Disney Trip Report - Day 2

Day 2 (of 7)

Click here for ->  DAY 1

Before we left, I had mapped out a pretty detailed itinerary of what we would be doing each day, what park we would visit, places we would try to eat, etc.  In the end, we followed it pretty much word for word, only having to back off some plans due to simply not having the time to get to all of it.  When we went 18 months ago, we had no plan.  This time we were better prepared.

Either way, Epcot was front and center on Saturday.  Plan was to hit Epcot in the morning, walk back to hotel midday for pool time, and head back to Epcot at night, as we were able to snag the near impossible to get reservation (at least according to internet lore) at Le Cellier – basically a top notch steakhouse in the Canadian pavilion at Epcot.  Internet lore has it that most Disney guests never have the chance to dine there – as it is under constant reservation.  It appeared to be that way for us as well, but I logged into the Disney reservation system about 72 hours before, and wouldn’t you know it, a reservation slot had opened up (one and one only).  Worked out perfectly, as was Bridget’s birthday and options were looking slim.

Anyways, back to earlier in the day.  The Dolphin is basically a hop, skip and a jump away from Epcot, so plan was to walk over to the gate asap and head over to Soarin’ to ride it and pull fastpasses (we would become near fastpass experts by weeks end).   With Test Track down (Connors’s favorite ride) down, there is not exactly a deep roster at Epcot for rides…its basically Soarin’ and Mission Space.  While I love walking around all the countries – that isn’t exactly top of mind for 4 and 5 year olds.

Either way, the plan worked and we rode Soarin twice, never waiting more than 15 minutes.  Later in the day, wait times would exceed 100 minutes (suckers).  Further, the kids hated the ride…they had no interest in going on a 3^rd time – and to some degree I agree, I don’t get the draw of the ride…it’s basically a 4-D IMAX movie with motion – Disney can do better.  Get a Florida theme, or add something special.

Carter was too short for Mission Space, and Connor braved the more intense “orange” boarding version (the one with the spinning, g-forces) – but I think the inability to pull your head off the back of your seat because of the force being exerted spooked him a bit (even though he never admitted it), and he wanted nothing to do with a second ride.   Probably did not help that as we were exiting the ride, paramedics were administering care to an older English lady who seemed to have passed out during the ride.  So either way, he got the gold medal for trying it.

We next headed over the Nemo (which I think is a travesty of a ride compared to what I remember of the Living Seas when I was there in the 80’s).  Kids had no interest in a repeat ride either. 

Next it was on to “Crush”, the talking turtle from Nemo, which on the other hand, I think is a really creative, unique little diversion.  Carter, however, did not see it that way and started crying as soon as we sat him and Connor in the front row (kids are separated from their parents if desired, most kids love it, as they can be part of the show and be up front, not so much for Carter).  Needless to say, no second viewing needed.

Given all that was really left for the kids was Maelstrom, the world showcase, and a ride up into the big Epcot ball – we went back to the hotel for pool time – which I think the kids actually liked the most.  The pool, or I should say pools at the Dolphin are large.  The large 3 ft depth pool was nice, as Connor could navigate that without us paying attention to him every second.  Carter had his floaties, so that helped there as well.  The slide, hot tubs, and waterfall all ended up being popular throughout the week.

We had 4:30 (yes, senior hour) reservations at Le Cellier, so we departed the Dolphin on foot at 4:00 to make sure we got there in time.  Given it was 1 million degrees, taking the ferry over probably would have been wise – but both kids passed out in the stroller on the way there, which in the end, turned out to be a godsend, as Carter never woke up and slept in my lap at Le Cellier – so we did not have to worry about the boys jerkin’ around, trying to see who can be dumber.  Rather, we had a pleasant, $150 meal for 2 (given Connor’s meal cost about $7, and Carter never ate, $0).

In the end, Le Cellier was very good – no complaints, food was great, service was great.  However, I can’t vouch for the rave reviews and its status as a near impossible place to get a table.  Maybe it’s because a lot of these reviewers are coming from smaller towns, I don’t know.  Being from a bigger metro area, I can think of 5 or 6 places better than Le Cellier without much thought.  Again, very good food…just not worth the price of admission.  I’ll take Gibsons, McCormick & Schmicks – or even Morton’s, Sullivans or Hugos right here in Naperville.

Wondering around the world showcase after dinner, we hit the “tigger” jackpot in Great Britain…and despite some trepidation, Carter warmed up to actually meeting Tigger – which has up until this point, been his lifelong stuffed animal buddy. 

The rest of the night was fairly relaxing, as all were content to just hang around epcot and do whatever came up.  We caught the illuminations show and then headed back to the Dolphin on foot (which is awesome compared to trying to board a monorail, ferry, or bus), stopping by a jam packed Beaches and Cream Ice Cream Shop at the Boardwalk for a couple sundaes.  Rolled back in about 11 and day 2 came to a close.

Fun at the pool.

Zooming up to the top of the Dolphin from the pool.

By the end of the trip, Connor was retrieving 4 dive sticks in one dive, and had developed the ability to swim from the end of the water slide to the ladder on his own (big leaps for him).

A shot of the Swan from the pool.  Pool area is much much closer to the Dolphin side...it would have been a PIA to be on the Swan side in terms of distance.  

Dive stick retrieval.

The hard to get reservation at Le Cellier.

While I did not think the filet was anything that I can not easily get in Chicago/Naperville, the sourdough pretzel bread was awesome - as was the Canadian beer.

How Carter spent his entire time at Le Cellier - it was great!!

Finally meeting the "real" Tigger.

More Tigger - we would seem him again for breakfast at the Crystal Palace on Day 5.

On the way back - trying various night settings on the Cannon.

Can't beat WDW at night...

Our "budget" room was one floor above where the rectangle part of the building meets the pyramid - floor 11.  While I am assuming we got that floor, as we were only paying $150 night...the view was directly into Hollywood Studios - pretty cool.  Why I took no photos of the view is beyond me.