earfulofmagic
cranking out magic and assembly line whimsy
- Joined
- May 16, 2017
Departure Day: Via Napoli, via MCO
After the best night of sleep all trip, I woke up and hopped in the shower around 9:30am. I dressed and woke T up around 10am. While he stumbled about the waking world, I finished our still delicious Artist Point leftovers for breakfast.
We were both so sad to be leaving our beloved Swan after another great stay, but at least we had one last bright, sunshiny day ahead of us
Also, as sad as departure day is, we always look forward to seeing our dog again!
We finished the last bit of packing, did express checkout on our way to the elevator (you just text your last name and room number, and you're checked out!), then we stowed our luggage with bell services. At the Swan, employee name tags show what the person is passionate about under their name -- things like music, dancing, etc., probably intended as conversation starters. The bell services guy's tag said he was passionate about waffle fries!
We zoomed along the Boardwalk and through World Showcase, which was nice and empty (just before 11am). We tapped into Mission Space's FP line right near the end of our grace period, at 11:06am. After a successful mission to Mars, we were off to The Land for our FP on a little boat ride.
It was right around 12 noon when we exited Living with the Land and made our way to Sunshine Seasons to get a snack for T, who hadn't eaten anything yet. He got a caesar salad with oak-fired chicken ($10.49) because I warned him our lunch ADR was only ~1.5 hours away and he'd do better getting something light:
This was just your usual chicken caesar and I have no notes, other than we asked for fewer croutons/cheese and added some pepper. It tasted fresh.
We admired some of the Soarin' merchandise and gummies (for T, a gummy fiend) before we tapped into Soarin', our final FP, right around 12:25pm. Once in the boarding area we got to sit in the exact middle of the theater (B2), which made for another great flight around the world!
After that, we headed out for one last leisurely walk through World Showcase. It was so hot. We arrived in Italy for Via Napoli early, somewhere around 1:10pm?, so at T's request we went over to Japan to peruse Mitsukoshi, where we yet again found about a thousand household items we'd like to buy.
super cute origami crane plates! one day I'll finally bring an extra suitcase just for knickknacks
We pressed a penny in Japan then walked back to Via Napoli to check in for lunch. Originally, we had an ADR for Tiffins before we canceled AK plans in favor of Epcot, and we also had a late lunch ADR for Beaches & Cream (one of T's favorite places), but in the spirit of new things and ~better food~ we decided to go with Via Napoli. This was my second time there and T's first. My first time at Via Napoli was back in August when I also ate just before leaving for the airport, so it was like we were continuing a new tradition (of sorts).
There was a loooong line to check in and a hostess was going down the line turning away walkups, so that cut down on the wait. We were called up and seated right around 1:40pm in the main dining room. I had sat solo in the patio-esque room last year and was happy to sit in a different area from last time. We had nice views of the frescos and this guy...
In my tipsy state I took to calling him Porco Froggo (after the film, Porco Rosso) but the wonders of Google Translate have led to me renaming him Rana Grigio!
Our server, Eduardo, took our drink orders and pizza order at the same time. I liked him -- he was upbeat, and I liked that he was strangely enthusiastic about the Tables in Wonderland discount
I ordered the Sicilian Sunset (vodka, orangecello, orange and pineapple juices over shaved ice, $14) and T ordered the limoncello mule (Wild Sardinia vodka, limoncello, orange, pineapple, peach, and lime juices, ginger beer, $16) which I suggested because I'd had it my first time at Via Napoli and really liked it. Also, he likes moscow mules, so that was an easy sell.
(sicilian sunset)
(limoncello mule)
When I went in August, the limoncello mule looked like this, which I found quite adorable:
Now, the Sicilian Sunset was such a bummer because the huge shaved ice ball in the middle constituted the majority of the drink, and it was a bit weak. It's really just an icy screwdriver. It wasn't worth the price, but it was a nice refreshing drink on a hot day. The limoncello mule was as good as last time -- Eduardo actually caught me sneaking sips of it while T was in the restroom
At home we do a "pizza dance" whenever we make pizza, which is just a silly dance routine we've developed after many years together T did a modified version in his seat, and then not long after our pizza arrived! (Conclusion: the pizza dance is effective at summoning pizza everywhere.)
We had the Carciofi Pizza (large size) which is: white pizza - artichoke, fontina, mozzarella, truffle oil; and added arugula, thanks to the many dining reports by @kastoney I'd read in the week or so leading up to this trip! My first time here I'd ordered the margherita (individual sized) and it was good, but this was so excellent. They didn't shy away from the truffle oil and the arugula added the perfect peppery goodness this pizza needed. The char on the crust was perfect, too.
We added red pepper flakes to our individual slices. T added "parmesan" to his slices and somehow made a big mess as usual:
We were really flagging around the third slice each, but we didn't plan to eat in MCO (not a huge fan of their food offerings) and the flight was six hours nonstop, so we powered through. It helped to not eat much breakfast beforehand.
Eduardo congratulated us on a good job polishing off the large! We really loved this meal -- it was relaxed, we were happily tipsy, the pizza was absolutely delicious, and it was a nice sendoff for our last meal at Disney. We saved $14.20 with Tables in Wonderland, so for one large pizza and two (honestly overpriced) alcoholic beverages, it wasn't so bad.
We left Via Napoli around 2:40, and it was blazing hot outside -- T said something to the tune of "wow, turns out it was nice and cool in there" once we stepped into the pavilion
It had felt warm and sweaty inside the restaurant -- guessing from the ambient warmth of the pizza ovens, kitchen, and all of the sunny windows -- but it was probably at least 15 degrees hotter outside. Also!, not relevant, but you know how Via Napoli just has this constant background din? When you walk towards the restrooms, the sound is immediately silenced once you're in that hallway. It was surprisingly quiet and peaceful for being only a few steps removed from the dining room.
We really wanted to catch the O Canada! film again to complete our trifecta of WS films (France, China, Canada), so we made it over there with 15 minutes until the next show. It was strangely empty around all of World Showcase. We watched O Canada!, walked back to the Swan, got our bags, and got in a Lyft for the airport with the chattiest Lyft driver in all of Orlando. It rained HARD the entire ride to MCO, and then within about two miles of the airport, totally clear skies. Love that Florida weather!
Bag drop was quick and painless, the precheck security screening went slower than usual since a few families packed several bottles of water in their carry-on bags... but we were still through in ten minutes, and then our flight began boarding about half an hour later. We had plans upon arrival in PDX to meet up with some friends who no longer live in Portland but were flying out of PDX a few hours after we were to land, and that worked out with only a few hitches. Despite landing early (8:45pm), we didn't get home until ~11pm, where our dog was overjoyed to discover we did not abandon her after all.
And up next, I prolong the trip reporting a bit by sharing some reflections and declaring trip favorites! Thank you all for reading -- like many things in life, it's more fun when shared with others.
After the best night of sleep all trip, I woke up and hopped in the shower around 9:30am. I dressed and woke T up around 10am. While he stumbled about the waking world, I finished our still delicious Artist Point leftovers for breakfast.
We were both so sad to be leaving our beloved Swan after another great stay, but at least we had one last bright, sunshiny day ahead of us
Also, as sad as departure day is, we always look forward to seeing our dog again! We finished the last bit of packing, did express checkout on our way to the elevator (you just text your last name and room number, and you're checked out!), then we stowed our luggage with bell services. At the Swan, employee name tags show what the person is passionate about under their name -- things like music, dancing, etc., probably intended as conversation starters. The bell services guy's tag said he was passionate about waffle fries!
We zoomed along the Boardwalk and through World Showcase, which was nice and empty (just before 11am). We tapped into Mission Space's FP line right near the end of our grace period, at 11:06am. After a successful mission to Mars, we were off to The Land for our FP on a little boat ride.
It was right around 12 noon when we exited Living with the Land and made our way to Sunshine Seasons to get a snack for T, who hadn't eaten anything yet. He got a caesar salad with oak-fired chicken ($10.49) because I warned him our lunch ADR was only ~1.5 hours away and he'd do better getting something light:
This was just your usual chicken caesar and I have no notes, other than we asked for fewer croutons/cheese and added some pepper. It tasted fresh.
We admired some of the Soarin' merchandise and gummies (for T, a gummy fiend) before we tapped into Soarin', our final FP, right around 12:25pm. Once in the boarding area we got to sit in the exact middle of the theater (B2), which made for another great flight around the world!
After that, we headed out for one last leisurely walk through World Showcase. It was so hot. We arrived in Italy for Via Napoli early, somewhere around 1:10pm?, so at T's request we went over to Japan to peruse Mitsukoshi, where we yet again found about a thousand household items we'd like to buy.
super cute origami crane plates! one day I'll finally bring an extra suitcase just for knickknacks
We pressed a penny in Japan then walked back to Via Napoli to check in for lunch. Originally, we had an ADR for Tiffins before we canceled AK plans in favor of Epcot, and we also had a late lunch ADR for Beaches & Cream (one of T's favorite places), but in the spirit of new things and ~better food~ we decided to go with Via Napoli. This was my second time there and T's first. My first time at Via Napoli was back in August when I also ate just before leaving for the airport, so it was like we were continuing a new tradition (of sorts).
There was a loooong line to check in and a hostess was going down the line turning away walkups, so that cut down on the wait. We were called up and seated right around 1:40pm in the main dining room. I had sat solo in the patio-esque room last year and was happy to sit in a different area from last time. We had nice views of the frescos and this guy...
In my tipsy state I took to calling him Porco Froggo (after the film, Porco Rosso) but the wonders of Google Translate have led to me renaming him Rana Grigio!
Our server, Eduardo, took our drink orders and pizza order at the same time. I liked him -- he was upbeat, and I liked that he was strangely enthusiastic about the Tables in Wonderland discount
I ordered the Sicilian Sunset (vodka, orangecello, orange and pineapple juices over shaved ice, $14) and T ordered the limoncello mule (Wild Sardinia vodka, limoncello, orange, pineapple, peach, and lime juices, ginger beer, $16) which I suggested because I'd had it my first time at Via Napoli and really liked it. Also, he likes moscow mules, so that was an easy sell.
(sicilian sunset)
(limoncello mule)
When I went in August, the limoncello mule looked like this, which I found quite adorable:
Now, the Sicilian Sunset was such a bummer because the huge shaved ice ball in the middle constituted the majority of the drink, and it was a bit weak. It's really just an icy screwdriver. It wasn't worth the price, but it was a nice refreshing drink on a hot day. The limoncello mule was as good as last time -- Eduardo actually caught me sneaking sips of it while T was in the restroom
At home we do a "pizza dance" whenever we make pizza, which is just a silly dance routine we've developed after many years together
T did a modified version in his seat, and then not long after our pizza arrived! (Conclusion: the pizza dance is effective at summoning pizza everywhere.)We had the Carciofi Pizza (large size) which is: white pizza - artichoke, fontina, mozzarella, truffle oil; and added arugula, thanks to the many dining reports by @kastoney I'd read in the week or so leading up to this trip! My first time here I'd ordered the margherita (individual sized) and it was good, but this was so excellent. They didn't shy away from the truffle oil and the arugula added the perfect peppery goodness this pizza needed. The char on the crust was perfect, too.
We added red pepper flakes to our individual slices. T added "parmesan" to his slices and somehow made a big mess as usual:
We were really flagging around the third slice each, but we didn't plan to eat in MCO (not a huge fan of their food offerings) and the flight was six hours nonstop, so we powered through. It helped to not eat much breakfast beforehand.
Eduardo congratulated us on a good job polishing off the large! We really loved this meal -- it was relaxed, we were happily tipsy, the pizza was absolutely delicious, and it was a nice sendoff for our last meal at Disney. We saved $14.20 with Tables in Wonderland, so for one large pizza and two (honestly overpriced) alcoholic beverages, it wasn't so bad.
We left Via Napoli around 2:40, and it was blazing hot outside -- T said something to the tune of "wow, turns out it was nice and cool in there" once we stepped into the pavilion
It had felt warm and sweaty inside the restaurant -- guessing from the ambient warmth of the pizza ovens, kitchen, and all of the sunny windows -- but it was probably at least 15 degrees hotter outside. Also!, not relevant, but you know how Via Napoli just has this constant background din? When you walk towards the restrooms, the sound is immediately silenced once you're in that hallway. It was surprisingly quiet and peaceful for being only a few steps removed from the dining room.We really wanted to catch the O Canada! film again to complete our trifecta of WS films (France, China, Canada), so we made it over there with 15 minutes until the next show. It was strangely empty around all of World Showcase. We watched O Canada!, walked back to the Swan, got our bags, and got in a Lyft for the airport with the chattiest Lyft driver in all of Orlando. It rained HARD the entire ride to MCO, and then within about two miles of the airport, totally clear skies. Love that Florida weather!
Bag drop was quick and painless, the precheck security screening went slower than usual since a few families packed several bottles of water in their carry-on bags... but we were still through in ten minutes, and then our flight began boarding about half an hour later. We had plans upon arrival in PDX to meet up with some friends who no longer live in Portland but were flying out of PDX a few hours after we were to land, and that worked out with only a few hitches. Despite landing early (8:45pm), we didn't get home until ~11pm, where our dog was overjoyed to discover we did not abandon her after all.
And up next, I prolong the trip reporting a bit by sharing some reflections and declaring trip favorites! Thank you all for reading -- like many things in life, it's more fun when shared with others.
I looked up the company when writing that post and was shocked to see they have an entire product line of 10 canned cocktails. Absolute madness!
Oh, how I don't want to admit it... I think my future Mickey pretzels will always come with cheese sauce, too. They are indeed better that way! We were just at a baseball game and shared a giant soft pretzel with beer-cheese sauce (for the record, I did not choose this -- T came back to our seats with it) and all I could think was, this is me now. I really do like this cheese sauce and I can't hide it any longer!
I really enjoyed your report and I'm glad I Found it!
You know how at the end of Kilimanjaro Safaris, the guide talks about how they don't like to say goodbye on the savanna because it's too sad and final, so instead they say kwaherini, meaning to go well? Early on in this trip we started saying tubherini because we were always excited to eat well! 
He thought the weather was fantastic in Florida IN JUNE. On our first morning, he said something to the tune of "ahhh, now it's nice and warm!" when we left the Swan and walked to HS. 
I am not a delusional lizard like him -- it was definitely quite hot (but manageable). He's lucky not to be plagued by underboob sweat 
His favorite was Flying Fish's Florida Sunset. I consider it a runner-up but still not quite in the league of the blueberry angel food cake.
