[tonyksl]

We walked around Epcot getting some nice pictures of some interesting and new topiaries.

Beautiful Tinkerbell.



Victoria Gardens outside of LeCellier.



Captain Hook.



This Goofy stands over 20 feet tall from the ground.



Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.




LeCellier was fantastic. Can you believe there were people actually complaining because there wasn't room for immediate seating without an ADR? If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. I even told one of them that most people make their dining reservations for this restaurant up to 6 months in advance. I then directed him to Mousebuzz.com for good hints and tips on how to plan a vacation for Disney. I hope he remembers to take the advice.

I had the Cheese Soup appetizer followed by the Filet Mignon with Mushroom Risotto. I had the Chocolate Chocolate Whiskey Cake for desert. The Cheese Soup with the bacon and potatoes is always a great start. Especially when the only thing you have had for the day is a cup of coffee and your ADR is for 1:30 PM. This is one of the restaurants I intentionally make myself hungry for by ignoring my stomach for 5-6 hours. The Filet was so tender, I didn't need a knife. They use a really nice mix of mushrooms for the risotto. I almost ordered a side of roasted mushrooms to go with this, but, I wanted to make sure I had room for dessert. The wife ordered the mushroom ravioli. The garlic was a little bit overpowering in them this time, but, nothing that a little salt didn't fix. Not much, just a tad to offset the garlic a bit. She had the Chocolate "Moose". The powdered bittersweet chocolate that covers this mousse makes this one of the best desserts in Epcot. It is so rich and creamy. Extremely thick and satisfying. The whiskey in the cake adds a dimension that is so unexpected. It adds a taste that seems to be like bittersweet dark chocolate. It totally fools your senses when you don't taste whiskey at all. Until you realize that the bittersweet dark chocolate you think you are eating is the whiskey itself. I had a couple of the Trios Pistoles beers. It is a dark beer, but, not heavy like Guinness Draught. Don't get me wrong, Guinness Draught is my favorite beer when sitting down to a meal. I enjoy black and tans when walking around Epcot. But, this dark beer had the flavor of a dark beer, but, the lightness of a pale ale. The carbonation seemed to be double that of a normal beer. It went down very easily. That's kind of scary because the alcohol content is 9%. Just to give you an idea of how strong that is, Budweiser is 5%.

The person sitting next to me ordered the New York Strip with Bercy Butter and Balsamic Red Onions. Before she had taken a bite, she asked the server for A1 Steak Sauce. The server said he would get it, but, you could almost hear the dismay in his voice. I kindly offered the advice of trying the steak first before putting the A1 on mentioning that it really is an exceptional steak without needing anything. I explained to her my many trips there and she heeded the advice. She took one bite, looked at me and her eyes opened as big as saucers. She couldn't thank me enough for not allowing her to ruin her steak. When the server came back, she said I had convinced her she didn't need the steak sauce anymore. While you may be used to doing something at home, I highly suggest you taste the food at a table service restaurant at Disney before adding anything to it. You could wind up ruining a great meal. More thoughts to come...

[tonyksl]

Dream Team Sightings...none. Last time we were here, we got bombarded with Dream Team Sightings and even had three Dreams come true.



I think this had more to do with our times at the parks than being in the wrong place. We got a late start every day because we kept very late hours. We didn't have any breakfast ADR's because our times were, 12 AM Friday, 10 PM Saturday, 1 AM Sunday. Because the kids are 9 and 7, our past trips have usually been early in the morning to no later than 9-10 PM. Our Dream Fastpasses were for being the first family on Primeval Whirl. We also got recognized for being the first family for a character breakfast. The other one was for being the first family at the American Adventure Show at Epcot. So, if you are hoping for a Dream Team to give you something, it is probably the best bet to get started early and try to be first.

[Dopey]

Originally Posted by tonyksl

The person sitting next to me ordered the New York Strip with Bercy Butter and Balsamic Red Onions. Before she had taken a bite, she asked the server for A1 Steak Sauce. The server said he would get it, but, you could almost hear the dismay in his voice. I kindly offered the advice of trying the steak first before putting the A1 on mentioning that it really is an exceptional steak without needing anything. I explained to her my many trips there and she heeded the advice. She took one bite, looked at me and her eyes opened as big as saucers. She couldn't thank me enough for not allowing her to ruin her steak. When the server came back, she said I had convinced her she didn't need the steak sauce anymore. While you may be used to doing something at home, I highly suggest you taste the food at a table service restaurant at Disney before adding anything to it. You could wind up ruining a great meal. More thoughts to come...

good one!

I love how you surprised the kids. Heeehee, I could not have done that

[tonyksl]

Originally Posted by dancing4disney

Great trip report! I wish I was there on a less busy weekend.

As you can see, my next trip is already planned. I highly recommend the weekend that my next trip is scheduled.

[tonyksl]

Originally Posted by tiggerlover1971

I stayed last December at the Disney Hilton for Dhs christmas Party ( one night ) and was paid by Dhs work since the Christmas party was at Wolfgang pucks .. our first room smelled like smoke but they had no problems switching it . It was ok for the night and since it was free but Dh and I agreed that if we went to Disney on our own it would be a Disney resort only ....

I completely agree with a Deluxe Disney Resort only for me. But, for some folks, if the dollars are right and they need really good transportation with EMH, this resort could fill a really nice niche. I haven't decided where to stay on my next trip, but, it is definitely going to be one of my 4 favorites. Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian or Animal Kingdom.

[tonyksl]

Originally Posted by dixie

What a lovely TR - a really enjoyable read with lovely photographs too. How lovely to be in the parks when the crowds are so light, and I loved the 'wrong turn to MK' story I bet the kids were delighted- thanks for sharing.

I think I almost have to surprise them in one way or another. My kids are very lucky that we can go as often as we do. But, I don't want them taking the trips for granted either. I really enjoy my family time. I coach my son's baseball team, both of my kid's soccer teams and I am the State Rep. for our City's Baseball League. Having these little moments mean just as much to me as they do to the kids. And when it's their time to have kids, I would hope this rubs off.

[Dana]

*clapping* very nice report. I very much enjoyed it..loved all those picture of the new toy story ride. I can't wait till august so I can try it too! Thank you for sharing your trip!

PS I love seeing the flower and garden pictures...spring trip reports are my favorite....next to halloween ones..lol

[tonyksl]

Originally Posted by Dana

*clapping* very nice report. I very much enjoyed it..loved all those picture of the new toy story ride. I can't wait till august so I can try it too! Thank you for sharing your trip!

PS I love seeing the flower and garden pictures...spring trip reports are my favorite....next to halloween ones..lol

I have tons of Flower pictures from so many years. I could probably post 100 of them and not have a single duplicate.

[dancing4disney]

What a wonderful trip report! It is wonderful that you have the opportunity to visit Disney more often and your kids really seem to appreciate it.

[dixie]

Love the flower and garden photographs-really interesting and so pretty too.