stingrock23 Posted December 13, 2008 Posted December 13, 2008 So I decided to head down to Florida for the last week of Epcot's Food & Wine Festival, hoping to get some nice, cool weather, and we got it, plus a lack of crowds. We headed down to Tampa first, then back over to Orlando, staying at the Hard Rock hotel then moving over to Saratoga Springs for the rest of the week. Some friends of mine flew down and met up with us once we got to Orlando, and we had a really good week. We hit Busch on the Sunday after the last Howl of Scream night, and the place was empty. We were able to hit everything we wanted and headed out in the afternoon. After riding Griffon then getting on Sheikra again, it just makes you realized that Sheikra is a bit better. Enough of my rambling, onto the pics. Day 2 ends with this shot of the screen at the USF entrance. It came out much better than I thought it would. Next up, Hollywood Studios. The Beatles were waiting for us in our room. Finally in Orlando Not a great shot, but here we are getting to the Hard Rock Hotel. After a good day of no crowds, it's time to head to Orlando. It's too bad these don't run at the Magic Kingdom anymore. I'm way too excited for this picture For all you LOST fans out there They had both regular and white tigers in the same area. Even elephants need to rest their trunks for a while. These were still up all over the place Hakumba Matata! The newest land: Jungala Shiekra, not to be confused with Shakira This trip report is brought to you by the number 8. Geaux Tigers! (this was before their season went into the tank) It's 5 o'clock somewhere first up was Montu. It was running pretty good, we got on a few times with no wait. due to the lack of crowds, we got to park really close today. Parking Prices Just let us in! What a nice way to start the trip, passing HHH's screaming face on the drive over. First stop, the Florida welcome center and the free orange juice.
spaceace12 Posted December 13, 2008 Posted December 13, 2008 I know at Seaworld, motorcycle parking is 8 dollars and you get up close.* Next time I head down, I am renting a bike somewhere and doing it that way. Plus, motorcycles are awesome. *According to a motorcycle site I visit.
ernierocker Posted December 13, 2008 Posted December 13, 2008 Excellent start so far! Its never too early to enjoy an overpriced Bud Light! Don't be too bummed about the Tiger's season. At least you are going to a bowl game this year. (Our new coach's wife is hotter than your coach's wife though) Looking forward to the rest!
stingrock23 Posted December 13, 2008 Author Posted December 13, 2008 Excellent start so far! Its never too early to enjoy an overpriced Bud Light! Don't be too bummed about the Tiger's season. At least you are going to a bowl game this year. (Our new coach's wife is hotter than your coach's wife though) Looking forward to the rest! Yeah, Les could have done a little better. Actually, the beer at Busch in Tampa was a dollar or two less than Busch Williamsburg, I thought that was odd.
thrillrideseeker Posted December 13, 2008 Posted December 13, 2008 After riding Griffon then getting on Sheikra again, it just makes you realized that Sheikra is a bit better. Haha! Yes! Finally someone other than me see's that SheiKra is better than Griffon!! Great TR! I look forward to seeing the next part!~Matthew
Speeddeamon128 Posted December 14, 2008 Posted December 14, 2008 Great pics & TR! I haven't been to BGA since 2005 so I rode Shiekra with the floor.
BelizeIt Posted December 14, 2008 Posted December 14, 2008 Great Trip Report. Loved the LOST quote. Reminds me that the new season is almost upon us!
stingrock23 Posted December 15, 2008 Author Posted December 15, 2008 On Monday we hit Hollywood Studios to finally ride Toy Story Mania. My word of advice is to get there early. At 9:15, the stand-by was already 60 minutes, and the fastpass we ended up getting weren't until 11:50. We only got 3 rides in during the trip, but it was fun and addicting, I can see why the lines are so long. Back at the hotel, Eddie Vedder's guitar was waiting for us. Next up, Universal Parks and unlimited Express Pass. this is what was left We ate at Ker's Winghouse. It was like Hooters, but the wings are a little sweeter. I had never heard of this place before. This was a cool fountain in the front We left at 5 to head back to the hotel before picking up friends at the airport. We waited an hour for it to breakdown. They didn't give us a bzillion dollars, but they gave us a pass to come back later during the week. We decided to give it a shot The day Walt died Wandlessly perfect This thing was huge Original rendering of Disneyland Walt's Office I decided to check out One Man's Dream. Lots of cool stuff in there Scared stupid Back with the fastpass "Severely Crowded Pixar Studios" ooooh. . . detail After getting our fastpass, we headed for some good tower. Toy Story Mania: More fun than a barrel full of monkeys This is what we're here for Time for some hot studio action.
stingrock23 Posted December 17, 2008 Author Posted December 17, 2008 Day 4 was Universal. For some reason, I didn't take a lot of pictures. It was cold and cloudy, so maybe that's why. Staying at the Hard Rock gave us the room key express passes all day long. I really recommend staying at a Universal hotel for at least one night to take advantage of this. We did both parks easily, hitting everything we wanted. I know the ride system is the same, but Simpsons seemed smoother than BTTF. I really miss the old delorean, but I thought they did a good job with all the pre-show stuff. The express passes really made the day, even though we didn't need them all that much. The place was pretty much dead. After leaving, we headed to Saratoga Springs for the rest of the trip. Umm. . . sure. My first picture with a Universal character Just like this one With all the construction, you can get some really good shots that you couldn't get before. There are wizards back there somewhere, I just know it. Maybe we'll find our Dino. Here's your chance to own a piece of Ireland if you survive, please come again. Woo hoo! It's new! Where are all the people? A nice, short walk from the hotel.
ernierocker Posted December 17, 2008 Posted December 17, 2008 Here's your chance to own a piece of Ireland Nice shout out to Busch Gardens there. Now you are the one bringing up that awful song. When were you down there again? The crowds looked like when we went in January. Looking forward to the Epcot pictures!
stingrock23 Posted December 19, 2008 Author Posted December 19, 2008 First week in November, after all the Halloween crowds had gone. Once I saw that Ireland building, that song just came back to me. I was hoping it wouldn't come back. Day 5 was the Magic Kingdom, again another day with not a lot of pictures taken. We ended the night at Raglan Road in downtown Disney. The Irish band played for a good 2-3 hours, and the dancer came out 4 or 5 times. Hey Pluto, what's going on there? Next up, a big Epcot and Food & Wine update. Fun with bones After Raglan Road, checking out some dinosaurs Still had the pumpkin-themed flower garden in the front Castle looks great at night Sneaky castle shot Sneezing was the theme of the trip Monorail! Monorail! Monorail! Best classic ride
stingrock23 Posted December 24, 2008 Author Posted December 24, 2008 OK boys and girls, up next is the best day of the trip, Epcot's Food & Wine Festival. We started out early at Hollywood Studios to get a ride on Toy Story, then went to Epcot around 11 and spent the rest of the day there. We hit everything in Future World then spent the rest of the afternoon going around World Showcase. I know it can get pricey, but there's a lot of things to choose from, and it really is a lot of fun. We bought gift cards at the F&W kiosk, which made everything much easier. Just walk up to the register, order, swipe, and you're done. The last time I went was in 2006, so there were a few different things this year. The San Francisco and Louisiana sections were new, and there just seemed to be more things to try this time around. We made one tour, starting in Canada, and worked our way around through Mexico. We took a break in Future World for a while, then went back, starting in Mexico, to try things we missed the first time. The lamb slider sandwich was probably the best food item I had, but the steak from San Francisco was a close 2nd. If you haven't done this before, I really recommend doing it. It's another way to really enjoy Epcot. Illuminations: a sky full of check marks. Hope you enjoyed, next up is Sea World. and our final stop of the night before watching Illuminations. for another abita and some etouffe'. This was one of the only spots that always had a line. but I had to go back to the French Market and shrimp, that were actually, . . on the barbie where you find lamb Welcome to the land down under I think this was the chicken scha scha from China, but I'm not sure. I'm sure I had the right answer during our break, I was asked to take a survey Troll!!! where we had some beef stew with a bacon dumpling Next up was Austria We interrupt this report for a monorail bulletin. Made a stop in China for some pot stickers and tea Anyone want some German sausage? We love David Hasslehoff! I can still see you Sam Adams 13th year festival brew Next stop on the world tour So, how's that beef? what's left of the steak medallion the best sample I had: the lamb slider Off to New Zealand for. . . There were several of these around the area. These types of signs actually exist down here. group shot great theming Hhmmmm. . . Purple Haze A taste of home: etouffe', gumbo, and purple haze. The food here was really good; they passed the test. This was a really good section added this year, I hope it comes back. They handed out beads and tiny bottles of Tabasco. Just like home, only cleaner Hmm. . . looks familiar Chocolate creme brule' from France. Blame Canada Hhhhhmmm. . . . cheeeese well, yeah, monorails, but also some cheese soup. Onto Epcot for the real reason we're here. The monorails What can i say? I love me some Muppets
Recommended Posts