Day 1, Disney's Epcot and Magic Kingdom
With both Kendall and Jordan working at Walt Disney World and as it being three years since we had visited Pam and Fred due to Covid, we flew to Florida for a great get-away! Kendall, Jordan and Mary treated us to two days at WDW with their employee benefits. It was great! Pam and Fred drove us to the complex where Kendall's Disney subsidized apartment and our hotel for two days are located. To get there, we actually drive through the Disney Resort property and as we exit, we are at the hotel and apartments!
After introducing Pam and Fred to Pieology for dinner, we returned to the hotel and sat in the lobby for playing a few games of Euchre, guys against gals ... and yes, the guys won the night! Jordan and Mary came over and the six of us had a wonderful time in conversation. After Pam & Fred left for home, the girls came up to the room where we talked some more and got better acquainted with Mary. Kendall was working so it wasn't until the morning that we hooked up with her.
In the morning we enjoyed Mickey waffles and much more at the provided hotel breakfast buffet!
Thursday we went to Epcot where we are welcomed by Spaceship Earth, a worldview encouraging everyone on Earth to act as a harmonious crew working toward the greater good. Spaceship Earth greets visitors at the entrance of Walt Disney World's Epcot theme park. Housed within the sphere is a ride that serves to explore the history of communications and promote Epcot's founding principles, "a belief and pride in man's ability to shape a world that offers hope to people everywhere." The geodesic dome is a hemispherical thin-shell structure based on a geodesic polyhedron. The triangular elements of the dome are structurally rigid and distribute the structural stress throughout the structure, making it able to withstand very heavy loads for its size.
We had a blast riding Spaceship Earth, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Soarin' and Living with the land. Few pictures but tons of memories!!!
At Epcot we can visit eleven different Epcot World Showcase countries. Those countries are Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, the United States of America, Japan, Morocco, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada. As the host, the United States rests at the center. The US’s neighbors to the north and south, Canada and Mexico, sit at the tips of World Showcase’s right and left sides, welcoming guests to this part of the park. Traveling to the World Showcase we rode the boat to the shores of Morocco to begin our excursion of the countries. Thinking Jordan had gone to the restroom we waited for her arrival on a following boat.
To our surprise Jordan arrived with Eric and Shirley on a boat who had conspired with the girls to join us and really rock us for my birthday dinner. They were taking a weekend cruise to the Bahamas for their 25th wedding anniversary. Eric, Shirley, Kendall, Jordan and all who knew kept this a complete secret from us! Mary Anne said, "that gal looks a lot like Shirley" and then behind her she saw Eric too. What a marvelous surprise!
We were treated to a recipe for excitement when Kendall pulled some of her strings and got us into Remy's Ratatouille Adventure ride at the France pavilion! In this 4D ride experience, we joined Chef Remy on a daring culinary caper that captivated all of our senses as we zipped, dashed and scurried through the bustling kitchen, dining room and walls of Gusteau’s famous Paris restaurant as we were all shrunk down to Remy size! C’est magnifique!
We all thought a good snack would be the giant pretzels from the German pavilion.
Oh, soooo tasty!!!
Exploring all of the countries was so much fun to spend our afternoon. There is so much to see and do. Along the way we each chose different countries to select food for lunch I believe Kendall and Grandma went to Morocco, but it might have been somewhere else! No other lunch pictures as the food was too good to wait! LOL!!!
We had marvelous adventures in the World Showcase! Taking in the sights of Mexico and the antics of three feathered amigos on a gentle boat ride through the Mexico Pavilion is a great attraction called the Gran Fiesta Tour staring The Three Caballeros! Donald has disappeared south of the border, and it’s up to the other 2 caballeros from the musical trio—Panchito, the Mexican charro rooster, and José Carioca, the Brazilian parrot—to find him. The ride cruises down the Rio Grande on a boat ride past some of the most famous sights and cities in Mexico. Hilarity and hijinks ensue as the birds go in hot pursuit of their wayward friend throughout this fun-filled ride.
As dusk falls, we headed over to The Magic Kingdom. The girls had gone all out and secured a dinner reservation for all of us at the "Be Our Guest" restaurant inside the Beauty and the Beast Castle. As we exited Epcot the color show began on Spaceship Earth. With all of the colors, I should have taken a video, but I enjoy still pictures so much more. I'll post them all just to show the beauty of Disney magic! And these are just a few that we saw!!!
Walking through the gates of The Magic Kingdom, a Cast Member let us know that in less than five minutes the fireworks show would begin. What a great sight for us to experience this show as we stood on Main Street! Few pictures, many memories!
Our reservation was for 9:40 only 20 minutes before park closing. As walked over to Belle and The Beast's castle we went to Snow White's Seven Dwarf's Mine Ride. Mary Anne had not ridden this ride when we were on our 2016 Disney family vacation, so it was a first for her. The grandchildren, and Eric too, loved that she went on it!
While waiting to enter the castle for dinner, we looked around the area and saw Gaston's pub and other areas of interest. Kendall has a photo-pass so we were able to get a few pictures by the professionals! Lumiere the Candle Holder jumped onto Eric & Shirley's hands and also Mary Anne and mine! Then who should want to get into the act with all of us, none-other than little Chip!
We were in for a real treat --- Feasting on French-inspired fare in one of The Beast’s elaborately themed rooms—straight out of the beloved Disney classic! Be Our Guest Restaurant is an expansive and elegant dining destination located at the foot of Beast’s Castle in Fantasyland. Memories are made here!
The Grand Ballroom – Go for baroque in this magnificent ballroom with its high, domed ceiling, chandeliers and snow-laced Gothic arches.
The West Wing – Dine in the Beast’s mysterious West Wing study—if you dare—and perhaps you’ll even spy his enchanted rose.
The Castle Gallery – Get swept up in the romance of Belle’s private library and inspired by the larger-than-life figures of Belle and Beast dancing.
Each room is unforgettable. Just Magical!
We were very fortunate to be seated in what we all consider to be the best of the best, the Grand Ballroom. It is like stepping into the movie! Even though you really have to be there to experience it, here are some pictures that give a feeling of the magnificence. The waiter was superb, the food was deliciously outstanding, and the service was top-notch. Our table was next to the large windows where we could see it snowing outside.
The Castle Gallery is a beautiful dining area as well. It has tapestries and framed art on all walls with a centerpiece of the larger-than-life figures of Belle and Beast dancing. Gorgeous!
The West Wing is somewhat darker. This is the Beast’s mysterious West Wing study. Here the room is dark, there are some mosaic tile arches which are beautiful, a freaky portrait of the Prince which changes to The Beast with claw tears, and alone on an elevated table is his famous enchanted rose in its glass dome.
We thought it was weird we were given dinner reservations for 20 minutes before park closing, but I will now recommend this to anyone going to the Disney Parks. We walked through the park to board the shuttle to the parking lot. The park is deserted and only a few people like us were fortunate enough to have the park more-or-less to ourselves just to take picture and adsorb all of the glory of the Happiest Place On Earth! Most Christmas lighting and decorations were up, the stores were closed, cast members in the stores hustling to merchandise the store for Christmas. When we entered the park the store windows were regular merchandise and now leaving, they all are Christmas!
For my Birthday, Kendall gave me this awesome Walt Disney World shirt that she knows I love ... it has the iconic Cinderella Castle with the Storytellers Statue of Walt and Mickey Mouse holding hands. It will be cherished and worn for years to come. Thank you Kendall!!!
Day 2, Disney's Animal Kingdom
We were meeting the girls at our hotel after Jordan and Mary were to drop off Eric and Shirley at their cruise line for us to head to the parks. Unfortunately, they ran into a traffic jam due to an accident and had no choice than to wait it out. This delayed us a bit but by mid-afternoon we headed to the parks. Mary didn't feel well so she stayed home. It was a splendid day with Kendall and Jordan.
The Tree of Life honors animals and the place they all share in the great Circle of Life. At 145 feet tall, the massive tree towers over the land. There are over 300 animals carved into the tree.
In Disney’s movie “Up”, Kevin is a thirteen-foot-tall giant tropical bird. Russell, who finds the bird along the way, immediately decides to name it "Kevin", though it is later revealed that Kevin is actually a female (Russell still calls her "Kevin" long after the fact). Remembering from the movie that Kevin also likes chocolate as she kept trying to take a bite out of Russell's chocolate bar and can be lured using chocolate, we decided that we each needed a chocolate coated Mickey ice-cream bar!
In the Harambe Wildlife Reserve, home to 34 species living in 110 acres of picturesque open plains, shady forest landscapes and rocky wetlands, we boarded our Kilimanjaro Safari vehicle. Our expert guide helps point out animals and shares fascinating wildlife facts during this extraordinary expedition. We saw so many animals …. many more that when here in 2016! Some of what we spotted hippopotamus nestled in a still pond, a regal lion sunbathing on a rocky perch and two lionesses, giraffes grazing on the tall trees and others including rhinos, cheetahs, crocodiles, elephants, hyenas and zebras—and so many more!
Finding Nemo: The Big Blue World is based on Disney and Pixar’s film Finding Nemo. the stage show discovers the familiar tale of Nemo and friends from a whole new point of view, as well as fan favorite songs such as “In the Big Blue World” and “Go with the Flow.” The adventure begins by catching up with the fish from Dr. P. Sherman’s office in Finding Nemo who made their way across the ocean to the Marine Life Institute. With live performers, animated backdrops and a theater decked out with innovative lighting, sound and special effects to create Nemo’s undersea environment, this show takes you back to the extraordinary underwater world—all over again!
The Imagineers and animal experts worked together to build Disney’s Animal Kingdom park and incorporated it all into Tiffins Restaurant. We were passing Tiffins and decided to give it a try. Surprised that this was a 5-Star restaurant and it being my actual Birthday (well you only turn 74 once!!!) we thought “why not celebrate some more!”
Lavish artwork—including photograph collages, paintings and sculptures inspired by actual notes and field sketches of the Imagineers who created Disney’s Animal Kingdom park—can be found throughout the restaurant, while earth tone colors give this hideaway an authentic, warm and inviting feel… perfect for explorers looking for something new.
We started off with Tiffins Signature Bread Service: Thai Milk Bread, Coconut-Makrut Lime Sauce, Indian Pappadam, Ginger-Pear Chutney, Brazilian Pão de Queijo, Guava Jam. All were good and the four of us enjoyed every bite!
Dinner was right up there with a 5-Star rating. This birthday brought me a whole sea bass that was simply scrumptious! The lacquered chicken was enjoyed by Jordan and Mary Anne while Kendall decided to have the lobster mac and cheese. No complaints for a very happy meal!
The Animal Kingdom park closes earlier than the other parks in respect to the animals and their habits. Pandora - The World of Avatar is based on the popular film and now an amazing land located here in the Animal Kingdom. After dinner we walked to Pandora even though the attraction was not running as closing was upon us. We were able to walk through the beautiful paths and take in the brilliance of colors in the plants and other objects in Pandora. We hope to get back one day to experience this ride. It is spectacular at night with these colors!
All of the pictures are in this photo album link.
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