(free) cheeseburgers in Paradise -- a Parrothead foodie on the free dining plan! **Trip Update 10/1** About This Page:

[angiek1024]

Great start to your report! The fish and chips sounds yummy!!

Hurry back with more!

[lindadarrall]

Day One, Part two: “I’ve never really been but I’d sure like to go”

We took a minute to call my mom, DS1 in South Carolina, and DS2 Kevin, letting everyone know we had arrived, and informing Kevin that we had scored the Hummer t-shirt he had requested. A short walk later, and we entered the World Showcase again, planning to start with Mexico and work our way as far around as possible before dinner.

Mark was very impressed with the Cantina de San Angel overlooking the water, but as we have a pretty firm rule about avoiding foods on vacation that we could just as easily eat at home, we (okay, I) chose not to eat there on this trip. Entering the pyramid, we spent a few minutes on the main floor looking at the artwork before moving down into the marketplace below. I had to talk Mark into riding the Gran Fiesta Tour (formerly Rio de Tiempo), and while there were things about the old River of Time that I disliked and I’m glad are gone, I still really don’t care for this attraction. It’s kind of like “It’s a small Mexican world.” And it smells like Grandma’s house. Back in the marketplace, Mark enjoyed the pottery and began a search for a nice pottery bowl for our recently redecorated sunroom. With little to keep us there, we left Mexico fairly quickly and moved on to Norway.

I love Norway. I love their pastries, I love the Viking hats, and the huge troll in the gift shop! We arrived in Norway in time to hear a small band playing. Mark snapped a quick photo, and thanked them for their music.

As we rounded the corner, a familiar smell made me suddenly want a pastry, but as we had just eaten I put that out of my mind. Besides, we usually snack at the Patisserie in France. I talked Mark into riding Maelstrom, and I think he liked it, but I really wanted him to see the seats in the theater at the end of the ride. Mark is an architect, and I knew his designer’s eye would appreciate those seats. As expected, he shot a few pictures.



On to the gift shops, where everyone tried on the Viking hats and took pictures with the troll, but I couldn’t talk Mark into it, so we were soon off to China.


China greeted us with its street lined with shops, and with a purpose in mind now, we continued bowl-shopping. As we walked to the end of the street, Mushu and his handler walked out of a building, heading down the street for a character meet. Poor Mark, of course, has no idea who the “lizard guy” is …he needs to watch a few films before the next trip!! The holding area outside the theater had a display of the Chinese tomb warriors, which was very interesting. After only a few minutes we were in the theater enjoying “Reflections of China” and the accompanying air conditioning. Leaving China around three o’clock, we were stopped by the drawbridge, which had been raised to allow the Illuminations barge into the lagoon.




Moving on to Germany, we caught a glimpse of Snow White and Dopey, enjoyed a little shopping, remembering only a tiny bit of our high school German (that was a long time ago!) and I drooled over the $37,000.00 Swarovski crystal replica of Cinderella’s castle. Since we would see more of Germany later in our trip when we dined at the Biergarten we headed off to Italy.

Italy didn’t hold much for me; no great shopping, and no rides, although the perfume shop smelled heavenly. Mark spent a few minutes taking photographs, which left me to “enjoy” the street clown and his whistle.

I don’t think I need to hear another whistle for awhile.

Thankfully, Mark was soon ready to move on, so we were off to America, and out of range of that stinkin’ whistle!!

Up next: “Just dive under your desk and kiss your *** goodbye”

[Colexis Mom]

Another great update Linda And great pictures! I'll have to remember to look for that crystal Cinderella Castle I don't recall every seeing it

[ariel14]

Great update!

[tammyd_rn]

Hmm...I just was in the Germany shops and I missed the Swarvoski Castle. I will have to look closer next time. I guess I was to busy trying to drag DH away from the beer stand. Should have been busier trying to shop, shame on me.

Thanks for the update. Looking forward to more.

[mattnkatsmum]

Great start to your trip report, Linda.

Sounds like you had a lovely time wandering around World Showcase.

[mickeycrazy]

Great update, Can't wait for more!

[lindadarrall]

Day One, Part Three: “Just dive under your desk and kiss your *** goodbye”


Blissfully out of whistle-range from Italy, we arrived in the American pavilion just in time for the 3:45 show. I have to admit that while this is my fourth trip to WDW, I have never seen this show! It just never presented itself before as a not-to-be-missed attraction, and since I live in America, and am not at all a history junkie this was always easy to pass by.

History is always best presented with the benefit of air conditioning, but even so, I really don’t much care for this show. There is so much history to cram into a twenty or thirty minute show that the job must have been overwhelming, but Mark and I felt there must have been a few important conversations omitted somewhere between Mr. Twain and Mr. Franklin. I realize we need to be diplomatic, and that bygones are bygones, but there was a large part of American history in the last century that seemed to have been glossed over. After the show I pointed out the geography of the World Showcase to Mark, and mentioned that America had been placed right in the middle of Italy, Germany and Japan… hmmm…

Mark spotted another character outside the theater – after much discussion about which dog wears clothing and which does not (“Goofy is a dog in human clothing, and that’s goofy!) Mark finally agreed it was Pluto we had seen. Moving on around the showcase, we looked for a nice all-American coca-cola, but couldn’t find one until we got to Japan!

Despite the construction barriers the Japan pavilion is lovely, and shutterbug Mark didn’t let me down. I was anxious to get to the Mitsukoshi store, but Mark wanted to check out the Tin Toys display first. Boy, that brought back memories! – especially the rockets and space ships. Mark was fascinated, and we took a few more photos…




We entered Mitsukoshi at the door across from Tin Toys and walked straight into the candy and snacks department. I so enjoy this part of the store – sure, the kimonos are lovely, and we did have that bowl to shop for, but gosh I love exploring the Japanese candies! The candy sushi always makes me smile! And this is your Hello Kitty headquarters in the WS!



Next was a quick trip through Morocco, with more unsuccessful bowl-shopping. This was the first place in the WS where I felt crowded and awkward being in an ECV, so I waited for Mark outside the shops.

Finally, we made it to France! But dinner was in two hours and I couldn’t possibly enjoy a nice steak dinner if I had a pastry first, so we walked right by the Patisserie. I’m not sure I’ve ever done that before! Arriving ten minutes early for the 5:30 showing of “Impressions de France” we asked the CM Thomas if there was a restroom in the building, to which he responded “The men’s room is in Morocco.” – a reference we would use to excess for the remainder of the trip! We really enjoyed the film, and exited to a light drizzle and a beautiful rainbow over the lagoon. Mark shot a photo of it over the Test Track building.



Moving on to Great Britain, we enjoyed a bit of the “Beatles” concert, window-shopped a bit more, and decided there absolutely is not a tartan or crest for the Darrall family; had it existed it surely would have been for sale in those shops! Being “in Britain” also made me remember when Mark and I went to London and he couldn’t find Big Ben when it was right behind him (“Where is it? I don’t see it!”) He really hates that story…

Finally we made it to Canada! After the 6:40 showing of “Oh! Canada” we were fashionably early for our 7:30 ressie at LeCellier. The skies were still threatening, so we sacrificed one of our dollar-store rain ponchos to keep my ride dry. Tie the hood closed, tie one “sleeve” closed, pull it tight over the basket and over to the back – hey! It fit pretty well! I remembered that Amy (Iamgrumpy) had a 6:40 ressie with her mother, and I recognized her from her photo immediately after we were seated! I, of course, did not think to take my camera over to their table, but Amy passed hers across the table to her mom, and yet another Passporters meeting was documented. Of course, you’ll have to read Amy’s TR to see it!

Dinner was awesome: cheese soup, the maple-glazed 7-oz filet and vanilla-and-maple crème brulee for me; shrimp cocktail/wasabi slaw, the 14oz sirloin and chocolate moose for Mark. Our total, including tax and tip, was $105, for which we were charged absolutely nothing on the Disney Dining Plan!

I think Illuminations was “iffy” for awhile, as my ECV’s raincoat was indeed wet when we left the restaurant, but the show did go on, and Mark really seemed to enjoy it. I got goosebumps, like I did the last time…I’m such a sucker for those “we can all be friends” kind of shows.

After waiting for a bus back to the French Quarter with a few hundred of our closest friends, we finally arrived at our room at about 10:30 (so much for my idea of napping in the afternoon!) to find our luggage had indeed arrived safely from the DME. I called Bell Services for our carry-ons, only to be on hold for FORTY MINUTES! At one point I had the room phone on one ear and my cell phone on the other, trying to get our bags, which held my nighttime and breakfast medications. While Mark finally spoke with a real human being, I went to the front desk to sort things out. A sweet girl from the Netherlands, whose name I regret I missed, walked me over to luggage storage and unlocked the door, much to the surprise of two CMs, sitting right by the phone!! You know – the one I had been calling for the last forty minutes! My face had to be bright red…it turns out Bell Services turns their phones off at 10:30, an important fact we were never told on check-in! Adding to my misery was the overall non-Disney way the whole episode was handled; Mark spoke to a manager the following day, who apologized, promised to investigate and correct the problem, and gave us a $50 credit to our room charging privileges for the inconvenience. Now that’s Disney service!

After our twenty-one hour day, we fell into bed around midnight and were asleep by 12:01!!

Next: “A Hula Girl at Heart”

[Colexis Mom]

Glad you had a great meal at Le Cellier, and were able to meet up with Amy Sorry it took forever to get the carry ons At least they realized their mistake

More please

[ariel14]

Great update! I´m glad the manager was able to compensate for your missing bag.

[LoriMistress]

Great trip report! Glad that Le Cellier was amazing, and that's so cool that you ran into a PP member at the restaurant.

[Starla4436]

I love you TR so far and I also love your signature picture you look very festive!!!

[tammyd_rn]

Glad you had got a chance to have a passporter meeting. Sorry about the bellhop issue but glad it was compensated.

[iamgrumpy]

Linda it was great meeting you and the photo should be up soon but since i'm still on day 1 and our meet was on day 4 well it may be a while

Sorry about the bag situation at POFQ and glad they gave you something for the inconveienance.

[lindadarrall]

Day Two/Part One: “A Hula Girl at Heart”

The alarm went off on our first full day in WDW at an incredibly early 6:30am, but the thought of Tonga Toast had me up and in the shower in no time! We were out the door in less than an hour and on a bus for the Magic Kingdom, where we boarded the monorail for the Polynesian and our breakfast at the Kona Café. We arrived early enough to take a few photos of the lobby before our 8:30 breakfast. On the advice of my Passporter friends, I ordered the Tonga Toast, which was served with about a half-pound of bacon! Mmmm…yummy! Mark (who’s more of a meat and potatoes guy) had the eggs Benedict, home fries and the French press coffee. There are plenty of photos of Tonga Toast on the forums, so I’ll include a few photos of the restaurant.





I was particularly fond of the light fixtures resembling Chinese lanterns.


Stuffed and happy, we grabbed a bus to MGM.




Arriving at MGM, we immediately headed over to the Tower of Terror (just like everyone else on the bus!) but the posted wait time was only 13 minutes so we grabbed a Fastpass before riding. The morning was already pretty warm, and there were “misters” showering us in the line into the Hotel lobby. Mark thougth it made a nice effect, and took a photo of me, which he loves.




It reminds me more of “Gorillas in the Mist.”

Since the Tonga Toast needed a little more time to rest, we decided to do some shopping before our FastPass window opened at 10:30. We also made a quick trip “to Morocco.”

The CM giving us our “final” instructions on our second trip on the ToT was an absolute scream, and he made the ride so much more fun than the first one. It also seemed to be more intense than our first ride, so we decided we were done with the bouncy stuff. I’ve never been on the Great Movie Ride, so it was kind of a priority for me this trip. The wait time was posted as 45 minutes, but passing under the gate to the door was a sign saying it was only 35 minutes. Mark snapped a few photos in the lobby, but the CM there said there was a malfunction with the ride and suggested we all come back later. With our plans now up in the air we walked over to Sounds Dangerous (which I’ve also never seen…or heard, I guess). Drew Carey is so funny, and the show was pretty cute!

Mark really wanted to see the Indiana Jones Stunt Show, but there was a thirty minute wait until they started seating, so we grabbed two frozen cokes and rested on a bench in the shade for awhile. The stunt show was fun, but kind of long for us, since the wheelchair guests are seated first. After leaving the streets of Cairo (last…since wheelchairs slow everyone down…) we made another trip “to Morocco” before walking right into Muppetvision 3D (which I absolutely LOVE!)

After consulting the map a few times ( I get easily turned around in MGM, but especially back in the Streets of America) we made our way back to the Great Movie Ride, which I liked and Mark (I believe) thought was kind of hokey. We exited to rain (big surprise!) and decided to zip over to One Man’s Dream.


Next up: Sail on, Walt Disney