Ah, Orlando. Land of Sweet Tomatoes delectable salad bar and, of course, Mickey Mouse. We had decent crowds and no major mishaps to speak of, so I can focus on the spoils of our time off.
My mother was finally able to send care packages - even though Halloween had just passed, it was still fun to decorate my station with a little love from home:
We stopped in at Jake's Deli (which I'd never heard of) for a round of baked potatoes. Patrick was not exaggerating about the size:
**Warning to all readers: Continuing to read this entry may make you hungry. Not at first... but as you go. Please take this time to get a snack.**
---------------------------------------------
DISNEY! Round Two:
I finally got to meet up with my dear friend Ty on Friday morning. He deserves a round of applause - at this time of year, Disney cast members have hellish schedules. In his case, Ty was coming off a few nights of 9pm-7am shifts, including the Thursday before we set off. Basically, he was running on no sleep and one large caramel mocha from Starbucks. How he survived, I have no idea...
We started our day at Hollywood Studios (forever in my mind as MGM Studios), since the last time I was there I didn't get to see half the park. Do yourself a favor - skip the American Idol Experience unless you're really serious about it. It eats up your entire day.
We caught the first performance of Voyage of the Little Mermaid - a sunny combination of puppetry, live action, and video.
Ariel sounded almost exactly like the original voicing, even though she was marking a little (you'd do the same if it was 10am and you had six more shows to do that day). There were bubbles and rain, amazing costume changes and laser lights... all in the span of about 20 minutes.
Aerosmith's ROCK AND ROLLER COASTER!! Oh, friends. Easily the best ride Disney's opened in years. Smooth, exciting, awesome music... it has everything you could possibly want.
Gil, sadly, was too short to ride:
So Ty and I had to represent for the whole of the Addams Family:
In the meantime, Gil got himself tangled in mischief at the gift shop:
Next, we sauntered over to the Tower of Terror - a ride I've been on before, but I still get nervous about the drop.
Gil was trying to act all manly and cool by goofing off on the way to the elevator:
Once again, we were ready to represent:
-----------------------------------------
Gil was fascinated by all the photo opportunities around the park. Here are a few of his favorites:
-----------------------------------------
Next, we snagged seats for the Beauty and the Beast stage show. Unlike our Ariel at 10am, this Belle was NOT the vocal spitting image of the film. In fact, she was decidedly disconcerting. I brushed it off as theme-parkery and enjoyed a stage full of dancing cutlery:
Hot pink ball gowns? Yes please!
----------------------------------------------
Later in the day, Ty and I managed to sneak Gil onto the Rock and Roller Coaster:
He screamed the entire ride. I still tease him about it.
------------------------------------------
Next was a trip down memory lane at the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! I remembered this one from when I was a kid. I think two of our parental chaperones were dragged into the show as "extras."
Ever the rebel, Gil started ignoring signs and we had to flee the scene.
Luckily, Star Tours was around the corner!
This ride went through a recent overhaul. It now includes 57 possible combinations of ride videos, including scenes from all six Star Wars films. Gil and I were geeking out:
---------------------------------------
Oh, Muppets. I hope this part of the park gets more attention now that the movie is coming out.
Gil, horsing around again:
I always love how Disney sets up the entry for rides so that the wait time seems shorter. There's always a hundred things to look/laugh at, and usually a video setting up what you're about to experience. It makes the whole day feel like an adventure.
My favorite detail of the Muppet waiting room: A Net Fulla Jell-o. Get it? Annette Funnicello?
Ahh.... you're no fun.
-------------------------------------
The most popular ride at Hollywood Studios is the Toy Story 3D shooting gallery. Its the perfect combination of silly spinning and aiming at balloons. The wait time is always over an hour, so we planned ahead and got Fast Passes.
While we were waiting, I had to pay homage to Ty with Gil's tag:
The whole room is set up to look like 1980's board games and toys. Here's the Tinker Toy detail:
Love Disney. So much care goes into these rides.
-------------------------------------------
Around 4pm, we headed over to Epcot. The Food and Wine festival was on, and I wanted to take advantage of a dinner around the world.
On the way to the countries, Ocean Spray had set up a cranberry pool advertising Crasins. Pretty cool, right?
And now: OUR DINNER.
We started in South Africa - Seared filet of beef with smashed sweet potatoes and Braai sauce. Holy delicious, Batman:
Next, New Zealand - Seared sea scallop with Kumara-Red curry puree and apple radish salad.
Belgium: Steamed mussels with roasted garlic cream and baguette, and a Belgian waffle with berry compote and whipped cream.
As we passed France, we decided to take a risk and try escargot. The lady in front of us in line insisted that we try it because she knew we would love it:
Escargots Persillade en Brioche... here goes nothing!
We LOVED it! Two orders and not a crumb remained.
We also had a Parisian Cosmo Slush. Delish.
In Hawai'i (not a country, Disney), we tasted a Kalua Pork Slider with sweet and sour Dole pineapple chutney and spicy mayo:
And last, but not least, Ropa Vieja with white rice and a Dragon Berry Colada in the Caribbean.
Thank you, Food and Wine Festival!!
We will never forget your delicious dishes. Especially Gil, who felt like he was on top of the world:
------------------------------------------
The Bob Carr theatre is in the early stages of building a mural collection. We were lucky to have our pick of open walls. Here's the design I came up with in honor of Orlando and the Mouse:
Hand-painted Mickey detail. Everyone thought it was a sticker.
Signed by the company:
Orlando was a lovely adventure. I managed to see almost all the parks of Disney AND bought two pairs of fabulous shoes. My favorite thing about Orlando is that it isn't a beachy town - there's plenty to do without wearing a bathing suit. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about West Palm.
I write this to you sitting on a ten-person couch in our City Place vacation rental in West Palm. My roommates are at the beach, soaking up rays and splashing around in the ocean. I opted to stay home, get some work done, and walk around the shops. "I dislike the beach" is an understatement. I hate everything about the beach - from the sun that burns me horribly, to the sand all over, and the swimming in salty water. It is so far from my idea of relaxing as to actually file under "vexing."
People never understand my loathing for the beach. I try not to talk about it, simply politely refusing to attend and citing my Stay-Puff skin as reason. It just doesn't do it for me. I'd rather be walking around at the shops, seeing a movie, or even just relaxing at home with my nail polish and Netflix.
**As I write, my room mates have arrived home because there was a downpour at the beach and they had to leave. I shouldn't be laughing, but inside I'm giggling. Just a little. At least I didn't miss anything too exciting. We are now drinking peach bellinis. Score.**
To end on a positive note - our vacation rental is fantastic. A three level townhouse with three bedrooms and two and a half baths. Huge living room with a wrap around leather couch, flat screen TV, and stand alone bar. We're planning a house party for Wednesday evening. Debauchery shall ensue.
So, am I invited to your little debauched soiree?
ReplyDeleteLove the whole Gil visiting Disney . . .