kay-lo's world

Last Day: World Showcase and Le Cellier

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 16:21:00 +0000

We arrived at the World Showcase about an hour before our lunch reservation, so we browsed in the Canada and UK pavilions. We listened Santa Claus tell about the various ways Christmas is celebrated in Canada and arrived at the UK just as the World Showcase Players were beginning their performance of A Christmas Carol. Guess who they pulled from the audience to be Mr. Scrooge? They had no idea what they were getting into when they chose Don Adams! He out-hammed the players with his "Bah Humbugs" and other rude noises. It was hilarious! Bravo, Don!

We had a fabulous meal at Le Cellier - what a great finale to our trip. Rick and I started with the cheddar cheese soup and we both had the mushroom filet mignon with mushroom risotto. Heavenly! Thanks to the Adamses for treating us!

We needed to walk off all that food, so we made a slow circuit around the World Showcase, starting in Mexico, where we saw the 3 Kings tell their Christmas story and finally arriving in France just in time to watch Serveur Amusant. I was picked to sit on one of the chairs until it was needed for the acrobat - not nearly as exciting a role as Don's.

Sadly, it was time to get back to the Boardwalk and gather our luggage for our final ride on the Magical Express to the airport. The skies opened up while we were waiting for the bus to arrive - perfect timing!

Kona Cafe and World Showcase

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:41:00 +0000

Great breakfast today at Kona, especially the home fries. We went back to the resort afterwards and walked over to the World Showcase, strolling slowing from France to Mexico before we pooped out. Saw the movie in France, browsed the bazaar in Morocco, listened to the drummers in Japan, had some Liebfraumilch and a soft pretzel in Germany and watched the model train, saw the terracotta soldiers in China, rode Maelstrom in Norway, got a frozen Margarita in Mexico and listened to the mariachi band.

We had a disappointing dinner at Boma in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Note to self: the food isn't that great, the Merlot sucks, and there are way too many families with small, screming kids eating there. Cross this one off the list.

When we got back to the Boardwalk, Rick and I decided to take a last walk around Crescent Lake. He bought a t-shirt at the Beach Club and we picked up some candy for our parents in the Boardwalk candy store. Then I decided to go back to Epcot for IllumiNations and got a great spot just before it started right on the rail behind one of the gift shops.

We fly home tomorrow evening. We'll have lunch at my favorite Epcot restaurant, Le Cellier, before we have to head for the airport. This has been a really great trip - our first traveling to Walt Disney World with friends. We've made a lot of wonderful memories!

All our photos are on Flickr and videos on YouTube.

Future World, SpectroMagic and Wishes

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:57:00 +0000

We made up for a day of no rides yesterday by spending most of today in Epcot's Future World. We started by getting a FastPass for Soarin' and then jumped into the standby line, which took exactly the 35 minutes posted. Anne and Don loved the ride and wished it lasted longer. We were glad we had FastPasses so we could ride it again later. We had a late start this morning, so after Soarin', it was already time to head over to the World Showcase for our noon lunch reservation at Tokyo Dining. We rode a Friendship over and got there in time to see the wait-staff's opening ceremony. We were seated in the front-center window. We shared a bottle of sake and all enjoyed our lunch overlooking the lagoon.

After lunch we went back to Future World for more rides, using our FastPass to ride Soarin' again, then going on Mission Space, Test Track, and Spaceship Earth, with an energy break for lattes and cappuccinos at mid-afternoon. It was getting cooler and the skies were becoming threatening, so we went back to the resort to change of clothes before going to the Magic Kingdom for the SpectroMagic parade and Wishes fireworks.

Fortunately, it never did rain and we were able to get great viewing spots for both attractions. We watched SpectroMagic from it's start on Main Street and then followed the masses to a prime spot in front of the Partners statue at the Hub for Wishes. We had a perfect view of the Castle and its changing colors and could clearly see Tinkerbell fly from the parapet at the beginning of the show. These shows are must-sees and the Adamses enjoyed them both.

Tomorrow we'll check out the decorations at the monorail resorts after breakfast at the Kona Cafe in the Polynesian resort.

Resort hopping, mini-golf, and the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:22:00 +0000

We started our day with breakfast at celebrity chef Cat Cora's restaurant on the Boardwalk, Kouzzina. I had the amazing Stacked Kouzzina breakfast - two poached eggs, Kalamata olive toast, artichoke spread, sweet potato hash and chicken sausage. Very unusual, but delicious. Spoodles, the restaurant this one replaced, was a favorite of ours, so we were glad that we enjoyed Kouzzina so much.

After breakfast we made a circuit of the lagoon to see the Christmas decorations at the Yacht and Beach Club resorts, then walked over to see how the Swan and Dolphin were decked out for the holidays.

Next we did something new - we played miniature golf at Fantasia Gardens. Don was the winner, with Anne second, Rick third and me last, but still 2 under par. It was very hot and humid, but the course was very cute, with a Fantasia theme. We had a great time and would definitely do this again.

We wanted to be sure that Anne and Don had a chance to hear the Voices of Liberty at the American Adventure in Epcot, so we went over there next. We enjoyed some sparkling wines in Italy before the fife and drum corps signalled it was time for the show which featured holiday music.

We left Epcot and took a Friendship over to the Studios. We had the most fun dinner ever at the 50's Prime Time Cafe. Our server, Laura, was a hoot, the food was good home cookin' - fried chicken and tuna noodle caserole - and we enjoyed reminiscing about all the old TV shows running on the set at our table.

Then it was time to see the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights. You can't help but smile when you see this display, it's so over the top, but just so whimsical and so much fun - a great ending to another day filled with smiles and laughter.

Photos are updated on Flickr and there are some more videos on YouTube. I'm having fun with our new Flip camera!

Studios Day and Candlelight Processional

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:54:00 +0000

Whew! What a day! We did most of the the Disney Hollywood Studios. Anne and Don loved the Great Movie Ride, the Haunted Mansion, Rockin' Roller Coaster, and Toy Story Midway Mania. We also saw the Muppets movie, and all enjoyed the excellent exhibit and film, Walt Disney, One Man's Dream, but I think the unanymous favorite was the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. We made three circuits of the park before we ran out of steam.

We took a brief beer break at the Big River Brewing Co. on the Boardwalk and then headed over to Epcot for our dinner at the Rose and Crown. We had a great meal there (and more beer). After that, it was time for the Candlelight Processional. Abigail Breslin narrated the Christmas story. The orchestra, herald trumpeters and chorus were outstanding. What a great way to get into the Christmas spirit!

Part of our Processional dinner package included a special reserved front-and-center section for the Illuminations fireworks. At Christmastime they add an extra holiday ending to Let There Be Peace on Earth, with a really neat laser effect simulating a dove in flight. It was a good chance to see what my little Flip video camera could do. Not bad, except for the explosions of the fireworks overloading the mic.

I added a few more photos to Flickr.

Holiday Trip

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 01:42:00 +0000

We're at Walt Disney World with our friends Anne and Don to enjoy the warm weather and all the special Christmas attractions. We're staying at the Boardwalk Villas in newly renovated studios. The place looks all fresh and shiny new.

We launched our vacation at the Magic Kingdom where we had lunch at the Plaza Restaurant and then worked our way counter-clockwise around the park starting in Tomorrowland. We rode the Tomorrowland Transit authority to get a birds-eye view of that part of the park, then battled the evil emporer Zurg on the Buzz Lightyear ride. We watched the 3-D movie, Mickey's PhilharMagic and braved the Haunted Mansion. We finished our tour with Pirates of the Caribbean. We'll be back later in the week for SpectroMagic and the Wishes fireworks show.

Crowds were fairly light yesterday, temp's in the 80s. No complaints from any of us! We had a great dinner at Raglan Road in Downtown Disney and checked out the shops on the Boardwalk before calling it a night.

Tomorrow we're off to the Disney Studios, then we'll have dinner at the Rose and Crown Pub at Epcot and then see the Candlelight Processional and Illuminations fireworks.

I'm trying out our new Flip video camera, so stay tuned for some clips on YouTube. In the meantime, we have photos on Flickr.

We are grandparents

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:31:00 +0000

Astra Jeanette Stathis-Lowe arrived at home in Northampton on July 29, 2009. We are in love!

Chicago Sights

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 01:18:00 +0000

The 2009 ALA Annual Conference was packed full of new ideas and information - and fun! We managed to fit in some sight seeing and good meals in between meetings and presentations, and met some famous authors like Gregory Maguire and Neil Gaiman. My colleagues and I posted all about it on our group blog, MSLA en Mass. Here are some of the photos from our adventure.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Free in the City

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:00:00 +0000

Some of us had no conference obligations today, so my travel-buddies and I took a double-decker bus tour of the city. You can hop on and off when you want, so we had a look at Union Station and spent some time in the Africa and Egypt exhibits at the Field Museum. It rained off and on, so mostly we just stayed on the bus and saw the sights, but on the final leg of the tour, to Navy Pier, the skies cleared, so Gerri and I rode up on top where we had an unobstructed view.

Chicago is a beautiful city. Interesting buildings from several eras attractively combine to create what many believe to be one of the world's most beautiful skylines. The streets are clean and adorned with planters full of colorful floral arrangements. We've felt very welcome here, too. Today the ticket seller at the Field Museum who let us in for free. This is my third trip here and I'm enjoying it just as much as my first. More photos here.

Navy Pier

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:23:00 +0000

Navy Pier is a 20-minute walk from our hotel. We got tickets for Cirque Shanghai - Chinese acrobats. We marveled at their strength and flexibility. They put on a fun show. Afterwards, Ann and I rode the giant Ferris wheel for a breathtaking view of the Chicago skyline at night. Photos are all on Flickr.

The Elephant and Castle Pub in Chicago

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:57:00 +0000

What a great welcome to the Windy City! When I arrived in Chicago with my colleagues Gerri and Valerie yesterday, we set out to find someplace that looked good for lunch. It was raining and as the rain began to really come down, we happened upon the Elephant and Castle Pub. We, along with many others, took refuge inside and waited for a table. After a short wait, we were seated and placed our orders. Shortly thereafter, the hostess came over to chat and offered to comp us a dessert because, she said, "I like the way you women look. There's a good vibe about you." Well that was nice! We shared a really delicious and decadent bread pudding and then set off to explore Millennium Park in the rain. A great first day!

"Chicago, Chicago...

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:18:00 +0000

...that toddlin' town!"

According to Answers.com, to toddle is to:

1. walk with short, unsteady steps
2. walk leisurely; stroll

I might just possibly be doing both when I revisit Chicago (this'll be my 3rd trip) for the Annual Conference of the American Library Association, July 9-15.

I really enjoy Chicago and always have a great time with my friends and colleagues at ALA conferences, so I'm really looking forward to the trip. I'll be posting here (the fun stuff) and on our group blog MSLA en Mass. (the professional stuff).

So, activities that result in definition #1 are more apt to be found here!

Bliss

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Wed, 20 May 2009 23:29:00 +0000

What could be better than sitting out on my deck in the stillness after supper, listening to the birds sing, watching them flit from the bushes to the feeders, smelling the just-cut hay in the field below, thinking about the grand-daughter soon to come? Life is good.

Busy Last Day at the Disneyland Resort

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Mon, 04 May 2009 03:52:00 +0000

We packed a lot into today, trying to squeeze in everything we wanted to do before our time here in Anaheim runs out. We started today with a monorail ride into Disneyland. While walking through Downtown Disney to get to the monorail station, we were overtaken by four people, two men and two women, dressed entirely in black, the women carrying black parasols. You see all types here, so we didn't think that much of it, although these folks certainly looked about as un-Disney as anyone possibly could. When we got to Disneyland, there were more goth-types walking around, most of them in groups, and later we saw more at DCA. Turns out that this is the 11th annual Bats Day in the Fun Parks Weekend, the "premiere Dark Alternative Subculture event on the West Coast."

We did a couple of rides in Fantasyland and then decided to say goodbye to Disneyland. It was getting very crowded and we had plans to tour the Grand Californian to learn about the Arts and Crafts influences in the architecture and decor of the hotel. The one-hour tour was fascinating and lots of design details we had overlooked were pointed out to us by our guide Sierra. Several artists were commissioned to work on various elements of the hotel, like the tiles used on the front of the registration desk and the stunningly beautiful stained glass doors at the hotel's entrance. I took a lot of photos which are all posted on Flickr.

After that tour, we were picked up by a representative of the Disney Vacation Club and taken to their building about a block away to learn about DVC membership. We (mostly I) have been tossing around the idea of joining DVC since we take so many Disney vacations, but what we had pretty much figured out on or own was verified by the DVC rep - renting points from DVC members rather than buying our own membership is a better way to go for us. We were shown a model of the DVC units that are currently under construction here at the Grand Californian and they are stunning, but we don't visit Disney parks often enough, or take long enough vacations, to ever break even on this large an investment.

After the DVC tour, we went back to DCA to see the Aladdin show one more time and use the FastPasses we received for taking the DVC tour. The park was mobbed, so after riding Soarin', we came back to the hotel and had a nice last dinner in the Storyteller's Cafe. Now we're packing. Right below us in Downtown Disney, a flamenco guitarist is performing. During our days here we have seen a violinist, dulcimer player, and a percussionist performing outside at night. Downtown Disney is a great venue for adults and we have really enjoyed staying here, right next to all it has to offer. And for a fitting finale, we are watching the Disneyland fireworks from our balcony.

This has been a great trip. We feel that now we have really "done" Disneyland and will look forward to coming back sometime if the circumstances are right.

All the photos from this trip are posted on Flickr.

Food and Wine Festival

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Sat, 02 May 2009 14:55:00 +0000

Last night we decided to go back to DCA to do the Wines of the World "walk". They had four stations set up, each representing a different country or region, with a choice of three wines at each. I was given a "passport" containing a brief description of wine making in each country, that was stamped at each station. I didn't write down the names of the wines I sampled, but I remember that I tried Trumpeter, a white wine from Argentina, a Pinot Noir from New Zealand, and two other reds - one from Italy and one from the "Old World". The samples were thimball sized, but it was fun to walk through and hear a little about each of the wines.

Before going back to Disneyland for the fireworks, we decided to have a full-sized drink and something to eat in the lounge at the Napa Rose, the "fancy" restaurant at the Grand Californian. We ordered the Sizzling Beach Stone appetizer, which included shrimp, beef ribs, and chicken, garnishes and dipping sauces, and was artistically presented in a wooden box.

We walked to the monorail station in Downtown Disney to ride into Disneyland for the fireworks. I love the Disneyland monorail. It has been recently refurbished with shiny new trains and it carries you past DCA and right into Disneyland after making several loops over Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. We rode a couple of rides and then decided to make a full circuit of the park on the Disneyland Railroad before the fireworks. We were held for about 20 minutes between the New Orleans Square and Mickey's Toontown stations at the rear of the park because there was a mechanical problem with the train in front of us. When we finally arrived at the Toontown station we were told we'd be held there another 10 minutes, so we got off and started to walk, but we didn't make it back to Main Street before the fireworks started, and by then we were caught in the crowd couldn't find anywhere to stop where we could see, so we just left and went back to the hotel.

Today we spent the whole day enjoying DCA and the Food and Wine Festival. We started with Soarin', a glider ride over California - exactly the same as the ride at Walt Disney World, but still wonderful. We improved our scores over yesterday's on Toy Story Midway Mania. The park was not as crowded as I thought it would be for a Saturday during the Food and Wine Festival. I took lots of photos of the flower arrangements and landscaping in the Golden State area. They have a lot of beautiful container arrangements set up for the Festival and it looks really nice. We managed to catch several of the street performances today, including High School Musical 3, Drawn to the Magic (a musical tribute to Disney animators), and the Miner Forty-Niners, a hillbilly band.

We also attended a seminar about wines from the Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite). Tables for the seminar participants were set up on a patio at the Golden Vine Winery, with three samples for each of us to try. The Rothschild representative described each wine and the vineyard where it was produced. We were given a booklet with detailed information about the wines and the history of each vineyard. We tasted a white bordeaux (Reserve Speciale Bordeaux Blanc 2007), and two reds, Blason d'Aussieres AOC Corbieres 2006, and Amancaya Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec 2007. After the seminar I got a glass of Hill Family Merlot (Napa Valley) to sip while we strolled around the park and watched the entertainers. We saw celebrity chef Cat Cora doing a cooking demonstration in Sunshine Plaza. The more time I spend at DCA, the more I like this park, particularly the Golden State and Hollywood Pictures Backlot areas. With all the changes planned, DCA should be even better in the next few years.

We had dinner reservations at the Blue Bayou Restaurant in New Orleans Square, so after a break in our room, we walked through Downtown Disney and into Disneyland. The Blue Bayou overlooks part of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride (which unfortunately, has not been running so far this trip) and simulates an outdoor, lantern-lit patio. We both ordered the Jambalaya, which was good and spicy. We shared a sampler plate of three creme brulees for dessert (good, but SO sweet and rich). After dinner we rode the Haunted Mansion, watched the Swing Dance Party for a while, and browsed the shops on Main Street until it was time to stake out a spot in the middle of the street for the "Remember...Dreams Come True" fireworks - a great show highlighting many of the attractions in the park.

Tomorrow is our last day at Disneyland. We'll probably spend some time in both parks and we've also signed up for the "Art of the Craft" tour of the Grand Californian.

Click here for more photos.

California Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Fri, 01 May 2009 23:22:00 +0000

What I love about staying at the Grand Californian is its proximity to so many places. We have our own entrance into Disney's California Adventure (DCA), we can walk right into Downtown Disney and take the monorail into Disneyland, or, if we prefer, it's an easy walk, and we are close to the other Disneyland resort hotels, Paradise Pier and the Disneyland Hotel.

We spent the early part of today at DCA, starting in the Paradise Pier section and making a counter-clockwise circuit of the park. There is a lot of construction going on right now as they build an area for a new "nighttime spectacular" - World of Color - that looks like it will be like a cross between IllumiNations and Fantasmic.

There is a long range plan to transform DCA into a more Disney-esque park. There is even an exhibit in the Blue Sky Cellar, where you can see a preview of some of the plans for the future. They have already changed the Sunwheel into Mickey's Fun Wheel, with a giant Mickey head replacing the central sun and given it a red and yellow color scheme, and Games of the Boardwalk, Disney's version of carnival games, have opened. We rode a couple of the tamer Paradise Pier rides, Mulholland Madness and Jumpin' Jellyfish, and then joined the queue for Toy Story Midway Mania. This interactive ride-through virtual arcade is really fun. Mr. Potato Head greets riders as they enter the queue and today he noticed me. Commenting on the sunglasses I had on top of my head, he said, "That woman's hair must be famous, it's wearing sunglasses."

After that we left the hustle-bustle of the Pier behind and strolled through the much more laid-back Golden State area. The Food and Wine Festival is in progress and there are places to participate in Wine or Beer "Walks" where you can sample a variety of these, and there are special Festival items on most menus. We checked out the offerings in the Pacific Wharf area, and decided on table service at the Wine Country Trattoria. We had a nice quiet meal there overlooking the wharf.

After lunch we wandered through "a bug's land" and Flick's Fun Fair just to see what they were like - and they're very cute. There are some very pretty flower gardens in this area too. Then we went over to Hollywood Pictures Backlot to check out the Disney Animation building, where we watched the zoetrope in the Character Close-Up room, had our voices (singing Hi Ho, Hi Ho) stolen by Ursula in the Sorcerer's Workshop, and were amused, as usual, by Crush in Turtle Talk. There was a chef's demo going on in Sunshine Plaza, but it was full and in progress, so we didn't stop. I picked up a Food and Wine Festival t-shirt and then we decided to go see Aladdin again before heading back to the hotel.

We have adopted the Hearthstone Lounge at "The Grand" as our place to relax, and have a light meal or snacks. We picked up a cafe au lait and a latte there for a mid-afternoon break in our room. We'll go back to Disneyland later tonight for the fireworks. The park is open until midnight, so I'll probably include my comments about that in tomorrow's post. I have added all of today's photos so far to Flickr.

A Walk in Walt's Footsteps Tour

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:21:00 +0000

Today we participated in a private guided tour through Disneyland with 3 other couples. A Walk in Walt's Footsteps is full of facts and trivia about the creation of Disneyland, including recordings of Walt's comments about the building of the park. We were given a peek into the lobby of the exclusive members-only Club 33 (where Gerri and I had dinner during the ALA conference last June), lunch, and a collectible pin. We visited several attractions, among them, the Jungle Cruise and the Tiki Room, and heard about several others, like it's a small world and the Matterhorn. Did you know that then-vice president Richard Nixon participated in the opening of that ride?

The tour began before the park was open, so we had Adventureland and Frontierland to ourselves before anyone else was allowed in. These areas were deserted except for a few cast members.

Having grown up hearing Walt Disney talk about his plans for Disneyland on his TV program every Sunday night, I was a little nostalgic learning how the dreams of this talented and creative man came to fruition.

After our tour and lunch with the rest of our group, we walked over to California Adventure to see Aladdin. This 45-minute show, in its own theatre built especially for this production, is full of costumes, puppets, amazing special effects, great singing and dancing, and lots of humor, most notably from the genie. We went on a couple of other rides in DCA before leaving the park for a break. Later, we returned to Disneyland to see the new parade, Celebrate! A Street Party, followed by a few more rides until the park closed.

We had planned to have something to eat at the bar in the Disneyland hotel, but after walking over there, we found out it was closing time, so we returned to the Grand Californian's Hearthstone Lounge where we had some good pub grub.

We're going to take it slow and easy tomorrow because the time difference between the two coasts has caught up with us.

Don't forget to check out all our photos on Flickr.

Celebrating in Disneyland

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0000

We're at Disneyland in California to celebrate our birthdays. Rick's is today, mine (a new decade) is in August. Since the big Disney park theme right now is Celebrate Today! we figured, what better place to do it?

Our flight got us here in time to spend a few hours in Disneyland, so we got Rick his birthday button and went inside to wander around a little. Crowds are very light so we had no problem getting right onto any rides we wanted. When we got hungry we decided to try out the new Celebration Roundup and Barbecue at Big Thunder Ranch in Frontierland. We had our photos taken with Jesse (Woody's girlfriend from Toy Story) and were entertained by Woody, a cowgirl singer, and a honky-tonk piano player while we waited for our food. It was pretty good - the usual barbecue fare - ribs, chicken, cornbread, beans, cole slaw - and for dessert, cupcakes made to look like ice cream cones, brought out in this big colorful metal ribbony-looking contraption (see photo above). Even though the show is geared toward kids, it was something new to see and we enjoyed it, although I doubt we would bother to go back again.

We're staying at the Grand Californian this trip. Our room looks into a tree-filled courtyard that the monorail runs through. We're also right adjacent to Downtown Disney. Our balcony is just above and to the right of the World of Disney sign in the photo above. This resort is decorated in arts and crafts style right down to the bedspreads and light fixtures. It's a luxurious, but very comfortable and relaxed place, with a tuxedoed pianist playing in the lobby throughout the afternoon and evening and always a fire burning in the giant fireplace. After our time in the park we had a drink in the Hearthstone Lounge before calling it a night.

These are just a few photos from today. The rest are on Flickr. I'll update them, and this blog, daily for the rest of the trip.

Now It's Time to Say Goodbye...

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 15:42:00 +0000

Breakfast at the Kona Cafe in the Disney's Polynesian Resort is a nice way to end a trip. We took a bus to the Magic Kingdom and then the monorail to the Poly. We ordered the press pot of Kona coffee and I had a mimosa with my eggs benedict - mmm!

We spent the rest of our time at Downtown Disney browsing in the stores and picking up some Ghirardelli chocolates for the neighbor who watched our house while we were gone. A boat ride back to the Saratoga Springs ended our stay.

Now we're back in freezing Massachusetts and have already gone out to shovel the snow from the storm that was going on the day we left. More snow is predicted for tomorrow. I don't think we're in Florida anymore.

All the photos from our trip are on Flickr.

Happy Endings

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 02:54:00 +0000

After a great week, you want your last full day and evening at Walt Disney World to be special. We had a nice lunch at the Nine Dragons in Epcot after visiting the countries we didn't get to yesterday - Mexico, Norway and China. After lunch we caught Mariachi Cobre's performance and Rick even had a chance to speak to one of the trumpet players. On our way out of the park, we went over to the Living Seas and saw Turtle Talk with Crush and did the Nemo ride before we went back to our room to put on warmer clothes for our evening in the Magic Kingdom.

Rick has loved the SpectroMagic parade since our very first trip in 1992. He thought he was too old to ever recapture the magic of childhood, but that parade, with its seemingly endless array of floats featuring all the familiar Disney characters he knew as a kid, along with its majestic music, did it for him. It's a must-do on every trip.

This time, we watched the parade from a new vantage point up on the railway station at the beginning of Main Street. Looking to our left, we had an unobstructed view from above as each float entered the parade route. If we looked right, we could see the whole line of floats as they proceeded up Main Street, around the hub, and past the castle. It was really beautiful.

We stayed at the train station, moving to just a little right of center (so the flag pole didn't obstruct our view of the castle), and held this prime spot for half an hour until the Wishes fireworks began. From this location, you can really see the entirety of the fireworks effects and appreciate their precise synchronization with the music. This was a new and memorable perspective for us.

We have most of tomorrow to get in our last looks. We'll have breakfast at the Kona Cafe in the Polynesian and decide then what we'll do with the time that's left before we have to leave for the airport mid-afternoon. This trip fulfilled our objective to relax and temporarily forget about our usual obligations. It was definitely the escape from reality that Walt Disney World is supposed to be and what we really needed.

Other photos are here.

As Nearly Perfect As It Can Get

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:43:00 +0000

Some days just turn out better than you could have hoped. Today started with a cloudless blue sky and just-cool-enough temperatures. When we arrived at Epcot this morning the first thing we did was head to The Land to get Fast Passes for Soarin'. Amazingly, for the second time in a row, someone handed us two passes for right then that they couldn't use. So we got to ride right away. Then we went to the World Showcase because it was just past 11:00 and we knew there wouldn't be many people there yet. We shouldn't have worried about that because it remained uncrowded the rest of the day.

So here are the highlights in photos:

Our day at the World Showcase started with a latte on a bench behind Harry Ramsden's.

The World Showcase Players' performance was "rubbish", as always.

France looked picturesque through the bare trees.

Tokyo Dining has the ideal location for a relaxing lunch overlooking the lagoon.

The Voices of Liberty, the Spirit of America Fife and Drum Corps, and of course, the American Adventure show were all as impeccably-done and moving as ever.

Italy looked elegant under the sparkling sun - and the Rosa Regale didn't hurt!

It's always fun to see the globe and fireworks barges towed out for IllumiNations.

A ride on the monorail and then the ferry to the Magic Kingdom, followed by burgers at Pecos Bill's - just the right way to end a perfect day.

This is the kind of day that keeps us coming back. Relaxed, slow-paced, and pleasant. No worries, no obligations, no schedule, no "have to's" - just pure enjoyment.

The rest of the photos are here.

The World Today

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:45:00 +0000

This is the first time we have visited Walt Disney World in January. We picked this week because of the historically low park attendance - and that has certainly proved to be the case so far. The Magic Kingdom was as uncrowded as we have ever seen it when we arrived around 9:30 and still seemed empty when we left at noon. The crane that went up over the castle last night after Wishes was still there this morning.

Chad was the funniest skipper we have ever had on the Jungle Cruise. His ad libbing was off the wall and I don't think he said one line from the standard script. Maybe because there were so few people there, I noticed the radio controlled boats at the ride exit for the very first time.

We had a couple of firsts today: We ate at The Wave, the new restaurant at the Contemporary. We were practically the only ones there not wearing business attire. We had a very nice butternut squash soup to start. It came with a mini grilled cheese sandwich. Rick enjoyed his Reuben, but my spice crusted chicken salad was just so-so. Decor was great, the menu is unique, and our waitress was efficient, pleasant, and chatty, but it did feel more like a convention place, at least at lunchtime. After lunch we checked out the progress on the Bay Lake Towers, the new DVC resort next to the Contemporary.

We decided we'd try again to ride Toy Story Midway Mania at the Studios. We promised each other we would only stay if the wait time was 30 minutes or less. It had started raining during our long bus ride over from the Contemporary (we dropped off guests at the Polynesian and Grand Floridian first) and we thought that might help make the queue shorter. The posted wait time was 50 minutes, but the queue wasn't out the door, so we got in line and about 35 minutes later were on the ride. I had a chance to experience this ride shortly after it opened at Disneyland last June and I knew Rick would enjoy it. It was fun, but I don't think it was operating properly because we rolled right by one game after watching the cars in front of us play, and at another game we sat there, but our guns wouldn't fire. Rick did like it, but we were both disappointed that it didn't seem to be working completely right. Although Rick was in the lead from the beginning, I did manage to squeak out a win in the final bonus round. I predict that this ride will remain popular for a long time and guests will continue to experience long waits.

Now we're back at SSR and the rain has ended, but we've lost our momentum, so we're not sure if we'll go to a park or just grab something to eat here at the Artist's Palate and stay in for the night. It's nice not to feel like we have to cram a lot in to our days. Our pace this trip is decidedly slower than usual, but we're enjoying the escape and just being away from the real world for a while.

Why we keep coming back

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:12:00 +0000

Yesterday's post was a bit dry. I was so tired it was all could do to type a cursory report of where we went and what we did, but it doesn't make for very interesting reading. So for the rest of my posts this trip I'll try and focus on the special sights and experiences that are the real reason we have made so many trips to Walt Disney World and will continue to do so.

Take for example our lunch yesterday at Raglan Road. The food was great and the decor charming, but best of all was our waiter Todd. It wasn't just that he was was prompt and got our orders right, it was the extra time he spent chatting with us without giving any indication that there was anything else he needed, or would rather be, doing. Or the cast member at the American Experience at Epcot - the same one who made Rick's birthday magical during our trip last April by arranging for him to get a happy birthday phone call from Goofy - who obviously loves his job, making sure every guest gets the most out of his or her visit to the American pavilion and taking extra time with anyone who has a question, or even looks like they might.

Every day at Walt Disney World provides its pleasures, some of them simple - like the quiet and peaceful walk, with a cup of coffee, from the Boardwalk to the Disney Studios along the canal. Or the sight of two teenage girls on the bus to the park, wearing their tiaras and planning what they are going to see - not at all too sophisticated to pretend to be princesses for the day. Or the earnest and brave pint-sized boys and girls confronting Darth Vader at the Jedi Training Academy. We smiled thinking about how our son James would have eaten this up when he was five or six. Or the young dad tonight after Wishes at the Magic Kingdom holding his tiny daughter up to see the sculpture of Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket and naming some of the characters from the story that I had long since forgotten, like Figaro, the cat.

So it's not the rides - although we have our favorites that are not to be missed - like Muppet Vision 3-D and the Haunted Mansion - and it's not the characters - although it's hard not to feel lighthearted when you see them interact with the children - it's not even (gasp!) Mickey himself....it's just the place and the way it makes you feel - young, carefree and - just simply - happy. That's why we come back.

Some discoveries today:
If you watch SpectroMagic from its start on Main Street and follow the parade as far as the hub after it goes by, you end up in a perfect position to watch the Wishes fireworks.

There's a shortcut from the Boardwalk parking lot and across the tennis courts to the path to Disney Studios.

You can get to the Springs section of the Saratoga Springs Resort quicker if you get off the bus at the Paddocks, cut across the pool area, then cross the long footbridge - and you just might spot the resident swans along the way.

It's not too late to sit down and enjoy a hot dog at Casey's Corner on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom after most of the crowd has left the park. While we ate, we watched a crane lift workers in a bucket way above the highest spire of the castle, presumably to do some sort of maintenance up there.

Tonight while waiting for the crowd to disperse, we had fun taking photos of all the sculptures around the Partner's statue at the hub of the Magic Kingdom. Those and all our other photos are posted on Flickr.

We Made It!

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 02:31:00 +0000

After a harrowing 3am drive to the Manchester, NH airport during a snow storm in which visibility was almost zero at times and we had to keep stopping to de-ice our windshield wipers, our plane took off only a little late and we arrived in warm and sunny Orlando around 10am.

We took Disney's Magical Express from the airport and checked into the beautiful Saratoga Springs Resort. We were pleasantly surprised to learn our room was ready, so we were able to find it and freshen up a bit before taking a boat over to Downtown Disney where we had a reservation for lunch at Raglan Road. This is an Irish pub and today it was almost deserted. The food and service were excellent. We shared their famous bread pudding for dessert. After lunch we found the walking path back to SSR. It only took about 15 minutes and was a pleasant alternative to riding the bus - and much needed after that bread pudding.

Back at the room, we each took a short nap. Neither of us bothered going to bed last night since we had to leave so early for the airport. We slept some on the plane, but we were still feeling the effects of our all-nighter. After our nap, we found the bus stop near our building and waited about 15 minutes for a bus to Epcot.

Crowds were quite light at Epcot. I hope this is going to be the trend this week. We started in the front of the park in Future World, rode Spaceship Earth (a walk-on) and then headed over to The Land to pick up a Fast Pass for Soarin'. It was now a little after 5 pm and the Fast Pass return time was posted at between 8 and 9pm. As we approached the Fast Pass machines, a young lady approached Rick and gave him two Fast Passes for 5:24 that she wasn't able to use. So we rode Living With the Land while waiting for our Fast Pass window to open and then rode Soarin', always a favorite.

After that we took a Friendship boat across the lagoon to the World Showcase and watched American Adventure. We had a snack at the fast food place in Morocco while listening to their band. Mo' Rockin'. Then we walked back to the front of the park again to catch a bus back to the resort. We rode Spaceship Earth once more on the way out and found our bus just pulling up as we approached the bus stop.

We're calling it an early night. Today's pace was nice and leisurely, but we are bushed.

Another visit to The Mouse

noreply@blogger.com (kay-lo) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:26:00 +0000

A week from today we'll be back in Orlando at Disney World. We're trying a new resort this time - the Saratoga Springs. It's a DVC resort and we're renting points from a DVC member - a real bargain. The resort is a short walk away from Downtown Disney, so we'll see if we'll spend more time there than usual. I made a lunch reservation for Sunday at Raglan Road, the Irish-style pub there. They're supposed to have a killer bread pudding that we may have to sample.

I have an itinerary sketched out, but it's tentative, as are the advanced dining reservations I made for lunch each day. We can follow this plan or not, depending on what we feel like doing. The ADRs just ensure we'll get to eat someplace nice each day if we want to. We're going to try and have our table-service meals at lunchtime this trip and see how that works out. No special plans this time except to do as much or as little as we please!

Watch here for a daily journal and photos coming soon!