Free Dining is the Best Dining!

Alex Coleman

Mouseketeer
Joined
Nov 4, 2017
Free Dining is the Best Dining!


Sarah and I went back to Walt Disney World! This was the first time that we had visited using the Free Dining promotion. I stayed up all night in April to make sure we procured this deal. It was time to reap the benefits! I wanted to diversify our dining choices, so all our dining reservations were at new restaurants. In June and July, we booked the Quick-Service Dining package with our Annual Passport discount at the resort. We were ready for some more Table-Service meals!

The weather was another important part of our trip. Florida and the rest of the Caribbean faced several hurricane during the months of August and September 2017. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Kaita, Jose, and Maria have forever changed the way I think about traveling in hurricane season.

These storms have decimated areas like Houston, the Caribbean Islands, and Florida. To see such wide-spread damage reminds Sarah and I how fortunate we are to only be worried about vacation. It also spurs us into action to help people who are not as fortunate. I just returned from 4 days serving the Rosenberg community of Southwest Houston.

This trip report will include a step-by-step overview of our trip, including Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. I will also give a brief review of the restaurants we tried and Disney's Pop Century Resort. The report will also contain plenty of photos to so you can really put yourself there alongside us!

We had a great time and I am excited to share all of our adventures with you! This trip report will have several parts, so stay tuned. Click the links below for each part of the report.

 
We Have Returned to the Magic!


Our September Walt Disney World adventure started several weeks before we left for Orlando. As anyone with television or internet would know, this hurricane season has been especially active. First came Harvey, then Irma, then Jose, then Kaita, and then Maria. Even though most of these did not make landfall on the Continental United States, the amount and magnitude of the hurricanes this year has been alarming. When traveling, uncertainties with weather should be certain. This is especially true when traveling to Florida.

Sarah and I were glued to CNN and The Weather Channel during the weeks leading up to our trip. At some points, it felt like our trip was destined to be interrupted by a storm. We have been planning this trip for a while and it would be most unfortunate to have to adjust our plans.



Now I want to take a step back here to recognize the trivial nature of our worries. Many people have lost everything because of this storm season. The fact that our biggest worry is whether a trip will be ruined is a huge blessing. I am sad for those people who may have their property damaged or lost during this year. It is always encouraging to seeing people come together to rebuild. As I type, I am leading a team of 13 students to Houston to help this process. These times are where we need to all do our part to help other people.



Chicago to Orlando
On September 22nd, Sarah and I loaded our bags into our trusty Ford Escape and sped down Foster Avenue towards Chicago O’Hare International Airport. We arrived at the economy lot and wheeled towards the shuttle. Annoyingly, the shuttle was slow and took forever to get to the lot. We ended up arriving at the terminal 5 minutes after the “cut off” for our airline’s check-in.

This flight to MCO was on Frontier Airlines. I am not the biggest fan of the budget airlines, but sometimes the fairs and selection of flights are too low or convenient to beat. In my opinion, Frontier is still a noticeable improvement over Spirit. I decided to try The Works bundle package on Frontier. For $59 per person you get a checked bag and to choose any seat on the plane.

I am not sure that I would ever choose this option again. For that price, I could have chosen a flight on American where I receive two bags and priority boarding (I am a credit card holder). I also probably could have gotten a flight on Southwest and we could have flown out at roughly the same time with two free bags. The problem is that Chicago Midway International Airport is significantly further away from our apartment and we were flying back into O’Hare anyways. Frontier it was!

I chose the front row of the plane for extra leg room and so we did not need to wait to get off the plane. I love traveling, but I hate the unloading process on planes. It is always a hot mess. Invariably there are always multiple people who make this process horrific. We arrived at MCO, immediately started sweating, and loaded on Disney’s Magical Express.

This was definitely the most crowded DME ride we had taken. The stops were: Art of Animation, Pop Century, and Caribbean Beach. We were staying at Pop Century, but decided to jump off early at Art of Animation. Every time we take DME we reflect that Sarah’s decision to try this was genius. If you do not have your bags with you, there is no reason to wait for your resort. We just wanted to get to Magic Kingdom!



When we arrived, the Magic Kingdom bus was still 10 minutes away. We decided to wander around Art of Animation, our favorite Value resort, and take pictures. The icons in the front are beautiful and it was a beautiful day. It was a great combination!



Magic Kingdom
Once the bus arrived, we hopped aboard and ventured off to Magic Kingdom. We arrived and a miracle took place. I was not “randomly” selected for additional screening! I always get stopped, but I believe have cracked the code. This trip I was beardless and it apparently did the trick. I was only stopped once all weekend.

After I got done laughing at Sarah for having to go through addition screening, we emerged from the tunnel and onto Main Street U.S.A. I really love the Halloween overlay at Magic Kingdom. The pumpkins are fun, the scarecrows are awesome, and the Mickey’s on the lampposts put a nice bow on the overlay.



We soaked in the Halloween gloriousness (that is a word, right?) as we walked towards Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Amazingly, it was cool enough that we didn’t even need to take our light sweaters off until we got into the queue. We used our Fastpass+ for the wildest ride in the wilderness and decided it was time to eat.



We were close to Pecos Bill’s Tall Tale Inn & Café so we decided to stop in and eat. Sarah and I had not been overly impressed with this restaurant in the past. I think the problem was that we had not yet removed our Mexican food snobbery. Being from Southern California, we usually have very lofty standards for Mexican food. But I think living in Chicago has destroyed that.



I ordered the fajita platter and Sarah ordered soft tacos. The meal was good for theme park food. The tacos were decent, but I would recommend the fajitas. The meat was juicy and well-seasoned, but the beans and rice were bland. Another downside is that they only serve flour tortillas. Sarah and I both prefer corn.

One thing that really won points for us was that Chris the Cast Member brought us free sugar cookies! I love when CM’s go above and beyond the call of duty to provide excellent service. Sarah and I have continued to rack up these moments and it continues to draw us in. It is such a small gesture, but it is so endearing. Thank you, Chris!



After we were done eating, it was time to do Peter Pan’s Flight. Was used our Fastpass+ and skipped a horrendous hour-plus queue. I never really understand the long waits for this attraction. The only thing I can come up with is that it is centrally located and unique enough to draw a big wait. The irony is that the queue also may attract a larger crowd. The interactive nature is great, but I don’t get standing waiting for the sake of the queue.



After we were done, we hopped over to Mickey’s PhilharMagic to enjoy the great show. We visit this attraction no less than 4 times in a weekend. We will usually do it multiple times a day. Not only is it a great escape from the heat, but the music and animation are fun. We both get to simply absorb the nostalgia for 15 minutes.



Speaking of nostalgia, next up was Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid. This is another less-popular attraction we visit multiple times in a weekend. Sarah is obsessed and it is one of the easier, more interesting dark rides to photograph. We both win!

After we were done with Little Mermaid, we went to an attraction that I still cannot quite comprehend how we ride. Mad Tea Party and Sarah have no right to be in the same sentence. For the 6 years we spent visiting Disneyland, we never rode this attraction. But, Sarah has seen the light and we continue to ride it. I brought my new flash along to see if it would help get the pictures she has been craving. The results were mixed, but mostly successful.



To continue our “experience all the attractions that no one wants to do” day, we rode Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover. I took pictures of Sarah, Sarah took pictures of me. We rode around slowly and absorbed the magic.

As we exited the ride, we found a PhotoPass photographer wandering around Tomorrowland. We asked Sarah the photographer if she would take some pictures of us. She took some really fun Magic Shots of us and we were very thankful that she went above and beyond to get as many as possible. Unfortunately, most of them got lost between the camera and the Magical Experience app.



Our last attraction before we left Magic Kingdom was Space Mountain. I planned poorly and struggled mightily as I tried to straddle my camera bag in the car. I ended up pinning my leg against the restraint and barely closing it around my waist. During the entire ride, I felt the wonderful anxiety that comes when you are not sure if your restraint will remain in place. Clearly, I was fine.

Check-In Woes
We exited the attraction and the park. We got on board the bus to Pop Century and immediately realized we were in for a long trip. Unfortunately, the music they chose for this resort bus is horrible. Sarah and I were not fans of the Austin Powers song or any of the time period offerings during our ride. We gratefully exited the bus and quickly ran away.



Curiously, we had not received the notification that our room was ready. We arrived at 3pm which is the normal check-in time, but we had not received our room assignment. We went to the front desk and asked the CM about our room. She said that it was ready and gave us our assignment. This was the beginning of a disappointing half an hour.



The first disappointment is that we did not receive one of the beautiful updated rooms. When I had booked the reservation in April, I wanted to book the preferred rooms with the Free Dining Package. This was simple enough. My preference changed when I realized that the preferred rooms were not yet updated.

Unfortunately, the CM with Guest Services informed me that they could not assign guests outside of their booked category. I understand this, but it is still a bummer that we were not able to review these improved rooms.



Also, we arrived at our room and our MagicBands did not open the door. We called the front desk and they were confused because the room was not marked as cleaned in their system. Sarah and I sat on hold while they figured out what was going on with our room. After roughly 10 minutes on hold, they informed us that the room was cleaned and we could now enter.

Fortunately, Sarah and I are flexible. Unfortunately, our bags had not been delivered. I called Luggage Services and they were also confused. In their system, it looked like our bags had been delivered to Saratoga Springs on September 18th. Being that we were not staying at that resort, or anywhere near that date, we were all very confused. I gave the CM a description of our bags and he searched for them.

By the time he found them, it was pouring rain. The CM informed me that they could not deliver bags in the rain. Normally, this would have been fine. But, we had about a half an hour to get ready before our dining reservation and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, so we were in a bit of a hurry. I asked the CM how long it would take and he told me he wasn’t sure because he didn’t know how long the weather would take to clear. I thanked him and prayed a silent prayer that our bags would arrive. As I showered, the bags arrived and we dressed in our Peter Pan and Wendy costumes.



We quickly went outside for pictures and ventured out for our dinner reservation at 1900 Park Fare. It was quite entertaining walking through Pop Century in our costumes to confused guests who thought I was Robin Hood, not Peter Pan. I can understand the confusion, but just no. Disney parks, Disney costume!

We had full night of dinner and touring, but that will be for Part 2!
 
Sounds like a FUNtastic first day! I'll assume you were able to go right to the park because you already had magic bands?
 


Peter Pan and Wendy Go Trick-or-Treating.


1900 Park Fare
After our inconvenient experience with our room at Pop Century, we were ready for a delicious dinner and a night of touring, Halloween style. We boarded the bus to Magic Kingdom and quickly hopped on a boat to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. When we arrived at 1900 Park Fare we were about 10 minutes early.



We checked in and gave my cell phone number at with the hostess and went off to take pictures around the property. Sarah was still missing a picture she desperately wanted, so we walked around in search of the right spot to take it. As soon as we got the picture, we got a text that our table was ready.



I was slightly skeptical about the food at 1900 Park Fare. When I looked at the menu online, it looked like just another mediocre Disney buffet that is expensive because it has character experiences. Fortunately, I was very wrong. The food was really good!

We loaded up on everything from chicken to beef, from penne to gnocchi, and you better believe I got strawberry soup! Our favorite dish at the restaurant was the gnocchi. It was perfectly cooked and the sauce was incredibly creamy and rich. Another happy discovery, they have my favorite drink in the entire world, pomegranate lemonade! I could not have been happier!

We had a couple character meet-and-greets. These are not usually Sarah or my cup of tea. We find the conversations awkward and forced. The only exceptions for Sarah are the princesses. She clearly wanted to be/ is a princess, therefore, she can tolerate the interaction to get the pictures. Unfortunately, we were not able to see Cinderella during this visit. We were slightly crunched for time because we wanted to get to MNSSHP. We did get to meet Prince Charming and one of the evil step-sisters. That suited me just fine. If you would like to read our full review, check it out here!



Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
We finished dinner, tipped our server, and took the monorail back to Magic Kingdom. When we arrived on Main Street U.S.A., it was clear that Disney had changed up the feel. They added projection mapping to the buildings along Main Street which is a welcome addition. It adds the party aspect to MNSSHP. We turned right and walked down the back walkway behind the buildings to start to add candy to the collection of items we would not eat.



After we took pictures in front of Cinderella’s Castle, we headed to Haunted Mansion. I felt like it was an appropriate place to start a Halloween event. We were very entertained by the CM performing on the grass of the Mansion. We boarded our doom buggy and started our journey into the mansion. Unfortunately, we got stuck in the stairs room. We were stuck long enough for the music to be turned off, but were back on our way shortly.



After we got done on the ride, we had to decide whether we wanted to see the early Boo-to-You Parade or the later one. We looked at it and decided to wait until the later parade and finish our night with all the shows.

We went trick-or-treating for a while and then rode Pooh’s Adventure. After exiting the ride, we saw and loved the costumes that Pooh, Tigger, and Company were wearing. Unfortunately, we were not able to get a picture because the angle was bad and we did not want to wait in line.

We journeyed over to Tomorrowland to ride Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters because it was basically the only attraction we hadn’t done that is on our usual list. I am always frustrated by this ride when we ride it at Walt Disney World. I like the Buzz Lightyear at Disneyland much more. It really frustrates me that the blasters are attached the cars. This may just because I am competitive and it makes me always lose to Sarah, but I think that is valid enough!



Delicious Goodies
After I hid my shame in the exit because Sarah annihilated me, we decided it was time to use some snack credits. I was really happy with the special offerings for MNSSHP. I got the pumpkin waffles and ice cream and Sarah got the Jack Skellington pop. The waffle snack was fantastic. The additional cinnamon sugar on the ice cream really rounds it out. It was like eating a pumpkin spice latte with ice cream, yes please! Sarah also really liked the Jack Skellington snack, but eating it was a bit awkward.



The first Boo-to-You Parade presented us with a slight problem. Sarah and I wanted to get to Main Street to set up shop for the fireworks. Unfortunately, the parade route ran directly through our path to our viewing spot. So instead of walking 100 yards to our spot, we had to walk through Fantasyland and through the crowd to get to our viewing spot behind Walt and Mickey. This was a massive amount of work and resulted in us seeing half of the parade anyways.

Hallowishes
By the time we got to our spot, we were about a half an hour early for the fireworks. I was planning on trying to use my Goya neutral density filter to get much more of the fireworks in every shot. Unfortunately, I planned poorly and attempted to ruin my photos. For those familiar with DSLR photography, you will understand the error of my ways. I set my aperture to f/11, rather than f/3.2. Practically, this meant I was not allowing enough light into my camera and everything was way too dark on my first few shots. Eventually, I removed the filter and figured it out.



The show has its positives and negatives. I believe the pyro (fireworks, fire, etc.) are great. I think they are on par with Happily Ever After, Illuminations, and other Disney World nighttime spectaculars. But, the projection mapping and overall show are lacking. As a photographer, I appreciate painting the sky with fireworks. As an observer of nighttime entertainment, I appreciate these other elements. I think the show is not terribly well-rounded.

Even though I was frustrated by my mistake, there was no time to sulk. We had things to do! Sarah and I quickly sprinted over to Pirates of the Caribbean to ride it before we claimed our spot for the entire parade. We waited about 3 minutes to get on the ride, my favorite part of the holiday parties! When we boarded, a CM asked if we would be willing to have a young girl join us so she didn’t need to ride alone. We happily agreed and were joined by an enthusiastic Pirates fan who explained every step of the ride to Sarah and me.



Boo-To-You Parade
After we got off the ride, we sprinted back to Main Street to set up for the parade. Sarah went to the bathroom and I grabbed a seat. I really wanted to get a seat along the circle facing the castle to get it in the background of my photos. Sarah got our 70-300mm so she could get close-ups of the CM’s in the parade. I took our 11-16mm wide lens so I could get the castle and the floats.

While we were waiting, I became incredibly jealous of one CM. We were sitting on the curb and we were wondering why there was a square taped off next to us. 10 minutes before the parade, a young man came with a large box full of photography gear. As he pulled out his Nikon D5 and D850 with equally expensive lenses, we struck up a conversation. He was a member of the Disney College Program and it was his job to photograph and video the parks. My dream!



As I peered on jealously as he took what felt like 10,000 photos, Sarah and I got to work with our peasant gear. We took pictures as the parade went by and as the song became deeper and deeper engrained in our heads. We found ourselves singing it on our Disney’s Magical Express ride back to MCO. I really like this parade. It does a good job of integrating some of the characters that are not normally showcased into the parks. I also love the dance numbers. Personally, I think this parade is only slightly behind Festival of Fantasy, but that is not a dig at Boo-to-You.

Hocus Pocus Villain Spectacular
After the parade, we claimed our spot for the Hocus Pocus Villain Spectacular. I got a good spot and Sarah and I switched lenses. I wanted to get higher quality close-ups of the show and I wanted her to get one shot. Her job was to get the ending when the fireworks went off. We both had a large amount of success with our jobs. I got great shots of the performers and Sarah nailed her wide shot.





The show is great. Personally, I don’t get the appeal of Hocus Pocus. But, Sarah and her mom love it so much that we Facetime her every time we watch the show. There seems to be a larger cult following of this movie every year we go. So much so that Disney has given the green light to remake it as a Disney Channel Movie. Yay! I guess? (Insert Sarah hitting me :))

What I do love is Princess and the Frog. Bringing Dr. Facilier into this show is great. The song is really fun and the performer brings great energy. I think the three sisters do a great job and all the scenes are great.



Seeing these performers through the long lens gives me an entirely different perspective. Seeing the fine details brings an entirely different appreciation to watching these shows. The detail of the costumes and movement in this show is incredible.



After we got done with the show, Sarah and I began our trudge out of the park and to the bus stop. When we arrived, the line was astronomical. I thought we would be in that line for at least two hours. Fortunately, by some miracle, two double-buses came in a row. We were on the bus within 15 minutes. We even got a seat! Sarah and I disembarked the bus and headed back to our room. We skipped around a cockroach outside our room and passed out immediately upon entering our room.
 
MNSSHP looks like so much fun!! Do you recall what time you actually arrived? I'll assume the 2nd parade showing is the less crowded of the two?
 
MNSSHP looks like so much fun!! Do you recall what time you actually arrived? I'll assume the 2nd parade showing is the less crowded of the two?
We got there around 7pm. Last year, we got there much earlier, but our reservation for dinner was later this year and in GF.

That is definitely true. It blows my mind that people leave before the end of the party. This is an expensive event, but the parks empty out after the fireworks.
 


We got there around 7pm. Last year, we got there much earlier, but our reservation for dinner was later this year and in GF.
Interesting. We will be attending next year and plan to get there for 4pm ( I believe that is the earliesst you can get in with your ticket).

That is definitely true. It blows my mind that people leave before the end of the party. This is an expensive event, but the parks empty out after the fireworks.
I agree that is nuts-we will be hanging on till the bitter end. LOL!! Got to get your money's worth!
 
Great report so far! I think your pictures are quite good. My brother is/was (retired) a professional photographer (outdoor) and my sister was an award winning amateur photographer (live action shots) and I think you are doing a great job.
I ate at Pecos Bill as my sister (my travelling partner when the hubbies won't go) cannot go one day without some form of Mexican food. Made for interesting travel when she was young and we travelled for her sport to places that Mexican is a laugh (South Dakota etc).
I didn't like the food at PB at all. Even though it wasn't hot, which made me happy.
I don't like especially hot food which is blasphemy where I come from....a State that has a patent on the name of their green chile, a cuisine named after the Capital (which is too weird for me)and theme of the Bobby Flay restaurants, where we pronounce Guacamole the same way it is correct to pronounce Guadalajara...'Walkamole' and NOT Gwalk(phonetic). However, I don't like Norteño, we eat Pinto beans, not black beans and truthfully to me, Mexican food in So Cal and Arizona is quite odd (sorry about that). Anyway rant over. Looks like you two are so much fun and such good sports about it all.
 
Great report so far! I think your pictures are quite good. My brother is/was (retired) a professional photographer (outdoor) and my sister was an award winning amateur photographer (live action shots) and I think you are doing a great job.
I ate at Pecos Bill as my sister (my travelling partner when the hubbies won't go) cannot go one day without some form of Mexican food. Made for interesting travel when she was young and we travelled for her sport to places that Mexican is a laugh (South Dakota etc).
I didn't like the food at PB at all. Even though it wasn't hot, which made me happy.
I don't like especially hot food which is blasphemy where I come from....a State that has a patent on the name of their green chile, a cuisine named after the Capital (which is too weird for me)and theme of the Bobby Flay restaurants, where we pronounce Guacamole the same way it is correct to pronounce Guadalajara...'Walkamole' and NOT Gwalk(phonetic). However, I don't like Norteño, we eat Pinto beans, not black beans and truthfully to me, Mexican food in So Cal and Arizona is quite odd (sorry about that). Anyway rant over. Looks like you two are so much fun and such good sports about it all.
Thank you so much for the feedback! I really appreciate it!
I have had really hit or miss experiences with PB. It is, unfortunately, not surprising that your food was cold. I cannot comprehend how it is possible, but it has happened to us also.
I welcome all challenges (I can imagine fresh Pinto beans and Walkamole right now and it is making me drool :)).
Thanks for the reply I look forward to continuing to share our experiences and chatting about them!
 
Following. I love MNSSHP. Have done it twice before and never been let down.
 
Goin' Wild in Animal Kingdom


Saturday morning came far too quickly for Sarah and I. We got in bed at around 1am and we were up at roughly 6am to get to rope drop at Animal Kingdom for Extra Magic Hours. This required extra coffee for Sarah. We swung by the Everything Pop Dining Hall. To fill up the coffee mug and our bladder in our backpack. After these vital resources had been replenished, we headed to the bus.



Extra Magic Hours in Animal Kingdom
We arrived roughly 30 minutes before EMH’s started. That ended up being the perfect timing. Sarah and I strolled up to the line for Pandora as the rope dropped. We melted into the queue for Avatar – Flight of Passage and prepared for the worst. The entrance to the attraction made us aware that it was already an hour wait. Even though this is way longer than we would normally wait for any attraction, we decided to just wait. I also wanted to take photos of this amazing queue.







In all, we waited roughly 40 minutes. I would consider this a massive win when it comes to Flight of Passage. We boarded our banshees and flew around the picturesque planet of Pandora. I am still amazed by this attraction. The level of detail laced into every stage and element of this experience are incredible. Everything is immaculate. That being said, I would never wait 180 minutes for an attraction. For people who do, I get it. The ride can be once-in-a-lifetime.

After we were done, we decided to wander around AK for a while. We did not have a Fastpass+ for an hour so I decided it was a great chance to walk around a mostly-empty park. Sarah and I snapped pictures as we went. We were incredibly blessed to have another beautiful sky as a background for shooting. After we made an entire circle of the park, we boarded Kilimanjaro Safari.



Even though the animals were not as numerous, it was a pleasant ride. The weather was still cool enough and the breeze was slight enough to make this journey incredibly enjoyable.

By the time we exited, we were both really hungry. It was snack time! I got my favorite snack in the whole work, candied almonds, and Sarah got hers, soft serve ice cream in a waffle cone. Sarah ate her treat while I used the Single Rider line for Expedition Everest. I love this ride, Sarah does not. Sarah is not a big roller coaster person. The fact that it goes backwards (sorry for the spoiler), makes Sarah’s stomach do 10 backflips. I convinced her to go on the ride the first few times, but I cannot get her to go any more. Sarah had ice cream to keep her company.



Sarah was done with her ice cream by the time I was off the ride so we headed back to Pandora to experience Na’vi River Journey. She needed to go to the bathroom so I stayed and took pictures of the Swotu Waya Na’vi Drum Ceremony.



This is a fun, upbeat show involving, of all things, drums! I also took out our prime lens and took some shallow depth of field photos of Pandora.



Sarah returned and we journeyed down the river with the Na’vi.



After the journey was complete, which is far too short, we decided to go to Satu’li Canteen for lunch. We hadn’t eaten in about 25 minutes so it was time! Sarah and I both really enjoy this eatery. It is a much lighter option that is surprisingly filling. Every time we go we are amazed with how full we feel after finishing our meal. Sarah got the red and sweet potato hash, chicken, and cream dressing. I got the red and sweet potato hash, chicken, and vinaigrette. We both got the Pandoran Sunrise to drink. We sat outside and soaked up every second of our meal.



Art of Animation Photo Walk
After lunch, we decided it was time to take a break. By the time we got to the bus stop, we faced the choice. We could hop aboard the bus to Disney’s Art of Animation Resort and walk back to our resort, or we could wait for the Pop Century bus. Sarah decided to meander through Art of Animation on our way back to Pop Century. We enjoyed a beautiful walk around the resort and got back to our room exactly as the rain started.






Sarah and I napped for two hours so we were fresh and ready to head back to AK for our dinner reservation. We arrived just early enough to catch a showing of It’s Tough to Be a Bug.

Yak & Yeti Restaurant
I have been watching this show since it opened at California Adventure what seems like forever ago. For me, the luster has worn off. For Sarah, it is still a draw. I conceded to her and we watched the show. What baffles me is that parents bring their kids to this show. For me, I would imagine this show to be really scary for little kids. Maybe parents just don’t know? Whatever the case, there are always a handful of people running their screaming children out of the theater. I can’t blame them!

The show ended and we walked towards our dinner location. I decided it would be fun to try Yak & Yeti Restaurant. We ate at the Yak & Yeti Café during our last visit and enjoyed it, so I decided it would be a great place to eat dinner. We entered the restaurant and waited roughly 10 minutes for our table.



Once we were seated, we learned an interesting fact. Yak & Yeti is the only non-Disney owned restaurant in any of the theme parks. It is owned by Landry’s. Fun fact! Sarah and I opened the menu and were really excited because everything sounded delicious. The only sore thumb was that they served “Korean ribs” which appear to just be normal ribs served at an Asian restaurant.

I considered the ribs, I do love ribs! But, I decided to go with something more authentic. I ordered the Bhaktapur Duck and Sarah ordered Shrimp and Lobster Garlic Noodles off their specials. I got a horrifically sweet passionfruit lemonade and Sarah got a delicious passionfruit with seltzer water.

My duck was really dry and the plum barbecue sauce that interested me so much tasted like Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce. That isn’t a problem, I do love Sweet Baby Ray’s! I thought the rice and vegetables were the stars of the dish, which is disappointing. Sarah really liked her dish. It was full of delicious seafood, noodles, and vegetables. The garlic also packed a massive punch, which we love.



Sarah ordered the most massive piece of cheesecake I had ever seen and I ordered a chocolate pudding cake with raspberry sauce. Sarah’s cheesecake was an incredible dichotomy. It was both incredibly rich and incredibly light and fluffy. My chocolate pudding cake was actually just a slice of normal chocolate cake which was incredibly dense and rich. It really made me feel every bite!



Happily Ever After!
After we got done with dinner Sarah and I waddled out of AK and got on a bus to Magic Kingdom. Sarah could not be denied a chance to see Happily Ever After on our trip. At first, we did not love the show. I think Wishes set an incredibly high bar that was difficult to match. Every time we watch Happily Ever After, the gap shrinks.



I took pictures with my fisheye lens and Sarah absorbed all the magic. As I was taking pictures, it became very apparent that I needed to be closer to the castle with the fisheye lens. It is amazing how wide this thing is. I had to crop most of these photos to reduce the empty space. Another thing of note during this show was the woman next to me who kept kicking my tripod. I could excuse the first kick, but she continued to do it. I kept shooting her darting glances, I showed her!:)



After the show finished, we slowly wandered back down Main Street, U.S.A. and exited the park. Again, we were incredibly fortunate with bus transportation. We were not able to board the first bus, but were easily on the next one. Sarah and I got back to Pop Century and prepped for bed. We were not quite as exhausted, but were definitely ready for a good night’s sleep.
 
Following. I love MNSSHP. Have done it twice before and never been let down.
Thank you for following! We love it too. This was our second year and we loved it even more this year. It didn't hurt that last year it was 95 degrees and this year it was a much more manageable 75! :)
 
WOW! That is a super packed day on only a few hours of sleep-even with a nap!
Those Satuli bowls really look amazing, and reviews seem to be consistently solid too!
I love EE, but could do without the Safari ride, so it goes to show there is something for everyone, except ITTBAB-I don't know who that's designed for and you will never get me in it. I hate bugs! I can barely tolerate the cartoon variety.
 
WOW! That is a super packed day on only a few hours of sleep-even with a nap!
Those Satuli bowls really look amazing, and reviews seem to be consistently solid too!
I love EE, but could do without the Safari ride, so it goes to show there is something for everyone, except ITTBAB-I don't know who that's designed for and you will never get me in it. I hate bugs! I can barely tolerate the cartoon variety.
Haha we just go hard on those short weekends. We sleep very little, mostly during the day!
The bowls are incredible. I haven't found a more consistently awesome restaurant. We get it every visit!
I am not sure why we go to it, probably mostly my amazing wife's love of it. :) We can't miss the Safari we just love it!
 
We Love the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival!


Alex Discovers His Nirvana
This Walt Disney World day was completely alien to Sarah and me. We actually got to sleep in! And by that, I mean that Epcot opened at 9am and did not have Extra Magic Hours. Clearly, we had to celebrate! I did so in the only way I could imagine: by waking up extra early to wander around Pop Century and take photos.





It was the perfect morning for this task. The sky was absolutely beautiful and the resort was completely empty. I was really happy as each photo I took was better than the one before it. I really enjoyed seeing the sky change as people stumbled out of their rooms. There is also something insanely peaceful about walking around an empty resort taking photos. That is my Nirvana! This was also another chance to use my shiny new fish-eye lens!



When I got back I decided to leave my camera equipment outside so I did not need to take the next 30 minutes attempting to defog my lenses. It was really humid during this trip so leaving it outside was a necessary evil. I got ready quickly, considering I was constantly stepping outside to make sure I still had a camera. Once we were ready, we walked to the main building to fill up on coffee and water. I also got to take some more photos with the fish-eye!

We Love Early Mornings at Epcot
After my photo shenanigans were complete, we boarded the first bus to Epcot so I could take more pictures with the fish-eye. I must be honest, I went a little bit crazy with that lens on this trip. It was new and different and I happen to LOVE new and different things!



I think I may love this lens. There were several reviews saying that uses did not care for the lens and that it was not very sharp. I found that adjusting the focal length to 3’ takes care of any issues with sharpness. I also was astounded with how wide the lens is. Even though it was an adjustment, I kept getting my feet in the shots I was taking off-tripod. If anyone wants a great, and inexpensive, fisheye lens, this is a great option.



After I got done taking even more photos in front of Spaceship Earth while Sarah patiently waited for rope drop, we watched the Jammin’ Chefs perform. Formerly the Jamminators, this is a fun show that I think has a great place at pre-rope drop at Epcot. It certainly isn’t comparable to Let the Magic Begin at Magic Kingdom, but is better than nothing. They are fun and interactive and make me laugh. Checks all the boxes for me!



We were early enough to be in the front for rope drop so our run (I mean walk :)) to Soarin’ was pain free. We waited roughly 14 seconds to be placed in a row and entered the concourse. Sarah decided that she wanted to use our camera to take pictures that made it appear like she was actually flying. What a goofball.

We exited and walked up the stairs to exit the Land pavilion. I always hate this area. The flow of traffic makes no sense. I know that it would be difficult to add a stairway in the middle of Sunshine Seasons, but it is annoying to be funneled into a small stairwell on your way into and out of one of the most popular attractions at Epcot.

After we braved the climb up and out of the exit area, we quickly walked over to Test Track. Again, I used my fish-eye to take a picture in front of the sign to the attraction.



The stand-by wait for the attraction was already 45 minutes so we decided to do single-rider. That line was considerably shorter. We waited about 5 minutes and both got in the same car. Even though we were in different rows, the only downside is we could not create a boss car. (Yes, I just used the word boss) The single-rider line on this attraction is much more efficient than other attractions at WDW (I’m looking at you Rockin’ Roller Coaster!). Having three seats per row lends to lots of open single seats!



After we were done and I took a photo of the newly opened Mission: SPACE, we headed off to Spaceship Earth to use our Fastpass+. We continue to choose this attraction, partially because the Fastpass+ tiers are so restrictive at Epcot and partially because Dame Judi Dench is the best human ever. We unwound as we took our journey into the past and our future.



World Showcase was about to open when we left Spaceship Earth so we slowly moved in that direction. Sarah got a fabulous picture of Pigment in all his Epcot International Food & Wine Festival glory on our way over.



I focused on getting photos of his pavilion.



So... many... snacks
Our first destination was for a Le Cellier Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle Butter Sauce. Our steak was cook excellently. Perfectly medium-rare and tender as can be. Sarah also loved that they overloaded it with mushrooms. This was the genesis of many food-related adventures during the day.



As we walked, we took pictures together, which is one of Sarah’s favorite Epcot pastimes.



Along the way, I got a Schoferhoffer Grapefruit beer, one of my favorite Epcot pastimes.

We completed our loop in the Mexico pavilion with a ride on the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros. We always visit this attraction when we are touring Epcot. There is rarely a line and it is a great way to escape the heat.



The Gran Fiesta Tour made us even hungrier. Sarah stopped at the Mexico booth and got Tequila Chipotle Shrimp Taco. I walked across the way and got Red Hot Spicy Curry Beef. I liked both of these snacks, but probably Sarah’s more (this was a theme of this weekend’s dining). The taco had great texture and I didn’t even mind the cabbage on top.



The curry beef lived up to its billing and was very spicy. I thought there was not a lot of depth of flavor. Similarly to other WDW spicy dishes, it seemed like it was bland until the spice kicked me in the mouth. I was left with a mouth of spice, but nothing else.



We left the Mexico area and started a reverse tour around World Showcase Lagoon. I claimed a rare Frozen Ever After Fastpass+ during our 60-day booking window, but when we arrived the attraction was closed. Apparently this ride was down for a while because I got an email from Disney explaining that we could use our Fastpass+ at any other Epcot attraction.

Sarah and I decided to drown our sorrows in Italian food. We went to the Italy booth and ordered the Absolute Penne. We both really liked this snack. There was a ton of pasta. The only complaints I would have would be that it had way too much sauce and not enough shrimp. There were two shrimp and a lake of sauce. Sarah will, and does, disagree. She loves sauce so the more the merrier!



She ate and I took a photo of the pavilion.



As we finished our loop, we decided we wanted to use our last budgeted snack credit on a Warm Chocolate Pudding from the Ireland booth. This dessert made even my chocolate cake from Yak & Yeti seem light. The chocolate cake was incredibly rich. I love rich dark chocolate so it didn’t bother me. Sarah loves warm chocolate lava cake, so it didn’t bother her either. Are there better desserts at EIF&WF? Maybe. Is this a good option? Definitely!



By this time, it was hot and crowded. We wanted to go on The Seas with Nemo & Friends and then leave the park. Unfortunately, our bad luck with Fastpass+ continued. We walked up to find out that this attraction had also been temporarily closed. We certainly did not feel like sitting out in the sun, so we went back to our hotel.

Public Pools are Icky


When we got back to Pop Century, we decided a dip in the pool would feel refreshing. We rarely swim at hotels. We felt even less enthused about staying at the Hippy Dippy Pool. This is a terribly boring pool that was full of screaming children. Who would have thought from a main Disney pool, right?! After being splashed a few too many times, we went back to our room to nap.

Awkward Meals and Awesome Shows
Amazingly, we woke up on time to leave even though we forgot to set an alarm. We arrived at Hollywood Studios just early enough to go ride The Twilight Zone Hollywood Tower of Terror before our dining reservation at Hollywood & Vine.



I went into Hollywood & Vine with a similar attitude to 1900 Park Fare. Unfortunately, my low expectations were not low enough with this buffet. The food was, frankly, terrible. The corn was cold and mushy, the mashed potatoes were chunky, the meats were mediocre, and the desserts were uninspired.



Unfortunately, this restaurant also featured character meet and greets with Minnie and Friends. I think these interactions are even more awkward than direct human character meet and greets. This was confirmed when Daisy came up and wanted to take a picture, but no one was around to take it.

Sarah was off hiding from this exact scenario and our server was nowhere to be seen. Fortunately, we figured out that he would return after seeing a few other guests. Unfortunately, she remembered. (Ok Scrooge moment over)



There were two bright spots about Hollywood & Vine! First, our server was from the Chicago area so we had a nice interaction about how much we both hate winter and how nice it is to live in Central Florida. Second, they had pomegranate lemonade! I drank away my social anxiety with pomegranate-lemon goodness.



After dinner, we had a couple hours to kill before our Fastpass+ for Toy Story Mania. We swung by Muppet Vision 3D and did some snooping to see the construction progress. The attraction was nostalgic, I have also been watching this show since I was young at Disneyland. The progress was hard to see. We did get to see the progress in the Muppet Courtyard. I don’t think we had ventured back that way in the June or July trips.







As we were walking around running out of things to do at HS, it continued to be clear how little is open to draw crowds currently. We decided the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular was worth another visit. If Sarah and I were not willing to see all the entertainment multiple times, there would be very little to draw us to HS.



We crossed the park to Toy Story Mania and Sarah proceeded to beat me, again. This time was a legitimate win. My blaster worked fine, but she just beat me. I am destined to always lose and I just have to be ok with that L.

After I was done, we had just enough time for me to ride Rockin’ Roller Coaster as a single-rider. This is another attraction that Sarah refuses to ride. The corkscrews make her want to be sick. I moved quickly and got into the studio area within 3 minutes. Unfortunately, this attraction is not nearly as conducive to being a single-rider. It took me about 20 minutes to move from the exit of the studio to the ride vehicle. This meant I would need to sprint to get to our seats before Fantasmic!

Thanks to some crafty maneuvering, I could sneak into the dining reservations area to meet Sarah at our reward for surviving our Hollywood & Vine experience. We watched the excellent show and I used my Nikkor 70-300mm lens with my Nikon D7500. This was a much better pairing than our D3400. Our last trip most of our photos were completely useless because of the horrendous amount of high-ISO noise.







We exited the pavilion and I got a long-exposure shot of the Hollywood Tower Hotel.



When we finally got to the line for the Pop Century bus, it almost wrapped out of the parking area. I am pretty sure that, if it were possible to walk, it would have taken less time to walk back to our hotel. Much to Sarah’s annoyance, I made the executive decision to order an Uber. She bet me that it would take longer to Uber than to take the bus. Once again to her annoyance, it didn’t. Hey, I had to win something, right?! :)

We arrived back at our hotel and went right to bed.
 

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