Over this, and the next five installments, of this blog i
will detail my January 23-28, 2012 trip to Walt Disney World. I will summarize each day I spent in the
World, and will provide observations, opinions, anecdotes, etc. that are too
difficult to encapsulate in 255 character chat room posts. And it will have pictures, probably over a
hundred by the time I am done.
So what better way to start than with one of the happiest
pictures that can be taken?
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| Welcome to Walt Disney World! |
I drove through the gate at 1:30, by 2:00 I was
checked into my room at Shades of Green (SoG) and waiting for the bus...
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| View from the Shades of Green Bus Stop |
Took the bus to the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC),
then the monorail to Epcot, stopped at Guest Services to buy my Tables in
Wonderland (TiW) card, and made it to my 2:45 Advanced Dining Reservation (ADR)
at Le Cellier Steakhouse in Canada. Got there a few minutes early, so I enjoyed
the gardens while I waited to be seated.
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| Gardens at Canada, inspired by the Buchart Gardens in Victoria |
Once inside, I had had an excellent lunch; started with cheddar
cheese soup, and then strip steak cooked perfectly rare, with cream cheese
mashed potatoes. The meal was accompanied by a Unibroue "Beer
Flight"; all three selections were excellent.
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| Le Cellier Steakhouse in Canada |
Following lunch I went to see "O
Canada" in the Circle-vision Theater.
I had not been to this attraction in over 20 years, and it was the first
time I had seen the "new" film with Martin Short narrating.
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| Entrance to O Canada Theater |
I should note at this point that this trip was really
"part 2" of the trip I made last March, and my priorities were driven
more by doing things I missed last trip than on strictly a
"headliner" touring plan. The low crowds allowed me to do pretty much
anything I wanted to do, any time I wanted to do it, without significant lines
(with a few exceptions).
As we had virtually skipped Norway (other than riding
Maelstrom) on the last trip, spending some time there was a priority for me on
this trip.
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| The castle in Norway |
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| The Stave Church in Norway |
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| Model of a Viking Ship in the Museum in the Stave Church |
I skipped dessert at Le Cellier with the intent on having
something at La Kringla in Norway,
but being too full, I postponed that for later (which, unfortunately, never
came). Thirst, however, is a constant companion, and with Mexico right
next door...
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| The Pyramid in Mexico |
... what better place than La Cava de Tequila to quench
one's thirst. I had never been there before and the blood orange margarita came
highly recommended. It was OK; the drink was good, but they used some exotic
flower essence-infused salt on the rim that kind of made me think I was
drinking perfume (it improved markedly when I wiped all of the salt off the
rim). The most expensive, and probably
my least favorite margarita of the trip. While sipping my drink, I enjoyed some
of the sites of Mexico.
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| La Cava de Tequila, featuring a huge selection of Mexican tequilas |
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| Brightly painted crafts from Oaxaca |
After Mexico,
I wandered back into Future World. First stop was Test Track, which had a 5
minute single rider line.
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| Test Track after dark |
At the end, I actually took a few minutes to
look at the post show area; I never realized just how much was down there. I
enjoyed the overhead conveyors, which are actually a hold-over from the
original "World of Motion" attraction that predated Test Track.
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| Post-show area of Test Track |
Next stop was Mission:SPACE,
where I found only a 10 minute standby line for the "orange" mission.
The queue area really has a lot to look at, and I actually had a hard time
taking it all in as I rarely had to actually stop and wait.
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| Mission: SPACE after dark |
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| Queue area in Mission:SPACE |
Although I'm sure he's always been there, I've always been
in such a rush to clear the post show/gift shop area that I never really
noticed "astronaut" Mickey before (which is embarrassing as he is
almost six feet tall and high up on a platform).
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| Space Captain Mickey |
By the time I "returned to Earth" it was time to
start heading toward
Germany
for my dinner ADR at Biergarten.
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| Germany at twilight |
I have eaten at the Biergarten several times in
the past, but never for dinner before, so in some ways, this was a first for
me. My mother was of direct German descent, so much of the food I ate growing
up was "German" food, although I didn't know that at the time. For the most part, the food at Biergarten is
quite authentic; the salads and breads were all excellent, as were the side
dishes. My only disappointment was in
the sauerbraten; not that it wasn't "good", but rater because it was
made "northern" style, vice the Bavarian style that my mother (and I)
always made. The strudel for desert was excellent, although I found the other
deserts lacking (but I was so stuffed, I could barely eat them).
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| The Biergarten Band in Germany |
My timing was perfect for entertainment; one show was just
starting as I was seated, and the next was just finishing up as I was paying my
check. One change over the years is that the dance floor has become a
children's "mosh pit" with every form of running, jumping, and
spinning imaginable going on. I'm sure it's great for parents who want their
kids to blow off some steam, but for me, it did kind of detract from the meal.
After an hour of gorging on German food and a liter of
beer, I needed to walk it off, so I spennt some time strolling around World
Showcase. I got to France about 10
minutes before the start of IllumiNations, so went to the kiosk and ordered my
first Orange Grand Marnier Slushy (OGMS). a drink that many people call their
favorite in WDW. Tasty, but generally underwhelming; I was expecting something
tangier and not so creamy.
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| The French courtyard after dark |
I proceeded to the bridge between France
and the UK to watch
IllumiNations (I had never seen it from that angle before, and after, while
waiting for the crowds (?) to thin out, I spent some time strolling around the UK and Canada (on my last trip, I didn't
make it to either of these counties after dark).
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| A streed in Great Britain after dark |
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| The Rose and Crown Pub - one of my favorite spots in World Showcase |
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| Upper courtyard at Canada after dark |
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| Native American totem pole in Canada |
From there I made my way back through Future World, past
Journey into the Imagination...
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| Journey into the Imagination after dark |
Made a requisite stop at Mouse Gear...
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| Mouse Gear after dark |
Watched the fountain for a few minutes...
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| World Showcase fountain after dark |
and exited past Spaceship Earth...
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| Spaceship Earth from the Entrance Plaza |
It had been a very good, but very long day (18 hours,
including the 7 1/2 hour drive), and it was good to board my bus back to Shades
of Green for a much-needed sleep. Plans
for the next day: Rope Drop at the Magic
Kingdom.
