Lesley Wake
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2017
As I headed past Mexico, I checked off my final Flower and Garden non-food stop, the Tropical Rainforest (I do think I missed one display on some orchids on the other side of the Mexico pavilion though)
I still had plenty of time before dinner, so I wandered into the Norsk Kultur Frozen exhibit in Norway (I know they were replacing this with a Vikings Exhibit)
I thought it was very interesting, and would love to see more of these educational exhibits in the World Showcase.
Nonchalantly made my way to Italy for dinner, and I got there plenty early, so sat for a bit on a bench outside before heading to check in at Via Napoli. Even though my ADR wasn’t until 6:30, I checked in at 6:05, though I didn’t expect to be seated quickly, especially since they were turning away anyone without an ADR.
Well, I ended up getting seated around 10 minutes later, which was very nice!
I ordered the 10-inch Quattro Formaggi (White Pizza: Mozzarella, parmesan, fontina, provolone); I skipped any specialty drinks because I just wasn’t feeling it.
My pizza came out so quickly! Like, I literally had it before my actual ADR! I was very appreciative of it! And OMG-so yummy! Totally up my alley-I love fresh pizza dough and also white pizzas. Definitely a standout in my book! I think it would also be a great appetizer, if you ordered a 10” for the table and just cut it up into multiple smaller pieces.
and finally WEIRD LESLEY-STRANGER INTERACTION #3
So, as my food comes out the couple at the table next to me (about my age) were eyeing it, especially the guy. He had wanted the 4-cheese pizza, but decided just to get regular cheese (he and his girlfriend were splitting it 2-ways). I was chatting with them a bit, and told the guy, look, I’m stuffed, and I’m definitely not going to get to eat this whole thing, why don’t you take a slice? He tried to say no, but I know he wanted it, so I insisted, and he finally was like, well, ok! And he also really loved it, so was very appreciative. When they were done, they also had some extra slices, so offered me one (I ended up eating ½ of my pizza, gave him ¼, and boxed up the last slice), but I laughingly declined again.
So, one last vote-helpful or creepy?
I ended up finishing up rather quickly, and was leaving the restaurant around 7pm; I know some people like to have more relaxing dinners, but if I’m solo, I’m ok with ordering, eating, and getting out! We'll see how that goes in France next week (they are known for their 3-hr meals
)
I still had plenty of time before dinner, so I wandered into the Norsk Kultur Frozen exhibit in Norway (I know they were replacing this with a Vikings Exhibit)
I thought it was very interesting, and would love to see more of these educational exhibits in the World Showcase.
Nonchalantly made my way to Italy for dinner, and I got there plenty early, so sat for a bit on a bench outside before heading to check in at Via Napoli. Even though my ADR wasn’t until 6:30, I checked in at 6:05, though I didn’t expect to be seated quickly, especially since they were turning away anyone without an ADR.
Well, I ended up getting seated around 10 minutes later, which was very nice!
I ordered the 10-inch Quattro Formaggi (White Pizza: Mozzarella, parmesan, fontina, provolone); I skipped any specialty drinks because I just wasn’t feeling it.
My pizza came out so quickly! Like, I literally had it before my actual ADR! I was very appreciative of it! And OMG-so yummy! Totally up my alley-I love fresh pizza dough and also white pizzas. Definitely a standout in my book! I think it would also be a great appetizer, if you ordered a 10” for the table and just cut it up into multiple smaller pieces.
and finally WEIRD LESLEY-STRANGER INTERACTION #3
So, as my food comes out the couple at the table next to me (about my age) were eyeing it, especially the guy. He had wanted the 4-cheese pizza, but decided just to get regular cheese (he and his girlfriend were splitting it 2-ways). I was chatting with them a bit, and told the guy, look, I’m stuffed, and I’m definitely not going to get to eat this whole thing, why don’t you take a slice? He tried to say no, but I know he wanted it, so I insisted, and he finally was like, well, ok! And he also really loved it, so was very appreciative. When they were done, they also had some extra slices, so offered me one (I ended up eating ½ of my pizza, gave him ¼, and boxed up the last slice), but I laughingly declined again.
So, one last vote-helpful or creepy?
I ended up finishing up rather quickly, and was leaving the restaurant around 7pm; I know some people like to have more relaxing dinners, but if I’m solo, I’m ok with ordering, eating, and getting out! We'll see how that goes in France next week (they are known for their 3-hr meals
)Checked out a bit more of the restaurant, and I loved the pizza ovens!
So, at this point, I was pretty tired. I originally was hoping to stick around for Illuminations, but soon I decided, nah, it’s not worth it! So I decided to grab one last snack to-go and head back to AKL.
I did like how the topiaries were lit up appropriately, with all dwarves having their own color!
And I made a photopass stop in Germany. And good thing I did too, because soon afterwards the photographer was gone.
Which was nice and close to my last stop, Karamell-Kuche!
I ended up getting 2 treats to eat in my room later on (coming up later in this post).
Checked out Lady and the Tramp again
And as I passed over the bridge from France, there was an awesome moon! That light in the sky above China…yeah, it’s the moon, not a regular light!
One last photopass
And then I headed towards the International Gateway. I had decided I was so tired, I didn’t want to bother dragging my feet all the way to the front of the park, so I was going to Uber!
On my way out I stopped at the gift shop and picked up 2 ornaments, the compass one I had been looking for, and the Chip & Dale 2018 hat one!
Crescent Lake seemed to be lovely at night and I can’t wait to stay here in December!
Walked through the Beach Club lobby, which was nice. Though I do have a love for grand lobbies like AKL or the Grand Californian.
It was an uneventful Uber ride, but very fast and I beat the crowds (I saw Happily Ever After going off at MK so was happy to get ahead of everyone).
After dropping off my backpack in my room and stashing my treats in the fridge (more on that later), I headed down to the Arusha Savanna overlook. I didn’t expect to see anything, but thought, might as well try (I had to pick up a package at the gift shop, as well as return those expensive pins which I found on ebay for ¼ the cost)
The lobby is beautiful at night to look into! I think I will be spending plenty of time in December in this lobby!
I think I saw some sort of hoofed animal (don’t remember what type, it was cow-sized) at one fence, but I continued to the back, where I could see a giraffe in the distance, and he was sitting down! Like-WHAT! That is so rare to see one sitting down (he didn’t seem to be injured or anything, just decided to sit for a bit). Unfortunately it was so far away, photos didn’t turn out.
I did chat with one of the guides out there about lots of stuff (and we actually became facebook friends; I think he may have been hitting on me a bit…) and then we heard something getting closer. Turns out the matriarch giraffe was coming for a snack, and she got pretty close (the photos don’t do it justice)
We watched her a bit, before I decided to head back in. He did tell me they had night vision binoculars at the pool overlook, but I unfortunately never made my way over there.
I headed back to Zawadi Marketplace, where it was pretty busy! I loved the artwork behind the cash register.
Oh, I wish I had a kid to dress up in this!
I ended up picking up an AKL pin (I don't have an individual pic of it, so I'll include it at the end when I post everything), and was disappointed they didn’t have an ornament anymore to match my ones from Pop and POFQ (those were just ceramic Mickey heads with the hotel logo on one side and a themed print on the other side)! If they still don’t in December, I may get a keychain that I’ll turn into an ornament.
After accomplishing my errands, I went back to my room and got changed, but not into PJs. Nope it was hot tub time again!
Definitely nice!
Headed back, got cleaned up, and decided to relax a bit before bed, including eating my dessert. That’s where I made a critical error. I guess you shouldn’t refrigerate those Karamel Kuche treats, because the caramel totally solidified! The bar was not good at all, I could only eat a couple bites, because the caramel and butter had all made it just a greasy chunk. And even though I loved the caramel-marshmallow bar in September, then it was nice and warm (I ate it outside), so it was all a delightful soft texture, and this was just too hard; I ate it, it just wasn’t what I was hoping for.
Anyways, I think I ended up watching an episode of Modern Family before getting my backpack all ready for the next day, and laying out all my clothes, since I would have to be up early.
(Funny thing, I also layed out my toiletries in the order I would use them. And it totally sped up my getting ready time! So…yeah, being organized helped me the next day!)
Coming up (in a few weeks): My Best Day Ever with animals galore!
So, at this point, I was pretty tired. I originally was hoping to stick around for Illuminations, but soon I decided, nah, it’s not worth it! So I decided to grab one last snack to-go and head back to AKL.
I did like how the topiaries were lit up appropriately, with all dwarves having their own color!
And I made a photopass stop in Germany. And good thing I did too, because soon afterwards the photographer was gone.
Which was nice and close to my last stop, Karamell-Kuche!
I ended up getting 2 treats to eat in my room later on (coming up later in this post).
Checked out Lady and the Tramp again
And as I passed over the bridge from France, there was an awesome moon! That light in the sky above China…yeah, it’s the moon, not a regular light!
One last photopass
And then I headed towards the International Gateway. I had decided I was so tired, I didn’t want to bother dragging my feet all the way to the front of the park, so I was going to Uber!
On my way out I stopped at the gift shop and picked up 2 ornaments, the compass one I had been looking for, and the Chip & Dale 2018 hat one!
Crescent Lake seemed to be lovely at night and I can’t wait to stay here in December!
Walked through the Beach Club lobby, which was nice. Though I do have a love for grand lobbies like AKL or the Grand Californian.
It was an uneventful Uber ride, but very fast and I beat the crowds (I saw Happily Ever After going off at MK so was happy to get ahead of everyone).
After dropping off my backpack in my room and stashing my treats in the fridge (more on that later), I headed down to the Arusha Savanna overlook. I didn’t expect to see anything, but thought, might as well try (I had to pick up a package at the gift shop, as well as return those expensive pins which I found on ebay for ¼ the cost)
The lobby is beautiful at night to look into! I think I will be spending plenty of time in December in this lobby!
I think I saw some sort of hoofed animal (don’t remember what type, it was cow-sized) at one fence, but I continued to the back, where I could see a giraffe in the distance, and he was sitting down! Like-WHAT! That is so rare to see one sitting down (he didn’t seem to be injured or anything, just decided to sit for a bit). Unfortunately it was so far away, photos didn’t turn out.
I did chat with one of the guides out there about lots of stuff (and we actually became facebook friends; I think he may have been hitting on me a bit…) and then we heard something getting closer. Turns out the matriarch giraffe was coming for a snack, and she got pretty close (the photos don’t do it justice)
We watched her a bit, before I decided to head back in. He did tell me they had night vision binoculars at the pool overlook, but I unfortunately never made my way over there.
I headed back to Zawadi Marketplace, where it was pretty busy! I loved the artwork behind the cash register.
Oh, I wish I had a kid to dress up in this!
I ended up picking up an AKL pin (I don't have an individual pic of it, so I'll include it at the end when I post everything), and was disappointed they didn’t have an ornament anymore to match my ones from Pop and POFQ (those were just ceramic Mickey heads with the hotel logo on one side and a themed print on the other side)! If they still don’t in December, I may get a keychain that I’ll turn into an ornament.
After accomplishing my errands, I went back to my room and got changed, but not into PJs. Nope it was hot tub time again!
Definitely nice! Headed back, got cleaned up, and decided to relax a bit before bed, including eating my dessert. That’s where I made a critical error. I guess you shouldn’t refrigerate those Karamel Kuche treats, because the caramel totally solidified! The bar was not good at all, I could only eat a couple bites, because the caramel and butter had all made it just a greasy chunk. And even though I loved the caramel-marshmallow bar in September, then it was nice and warm (I ate it outside), so it was all a delightful soft texture, and this was just too hard; I ate it, it just wasn’t what I was hoping for.
Anyways, I think I ended up watching an episode of Modern Family before getting my backpack all ready for the next day, and laying out all my clothes, since I would have to be up early.
(Funny thing, I also layed out my toiletries in the order I would use them. And it totally sped up my getting ready time! So…yeah, being organized helped me the next day!)
Coming up (in a few weeks): My Best Day Ever with animals galore!
I like ghost singers more so I might keep that name for it. I have also seen them so many times that I can basically pinpoint what song they are going to do based on their "talk" beforehand or the pitch of the song given before they start. I also love how friendly they are after each performance to just stand around and talk. I've gotten to know many of them that way.
And your 
That definitely annoyed me because, if you aren’t open, WHY SHOW A WAIT TIME?!? If I knew it was closed I could have reduced the amount of walking with that detour...
