"It's Complicated" October 2019 Link to Disneyland Report

What a brilliant day! I love the photos of Goofy and his girl :love: Fantastic start to your time in Epcot. Hope the rest of your day is just as fabulous:goodvibes

I love those pictures too! Funny thing- he keeps proposing but we never seem to get around to it😄

Dee- thanks for the photos- such a wonderful reminder of a really great and fun day.
GG
 
You gotta love it when meeting characters is so easy and to top it off with a proposal. Gawrsh!

I was really impressed with the precision of this operation to meet characters and I just loved the special interaction between Goofy & ~GG

Oh, and thanks for the correct spelling of Gawrsh! I edited my post.

::yes::


Such a great interaction with Goofy! I love that the characters meet over by the IG now!

HAHA! That made me laugh a bit too much!

It was a great start to our afternoon at EPCOT. This is a really nice place to meet characters!

::MickeyMo ::MinnieMo

Will they get married at the GF wedding Pavillion ? Great character interaction !

I haven't heard about any future plans, but based on some further info from ~GG, Goofy seems to have cold feet. Very big cold feet!

:laughing:


Ah- love the GG proposal! <3

I'm excited to ride the skyliner in December. I hope by then, it's back to running on full schedule- with nothing to worry about...

This was a really fun character interaction.

I could not believe that the skyliner experienced such major problems so soon after opening to guests. I do hope the kinks have been worked out. I haven't heard about other issues since it has gone back into service.


🚡

That is really cute. We saw Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and sometimes a 4th character in that area several times during our trip and I finally got DH to stop for a picture with Minnie.

I thought it was really nice to have characters meeting there. It probably has something to do with the Skyliner being open and the increase in traffic. In the past I've only seen one character at a time, most often some random Prince or some other less popular character.

Awww! That must be a sweet picture.

It is a nice spot for a meet and probably a little less crowded than some of the spots within the park since it is somewhat off the beaten path.

:goodvibes


What a brilliant day! I love the photos of Goofy and his girl :love: Fantastic start to your time in Epcot. Hope the rest of your day is just as fabulous:goodvibes

So fun!

Spoiler alert: Yes the rest of our time in EPCOT was good. Complicated. But good.

:cool1:

I love those pictures too! Funny thing- he keeps proposing but we never seem to get around to it😄

Dee- thanks for the photos- such a wonderful reminder of a really great and fun day.
GG

I loved being there to witness that. Made me smile then and keeps me smiling now.

So sorry that both you and Minnie are being strung along by your "guys"

:goofy:
 
I was curious to hear how Disney handles stolen strollers. Just one day on the free rental? I guess that's better than nothing.

The Goofy proposal was so cute!
 




Yikes! Busy week. I missed a bunch of replies!

I was curious to hear how Disney handles stolen strollers. Just one day on the free rental? I guess that's better than nothing.

The Goofy proposal was so cute!

Well, I'm sure that there is an understanding that you leave your property at your own risk. We couldn't prove that the stroller was stolen, but from what I have read and heard, this is a real problem at the parks and I do wish Disney would prioritize implementing a solution.

But yes, one day is better than nothing, and maybe families could ask for more, but ~N was determined to rent a stroller for the remainder of the trip.

I'm so glad I was there to witness the happy moment!

:love:


Here is our picture with Minnie.

Oh, that is very cute!!!

:goodvibes


What a fun character meet!! :lovestruc

Agree!

:thumbsup2


Great character interactions is one of the best things about going to Disney parks! Looks like that was an awesome time!

The characters are so great with both children and adults! So fun!

::yes::
 
Pick a Pearl, Any Pearl, but make it a hairy ugly one



Once we had entered EPCOT, we made our way to Japan to fulfill a trip tradition.



During our girls trip two years ago, one of the things we did to thank our generous hostess ~N was each doing the Pick-A-Pearl ceremony and giving the pearls to her for a necklace for her granddaughter. I believe she has continued the tradition in subsequent trips.



While we were waiting for ~N’s turn, ~S fell asleep in her stroller. This was the only time she had napped since leaving the resort around 7 am. It was a short, maybe 15-20 minute nap, and she woke in a good mood.



Meanwhile, ~N was picking out her oyster, following the advice to pick the “hairiest, ugliest” one she could find:











This is a fun ceremony to watch and I love how “excited” the Cast Member who unveils the pearl is every single time. She makes each pearl that is found seem like it is the most amazing thing she has ever seen.















Size matters! (and this was a big one! 8 cm, I think) ETA: millimeters??? Thanks @dizneeat
















Next up: Via Napoli
 
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Next Up: Via Napoli



I apologize in advance for the lack of “people-pictures” in this update.



In my reports, I try not to identify children who are not my own by name or photo. I have permission to post the group picture here, but I won’t have other pictures of ~S. It’s too bad, because she is absolutely adorable and helped make this part of my trip extra-magical.



On the flip side, Teena has indicated it is ok to share some pictures of the light of her life, Lily. Although I have “known” her since before she was born, this trip was the first time I had actually met her in person! I am so glad we had a chance to get together. I am not exaggerating when I say that Lily is a polite, well-behaved and engaging young lady. From the time she met ~S, she engaged and entertained her. The two were in their own little world, looking at sticker books (the Food & Wine guide, LOL) and appearing as if they were life-long friends. So heartwarming!



As you may recall, this reservation went through a few iterations- originally a reservation for 8 people at 4:20 pm. Then 2 reservations for 4 people each, at 5:20 and 5:40. When Beach Club Disney Signature Services contacted the restaurant directly, they said to show up at the earlier time, with all guests and they would see what they could do. No guarantees.



After we had all arrived in Italy, and posed for our obligatory group shot, I went to check in and let them know we were all there, and remind them that we hoped to sit together or at least close by. Again, the response was “We’ll see what we can do”



Now, at that point, I figured they would have it figured out, but we were brought into the restaurant not really knowing if we would be seated together.



Happily, we were lead to a round table that seated all 9 of us.



Anyway, it appears that I did not take many pictures during the meal of the others at the table. And I guess I didn’t ask the waitress to take a group shot either.



We had a great time together and I enjoyed catching up with Teena!























Food Porn























Even though we were very grateful that the folks at the restaurant did their magic to get us seated together, we asked for more magic at the beginning of the meal. Teena has Tables in Wonderland, which gives a 20% discount on meals. We asked if it would be possible to have the discount apply to all of us on 6 separate checks- me, ~GG, Janet, WoodNymph & DH, ~N and ~S & Teena and Lily.



We were told yes, but when it was time to pay, only one check was provided.

check.jpg

Teena said that since an 18% tax is automatically added to the check, and a 20% discount is applied, just adding up what each person/group ordered would tell us what we should pay.



Not especially complicated, but a little time consuming. Teena and I both tallied the items on the check, twice, but we did not come up with the correct total. We were about $8 off.



That was easy enough to deal with, but the actual payment process? Complicated!



I used a gift card, there was some cash and probably 3 different credit cards for the waitress to keep straight.



Somehow it was all sorted, and sadly, it was time to part ways.



Next Up: A little more EPCOT
 
An 8cm pearl is a big pearl! I too love how excited the cast members get during the ceremony. They definitely make it special for every single guest. Can you believe that I didn't pick a pearl last trip?!?! I have at least a half dozen pearl necklaces and decided to just skip it last trip. But, I think that I may do it again in November because I want a ring made.

Ahhhh Via Napoli! One of our favorite restaurants which seems kinda weird since it's pizza but it's such good pizza! As soon as you said that Teena would get the 20% discount with her card, I thought "Oh no! They are still going to get the automatic applied and barely get any discount." But, I'm all about a discount no matter now small it may be.
 
What a nice pearl that was picked! Love the pearl ceremonies, they are so fun to watch!

Sounds like a great meal with great friends! The girls are adorable :)
 
Between awesome friends, great food and supersized pearls it sounds like you had a wonderful time all round at Epcot. Delighted you got to spend a little time together as a group and it sounds like you had 2 very well-behaved young ladies for company too :)
 
This is a fun ceremony to watch and I love how “excited” the Cast Member who unveils the pearl is every single time. She makes each pearl that is found seem like it is the most amazing thing she has ever seen.
We had never seen the "pick a pearl show" and it was fun to watch it. Poor little ~S slept through the whole thing, though.
I am not exaggerating when I say that Lily is a polite, well-behaved and engaging young lady. From the time she met ~S, she engaged and entertained her. The two were in their own little world, looking at sticker books (the Food & Wine guide, LOL) and appearing as if they were life-long friends. So heartwarming!
I agree with everything you said. I loved the way Lily entertained ~S. Both of the girls were very good the entire dinner.
After we had all arrived in Italy, and posed for our obligatory group shot, I went to check in and let them know we were all there, and remind them that we hoped to sit together or at least close by. Again, the response was “We’ll see what we can do”
We had a stranger take the group shot and I thought that is came out pretty good.

We ended up at a really nice table. I don't think we could have had a better one. It turned out to be a really nice dinner.
Teena said that since an 18% tax is automatically added to the check, and a 20% discount is applied, just adding up what each person/group ordered would tell us what we should pay.
That was very nice of Teena to offer to do that. It saved us the cost of the tip. I thought the waitress was very good about taking multiple payments for one bill. That worked out very well for all of us. :)
 
That would be a HUGE pearl ........... 3,1 inches. :rotfl2:

Your pizza looks good. That Capricciosa is just what you would receive in Italy (the country in Europe).

Right! My bad! Measurement in millimeters???

:sad2:

Good to know about the Capricciosa. That was my order! And enough left for breakfast the next morning.

::yes::
 
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I have never heard of a stolen stroller at WDW before. So sad!!
I can’t believe you had never met Lily before. She is so grown up. I do remember all the baby and toddler pics. It must have been great to see Teena and meet Lilly.
Via Napoli is also a family favorite!! I believe the TIW card will give the discount up to 10 people- which is great! I hate figuring out checks!!
I’ve seen the pick a pearl but haven’t never done it. I’ll have to try it sometime.
 
I was also quite impressed with the young ladies! ~S was a real trooper walking as much as she had to at HS. Never complained or fussed a whit. So much fun to watch at Frozen.
Miss Lily was awesome. She really enjoyed the pizza. And she is sweet as can be, making friends with ~S.
I’m looking forward to more of the story, since you’re almost at the part where we parted (pun actually not intended). “GG”
 
An 8cm pearl is a big pearl! I too love how excited the cast members get during the ceremony. They definitely make it special for every single guest. Can you believe that I didn't pick a pearl last trip?!?! I have at least a half dozen pearl necklaces and decided to just skip it last trip. But, I think that I may do it again in November because I want a ring made.

Ahhhh Via Napoli! One of our favorite restaurants which seems kinda weird since it's pizza but it's such good pizza! As soon as you said that Teena would get the 20% discount with her card, I thought "Oh no! They are still going to get the automatic applied and barely get any discount." But, I'm all about a discount no matter now small it may be.

I guess not as big as I thought! But it was a gem!

I have only done a pick-a-pearl a few times. When Mark and I were at Sea World a gazillion years ago (I believe someone would swim to collect the water from the bottom of a tank) I got two pearl, but have not had them set. They are still in the little plastic bag they gave me. One of my favorite necklaces is from when I did this for our 30th (Pearl) anniversary and I purchased a Mickey cage online to display it.

This was just my second time eating at Via Napoli. We got a waitress this time, not a hot waiter! ;(

A discount is a discount, and although tip was added, we would have tipped at least that anyway, so all good!

:goodvibes


What a nice pearl that was picked! Love the pearl ceremonies, they are so fun to watch!

Sounds like a great meal with great friends! The girls are adorable :)

It was a lovely afternoon! Good friends, good food, great fun!

::yes::


Between awesome friends, great food and supersized pearls it sounds like you had a wonderful time all round at Epcot. Delighted you got to spend a little time together as a group and it sounds like you had 2 very well-behaved young ladies for company too :)

Definitely! I was looking forward to getting everyone together and especially meeting Lily. I wasn't sure they were going to make it, so I was glad when I heard they were changing plans to join us.

:grouphug:


We had never seen the "pick a pearl show" and it was fun to watch it. Poor little ~S slept through the whole thing, though.
I agree with everything you said. I loved the way Lily entertained ~S. Both of the girls were very good the entire dinner.
We had a stranger take the group shot and I thought that is came out pretty good.

We ended up at a really nice table. I don't think we could have had a better one. It turned out to be a really nice dinner.

That was very nice of Teena to offer to do that. It saved us the cost of the tip. I thought the waitress was very good about taking multiple payments for one bill. That worked out very well for all of us. :)

Oh, wow! I didn't know you hadn't seen the pearl experience. I think the 2015 trip was the first time I saw it.

I suspect ~S will have other opportunities to see the pearl show during future trips.

Yes, the girls were soooooo good!

The stranger we found to take the picture did take a nice photo of us. I am surprised I didn't ask someone at the restaurant to take one, also, but things were a bit crazy and probably would have been tough to get everyone at the table in the shot.

:thumbsup2

I have never heard of a stolen stroller at WDW before. So sad!!
I can’t believe you had never met Lily before. She is so grown up. I do remember all the baby and toddler pics. It must have been great to see Teena and meet Lilly.
Via Napoli is also a family favorite!! I believe the TIW card will give the discount up to 10 people- which is great! I hate figuring out checks!!
I’ve seen the pick a pearl but haven’t never done it. I’ll have to try it sometime.

Sadly, I think stroller theft rings are a thing at Disney. Sometimes people really suck!

I have not visited Teena in Vegas and I haven't been to Disney at the same time as any of the previous trips when Teena and Lily have been there. She really is a sweet young lady. She is tall, and very mature for her age, and very comfortable with adults, but definitely still has some enchanting childlike qualities. Really delightful!

I don't mind figuring out checks and most of the prices at Via were even dollar amounts, so the math was easy. But there was something weird going on with the beverage discount for the drinks with alcohol, I think, that threw the calculations a little bit out of whack. We managed to figure it out!

:teacher:


I was also quite impressed with the young ladies! ~S was a real trooper walking as much as she had to at HS. Never complained or fussed a whit. So much fun to watch at Frozen.
Miss Lily was awesome. She really enjoyed the pizza. And she is sweet as can be, making friends with ~S.
I’m looking forward to more of the story, since you’re almost at the part where we parted (pun actually not intended). “GG”

Weren't they sweet!

My only previous trip with someone that young was a very quickie trip back in 2004. Ben was 3, Nate was 6. We just had one day in Animal Kingdom, and a half day in MK/EP and Sea World. We didn't meet any characters or do any shows.

I was excited to do those things with ~S. She was so good!

:flower1:
 
More EPCOT Fun!

We had just finished our wonderful meal at Via Napoli and parted ways with all our friends.

Janet, ~N, ~S and I proceeded counterclockwise around the World Showcase Lagoon.

It was a beautiful night!





Looking to the West:












Looking to the East:

There is a large flock of birds that roost in the trees off to the side as you cross the drawbridge .

Ibis-ted my butt to identify these birds and I have no egrets





When we got to Norway, I believe we checked the wait time for Frozen and it must have been longer than we cared to wait. ~N and ~S went to go meet Anna and Elsa and we would meet up with them later.

Janet and I were left to our own devices for a bit.

First, we stopped off in Mexico:

















During dinner, Teena had mentioned the EPCOT Experience that was currently appearing in the building the Odyssey Events building in between Mexico and Test Track.

Here is the description of the EPCOT Experience from the WDW website:


Walt Disney Imagineering presents the Epcot Experience –

Take a giant leap into the future—preview a plethora of amazing changes coming to Epcot!

The Epcot of Tomorrow

Walt Disney Imagineering invites Guests to witness the progress predicted by Walt Disney himself when he said, “Epcot will always be in a state of becoming.” And now, the biggest transformation in Disney park history is underway as Epcot welcomes the next generation of immersive storytelling with brand-new attractions and astonishing interactive experiences. Visit the Odyssey Events Pavilion to discover a series of engaging exhibits that showcase the relentless innovation, energy and excitement driving the park’s unprecedented evolution!


EPCOT Experience.jpg


This is a multi-media presentation of the many changes coming to EPCOT. There are beautiful, colorful projections on a model of EPCOT in the center of the room. The walls serve as a 360 degree background screen of movie clips and animation. All set to dramatic music.

It was a beautiful display, but I don’t really feel I learned much about the coming attractions in my favorite theme park which include Mary Poppins, Remy, Guardians of the Galaxy.


Nevertheless, I managed to take lots of pictures of the changing spectacle.























In other parts of this building were some fun Photopass spots. Since Janet was wearing her Practically Perfect shirt, we had to take some pictures in the Mary Poppins themed scene:


Now, smile!




Now, fly!




Now, stripper pose!



Now, crack up!




As we finished up here, we got a text from ~N saying they were on their way. We met them at the front of the building and decided to watch the EPCOT Experience again with them. I took more pictures which are mixed in with the ones above.

I planned to watch the new fireworks show EPCOT Forever with Mark on Sunday night and Janet, ~N and ~S were going to see it then as well, so we did not stay to see it that night.

It was approaching 8:00 as we made our way to the bus stop.








It had been a long day for everyone. ~S had been on the go all day with only a short 20 minute nap in the gift shop in Japan. I was amazed at how incredibly she behaved throughout the day.


I can’t remember if she fell asleep on the bus, but probably, because...


Next up: OK,(W)e aren’t done with our day yet!
 
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