April 2013 - Our last hurrah! - Day 7

[Hannikins]

AUTHORS NOTE:Firstly an apology, I realize how late this is in coming! I’ve been waist deep in stationery orders this month and just haven’t had any ‘me’ time to sort it. ANYWAY, thanks for sticking with me and for all the lovely comments and thread ratings you’ve given me so far, it’s been lovely.

Sooo, onto day 7.

Despite an early night yesterday we were still pretty zonked this morning, groggy more than anything! The planner said that today was supposed to be Hollywood Studios EMH at 8am but we both knew that wasn’t going to happen. We need to chill, collect our thoughts, and move on from yesterday. Adam wanted to spend some time speaking to colleagues at work to find out what had actually been said yesterday so I took last nights dessert out onto the balcony to take stock



Unfortunately with Adam panicking about work I started to think about mine… and checked my emails…



NEVER DO THIS!

EVER!
Nothing good can come of it. Panicked email sent to work, to which I received a polite one back saying all is fine now sod off and enjoy your holiday (or words to that effect) and I decided to give Adam his marching orders before we both went stir crazy!

The bus stop was quiet today, probably because it was a rather obscure 9.45 in the morning so we were neither part of the keen morning rush or the late morning lazy people (yes LAZY, you’re not on holiday to relax and should be in a park by 11am otherwise it’s a WASTE people! ;P )

Despite the odd time the buses still seemed to be frequent and we were soon on our way. As the bus pulled up to Hollywood studios I realized my mistake, it was now after EMH and we were somewhat late to the party, the place was HEAVING!



Well by our standards anyway!

We wandered first towards the customer relations desk by starring rolls, I was keen to see what we had left to spend as today was our last day on the plan.

11 SNACK CREDITS!?!

I had no idea we had so many! We were going to have to do some serious noshing and nomming in the next two days to get through that lot!... but I was up for the challenge

A quick look at the wait times showed that TOT was at 30 mins, Toy story mania at something frankly laughable that was never in a million years going to be entertained by us so we opted instead for RandR, which was also at 30 minutes.
We grabbed a fast pass and decided to try the same tactic as our previous trip, the single rider line, We were in luck! Straight through and on the ride in 5 minutes. So quickly in fact we ran round and did it again for good measure.

On our second ‘trip’ I was moved to sit next to a little girl, as apparently a cast member thought I ‘looked friendly’ (nice to know). The girl was with her older sister and dad and she was terrified. I kept talking to her to try and distract her from the wait and we were soon on our way. She screamed the whole way round and looked stunned at the end. I asked her if she wanted to go again… HELL YES!

And so a new coaster fanatic was born

Two rides was enough for us though and we made our way over to check on TOT, alas no single rider queue but a reasonable 15mins wait so we grabbed a tot fastpass and jumped on



Fun and a slightly different seat position for once!

Next we headed back to RandR but instead of using the fast passes we used the single rider queue because it was always far quicker.

On the way out I scouted around looking for someone to give my two fast passes to. I eventually found a young couple and offered them to them, they blatantly didn’t have a clue what they were holding but I’d done my bit for the day! I always seem to end up giving them to people who don’t understand the value. I think if I had given them midday fast passes for toy story their expression would have been just as blank *sighs*

We now had a bit of a wait before we could use our TOT fast pass so we headed in search of food. The snack credits had been burning a hole in my pocket since I discovered I had them!

We headed into Sweet Spells and purchased a carrot cake cookie and some cookies and cream fudge. The lady behind the counter asked if we were sharing, I think the filthy look on my face answered her question quite nicely.

What is the fascination at Disney about sharing food? I rarely share food in the outside world, and with all the delights of Disney I’m hardly about to share now. Besides I had 11 credits to burn, sharing would not be an option!
We did let each other have a begrudging nibble of each others though for my food report of course!

Here’s the fudge



nice but HUGE, I would have asked them to cut it into slices for me, this was waaaaay to much, how Adam managed to eat it all I have no idea, it’s like a solid lump of fat and sugar… and it was sooooo goooood :P

My carrot cake cookie definitely won though!



It’s more of a whoopie pie than a cookie and again, massive. I managed half and stored the rest in my bag so I could nibble on it throughout the day.

Full of sugary goodness we headed back to use our fp’s on TOT, stopping for some photopass pics on the way.







We made it onto the front row this time and were stood in line with a fabulous lady from Brooklyn, she said she’d been on every coaster at Disney apart from this one. We explained it wasn’t a coaster to which she looked puzzled, after we had explained further she was terrified. As we got in she kept asking Adam if this was it, threatening to kill him if he was lying, followed by hysterical laughter. God did she scream. I think the picture says how much she enjoyed the experience



can you guess which one teehee!

After TOT I suggested we see when the next mermaid showing was, turns out it was now and we were the last ones though the door.

I refrained from singing this time, I didn’t want to show the poor girl up ;P

I do wish they would sort out the 90’s laser bits, it would be far better without that completely, it just doesn’t work for me.

Show over we decided to check out the new pirates ‘ride’. It’s described in the park map as;

“An immersive, theatrical adventure in the world of “Pirates of the Caribbean.””

So clear as mud yes?

The sign said 20 minutes so we joined it, however we just missed the next showing so had another 20 minutes. On the positive side this meant a nice sit in the shade but the negative was it gave Adam time to think about work, which wasn’t great. We weren’t getting very far on the info front so all he could do was vent his frustration. Not nice really ☹

Anyway we were soon off on our “immersive theatrical adventure. “

Well we were led to a door and told to look at it…



then we were led into another room…





full of lighting and laser effects, and Jack on a projector of course!



A few more flashes and a sing song and we were lead through yet another door..

THE EXIT!

Ok… well it was pleasant. Did it live up to it’s description?

no.
Well maybe if it had been the preshow to an ’immersive theatrical adventure’.

It was all very odd! Definitely check it out if you need the shade and the wait is indeed 20 minutes but dear lord don’t wait hours for it. The queues on previous days had been 60 minutes! Still I think if you were to grab a seat at the exit the looks of those leaving would be rather funny to watch. One kid came out and asked his mummy where the ride was!

Next we thought we’d check out midway mania on the way out… 80 minutes

NOT. A. CHANCE.

Instead we headed towards the studio tour.

Since visiting the west coast and doing a few tours they all seemed to blend into one so we’d completely forgotten what was on this one, All I could remember was last time thinking it was better than the one at DLP (it’s not hard, even our pirate ‘adventure’ could be described as more interesting than the dlp ‘tour’).



And yes it was better than DLP, I love the drive through the costume area, I just wish they would go a bit slower. The guides obviously learnt to drive at the same school as the Animal kingdom safari drivers!

By the exit we saw a very small queue for mike and sully. We’d missed sully last time so we headed in and got our piccies taken.





they were both really good and Adam got a great high five from Sully.

[Hannikins]

We wandered next through the streets of new york until on turning a corner Adam’s face looked something like this



I knew instantly what he had seen



HE LOVES IT, he likes to sit inside with the aliens but I found a nice spot outside instead, spoilsport that I am



It was always really quiet whenever we walked this way, I think people forget it’s there, tucked away behind the muppets.

We were out of quick service credits now, needing to keep two for tomorrow. I wasn’t that hungry so we shared a meal. I had the salad and a tiny piece of pizza, Adam ate the rest



I know it’s just rubbish pizza but I do love it.

Although ! love the really cheap frozen cheese and tomato ones for kids, you know, the ones sold in a stack? So really I’m not a good judge of quality pizza.

Adam loved it, and I think it made up for ‘the one that got away’ at Via Napoli ;P

We’d managed to do everything we could be bothered riding now apart from star tours so we headed over there, I love the new upgrade, I loved having the different ‘worlds’ each time, it makes things a little more fun on repeat rides.

Now we were done I decided now was probably the best time to break the bad news to Adam, we were going to Epcot again, and I was doing world showcase… ALL OF IT! However I did have a plan to make the experience more enjoyable…

I was going to do it ON MY OWN

Adam seemed unsure but when I said this meant he could ride test track as often as he liked he perked up a little.

So off we headed to the boat dock, stopping for another topiary picture on the way



There was a boat already docked with room for two people, however a little girl in front was in hysterics because she wanted on but her mother was miles behind.

First come first served I though but Adam took pity and waited, he’s far to soft :P

We watched the fish nipping the ducks for a bit and soon enough another boat arrived.



I’d never been to epcot this way but it was rather handy, we arrived in no time and right at the edge of world showcase by the UK, great planning on my part!

As soon as we neared france Adam had a ‘funny turn’. He claims a headache but I’m calling in “antishowcaseitus”. This didn’t annoy me as much as usual, oh no, because I could leave him, and I did, on a bench in france, waving as I went.

I was free!

Free to wander grumble free through world showcase, and I had 2 hours in which to do it!

Having not had lunch I decided to start on the snack credits and headed to America first for something on my must do list

FUNNEL CAKE


but I was disappointed, funnel cakes aren’t a snack credit here! I thought about buying one but knowing I could get one elsewhere on property with a snack credit annoyed me so I left it.

I did catch the marching band while waiting so not a completely wasted journey



Instead I headed here:



It was by far the nicest food booth and after reading reviews I really wanted to try something here. I opted for this:



There weren’t many seats so I headed to Japan and sat by the gardens instead,

The pulled pork itself was delicious; I could have eaten a bigger one easily.

I wasn’t done yet though! I wasn’t in Japan for just any old reason, oh no, I was here for one of these:



I went for the rainbow version but melon was a clear winner for me. All were very nice though. I had a stroll with this and once finished I headed into the Italy shop to look around. I love acqua di parma fragrance and I wanted to see what they had, the answer was everything, but it wasn’t any cheaper than I pay back home so I decided to leave it.



Next I wandered around Germany



I managed to resist the urge to head in here again



which I found VERY difficult!

As I reached China a show was about to start so I took a seat to watch.



WOW these kids were impressive!



Past Norway I made a beeline for Mexico, there was one more thing to tick off my list here… TEQUILA



Margarita’s to be exact!

[Hannikins]

I had added the flight to my list but they weren’t doing it today so instead I had a look at the menu to pick something



In the end I went for the Pomegranate. Here’s a better description.



It was a cosy little place inside and I was ID’d for only the second time on Disney property… so I love them even more!

Here it is:



Nom nom nom!



Jeez it was strong. Well it was $15 worth of marg so it shouldn’t have surprised me. In hindsight I should have had the $9 rose one from the food booth outside but it didn’t occur to me until it was to late. Thankfully I’d paid for it using our freebie giftcard so I didn’t feel that bad ;P

I had 30 mins before I had to meet Adam so that’s 30 minutes to ‘get rid’ of the boozy evidence.

I decided to head back to out meeting spot outside spaceship earth.

On the way I stopped for a photopass.



why not? Nothing says family Disney holiday more than a lady on her own with a cocktail wearing a happy anniversary badge surely!

I soon found a nice spot and slowly sipped away at my drink, trying not to rush in case it went to my head, bit late for that but still…

While all this worldshowcase tour action was taking place I though I’d share some of photo’s from Adam’s afternoon…



no surprises so far then…



nice arty shot… then…



FAR less boring than world showcase I’m sure you’ll agree…

Anyway back to me..

I did manage to finish my marg but only just as I saw Adam. I thought about denying my covert marg but from the look he gave me I was obviously a little squiffy so I owned up. As revenge Adam made me ride spaceship earth, which was fun! Being squiffy adds a certain liveliness to the experience I feel :P

We had a bit of time to spare so I let adam play on some of the games. We did some together, including one which involved, sweeping, such fun!

Adam really liked the racing games, although I think they were meant for smaller guests…



We decided to finish our trip with one final ride on nemo, I wanted to see the turtle, alas he was hiding again and we were running out of time.

[Hannikins]

We said goodbye to epcot and headed again towards world showcase. I think Adam thought it was a cruel joke until I explained we were walking to dinner. We headed off towards the gateway and came out at the boardwalk in a matter of minutes. It was certainly A LOT closer than I was expecting!



My the boardwalk was pretty, I would LOVE to stay there one day, maybe on some rented DVC points next time who knows!





The bakery was due to open the following day so I had a little nosey inside. I spotted lots of new items and so posted some updates on the food thread, it all sounded YUMMY!





We had a stroll, soaking up the atmosphere before heading in for Dinner



On our last trip this place was closed for it’s transformation from spoodles so I was eager to try it. We were seated by the door with a nice view outside.

Still full from my trip around world showcase and a bit of a belly ache we were going to pass on apps but the grilled cheese caught my eye to we ordered that.

While waiting the bread arrived with olive oil dips. There were two varieties but the one tasting of apples was a favourite



and then the cheese. Being greek themed I had been expecting halloumi or some other salty hard cheese but this had a tang to it… in fact it tasted just like cheddar so who knows what it was!



A bit disappointing in fact

I had always planned on having the tasting trio but Adam seemed to have his heart set on that so instead I ordered the steak.



well it was awful ☹ by far my least favourite dish of the trip. It was far too spicy and the cut of meat was as touch as old boots. I wasn’t expecting fillet but this was worse than frying steak!

Adam seemed to enjoy his a little more, he liked the burger best.



Sadly not only is my picture awful I also didn’t try it, my stomach really wasn’t happy ☹



While pondering dessert a cupcake arrived! I couldn’t face it so Adam ate some of it so as not to appear rude!

Both full we ordered the doughnuts. We order one for now and another to go, we thought they would make a nice breakfast!



they were rather bland. It said they were coated in honey and spice but you could barely taste either, another disappointment ☹

Bad meal over we decided to head back early via downtown Disney. Tomorrow was our last day and I really needed to pack

I suggested heading to the beach club but instead Adam took us towards the swan and dolphin. We couldn’t see any bus stops so we headed through the swam towards the back. In fact I wasn’t even sure if they had buses here.

We eventually found a deserted bus stop and waited..

And waited…

Finally another couple joined us and said they had asked at reception and one was on it’s way, Phew at least we were no longer waiting for a bus that may never come.

It arrived and we were greeted with the stern and scary bus driver, by her accent I think she was from down London way. We went to several other resorts and god help ANYBODY who tried to get on the bus before everyone had left, especially those trying to board through the middle doors, oooo she had it in for you then! It did make the journey rather amusing, but I couldn’t help thinking the damage she was doing in transatlantic relations each time she shriek at an unsuspecting guest

[Hannikins]

We finally made it to downton Disney and Adam adopted the usual stance to shopping he does everywhere else, get it and get out.

We headed in a few shop for a mooch but I could tell I was trying his patience each time we left without a purchase so instead we headed to the BIG Disney store, there was no way I was leaving here with nothing!





I bought some ariel nail varnish (no mermaid should be without her green glitter polish!)



Minnie mouse paper clips for the ladies at work.

Some Mickey waffle air fresheners for friends back home



some ariel pins, a soft toy stitch

AND a mickey necklace. Like this but with a H”



at around this point, while stood somewhere in the middle of the labyrinth that is the Disney store, my stomach decided it was good and ready to tell me EXACTLY how it felt. I threw everything at Adam explaining I need the ladies room, could it wait? No it bloody couldn’t! I legged it outside but had no clue where to go. I tried round one side, nothing. A tried another, nothing. As the seconds passed I starting to find walking every so slightly difficult, until finally! I found mecca! A restroom.

I won’t go into to much detail other that to say this was the start of a regular and frequent trip to Floridian toilets, to the extent that I think I became an expert by the end of the trip.

I don’t think I ate anything bad, it went on far too long for that, 3 weeks in fact. Instead I’m blaming my diet, on previous trips I’m been fine, only now was it a problem.

Today was the first day I ate A LOT of sugar. My fasting diet back home doesn’t really prepare you for this level of sugar, fat etc and I think 7 days in it decided enough was enough…. And argued it’s point for the next three weeks.

So dieting, fasting, whatever YOU’VE BEEEN WARNED.

I eventually managed to find Adam and we paid for our purchases using the $75 left on the gift card

Shopped out we made our way back to our room, choosing to walk back via congress park. It was only 10.30 but I couldn’t face packing tonight, I’d do it in the morning instead… famous last words!



Spends Recap

Breakfast – nothing
Lunch - pizza planet meal=$13.30 out of pocket
Dinner – kouzzina =$104 25.50
Snacks – fudge=$4 cookie=$4 pulled pork=$5.50 kaki gori=$3.50 Marg=$17.45 TOTAL = $34.45

Total for the day = $151.75
Total out of pocket - $56.25 (included the marg here, even though I paid using a giftcard.
Total saving – $95.50

NOM OF THE DAY
Has to be the carrot cake cookie, it was everything I was hoping it would be!

[Nesbits]

I love the ToT photo, the first one, the guy in blue looks like he is dancing the funky chicken!

Disney do have some scary bus drivers, a breed of their own.

Poor tummy! You look great though!

Great trippy as always x

[Guest]

Another great trip report ... sorry to hear you were poorly though... I know what you mean about the food over there ... I spend half of my time trying to find a decent salad sometimes !

Thanks for sharing !

[mick]

A good day in the parksshame about your meal and poorly tummy

Joan

[Lisa29]

So sorry you were poorly at the end of the day.

Great day otherwise, the carrot cake cookie looks so yummy.

[orlandosgr8]

Wow that Margarita is huge, fantastic

Sounds like a lovely day, apart from you having an upset tummy, laughed out loud at the photo of Adam playing on the racing game