chops with Caramelized Onion Jam, DW instead opted for the Pizza w/Sausage from Bologna, Italy - yup, they had pizza. DD#1 liked it, but DW said it was just...pizza.
While passing through the American Adventure Sam Adams had a booth set up with a variety of their beers, including an exclusive Festival beer they described as "medium". It tasted like a fairly standard ale and nothing remarkable, which unfortunately means I can no longer describe it. We skipped San Francisco (we wanted things other than American food), and stopped in Tokyo, Japan for some California and Spicy Tuna rolls. They were pretty decent, but nothing super special.
Wellington, New Zealand had a Lamb Slider on a Brioche Roll, which was delicious and simply far too small! They also had some Bay Scallops with Baby Greens and Cranberry Vinaigrette - I don't like the taste of cranberry, but the greens still tasted really good.The Pears exhibit
Marrakesh, Morocco offered up Kefta (grilled beef) with Hummus in a Pita Pocket, which was really good but could have used more beef. They also had Chicken Brewat Rolls, which are like spring rolls, which were also very good.
Again, we skipped over Louisiana as it was getting late and we were getting full, and we had one last thing we HAD to get - the Milk Chocolate Creme Brulee from Lyon, France...DD#1's second favorite food. Too bad they were small cups...
Previous Page
- Index - Next Page
