2012 Trip - Day 5 January 27 (Part 2)

The double monorail transit from the Magic Kingdom to Epcot was without incident, with virtually no wait time at either station. Upon entering Epcot, I went directly to The Land in order to get a Fast Pass for Soarin' for later in the day.

Entrance sign for The Land

From there I bypassed the attraction entrance of the Living Seas and went around the corner to the entrance of  the Coral Reef restaurant.

Entrance to The Living Seas pavillion

The entrance to Coral Reef is tucked around the far side of the pavillion

My wife and I ate at the Coral Reef back in 2000, and had a very good meal. Recently, I have read a lot of negative reviews, so I wanted to try it again for myself; even if the food was mediocre, it may be one of the most atmospheric restaurants in WDW, so I figured it was worth a try.  I arrived early, and was seated before my "official" reservation time, at a table one row back from the aquarium windows.

The check-in and waiting area of Coral Reef

The view as you enter the Coral Reef dining room

Aquarium view from my table at Coral Reef

Dining with the sharks!

Looking back towards the entrance from my table

I ordered the grilled mahi with a coconut lime cilantro sauce topped with rock shrimp. It was excellent, as was the service. I had a pint of very good "Reef Amber" beer - which was amazingly similar to the equally good "Safari Amber" served at the Animal Kingdom (coincidence? I think not).

Lunch!

All restaurants have good days and bad days, but based on my experience, I would gladly go back there again. I needed to kill some time before my return time for Soarin', so I stopped by Club Cool.

Club Cool - for all of your Coke needs

This is a pretty cool (pun intended) place operated by Coca-Cola.  Although a major brand marketing location, they have dispensers that allow you to try (for free) various Coke products only available in other countries.

Free samples of Coke drinks from around the world

The most "infamous" of these is the "Beverly" from Italy.  Imagine tonic water on steroids, and you will have the general idea.  I had to try it, and it is just about as unpleasant as I expected it to be (although it might mix well with gin). Personally I found the orangey German "Mezzo Mix" to be my favorite.  After my refreshment stop I retuned to Soarin' for my FP return time.

Soarin' - probably the most popular attraction in all of Epcot

Unfortunately, my personal timing was a bit off and I found myself behind a 40-member Brazilian tour group, but karma was with me, and as a single rider, I got to jump way ahead and had only a 15 minute wait.

The entrance to Soarin' from the main Land building

The unique ride mechanism of Soarin' that sweeps you up into an Imax screen

"Soarin'" over the California Coast

Soarin' is one of the top rides in Epcot, and although I've ridden it many times at Disney's California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort, it's always fun to ride. Having done all of the other attractions in The Land on my last visit (and being a bit short on time) I went back out into Future World, glanced over toward the Journey into Imagination pavilion (I had also done this on my last trip)...

The Journey into Imagination pavilion

 ...and headed toward Spaceship Earth (the geodesic sphere that is the symbol of Epcot).

Spaceship Earth from inside Future World

Along the way I caught a performance of the Jamitors, a group that I had heard a lot about, but had never seen.

The Jamitors - an amazing percussion and comedy team

Following their performance, I went into Spaceship Earth and enjoyed that ride (pictures inside are virtually impossible). 

The entrance to Spaceship Earth

After that, I went over to the Universe of Energy (with Ellen Degeneris).

The Universe of Energy pavilion

This is perhaps the longest show/ride in WDW; it starts with a pre-show, then a film, then a journey through the Jurassic Era, then another film - almost 40 minutes total. A lot of people consider this to be a chance for a nap, but it is one that I have always enjoyed - especially the dinosaur portion in the middle.  Pictures are almost impossible (especially with my iPhone vice my Nikon), but here are a few...

Apatosaurs in the Universe of Energy

T-Rex and Stegasaurus battle it out

An Audio-Anamatronic Ellen wanting to be rescued from a lava flow

From there, I decided to go to the World Showcase, perhaps my favorite spot in all of Walt Disney World. 

People who have followed my blogs know that I am a fan of HDR photography.  For those of you unfamiliar with this process, it involves taking the identical picture 5 times, using 5 different exposures; this allows you to capture the entire dynamic range of light and dark.  The 5 pictures are then loaded into special software that combines them, using the "best" pixels from each image. Then you have about 30 different adjustment sliders to create the "look" that you want (which can range from purely "photographic" to very "artistic"). On my first day at Epcot I did quite a lot of this type of photography, but only put a few in my blog from that day.  I will take this opportunity to share some of my World Showcase "artistic" pictures with you here.

The United Kingdom in HDR

Morocco in HDR

America in HDR

Italy in HDR

Germany in HDR

Mexico and part of Norway in HDR

Now, back to the regularly scheduled program... My 1st goal was Japan, but along the way I stopped to listen to the Mexican Mariachi band play.

The Mariachi Band performing in Mexico

Continuing past Norway I noticed that there was NO line at Maelstrom, so I took a few minutes to ride.

Norway's Maelstrom Ride - Beware of Trolls!

I also hit my timing right on and was able to watch the American Fife and Drum Corps perform

The Fifes and Drums of America

My reason for specifically targeting Japan was to sample the Okonomiyaki being served at the renovated Katsura Grill. I lived in Japan for 4 years while active duty Navy, and I first discovered Okonomiyaki in Iwakuni (near Hiroshima). Later I discovered that it was as common at street festivals as corn dogs are at American fairs. Okonomiyaki is a savory pancake containing various vegetables and meats, served with a very distinctive brown sauce, and often times with mayonnaise as well. At least in my travels, this is virtually impossible to find in America, so I was very excited to learn that it was available at Katsura.

Okonomiyaki and sake at Katsura Grill

I was not disappointed; this was identical to the ones that I had in Japan (and actually better than some).  Although easily a "meal", I used it as a mid-afternoon snack (with some sake). While eating, I enjoyed the peaceful gardens in Japan.

The terrace outside of Katsura Grill

The view from my table at Katsura Grill

The beautiful Koi pond in the Japanese gardens

This is one of my favorite places in WDW to relax and regroup before rejoining the frenzy of touring. Keeping with the oriental theme, I stopped at China to see "Reflections of China". 

The Temple of Heaven - entrance to "Reflections of China"

The beautiful interior of the Temple of Heaven

The "Circlevision" theater where Reflections of China is shown

Happily, I was in time to see the second half of the Chinese Golden Dragon Acrobats performance in the Temple of Heaven. Unfortunately, there were too many people between me and the performers to be able to get any decent pictures.  Having been to China, I really enjoy the film; it helps me relive some of the incredible sites I saw there. I made a quick stop to look at the terra cotta warrior display (interesting, but I have to say seeing the "real" ones in Xian is much more amazing).

Terra Cotta Warriors - half the original size less than a tenth in number compared to Xian

By this time, it was getting close to time to meet a group of friends at La Hacienda in Mexico for dinner, so that is where I headed. 

 A word about these friends.  I belong to an internet group who call themselves "Liners" (for the "Lines" application that is part of www.touringplans.com ).  We are all avid Walt Disney World fans, and when we go to "The World" we try to meet up with other members who may be there at the same time. This "meet-up" was going to be "big" as there may be as many as 15 members present. Of this group, 8 of us were meeting for dinner at "La Hacienda" before the general "meet-up" at the Cantina de San Angel.



La Hacienda restaurant in Mexico

Dinner was excellent. I started with a Queso Fundido (melted cheese with chorizo and roasted peppers) and had the Mole Negro as a main course. Mole (pronounces mole-lay), is a very traditional Mexican dish that combines chiles and chocolate, and ever since I discovered it at the San Angel Inn almost 30 years ago, it has been a favorite of mine (check my recipe post to find my "simplified" version of this dish). Of course there were margaritas all around, and I had a great time meeting people who I had "known" on-line for several years for the first time in person. After dinner, we "retired" to the outdoor Cantina, met up with a dozen more "Liners" and had an awesome time.  Out of consideration for privacy I will not give any actual or user names, but if you are in these pictures, you know who you are! (I'm the guy with the shaved head wearing the Mexican poncho)

A token of special importance among our group!

The Meet-up was topped off with watching Illuminations

Not too long after Illuminations was over, the large group started to break up, but a smaller subset stayed together and decided to make a circuit of the World Showcase to close out the night.

Mexico

Norway

China

Germany

Italy

America

Japan

Morocco

France

United Kingdom

Canada

We had a great time stopping in and out of shops, getting a few drinks, and getting to know each other on a more personal level than one can do in a chat room.  By the time we made it back into Future World, it was almost midnight, and Epcot closing time.

Close-up of Spaceship Earth

After closing time some of us continued talking in the parking lot.  Two of my friends had never been to Shades of Green, so they gave me a ride back and I gave them a tour of the resort.  Then we talked some more.  And some more.  We were all having such a good time we hadn't noticed that it was now 2:00AM! We said our good byes, and I crashed on my bed, having had what was one of the best days I've ever had at Walt Disney World.

Epilogue - Day 6

 My original plans for my final day included breakfast at Kona and then returning to Epcot to catch a few attractions that I had missed, and to end the trip with lunch at Via Napoli in Italy (one of my favorites in all of Walt Disney World) with a long-time friend and his wife who were, coincidentally, just arriving for their vacation. Unfortunately they had to cancel their trip last minute, but I was still going to follow my plan solo. But all plans at the World are subject to change, and after the really high note on which the previous day ended, I felt that any more touring would just be anti-climatic - and I DID still have a 7+ hour drive ahead of me. So, after getting virtually all of my packing done, I went to the Kona Cafe at the Polynesian Resort (a short 10 minute walk from Shades of Green) for breakfast.

Entrance to the Kona Cafe

The Kona Cafe

Overhead details at the Kona Cafe

At the advice of a friend, I had the macadamia nut pancakes which were very good, along with a pot of Kona coffee.

Macademia nut and pineapple pancakes - yum!

After a leisurely breakfast I walked back up to Shades of Green, finished packing, loaded the car, checked out, and drove home. I pulled into the driveway at 9:30, Pensacola time, tired, full of great memories, but still glad to be back in the comfort of my own home

A few trip statistics (all numbers approximate):

Total Length of Trip:  130 hours

Time Spent Touring:  83 hours

Time Spent Sleeping:  24 hours

Time Spent driving: 17 hours

Time Spent at Resort not Sleeping: 6 hours

Total Number of Pictures Taken: 1,900

Average Cost/Day of trip (not counting "already paid for" AP): $220 

A huge "THANK YOU" to anyone who actually read through this entire series of blog posts.  If you are one of those, then you have viewed over 400 pictures and read the equivelant of a 30 page Word document. I had a great trip, and I hope with these posts I have been able to bring back memories of your own trips (and if you have not yet been to Walt Disney World, have given you some ideas of what to see when you do get there).

I will be going to the Disneyland Resort in late September, and will do a similar series of posts following that trip, so stand by.  And until then, Happy Touring!  BDS.

Postscript - a special picture for a very special friend

Thank you for being a great friend!!!