Foodin' and Winin' 2015, a Disney World Trip Report, Pre-Trip and Day 1

Okay, folks…it’s time for another Mushfam trip report!

Sheri was feeling a little guilty about going on the cruise without the boys (trip report HERE), so she twisted my arm to look into a quick weekend trip to the Walt Disney World Resort during Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival.

It didn’t take much twisting.

About two weeks after we returned from the trip, we had lodging, flights, and tickets (for the boys…we had annual passes muahahaha) for a late October trip.  We decided that, since we had quite a few points saved up with RCI through our timeshare, we’d stay off-site.  We decided on Vacation Village at Parkway, where 192 (Irlo Bronson) crosses I-4.

Yeah...it was pretty close...


We decided to try surprising the boys with this trip.  On the morning that we were going to leave, Sheri made special Mickey-shaped pancakes for breakfast, and we put their Magic Bands on the plate before serving it to them.  We figured it would take a second for it to sink in, and then they’d run around the house screaming in excitement.


Aaron looked at the plate, saw the magic band, and nonchalantly asked what time our flight was.


Sigh…


We cleaned everything up, packed the car, and were on the way to the airport about 45 minutes later.  I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I absolutely LOVE having a regional airport only ten minutes away from home.  We pulled in, parked, and were through security in no time flat.  While we were waiting, we saw our school's band/choir directors filing in for the same flight; they were checking out some things for their 2017 spring break trip for the high school.


The flight to Orlando Sanford was uneventful, which is always a good thing.  Unlike MCO, we had our luggage and had the keys to the rental car within about 10 minutes of landing.  Also unlike MCO, we had a long drive down 417 to get to Disney World (ehh…you take the good with the bad, right?).


At exactly 2:15, the Mushfam crossed underneath the Welcome sign, and we were home!

Our first stop?  Animal Kingdom!


Yeah, yeah...I know...you're all wondering what's up with that.  It had been quite a while since we had been to that park.  Aside from a short visit during the 2014 WDW marathon (yes, the actual marathon…we ran through the park!), it had been 5 or so years since we had been in this park.  This is a park to sit back and take in.  I would love to have the opportunity someday to just sit on a bench with lead Imagineer Joe Rhode and talk about the subtleties of Animal Kingdom.  It's on my bucket list.


That being said, I had a pretty tight schedule, with timing being of the essence.  OUTTA OUR WAY…WE NEED TO GET ON DINOSAUR NOW!!!



Okay, okay…maybe it wasn’t THAT dramatic.  We did stop at Discovery Island for a minute to grab the requisite Photopass Pics.  Our Photopass due was AWESOME!!!  We both could instantly tell that we had the personality to ham it up.  After a couple of jokes, we handed him our camera and asked if he could get a picture with that.

The result:

Man, I love the cast members!

Pics done, we made our way in Dinloand and over to Dinosaur for a quick journey back in time to around 64 million years earlier (give or take a million years).   We exited and made a beeline for Finding Nemo.  Miraculously, we made it into the theater with about 4 minutes to spare, and we were even able to sit together.  This one has always had a sentimental value to me, as I saw it for the first time on our first family trip with our son, and it did not disappoint.  Excellent job all around by the cast and crew of the show.  Oh, and mad props need to go to Crush on that show.  Go With the Flow is my favorite song from this show, and Crush absolutely annihilated that high note on the second refrain.


No time to delve into nostalgialand, however; we had FastPasses at Safaris that were burning a hole in our pocket.  We flew past Everest (“Not yet, boys…it’s later in the plan!!”) and got in the Fastpass+ return line to bypass the lin….waaaaaaiiiiitttt a minute here.  The Fastpass line was all the way back to the queue entrance.  Hmmmm.



I did something that I have rarely done in my life at this point.



I didn’t worry at all about it. #HakunaMatata.  So the touring plan wasn’t going to work out exactly as I had planned.  This unanticipated wait meant that we’d have to choose between seeing the Festival of the Lion King or riding Expedition Everest.  We were on vacation…so what if we missed an attraction or two.


For those who don’t know me, this is a major departure from how I typically am.  I am the ultimate perfectionist, and, worse, I am my own worst enemy.  Being an economist, I’m also constantly examining the alternatives in case the main plan doesn’t go as hoped.  I could tell that I was starting to stress a bit and started running scenarios in my head, but I stopped and looked around.  Sheri was happy.  The boys were all smiles (which is saying something for an 11 and 13 year old).  All was good.  I took to heart what Crush has sung to me not 40 minutes earlier: “just go with flow (ooohhh ooohhh oohhh WHOOOOOAH ooohhhh ooohhh WHOOooah oohhh ohhhh)”.


Eventually, the Fastpass line starting moving along, and, within about 15 minutes or so, we merged in with the standby guests to board our safari vehicle.  I’ll just let the pics speak for me…they’re more interesting, anyway.

...and me getting a picture of Sheri taking the above picture:

Heellllloooooooooo

Moose friends...no comments!



We had a minor traffic jam thanks to the guys below...they refused to let the vehicle pass.

After we got done with Safari, we made an executive decision to forego Festival of the Lion King in favor of a jaunt on Expedition Everest.  We were all getting a little hungry and still had quite a bit of time before our dining reservation at Raglan Road.  We found the closest snack cart and grabbed all sorts of ice cream treats; yes, I had a Mickey bar.  No, I didn't get a picture of it - I was too hungry.


Our return window for our FastPasses was just about up, but the wait was only 5 minutes, so they shut down the return line.  It had been a while since we had ridden that one, so it had a new(ish) feel to it.  I’ll admit that I missed what I affectionately call the “Chicken of death” (the vulture that’s supposed to swing out over the front of the train when you’re suspended and about to start backwards).  A lot of people don't even realize it's missing.  Speaking of that, Sheri and I were lucky to have seen the yeti in its glory before it went into B-mode (aka “Dance mode yeti”).  Granted, the current incarnation is still an imposing sight, but nothing will ever beat its original mode where it would lunge at the train as it went underneath.  For those who don’t know, the weight and momentum of the largest animatronic that Disney made created such force when it lunged, over time, that it nearly compromised the integrity of the entire attraction.  While the Disney faithful hold out hope that the yeti will again make its lunge, the attraction remains a very popular one without the need for the expensive refurbishments required in order to get it safely running.  In other words, it’s a freaking awesome ride the way it currently is!


With Everest being done (we all loved it!), we decided to take our time and slowly head out of the park.  I'll repeat that Animal Kingdom is a place to savor...there are so many stories all throughout the park.  Let's do a little test here and see who reads this.  Below is a simple streetlight near the tram queues outside of Animal Kingdom.  You may notice something a bit interesting about the center animal.

The first person to comment below to this blog post with the story behind what that creature is and why it's in there will get eternal glory on the interweb as a Disney expert....okay, okay...I'll call you out and give you credit in the next blog post.

We had later reservations at the newly rebranded Disney Springs, though we were going to try out a restaurant that has been there for a while already (we were going to have to hit Jock Lindsey’s, Morimoto Asia, or the Boathouse on a later trip).  Tonight, we were dining at….

(eventually)


We had plenty of time to spare, so we looked around the Springs for a while.  We made our way into World of Disney for a bit.  Knowing that the Mushrush surname has roots to England/Ireland/Scotland, I also took a little time to go through the index of names that Raglan Road had; however, no luck…not even for alternate spellings of Mushrush (like Moscherosch and other spellings).

Pics around Disney Springs:

Cheeese!

I cannot wait to do a "research meal" at this place!!!


Our pager went off, and we made our way into the restaurant.  I handed earplugs to the boys because I heard reviews about it being remarkably loud in there.  It was definitely loud, but I like loud, especially when there is live music.

When in Rom….errrr…..when in Dublin…

When I see lamb on a menu, there’s a good chance that it’s what I’m ordering; today was no exception.  Lambo was the order for me!  There were also some fish and chips, the King Cod (second picture below)  as well as “It’s Not Bleedin’ Chowder!”

Lambo!!

Awesome!!!!


While we ate, I watched the performers play and dance…I’ve always loved Irish Folk Dancing and also always wonder just how many calories they burn a night when they’re performing.

We contemplated dessert, but we were all starting to get a little tired from the long day.  We settled the bill, left Raglan Road, and made the trek to the car.  Waze took us to Vacation Village in about 10 minutes, and we were checked in within a couple of minutes.  While others unpacked, I stopped at the Publix about two blocks away and grabbed some groceries for our weekend.



We wouldn’t need too many tomorrow, though…we were going to Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival!

View the beginning of Day 2 HERE.

We Interrupt This Trip Report to Bring You This Public Service Announcement

Well, technically, this is somewhat of a continuation of the June 2010 report, but there's a more important theme.

The cast members at the Walt Disney World resort always seem to go above and beyond what you would expect at any other place…that’s one of the main reasons we love going there over and over again.

But then there is the rare diamond in the rough who is so amazing at what he or she does that you will remember them for a very long time, if not forever.  This post is part trip report and part acknowledgement to one such cast member.

We were introduced to Aladdin by some good friends of ours.  Mare and I hung out at an online community and first met in-person in December of 2005 at (where else) Epcot.  You can read about that one here.  We quickly became friends with Mare, her husband Mark, and their daughter, Renee (we affectionately call them the Badelves family...inside joke).

In October of 2007, Sheri and I were down at WDW for a great meet-up with nearly 70 friends, all from the same online community that Mare and I hung out at.  During the main meet-up, we walked around with Mare’s crew as well as with another close mutual friend (Debbie, Dan, Lexie, and Austin).  It was this trip that we first met Aladdin.  He didn’t know me from Adam, but, taking a cue from Mare, he starts interacting with us like we’re close friends (i.e. talking with Genie about how the Moose Meet was going, repositioning the order for the pics so I could be next to Jasmine (THANKS, MARE!!!), etc).  It was a very brief meeting, but it was the first of several memorable ones.

Fast forward 2 months.  In a record number of trips to WDW that has since been unmatched, the entire Mushfam found themselves back down at WDW in mid-December.  We met up with Mare’s crew and Debbie’s crew on our arrival night.  After touring DHS that evening, we met up with the Badelves again the following morning along with Todd and Maureen’s family (another online friend) at MK.  Our boys think it’s totally awesome being in the parks with friends, so we try to find a time to meet up with others again.  The goal was to meet up with Mare and Renee at MK on our last night.  While we were coordinating via text, I mentioned that we were going to do the AAA Storytime, and Mare replies that she thinks that “our Aladdin” (that’s what everyone started calling him) was doing that.  Sure enough, he was…you can read it by clicking here.  The funniest thing was that Mare talked to Aladdin prior to the Storytime, and he joked around with me about Jasmine not being there, called Sheri by name, etc.   That is one of his special gifts…he makes every meeting a personal event with whoever he’s with.  Check the top of the blog page, and you'll see the pic from that meetup.  Oh, and the boys still have the bookmarks signed by him.

We met up again with Mark/Mare and Dan/Debbie in December of 2008, but we didn’t see our Aladdin during this trip, unfortunately.  Well, technically, we did see him at Epcot, but we didn’t get in line as we were on a mission to do an attraction.  Still, I paused for a quick minute to watch him interact with a family.  Sheri saw me stop, and she also paused for a moment to see what he was doing.  We both left the meeting area with smiles…the people who just met him were all smiles, and the children were wide-eyed with excitement – they had just met the real Aladdin, Jasmine, and Genie.

Now we come to June of 2010...this is where the trip report picks up.  After returning from DHS (the previous installment of the trip report can be found at this link), we returned to Epcot, knowing (thanks to Mare), that Al was currently in Morocco.  The boys protested vehemently as we told them that we were going to check out Morocco.  Mare told us when he’d be there, and we made it to the meet-and-greet area in the Nick of time as Aladdin was coming out for his last set before heading back to Agrabah for the night.  While we waited, I was in a text-fest with Mare.  I mistakenly told her that I thought Jasmine was drop-dead gorgeous…she replied with “I’m going to have to find out who’s there today and let her know.”

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, the Badelves know a lot of the cast members at WDW.

His time to be off-shift was just about to be up before we even made it near the front, but he and Jasmine stayed out there to make sure every guest got their time with them.  As we made it to the front of the line, I got to see the family in front of us talk to them.  One of the girls in the party was wheelchair-bound.  The attention that he and Jasmine gave her was unparalleled, and you could see tears welling up in her parents’ eyes.  The best part was that they were having fun while they were talking with the family.  For example: both girls had coloring books that they were hoping to have Jasmine and he autograph.  Aladdin flips through to the page he was looking for and said that the girls colored in Jasmine really well.  Then he opens up the book for everyone to see, and it’s turned to a page with Maleficent.  Jasmine, of course, puts her hands on her hips and turns away (I think trying to stifle a laugh).

I was so awestruck at what he did for the family before us that I almost forgot that we were next.  We let the boys go up by themselves, while we stood back to watch.

Aaron brings up Renee, and they get to talking about them a little.

(someone on Facebook thought Aaron was checking out Jasmine in that last pic…he truly is my son).

As we talked, the BeeGees tribute band started up nearby in the America Gardens Theater, and he paused momentarily to comment on a garbled refrain that got me, Sheri, and the Photopass guy laughing.  We hopped in for a family Photopass pic and, as we say our goodbyes, I quietly said to him that it was absolutely amazing what he does and he truly is Aladdin to so many people.  We talked a bit about Mark/Mare/Renee before thanking him, saying goodbye, and relinquishing them to the next excited family ready to meet them.

Sheri and I just turned to each other, smiled, and watched the interaction of the next family out of the corner of our eyes as we started towards the Japan pavilion.

I recall Mare posting an emotional entry  where “their Jasmine” was leaving WDW to head to the Theme Park in Hong Kong.  While the Badelves have come to know the alter egos of Aladdin and Jasmine outside of the parks for a while before that day, reading what Mare wrote and seeing the pictures with Renee inside Epcot shows that, while it can be just a job for some, the tears being shed by everyone shows that the cast member makes the character.  It was the last time Jasmine was going to be Jasmine, and it was like a part of her was going to be gone forever.  I then realized how much personality “our Aladdin” puts into Aladdin.  He makes Aladdin who he is because he, in essence, becomes the character.  I have seen it in others, too…not just face characters.  Bus drivers, food service workers, attraction operators, janitorial staff…I have seen a remarkable job done by all sorts of cast members.  They create and evolve the role that they do in ways that get what needs to be done actually done while still entertaining those around them.

All too often, I see guests in the parks take the cast members for granted.  Some think that, simply because they paid money, they are entitled to 100% perfection in an imperfect world.  There have been times where I have seen so many members in Guest Services having to patiently accept being screamed at because the weather forced the parks to cancel an event.  I have read on discussion boards about how mad people are because they heard one family having “X” (where “X” is a ‘cool’ event) happen, but, when they tried it, they didn’t have “X” occur.  The things that most would consider special about Disney are expected to be routine to them.  They fail to see the magic.  They also fail to realize that it’s the cast members who are responsible for the magic.  Imagine trying to be a magic maker when only one or two out of every hundred guests are disinterested or upset, yet it’s the one or two who are upset that you hear about rather than the other 98 who are happy.  Aladdin breaks the mold when it comes to creating memories for people.  I hope that he, and all cast members, see the appreciation and gratitude in the guests’ eyes and expressions, if not in reviews.

If you see a cast member do something that meets that “wow” factor, please take the time to thank them and, if you have time, stop by Guest Services to give them some positive feedback (trust me…they’ll appreciate it as 98% of those in there will be giving not-so-positive feedback).

This post is also for those anonymous CMs who go on stage every day without fail and create the magic that is Walt Disney World.  This post is a reminder for those guests in the parks who take what the CMs do for granted in the hopes that they’ll appreciate what it takes to provide you with the experience that makes us go back over and over again.

But mostly, this post is for you, Al…you rock!!!