Tag Archives: monorail

Day 42- Epcot and San Angel Inn Restaurante

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Today is an absolutely beautiful day! We are off to Epcot to have lunch in Mexico. The trams are running at a quick pace as the parking lot is filling up quickly.

I love seeing all the happy faces as we scan our MagicBands and enter into Epcot! There are people lining up to get their photo taken with Spaceship Earth and the Food and Wine Festival display in the background. It is busy today.

We pass by several Food Kiosks on the way to Mexico and the air is full of delicious aromas. We have reservations at San Angel Inn Restaurante. As we walk into the indoor marketplace and there is a young lady painting one of the handmade animals that are for sale. I have never seen someone paint these before. There is so much detail in that little painted animal.

While we are waiting to be seated, we noticed the line for the Gran Fiesta Tour boat ride is the longest line we have ever seen. However, the line is moving quickly.

Soon we are seated, and it is like you are sitting in the courtyard between the buildings, under the night sky. There is a river that runs beside the restaurant (a part of the Gran Fiesta Tour), flanked by Mayan ruins and a volcano! If you sit by the river, you can see the boat full of people go by periodically. Oh, look, the volcano is erupting! It is a bit dark in this area, recreating a beautiful night in Mexico.

The waitress is really great and soon we have our tortilla soup. Even the chips here are gluten free! Yay! Oh my gosh, it is so very good!

We walk up the ramp to the main area, toward the exit; it kind of looks like the museum in Mexico City. Now, we exit the building toward the World Showcase Lagoon. The area is so busy.

I love being so close to Disney World that we can go and grab a bite of lunch there!

Day 32- Magic Kingdom

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What a gorgeous day today! The high is only going to be 82 with a nice breeze. The day is relaxing for us as we head to Magic Kingdom. We asked if we could take a picture of this family, they were dressed as characters from Peter Pan and Jake and the Neverland Pirates! They are really cute and fun! We end up riding the Monorail with them and found out that they lived in Texas for a while. We enjoyed talking and hearing their story; their sons were amazing!

On the way to the Monorail, I saw that the ticket offices were sold out for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party tonight. If you plan on going to this, you might want to plan way ahead for the night you want to attend; I know they are totally out of tickets for October 31. I do love going to Magic Kingdom ahead of the party and enjoy seeing all of the costumes!  There is a tiny little baby in a Minnie Mouse costume… adorable! Then, little dudes decked out in little pirate costumes, and the cutest Elsa in a beautiful dress. I just had to ask her grandmother where they found it, turns out they found it at TJ Maxx! Of course, the little princess’ eyes lit-up as we adored her beautiful dress! The bustle is wonderful and the anticipation of the night’s activities is in the air.

Gaston & Belle
Service Dogs dressed up!
So cute!
🙂
Mario & Luigi!

We take a minute to enjoy the busy Main Street. We decide to go to the Main Street Bakery and get tea at Starbucks. We had a moment to wait for our drinks, so we visited with a mom and her son from Tennessee! They are full of energy and enjoying the day. I helped hold the door as she ushered her son out in his wheel chair, then another family came out, nice kids! Now, back inside to wait for one more drink.

I found that we got a last minute FastPass+ to get to go on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin!!! When it is really busy at the parks, like it is today, FastPasses are usually completely out. We begin walking fast and drinking our Starbucks quickly as we head to the ride. Today the standby line is only 20 minutes, but I am glad we have these passes. Again, I absolutely love this ride! I got my highest score ever- 344,000! Tooti and Twinkie made Galactic Hero status (999,999!); we took a pic of their scores and headed to the counter to claim their Galactic Hero celebration badges!!! Congrats, kids!

Now, off to catch the Monorail so we can pick up the pups from school! The costumes are numerous as we are approaching party time. If you are visiting the parks, know if you do not have a ticket for the party, the park closes at 7pm on the nights with Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (party guests can stay until midnight). As we get to the TTC (Ticket and Transportation Center), we are seeing costumes everywhere! Ninja Turtles (some with tutus), pirates, the whole group from the Little Mermaid (including King Triton!), characters from Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, and so many more! So many fun and happy people.

Cotton “Candy Corn”
Castle show!
Heading back on the Monorail…

Day 15- Magic Kingdom Rainy Day

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Today we watched the weather to see how the evening would look. There was a flood watch and rain all around, so we dressed accordingly and headed for Magic Kingdom. We got a close parking spot and made a beeline for the Monorail. The park was bustling, even with the rain.

Parking close! Zurrrg!
Rain everywhere!
Monorail
From the Monorail
Still pretty in the rain!

First, we went to ride The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh! As we were waiting in line to scan our FastPasses, a lady was really nice and offered to share her umbrella with me. That was a kind thought!

Tigger!
Pooh!
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Storybook “page”
Gophers hiding!
A game in line…

This is a really cute ride! You begin by boarding a honey pot, which then enters into the Winnie the Pooh storybook. You really do become a part of the story as you ride through Pooh’s tale.

In line…
Almost there!
The Hunny Pots
Starting the ride…
Pooh Bear!
Tigger
Heffalumps and Woozles Room
Yay!
Pooh got hunny!

After the ride, we decided to head to Main Street to get some tea when Twinkie brought up Dole Whip Floats. Yum! Off to Aloha Isle in Adventureland! As you get close, you go past the area to meet Peter Pan, and Aloha Isle is on the right! The Dole Whips are so very tasty; my favorite is the Dole Whip Float with Vanilla and Pineapple Swirl (in pineapple juice). It is out of this world.

LOTS of ducks!
Pineapples!
Yum!

Next, we were going to ride Splash Mountain, but the rain was coming down pretty hard, so we grabbed some French fries to let the rain lighten up.

Frontierland
Splash Mountain

The park looks so pretty in the rain, it is a really great night for pictures!

Main Street USA
Beautiful rainy night!
Mickey!
Back on the tram 🙂

Day 7- Beignets at Port Orleans French Quarter & Magic Kingdom

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Today we headed for a snack at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter.  They have the best Gluten-Free Beignets!  What’s a beignet?  It is like a square, fried donut hole with powdered sugar sifted on top.  Best things ever!  Got to meet the chefs, including the one who created the original recipe to make these!  Too fun!

Arriving at the Resort…
Smile!
Great costume!
Inside…
Sassagoula
Check out the decor…
Beignets!
Chefs!

Next, we went to Magic Kingdom.  It is always new!  As we walked into the park, we were greeted with happy music as we watched the last of the Festival of Fantasy Parade.  Then, we headed off to ride my favorite ride, Peter Pan’s Flight.  It feels like you are in the movie. We three are sitting in a ship and fly over the story being told in a most unique way.  It is truly magical.

Maleficent’s Dragon
The Dwarfs!
The parade!
Pinocchio
Donald!
Mickey and Minnie!
Minnie!
Peter Pan’s Flight!
Outside…
Another detail…
Boarding the ride…

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin: it is always a must do for fun!  See how many points you can rack up as you are shooting targets and turning your space cruiser to get optimal aim to defeat Emperor Zurg!  Nope, I am not the winner this time; Tooti and Twinkie totally know which targets gain you the most points.  I am in training.  Twinkie was helping me today, but she won today!  😀

Buzz’s Entrance…
FastPass+
Whee!
Twinkie’s high score!

The PeopleMover is right outside of Buzz Lightyear’s.  It is a great way to see many rides on that side of the park.  Love!

PeopleMover…
Going up!
The Cars…
The Castle!
Cars!
Tommorrowland Speedway!
Orange Cars!
Space Mountain…
It’s the CLAW!

Getting hungry… what shall we do?  Oh, I think we will grab a bite at Tony’s Town Square; it is near the entrance/exit and it is a fantastic place to eat.  I love this time of the year.  We could walk up and a table was available.  (During the busier seasons, you almost always have to have a reservation.)  Right after we were seated, before our waiter could even take our drink order, the Chef was already there!  Totally surprised me!  He is a great Chef and in no time we were served GF bread.  Then, our food came and it was superb.  The waiter?  Superb.  Needed that nice dinner.

Tony’s Town Square Restaurant
Inside…
Our Hostess…
Desserts!
Great seating!
Hi!
Pretty view!
The Menu
GF rolls and olive oil
GF Chicken Parmigiana
GF Spaghetti & Meatballs
GF Pistachio Creme Brulee
Our Chef today!

Also, the little girl next to us was named Mae.  Tooti met her and her mom.  Pretty cool since we three have May in our name too!  A nice treat to meet a Mae!

Then we were off to the Monorail and headed home!  On the road home, we were nearing the Contemporary Resort, two deer were galloping across the grassy hills near the monorail track.  We slowed to see if they were going to cross the road.  The oncoming traffic slowed too and we got to enjoy seeing them enjoy the cool evening!  Nice little treasures.

Main St…
See ya real soon!
Hopping the Resort Monorail…
Monorail Blue!
Closing early for the Not so Scary Party tonight!
To the tram!
Parked in Hook today!

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Day 3- Epcot

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We headed for Epcot today and had a perfectly wonderful afternoon and evening.  The day is cooler with cloud cover and the park was less crowded.

On the way…
to Epcot!
Getting close!
The entrance
Parking lot
Monorail

The first ride we went to was Maelstrom in Norway!  So, after passing through Future World, you go past Mexico and before China, you find Norway!  The line was pretty long and with the FastPass+, you just walk up, scan your magic band and walk in to ride the ride.  Best thing ever!  We took pics and enjoyed Twinkie’s favorite ride.  Maelstrom will be closing down for refurbishing and a redesign into a Frozen themed ride that will open in 2016.  We are SO excited to see what it looks like!

Norway Pavilion
At the entrance…
About Maelstrom
In Line…
Part of the ride goes backwards and looks like you are about to go over a waterfall… eek!
Troll hugs!

On the way to France, I stopped and got a strawberry shaved ice (Kaki Gori) with sweet milk in Japan.  We took pics for couple that asked as we passed by them… just a part of being at Disney.  Fun!

In Japan
The Menu
Strawberry & Sweet Milk

There are the most amazing crème brûlée in many of the restaurants, but if you don’t have a reservation, then Les Halles Boulangerie & Pâtisserie (in the France Pavilion) is a great choice!  The chef came out and made us some freshly torched crème brûlée. There are many beautiful desserts and breads to choose from, so we ask for some that have not been near any of the other bakery treats.  If you are gluten-free or have food allergies, you totally understand… The chef there is wonderful!  After great thanks and appreciation for our special sweets, we headed out!

Heading into France
The bakery
The treat menu
Creme brulee!!
One of our faves!
Rainbow of Macarons
Drinks
A place to sit
French themed merch…

We took a break and sat by the water fountain in France and a little girl was going to throw pennies when her mom and grandmother said they were out.  “Oh, I have some!”  So, I pulled out my change and found 5 pennies!  She readily took them and had fun throwing them in as her grandmother and I talked, she said that she usually has to give her quarter and dimes.  I told her a story, “when mine were little, we would get a roll of pennies and go to the mall.  Of course, they shared most of them with the other little kids there, but it was a lot of fun!”  She said that that was really a good idea…  we smiled and said our goodbyes.  Cute little kid!

France Pavilion

The sun was beginning to set so we started back to Spaceship Earth, i.e. the Epcot ball.  That ride is packed in the mornings, but in the evenings you can just about walk straight up and get on quickly, just a hint if you plan on riding that ride.

Pretty clouds!
A garden full of birdies!
Ducks and birds coming to rest at the beach…

We are looking forward to the opening of the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival that opens on this Friday, September 19 and runs until November 10, 2014. There will be feasting, festivities and special events, including awesome concerts.

Almost ready to begin!
The 3 of us
Woohoo!
Yum!

Finally, here are some of the places to eat at around the world…

A definite fave!
Ireland
Greece
Puerto Rico has a big area to eat in…
Scotland
They uncovered the menus!
Happy day!
Veggie Haggis? Twink is happy.
Even a menu needs a hug!
Concert list! Yay!
‘Til later!

Day 1- Magic Kingdom

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The days before our start of 365 days at Disney were filled with total anticipation.  Where will this take us and what does God have in mind to send us on the journey?  I am so excited to see this unfold and glad to get to take you along with us on the ride!

We started our beautiful day going to Magic Kingdom. After you park, there are two options to get to MK- the Monorail or the Ferryboat.  We took the boat ride today and were so excited to see the boat not so full.  Maybe that means there won’t be long lines! We started across the water to see Cinderella’s Castle…  So pretty.  As we disembarked, the lines were pouring into the park from the Monorail, resort busses and the boats, so the area was full of people.

As we entered into Magic Kingdom, the place was bustling with Disney Magic.  Mickey’s signature flowers were out front, pumpkins dotted the landscape and the bustle of excitement is contagious.  Little people coming for the first time; their eyes sparkling with anticipation of what the day will hold.  Lots of families laughing together and making their way to the castle!  There, in front of the castle, was the “Move it! Shake it! Celebrate it! Street Parade” dance party going on.

IMG_0026

There’s just something about a dancing monkey… or orangutan!
After we watched the conga line start, we headed around Cinderella’s Castle and noticed the line for Merida was much shorter than summertime lines, so we stopped to meet her for the first time!

Shirley was attending the line to let us into Merida’s home…
A peek of Merida’s place.
Merida’s Family
Jimmy was the character attendant assisting Merida today!
Merida and Me
Merida and the girls!

After Merida, we headed towards Liberty Square and rode the Liberty Belle Riverboat for the first time.  It’s a great way to see Tom Sawyer’s Island and even watch Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad as you pass by.

The entrance…
Walking on!
On the boat…
On the river…
Pretty views…
You can see the Castle!
Helloooo!
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
How cool!

We then headed off to Pirates of The Caribbean, but the line was quite a bit longer than expected for an “off-season” September day. We did get to see a bit of the Pirate show with Captain Jack Sparrow though!  Next, we decided to pick up one of our favorite treats- DOLE WHIP FLOATS!  They are tasty and even gluten free. 🙂  Twinkie and I like the pineapple and vanilla swirl and Tooti likes the orange and vanilla swirl.  They make the floats with Dole Pineapple Juice instead of soda.  YUM!

Captain Jack!
The Pirates of the Caribbean ride…
A 40 minute wait or Fast Pass + Option
Aloha Isle
The Menu… It’s even on the Disney Dining Plan for resort guests.
Delicious!

We headed towards Main Street to head back to the front gates, but paused to watch the end of the parade on the way out.  The line for the Express Monorail was short and it was a quick trip back to the Ticket & Transportation Center and MK parking lot.

The parade coming back down Main St.
Express Monorail line
The Monorail arriving… and the Ferryboat in the background.

A fun first day!!