“Life is Grand, it Yacht to be, we are at Disney! 1/29 New TR link, a question, and this TR is complete!

It was another hot day, can you believe it?

Get out. Nuh-uh!!

The tour is called DestiNations Discovered. This is a 4-5 hour walking tour of the WS.

I'd do this in a heartbeat!

It is lovely to look around an empty park.

I've only gotten to do that on a small handful of times and loved every second!

As we checked in, I saw Meghan and N, they were also doing a tour around this same time.

Oh nice that you got to cross paths again.

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I'd do this tour simpy to get all the photos of empty areas! Sweet!

Right before Germany, we went backstage and toured the 12,000 square foot state of the art kitchen. This was really amazing. The executive chef Mike, who has been with WDW for over 30 years, gave us a tour. This kitchen was massive and so busy. The staff were prepping for F&W, this would be starting in 5 days. I have a new appreciation for Epcot and how much prep goes into these festivals! Mike told us, how we the guests, let them know loud and clear when we love something and when we dislike something! Can you believe, they sell over 250,000 beef dishes and beer cheese soup at the Canadian booth each F&W festival. We were able to go into a huge walk in freezer and learned the very strict food handling procedures that Disney upholds. I really enjoyed this portion of the tour. We each got a cookie from Chef Mike before moving on.

That would incredibly fascinating!

We got a pin which compliments the pin we got on the Future World tour.
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If you don’t have trouble walking and standing for 4-5 hours I would do this tour!!
I would LOVE to do this tour someday!! Wowza!
 
I really do! He has been viewing many you tube videos and he really wants to see the land! He wants to build a lightsaber. We may go January 2021, it would be Jack, Andi, my sister, and me!
Oh I'm so glad to hear that! Yay! :hyper:

Good thinking Tracy regarding the photo opportunities, you should work for Disney!
I think I should too :thumbsup2:laughing:

The tour sounds absolutely amazing! I need to do this! Walking around WS is one of my favorite things in the world to do, so I bet I'd love this :lovestruc And it sounds like your tour guide was fabulous :goodvibes
 
Your tour sounds amazing! I did the Keys to the Kingdom tour back in 2015 and LOVED it - I'd love to do another tour! I may have to wait a few years, but I'm sure they'll have some version of this tour still on the list when I can tour again. It would be so interesting to learn more about World Showcase! Thank you so much for telling us about your tour. :goodvibes

Goodness, that's a TON of food! I knew they likely made lots of food for the festivals, but it really makes it real when you hear the numbers!
 


The tour sounds amazing. I love WS more than anything/where else so would totally love to do this. Was it expensive?
Beautiful photos
This was a very enjoyable tour, it is 79.00 a person before the AP or Visa discount. Very reasonable.
This sounds like a really interesting and fun tour! I'm glad you enjoyed it and I love all the photos!
Thank you, it really was a wonderful and informative tour!
may need to check out that tour! Seems really cool!
I really think you would enjoy this one, Lesley!
No problem! It was nice to run into you again for a minute!
Yes, nice to say Hi again!

Oh I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it! We have it booked in two weeks and I'm really looking forward to it.
I’m excited for you two, I really think you will enjoy this tour!
Oh this is a pretty pin! You're right, it goes so nicely with the Future World one. I hope they still do this when we go on the tour, and that there's VIP viewing for EPCOT Forever since Illuminations is no more
I really like the pin from this tour and the FW one. I would think the VIP viewing will still be a perk of the tour!
Hot? In Florida? In August???
I find that hard to believe.
I know, what the heck, I didn’t think it would be hot every day :rotfl:
I've never heard of this one.
I think it is fairly new, 2-3 years maybe. It is such an informative tour!
30 years! Whoa! Great guy to give you a tour!
Yes, he really knew his job and seemed to love what he does even with all the stress!
Like what?
In Italy, the landmark in Venice is facing the wrong way compared to how it is in St. Mark’s Square and it would have cost to much to change by the time they figured it out. There were a few other little things as well.
So if the tour started at 8:15 and WS is open at 11... how difficult was the tour to navigate towards the end?
It did start getting busy towards the end but not bad. Our tour guide had areas we could stand in that really weren’t to busy.
That tour sounds amazing! How awesome to walk around the World Showcase with it so empty.
It really was fun to have the WS mostly to ourselves for the majority of the tour!
 
Love, love, love it! I'm sad the season is already half over
I know, The Mandalorian is awesome, Disney got this one right!
Oooo, I haven't seen that ending yet!
It was really cool to end on Batuu!
Your tour looks like so much fun!
it really was an awesome experience
Thanks for recommendation on tour . I have done the Future World one and this has been on my list to do . It is now moving up the list to a must do
Oh DLo, I think you would really enjoy this one! I have done quite a few tours now and this ranks up towards the top
 
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The tour sounds incredible! Since living abroad I have a new appreciation for the World Showcase, and hearing in-depth stories about each pavilion sounds like an incredible opportunity. I wrote the name down on my ever-growing list of "Things to Do When I'm Not with the Kids." :rotfl:

Sorry to hear your server at the GF tea delivered everything at once then disappeared. Makes you feel rushed when everything arrives at the same time.

It's such a struggle to book Fastpasses at DHS, especially when it comes to TSL. My youngest prefers Alien Swirlings Saucers, my oldest TSMM, and us adults SDD. Somebody is always going to be upset with the selection!
Keep this tour in mind for a day without the kids! It is really wonderful!
The Tea could have been more enjoyable with a better waitress, no doubt!
FP in HS is definitely a pain! Andi actually likes TSM more than SDD, I had no idea until she informed me we were doing SDD to much! :confused3
Even 20 yo kids can be challenging:rotfl:
 
The tour sounds awesome! Looking into it for our next trip, thank you for the review!
This was a wonderful tour. I think you and your mom would love it! I know you two love the WS from your reports!
I'd do this in a heartbeat!
You definitely should do this tour when you get a chance!
I've only gotten to do that on a small handful of times and loved every second!
There is nothing like walking around an empty park
Oh nice that you got to cross paths again.
It was very nice seeing Meghan and N again!,
I'd do this tour simpy to get all the photos of empty areas! Sweet!
For a photographer like yourself, this tour would be perfect to get awesome shots with no crowds!
That would incredibly fascinating!
The massive kitchen was amazing and Chef Mike sure knew his stuff!
I would LOVE to do this tour someday!! Wowza!
Put it on your list!
Oh I'm so glad to hear that! Yay! :hyper:
Thank you SWGE! It is getting Jack excited to head back to Disney again!
think I should too
I would love to interact with CM Tracy!!
The tour sounds absolutely amazing! I need to do this! Walking around WS is one of my favorite things in the world to do, so I bet I'd love this :lovestruc And it sounds like your tour guide was fabulous
Awesome tour, can’t recommend enough! I love learning new things and this sure fits the bill!! The CM tour guide was really great, she sure knows how to keep it exciting the whole 4.5 hours!
 
Your tour sounds amazing! I did the Keys to the Kingdom tour back in 2015 and LOVED it - I'd love to do another tour! I may have to wait a few years, but I'm sure they'll have some version of this tour still on the list when I can tour again. It would be so interesting to learn more about World Showcase! Thank you so much for telling us about your tour. :goodvibes

Goodness, that's a TON of food! I knew they likely made lots of food for the festivals, but it really makes it real when you hear the numbers!
This tour is really a wonderful addition to our WS experience!
Keep in mind for the future!
I was floored by the prep going on in that massive kitchen, it was amazing. It was so clean in there. Gordon Ramsey would approve! :rotfl:
 
Caution, a boring update is ahead!! :rotfl: o_O
So first I will scare you, :scared1: then
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Lovely 20+ Inches of snow. o_O
I will charm you, :lovestruc than
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The relaxing life of Buddy Bishon
I will make you feel warm and cozy inside before I bore you!
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My Christmas Decorations

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This post could be called how to be boring at Disney, QS nightmare, chillin with my friend Sigourney Weaver, and don’t be afraid of pizza delivery at WDW!

This is a continuation of our Saturday, we had a wonderful tour and when we headed back to the GF, we were hungry.


Andi grabbed her refillable mug and we went to Gasparilla Grill, ominous music inserted here! The place was a zoo, literally a big ole hot mess! We normally have had good experiences here, not today!:sad2:
The lines to order were crazy. I went up to order and the lady in front of me states “I have been standing here for 20 minutes and haven’t moved an inch”, oh no! I just turned and walked away. Andi finds me and says the freestyle coke machine is out of ice and many options. The condiment area by the machine was out of everything and it was a mess. I am guessing, the place was short staffed big time, doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.

We left disappointed and hungry. We ate Halloween candy, cheesecake and potato chips for lunch. It was enough of a snack to tie us over.
We rested some before heading out to MK.
I will back track here some and say, QS this past August was truly bad overall, the lines and messy places were a big turn off. Give me a table service meal any day!

We took the monorail over to MK to use our FP selections.
MK was busy this late afternoon, it was around 4pm.
We went to HM to us our first FP. As we were waiting, I noticed the roof line of the HM has chess pieces on it, very cool. I hadn’t noticed this before, always new things to learn about at the parks!
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We nailed the picture :worried:o_O
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We headed towards Storybook circus area for a treat. We shared a pretzel, frozen lemonade and Andi had a red velvet cake pop. We took a little break with our treats.
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We talked about how busy MK was this trip. At times, it literally did feel like spring break crowds! We decided Philharmagic would be a good choice next. This attraction was even really busy, it took some time getting in! We enjoyed the show and the air conditioning.
After Philharmagic, it was time for our BTMR FP. We headed over to Frontier Land and had a fun ride on the wildest runaway train in the Wilderness!! What a fun ride!
We went into Country Bear Jamboree next, silly bears!
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Now I know, this may be shocking to some, we canceled our 7DMT FP and picked up a Pirates for right now. We were hot and tired so at the time it was a good choice!
We enjoyed our ride with the crazy pirates! Apparently Andi and I are holding our breath?? I wonder if funky body odors were in close range!:oops: We got a little wet after the drop, it actually felt good!
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Our plan was to head over to the Poly for Captain Cooks dinner except we bailed on this. We waited quite some time for a boat (seemed like a good idea at the time), it was not. We just wanted to get off at GF and chill. We must have been tired to skip The Pulled Pork Nachos and Illuminations with VIP viewing!
We decided to order a pizza from Flippers. This was the first time we have ordered something from off property. I was a little leary because of all the scams I have read about with Pizza delivery. It actually worked out really well. I just paid cash so no need to give a credit card and the ordering process online was pretty easy!
We split a pizza with cheese, mushrooms and pepperoni on my side. It did take about 1 hour from the ordering to the delivery. Andi went to the main lobby to pick up and pay the driver!
457878
The pizza was really good and so inexpensive! :thumbsup2 I forgot to get a picture. We enjoyed this and chilled out watching Finding Dory, I love this movie and her friend Sigourney Weaver :rotfl2:
We needed this chill evening after our busy day. I was a little sad, after the fact, that we missed Illuminations. Thank goodness I had watched it a couple times this trip and numerous times before!

Stay tuned for our last full day at WDW, a wonderful day at AK, and doing the Chunkydump with an actual Chunky!!
 
Ahh so much snow!! :scared1:

Your dog is so cute! And your Christmas decor is lovely!

I'm sorry Gasparilla Grill was such a zoo and that you couldn't get food!

Cute HM picture!!

Despite being busy, you got to squeeze in a few attractions which is always good!

Ordering pizza and relaxing at the hotel sounds like it was needed!
 
I know, what the heck, I didn’t think it would be hot every day :rotfl:
Come up here... you won't be hot this time of year.

Hmmm... on second thought... I think you have a handle on "cold" just fine, where you are.
I think it is fairly new, 2-3 years maybe. It is such an informative tour!
Ah. Thanks. :)
In Italy, the landmark in Venice is facing the wrong way compared to how it is in St. Mark’s Square and it would have cost to much to change by the time they figured it out. There were a few other little things as well.
I never noticed that!
It did start getting busy towards the end but not bad. Our tour guide had areas we could stand in that really weren’t to busy.
Good. :)
Caution, a boring update is ahead!! :rotfl: o_O
I hear the sound of a siren going off...
So first I will scare you, :scared1: then
IMG_Dec102019at73628AM.jpg
:eek: Whoa! Lots! We don't have nearly that much. It hasn't snowed very much since our early season storm.
Pretty. :)
The lines to order were crazy. I went up to order and the lady in front of me states “I have been standing here for 20 minutes and haven’t moved an inch”
:sad2:
Probably a smart move to leave.
Andi finds me and says the freestyle coke machine is out of ice and many options
Wow. Not great.
We ate Halloween candy, cheesecake and potato chips for lunch.
Breakfast of champions!
QS this past August was truly bad overall, the lines and messy places were a big turn off. Give me a table service meal any day!
Uh, oh... I've been thinking of doing a non or few ADR trip some time in the future... you're not selling me on this idea...
I noticed the roof line of the HM has chess pieces on it, very cool.
::yes::
We nailed the picture :worried:o_O
IMG_Dec102019at74214AM.jpg
:laughing: Yes you did!
We talked about how busy MK was this trip. At times, it literally did feel like spring break crowds!
Ugh. Tooooo many people!
We headed over to Frontier Land and had a fun ride on the wildest runaway train in the Wilderness!! What a fun ride!
::yes:: One of Disney's best.
Now I know, this may be shocking to some, we canceled our 7DMT FP and picked up a Pirates for right now.
You what?????
Apparently Andi and I are holding our breath??
:laughing: You can clearly see that!
We decided to order a pizza from Flippers. This was the first time we have ordered something from off property. I was a little leary because of all the scams I have read about with Pizza delivery.
Never heard of it. Why? Do they get good reviews?
And... scams... from Flippers? Or just in general?
It did take about 1 hour from the ordering to the delivery.
Long time for pizza delivery. Then again... off site... far to go.
 
Awwwww, Buddy is the cutest!! And your Christmas decorations are beautiful. Yes, we have snow as well down here - boo :( Can't believe it's that time of year again! That pizza you had from Flippers sounds good, I didn't have a lot for lunch, ha. Great trip report, so fun reading you Caroline. Keep the good times coming, and I for one, wasn't bored with the latest installment!
 
Hope you are surviving the snow! We only got about 13", which was still more than enough.

Sorry your lunch was such a nightmare, I wouldn't have waited for food there either!

Sometimes pizza and a movie is the perfect ending to a day!
 
Minnesota has had crazy snow! I grew up there so I've read plenty of snow-related stories on my FB feed. Your decorations are lovely, though!

Yuck, what a mess at Gasperilla Grill! That really is quite unacceptable at a Deluxe resort. I think you made the right move to leave.

Your afternoon at MK sounded like fun! I think swapping 7DMT for Pirates was fine - I like 7DMT but sometimes something that's available immediately is better. Plus, Pirates is a great ride!

Trips can be very tiring - I feel many of us scrap plans and take it easy as the trip goes on. Hopefully that revived you for the next day!
 
Lovely 20+ Inches of snow. o_O

Oh my! That is scary!

I went up to order and the lady in front of me states “I have been standing here for 20 minutes and haven’t moved an inch”

That's terrible! Good call on leaving.

We headed towards Storybook circus area for a treat. We shared a pretzel, frozen lemonade and Andi had a red velvet cake pop. We took a little break with our treats.

All three of those are some of my favorite snacks!

pparently Andi and I are holding our breath?? I wonder if funky body odors were in close range!

:rotfl: :rotfl:
 
Beautiful Christmas tree. You picture looked like a Christmas card, with the snow outside the windows. However, I'm sure you wish there wasn't quite so much of the stuff outside!

Oh dear, sounds like the Grill and the park were packed full of people that day. What a bummer. But I guess all of that led you to trying pizza delivery, something new to do at WDW. :confused3 :laughing:
 

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