Complete!! Muggles and Magic: Rain, rain go away 2014

[LowesChevy]

It was time to shove off with our full bellies back to the resort. The sun was back out and the humidity was way up too. It was good timing on our behalf because one boat was unloading and the back up boat from the morning was right behind it. Back to the BC!
Hollywood Studios by liverpoollover8, on Flickr

Teppan Edo is up later

 

[vleeth]

It would be nice if they would announce what they are going to do at DHS!

I've never been to Brown Derby, but you make it sound and amazing.

 

[LowesChevy]

It would be nice if they would announce what they are going to do at DHS!

I've never been to Brown Derby, but you make it sound and amazing.

I would really like to know! Planning two days there in January

We were first timers-really great experience for sure

 

[LowesChevy]

Teppan Edo

By the time we strolled over a few countries it was time to check in for Teppan Edo. We were a little early, but it is always entertaining watching the crowds in the restaurant. We were seated nearly on time, but one of the other parties was lagging behind. Our table was waaayy in the back room near the restrooms. I prefer the larger rooms because you can watch the other tables while you wait.

It never seems to take long for service. The servers are right over taking
orders and bringing out appetizers and beverages. Then you can get food cooked much faster than at a teppanyaki table!
Teppan Edo by liverpoollover8, on Flickr

I skipped on the appetizer since I had already had sushi a couple of times this week and lunch was very filling. I also like to save room for a funnel cake from the kiosk afterwards. The menu looked smaller, but the combinations have stayed the same. They serve some sukiyaki fried rice with dinners now too.
Really no question as to what to order for us- steak and shrimp for me and pop and filet mignon for DM. We have a great Japanese style steakhouse in town, but TE is slightly better in the quality of shrimp and beef they serve. Our local place has amazing fried rice though. I am not a huge fan of the noodles, but we always seem to get plenty to eat. Let the fun begin!
Teppan Edo by liverpoollover8, on Flickr

Our chef was really proud of his onion volcano.
Teppan Edo by liverpoollover8, on Flickr

DM got a mad face
Teppan Edo by liverpoollover8, on Flickr
Teppan Edo by liverpoollover8, on Flickr

The food was very good-tender steak and shrimp and DM filet was wonderful! The quality of the food is higher than most 1 credit table service meal imho. A great value if you are using the dining plan, otherwise a great meal just in general.

****4 Stars very good--Teppan Edo

A stop by the American Adventure funnel cake booth and I am happy as a clam for the night. So long and we will see you again tomorrow Epcot!!

 

[LowesChevy]

Epcot

Epcot by liverpoollover8, on Flickr
Epcot by liverpoollover8, on Flickr

Our last day was to be packed with fun! We have lunch scheduled for Via Napoli again and dinner at Les Chefs de France, one of my all time favorites. We luckily obtained FP for Test Track and that’s where we headed first. We didn’t wait long to design our car and the overall wait was minimal. While I don’t miss the wait for the pre show, after a few designs the customizing gets a bit old. However I think the line flows much smoother and you don’t have guests coming out of a room into a confined queue area like the prior design. That was poorly thought through when they designed it! The ride itself is still enjoyable although the really did dumb it down visually.
Test Track by liverpoollover8, on Flickr
Test Track by liverpoollover8, on Flickr

Afterwards we bumbled around Future World a bit killing time till the World Showcase opened. Eventually we went to Club Cool and waited for it to open. They had to find a family of the day to help open..I really just wanted to check out the merchandise and sip on the new sodas, but we had to wait lol. We were among the first folks of the day in the place and the floor was sticky! Don’t they mop it up?! Some of the new sodas were tasty and then there will always be Beverly. No obligation refreshment!
Club Cool by liverpoollover8, on Flickr

Attractions: you’re doing it wrong and if you do this a cm will arrive shortly!
The WS just opened so unless they were drunk from the night before we cannot blame F&W lol!
United Kingdom: brave guest by liverpoollover8, on Flickr

The World Showcase was dead at opening, but the crowds would arrive soon
with it being Sunday! We enjoyed the extra elbow room for the time being. This is a great time to do your noshing-the lines are not long yet!
United Kingdom by liverpoollover8, on Flickr
France by liverpoollover8, on Flickr

We finally took some time to explore Morocco and France more extensively. France had some new merchandise and layout with the split seating area and store now. Morocco seems to have the same merchandise year to year. Most of it is nice, but how many brass lamps do you need and the Habibi shirt is still around too.

 

[LowesChevy]

Via Napoli lunch again

It wasn’t long after then that it was time to stuff our faces at Via Napoli again. We were seated within a few minutes like the last time we were here a few days ago. Pizza is one thing we can all agree on it not being a heavy meal if you don’t push your belly envelope.
It was nice dining at the same place twice because we could order something that caught our eye the first time, but were hesitant. Luckily with pizza there are few bad choices. Although if you had a bad experience the first time, it may not be something you want to deal with again.

Virginia arrived with Francesco in tow. He was the understudy today and he was walked through taking our order. We went with pepperoni pizza and Caesar salad to change it up today. Unfortunately Francesco rang up the wrong salad in the POS so a pollo salad arrived and we sent it back. Of course the Caesar salad didn’t arrive 5 minutes before the pizza came out to the table. That was really annoying, but I wasn’t about to send back a hot pizza pie!

The food was delicious and I thought the Caesar was one of the best I had ever tasted. It had a creamier dressing and the cheese was chunky in the dressing. The anchovy was not overpowering, but added just the right touch of saltiness. You could probably get away with a chicken Caesar salad and an indy pie for 2 people or 3 light eaters, it’s still a lot of food! I think I actually enjoyed the pepperoni more than the sausage and I am a huge sausage fan. Although I have to eat less of it more and more due to it giving me wicked indigestion.
Via Napoli: Caesar by liverpoollover8, on Flickr

Other than the service issue with the timing, everything was great. We enjoyed another order of zeppole to end the afternoon meal. Ciao for now!

**** 4 Stars Via Napoli

We decided to head back to the room and begin to pack up our belongings for the trip home tomorrow. Really it was to make sure there was more room for last minute souvenirs

 

[LowesChevy]

Les Chefs De France

LCDF is one of my all time favorite restaurants at WDW. The culinary school I graduated from relied heavily on classical French techniques and cuisine for its curriculum. The menu is very familiar and fun to me, plus I love a good pate and duck confit. The food isn’t comparable to anything we can get near home, although we do have one French restaurant in Erie, but I have yet to venture there since it is in town.

We checked in early hoping they could take us sooner and it wasn’t a problem. This was pretty common during our stay either because the crowds or low or people bail on their adrs after stuffing themselves at F & W booths. It was great for us to dine a little earlier and have time to digest our food more before bed.

We were seated in the area along the side by the fountain. This side is okay, but there are always a few guests that have to stare or try to play jokes on you from outside and unfortunately you are seated lower than ground level and are subject the happenings walking by. I prefer to sit in the center section or in the front room, the people watching there is grand! Back where we are you feel like everyone is watching you lol.
Les Chefs de France by liverpoollover8, on Flickr
Les Chefs de France by liverpoollover8, on Flickr

Virginie came by just a few moments after we were seated to let us know she would be right with us. I knew what I was having for dinner, but I needed to hammer out the details for the appetizer. I stuck with water, DF ordered a beer and mom ordered a cup of coffee, which was ice cold! They brewed a fresh pot for her though. Who drinks coffee with dinner anyhow? I guess that is why it was cold lol!

DF and I went splitsies on the assiette compagnarde and DM ordered the cheve salad. The salads are a good size and I would say most appetizers except for the soup perhaps are large enough for two to split. The cheve is coated with breadcrumbs and toasted till the cheese just starts to melt once it is cut into. The cheese is served atop dressed field greens, toasted walnuts, baby tomatoes and grapes.
Les Chef's de France: cheve salad by liverpoollover8, on Flickr

The assorted charcutiere are served on a rustic wooden board with faux newspaper for whimsy. The salamis are good-one is more spicy the other more bland like a bologna and there is a dried ham that is like prosciutto to add a salty note to the dish. The larger of the slice of pate or terrine is more of a country style with larger chunks of meat and the smaller pate is covered with aspic and has a very fine creamy texture. I think it is chicken or duck liver pate-very delicious my favorite bite on the plate, especially with a slice of the cornichon smeared on the crusty baguette. The round of the tastes there is a slice of walnut toast with caramelized raisins and cornichons for that salty flavor. That and a coup of soup would make a marvelous lunch.
Les Chefs de France: assiete campagnarde by liverpoollover8, on Flickr

Our plates were cleared and we talked about the oh so sad end of our vacation, but it is always fun to reminisce even if it was only a few days ago. The flight was scheduled in the afternoon so there was no need to feel rushed or worry about sleeping too late tomorrow, just a lovely relaxing evening ahead of us.

The entrees arrived right about as we were starting to wonder where they may be. DF and I both had the duck and DM the a la flame alsacienne. We discovered this flatbread like tart a couple of years ago and find it wonderful. It is a crisp crust smeared with crème fraiche, caramelized onions and crispy bacon. The duck is a breast and leg confit- so you get the best of both worlds imho. The confit leg is tender and falls of the bone, while the duck breast is heartier and more filling. There is a demi glaze cherry sauce with brandied cherries that will knock you on your bum! A sweet potato puree and sauteed patty pan squash round out the dish. The plates are a little sloppy, I would expect a cleaner appearance, but I realize it’s more of a mass feeding than fine dining around here. A large portion, but it didn’t stop me!
Les Chefs de France: duck with cherry sauce by liverpoollover8, on Flickr
Les Chef's de France: alsacienne flatbread by liverpoollover8, on Flickr

If there is one restaurant you must save room for dessert it’s this one! Or if you are totally stuffed get over to the boulangerie at some point. DM goes with her favorite crème brule and even though I am a chocolate mousse person, I fear it will be too sweet. I have moved from liking milk chocolate to loving dark chocolate! My daily snack is a Ghirardelli 86% cocoa square, so many times the chocolate is not chocolately enough for me. I go with my all time favorite profiteroles. Two cream puff stuffed with vanilla ice and doused with dark chocolate ganache. There is not going wrong here for you fellow chocoholics.
Les Chefs de France: creme brulee by liverpoollover8, on Flickr
Les Chefs de France: profiteroles by liverpoollover8, on Flickr

Les Chefs De France has been consistently good over the years. We had a couple of okay services and a dish or two we wouldn’t order again, but in the long run it has been a favorite. The service was good and we will definitely be back for a lunch or dinner real soon.

****Good job Chefs De France

Well it’s time to say our goodbyes to Epcot and enjoy a slow moving walk to the Beach Club via International Gateway. Bonjur!

We finished packing and left out only what we needed for bed and the next day. I watched the Must Dos for a while to get my fill of course! Long day ahead tomorrow.

 

[LowesChevy]

Captain’s Grill
Breakfasts
We ate here every morning and the food is service is okay. It’s nothing special even though they have a lobster dish at breakfast. The food may or may not be hot when served. It seems like they have all of the food for the buffet in the back and serve a la carte dishes from that. Yes I am slagging the food- when you are paying to order off the menu I expect the food to be freshly prepared. I could go and get the food off the buffet myself, but I chose not to so make my food to order. The Wave is guilty of this as well with the hashbrowns-I just want hot food.

The eggs were uncooked one morning and the sweet potato in the hashbowns makes them sickeningly sweet. I am definitely looking forward to the new restaurant across at Boardwalk to see how their breakfast stacks up to the competition.
Captains Grill: tailored eggs by liverpoollover8, on Flickr
Captains Grill: Oatmeal by liverpoollover8, on Flickr
Captains Grill: Blueberry pancakes by liverpoollover8, on Flickr
Captains Grill: Chocolate chip pancakes by liverpoollover8, on Flickr

Your best bets here are pancakes that you can have a number of toppings added and the salmon plate was a huge bargain. There was a large portion of smoked salmon and all of the tasty accompaniments along with a toasted bagel.

**Meh Captain’s Grille

 

[LowesChevy]

The way home…/Overall/Boat transport

The next morning we had breakfast at the Captain’s Grill one last time and our server actually remembered us from previous years. I can’t tell if they are placating us, but this is like the third person that remembered us lol. We must be that memorable, but he did look familiar I think he waited on us last year. Anyway this was probably the best service morning, the only weird thing was that my dad’s bagel plate took a long time to come out, but he enjoyed it very much so it was worth the wait.

We wandered around the resort and shops one last time. Next we packed up and called the bell services for assistance. The car was stuffed full and we were on our way to the Florida Mall to kill some time. I rather enjoyed the trip to the mall picked me up a pair of jeans and a shirt as if I hadn’t spent enough money already, but hey I have to look good! We even visited the Disney Store lol. After a couple of hours we went to Chili’s and had a light lunch. We figured it was a better risk than at the airport. The airport is always a little sketch when it comes to food even though they have chains.
United’s check in is the furthest down from the car rental drop off, so that was a bit of a buzz kill. The wait wasn’t long since we had priority tags although the family in front of us had bags everywhere , but we were checked through to CLE lickety split. We paid for the priority mainly to avoid the craziness that is MCOs security lines. We tried to get pre check, but they never replied to us before the trip. We made it through easily, grabbed a drink and a snack and relaxed until the plane arrived.

After landing at 6 PM or so, we got the bags packed up the car and made it home around 8 PM. It was great to be home after our long trip. See you all in January!!!

Other Notes

Boat transportation: overall very good. As I mentioned before, one of the captain’s made a head’s up call on calling another boat saving folks a lot of grief.
Swan by liverpoollover8, on Flickr
Yacht Club by liverpoollover8, on Flickr
Yacht Club by liverpoollover8, on Flickr


Overall, with the exception of our check in experiences and housekeeping the parks were great and fun till the last drop.

I think the one thing that reminds me it’s time to go home other than running out of money are the fellow guests who don’t follow the rules, those who leave garbage everywhere, and those that talk loudly on attractions and shows. To me that’s who can ruin the trip because we can put up with A LOT, but when my fellow guest annoys me, it’s time to head home lol. You know who I am talking about, you can only ignore them so long.

The Good: Magic Bands still awesome, 7DMR, FP+, California Grill

The Bad: Checking in at Royal Pacific; Tony’s Town Square; Magic Kingdom widespread attraction fails one day; weather was rainy and I missed mister sun and brilliant blue skies

The Ugly: double person queue—to a free for all—to a single person queue? Why? How?
Checking in at Bay Lake, Mousekeeping or lack thereof at Beach Club

 

[D.Duck]

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