05/09

Grandma Terry and Aunt Sherry were finally able to take a day off on a weekend so that we could all go to Disney together. We were joined by Aunt Erica and Uncle Steven. Steve's pass was originally set to expire in a couple of days, and we weren't sure if it was worth renewing, so we made reservations for Disney's Magic Kingdom.

Grandma Terry started out driving, and her, Aunt Sherry, and Uncle Steven picked me up first. We then headed to Aunt Erica's, where she assumed the driving. We made one other stop on our way, at Grandma Terry's rest area along I-4!

We arrived at the Transportation & Ticket Center and, as usual, the handicapped parking was a challenge to find. We ended up quite a ways out, but its still probably easier than getting Steve to climb on and off the tram. Once we passed through security we made the decision to ride the ferry over to the park (again, easier to get Steve on and off the boat that up and down the monorail ramps and waiting for the cast members to bring the ramp to the monorail door).

Once we arrived at the park we had a little bit of time to kill before our lunch reservation at Tony's Town Square Restaurant. We wandered through the shops along Main Street, U.S.A. to kill some time. When it was time, we made our way back to the front of the park and to the restaurant waiting area.

We were sat in the main dining area of Tony's Town Square Restaurant today, and we settled in to our table and reviewed the menu, even though we pretty much knew what we wanted already. Today's order was easy - one order of Tony's Garlic Bread For The Table (toasted ciabatta with roasted garlic butter and parmesan fonduta), two orders of the Fettuccine Alfredo (with chicken, though I wouldn't rush to add it again), two Coca-Cola's, one Sprite, and one limoncello margarita for Grandma Terry. Aunt Erica drank the water that she brought to the park in her bottle. Once again, our meal was very good, and we all walked away full when it was over! After dinner we had planned to meet Mickey Mouse at the Town Square Theater, but the wait was fairly long so we thought we'd take our chances at the Disney Visa Cardmember Photo Opportunity at EPCOT instead.

We headed over to Fontierland with the intent on going on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, wanting to experience it again for the first time after its year-long closure. On our way to Big Thunder, we ran into a couple of Country Bears out wandering the streets - Wendell and Shaker. They were kind enough to spend some time interacting with Steve and taking photos. A great experience that I have come to appreciate Disney for. We made it to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, but with Steve's wheelchair we had to get a return time, so our ride would have to wait.

Since it was a hot day and we had some time to kill, we decided it would be a good time to get in line for Tiana's Bayou Adventure, as we knew we would be getting wet and the sun would quickly dry us off. Although the wait wasn't short, it fit in with our return time to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, so we decided it was worth the wait. We had a really enjoyable time on the ride, though I did notice a few animatronics that weren't working, which is disappointing. Thankfully we ended up towards the back of our log, which helped a little (very little). We had a really enjoyable time on the ride, despite what the official ride photo shows!

After getting off of Tiana's Bayou Adventure, we headed straight over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We missed all the changes to the queue going in this way, but it definitely saves us the wait in line, which is nice. As for the ride itself - smooth as butter! Not that I ever found this one to be a rough ride, by any means.

At this point we were discussing heading over to EPCOT, but we decided we would go see the Country Bear Musical Jamboree since we would be going past it on the way out anyway. Although I've seen it a few times now, this is still an enjoyable show (and though I miss some of the original show, an update that I like too). This is the first time that the Teddi Barra animatronic didn't come down from the ceiling, however.

We crossed over into Adventureland after the Country Bear Musical Jamboree was over, getting in line for the Pirates of the Caribbean. I enjoy this ride, though I miss the old not-as-PC version, and I love the smell of the ride. I badly want one of the candles that are supposed to replicate this smell.

Once we finished our ride through the Caribbean, we began making our way towards the front of the park. We made a pit-stop at the Sunshine Tree Terrace to get some DOLE Whip. We made our way through the Emporium shops on our way down Main Street, U.S.A. I also picked up another popcorn bucket - this one the 2026 version of the passholder-exclusive popcorn bucket, which celebrates all four parks.

We once again boarded the ferry boat back to the Transportation & Ticket Center before heading off to our next destination...

Disney's Magic Kingdom
		Grandma Terry, Uncle Steven, Aunt Sherry, Aunt Erica, and Rodney inside of Tony's Town Square Restaurant.
		Steve and Sherry.
		Grandma Terry and Steve.
		Aunt Erica and Rod.
		A couple of shots down Main Street, U.S.A...

		The moat around Cinderella Castle is still damned up.
		One of the bears from the Country Bear Musical Jamboree show, Wendell, came over and greeted Steve...
		...and posed for a photo with Steve, Grandma Terry, and Aunt Sherry.
		Another bear fromthe Country Bear Musical Jamboree show, Shaker, came over as well...
		...and Steve blew him a kiss...
		...which surprised Shaker...

		Shaker posing with Steve and Grandma Terry as Aunt Sherry looks on from the side.
		A look at the people waiting in the Tiana's Bayou Adventure queue.
		A delivery truck in the Tiana's Bayou Adventure queue.
		The artwork on the side of the the Tiana's Bayou Adventure queue building.
		Aunt Erica, Uncle Steven, Aunt Sherry, Grandma Terry, and Rodney going up a hill.
		A few scenes from the Tiana's Bayou Adventure ride...












		Behind Aunt Erica and Uncle Steve the construction for the new Cars-themed area called Piston Peak.
		A few more ride photos...



		Aunt Erica, Uncle Steven, Aunt Sherry, Grandma Terry, and Rodney all got wet going down the big hill!
		An armidillo towards the end of Tiana's Bayou Adventure ride.
		Another shot of Aunt Erica, Uncle Steven, Aunt Sherry, Grandma Terry, and Rod.
		Rodney just before getting off the ride.
		The new lighting in the cave on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
		Grandma Terry, Aunt Erica, Uncle Steve, and Aunt Sherry...
		...on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride.
		A view of the staging area for the new Cars-themed area called Piston Peak.
		Grandma Terry and Aunt Erica on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride.
		A couple more construction shots for the new Cars-themed Piston Peak area...

		A shot from on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
		A look at the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad queue building after our ride.
		Melvin, Buff, and Max cracking jokes before the start of the Country Bear Musical Jamboree show.
		Henry, the master of ceremonies for the Country Bear Musical Jamboree.
		Gomer playing the piano in front of the Grizzle Hall curtain.
		Another shot of Henry...
		...and another of Gomer.
		The Five Bear Rugs performing the "Country Bear Musical Jamboree".
		Bunny, Bubbles, and Beulah singing "Try Everything" from "Zootopia" with...
		...Trixie on lead vocals.
		Romeo McGrowl singing "Kiss the Girl" from "The Little Mermaid".
		Melvin, Buff, and Max singing along during the Country Bear Musical Jamboree show.
		Ernest the Dude playing his fiddle...
		...so hard it was smoking!
		Gomer and Wendell performing "A Whole New World" from "Aladdin"...
		...with the missing Teddi Barra still had the lead on vocals.
		Shaker singing "Fixer Upper" from "Frozen".
		Big Al couldn't quite make it through his version of "Remember Me" from "Coco" without breaking down in tears.
		Sammy helped out Henry as they sang "You've Got a Friend in Me" from "Toy Story".
		A look at the entire cast singing "The Bare Necessities" from "The Jungle Book".
		A look at a cellar area of the Pirates of the Caribbean queue.
		Some scenes from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride...





		A .5 close-up of Uncle Steven in his wheelchair.
		A look at the Walt Disney World Railroad at the base of Main Street, U.S.A.
		The City Hall building, which houses guest relations, on Main Street, U.S.A.

Here are a few PhotoPass pictures from our ride on Tiana's Bayou Adventure and the Pirates of the Caribbean...


		Rodney, Aunt Sherry (oh so impressed!), Grandma Terry, Aunt Erica, and Uncle Steven (scared to death!) on Tiana's Bayou Adventure.
		Aunt Erica, Uncle Steven, Rodney, Grandma Terry, and Aunt Sherry on the Pirates of the Caribbean.

We debated whether to drive from the Transportation & Ticket Center to EPCOT or taking the monorail, and in the end we decided on the monorail as Grandma Terry doesn't like leaving Walt Disney World from EPCOT.

Once we arrived at the park, I noticed that my arthritic knee was causing me quite a bit of pain and to fall behind the rest of the group (and that's saying a lot, considering how slow Grandma Terry and Aunt Sherry can move at times!). I decided to rent a wheelchair for myself, figuring we could share it as needed.

We had a couple goals in mind for EPCOT: 1) Pick up our annual passholder magnets, 2) "Go see Mickey" for Uncle Steve, and 3) Try out some of the food offerings for the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival.

Since we were close to the Creations shop, we headed there first for our magnets. This time through was a little different that recent trips to get the magnets, as we weren't required to show ID today. Anything that makes life easier is OK with me!

Once we had our magnets safely in hand, we headed over towards Test Track to get the Avocado Toast (with marinated tomatoes featuring Boursin® dairy-free garlic & fine herbs cheese on toasted ciabatta) from BRUNCHCOT. I didn't get to taste this one, but the feedback from Grandma Terry and Aunt Sherry was that it was good but the toast was a bit hard for their liking.

We started our trip around the world at the Mexico Pavilion, but we didn't get anything to eat there. We did stop at Lan Yuan in the China Pavilion, to taste the House-made Cheesy Crab Wontons, which are fried wontons filled with cream cheese, celery, and imitation crab stick. I have had them in the past, and they are actually quite good, though I do try to avoid the celery!

We bypassed the offerings at the Refreshment Outpost and made our way to the Bauernmarkt: Farmer’s Market in the Germany Pavilion. We ended up trying all three of their food offerings - the Potato Pancakes (with house-made apple sauce), the Toasted Pretzel Bread (topped with Black Forest ham and melted cheese), and the Warm Cheese Strudel (with berry compote). I didn't mind the pancakes, though I would have preferred that they were warm. I didn't try to Toasted Pretzel Bread, mainly because I am not much of a ham and cheese fan, but those that did said it was "OK". The strudel was OK, though I am pretty sure I've it (or something very, very similar) at a prior festival and though the same thing - decent, not great.

At this point, we decided to circle back towards the front of the park. Grandma Terry and Aunt Erica had attended the festival earlier this year and started at the opposite side, so it would be a repeat for them.

You can read about the rest of our trip to EPCOT on page two...

EPCOT
		A look at Spaceship Earth from the EPCOT entrance.
		The first thing I noticed was this monkey from the Barrel of Monkeys game in a tree by the main entrance.
		A look at Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Bo Peep and her sheep, Lotso, and the Pixar Ball in topiary form.
		A close-up of Buzz Lightyear (and the monkey in the back)...
		...and the Pixar ball...
		...and Bo Peep and Woody...
		...and Bo Peep's sheep...
		...and finally, Lotso.
		Another view of Spaceship Earth from the EPCOT main entrance.
		We spotted Mater and Lightning McQueen in World Discovery, near the Connections Café.
		A closer look at Mater...
		...and at Lightning.
		Next we saw Mike Wazowski & Sulley in World Celebration, near the Creations Shop.
		A closer look at Sulley...
		...and Mike Wazowski.
		We found Miguel and Dante from "Coco" in the Mexico Pavilion.
		Here is a look at Miguel with his guitar...
		...and the alejibre version of Dante, the street dog.
		A troll topiary from the movie "Frozen" in the Norway Pavilion.
	Please click here for page two of the photos

Disney's Magic Kingdom

Grandma Terry, Uncle Steven, Aunt Sherry, Aunt Erica, and Rodney inside of Tony's Town Square Restaurant.

Steve and Sherry.

Grandma Terry and Steve.

Aunt Erica and Rod.

A couple of shots down Main Street, U.S.A...

The moat around Cinderella Castle is still damned up.

One of the bears from the Country Bear Musical Jamboree show, Wendell, came over and greeted Steve...

...and posed for a photo with Steve, Grandma Terry, and Aunt Sherry.

Another bear fromthe Country Bear Musical Jamboree show, Shaker, came over as well...

...and Steve blew him a kiss...

...which surprised Shaker...

Shaker posing with Steve and Grandma Terry as Aunt Sherry looks on from the side.

A look at the people waiting in the Tiana's Bayou Adventure queue.

A delivery truck in the Tiana's Bayou Adventure queue.

The artwork on the side of the the Tiana's Bayou Adventure queue building.

Aunt Erica, Uncle Steven, Aunt Sherry, Grandma Terry, and Rodney going up a hill.

A few scenes from the Tiana's Bayou Adventure ride...

Behind Aunt Erica and Uncle Steve the construction for the new Cars-themed area called Piston Peak.

A few more ride photos...

Aunt Erica, Uncle Steven, Aunt Sherry, Grandma Terry, and Rodney all got wet going down the big hill!

An armidillo towards the end of Tiana's Bayou Adventure ride.

Another shot of Aunt Erica, Uncle Steven, Aunt Sherry, Grandma Terry, and Rod.

Rodney just before getting off the ride.

The new lighting in the cave on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Grandma Terry, Aunt Erica, Uncle Steve, and Aunt Sherry...

...on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride.

A view of the staging area for the new Cars-themed area called Piston Peak.

Grandma Terry and Aunt Erica on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride.

A couple more construction shots for the new Cars-themed Piston Peak area...

A shot from on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

A look at the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad queue building after our ride.

Melvin, Buff, and Max cracking jokes before the start of the Country Bear Musical Jamboree show.

Henry, the master of ceremonies for the Country Bear Musical Jamboree.

Gomer playing the piano in front of the Grizzle Hall curtain.

Another shot of Henry...

...and another of Gomer.

The Five Bear Rugs performing the "Country Bear Musical Jamboree".

Bunny, Bubbles, and Beulah singing "Try Everything" from "Zootopia" with...

...Trixie on lead vocals.

Romeo McGrowl singing "Kiss the Girl" from "The Little Mermaid".

Melvin, Buff, and Max singing along during the Country Bear Musical Jamboree show.

Ernest the Dude playing his fiddle...

...so hard it was smoking!

Gomer and Wendell performing "A Whole New World" from "Aladdin"...

...with the missing Teddi Barra still had the lead on vocals.

Shaker singing "Fixer Upper" from "Frozen".

Big Al couldn't quite make it through his version of "Remember Me" from "Coco" without breaking down in tears.

Sammy helped out Henry as they sang "You've Got a Friend in Me" from "Toy Story".

A look at the entire cast singing "The Bare Necessities" from "The Jungle Book".

A look at a cellar area of the Pirates of the Caribbean queue.

Some scenes from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride...

A .5 close-up of Uncle Steven in his wheelchair.

A look at the Walt Disney World Railroad at the base of Main Street, U.S.A.

The City Hall building, which houses guest relations, on Main Street, U.S.A.

Rodney, Aunt Sherry (oh so impressed!), Grandma Terry, Aunt Erica, and Uncle Steven (scared to death!) on Tiana's Bayou Adventure.

Aunt Erica, Uncle Steven, Rodney, Grandma Terry, and Aunt Sherry on the Pirates of the Caribbean.

EPCOT

A look at Spaceship Earth from the EPCOT entrance.

The first thing I noticed was this monkey from the Barrel of Monkeys game in a tree by the main entrance.

A look at Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Bo Peep and her sheep, Lotso, and the Pixar Ball in topiary form.

A close-up of Buzz Lightyear (and the monkey in the back)...

...and the Pixar ball...

...and Bo Peep and Woody...

...and Bo Peep's sheep...

...and finally, Lotso.

Another view of Spaceship Earth from the EPCOT main entrance.

We spotted Mater and Lightning McQueen in World Discovery, near the Connections Café.

A closer look at Mater...

...and at Lightning.

Next we saw Mike Wazowski & Sulley in World Celebration, near the Creations Shop.

A closer look at Sulley...

...and Mike Wazowski.

We found Miguel and Dante from "Coco" in the Mexico Pavilion.

Here is a look at Miguel with his guitar...

...and the alejibre version of Dante, the street dog.

A troll topiary from the movie "Frozen" in the Norway Pavilion.