Exclusive Baby Gorilla Photos! (plus bonus Trip Report) - June '15 - completed 10/23 - Page 31

[HeyIt'sMe]

Inappropriate.

Hey, it got an update out of you. And it's an EPCOT update. Yes! We'll be touring World Showcase 4 weeks from today! Na na na na boo boo. OK, that was inappropriate.

So, what is there to do in Morocco? Well, shop, basically. And NEVER buy anything.

We actually bought stuff in Morocco last year. Emily bought a fez for one of her friends and Steve bought a CD of Moroccan (or should I say Mo Rockin) music. Steve will start a conversation with anyone and he start talking to the girl working at the register. I think he just bought the CD because he thought she was cute. I don't think he's ever listened to it.

We all love this store, and who wouldn't?

Amen! That has got to be the coolest store on the planet. That's where we always spend most of our souvenir dollars. Emily has a bag of those lemon sours in her room (I took the opportunity to clean/organize her room while she was away and found them).

We buy lots of the candy. There is an international aisle at one of our local grocery stores and they carry some of the Japanese candy -- PokySticks, HiChews, etc. - it's like a mini Epcot escape. Ok, not really.

We've also purchased chopsticks....split-toe socks...I think we have every color of those little cats...incense....little ninja figures....buddhas....one year we bought a bonsai tree....I could go on and on!

Oh, and BOO on the rain. It looks like it was pretty windy too.


P.S. We pick Emily up at the airport tonight. I can't wait to hear all about her European trip. We skyped with her a few times while she was in Germany but she didn't tell us too much --- she and her boyfriend wanted to save their stories and tell them when everyone was together. Should be fun!

 

[ksromack]

Thanks! Are you done being impatient now?

Of course....but I have no business being impatient. I started a winter WDW trip report 2.5 years ago and still haven't finished that one

 

[LoveThatMouse!]

Seeing your Filmore High Cheer on the 'Keep your chanting tour group under control' thread, reminded me I needed to jump over here and see if you had added more to your this wonderful report!


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This report is really great!.......so quit leaving us hanging and get back to business.

 

[princessesandpascal]

Great update, as always! Mitsukoshi is such a weakness for me as well. We were going to buy some of the chocolate and candy but we realized it'd melt in the heat. We probably should've gotten some and had it sent back to the room, it was really something else. I ended up buying a Pokemon for me and one for my best friend, and a couple of knickknacks when I was there in May. There's way too much cool stuff in there!

I love Project Tomorrow too. Such a new hidden gem for us, and with Innoventions West closed it's nice to have something to fill the void it left in my interactive-exhibit heart.

I can't believe that much of Norway is walled off now!! I agree with you on the Arendelle situation. Make it Norway with a touch of Frozen, not the other way around.

Looking forward to hearing thoughts on the Biergarten. We've never been!

 

[harambetheaterhobo]

Hey Jon! I've been reading along but am officially joining in. Great update!

So, what is there to do in Morocco? Well, shop, basically. And NEVER buy anything.

Relatable... there's actually a lot I would buy from this pavilion! But do I want to pay for shipping/haul it around on a bus... sorry, Morocco.

Seeing those walls around Norway is so weird! You guys must have gone just after us - not sure when they went up, but they weren't there June 8! Can't say I support the refurb. When I got back from my trip, the first thing my dad asked was if I rode the Maelstrom... I didn't have the heart to tell him.

Excited for the next update!

 

[suswa]

Just joining in on your trip report. Looking forward to the continuing adventures! I laughed at every single pic of the Mac and Cheese, I have a feeling it will be too cheesy for my picky eater. Maybe she will grow out of it by Sept 2016.

 

[kadrachb]

I LOVE these bobble-light-sensored head things. Last year we went to the Cherry Blossom Festival/ Sakura Matsuri in DC (we went this year too) and found the cat ones (where their tail moves and they can be an assortment of colors) for about $35, when we went to Disney we found them for $50... glad we bought them in DC and not Disney!

Within about 5 minutes, our pager buzzes. We're in!

Excited to hear about Biergarten! We want to try it next time we go.

 

[nilla]

Holy update! Awesome!

Loved your description of the Perry mission. We love those. They are a lot of fun and we can't wait to do another one in August!

Yeah, it's cool! But we never do it, for some reason. I think we take it too seriously when we do. It's for the best we don't.

Don't you love it when the rain clears out the park? We'll always stick it out for a while during the rain because it's usually so short lived.

Let's just hope it's short-lived! I don't really mind it, either. Prefer the sun, but I'm still in Epcot!

I have mixed feelings about the refurb of Norway. Frozen is a great representation of the country, and the ride did need an update, but I also hope this doesn't become a trend. We shall see.

Can't wait for Biergarten!

Tonight!

Did you see the video of the new Tron roller coaster at China Disney Park? Wow. It would almost be worth the trip.

I read that park's got all kinds of issues with the Chinese government not wanting to really work with Disney, but that ride DOES look really cool!

Hey, it got an update out of you. And it's an EPCOT update. Yes! We'll be touring World Showcase 4 weeks from today! Na na na na boo boo. OK, that was inappropriate.

I was going to update anyway

Trip Report, please!

We actually bought stuff in Morocco last year. Emily bought a fez for one of her friends and Steve bought a CD of Moroccan (or should I say Mo Rockin) music. Steve will start a conversation with anyone and he start talking to the girl working at the register. I think he just bought the CD because he thought she was cute. I don't think he's ever listened to it.

Successful marketing! Did Emily's fez have wrapping paper in it? We saw fezes with Santa, Scooby Doo, etc. It was unexpected.

Amen! That has got to be the coolest store on the planet. That's where we always spend most of our souvenir dollars. Emily has a bag of those lemon sours in her room (I took the opportunity to clean/organize her room while she was away and found them).

We buy lots of the candy. There is an international aisle at one of our local grocery stores and they carry some of the Japanese candy -- PokySticks, HiChews, etc. - it's like a mini Epcot escape. Ok, not really.

Wegman's has a lot of it here, too. But Epcot has the most. Plus, it's not labeled, so it's a happy little surprise, too.

Oh, and BOO on the rain. It looks like it was pretty windy too.

Not that bad. This is a pretty open park, too, and it wasn't much of an issue.

P.S. We pick Emily up at the airport tonight. I can't wait to hear all about her European trip. We skyped with her a few times while she was in Germany but she didn't tell us too much --- she and her boyfriend wanted to save their stories and tell them when everyone was together. Should be fun!

How was her trip?

Of course....but I have no business being impatient. I started a winter WDW trip report 2.5 years ago and still haven't finished that one

I'm trying to keep the momentum up with this one. Can't go longer than a week, or I'll go 4 months.

Seeing your Filmore High Cheer on the 'Keep your chanting tour group under control' thread, reminded me I needed to jump over here and see if you had added more to your this wonderful report!


Two
Four
Six
Eight
This report is really great!.......so quit leaving us hanging and get back to business.

Alright, already!

Great update, as always! Mitsukoshi is such a weakness for me as well. We were going to buy some of the chocolate and candy but we realized it'd melt in the heat. We probably should've gotten some and had it sent back to the room, it was really something else. I ended up buying a Pokemon for me and one for my best friend, and a couple of knickknacks when I was there in May. There's way too much cool stuff in there!

And then they have the really expensive cool stuff, which makes you think the less expensive cool stuff is a good deal. Which is trouble.

I love Project Tomorrow too. Such a new hidden gem for us, and with Innoventions West closed it's nice to have something to fill the void it left in my interactive-exhibit heart.[/QUOTE]

I'll miss you most of all, Piggy Bank game!

I can't believe that much of Norway is walled off now!! I agree with you on the Arendelle situation. Make it Norway with a touch of Frozen, not the other way around.

That's to the left of the main pavilion, so it's mostly replacing the Viking ship and a playground, or something. The church and the rest are still open. Except for the Maelstrom, of course.

Looking forward to hearing thoughts on the Biergarten. We've never been!

The next update will take you there.

Hey Jon! I've been reading along but am officially joining in. Great update!

Welcome! And thanks!

Seeing those walls around Norway is so weird! You guys must have gone just after us - not sure when they went up, but they weren't there June 8! Can't say I support the refurb. When I got back from my trip, the first thing my dad asked was if I rode the Maelstrom... I didn't have the heart to tell him.

"Dad, you should probably sit down for this."

Excited for the next update!

Coming very soon! A few more comments to reply to, first.

Just joining in on your trip report. Looking forward to the continuing adventures! I laughed at every single pic of the Mac and Cheese, I have a feeling it will be too cheesy for my picky eater. Maybe she will grow out of it by Sept 2016.

Oh, there will be more mac & cheese.

I LOVE these bobble-light-sensored head things. Last year we went to the Cherry Blossom Festival/ Sakura Matsuri in DC (we went this year too) and found the cat ones (where their tail moves and they can be an assortment of colors) for about $35, when we went to Disney we found them for $50... glad we bought them in DC and not Disney!

I got a bobblehead every year since we've been going, so this is my tenth. All but one were purchased here. The Donald Duck was bought at Animal Kingdom, probably in 2007 or 2008. They're all on my desk at work. With a flip of the light switch, I'm in my bobbleheaded happy place.

Excited to hear about Biergarten! We want to try it next time we go.

That's happening right now! On to the updates...

 

[nilla]

As anyone who has been to the Biergarten can tell you, if you're in a party of less than 8 (or possibly 7), you could end up sitting with another family. This means it's a crapshoot as to whether you get to sit with fun people (like us), or complete duds.

Well, we only really got duds once, so here's hoping for the best.

We're seated with a family with two sons - one a little older than Dylan, the other a little older than Emily. Both families keep to themselves at first, because, after all, we're here to eat.

I head up to the buffet, and as I'm returning to my seat, I hear, "sir, are you stalking me?"

I look, and it's the mom from Boy Scouts, whom we just saw the night before at 'Ohana, was in line for the buffet. Wow. What are the odds?

We compare itineraries for tomorrow, and they differ. We're both relieved. Enough is enough.

Now, onto the food:



I don't know what most of that stuff us, but this is asparagus soup:



Asparagus is fun. I think this is pot roast, schnitzel, and red cabbage:



I'll pass on the estrogen. But thank you for offering.



While I still love the Biergarten, my opinion of the food has gone down a bit over the years. I still love German food, but all of this is "solid, yet unspectacular". Not off par with most of the other buffets in WDW, but still.

Anyway, who cares? It's still brats and schnitzel, so it's not ALL bad. And there's red cabbage. And AMAZING dumplings.

But we all know I'm really here for this:



Schöfferhofer Grapefruit. One liter. Sooooo good.

I'm also here for this:



Martin Gross and the Sonnensh - um, I think they're called Oktoberfest Musikanten now. Or something. But they're great. Check it out:



People get up and dance 'n stuff. It's fun!







Always have to have the Chicken Dance. The crowd demands it.

I'm *sorta* into polka, in that I listen to it occassionally. But not often. Mostly this band (I have their CDs) and Frankie Yankovic. And I only have one Frankie CD. So not much at all. There are better polkas than the Chicken Dance, but I guess you can't ask Vanilla Ice to not play "Ice Ice Baby", either. It's a staple. The crowd demands it.

Anyway, after dinner, we actually DO start talking to the family seated with us. The conversation started between the dad and me, about how we were each looking to see if the other was getting another beer. I was going to wait until I got outside. But another beer does sound good. One liter is NOT enough.

They were really nice, and back at Disney for the first time without actually living in Florida. Before they moved to Texas, they would take day trips to WDW, so they never really stayed there. And they were loving it.

Here are three random scenery shots:







And here are "the guys":



While the food wasn't as good as I remembered, I still enjoyed eating, and we have a wonderful time. Great tablemates, too. All things added up, this is still one of my favorite meals at WDW.

 

[nilla]

Afterwards, we step out into World Showcase, where it's once again raining. So we duck into Norway.





The rain lets up, so it's back outside:



"Over the falls!"



"Let us in!"



...and one more...



...and we're out. I love the Norway pavilion. I'm hoping Arendelle enhances it, not overwhelms it.

But no time for that! Back to Futureworld!

 

[nilla]

We're out of FPs, so we decide to ride Test Track single rider. We end up in cars right in line with each other, and Dylan's in the front seat of mine. Nice!

Our wait is minimal (about 15 minutes). We're on. And since Dylan got the sunglasses, the ridiculous face he made in ride photos has been replaced with the "chill" look with the shades on. It's pretty funny - I wish I had one to show you. Especially funny with single rider, since he's in some other family's ride photo doing it, too.

We decide to go check out the wait for Soarin', stopping in the character-spot-and-bathroom-and-tables place on the way.

Kristin swears the second guy from the left is George W. Bush.



I say there is absolutely no way.

This is pretty cool, though:



Spraying for mosquitoes used to be so cool. Anyway, there's still a long wait for Soarin', so we're not sure what to do. We'll probably head out, but none of us are ready to leave yet. We love this place.

Hey - why not ride the monorail around? We've never done that, and it would be fun to ride around Epcot.

So we did! I didn't get any photos, though, since I wasn't near a window. But just imagine taking a monorail through Epcot, and it's essentially just what you'd expect.

We did get a photo of the ball from the monorail ramp, though:



"I hoop the moon, through the rings of Saturn."



After the ride, we check out the art store (whatever that's called), and out we go. So much I want in there. So much.

 

[nilla]

We're back at Caribbean Beach around 9:00, which is just about time for Illuminations. Not sure how well we'll be able to see them from here, and from which angle, but we'll try.





Kristin doesn't like how this resort looks at nght nearly as much as she does Coronado. I like both, but she may be right.

*kaboom*

Ok, we move to the side of the building. But big trees block our view.

Dylan, Emily, and I head over to the parking lot, while Kristin stays back in the room.

She was the smart one. We didn't really see any fireworks, but we did see some pretty cool strobe lights reflecting off the mist:











Cool strobelights, eh?

Well, that was sort of a bust. The three of us had fun joking around, though, so not really that bad at all.

We all hit the sack at 10:30, and after more Dylan/Emily silliness, we finally fall asleep.

Tomorrow is our "do nothing" day, unless you count hours of swimming, Downtown Disney, Raglan Road, and La Nouba as "nothing".

Time will tell.

(up next - CBR, DTD, RR, and LN! ST!)

 

[ksromack]

Tomorrow is our "do nothing" day, unless you count hours of swimming, Downtown Disney, Raglan Road, and La Nouba as "nothing".
Time will tell.

I mistakenly thought you could take pictures at La Nouba.....i swore it said no FLASH photography but a CM came over to us and politely informed me that photos were not allowed. Boy was my face red. I'm curious how DTD was with the construction and all. I think we may skip it this trip. We have a day where we go to MK for breakfast and do our FPs......then we have nothing planned until 8:30 pm dinner at Kona. I'm sort of excited to hang at CBR for the big part of that day.

Sounds like Illuminations from Aruba, at least, was a bust. Haven't been back to Biergarten for 25 years but I remember loving the entertainment then.

 

[nilla]

I mistakenly thought you could take pictures at La Nouba.....i swore it said no FLASH photography but a CM came over to us and politely informed me that photos were not allowed. Boy was my face red. I'm curious how DTD was with the construction and all. I think we may skip it this trip. We have a day where we go to MK for breakfast and do our FPs......then we have nothing planned until 8:30 pm dinner at Kona. I'm sort of excited to hang at CBR for the big part of that day.

Sounds like Illuminations from Aruba, at least, was a bust. Haven't been back to Biergarten for 25 years but I remember loving the entertainment then.

I'm not sure they ran the whole show. We saw the fireworks perfectly a few nights later, though that was from the pool area.

 

[Clarf]

Great update! Sorry to hear the food at Biergarten isn't as good. We're eating there for the first time next month (in 29 days actually!), so I have nothing to compare it to. I did make chicken schnitzel and spaetzle the other night, though. We'll have to see how theirs compares to mine!

Riding the monorail around Epcot. Hmmmmm......we might have to try that.

Your "do nothing" day sounds pretty busy. Can't wait to hear about your visit to the pool!

 

[nilla]

Great update! Sorry to hear the food at Biergarten isn't as good. We're eating there for the first time next month (in 29 days actually!), so I have nothing to compare it to. I did make chicken schnitzel and spaetzle the other night, though. We'll have to see how theirs compares to mine!

Riding the monorail around Epcot. Hmmmmm......we might have to try that.

Your "do nothing" day sounds pretty busy. Can't wait to hear about your visit to the pool!

There are still things I love at Biergarten, such as the brats, schnitzel, dumplings, red cabbage. I guess I should just use Kristin's strategy for Cape May and just load up on the limited things I do love next time

The monorail around Epcot was a lot of fun!

Yes, a "do nothing" day for us is really relative I believe I actually do have pool photos for this update.

I won't be able to post any updates this weekend, but should be able to get back on the horse early next week. Stay tuned!

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

How was her trip?

She had a wonderful time and is already talking about planning a trip to Europe again next year. Get a job kid!

Well, we only really got duds once, so here's hoping for the best.

We haven't eaten at Biergarten in many years but the last time we did we shared our table with a couple that didn't talk. At all. Not even to each other. Emily said she'd like to eat there this trip so she can get more German food. She really liked the food she ate during her trip. And she was legally able to buy beer. Which she did.

And speaking of beer.........

Schöfferhofer Grapefruit. One liter. Sooooo good.

Steve LOVES that beer. He consumed a lot of it at the GF pool bar last year.

Spraying for mosquitoes used to be so cool.

Picture it: Pittsburgh suburbs, 1975! In the summer these trucks would drive through our neighborhood at dusk and spray for mosquitoes. The neighborhood kids, me & my siblings included, would run behind the truck laughing & whooping it up as the mist fell on us. I can still remember the smell. I'm surprised we aren't dead yet.

Hey - why not ride the monorail around? We've never done that, and it would be fun to ride around Epcot.

Riding the monorail to EPCOT is fun except for when you are riding it to the park in the morning and see the masses lined up at the turnstiles. Ugh! We got here too late!

I'm looking forward to your "do nothing" day!

 

[ksromack]

She had a wonderful time and is already talking about planning a trip to Europe again next year. Get a job kid!
Missing Europe is what prompted our upcoming F&W trip! I concur with your dd!

And speaking of beer.........
Steve LOVES that beer. He consumed a lot of it at the GF pool bar last year.
Is the grapefruit beer available at the outside booth in Germany?

Picture it: Pittsburgh suburbs, 1975! In the summer these trucks would drive through our neighborhood at dusk and spray for mosquitoes. The neighborhood kids, me & my siblings included, would run behind the truck laughing & whooping it up as the mist fell on us. I can still remember the smell. I'm surprised we aren't dead yet.
We did the same thing, only in St. Louis. That was so bad for us.....where were our parents? lol

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

I'm not sure if the grapefruit beer is available at the booth at Germany. I'll check when we are there in 25 days!

Another thing we did in the summer was play with the tar in the street. The tar would get soft in the summer heat and we'd scrape at it with popsicle sticks. Good times.

Oh, and my parents rarely let us drink soda but we drank tons of Kool-Aid <- Pitcher of water+artificial flavor & color packet+1 cup of sugar. Ack!

 

[BlvInMagic]

I don't know what the purpose of those cylindrical pillows is, beyond kids smacking each other with them, throwing them, and ultimately getting in trouble.

Joining in! Enjoying your TR, it's a great read We were in WDW in June too and stayed at CBR (Jamaica) -- and I TOTALLY agree with your comment on those long cylinder pillows Our son loved using them as a weapon and would challenge my husband daily for a dual!