Favorite Things at Disney World #8

We are fast approaching our departure time and in just a little over a week I’ll be getting on a plane and be soarin’ to Walt Disney World…hey Soarin… what a coincidence. I love that ride!

Soarin’ is one of those immersive Disney experiences that I have already said I love so much.

Originally opened in Disney’s California Adventures Park in February of 2001 as Soarin’ over California, and then finally coming to Epcot in May of 2005, Soarin’ has quickly become one of the most popular attractions in all of the Disney Parks.

Ever since a disastrous family trip to Disney World in 1998, I have always used New Years Eve as my standard “most crowded day possible” at the park. This past New Years, using the Touringplans.com Line application on my phone, I checked the wait on several rides just for fun. Soarin’ had most definitely the longest wait with a nearly 3 ½ hour duration. 

Slower periods have sited an average of around 60-90 minutes depending on the day and what time you go.

Luckily for me, the one time I went on the Epcot version, we went at opening time and basically ran to the ride, making us only have to wait about 20 minutes or so.

So I have only gone on this ride once and its one of my 10 favorite attractions in the park?

Absolutely!

When you first enter the queue line you get the feeling of an Airport terminal, you’ve enter into terminal “gates” the cast members are dressed as flight attendants, and of course you get your spiel from pre-flight instruction officer Patrick, played by TV’s Patrick Walburton (Seinfeld, The Tick, Family Guy)

You know you’re in good hands when David Puddy is in charge.

The ride is essentially a 3 rowed Erector set that lifts you up towards a giant Imax screen, your feet dangling in the air.

The ride starts with you  in the clouds, before bursting through over San Fransisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. You follow this up by flying over kayakers at Yosemite’s National Forest. The smell of pine wisps through your nose (no, I did not imagine this.) You feel like your feet are going to skip through the water as your “glider” moves closer.

You are then taken to an orange field, avoiding hot air ballons, feeling the wind in your face, as the smell of oranges blows through.

Next, you are off to the Pacific Ocean  and into snow capped mountains before flying over majestic waterfalls.

You are then taken to Palm Springs, where a golfer (Actually Michael Eisner, former Disney CEO) nearly hits you with his ball.

You fly through the Napa Valley and Anza-Borreco Desert State Park where Screamin’ Eagles (the planes not the birds) jet past you.

This, is followed by gliding over the San Diego Naval Air Station, and the USS John C. Stennis

You are then transported to Los Angeles at night, “soaring” through buildings down the highway before concluding your trip at Disneyland (of course.) Tinkerbell flies by to start the nighttime fireworks display, which you of course have more than a front row seat to.

Everything, from the movement, to the sights, to the smells, make you forget that you are on a ride in Epcot. You ARE hang gliding through California.

There is no questioning why this is one of the most popular rides at the park. It is truly one of, if not THE most immersive experiences in all of the Disney Parks.

If I was able to go on it more, I have no doubt that it would probably be even higher (haven’t I said that about some other things?) Will I try and do it again? Absolutely! Many times? Well, we’ll just see how the wait is.

My Favorite Things at Disney World #9

I Can't Decide Whether This is More about Le Cellier or Food In General.
 

I’m going to be honest. I am not sure which one surprises me more, that I am already at #9 and haven’t mentioned food yet, or that (spoiler alert) there aren’t any more restaurants on my list going forward.

Disney has every food, for just about every taste, whether you are in the mood for a McDonald’s French fries at Casey’s Corner or a custom made $250 a plate meal at the Chef’s Table at Victoria & Albert’s in the Grand Floridian Resort. Disney has you covered. If you have food allergies, chef’s will be very accommodating, and will give you recommendations, and in some cases, point out what you should and shouldn’t eat at the buffet’s

I love Disney food. I really love food in general but when I go to “The World” there are times when I look forward to the food more than the rides. We plan our days around where we can eat. I am going to be honest, we probably over think things too much. How much more? Well, we started making dining reservations for this trip in January, back in October (which for people who haven’t been to the parks is actually recommended). However we’ve probably changed our plans every week since then. As of my writing this, a little over a week before we leave, we still have no idea where we are eating for two of the nights we are there.

However, I might just want to stop and get what’s available that day. We stopped by Kona Café, in the Polynesian Resort, and had a phenomenal dinner there with only a few hours notice, so maybe I should just see what’s out there.

A few things are a must though. I know I must have the Peanut Butter & Jelly Milkshake at the 50’s Primetime Café.

I know I am going to load up on the delicious sides at The Crystal Palace Buffet.

I also know that I must have the Filet and Mushroom Risotto at Le Cellier.

As I mentioned a few days ago, Le Cellier is very difficult to get into. Usually they recommend getting a reservation 180 days in advance. As a matter of fact, we have been trying to look for open reservations, more or less a few times a week since we started booking reservations in October. Every part of the meal was wonderful.

I started with Moosehead Pale Ale, it was smooth, crisp, fantastic, which even my wife, a non beer drinker, actually liked. Interestingly enough, Epcot is the only place in the United States where you can get it on tap. (and from what I’ve seen, it’s a bit difficult to find the Pale Ale in a bottle here as well.)

We followed this with the Cheddar Cheese Soup, which was rich, creamy, smoky, BACONY! It was just so much more satisfying than a “Cheese Soup” probably should be.

The main course was a lovely Filet with a fantastic mushroom risotto and white truffle butter sauce.

We finished up with dessert; I had the rich creamy Chocolate “Moose” while my wife had the delicious Maple Crème Brulee. (I am not a huge Maple fan outside of pancakes or bacon, but this was REALLY good .)

This trip we were able to get lunch reservations here again, along with new places like Cape May Cafe, and the much praised California Grill. 

I strongly encourage you to make a reservation at Le Cellier if you get the chance. Lunch is probably your best bet, for one because it will probably be the easier reservation to get, and for two, you are getting pretty much the same selection (sans a few entrees), for half the price. Plus if you are on the Regular Dining Plan, lunch takes 1 credit, rather than the two that it would have taken for dinner.

Tomorrow I promise to go back to rides and attractions. 

My Favorite Things at Disney World #10

I love Japan!

I love the technology, I love the food, I love the people, I love the pro-wrestling (shut up) but most of all, I love the pop culture.

Now I know that most likely I’m either never going to Japan, or if I do its going to be a long long time before I get the chance, and until then, I have EPCOT.

Now within EPCOT’s Japan Pavillion there is a 10,000 square foot nerd paradise, called the Mitsukoshi Department Store.

Owned by the Mitsukoshi Ltd Company in Japan, which was the first Japanese Department store when it was founded in 1673, Mitsukoshi in EPCOT has everything from Bonsai trees, to candies to kimonos to t-shirts to toys

And oh the t-shirts and toys they have there…Hello Kitty, Tomagotchi, Inuyashi, and for older nerds like me Transformers, Robotech, Godzilla and Voltron.

I’ve mentioned before how there are products in Disney World that you can buy at 20 different places on the resort, and probably at the Disney Store in your town. This is the totally opposite. There are things here that you cannot find anywhere else in the park, and to be quite honest, there’s some stuff that you would have a difficult time finding in the Western Hemisphere without buying online.

I mean how awesome is that shirt? Seriously!                       

Now of course, things are going to be expensive. That shirt ran me $34 but let’s be honest, its in Disney World and it is Imported. There are less expensive products, the Inuyashi t-shirt was I believe $24 but I’m willing to justify the price.

The candy and snack section has a wide array from the chocolate stick cookie Pocky to Shrimp Chips (and you’d actually be surprised which one tastes a whole heck of a lot better.), making them blow a Jungle Jim’s or any other International Grocer away as far as selection.

There is also jewelry including a Pick a Pearl from an Oyster counter, which is guaranteed to find a pearl in your oyster. My wife found a rather rare blue pearl in a smaller kiosk in Downtown Disney, but if you wan the “show” aspect that comes along with it, you have to go to Mitsukoshi.

The young women who work in the store are some of the sweetest Cast Members you’ll find in the parks and are always willing to help you out.

The only thing I could say bad is that they could increase their DVD selection, now granted I understand what they are doing here. Disney probably gets the most money by selling the Anime from its Japanese affiliate, Ghibli Studios, but I would love to see more stuff from perhaps the Toho Studios, which put out the Godzilla films. But really that’s a small gripe. I can get those films but other places, but darn it if they worked out that, this would definitely be top 5 for me.


Note: If you are not a Japanese nut like I am, the other international pavilions have some great imported items, but they don't have Samurai Swords.