It Really is a Whole New World...Mother Daughter May 2017 TR! (Updated 8/26!)

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That' sounds delish! And I love the Beauty and the Beast topiary now that it's been updated

It was so good! We used to get the chocolate croissant when we went there, but the couple we met at highway in the sky recommended this instead, so we of course had to try it. Did not disappoint! In fact, we liked it better than the croissant!

No way! You never hear of SE having such a long wait!

I know! I was even surprised to see it at 25 minutes, never would have guessed we'd spend almost an hour in line! It must have been a super busy week, or we just had some rotten luck and ended up at the crowded park!

 

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Part 16: Well Obviously there was a Time Machine in the Lion King
May 13th

We left SE to head back to World Showcase to start eating our way through the food booths, but of course we ran into photopass photographers on the way! I asked my mom if she wanted to stop for some pictures and she said yes of course. Yay!







After wrapping up with all the photographers, we decided to head left around World Showcase to hit up the booths we hadn’t tried yet. Of course, we took tons of pictures as we made our way over!





As we got close to Mexico, I had a brilliant idea…we should stop by La Cava de Tequila!!!! We hadn’t been there for years, plus it was ridiculously hot and I wanted to get out of the heat for a bit. Not to mention it’s been years since I’ve had the avocado margarita!

My mom was hesitant, she really just wanted the food booths, but after a bit of nagging she gave in and said she’d be fine if we stopped in for ONE drink.

The place was packed as usual, but we got lucky and a table for two had just freed up! Yay no wait!

I ended up getting my avocado margarita, my mom got the wild passion fruit margarita and we ordered some chips and guac to share.

Yum!





After enjoying our little break, we made our way back out into the heat. Those chips filled us up quite a bit, so we slowly strolled along taking pictures of all the topiaries instead of stopping at food booths. Well, except one. I still had one drink left to get at the Jardin de Fiestas, so popped over there to pick up the watermelon white sangria.



Here I am with my sangria, it was good, but my favorite drink from that booth was still the pineapple margarita.

Topiary pictures!







We were snapping some shots of the Lion King topiary, when we see a golf cart with two CMs dressed like it was the 1920s coming towards us. Oh yay, entertainment!

They must have seen the joy on my face, so pulled up next to me and ask me if I want to play a game to win a prize.

Um, YES!

So the guy (who I swear was the same guy who MC’d the burger block party from the fall) asks me if I know the Lion King really well. I admit that I used to, but I haven’t seen it since the 90s. So he asks me to name the characters in the Lion King topiary. Easy!

Well. I thought it was easy. I got through Timon, Pumba, Rafiki, Simba, and Mufasa, but then got stuck on Simba’s moms name! Oh my goodness!

In a panic I guessed Nala, which I knew was wrong, but I couldn’t think of any other name! HA! Oh man, the CM gave me such a hard time about it! He goes “what do you think this is, a time machine?!?! If that’s baby Simba, how is Nala his mother’s age!?!?”

HAAAAAA.

Ok, I failed. And frankly, even though he finally told me her name, I have completely forgotten it. I swear it was never in the movie!

The CM tells me after my final guess that I won a consolation prize…admission to Epcot for the day! Um…but…but…I’m already in Epcot! HAHA. He just smiled and slowly drove away.

So even though I didn’t win anything, it was a fun interaction!

Afterwards we continued taking pictures, here’s baby Simba and his mom….whatever her name is


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[MeghanEmily]

How cute! Two lovely ladies

The place was packed as usual, but we got lucky and a table for two had just freed up! Yay no wait!

I ended up getting my avocado margarita, my mom got the wild passion fruit margarita and we ordered some chips and guac to share.

No wait? This is practically unheard of! You had good luck! If I drank, that would probably be the first Disney drink I'd try

The CM tells me after my final guess that I won a consolation prize…admission to Epcot for the day! Um…but…but…I’m already in Epcot! HAHA. He just smiled and slowly drove away.

Bahaha hilarious!

 

[missangelalexis]

Such cute PP pictures! Sounds like you guys had a nice time in Mexico! That CM interaction sounds so funny, I wouldn't be able to name Simba's mom either!!

 

[Jamcgee410]

Love your report! Really want to do a mother daughter trip with my mom!

 

[Liz Z]

Yay! so happy for your updates.
I have to remember when we stay at the Beach Club in December(1st time) that Epcot lets you in early for breakfast in France

Your pics of Beauty and the Beast are gorgeous! ALL your pics are just beautiful.
I have so many people in ours from our trip in April. lol

Your Mom is a trooper. So sorry she had her Smurf episode I don't know if i would have handled it as well.
But, You both look like you are having such a great time.
And yes there will be hiccups a long the way but your in Disney and that is precious, magical time spent together.

I'm blessed to have a daughter who loves to travel with her Mom even though at being in my early 60's and slowing down( No more 4 parks in one day anymore) she loves going with Mom and Dad still

Off to read more

Liz

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

Ha Ha it's Sarabi. That one kind of stumped me too. I had to really think about it then it just came to me where I can hear Scar calling her. Fun interaction with the cast member though.

 

[Self_resqing_princz]

So, I'm a total lurker--- But I LOVE all your pictures. My husband never wants to stop and get our picture taken by the photographers... so we usually have like 7 pictures of us from our whole trip and they are usually not good quality. Love reading about all your food too.... but the grilled octopus? I think that's too daring for me.
I'm loving all your "firsts" and that highway in the sky.. how have I NEVER heard about this?!

 

[xlsm]

my mom looked down and noticed that her legs were blue! Seriously, smurf blue. HA! Turns out the bags from the stores had bled on her legs while on the safari!

That is crazy!!

We entered the ROL package room, and oh my goodness, I suddenly understood why they were separating the ROL package people and the regular dining people! It was crazy back there, there were kids running around the room screaming with napkins over their heads, other kids were rolling on the floor, and it was just so loud and bright, it felt more like a quick service place than a signature dining restaurant!

Ugh, I'm sorry they stuck you back there! For my package meal I was in the...main room? The one with the RoL float replicas on the wall. I have no idea what it's called!! It was quiet and pretty empty, thank goodness.

The beef was once again amazing.

This is what I had (octopus too, yum!) and it's amaaazzzinnnggg...I think about it all the time!

It wasn’t too horrible getting out afterwards, I had been really worried based on other reviews I’ve read about the traffic jam at the end of the show and

I was so worried about this too, but it went much more smoothly than I expected. I headed toward Dinoland and it wasn't too bad at all.

About 5 minutes after the original rope drop, they let us back to France! There was only one other family heading over that way, so it was nice and empty!

That's the way I like the World Showcase...nice and empty!

I love this photo!!

but baby duckies make this my favorite
This picture makes me want to be all Phil Dunphy and hatch some eggs!!

here’s baby Simba and his mom….whatever her name is

Sarabi!

I'm glad they stopped to talk to you and you reported on it...because I saw them too and had NO CLUE what they heck they were there for. I just figured they were streetmosphere for the Festival, I didn't know they quizzed anyone!

 

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How cute! Two lovely ladies

Aw, thank you!

No wait? This is practically unheard of! You had good luck! If I drank, that would probably be the first Disney drink I'd try

Oh my goodness I know! We were so shocked we got right in!

Bahaha hilarious!

Haha, I know! That guy played it so well. I'm so impressed. Even though I completely failed, he made it so much fun!

 

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Such cute PP pictures! Sounds like you guys had a nice time in Mexico! That CM interaction sounds so funny, I wouldn't be able to name Simba's mom either!!

Thanks! We had so much fun stopping in Mexico. Those margaritas are amazing!

That CM was awesome, even though he asked a ridiculously hard question! Now I know to re-watch 90s Disney movies to prepare for my trips just in case!

 

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Love your report! Really want to do a mother daughter trip with my mom!

Thank you! You totally should, it's so much fun, mom's make the best travel buddies!

 

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Yay! so happy for your updates.

Haha, thanks!

I have to remember when we stay at the Beach Club in December(1st time) that Epcot lets you in early for breakfast in France

Yes! It is amazing! I love how calm it is back there first thing in the morning, and the baked goods are amazing!

Your pics of Beauty and the Beast are gorgeous! ALL your pics are just beautiful.
I have so many people in ours from our trip in April. lol

Thank you! We got lucky that not many people came back to France for breakfast, so we were able to get so many shots back there with no one in them.

Your Mom is a trooper. So sorry she had her Smurf episode I don't know if i would have handled it as well.
But, You both look like you are having such a great time.
And yes there will be hiccups a long the way but your in Disney and that is precious, magical time spent together.

Aw, thank you! Yeah, it wasn't the most magical night, but we tried our best to stay positive and it turned out to be a nice night. Still can't believe the bags bled like that!

I'm blessed to have a daughter who loves to travel with her Mom even though at being in my early 60's and slowing down( No more 4 parks in one day anymore) she loves going with Mom and Dad still

That's so great, I love that you still travel with your daughter! My mom is in her 60s as well, and even though she has certainly slowed down a bit, it hasn't really made an impact on our trips. We really enjoy not rushing through everything and just taking in everything at a slower pace, so it works so well for us. Love traveling with the parents!

 

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Ha Ha it's Sarabi. That one kind of stumped me too. I had to really think about it then it just came to me where I can hear Scar calling her. Fun interaction with the cast member though.

I am SO impressed you know that! Nice job! I wish I remembered that...but I completely drew a blank!

 

[VAtink]

So, I'm a total lurker--- But I LOVE all your pictures. My husband never wants to stop and get our picture taken by the photographers... so we usually have like 7 pictures of us from our whole trip and they are usually not good quality. Love reading about all your food too.... but the grilled octopus? I think that's too daring for me.
I'm loving all your "firsts" and that highway in the sky.. how have I NEVER heard about this?!

Haha, thank you! The grilled octopus is actually really good, it's a similar texture to scallops and has a very smokey taste. I was hesitant to order it at first our first time there, but the waitress raved about it so we tried it and ended up loving it!

You should totally check out highway in the sky, it's such a fun event!

 

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That is crazy!!

I know! We were so shocked that the bags bled so much!

Ugh, I'm sorry they stuck you back there! For my package meal I was in the...main room? The one with the RoL float replicas on the wall. I have no idea what it's called!! It was quiet and pretty empty, thank goodness.

Thanks! Our previous trip we were in the main room and we loved it. Can't believe how crazy that room was!

This is what I had (octopus too, yum!) and it's amaaazzzinnnggg...I think about it all the time!

Oh I know, isn't it the best!?!?!? We love it SO much!

I was so worried about this too, but it went much more smoothly than I expected. I headed toward Dinoland and it wasn't too bad at all.

Yeah, after reading reports here I was so worried, but it turned out to be much easier than I thought!

That's the way I like the World Showcase...nice and empty!

HAHA, I know! Wish I could have the whole place to myself!

I love this photo!!

Thanks! We figured since no one was back there it would be fun to take pictures we normally wouldn't, and ended up with some really fun ones!

but baby duckies make this my favorite
This picture makes me want to be all Phil Dunphy and hatch some eggs!!

HAHA! These little guys were so adorable! Totally want some baby ducks for my back yard!

 

[Mom2m&k]

Love your report! We stayed at the YC the week before you. I fell in love with those new rooms! The barn door is fantastic!! We did not have the same good bus luck as you have had. It seemed like we always waited forever. We did Tiffins and luckily that room was quiet when we were there. We agreed ROL was okay but not something we need to rush back to!

 

[VAtink]

Love your report! We stayed at the YC the week before you. I fell in love with those new rooms! The barn door is fantastic!! We did not have the same good bus luck as you have had. It seemed like we always waited forever. We did Tiffins and luckily that room was quiet when we were there. We agreed ROL was okay but not something we need to rush back to!

Thank you! The new rooms are really nice, especially that barn door! Sorry about the bad bus luck. Our last two trips we've had pretty good luck with the buses, but our previous trips we always seemed to have super long waits. I wish they would have an app where you could see when the next bus is arriving so you would know when to head down to the bus stop!

 

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PART 17: How are We Still Hungry?
May 13th

We continued our way around World Showcase after our fun CM interaction. Of course we found a photopass photographer!



This day they weren’t letting people in that mulch area, but had us stand in front of the fence. I think it actually resulted in better pictures, the ones from the prior day we were too far away for the flash to really work so we were in shadows, but this day it looked a lot better! Still only managed to get one dwarf though…

Next up we stopped by Italy, this is one of our favorite pavilions, so we wondered through snapping pictures.






We popped into the stores for a bit but didn’t buy anything.

After leaving Italy, we were starting to get hungry again, so we decided to look for some food at a booth. We ended up at Morocco, where my mom picked up the baklava, and I got the Desert Rose drink. Both were really good!

Here is the Baklava


And my Desert Rose


There were no available tables nearby, so we just sat at the benches by the booth in the shade. It was a good pit stop, and was right across from a flower and garden gift shop, so after we finished eating we went to check that out. I ended up getting a flower and garden shirt and picked up a shirt to give my mom for Christmas.

We continued on, I was somehow still hungry and had my eye on something at a booth we’d hit soon, Florida Fresh! I ended up getting the Carne Asada and the Ale Flight. While walking over, I noticed there was an empty table a bit out of the way that I made sure to make note of since I could see all the tables around the booth were taken. While in line I mentioned to my mom that I saw that table hiding in the back so she could grab it while I picked up the food. That turned out to be a mistake, the guy in line ahead of us totally overheard me and the second he got his drink he made a b-line over to that table! Ugh. Stupid me. And stupid him, he only had a drink, he totally didn’t need a whole table for himself!

Anyways, rant aside, we went off to find another table but couldn’t find any nearby, so we just made our way to France where we finally found a table behind the booth in the shade. It was the first time we had any trouble finding a table, even in the fall on a Saturday at Food and Wine we never had an issue finding one!

It was a good location we ended up in though, in the shade and being behind the booth at France a bit out of the way so not super crowded.

The carne asada was delicious, I was really surprised how much I liked it. It was one of my top dishes from Flower and Garden! The beer flight was good as well, they were all light and refreshing.



After finishing up, I suggested to my mom that we go check out the tea garden at the UK since she loves tea. She was thrilled I suggested that and of course agreed!

The gardens were interesting and it was cool to see all the different tea cups!





While we were exploring the tea garden it started to drizzle. Uh oh. We hadn’t had rain at all so far this trip, so I guess we couldn’t complain. It wasn’t all out rain yet though, so we decided to keep going. After the UK we made our way back towards the front of the park since my mom wanted to get more pictures of the 3D butterflies.


These were pretty cool!

Of course while we were over on that side we had to stop by the photopass photographers!





By the time we wrapped up with the pictures we decided to head back to the resort to rest, it was already after 2, WAY past our normal mid-day break time. Plus the rain was starting to pick up and we did not feel like being soaked for the rest of the afternoon!

Shortly after we got back to the YC the thunder started, so we had to skip the pool time and just head back to the room. Not horrible though, we were both tired and it was nice just to sit and do nothing for a while! On the way back to our room we swung by Crews Cup to get the grapefruit beer (yes, we are slightly obsessed) and then made our way back to the room to rest.

A very empty Stormalong Bay!


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[missangelalexis]

More great PP pictures! Bummer that you couldn't get to the pool but I am sure it was nice to just unwind in your room for a little!