Summer and Steven's WDW wedding SBP Aug 20 2007

[Summer-Caitlin]

Day 4, Part 3

So, we decide it�s time to move on and head to the World Showcase. I had been looking forward to this for months and I thought my mom would really enjoy this aspect of the park. Forget thrill rides, I knew my mom had always wanted to travel more so I thought this would be way up her street.

I look at the map and I decide it would be better to head in a clockwise direction. We had a reservation at Le Cellier in Canada at 6pm so it seemed wiser to try and hit all the lands before then and end in Canada. So going by the map our first stop would be Mexico.
I had wanted to visit Mexico since 2001. When Steven and I visited California, we had the opportunity to take a trip down to Mexico. For some reason we decided against it and never did go. So since then I have been regretting that decision. So, this was my opportunity to get a taste of Mexico without actually stepping off of Disney property, sounds good to me!

I would like people to step in at any point and tell me if I am coming across as dumb when I refer to these lands. I hate to assume, but I will assume that these lands are not necessarily spitting images of the majority of the country they represent, am I right?

Okay, so on to Mexico. I was happy that there was a ride here. Although my mom may not be into stuff like that, I certainly was and relished in the thought of a boat ride, woo hoo! First impressions of Mexico were good; I loved the little stalls as you can see:

and the structure that housed El Rio del Tiempo was beautiful:


We went in and I loved the look of the inside, it was so dark and intimate, definitely romantic. I tried to get some pics, but I don�t think it really captured the magic:



and here was one of San Angel Inn, it looked beautiful with a great ambience, but it was so dark:


We continued on to ride El Rio del Tiempo, I knew it had been refurbished but had never been on the original so didn�t know what to expect. It was cute, but didn�t provide any insight into Mexico and its people. I hear that Donald is an addition? Can I say that I think that was a poor decision? I don�t know, it just seemed tacked on. Do you regulars feel this was an improvement? I liked the other aspects of the ride even if it was a bit �small worldish�.
My mom enjoyed it and found it quite relaxing, no drops or anything like that and Steven thought it was just okay.

As I disembarked from my boat, I must have slipped on the water on the seat and my flip-flop surged backwards, breaking the strap. I was gutted, not only because they were the only pair I had with me (obviously) but also they were brand new and my favourite pair. They were so comfortable and I had only been wearing them for 4 days, what on earth was I supposed to do now? I tried to walk and keep it on my foot, but unless I clenched my toes really tightly, it was a losing battle. There was no way I could continue like this, so I had no alternative but to buy another pair. I looked in Mexico but there was nothing even remotely flip-flop like!

So I hoped to find something in the other lands as I went around.
Overall I thought Mexico was very small, especially in comparison to other lands. I�ll call it cosy though as I also thought it was cute. I do think there is room for more here, much more, and something that could really give it some oomph!

I stopped to have a Churro, remember my love for all things cinnamon and sugar? Even with my flip-flop fiasco I had been dreaming about Churros since California 2001. It was beautiful as usual and just as I remembered, crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Just the right amount of cinnamon and sugar, perfect!

Guess it�s time to move on to Norway�

[Summer-Caitlin]

So we moved on to Norway, I on the search of new flip-flops and a ride on Maelstrom, my mom on the search of a drink and Steven on the search of a seat.

My mom tells me that I will only find clogs in Norway, HUH? Whatever mom! Telling her that clogs were not the traditional footwear for Norway wouldn't have made any difference.

Steven up until this point had not been enjoying himself in Epcot. He was on the verge of wanting to just go home, and I don't just mean back to the resort. My mom was tiring him out much more than me, after all I was her daughter and I could accept all her quirks but Steven had been shoved full force into this situation and I didn't just expect him to roll over and take it.

I was still trying to figure out a way to broach the subject of Victoria and Alberts with my mom. I knew that Steven and I really deserved to spend that time alone, to be honest I think we really needed it. The time didn't seem right however so I left it and continued on to Maelstrom occassionally asking Steven if he was okay.

I found that Maelstrom had a 45 minute wait, WHAT? For a little boat ride? I couldn't justify waiting that long especially when I was growing more uncomfortable every second without appropriate footwear. So my search continued but Norway produced nothing, not even clogs as my mom had predicted!
I managed to get a few of pictures of Norway:





I loved the exterior of these buildings, they were so cute and I especially loved the waterfall beside Maelstrom. Unfortunately I can't really review here as I wasn't able to give Norway the attention it deserved due to my growing irritation at my flip-flop. I hoped that when I managed to come back next time I could devote more time here as it looked like a pleasant place to look around.

We moved on to China:




and my first stop was the store right at that back of the land. It looked huge so I thought it would be my best bet for some shoes:



I have always had a love for Chinese atire, culture and food so nearly everything in this store appealed...apart from the prices! I loved this Chinese ornament but it was $94.00, I couldn't guarantee that it would survive the journey home so it seemed a silly purchase.
We approached the back of the store and I noticed beautiful black satin, floral flip-flops. WOO HOO! The price was reasonable at $12.95 and luckily they were my size, well maybe slightly big but certainly useable. I tried it on and they were so comfortable, I immediately said to Steven I wanted, no, needed them.
He gladly paid for them as it would stop my complaining so I asked the sales clerk if she would cut the tags off as I intended to wear them straight away. She obliged and I slipped them on and immediately disposed of my useless ex flip-flops.
Finally I could quit walking like a duck and resume my journey around the world.

I really wanted to see Reflections of China and luckily for us it was a walk in. The show started in 5 minutes and we patiently waited. It was an amazing show, and I loved the cinesphere it was shown in, I think this was very educational and shown the true beauty of the Chinese people, their country and culture. I never really considered visiting China before as I never realised how beautiful there land was. This video made me see otherwise. I was so glad I saw it. Some points during the show I began to feel I was on Soarin', only a good thing, and I had no idea which way to look. I would definately recommend this show to everyone.

We made our way past the garden with the lilypads in them to move on to the Outpost, now can someone tell me what this is exactly? To me it looked like the old west, am I right? We wandered through and didn't stop to take any pics, on this trip of the Outpost, but we certainly did in our next trip!
I wanted to move on to Germany and see if there were any tasty Pretzels...


Coming up...

Germany, Italy and The American Adventure!

[Summer-Caitlin]

Germany was right around the corner from, well I guess Africa, so you guys have told me! I found it very similar to Norway from the look of the buildings:




I went over to a little snack cart and was on the look out for a Pretzel, but the only type they had on sale, at both carts, might I add were Salted Pretzels. Now I love this kind but as you know by now, my love for Cinnamon and Sugar anything was what I really wanted. So I decided to wait as I knew that some country around World Showcase would have them.

I took some other pictures of the view from Germany:

A view of Canada across the water.


A view of Spaceship Earth and that horrid crane.


I managed to get some more pictures of the buildings in Germany:



You can see Oktoberfest in the background.


I thought the roof tops in Germany were very pretty.


Unfortunately I didn�t look round Germany that much, in fact I would be hard pressed to say that I spent longer than 10 minutes here. I saw the entrance to Oktoberfest but didn�t really go by that way. My mom wanted to use the restroom again so while we waited for her I walked further down and noticed this miniature train set and community:





I snapped this one as soon as I saw the train coming over the bridge.


It was so cute and I think it actually came out better in the pictures, if you look too closely when you�re there you notice things that young children wouldn�t, it�s kinda like the magic of Santa Claus, some things are better when you don�t pry.

So basing my review on only what I did see of Germany, I would say it looks pretty good. I regret not going in any of the stores now and when I go back again I will definitely make a point of going in them. Germany seems to be among the larger of the countries at WS, you get the impression of a quaint old fashioned village while there and I assume this is what they were hoping for. I can�t give a better review than that as this was probably the country I spent the least time in.

So we continue on to Italy and I hail my mom down as she exits the restroom. I LOVE Italy, not just the Epcot version but the country itself. Being from an Italian background I love the rich heritage it has. My mother�s family have Sicilian roots (don�t ever mess with the family!) and I just love the Mediterranean culture, languages and food.
So my expectations for Italy were quite high.

I absolutely adore this building and in our later trip we manage to get plenty of photo opps here:


I have no idea why I didn�t stop and have a Cappuccino, my only excuse is being too hot. I am sure that Italy has wonderful chocolates too as I love Italian chocolate but again this didn�t even cross my mind. Italy seemed rather crowded and there were loads of people sitting down at the caf� people watching, very chic!

I noticed this little bridge:



and the gondoliers drop off point:



It was a shame really as I had heard on the grapevine that it had originally been planned to have a canal where the gondoliers could go, and your escort would sing to you as he paddled the boat. This would have been a lovely addition as when I think of Italy, I think of romance and this is what strikes me as one of the most romantic things to do, especially in the evening

I also love this picture but I did manage to get a better one later on in my trip:


So, Italy, quite small but it seemed to capture the essence of a village centre in Italy, the buildings were spot on as was the caf�s etc. Again I�m stupid for not going into any store in Italy, I don�t know why I didn�t bother, I think I was just clock watching and worried about seeing it all before our Le Cellier reservation. I would love to come back and take more time here as I think there is more to see, we didn�t walk round the back of Italy and just kind of skimmed the surface. Definitely a do over.

So off to America, sorry I have no pics here, I thought I did but I think I ended up taking some on our final visit.

Anyway I was getting a bit thirsty and I was still on the lookout for a Pretzel, lo and behold my eyes fall upon a cute little cart and woman dressed like she belongs in Colonial Times, poor thing she must have been so hot. The cart has Pretzels on offer and of course it is Cinnamon and Sugar, mmm! They also sell Smoked Turkey Legs, these are somewhat of a fascination to me, not that I want one now, or ever would for that matter, but they are so huge and seeing someone attempt to eat one is just hilarious. A woman in front of me orders 3 and hands one to her son of about 6, I am totally surprised he can hold this without toppling over and am even more surprised when he bites into it with the eagerness of rabid dog.
Not for me though, no matter how tasty people say it is.

I order my Pretzel and a large diet coke to share with Steven. My mom just orders water and I say I will share my Pretzel with her. Now, note I am not hungry but the thought of passing up one of these is unheard of. I pay using my snack credits and wander off to the fountain where we find a seat in the shade.
I break off nearly half for Steven and let my mom taste it but she doesn�t seem to enjoy it.

It wasn�t the best pretzel I had tasted, the one in LA was better, but it was good, it tasted a bit chewy which made me think it may have been sitting there for a while and the cinnamon sugar topping fell off in chunks rather than granules, another indication it wasn�t that fresh.
We polished off the pretzel between us and I noticed that we had just missed the next showing of The American Adventure, I didn�t want to wait as we still had more than a few countries to get round and I figured there would always be next time.

Again it�s hard to review America, we didn�t spend a huge amount of time here and the time we did spend, we ate. HA, kind of like in real life too! It seemed a lovely area, very bright and clean; I regret not seeing the show and will have to see it next time. Liberty Inn looked nice from the outside too, and it was pretty busy as we passed it. I noticed Funnel Cakes here too and at that point in time had no idea what they were so didn�t purchase one, now I know better and will be on a Funnel Cake mission next time.

Coming up�

Japan, Morocco where I finally get the guts to tell my mom about our Wedding Dinner and France

[Summer-Caitlin]

Day 4, Part 6

Our crossover to Japan was smooth, one minute I was staring at a building reminiscent of colonial Philadelphia and the next a five story blue-roofed pagoda:



Since I was a child I have loved all things Japanese. My very first ornament, when I was only five years old, was of a Geisha that played traditional Japanese music. She was made of porcelain, was ghostly white and twirled gracefully to a haunting tune. I loved this ornament that my Grandmother had given me and had it for many years. Unfortunately on our trip back from Malta, my Geisha broke in my suitcase despite all of the overprotective packaging. I was heartbroken, I had grown up with her and although she was only an ornament to most she represented so much more to me. She was solace.
I would sit alone in my bedroom, turn the key, watch her dance, and listen. She was my entry to another world, and to me, she had been magical. Upon entering Japan, the air filled with that haunting melody once again and I shed a lone tear for my Geisha.

We slowly walked through the Japanese hill garden, which has beautiful waterfalls and rustic bridges; we even found some Koi swimming amongst the rocks. I told my mom and Steven that all the plants in this garden had been imported from Japan but they didn�t seem to share my enthusiasm for the beauty of this place.

I have wanted to visit Japan since I was a little girl and my home now, even has some Japanese theming. From the Geisha doll and fans I own, to the wallpaper displaying Japanese symbols and my love for the rich d�cor of black, red and white, I had brought little bits of Japan to me. I do plan on visiting this beautiful country one day, I have a love for it that I can�t explain, but until that day I will happily tread the walkway of the ceremonial and coronation hall in the World Showcase.

Several years ago I read a touching book called Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Holden. It has now been made into a movie, which I am unsure that I will ever watch, as it could never live up to my expectations. Why mess with perfection? This book was beautiful, no word was wasted and I became completely immersed in her story. Since then, I have tried to read many books on Japanese culture as I find the world of the Geisha fascinating. None have come close to Memoirs, but they still all shine in their own way.

But I digress, my reason for this is, that I wanted to share a piece of me with you. This is why Japan in the World Showcase was my favourite country there and this is why I visited every store they had to offer and chose Japan as part of our Honeymoon shoot.

We entered into the Bijutsu-kan Gallery, which exhibits some authentic Geisha and Samurai costumes. The fabrics are beautiful and it took all my strength to not make a purchase. We came across some fans:



And we noticed beautiful swords, ornaments and jewellery on display. I swear I could have spent all my money here, but I refrained from taking out my purse as I was afraid it may never find it�s way back.
We must have spent about 40 minutes in this land and you can tell I loved it here.

Japan was beautiful, the buildings were magnificent and I felt Disney had gone out of their way to bring authenticity to this pavilion. I would highly recommend coming here, even if only for a short while, and just immerse yourself in the magic of Japan.

After my journey in Japan I wasn�t too excited about moving on to Morocco, but I knew I couldn�t stay forever so it had to be done.
Immediately I felt transported to Marrakesh with the markets and stall traders and the winding streets. The romance of this pavilion practically shouts. I didn�t expect to fall in love with this part, but it was stunning. The attention to detail was second to none and I felt like I could get lost among the many doorways and secret walkways I found. This was truly exceptional and although we didn�t visit Restaurant Marrakesh we came across a Belly dancer, dancing to traditional Middle Eastern music at the exit of the Morocco pavilion. I had wanted to get a bastila, but as I had chickened out of making a reservation here, I had to forget about it.

We visited the museum here and it was filled with exotic items and Moorish art. It seemed everywhere you turned there were more things to look at; it was like an Aladdin�s Cave.

We went into the area that can best be described as a Turkish Bath, really this is what it looks like, and stopped to take some pictures:







We were all getting really hot by this point and we all wanted a seat. I decided there was never going to be a right time to bring up the wedding meal to my mom, so I just had to go for it.
I hadn�t thought much about what I was going to say, but I began anyway�

�Mom, you know how we have our wedding meal booked at Victoria and Alberts?�
�Yes�
�Well you do realise it�s a very fancy menu, with loads of courses AND you will be out until at least midnight. Do you think it might be better if you stayed at the resort?�
�But I thought you wanted me to come�

I explained to her that it wasn�t that I didn�t want her to come, even putting my selfish needs aside, to be honest I didn�t think she would enjoy it. I had arranged to eat at V & A before Mom had decided to come to our Wedding. Initially it had just been Steven and I, and we were going to have the Intimate Ceremony just the two of us, but Mom had become very upset at the thought of missing her daughter marry and I didn�t want to be the one to deprive her of that. So we helped her come for the week of the Wedding. I had been looking into V & A for months before actually booking the wedding and I knew it was the place for us. It was the type of meal that would be so memorable and we would likely never do something so extravagant again. Steven and I were really looking forward to this, and after this week�s events, really wanted to do it alone.

I didn�t tell my mom this however as I knew this would hurt her feelings but I honestly thought it was in her best interest to stay at the resort. We would be waking up at 5.30am and it would be non stop until midnight that day, it would be a very long and tiring day for us all, but my mother would be standing around a lot as we would be getting our pictures taken after the ceremony and after the meal. I didn�t want her to not enjoy herself and I wanted her to look back fondly on the wedding day. The meal at V & A was definitely not to her taste, not that she wasn�t adventurous, but she wasn�t in to fancy food, I knew she would have felt out of place and I didn�t want her to be uncomfortable. I had catered to Steven and my tastes for our wedding meal and had specifically requested The Chefs Menu that night so we could sample all they had to offer; it was a once in a lifetime experience. Steven was never that adventurous with food, but he agreed it would be memorable.

I tell Mom all this and she says �but you knew I�d be tired and that I wouldn�t want to eat that much�
�I know but Steven and I really wanted to eat here for our Wedding meal, it�s supposed to be beautiful�
�So what am I supposed to do, I�ll miss your wedding, I mean that�s why I came�

I tell her that she won�t miss the wedding at all, everything else is still going ahead as planned, we will still have lunch at Citricos after the wedding, it just means after lunch we go back to the resort and she can stay there for the rest of the night. I explain to her that if she�s hungry later on she can go down to the Food Court, get something to eat and use one of her credits.

She seems disappointed and guilt overcomes me, I know deep down there are selfish reasons there but there are also kind reasons, thoughtful reasons that she doesn�t seem to understand. Steven jumps in to help me and tries to explain it more.

She then says�
�Well I will be tired, but I thought you would be offended if I didn�t go? I�d quite happily sit in my room and read a book. Are you sure you wouldn�t be offended if I didn�t go?�

I feel relieved but also annoyed. For days I had been asking my mom�s opinion on what she wanted to do that day, where she wanted to go, what she wanted to eat, etc, etc. I had been asking this for months prior to the wedding so that I could arrange a schedule and we could do everything she wanted to do in a week. But at no point, not once during this vacation, had she ever made it clear to me of anything she wanted to do, it was always my suggestions, my decisions. This would be fine during the 2 weeks we had alone, but I wanted my mom to really enjoy her vacation and get everything she wanted out of it and sitting in her room, reading a book was not the right answer. She could do that anywhere, but she didn�t spend all that money and fly 9 hours to do that.

She always worried that she would disappoint me if she didn�t want to do something, but I had based all my decisions on her go ahead prior to us going to Florida. It just seemed that once we arrived, she had lost all knowledge of hers and our plans and we were right back at square one. The only time I was ever disappointed was when it was clear she wasn�t enjoying herself and didn�t say. I mean, I wanted her to express her opinion and make suggestions, geez, but she relied on me constantly for everything and I was nearing breaking point. Steven and I needed the alone time to be fair to all of us.

�Mom, I will not be offended if you don�t go, I think you would prefer to eat �normal� food and I know how tired you will be, you said yourself you want to get to sleep at a decent hour and there is no way we will get home before 12am�.
�Well okay, I would prefer it anyway, I don�t want to eat 10 courses and it�s all fancy food. I�ll just get something to eat later and maybe look round the resort�.
�So are you okay with that? I mean I�ll show you where to go to get food�.
�Yeah, I�ll be fine, it�s better this way�.

Steven and I look at each other, both clearly surprised at her magical turnaround. I breathe a sigh of relief and make a mental note to call V & A to change the reservation to 2. Mom gets up and seems much happier so Steven and I take each other�s hands and sidle out of Morocco.

Coming up...

France

[Summer-Caitlin]

We escape into France, unsure if my mom will be able to maintain this fa�ade. We bypass Les Chefs de France and I express my disappointment at not keeping our lunchtime reservation. I had originally booked to have lunch here at 12pm but as we would be paying OOP and eating at Le Cellier at 6.00pm I didn�t see the reason behind booking 2 TS restaurants so close to one another, so we skipped out on this one. The exterior of the restaurant was beautiful and the warm, smell of pastries drifted up through the air. It seemed extremely busy it was obviously a very popular spot.

Although I missed out on our reservation this time I decided I would make another lunch booking for our next visit (hopefully next year). I had heard mixed reviews about the food so had no intentions of coming here for dinner but the set lunch menu sounded gorgeous and it was worth a try.

We walked on and saw a glorious fountain with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop. Pillars were decorated with newspapers, just like in Paris and there was a little garden with decorative miniature hedgerows overlooking the International Gateway.

I had already decided not to view Impressions de France. It was 20-minute show and although this didn�t bother me, I didn�t think my mom or Steven would enjoy this attraction so it didn�t matter how long it was. We didn�t even go up near the Eiffel Tower; in fact we actually viewed it more from the bridge, as we didn�t spend much time in France or take any pictures.

We did however take these pictures from the bridge of Morocco, Japan and France:









I am hoping next time to spend more time here, I know, I�m beginning to sound like a broken record! Although I was enjoying World Showcase, I knew I wasn�t giving it the time it deserved. We planned on coming back so hoped to take more time and more photos. So on our third time round we did exactly that�

Coming up�

What, the UK already? Canada, and does dinner at Le Cellier meet our expectations?

[Summer-Caitlin]

Day 4, Part 7

We walk over the bridge and I stop to take some pictures:



A pretty shot of the UK gardens




We entered the UK and although I thought it was really pretty. I didn�t think it was that authentic. I mean this was an ideal UK, very pretty but more like the very rich areas of the UK, kinda like Kensington.

Steven and I stayed in Kensington several years ago, and it is a beautiful place, plenty of greenery, very tidy and well, posh! Rentals here are astronomical, but I can see why.

The UK pavilion which unfortunately on this day, I didn�t take any pictures of, is sort of like that, it�s representing only one place in the UK and the very rich part at that. Again, this is only my opinion and I�m sure there are others who feel differently.

There was a part in the UK pavilion that had some sort of tribute band playing to The Beatles. This area sort of reminded me of Hyde Park, which again is a beautiful area, but it seems that this pavilion is solely based on London or the surrounding countryside. I don�t mean to sound down on it, and I know there is only limited space so they can�t show everything. But the UK is so much more than London. I don�t know if other pavilions are purely based on one city, but I didn�t get that impression in Italy, France or Japan.

I don�t really know how to say all this without sounding like I hated it, I guess I�m more critical of it because I live here, and I guess it�s why we didn�t hang around long. We did return on another day and took some pics and I gave it more of a chance to entice me. There is one recommendation in the UK pavilion for you all, you must buy a Cadbury chocolate bar, they really are the best!

So moving on to Canada was pretty swift:



I really wanted to see �Oh Canada� but I knew before we left it was closed for refurbishment. I was pretty upset and hoped it may have been a misprint so I checked again, but it was correct and it was closed. We went into the store that they had and there were loads of Beavers on display and Moose, there were some cool hockey shirts but we didn�t buy anything.

I thought Canada was beautiful but it seemed quite small, unlike the real thing then! Our dinner at Le Cellier wasn�t until 6pm, it was only 5pm as we had managed to go round World Showcase quicker than I expected. There were some benches overlooking the water so we all sat down for a rest.

There were loads of ducks and those big white birds walking around. This one particular duck didn�t leave me alone from the moment I sat down so it seemed only right that I had a memento of him. Now I don�t want to shock you or make you drop whatever it is you�re eating, but while seated, I decided to photograph my new duck friend:



Is that not the best duck picture you have seen, it�s so clear and all it took was that one shot? I LOVE it, it captures his personality so well, he looks really cheeky and I thought he was adorable.
This is Steven trying to tempt him, even though he has no food for the little guy:



We sat and watched our new friends for a while before noticing this little dude:



He was cute but not as cute as my duck!

We spotted another store and decided to go in there to pass the time. We came across more hats, and you know my rule about hats:





Me leaving with no hat at all�



Coming up...

Dinner at Le Cellier

[Summer-Caitlin]

LE CELLIER REVIEW

It was nearing 5.40pm so we decided to make our way to Le Cellier and hope that we might get seated early:



I had been looking forward to Le Cellier for months, it was probably my one and only reservation I didn�t go back and forth about because I knew how highly thought of the food was.

We entered this dungeon or so it appeared, everything was so dark, but it was cool so it was a welcome relief. I told the CM of our reservation time and we were told we would be seated right away, YIPPEE!

Now I made a huge mistake while touring WS, I ate a few things and I wasn�t actually that hungry. I thought with all the walking I would have worked up an appetite but that wasn�t the case. I wanted to order what I had planned to order but I was afraid I wouldn�t be able to eat much of anything.

Our host came through to lead us to our table. I know many people have said they found they were really squished when seated. Our table was fine, over in the corner and we had at least a meter between tables.

Our server came over and I wish I could remember her name cause she was so polite. She recommended some dishes after handing us our menus. We all ordered Diet Cokes again and explained we weren�t wine drinkers. I don�t know why I felt the need to explain every time that we didn�t drink wine, but it seemed that in every restaurant, most adults drank alcohol and it was only the kids that ordered Coke.
I perused the menu but I had already decided on what I wanted to order.

I chose the Duck Two Ways for appetizer and the 7oz Filet Mignon. Steven chose the Beefsteak Tomato Stack and the Seared Free range Chicken. Mom ordered the Mixed Field Greens and the 7oz Filet Mignon.

Our Appetizers came quickly. My Duck Two Ways was presented beautifully, a medium size portion, cooked perfectly. The Duck Confit was so tender it fell right off the bone. It was slightly salted and herbed to perfection, I may think these guys are really cute but boy are they tasty too! I let Steven try some and he thought it was alright, but I was very happy with my choice. I moved on to the seared smoked duck breast with Chambord Syrup, this was beautiful, alone, the duck was smoky and salty, cut into bite size little chunks. Together, it was heaven on a plate, sweet and honeyed to perfection. I didn�t even offer Steven any of this as I wanted it all to myself. It was served with greens but I see that as decoration and left it alone, plus I was trying to save room for my Entr�e.

Steven�s appetizer looked really nice; I do not particularly like tomatoes so didn�t want to try this. He described it as being a bit wet; he doesn�t like the texture of cooked tomatoes so maybe this was a bad choice. The caramelised onions as always were beautiful, I always cook these! It had a slightly nutty flavour and although he finished it, I don�t think he would order it again.

My mom had her usual Mixed Greens and she seemed to like it, she especially liked the vinaigrette, which I think was shallot, which was served with it but complained that there wasn�t enough. There isn�t that much you can say about a salad, even if it is a Le Cellier salad!

We received our Entrees very quickly. All the time I spent planning our trip I noticed on the menus that most Entrees weren�t served with sides, I thought I would be hungry without these but I was seriously mistaken. We so didn�t need any sides, with the Appetizers and Desserts we never wanted for anything.

So I had been debating whether I should have ordered the Mushroom Filet Mignon as I had heard wonderful things about it. I had hoped that my mom would order it so we could share but she wanted the 7oz all to herself. So I settled on that myself.

It was presented well, a glistening Filet Mignon glazed with Maple BBQ sauce, nestled in a bed of Cream Cheese Mash potatoes. It looked beautiful. The mash was the creamiest mash I had tasted in a long time, almost as if it had been blended. It had the texture of whipped cream and I could taste a hint of Cream Cheese, great, I hoped it wouldn�t be too strong.

The Filet was cooked perfectly, medium-well and it cut like butter with a butter knife, I tried it! It was gorgeous, slightly salty but sweet at the same time, the sauce did not smother it and emphasised the flavour of the Filet rather than fighting against it. The Filet itself was thickly cut, beautiful, with no waste. I loved this Entr�e, but I was beginning to feel full. I tempted Steven to try it as I didn�t want to leave any and he agreed that it was a tasty bit of meat! He would likely order it if we were to come back again.

Steven�s Entr�e looked really nice, he divulged it was the best piece of Chicken he had tasted but I think he was slightly disappointed he hadn�t ordered the Filet. The chicken was juicy and salted well. Steven likes his chicken salty but even he didn�t have to add any more. I gave him some of my mash as I know how much he loves mash potatoes!

My mom also loved her Filet, she actually managed to eat it all, and she agreed that it was the best meat she had eaten. I had urged her to try a Filet as she had never tried one before, she said it was so tender and loved the addition of the glaze. Woo hoo, I was really pleased she enjoyed it.

I had to leave some of my Filet which I was gutted about; I had to try the dessert so I had no choice. Even though I really was full, I thought if I could at least manage a few bites, I could at least say I tried it.

So I ordered the Chocolate Whiskey Cake and Steven ordered the Cherry Shortcake. Mom decided to leave dessert as she was way too full.

The Chocolate Whiskey Cake was huge, much bigger than pictures let on. It was served with tarragon anglaise. I took one bite without the cream and it was way too strong for me, all I could taste was the whiskey. I smothered it in cream and tried again but it was still really strong. I normally love cakes with alcohol, especially Rum or Amaretto, but this one just didn�t do it for me, the mix of strong chocolate and strong whiskey was too much. I know most people love this but I don�t think I would order it again.

Steven�s Cherry Shortcake looked so cute; it was a little round cherry-almond cake, served with homemade lavender ice-cream. He really liked this, the ice-cream was apparently gorgeous but he couldn�t really pinpoint it was lavender, cherry and almond work really well together so he ate all of the cake too. He messed about with the brittle and ate most of it cause he said it was beautiful. I informed him it was pure sugar so that could be why he left the rest, lol.

Our dinner at le Cellier was wonderful, service and atmosphere was great. I was surprised at how knowledgeable the staff was about wines. The food exceeded my expectations for the main part and I would definitely order the duck and Filet again. I would highly recommend obtaining a reservation for here. Our bill totalled $123.92 which I thought was very reasonable. We used our 3 TS for this meal. This is a very worthy 1TS restaurant.

So our trip to Epcot was finished for the day, we decided not to stay for Illuminations as we were tired and really just wanted to get back to the resort.

Epcot excelled in some areas and disappointed me in others. While I had only been on a few things during this particular trip and pretty much skimmed the countries, I felt I had seen most of what Epcot had to offer. I knew we would be returning, where we would go on other rides like Mission Space and Test Track etc, but I thought we would likely do this in half a day. I didn�t see any reason to really go round World Showcase again but it did happen on our last day�

Epcot was huge and involved a lot of walking. My mom didn�t like it as much as I thought she would and Steven was bored with most of the things there. I think at this point in time we were all eager for the wedding to take place, and Steven and I were eager to explore the parks alone.

I don�t want to sound negative towards Epcot as this was the park I was looking forward to the most so I had high expectations of it. Our next visit was better and the one after that was excellent. Yes, we did visit Epcot 3 times, a tie with MK, my favourite park.

I think when you read my other reviews of Epcot you will be surprised about the different experiences we had, especially after the wedding.

Speaking of which

Coming up�

Moving to POFQ, disaster strikes the day before the wedding, Steven and I fall out and our hopes of visiting MGM are trashed.

[maggie b]

I'm really enjoying reading your report just watched you wedding it was sooooo lovely i had a tear in my eye watching it. Looking forward to reading more

[BevS97]

Oh goodness, now I need to read more to find out if you make it to the wedding intact...


I know what you mean about the UK Pavilion, but I suspect that natives of all the other countries feel the same way - each country is so massive and diverse that they can't possibly represent them accurately in such a small space.

[Summer-Caitlin]

maggie b - Thank you for the compliment. We were so happy with the finished product. We spent ages picking the songs and deciding the format.

BevS97 - All that will be answered in the next few posts (I have loads actually)

As for the pavillions, I am sure you are right. However some seem to be much better than others, I mean the UK one is nice, but for me it didn't capture the UK imo. Italy and France, well I could feel that.