SBETigg
09-15-2010, 08:02 AM
The Spoiled:
Sherri, 40-something
Sean, 40-something
Nick, 19
Elissa, 17
Objective: One big last family trip before both kids are in college and schedules/circumstances prohibit future family stays.
August 19, Thursday.
We all sleep slightly later than planned and get to Epcot at around 10:30, only to find (surprise!) the Soarin' fastpasses are already for much later in the day and the line is over 60 minutes long. No one wants to wait. Maybe later. Off to Test Track, and Fastpasses to save the day (an hour wait there, too). The husband's knee has been bothering him for weeks, and it's starting to impact our mobility. He had a knee replacement a year ago, but it's already giving him trouble again. He'll wear a brace, but won't use a cane or consider renting a scooter. But we have nine days, and I've been to WDW recently enough to satisfy my ride cravings (a month ago on business). Plus, the kids can run off without us if they want. Taking it easy and going slow is fine with me.
We get some water and hobble over to ride Spaceship Earth while we wait for our Test Track FP time. There's a twenty minute wait, and I convince the crew to wait it out. Most of the line is in the shade. Most. Predictably, we're in line for five minutes before the husband starts getting grouchy from the heat (and we haven't even hit the sunny stretch of line yet). But the wait is worth it! It's cool and dark in Spaceship Earth and Judy Dench is an impeccable narrator (though, yes, she's no Jeremy Irons). The kids have fun with the final scene and I realize they were well aware of the camera early on and in a competition to make the goofiest face. Nick wins. Hilarious.
Off to Test Track, about a twenty minute wait even with Fastpasses in hand. But I love the queue and the music (for now) and I'm so excited just to be there. It's a great ride. After Test Track, it's almost time for lunch. We meander over to Mexico and I'm surprised when the line just to check in goes almost out the door. Good thing I'm early for my ADR, as usual. While I wait to check in, Sean goes off to check out the new Cava del Tequila (he's pretty happy about it) and the kids shop around. After twenty minutes (yes, just in line for lunch!) I finally get to the desk and get my buzzer and the wait is on (again).
I meet the husband at La Cava and decline to ask how many he's already sampled (don't want to know- that knee seems a little better) but he has a Tequila Flight (the more expensive one) waiting for us to share. I'm impressed. I don't know much about tequila, but I'm a quick study and it's all pretty darn good. I especially like the tomato garlic "palate cleanser" and the sipping tequila. Yum. Barely buzzed but still not being buzzed for our seat, we grab the kids and head to ride what I'll always think of as El Rio del Tiempo. It's a mild ride, but Small World is down for our whole trip, so I enjoy my dose of little dancing dolls here.
Done with the ride, and still no buzzer going off for us to be seated. We watch a man yell at the manager because he missed his 12 pm seating thinking his ADR was for 2. They're trying to accommodate him, but it's crowded. I decide to check in at the podium (skipping the line this time) to see what is happening to our ADR, in case the buzzer isn't working, and yes, we're seated immediately. Excellent.
Lunch at San Angel Inn has always been good for us, and this time, even better. We're not in prime riverside seats, but we don't care. The atmosphere is still lovely and the son enjoys watching the volcano go off, and finds a shooting star. Happy kids mean happy mom, even when they're all grown up. I start with a mango margarita (love those). And wow, let me mention now that the chips and salsa are actually good! Shocker. Not the same ol' round tostitos they have served in the past. They are warm. Are they fresh? Or a better brand of Tostitos? I have no idea, but much improved. Thumbs up, San Angel.
Nick and I (the seafood lovers) share an appetizer, the Tostados de Jalba- Fried corn tortillas topped with shredded crab meat, mixed with chipolte mayo, red onions, cilantro, and lime juice. Elissa and Sean share the Tostados de Tinga - Fried corn tortillas topped with black beans, lettuce, onions, avocado, tomato marinated chicken, sour cream, and fresh cheese. Nick and I enjoy ours, but Elissa and Sean ooh and aah over theirs like they've discovered a new culinary wonder. I guess it's good. On to entrees. So much for variety, three of us get the Tampiquena Con Chilaquiles - Grilled beef tenderloin served with Chilaquiles (layers of fried corn tortilla, green toa chicken enchilada topped with ranchera sauce and esquites). And one of us (Elissa) gets the Enchiladas Verdes de Pollo - Corn tortilla stuffed with chicken, topped with sour cream, fresh cheese and onions, covered with green tomatilla sauce, and served with black beans. We're all really happy with our food. The steak is surprisingly flavorful and tender. The chilaquiles is remarkably spicy. I like spicy, and I manage to eat a few bites (just enough really, filling meal) before I cave to the fire in my mouth. Just a tad too spicy (which is surprising, considering most Disney food is so mild). But nothing the mango margarita can't handle. I have the flan for dessert (which I love, perfectly creamy and sweet) while the others get vanilla ice cream. My verdict: Great atmosphere, excellent service (our server was really on top of things, and always there when we needed him), and genuinely very good food. Hard to believe perhaps, but I'm giving it four stars out of five.
After our huge meal, we all need naps. We've been using the phone app from the Touring Plans site and it tells us that FPs are all out at Soarin and the wait is 80 minutes. Yipes. We head for one last ride on Test Track, single rider line- 10 minute wait. And then head back to the Polynesian for an afternoon of R and R. But we're feeling refreshed before you know it and after two hours of relaxing (napping for some, pool time for others), we are ready to head back to Epcot to shop around World Showcase and maybe catch Illuminations.
Nick is a little frustrated with this plan. Shopping is not his thing. But World Showcase is irresistibly exciting, especially after we give them permission to spend our money, and he and his sister separate off from the pokey old folks to look around. Sean is in the mood to buy stuff. I never argue with a husband who wants to shop. We buy four Guinness glasses at Rose and Crown (shipped back to the Poly, love that!). Sean considers a soccer shirt, passes for now. I look at jewelry, pass for now. We head to France and share a wine flight. Cheers! To Morocco and look, but don't buy. To Japan. We buy a tea set and tea. And we share a sake tasting flight. I didn't know they had sake tastings. We enjoy the first two sake samples, but leave most of the third one, the dessert sake. That one takes a special taste for sake, not ours. Ew. On right by America (maybe later) and to Italy.
In Italy, we run into the kids. Nick has decided to start a hat collection. If you have to shop, find something fun to buy (he says). His first is a fedora from the UK (and it actually looks quite nice on him). Elissa has bought a silk kimono, and she's very excited about it, plus a few stuffed animals. They've both bought some gummy candy from Germany. And they're off- headed toward France. We decide to stick in Italy. It's an EMH night and almost time for Illuminations. We have a pretty good view, standing back near the shops. Slight tree obstruction, but no big deal. I love Illuminations. Wishes used to be my favorite fireworks display, but Illuminations has eclipsed it. The husband and I have such a great time watching, holding hands. And we're getting hungry. After Illuminations, on a whim, we just beat the rush to Via Napoli and put our name on the list for a table for four. Slight wait. We call the kids and ask them to join us.
Via Napoli is huge inside, much bigger than I expected. It's bright, clean, lovely but slightly cafeteria-esque in appearance. Very cool pizza ovens add a touch of whimsy and atmosphere. I love the Michelangelo like statues on the outside (very well done exterior really adds to the Italy pavilion). We all get pizza, individual sizes. A quattro formaggi (four cheese), a margherita (mozzerella, tomato, basil), an ortolano (veggie and mozzerella) and a piccante (spicy sausage with broccoli-rabe and mozzerella). At first, I like the piccante best (yummy sausage) but the abundance of broccoli-rabe (a bitter, spinach-like green) quickly becomes overwhelming. The four cheese is very rich, so rich that our cheese lover loves it but can't finish. The ortolano is delicious, almost just right. Except the Margherita is the real triumph in it's simplicity, very well done. All of the pizza is really fantastic and the crust is a triumph. My verdict: Via Napoli is a splendid addition to World Showcase and sure to be a hit with families and visitors of all ages. Four of five stars.
Epcot will be open for another few hours, but we've had enough. After pizza, we head over to ride Maelstrom (no wait) and back to the Poly to rest up for tomorrow, sure to be another exciting day (MK/Epcot, dinner at Tokyo Dining).
Previous report Polynesian: Pampered and Indulged Day One (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=175012)
Sherri, 40-something
Sean, 40-something
Nick, 19
Elissa, 17
Objective: One big last family trip before both kids are in college and schedules/circumstances prohibit future family stays.
August 19, Thursday.
We all sleep slightly later than planned and get to Epcot at around 10:30, only to find (surprise!) the Soarin' fastpasses are already for much later in the day and the line is over 60 minutes long. No one wants to wait. Maybe later. Off to Test Track, and Fastpasses to save the day (an hour wait there, too). The husband's knee has been bothering him for weeks, and it's starting to impact our mobility. He had a knee replacement a year ago, but it's already giving him trouble again. He'll wear a brace, but won't use a cane or consider renting a scooter. But we have nine days, and I've been to WDW recently enough to satisfy my ride cravings (a month ago on business). Plus, the kids can run off without us if they want. Taking it easy and going slow is fine with me.
We get some water and hobble over to ride Spaceship Earth while we wait for our Test Track FP time. There's a twenty minute wait, and I convince the crew to wait it out. Most of the line is in the shade. Most. Predictably, we're in line for five minutes before the husband starts getting grouchy from the heat (and we haven't even hit the sunny stretch of line yet). But the wait is worth it! It's cool and dark in Spaceship Earth and Judy Dench is an impeccable narrator (though, yes, she's no Jeremy Irons). The kids have fun with the final scene and I realize they were well aware of the camera early on and in a competition to make the goofiest face. Nick wins. Hilarious.
Off to Test Track, about a twenty minute wait even with Fastpasses in hand. But I love the queue and the music (for now) and I'm so excited just to be there. It's a great ride. After Test Track, it's almost time for lunch. We meander over to Mexico and I'm surprised when the line just to check in goes almost out the door. Good thing I'm early for my ADR, as usual. While I wait to check in, Sean goes off to check out the new Cava del Tequila (he's pretty happy about it) and the kids shop around. After twenty minutes (yes, just in line for lunch!) I finally get to the desk and get my buzzer and the wait is on (again).
I meet the husband at La Cava and decline to ask how many he's already sampled (don't want to know- that knee seems a little better) but he has a Tequila Flight (the more expensive one) waiting for us to share. I'm impressed. I don't know much about tequila, but I'm a quick study and it's all pretty darn good. I especially like the tomato garlic "palate cleanser" and the sipping tequila. Yum. Barely buzzed but still not being buzzed for our seat, we grab the kids and head to ride what I'll always think of as El Rio del Tiempo. It's a mild ride, but Small World is down for our whole trip, so I enjoy my dose of little dancing dolls here.
Done with the ride, and still no buzzer going off for us to be seated. We watch a man yell at the manager because he missed his 12 pm seating thinking his ADR was for 2. They're trying to accommodate him, but it's crowded. I decide to check in at the podium (skipping the line this time) to see what is happening to our ADR, in case the buzzer isn't working, and yes, we're seated immediately. Excellent.
Lunch at San Angel Inn has always been good for us, and this time, even better. We're not in prime riverside seats, but we don't care. The atmosphere is still lovely and the son enjoys watching the volcano go off, and finds a shooting star. Happy kids mean happy mom, even when they're all grown up. I start with a mango margarita (love those). And wow, let me mention now that the chips and salsa are actually good! Shocker. Not the same ol' round tostitos they have served in the past. They are warm. Are they fresh? Or a better brand of Tostitos? I have no idea, but much improved. Thumbs up, San Angel.
Nick and I (the seafood lovers) share an appetizer, the Tostados de Jalba- Fried corn tortillas topped with shredded crab meat, mixed with chipolte mayo, red onions, cilantro, and lime juice. Elissa and Sean share the Tostados de Tinga - Fried corn tortillas topped with black beans, lettuce, onions, avocado, tomato marinated chicken, sour cream, and fresh cheese. Nick and I enjoy ours, but Elissa and Sean ooh and aah over theirs like they've discovered a new culinary wonder. I guess it's good. On to entrees. So much for variety, three of us get the Tampiquena Con Chilaquiles - Grilled beef tenderloin served with Chilaquiles (layers of fried corn tortilla, green toa chicken enchilada topped with ranchera sauce and esquites). And one of us (Elissa) gets the Enchiladas Verdes de Pollo - Corn tortilla stuffed with chicken, topped with sour cream, fresh cheese and onions, covered with green tomatilla sauce, and served with black beans. We're all really happy with our food. The steak is surprisingly flavorful and tender. The chilaquiles is remarkably spicy. I like spicy, and I manage to eat a few bites (just enough really, filling meal) before I cave to the fire in my mouth. Just a tad too spicy (which is surprising, considering most Disney food is so mild). But nothing the mango margarita can't handle. I have the flan for dessert (which I love, perfectly creamy and sweet) while the others get vanilla ice cream. My verdict: Great atmosphere, excellent service (our server was really on top of things, and always there when we needed him), and genuinely very good food. Hard to believe perhaps, but I'm giving it four stars out of five.
After our huge meal, we all need naps. We've been using the phone app from the Touring Plans site and it tells us that FPs are all out at Soarin and the wait is 80 minutes. Yipes. We head for one last ride on Test Track, single rider line- 10 minute wait. And then head back to the Polynesian for an afternoon of R and R. But we're feeling refreshed before you know it and after two hours of relaxing (napping for some, pool time for others), we are ready to head back to Epcot to shop around World Showcase and maybe catch Illuminations.
Nick is a little frustrated with this plan. Shopping is not his thing. But World Showcase is irresistibly exciting, especially after we give them permission to spend our money, and he and his sister separate off from the pokey old folks to look around. Sean is in the mood to buy stuff. I never argue with a husband who wants to shop. We buy four Guinness glasses at Rose and Crown (shipped back to the Poly, love that!). Sean considers a soccer shirt, passes for now. I look at jewelry, pass for now. We head to France and share a wine flight. Cheers! To Morocco and look, but don't buy. To Japan. We buy a tea set and tea. And we share a sake tasting flight. I didn't know they had sake tastings. We enjoy the first two sake samples, but leave most of the third one, the dessert sake. That one takes a special taste for sake, not ours. Ew. On right by America (maybe later) and to Italy.
In Italy, we run into the kids. Nick has decided to start a hat collection. If you have to shop, find something fun to buy (he says). His first is a fedora from the UK (and it actually looks quite nice on him). Elissa has bought a silk kimono, and she's very excited about it, plus a few stuffed animals. They've both bought some gummy candy from Germany. And they're off- headed toward France. We decide to stick in Italy. It's an EMH night and almost time for Illuminations. We have a pretty good view, standing back near the shops. Slight tree obstruction, but no big deal. I love Illuminations. Wishes used to be my favorite fireworks display, but Illuminations has eclipsed it. The husband and I have such a great time watching, holding hands. And we're getting hungry. After Illuminations, on a whim, we just beat the rush to Via Napoli and put our name on the list for a table for four. Slight wait. We call the kids and ask them to join us.
Via Napoli is huge inside, much bigger than I expected. It's bright, clean, lovely but slightly cafeteria-esque in appearance. Very cool pizza ovens add a touch of whimsy and atmosphere. I love the Michelangelo like statues on the outside (very well done exterior really adds to the Italy pavilion). We all get pizza, individual sizes. A quattro formaggi (four cheese), a margherita (mozzerella, tomato, basil), an ortolano (veggie and mozzerella) and a piccante (spicy sausage with broccoli-rabe and mozzerella). At first, I like the piccante best (yummy sausage) but the abundance of broccoli-rabe (a bitter, spinach-like green) quickly becomes overwhelming. The four cheese is very rich, so rich that our cheese lover loves it but can't finish. The ortolano is delicious, almost just right. Except the Margherita is the real triumph in it's simplicity, very well done. All of the pizza is really fantastic and the crust is a triumph. My verdict: Via Napoli is a splendid addition to World Showcase and sure to be a hit with families and visitors of all ages. Four of five stars.
Epcot will be open for another few hours, but we've had enough. After pizza, we head over to ride Maelstrom (no wait) and back to the Poly to rest up for tomorrow, sure to be another exciting day (MK/Epcot, dinner at Tokyo Dining).
Previous report Polynesian: Pampered and Indulged Day One (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=175012)