darthmacho
09-09-2010, 04:51 PM
Date: August 19, 2010
Location: Epcot
The Cast:
DM: Me, Darth Macho, Celebrating Our 12th Anniversary. (Belatedly)
DW: Dear Wife, The Queen, Celebrating Our 12th Anniversary. (Belatedly)
DD1: Princess, 9yo, Celebrating 1st Visit (That she'll remember. She was just 2yo on her actual first visit.)
DD2: Princess, 6yo, Celebrating 1st Visit (She was born mysteriously 9 months after our last visit…)
Oh Canada!
Okay, we didn't bother with the movie, but we explored what might be the most picturesque outdoor pavilion in World Showcase. We started out in front of the totems, and made our way up to the area of the hotel, wondering what became of the Green Gables store that used to preside there. Seems like wasted space, but I assume they closed it because it wasn't profitable? Anyway, we made our way down the "mountain" and took our traditional picture in front of the waterfall before making our way to the lovely garden which happened to be right outside the entrance to Le Cellier, and perfect timing for our ADR.
We checked in, and as we were waiting in the lobby, a cast member (I wish I got her name) was keeping everyone entertained by asking Canadian trivia questions and giving out stickers for right answers. We didn't earn any stickers, but I got a few chuckles by answering every question with Bret 'the Hitman' Hart. We weren't there very long, as we were promptly taken to our seats.
Now I've heard how popular this restaurant is, and have read a few criticisms about how it's overly hyped for a dark dungeon of a restaurant, but my opinion falls somewhere in between. I thought the atmosphere was appropriate. It really felt like a cozy wine cellar, and I thought the décor was nice. Our waitress was pretty nice, but not outstanding, but the menu looked fabulous. I thought the highlight of the menu were the appetizers, so I took the options to the left that included one. Although I have heard wonderful things about the cheese soup, I decided to go with the spicy chicken and chipotle sausage, and was not disappointed. Though it didn't seem like a "Canadian" dish, what do I know? For our main entrée, DW got the filet mignon, which she ordered medium well :rolleyes:and DD1 ordered the kids steak, while DD2 went with a hot dog. I got the sirloin salad (medium rare) and it was fabulous, and not too heavy. For dessert, it was a tough choice, but DW got the whiskey cake, and I got the chocolate moose, which was my third great dessert that week. Very creative. I also forgot to mention that we all enjoyed the pretzel bread as well.
Overall, Le Cellier was a great restaurant, and there was more items on the menu I'd like to try, so a return trip would be in order. The only problem is that I don't think it's worth two credits on the dining plan, so I seriously doubt that a return trip is going to happen so long as we're going to use it. In any case, Le Cellier was indeed a great place to dine.We browsed in Northwest Mercantile, a great store, before heading back to FW.
Back to the Future
No, we didn't head over to that "other" theme park, but we did head back to Future World to use our Soarin' FP, which were long overdue. As an attraction that lived up to it's reputation, and new to us, it simply had to be experience for a second time. Before we rode, we decided to take in a highly underrated ride, Living with the Land, and I'm glad we didn't skip it. I've always liked this attraction, but it was even more interesting this time around than before. Other than eliminating the live guide, I wasn't sure how much it had changed since we last rode, but it seemed so fresh and alive to me. Again, this ride is highly underrated, and of course, now is living in the shadow of Soarin'.
After our second go on Soarin', for which we were in the second row again, we crossed back over to the other side to ride Test Track, which was so crowded, that even with our FP, it seemed like a long wait. That was okay with me because we got to see some of the cool stuff in one of my favorite queue areas. The kids got a kick out of all the crash dummies. We enjoyed our ride, though afterwards I was left pondering if Soarin' was good enough to replace TT as my new favorite FW attraction. I haven't decided yet. It's difficult to compare, like apples and oranges, if you'll parden my cliché.
Next we rode one of my least favorite attractions, Mission Space. We would have skipped it entirely, but since it now offers a "Green" version, we opted for that, not only for the kids' sake, but for our own. On the bright side, the line for "Green" was far shorter (10m compared to 30m) than the "Orange". I was the Navigator, DW was the Engineer, DD1 was the Pilot, and DD2 was the Commander, lol. DD1 wasn't happy that she didn't get to be Commander, and rank lower than her little sister, but she got over it once the ride started, and I talked up how awesome the Pilot position was, lol. We all enjoyed the "Green" version of the ride, and I have no regrets about taking the easy way out. I can now say I like Mission Space as an attraction, and can take it off the extremely short "do not ride" list.
With most of the pavilions visited, we opted to go to Club Cool to try some sodas and cool off. The first thing I noticed upon entering was how sticky the floor was, and I hated that. The second unfortunate thing was when I decided to start my sampling with Beverly. I have a very open mind when it comes to flavor, but this was just plain disgusting. I decided to give it a second chance and sipped it again, but it was still awful. It did not grow on me at all. Nevertheless, I forced myself to "man-up" and drink the entire cup full. It didn't get any better. It's just a nasty drink. I tired all the rest of the sodas, and generally disliked them. Give me Original Coca Cola any day. Actually, please don't because I swear that stuff is addictive. Anyway, I digress.
Next stop was the Imagination Pavilion, where I refused to watch Captain EO. DW says she would have watched it, but the rest of us aren't MJ fans so we passed. In retrospect, I now wonder if we should have seen it because JIYI is a lousy ride. It takes a lot for me to say that about a WDW attraction, but except for the lovable Figment, and the catchy tune, this ride seemed to be haphazard. As many Intercotees have posted, there is very little "Imagination" involved in this ride. Terrible. The best thing about the pavilion is the building façade and the sight gags in the queue. They should re-do this ride again and try to get it right. They should keep Figment of course, because he's got potential, and an original WDW non-movie character, which are few and far between.
Finally, we returned to the Land Pavilion where we planned on catching Circle of Life. I wish we hadn't. Our third dud in a row, the Circle of Life is a depressing film. Sure, it sends and important message, but not one I want to hear while I'm on vacation, okay? I'll worry about how humans are blighting the earth when I get home. Besides, they forgot to mention how many of those landfills are filled with the packaging, plastic utensils, empty ketchup cups, and other trash that must be generated by the ton each day at WDW. Seems a little hypocritical, and definitely preachy, to me. Don't want to knock my beloved WDW, but please, give me a break with this film. Never again. Even the positive ending and the lovable characters couldn't save it for me.
What did save the day for me was dinner at Sunshine Seasons Food Faire! I've always thought this would be a great place to dine, but with so many options in World Showcase, we had never gotten the chance to try it. This was our perfect opportunity. DW and the kids all got kids chicken meals, but I got Mongolian beef with noodles and veggies, and ate it with chopsticks. It was easily one of my top 3 quick serves of the week, though I haven't really gone over them all to rank them. The food was fresh, and the atmosphere wonderful considering it was a crowded food court. It afforded us the chance to soak in the beauty of this wonderful pavilion too, and help us forget about the blight of the earth for awhile…
Having eaten, and endured two days in a row of early wake-up calls, we headed for the exit as darkness began to settle. We had to fit in Spaceship Earth one more time though, and we let the girls play around in the exit area for a bit before we left. Our long days took their toll on DD2, our little trooper, who took a power nap on the bus ride back to POR. It was a great day in Future World, though regrettably we missed Crush, EO, and Ellen, and even more regrettably we didn't miss Beverly, JIYI, or Timon and Pumba. It was a full day though, and we did eat well, as one always does at Epcot, and we would be returning to explore World Showcase the next day, so there wasn't the same sadness that there was leaving AK.
But let's save it all for next time...
Location: Epcot
The Cast:
DM: Me, Darth Macho, Celebrating Our 12th Anniversary. (Belatedly)
DW: Dear Wife, The Queen, Celebrating Our 12th Anniversary. (Belatedly)
DD1: Princess, 9yo, Celebrating 1st Visit (That she'll remember. She was just 2yo on her actual first visit.)
DD2: Princess, 6yo, Celebrating 1st Visit (She was born mysteriously 9 months after our last visit…)
Oh Canada!
Okay, we didn't bother with the movie, but we explored what might be the most picturesque outdoor pavilion in World Showcase. We started out in front of the totems, and made our way up to the area of the hotel, wondering what became of the Green Gables store that used to preside there. Seems like wasted space, but I assume they closed it because it wasn't profitable? Anyway, we made our way down the "mountain" and took our traditional picture in front of the waterfall before making our way to the lovely garden which happened to be right outside the entrance to Le Cellier, and perfect timing for our ADR.
We checked in, and as we were waiting in the lobby, a cast member (I wish I got her name) was keeping everyone entertained by asking Canadian trivia questions and giving out stickers for right answers. We didn't earn any stickers, but I got a few chuckles by answering every question with Bret 'the Hitman' Hart. We weren't there very long, as we were promptly taken to our seats.
Now I've heard how popular this restaurant is, and have read a few criticisms about how it's overly hyped for a dark dungeon of a restaurant, but my opinion falls somewhere in between. I thought the atmosphere was appropriate. It really felt like a cozy wine cellar, and I thought the décor was nice. Our waitress was pretty nice, but not outstanding, but the menu looked fabulous. I thought the highlight of the menu were the appetizers, so I took the options to the left that included one. Although I have heard wonderful things about the cheese soup, I decided to go with the spicy chicken and chipotle sausage, and was not disappointed. Though it didn't seem like a "Canadian" dish, what do I know? For our main entrée, DW got the filet mignon, which she ordered medium well :rolleyes:and DD1 ordered the kids steak, while DD2 went with a hot dog. I got the sirloin salad (medium rare) and it was fabulous, and not too heavy. For dessert, it was a tough choice, but DW got the whiskey cake, and I got the chocolate moose, which was my third great dessert that week. Very creative. I also forgot to mention that we all enjoyed the pretzel bread as well.
Overall, Le Cellier was a great restaurant, and there was more items on the menu I'd like to try, so a return trip would be in order. The only problem is that I don't think it's worth two credits on the dining plan, so I seriously doubt that a return trip is going to happen so long as we're going to use it. In any case, Le Cellier was indeed a great place to dine.We browsed in Northwest Mercantile, a great store, before heading back to FW.
Back to the Future
No, we didn't head over to that "other" theme park, but we did head back to Future World to use our Soarin' FP, which were long overdue. As an attraction that lived up to it's reputation, and new to us, it simply had to be experience for a second time. Before we rode, we decided to take in a highly underrated ride, Living with the Land, and I'm glad we didn't skip it. I've always liked this attraction, but it was even more interesting this time around than before. Other than eliminating the live guide, I wasn't sure how much it had changed since we last rode, but it seemed so fresh and alive to me. Again, this ride is highly underrated, and of course, now is living in the shadow of Soarin'.
After our second go on Soarin', for which we were in the second row again, we crossed back over to the other side to ride Test Track, which was so crowded, that even with our FP, it seemed like a long wait. That was okay with me because we got to see some of the cool stuff in one of my favorite queue areas. The kids got a kick out of all the crash dummies. We enjoyed our ride, though afterwards I was left pondering if Soarin' was good enough to replace TT as my new favorite FW attraction. I haven't decided yet. It's difficult to compare, like apples and oranges, if you'll parden my cliché.
Next we rode one of my least favorite attractions, Mission Space. We would have skipped it entirely, but since it now offers a "Green" version, we opted for that, not only for the kids' sake, but for our own. On the bright side, the line for "Green" was far shorter (10m compared to 30m) than the "Orange". I was the Navigator, DW was the Engineer, DD1 was the Pilot, and DD2 was the Commander, lol. DD1 wasn't happy that she didn't get to be Commander, and rank lower than her little sister, but she got over it once the ride started, and I talked up how awesome the Pilot position was, lol. We all enjoyed the "Green" version of the ride, and I have no regrets about taking the easy way out. I can now say I like Mission Space as an attraction, and can take it off the extremely short "do not ride" list.
With most of the pavilions visited, we opted to go to Club Cool to try some sodas and cool off. The first thing I noticed upon entering was how sticky the floor was, and I hated that. The second unfortunate thing was when I decided to start my sampling with Beverly. I have a very open mind when it comes to flavor, but this was just plain disgusting. I decided to give it a second chance and sipped it again, but it was still awful. It did not grow on me at all. Nevertheless, I forced myself to "man-up" and drink the entire cup full. It didn't get any better. It's just a nasty drink. I tired all the rest of the sodas, and generally disliked them. Give me Original Coca Cola any day. Actually, please don't because I swear that stuff is addictive. Anyway, I digress.
Next stop was the Imagination Pavilion, where I refused to watch Captain EO. DW says she would have watched it, but the rest of us aren't MJ fans so we passed. In retrospect, I now wonder if we should have seen it because JIYI is a lousy ride. It takes a lot for me to say that about a WDW attraction, but except for the lovable Figment, and the catchy tune, this ride seemed to be haphazard. As many Intercotees have posted, there is very little "Imagination" involved in this ride. Terrible. The best thing about the pavilion is the building façade and the sight gags in the queue. They should re-do this ride again and try to get it right. They should keep Figment of course, because he's got potential, and an original WDW non-movie character, which are few and far between.
Finally, we returned to the Land Pavilion where we planned on catching Circle of Life. I wish we hadn't. Our third dud in a row, the Circle of Life is a depressing film. Sure, it sends and important message, but not one I want to hear while I'm on vacation, okay? I'll worry about how humans are blighting the earth when I get home. Besides, they forgot to mention how many of those landfills are filled with the packaging, plastic utensils, empty ketchup cups, and other trash that must be generated by the ton each day at WDW. Seems a little hypocritical, and definitely preachy, to me. Don't want to knock my beloved WDW, but please, give me a break with this film. Never again. Even the positive ending and the lovable characters couldn't save it for me.
What did save the day for me was dinner at Sunshine Seasons Food Faire! I've always thought this would be a great place to dine, but with so many options in World Showcase, we had never gotten the chance to try it. This was our perfect opportunity. DW and the kids all got kids chicken meals, but I got Mongolian beef with noodles and veggies, and ate it with chopsticks. It was easily one of my top 3 quick serves of the week, though I haven't really gone over them all to rank them. The food was fresh, and the atmosphere wonderful considering it was a crowded food court. It afforded us the chance to soak in the beauty of this wonderful pavilion too, and help us forget about the blight of the earth for awhile…
Having eaten, and endured two days in a row of early wake-up calls, we headed for the exit as darkness began to settle. We had to fit in Spaceship Earth one more time though, and we let the girls play around in the exit area for a bit before we left. Our long days took their toll on DD2, our little trooper, who took a power nap on the bus ride back to POR. It was a great day in Future World, though regrettably we missed Crush, EO, and Ellen, and even more regrettably we didn't miss Beverly, JIYI, or Timon and Pumba. It was a full day though, and we did eat well, as one always does at Epcot, and we would be returning to explore World Showcase the next day, so there wasn't the same sadness that there was leaving AK.
But let's save it all for next time...