Yia-Yia, Yetis and Epcotonians. A sweltering Summer of '22 adventure!

[fractal]

Great trip report! Your pictures are amazing! Looking forward to more.

Thank you @Skywatcher1206 ! Plenty more pics to come! Appreciate you following and commenting!

How fun! My grandfather came from Greece and all my life I've grown up hearing about what an amazing chef he was. Unfortunately, he passed when I was 3 and don't remember him much and my mom never learned how to make amazing Greek food.



Nice picture! Too bad the food wasn't good. Is it Flower and Garden that has the Spanakopita? I love those and have eaten them there many times

It's never too late to learn - plus you have some Greek blood in you.

Actually, they also had Spanakopita. I had a bite of Toni's and that was decent.

Enjoying your TR very much! Love all the great photos. You're blessed with photogenic children which is a plus WDW can bring out family drama especially when traveling with a larger group. Nice you could quickly put it behind you. Looking forward to another installment!

Thanks @rdkeim ! I appreciate the kind words! Thankfully and despite the large family group, sweltering temperatures and humidity and the parks being chaotic - that was our biggest moment of drama.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Unfortunately, it failed. YiaYia and I agreed it was the worst gyro sandwiches we ever had and the saganaki (fried Greek kesseri cheese) was hardly passable.

But, I did get her to pose...

Sadly, this isn't suprising. You would know the best and Disney well, they usually do ok.

 

[Tatum20]

We hit Morocco at the same time and everyone warmly greeted each other except Marina and I. She walked by and gave me a hmmmph type look.

For some reason that really cracked me up. Some of my favorite trip reports are when adult siblings are bickering with each other.

 

[fractal]

A few more from Italy...

Originally we had reservations at Via Napoli but plans changed.

Regarding YiaYia and the Scooter issue - she did get into a wheelchair at the park entrance and Aidan pushed her from there. It was so much better! Sterg would pick up the slack for most of the rest of the night, which he loved.

I wandered around for a little more...

Thumbs up for the live entertainment being back!

The setting sun not only took the edge off but created a beautiful atmosphere for the evening.

Sterg led all the kids back to the first food kiosk we hit - just past Test Track. They wanted to try the french fry place there that apparently was getting rave reviews. I think he also wanted to get back to catch a glimpse of the very attractive young lady that served us our sandwich. He had a tough breakup before the trip but the 5 days in Disney World was very therapeutic for him. He is scheduled to move into his new apartment near Tampa in October and has delved deep into his career and other activities including joining the Tampa Bay Waterpolo Club.

They came back with some fries for us to sample and they were very good!

A beautiful ambience was developing in EPCOT that night.

 

[fractal]

Without a tripod, I was in search of a railing or trashcan or anything that would give me enough stability to shoot off some long-exposure shots and a good enough angle of the show.

I wasn't having much luck but the marvelous sunset kept me shooting.

The sun was dropping fast.

The crowds continued to build.

The problem was the beveled top to most of the railing. I used such top for this photo but even 1/6 of a second was tough to keep the camera still.

I finally found a flat top and created a proper 10 second exposure...

I wasn't crazy with the framing of the shot - straight into a brick wall? Besides - I was pretty far from our family base camp. I decided to surrender and went back to the rest of the crew.

 

[fractal]

There has been a lot of negative vibe spewed over Harmonics. For the record I'm a big fan of Illuminations. I play the Millennium Celebration CD pretty hard in my car. That fireworks show proceeded by the parade in 2000 was a big part of what made me an addict of WDW. During our 2011 trip I got quite emotional watching Illuminations and posted this in my trip report...

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As I was watching the show, I started to think of Walt Disney. Many people say they tear up when they watch Wishes - I didn't - but watching Illuminations started to bring a lump in my throat. This night, the fireworks, the music, would not exist without the ideas and visions of one man. We are still fortunate enough to live in a society were ideas and dreams are not only powerful - but can manifest themselves in grand scale. Without Walt Disney, Epcot would not exist. The beautiful and moving music written and composed for Illuminations would not exist. The experiences and memories created by countless families would not exist. It's truly mind boggling when you spend time thinking about it, and for some reason I was thinking about it that night.

We currently live in a pessimistic world. The "Great Recession" is really our version of the Great Depression. Every current movie or TV series based on the future is dystopian. It seems all we have to look forward to is some post apocalyptic world filled with nuclear fallout, economic collapse, alien invasions, killer viruses, natural disasters or flesh eating zombies. The vision of Walt Disney's Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow - a world made better by human innovation and technology is all but dead.

EPCOT, despite not being what Walt originally wanted, is still a symbol of how great the future can be. It helps keep that flicker of a hope; that our tomorrow will be better than today, from extinguishing.
All of these thoughts raced through my mind as Illuminations reached the climatic finale. Is it naive to think that one man and some theme parks can mean that much? Maybe. At a minimum though, Walt and his Worlds clearly demonstrate the power of positive thinking and perseverance.

Keep moving forward. That to me was the message Illuminations was sending that evening.

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I also captured some good fireworks shots of Illuminations in 2017. Any new fireworks show was faced with a very high bar to cross. My expectations based on that and reviews I've read was appropriately lowered.
We were situated with a good spot, Marina and YiaYia were by my side, Mia positioned herself on top of a trash can and the rest where within a few feet. The show began and I can say right out that despite all the criticism, I thought the "tacos" were an amazing display of current technology. It was obvious to me fairly quickly that the were stealing some of the wonder of World of Color from the California Adventure show. I was impressed with the execution.

I'm going to post photos of the show; some from my camera and some from phone cameras. Can you tell the difference?

The show covered all the Disney bases as far as Intellectual Property and was a visual and audio sight to enjoy. It did not however come close to invoking the feelings and emotions that Illuminations did. I would love to come back and photograph it with a tripod and my camera but as far as being inspired by it - that was not going to happen. I feel bad for those that never saw Illuminations especially knowing that it will never be viewed live again. It felt to me a sign of the times; flashy and shiny but nothing of substance underneath.

 

[fractal]

Sadly, this isn't suprising. You would know the best and Disney well, they usually do ok.

It was disappointing.

For some reason that really cracked me up. Some of my favorite trip reports are when adult siblings are bickering with each other.

Yes, things that make you mad at the time then laugh when you look back at it!

 

[fractal]

After Harmonics we joined the mass of humanity to the exits.

Just love the new lights on SSE!

We had to return YiaYia's wheelchair rental. The $12 was well worth the price. The continued stress of the electric scooter and worrying of her shooting off somewhere, falling off the thing or slamming into someone (myself included) was gone. I thought she would protest her "demotion" into the wheelchair but she actually enjoyed it, especially with her grandchildren pushing her around.

I could have shot SSE Earth all night...

I finally moved on with Sterg and Toni. Goodnight EPCOT! It wasn't long however until we would see her again.


UP NEXT - 2 BIG first rides and opinion; Ratatouille and Guardians! Visiting old stomping grounds, Waterpark fun and a jammed packed night in the Parks!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I know I keep repeating myself but, my goodness your photos are just beautiful. You're making me want to get back into photography after having dabbled at it many years ago. One problem... I'm lazy and don't want to carry equipment around. But you are making it seem well worth the effort! Sorry the Greek booth didn't live up to expectations. Totally agree with you on Harmonious vs. Illuminations.

 

[GDubDIS]

I was so excited to see a new trip report from you, because it was so fun to follow along during the depths of Covid in 2020. I appreciate your approach to crowds as something that is an unavoidable part of Disney being "back to normal" and contributing to the energy and atmosphere (to an extent )

Great report so far and looking forward to the rest, especially the reviews of the new Epcot rides!

 

[fractal]

I know I keep repeating myself but, my goodness your photos are just beautiful. You're making me want to get back into photography after having dabbled at it many years ago. One problem... I'm lazy and don't want to carry equipment around. But you are making it seem well worth the effort! Sorry the Greek booth didn't live up to expectations. Totally agree with you on Harmonious vs. Illuminations.

Thanks @2xcited2sleep ! I appreciate all the kind words! It is a commitment for sure to carry around camera gear and lenses, especially with the advances in smart phone cameras but as the discomfort of doing that has started to fade from my memory, I'm more glad that I did!

I was so excited to see a new trip report from you, because it was so fun to follow along during the depths of Covid in 2020. I appreciate your approach to crowds as something that is an unavoidable part of Disney being "back to normal" and contributing to the energy and atmosphere (to an extent )

Great report so far and looking forward to the rest, especially the reviews of the new Epcot rides!

Thanks @GDubDIS ! That 2020 trip was one for the books! Amazing how different this trip was for all the good and bad reasons.

 

[fractal]

After our long day we settled down in our room when the phone rang; it was Marina.

"Do you have Mom's glasses?"

These would be her new glasses she got...

"No, I don't have them."

I asked the kids; "They were in the wheelchair." Sterg replied.

"Yeah, Bill left them in the wheelchair!" I hear YiaYia in the background.

"OK." I said. "Let's not blame Bill. It was chaotic getting out of there and Mom should have remembered her glasses."

I volunteered to Call Guest Services at Epcot and see if they found any glasses.

I could not find a phone number for them and started to call the general WDW number but then hung up and did a google search on lost items at WDW. That took me to
third party service website that tracks lost and found for Disney. I had to fill out a investigation claim with details of what, when and where but it was pretty easy to do. I received an email confirming the claim and set a copy of it to Bill and Marina with the message that we should still make a trip to Wheelchair rental spot when we are in EPCOT in the morning.

We also made plans to meet at the International Gateway entrance in the morning at 8am. We were going to take an UBER to Beach Club to reminisce and Team Marina was going to go to The Boardwalk where they've stayed numerous times before.

I woke up early, around 6am and checked my email - I received an update that they are looking for the glasses but nothing found.

Sterg and Toni (2/3rds) were up by 7 and ready to go by 7:30. We were all donning our Fractal T-shirts!

The Uber driver was on time and very chatty for our short drive to BC. As we walked in I remember to add a breezeway photo of Toni for our collection;

2011

2017

2022

Not every trip but a nice spacing between photos.

 

[fractal]

I love this chandelier. I took this shot right after Sterg and I commented on the marvelous BC Lobby scent. Something we always enjoy as it fills us with memories of past trips.

On our way to the IG. Team Marina was just ahead of us. We arrived around 8:15. EPCOT opened at 9 but at 8 for Deluxe guests (Destino/Coronado is a Moderate). We got there early and tried our luck.

The Force was with us that morning as we got in with no problems. It might have been the Jedi mind trick I used.

Group shot with Fractal shirts. I felt a little weird at first because I didn't know how Team Marina would react. I also decided not to ask before the trip if they wanted to wear them as I didn't want them to feel like they had to. Team Marina however loved them and were very cool with it. So next trip we'll all sport them.

It was a beautiful morning in France! Our first stop was an early standby for Ratatouille.

Bill and I had a few conversations before the trip about how we attack the Parks. I told him we go early before the crowds, spend the afternoon cooling off and go back out in the evening. They tended to sleep in more than we did but for this trip we followed our strategy and Bill and Aidan loved it. Both are active with Aidan achieving his Eagle Scout in high school and loves camping and hiking. In fact they both missed our 2017 trip because they were out West on a long hiking trip in the Mountains of Colorado. They certainly we up to the challenge of early morning Park commando mode. YiaYia was tired from the day before so she opted to stay back at the resort (which would cause issues of its own).

Getting closer!

 

[Tatum20]

2011

2017

2022

Not every trip but a nice spacing between photos.

This aging up pictures of your daughter reminds me of the Subaru commercial where the dad is handing over car keys to his daughter, who appears to be about 6 years old, and lecturing her on safe driving. The camera turns to the dad and then pans back to the daughter, who is now 16 and on her first solo drive. Very sweet!

 

[lauralynn0612]

I could not find a phone number for them and started to call the general WDW number but then hung up and did a google search on lost items at WDW. That took me to
third party service website that tracks lost and found for Disney. I had to fill out a investigation claim with details of what, when and where but it was pretty easy to do. I received an email confirming the claim and set a copy of it to Bill and Marina with the message that we should still make a trip to Wheelchair rental spot when we are in EPCOT in the morning.

I hope they found them!

I have a funny "lost property" story... I'll try to keep it brief, but it's my favorite to tell. My family (me, husband, 7 month old plus my parents) went April 2020. While checking in on Tron progress, I was reorganizing my belt bag (just like Toni's pink Lulu in the photos) and noticed my driver's license was missing. I had no idea where or when I lost it (I suspected a Flower & Garden booth when showing for alcohol). I immediately filled out the online form for every single park and our resort. The DL was still missing when it came time to fly home so I was panicked about getting through airport security. Made it through with my Costco card (and extra screening... still before my family made it through general security). By the time I am home and replaced my DL, Disney contacted me that they found it and mailed it home! No idea where they found it...

 

[fractal]

The line was starting to build but in less than 15 minutes we were inside the building.

I've read a number of reviews for the ride - both good and bad - but was excited to see for myself. There was a general buzz among our group as well.

Mia wanted to stay with my Triumvirate so we adopted her for the morning.

I decided to take some photos despite the 3D aspect of the ride.

Which paid off because a good part of the ride were practical effects and props.

We became Remy and were scurrying through the restaurant. I'm a big fan of the trackless ride system and it worked well here.

At one point we found ourselves underneath the just lit oven. It was a good spot for some 4D effects!

Skinner badly wanted to catch us!

I enjoyed these wide scenes!

And we made it back alive and in time for dinner!

As a fan of Ratatouille, I loved the ride. It was quick, fun and filled with enough exciting close calls! The 3D was very good as were the 4D effects. The trackless system is a delight. Is it another Rise of the Resistance? Of course not but it's a welcome addition to World Showcase in my opinion.

 

[fractal]

We exited to see the standby line multiply in length.

Sterg and Mia.

While the entire group took a nature's break I took a few photos...

Everyone was getting hungry so I recommended the French pastry shop.

The line started right at the entrance. Toni documented our wait with a return of the fish lips.

It was finally our turn!

I got the Croissant Sale' - I told Marina (in Dad Joke mode) there was a "sale" on croissants so I was going to get that. Toni got the chocolate croissant. Not sure what everyone else ordered. Everything was delicious!

We had to stand to eat at a counter because all seats were taken. From getting in line to getting food it was about 20 minutes or so. While we were eating we couldn't help to notice several tables were occupied by one or two people with no food just there to "reserve" the table while the rest of the party was in line. So you're just going to sit there for 20-30 minutes not eating and take up a table while others had to eat standing? I thought this was extremely rude, especially for a coffee and pastry spot where most people sit, eat and leave within 15 minutes or so.

At this point we split up again. Team Marina wanted to go on Frozen and we saw a short wait time for Soarin' so we hustled to the Land!

 

[fractal]

This aging up pictures of your daughter reminds me of the Subaru commercial where the dad is handing over car keys to his daughter, who appears to be about 6 years old, and lecturing her on safe driving. The camera turns to the dad and then pans back to the daughter, who is now 16 and on her first solo drive. Very sweet!

I know that commercial, Lol! Thanks @Tatum20 !

I hope they found them!

I have a funny "lost property" story... I'll try to keep it brief, but it's my favorite to tell. My family (me, husband, 7 month old plus my parents) went April 2020. While checking in on Tron progress, I was reorganizing my belt bag (just like Toni's pink Lulu in the photos) and noticed my driver's license was missing. I had no idea where or when I lost it (I suspected a Flower & Garden booth when showing for alcohol). I immediately filled out the online form for every single park and our resort. The DL was still missing when it came time to fly home so I was panicked about getting through airport security. Made it through with my Costco card (and extra screening... still before my family made it through general security). By the time I am home and replaced my DL, Disney contacted me that they found it and mailed it home! No idea where they found it...

That's amazing they found it!

 

[fractal]

By the time we reached Soarin' the wait time grew from 20 minutes to 70 minutes. We deferred and ended up here...

Best horticultural and sustainable farming ride ever!

My adult kids enjoy this ride more as they got older.

2013 Sterg was not thrilled with LWTL

Alex, my Biology major and now nurse enjoyed it much more.

These displays were new to us...

I noticed there were no brands displayed for promotion. Everything was generic.

While traveling the LWTL waterway I received good news from Bill. He opted out of Frozen Ever After and went to the wheelchair rental and low and behold they had YiaYia's glasses! There is an Orthodox Saint that YiaYia prays to when she loses something. Saint Phanourios...

St. Phanourios has become famous for assisting the faithful in revealing lost or hidden spiritual matters of the heart, objects, directing or revealing actions that should be taken, restoring health and similar situations. He is then honoured by the faithful through a symbolic cake, called the "Phanouropita" which can be brought to the church, at any time, for a blessing.

She always bakes a cake for him on his feast day which oddly enough was this past Saturday. She could tell you stories for an hour how many things she lost (including her wedding ring in New York City) then found after praying to the good Saint. Well she prayed to him the night she lost her glasses and once again, St. Phanourios came through for her!

After that good news we decided to leave The Land for our next adventure!

Last edited: Yesterday at 7:16 PM

 

[buzzrelly]

Group shot with Fractal shirts. I felt a little weird at first because I didn't know how Team Marina would react. I also decided not to ask before the trip if they wanted to wear them as I didn't want them to feel like they had to. Team Marina however loved them and were very cool with it. So next trip we'll all sport them.

Love the matching shirts! But please excuse my ignorance, what do they mean? Aside from your user name here, I don't think it's your last name as I'm sure you said that back a few pages...is it your first name and I'm totally being a dingbat right now?? I'm sure I'll regret asking this!

Everyone was getting hungry so I recommended the French pastry shop.

Smart choice! And I totally agree about the table saving. It is extremely rude. That happened to us at Sleepy Hollow and we ended up eating our delicious waffles on a trash can while people just sat at the tables with no food.

I hope they found the glasses! Or replaced them! Last year my Allie lost her ears on 7DMT and they'd have had to close the ride to retrieve them but they gave her a coupon to get another pair!