Hippos and Tigers and Flowers, Oh My! - A Solo March '18 TR - COMPLETED 7/13 - Final Thoughts+New TR

[DLo]

Going next week. Your pictures have my excited for Flower and garden

 

[Lesley Wake]

I got to see the F&GF back in 2010 and haven't seen it since. It seems a lot of change. As if it were possible, it got even prettier and more interactive. Also, don't feel bad at a messy stencil job, that's what stencils are for lol And that's so sad about the crushed butterfly. So awful someone would do that or just not pay attention enough. Glad to hear that was the only one death you saw in there.

I love how they keep adding to an expanding the festivals, so it makes you want to go back! And it was sad to see the crushed butterfly, but luckily I did see most guests following the rules of no touching and no walking into the gardens!

I’m catching up, the DAH looks so fun, sure wish we would have made one this year. The F&G is my favorite festival. We didn’t see the rain barrels to paint so I think it was only there a limited time, maybe?? I love the merchandise yo bought.

I think the rain barrels were only that first weekend, so it was a nice surprise.

Hi Lesley, I just finished your last trip report and I'm all caught up on this one. I'm really enjoying your pictures of Flower and Garden.

Thanks! It is a beautiful time of the year!

Going next week. Your pictures have my excited for Flower and garden

Have fun!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Day 2, Part 3 Snacks and topiaries!

So, I left off as I was about to enter the World Showcase. It was around 12:50, and I had 2 competing priority: food (remember, I had only eaten 2 zebra domes all day), and FEA fastpass (from 12-1). I decided food was the first priority, and planned to take full advantage of that 15 minute grade period!

I made a stop at Northern Bloom, thankfully not a very long line too!

I ended up getting the beef and the maple pound cake, and was lucky to be able to find a bench partially in the shade, so I could sit for a moment while eating! They also had a scallop dish which looked good and people sitting near me said it was yummy, but I didn't have the opportunity to go back and try it.

Beef Tenderloin Tips, Mushroom Bordelaise Sauce, Whipped Potatoes with Garden Vegetables

I thought this was very good, with rich flavors. I also really liked the potatoes, nice and light! The meat I had was pretty tender.

Griddled Maple Pound Cake with Warm Peach Compote and Sweet Corn Gelato

This one had so many different flavors, and I felt they really all worked well together. The cake could be a bit dry around the edges, but taking a swipe of gelato or compote helped that. The maple flavor wasn't overpowering. I loved the gelato and would eat that straight! The popcorn gave a different texture, but I did end up having a hard kernel, so watch out for that!

After eating those (quickly, but also enough time to fully enjoy it), I quickly walked/darted around strollers to get to Norway, arriving at 1:07, and having no issues entering the line!

There was one lady in line before me who tried to get on the ride. She didn’t have a fastpass, but was scanning to see if anything was leftover from the Social Media Mom’s Conference, which had ended a couple days earlier (people there got anytime FPs in their accounts). There wasn’t any, so she tried to play it off as a mistake, but the CMs rolled their eyes after she walked away. I’m guessing she was definitely just hoping they’d let her in without a FP. And I actually saw her again the next morning at AK trying to do that again, but that time the CM decided not to fight with her and just let her thru and she and her family were laughing about it in line !

Anyways, had a peaceful journey up to Elsa’s ice castle. The little kids behind me were cute and very excited!

I did wander through the Norway store a bit and really liked this merchandise line, with Goofy and Mickey dressed up in traditional Norwegian outfits and the country shown with basic indicators for major cities, which I think matches up to the merchandise in Canada (but they get Chip & Dale). I hope they eventually have one for every country, and if so I’ll probably get a coaster at each one for a whole set!

Now I was done with rides for now (I decided to skip Future World West for this day), it was time to explore the World Showcase. Rather than walk back around and start at the beginning, I decided to continue from Norway around and hit Mexico and Showcase Plaza later.

So first, Anna and Elsa.

I also got my first view of Spike the Bee, who was cute, but I had decided not to do the World Showcase scavenger hunt this festival.

And a Troll (the topiary, not me)

Onto china, with some Pandas

Bromeliad Dragon

I was hoping for a photographer in China because I wanted the Mushu magic shot you can only get there, but there weren't any roaming around .

And Bamboo Garden (which was more just a couple types of bamboo in pots along the walkway)

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[Lesley Wake]

Made my way over the bridge and to the Lion King topiaries, which was about the time I finally started asking people to take my photo!​

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And another food stop at Bauernmarkt, where I got the pretzel bread and ate while walking around some more.

Toasted Pretzel Bread topped with Black Forest Ham and Melted Gruyère Cheese

This ended up being a disappointment; most early blogger reviews were raving over it, but it turns out the dishes served on the first day when bloggers visited was very well made, but once they had to make it for even more crowds, it just wasn't toasted enough. So the cheese really wasn't melted that much (more like solidified melted cheese); the bread was also so salty it was hard for me to eat it all. They were also having production issues and running behind on toasting the bread, so I think they just weren't leaving them in the oven long enough to get that lovely "burnt" cheese on top. I would suggest before getting it, checking out what people are walking away with. If it looks like mine above (light colored and not toasty) then I'd skip that booth.

While eating, I checked out the Alpine Containers garden area, which was very lush and forest-like​

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Probably in my top topiaries, Snow White and Seven Dwarves. Though I was sad I couldn’t do the PP where you looked dwarf size, which I had seen in people's TRs from last year. ​

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Some more colorful flowers near Italy.​

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And Lady and The Tramp. I was extremely excited to see them, because I think that was the very first topiary I had seen when I heard about Flower & Garden years ago. And I just loved how they did Lady’s ears. ​

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Checked out the Garden Italiano, including all the terra cotta pots​

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I really liked the look of the Smokehouse area (though I didn’t see any food items that interested me), and Woody fit well there!​

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And, another food stop at Hanami, where I got three dishes: beef udon, salmon teriyaki, and frushi. I was also happy to find another shaded bench to sit and eat; the drum show also started while I was there so I got to enjoy that. ​

Ginger Beef Yaki Udon: Thin-sliced Beef, Onions and Noodles tossed on the grill with Soy and Ginger

This was decent. I did feel like the beef was a bit too stringy with a lot of fat, but that is the way I've had it in other teriyaki places, so that may just be a result of thinly sliced pieces. Some of the udon were also a bit mushy and overcooked. Overall the flavors were good, but the textures were off for me.

Teriyaki Salmon with Furikake Seasoned Brown Rice

I thought the salmon was very good, not under- or over-cooked. Though my piece did look smaller than the bloggers' version a couple days earlier. The sauce worked really well on the salmon, but once it got on the rice it was way too salty! It was weird, because rice alone was fine, sauce with fish was fine, but when rice combined with sauce it wasn't good!

Frushi: Fresh Pineapple, Strawberry and Melon rolled with Coconut Rice, sprinkled with Toasted Coconut and Whipped Cream with Raspberry Sauce on the side

OMG, this ended up being my favorite dish of the festival! I was worried I wouldn't like it, because I'm not a raspberry or melon fan, but it was just so refreshing! The coconut rice was nice and sweet, without being overly sweet, and I actually liked the texture. It was the only dish I got twice! They had a version of Frushi at the California Food & Wine festival, which I was excited about (but it just had strawberry), and it was soooo disappointing, especially after this Japanese masterpiece!

Coming up.. the rest of the showcase, plus Weird Lesley-Stranger Interaction #2. I may also be able to finish up Day 1 after this weekend!
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[Wood Nymph]

We were there on opening day and the food was very good that day.

 

[SweetSerenity]

Your Pretty Flower shirt is too cute!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Probably in my top topiaries, Snow White and Seven Dwarves. Though I was sad I couldn’t do the PP where you looked dwarf size, which I had seen in people's TRs from last year.

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Not sure how I missed that from last year!! How cool!!

Looks like a lovely day of snacking and enjoying the sunshine around the world!!

I also loved seeing Lady and the Tramp on our first (and only!) visit to Flower and Garden. Her ears blowing in the breeze are just perfect

 

[CaseFace5]

Frushi is the best!!

 

[Woth2982]

Love all your topiary photos! So glad you started asking people to include you in the photos. It is making me very excited for my trip next week! I am sad to hear about the pretzel bread. That is one of the things I was looking most forward to. I will heed your advice and watch the people eating in front of me!

 

[missangelalexis]

More great photos! Looks like you were enjoying yourself! My one regret when I went to F&G was not getting to try the frushi- looks so good!

 

[amazingact21]

It seems like you really took the time to enjoy the Flower and Garden Festival, which I think is great. It's my favorite time of year to be at Epcot, and I sometimes think people don't stop and really look at the "flower" part of the festival.
Lady's ears are awesome, definitely one of the best topiares!

 

[Lesley Wake]

We were there on opening day and the food was very good that day.

Overall I did like the food very much! It was definitely more my tastes than Food & Wine (that was a bit too adventurous for me)! What was your favorite dish?

Your Pretty Flower shirt is too cute!

Thanks! I think I found it on teepublic; I knew I needed a Disney flower shirt, and that one was the best one!

Not sure how I missed that from last year!! How cool!!

Looks like a lovely day of snacking and enjoying the sunshine around the world!!

I also loved seeing Lady and the Tramp on our first (and only!) visit to Flower and Garden. Her ears blowing in the breeze are just perfect

It was a great, relaxing afternoon! And perfect weather too, not too hot or too cold! Thankfully it also wasn't too crowded.

Frushi is the best!!

It really is!

Love all your topiary photos! So glad you started asking people to include you in the photos. It is making me very excited for my trip next week! I am sad to hear about the pretzel bread. That is one of the things I was looking most forward to. I will heed your advice and watch the people eating in front of me!

I hope you have fun! I think travelling alone has upped my confidence to ask other people to take my photo! Or else I'd have to rely on pretty bad selfies!

More great photos! Looks like you were enjoying yourself! My one regret when I went to F&G was not getting to try the frushi- looks so good!

Oh yes, so yummy! Well, you will just have to make a return visit and get some!

It seems like you really took the time to enjoy the Flower and Garden Festival, which I think is great. It's my favorite time of year to be at Epcot, and I sometimes think people don't stop and really look at the "flower" part of the festival.
Lady's ears are awesome, definitely one of the best topiares!

I really loved it and wouldn't hesitate to go back if the opportunity arose!

 

[Lesley Wake]

So, I'm finally able to post about the end of my Disney After Hours experience! This post is a little light on photos but that was because I wanted to soak in the experience!

Day 1, Part 9, Best. Cruise. EVER!

So, as I left off I had just taken two spins on the Magic Carpets and was leaving those to meet up with Zach again.

What I left out was when I had gone on 7DMT, Zach had stopped at Jungle Cruise to ask about a possible private boat ride. The CMs explained they need at least 2 guests, I'm assuming for safety purposes! So, even though I had already ridden JC earlier that day, I agreed to come over and meet him after hitting up a couple Fantasyland rides (Zach was riding Splash, and maybe BTMR, but I'm not sure about that one).

We met up again and headed into the queue, where we explained to the dock skippers that we were hoping for a private boat. They decided to try their best but couldn’t guarantee it. When the boat arrived, there were people behind us in line, so we let them go thru and the boat was sent on its way. The next boat arrived, and we were hoping we could hop on, but again, more people showed up and boarded that boat, so foiled again! Well, the CMs decided they really wanted to make this happen, so they held that boat at the dock and just kept loading people onto it waiting for the next one to come along. Of course there was a long delay, but eventually one came up and unloaded its guests, so the nearly full boat was sent on its way. And of course the new one was one of the accessible options so there was a further delay while they offloaded someone in a wheelchair. It emptied and came up to meet us and ... no one in line behind us! So the dock workers were trying to rush along to get us on and the boat away from the dock, but of course the current skipper had to switch with one of the dock guys, so it was again a bit of a delay and people started walking into the empty queue! Thankfully the CMs were so into this idea of us getting a private tour that they held those people off before they could get to the very front, and we were off, on a boat with just me, Zach, and Skipper Mike!

(I later did a cast compliment for everyone for helping us achieve that).​

It was definitely the best cruise I have every been on! Skipper Mike didn’t even need to use the microphone since we were able to hear him normally (which meant he could also talk in the cave). He also got to use jokes that he normally doesn’t get to, including a Trump one, where I bent over laughing! He was also very proud when I got his Monty Python joke!​

Zach took a video, and you can see it all here:

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At the end all of us were just in tears (including Skipper Mike), and it was just so magical!

We disembarked, and it was now midnight, so DAH was over, but it ended on an absolute high note!​

We made a quick photopass stop on Main Street.

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And then split off at the bus stop for Zach to head back to All Star and me to wait for AKL bus. But we would see each other again the next day! ​

So, I got to the bus stop. And waited… and waited… and waited… Ugh, it was so long! And so many people for AKL, they totally filled the bus, and even had to leave some people behind. Luckily I got a seated spot. ​

We got back to AKL around 1am, where I ran into another disboarder, @SmithSmith (I had posted on the DAH board what my shirt looked like so I think she recognized it)! It was funny because she and her husband took the elevators from the 3rd-4th floor, while I took the stairs, so I ended up ahead of them, and they thought I used ninja skills! It was cool to run into someone, though we were all too tired to chat!​

My final haul from the drink carts: 5 waters (not including 1 I drank) and 2 cokes! Yeah, my shoulders were also aching!​

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So, even though it was after 1am, I knew I needed to soak my sore feet/body, so I made my way thru my shortcut to the hot tub, which wasn’t locked, and I was able to relax for a bit. (When I was leaving I did notice the hours on the very bottom of the “Spa Rules” sign, which said it closed at midnight, but I think I was pretty quiet, so no one came out to complain or anything!)​

Finally went back to my room, got cleaned up, and crashed to sleep around 2 am!


My overall thoughts on Disney After Hours: It was certainly fun getting to go on so many rides without wait times. And I liked taking advantage of the complimentary bottled drinks, though couldn't really take advantage of ice cream because I was so stuffed with dinner/desserts! Though I think my experience was a bit different than most since I had a similar crowd level opportunity the day before Hurricane Irma blew through! DAH did have fewer crowds, but not by a lot. So, if other people were considering it, I would recommend it, but I probably wouldn't bother as much on my own! But that's just my own personal tastes and touring style!

I do think though that this is a sign of things to come in the future. Disney has already added 11 more dates throughout the summer (which I was completely surprised by). But I guess they realized people would pay $$ to get an emptier park, and they could reduce staffing rather than just extending hours! I wouldn't be surprised to see it get rolled out to more parks (could you imagine a Pandora After Dark, or Pandora Early Morning Magic with breakfast at Satuli Canteen). So, I think if you want to experience low crowds like this you are going to need to be prepared to pay!
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[missangelalexis]

Wow! The private cruise sounds awesome! I'm glad the CMs were able to make that happen for you guys!

Love the stash of waters & sodas..that totally would have been me too, cramming as many in bag for later

 

[missjackiemcg]

(I later did a cast compliment for everyone for helping us achieve that).​

I read about that in Zach's TR and I thought it was incredible!!! Lucky you were there to be his #2! That's pretty amazing. I would never even have thought to ask about a private cruise!

SO SMART!!!!

 

[amazingact21]

Wow, that private ride on Jungle Cruise sounds amazing! What an awesome and unique experience. Pretty sure my husband would think he'd won the lottery if he was ever able to swing that. And I love that the Cast Members were trying so hard to make the experience happen for you two...Disney's exceptional customer service at work.

Ah, as much as I wish it wasn't true I have a feeling you are spot on about the Extra Hours becoming the new norm. Could you imagine the demand for a Pandora one?!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Update 5/15 - Disneyland After Dark

So, sorry for the lack of updates. But do you want to know a sure-fire way to ensure you get super busy at work: tell them you leave on a 3-week vacation in 2 weeks! Yeah, I think I've gotten more projects pushed onto my lap in the past 2 weeks than I have all year! And we leave for France in 11 days!!! So excited, but so much left to do!

I definitely won't be getting this TR done before then , but in the meantime I thought I'd share some pics from my recent Disneyland visits. I've been several times, including the past 2 Saturdays, plus Wednesday evening.

First, Saturday, 5/12. I wasn't planning on going to the parks last weekend, but then this happened...

Yes, if you are wondering, that is an Infinity Gauntlet sipper! I collect sippers, I loved Avengers Infinity War... so I had to have this! And good thing I went too, since they sold out last weekend! (They say they'll get more, but now I don't have to worry).

I also got Loki to "bless" it:

Star Wars Night

Ok, the more significant trip was actually last Wednesday, 5/9. Disneyland has started these Disneyland After Dark events. Similar to Disney After Hours, but these ones have themes, with everything based on that (as well as allowing nearly every ride to be a walk-on). The first one was retro-themed, and the second one was Star Wars themed! I decided not to get a ticket to that one, which was on May 3rd. Well, those tickets sold out in minutes, so they decided to add another date, May 9th. I checked out all the photos/video from the first one and it seemed super fun, so I decided to go ahead and get a ticket for the second one.

And, I was joined by... Su-Lynn, @chunkymonkey, who ended up on a last-minute trip to Disneyland!

(I'm not going to do a full recap of the night, just post photos/descriptions).

Some info on the event, including the map and holographic-shifting lanyard. Some of these photos are larger than I typically use, but this way people can read the info if they like!

I ended up trying 2 food dishes, Dagobah Ramen, which was fine, better than cup-of-noodles, but not exactly high-class ramen!

And Chicken & Waffle Funnel Cake. So, when I saw the guide from the May 3rd party I saw this and thought, hmm, a chicken & waffle funnel cake, interesting. Then I saw the "dash" and realized, oh its probably 2 different dishes: Chicken & Waffles, and a themed Funnel Cake. So imagine my surprise when my first instinct was correct! It was very very very sweet! And the tenders were actually sweeter than the funnel cake!

And of course I needed the Darth Vader Stein!

They had plenty of photo spots around the event, luckily we realized one major one was open early, so we got in without a wait! (If you wonder why I have 2 different shirts, its because I also took photos when I had visited the previous Saturday, and discovered the area was open for regular park guests.)

And another cool forced perspective one with the Sarlacc pit, that there was no wait for (at least when we showed up).

For characters, we ended up meeting Rey:

And a great meet with Darth Vader. See, I found out they were doing adult jedi training with a special guest (more later). Of course I left my lightsaber at home (what, you don't have a lightsaber?), so I ended up purchasing one of the replica lightsabers (>$100), so I could participate! And I ended up carrying that lightsaber around with me all evening...

Anyways, back to Darth. The saber was off so he walks over and says "This looks promising". I light it up, and blue - it was Rey's lightsaber! He just hung his head, shook it, and walked away slowly! He then tried to convince me to change its color throughout the meet (I really wish I had my other one because that one actually does go from blue-red!), but I refused and just smirked at his distress! Anyways, awesome!

Then, during the event they had multiple Star Wars Rebels characters out for meets. We got to see Sabine (Chopper rolled away just as we got up to the area and I wasn't able to take a photo)

And Ezra, who was very good, but I was so tired (and still recovering from a cold), so it was hard to play along...

We weren't able to see Ashoka, who switched off with Ezra.

We also didn't wait in the longest lines of the night, which were for C3P0 and R2-D2, and the Ewoks (but I took some stalker photos...); but each line was probably 90 minutes, so we were not about that!

And at the end of the night, there were lots of astromech droids hanging around Town Square (I think 10-12, each controlled individually), so we got to meet an R2-D2 doppleganger.

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[Lesley Wake]

They had the mood set, with projections of starfields on the Castle, Main Street, Matterhorn, and Small World. They occasionally went into hyperspace or into an asteroid field, which was awesome!

And they had an awesome fireworks show! We got a spot right in front of the castle, but it probably would have been better behind the Partners statue, since they didn't do any projections, just lighting changes.

Near the end of the night they had a fan costume parade.

And, as mentioned above, they did Adult Lightsaber Training with... Ray Park (aka DARTH MAUL!!!) Originally I was in a corner spot but Su-Lynn convinced me to take an empty center spot, so you can see me in the video she took (in the center with a ponytale and gray sweater). Yeah, I sucked really really bad! But it was fun!

Overall, it was a pretty fun night! I think, despite the cost, I will probably do it again if I like the theme! While we didn't care much about the rides (though did go on a couple), if you wanted to, you probably could have gone on almost every ride in Disneyland during the 4 hours (9pm - 1am). And it was great to finally meet Su-Lynn and share my Star Wars love with someone else!
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[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Sounds like an awesome night! I especially like the Star Wars photo ops!

 

[amazingact21]

that is an Infinity Gauntlet sipper!

I saw this cup on facebook that other day and immediately thought of you!! I wondered if you had nabbed one before they sold out, glad to hear you did.

That themed after hours event sounds awesome. I'm not the biggest Star Wars fan, but even I could scroll through your pictures and see how entertaining it must have been. I think WDW needs to take note and adopt a couple themed nights, too.