October 26, 2017

Discovering New Fun at Walt Disney World Amid
The Craziness of Life: Part 2

Terrified by the shark at Epcot’s Sea Pavillion?
No, I was shocked that for the first time, we experienced a short line
here at the photo op! Yet another (first) discovery at Walt Disney World.

                                               The craziness of life continues :O)…,
but I am now, at last, happily posting the second part, in my two-part series,
Discovering New Fun at Walt Disney World Amid The Craziness of Life. Hooray!
I wish to share with you, via this Disney photo tour, a few new things that I experienced on my most recent WDW trip, this past April. Grab a cup of tea/coffee, sit back for a minute, relax, and follow along.
                                      To read part one of this series, please click here.

On the Boardwalk 

I love to stay on Disney property when visiting the parks. It is convenient (no rental car needed) and always fun.  This was my first stay at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn, and proved to be a wonderfully relaxing option.

This post card of a sign welcomes visitors to the Disney Boardwalk Inn.

Disney’s theming is the best!  The boardwalk area is a nod to the early 1900’s
Atlantic City and Coney Island.

The lobby enhances the turn-of-the-century seaside theme.

I had to share this creepy circus chair that graces the lobby.
While the rest of the lobby was cozy and inviting, I found this piece not so much.
In fact, I never saw anyone sitting on this chair throughout our WDW visit.

Disney’s Boardwalk Inn sits on lovely Crescent Lake.

My attempt at artistic photography. :o)

Our group enjoyed the close proximity/walk to Epcot.
We also walked to Hollywood Studios from the Inn’s location.
Disney’s Beach Club Resort (the blue building) is in the background.

We all enjoyed evening walks along The Boardwalk. 

Eating on and around the Boardwalk

Mickey’s Kitchen Sink

I had heard about the famous and over-sized Mickey’s Kitchen Sink, but this was my first time seeing it in person. This ice cream lover’s dream is served at
Beaches & Cream at Disney’s Beach Club Resort.
I was too full from dinner to try any that day, but Mike did share his ice cream with others in our group.  I am proud to say that none of it went to waste :o)

A New Character Breakfast at Trattoria al Forno

We decided to check out the new character breakfast at The Boardwalk’s
Trattoria al Forno, featuring Little Mermaid and Tangled royal couples.

 

All five of us enjoyed the Trattoria al Forno character breakfast.

The pastries were beautiful, as well as yummy.

I chose the Tangled-influenced Tower of Pancakes for my breakfast entree;
 buttermilk pancakes with fruit compote.

Natasha and Martese, all decked out in their purple Tangled sweatshirts, were excited to meet the charming Flynn Rider.

Mike, Martese’s husband, was all smiles upon meeting Little Mermaid’s Ariel.

 

The Magic Kingdom

Be Our Guest Restaurant

It was fun to dine at the Be Our Guest Restaurant in the Magic Kingdom for breakfast.

Martese and Natasha try “the gray stuff” for breakfast at the
Be Our Guest Restaurant, and “it was delicious”!  :o)

The Park

I was surprised to see this duck tourist and her babies at the park!

With Mike as our resident Muppet fan, we stopped by to see the new
(since October 2016) The Muppets Present…Great Moments in American History
show.  

We found the ten-minute muppet show enjoyably silly.

Ok, I know that It’s a Small World is hardly new (I first saw it at the 1964 New York World’s Fair!), but it always brings a smile to my face.

Natasha photo bombs me as I giggle at this shirt.

I bought this It’s a Small World fitted tee!

I ordered this happy It’s a Small World clock from Etsy
when I returned home. Thanks for showing this to me, Martese!

I know this is hard to believe, but this was the first time I had tried the Disney Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich at Sleepy Hollow,  in The Magic Kingdom. Wowza yummy!

On my Disney to-do list this visit, was to get a peek at the Maleficent fire-breathing dragon in the Magic Kingdom parade.  It was amazing!

The Fireworks Dessert Party

We attended the Fireworks Dessert Party , a first for all of us.

There were many delicious treats to choose from.

 

The beautiful fireworks over the castle were the star of the show. 

Epcot

The park was beautifully groomed for the 2017 Flower and Garden Festival.

Shoes and Accessories

Martese and Natasha show off their new Adidas Epcot tennis shoes.
The design was taken from the Spaceship Earth/Epcot Ball design
(see the photo above).

Martese is happy with her new Disney Flower and Garden Festival handbag!

Frozen

 

This was Dale’s first time riding Frozen Ever After.

It was also Dale’s first time being a viking! :o)

The Living Seas

 

Although, not new to me, I am always in awe of the enormous sea life tanks at Epcot, just as this little guy seams to be.

A “sea” of strollers by the Living Seas .

Food!

We tried out the Beijing-Style Candied Strawberries.
(Pretty, but too sweet for my taste.)

We also checked out the Frozen Desert Violet Lemonade.  Martese loved it!

Via Napoli

Dale and I enjoyed Via Napoli for the first time.  The pizza was first-rate!

Our Italian waiters treated our birthday girl, Natasha, to a song, and 

a birthday treat.

The Concert

 

 

Dale and I were excited to be able to hear ELO/The Electric Light Orchestra in person.

 

 

We both enjoyed the show, and were among the youngest in the audience!!!

Hollywood Studios

Natasha and Martese met while doing the Disney College Program, and became good friends.  Here they pose on Hollywood Studio’s Main Street.

I witnessed for the first time, the Star War’s impressive  March of the First Order on Main Street. 

While on Main Street, Natasha was pulled out of the crowd to participate in a cute impromptu skit.

The Great Movie Ride

When at WDW a visit to The Great Movie Ride is number one on my list.
Little did I know that this April visit to my favorite Disney attraction would be my last.  The Great Movie Ride closed forever on August 13, 2017. :o(

It was in this lobby that I enjoyed seeing, over the years,
such movie memorabilia as Dorthy’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz,
(There are three-four known pairs. I have seen three of them.)
and on this visit, the ark from Raiders of the Lost Ark. 

The dazzling bright lights of the marquee at the beginning of the ride.

The Land of Oz within this ride was magical.  I will miss it.

I bought this Disney Great Movie Ride sign as a souvenir to remember
this iconic Disney ride.

Would you like to read more about the classic movie The Wizard of Oz?  Click here.

Disney Springs

I was looking forward to my first trip to the Planet Hollywood Observatory,

 

We were all happy to be there!

The appetizers, arriving on this cute ferris wheel cart, were all delicious.
Martese, and her hubby, Mike, look on with anticipation. 

 

 

My Deep Fried Lasagne was awesome!

Natasha enjoyed her dessert, and 

so did Mike. :o)

I loved seeing all of the costumes displayed in the restaurant, including this Dorothy dress from The Wizard of Oz, and 

 

these two dresses used in the filming of The Sound of Music.
(I apologize for the poor photo quality.)

 

Check out My Other Disney Posts!

It’s a Small World After All!
I loved exploring Disneyland Paris, January 2013!

Want to read the first part of
Discovering New Fun at Walt Disney World Amid The Craziness of Life?
Click here. for part 1.

 Check out My Other Walt Disney World Posts!

Disney Food and Wine Festival-Here

Disney World Family Reunion-Here

Disney World Recipe-Here

 Check out My Disneyland and Disney Studios Posts!

Disneyland-Here

Disney Studios–Here

Disneyland and Disney Studios-Here

Thank you to Martese, Mike, Natasha, and Dale for their photo contributions in the making of this blog post!

Thanks for reading,
Annette

An added note to my wonderful readers,

To enjoy any, or all, of my past blogs and photos, click here, or go to imannette.net, selecting the posts that you desire to see in the Recent Posts, or “search” in the Archives sections, on the upper right-hand side.

I have been plagued by the computer “monster” these past several months.
(It is still a work in progress.) Being an optimist, I plan to post my next blog post
on Thursday, November 16.

I would love to hear your kind comments!  Post yours in my comment section.

Want to be an I’m Annette follower?
Receive my blog via email, FREE, yes FREE, immediately upon posting.
Sign up now, on the right-hand side of this page, or click here.

Planning a Disney Trip?

Our Daughter, Martese, is a Magic Maker® for Off to Neverland Travel.
Martese is very Disney knowledgeable and an “Authorized Disney Vacation Planner” for any of the Disney destinations, and Disney vacation locations.
Martese’s vacation planning services are totally FREE!!!

Contact Martese to assist in planning your next Disney vacation.
Website: marteseehm.offtoneverland.com, or click here.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Martese-Ehm-Off-to-Neverland/258249034343274, or click here.

A fun sign found posted in Africa’s Caramba area of Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

 

SaveSave