I Have to Do WHAT ?!?

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 544]

On Wednesday morning we had breakfast again at Whispering Canyon Cafe.  i'm sure you all know that the shenanigans there have been discontinued because of COVID.  Instead our server decided to provide his own entertainment.  As we came out of the Cafe, we had greeters:

Then we drove over to EPCOT.  It was another really cold day. We got in line to enter the temporary MouseGears.

The store is small.  This picture shows about 25% of it:

It's pretty much just a warehouse experience right now.  Not the fun stop it used to be.  But it was warm in there!

This was the only location in the entire park to get a decent shot of Spaceship Earth:

The tree at the American pavilion;

Voices of Liberty was performing in the America Gardens Theatre.

A little while later we heard some music and were surprised to see this famous couple motoring down the way:

It was a pleasant surprise.  I had no idea cavalcades were happening in EPCOT too.  Notice how they had a barrier between the driver and the characters?  And Mickey and Minnie sure were practicing their social distancing!

We went the rest of the way around World Showcase and then walked the detour around Future World.  The line was short for Spaceship Earth, so we hopped on it before we left. 

We  bundled up and rode the golf cart for just a few minutes that night, but it was really too cold to enjoy it. 

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 544]

Thursday was another non-park day for us, so we went to Disney Springs.  We arrived around 11;00 and made our way to the second floor of the parking garage to get in the long line for our temperature check and then the security check.  It took a good while to get cleared.  

There was a long line waiting to get in World of Disney, so we skipped it for the meantime. We had lunch at the Polite Pig and did the Christmas Tree Stroll.  I took pictures of all the trees, I won't post all of them here unless someone requests them.  Here are three of the most unusual ones.

The Lion King:

Star Wars:

And this one needs no explanation!

Later that afternoon David had his own "I Need to Do WHAT" moment when he got carded at the trading post for buying a bottle of wine.

 

[keith_h 391]

1 hour ago, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said:

Later that afternoon David had his own "I Need to Do WHAT" moment when he got carded at the trading post for buying a bottle of wine.

Been there, done that. I tell the person doing the carding, in good humor, that there is a certain age where being carded isn't a compliment.

[ependydad...Doug 176]

On 12/30/2020 at 7:21 PM, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said:

Would you believe I had to see the nurse and have my temperature taken before they would allow me to use the bathroom?

So if I had a temp what would they had done?  would they have allowed me to wet the floor rather than go in?  We'll never know.

You had me curious.

We were at the Contemporary the other night for dinner and I did ask what happened if I failed the temperature check to go into the bathroom. The woman informed me that she'd send me to another that didn't require screening.

[ependydad...Doug 176]

On 1/7/2021 at 6:48 PM, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said:

We didn't find one server anywhere who was working at their pre-COVID restaurant.  As I said earlier, Joy from TE is working at Olivia's.  Our server at The Wave said she is a new hire because of none of their previous servers would come back there.    We found out Ken from TE is now working at Le Cellier in Canada.  

Wow, I'm surprised (and not surprised) that  they've been shuffled around so much. I surely hope he's there when we go back... it'll be the last thing we really love there gone.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 544]

Friday was our second MK day.  And it was finally in the low 70s, beautul, sunny, not a cloud in the sky.

  

We rode Peter Pan's Flight and Haunted Mansion, walked around awhile, had some popcorn in the shadow of the castle, and left.

It was time for us to visit the horse barn.  Wow!

This horse's name is Owen. He was being groomed for an event at Golden Oak that evening.  The groomer said he's young and a little hard-headed.  He listened to her pretty well.  She would say 'Owen, put your head down,' and other things like that, and he would do it.  But then he would also show his impatience and a little temper once in awhile.  We watched the process for a good while.

Later we went back over to the MK for dinner at the Plaza Restaurant.  As we were walking in, Goofy's Cavalcade came down Main Street.

The Plaza, like all other Disney restaurants, has really cut back on their menu.  Other than the plant-based option, they only have two sandwiches, a burger, and meat loaf to choose from.  The burger was pretty good, but David didn't like the meat loaf too much.  The only good thing about eating there is you can order items from the Plaza Ice Cream Shop even though it's closed. I blew my diet again and got this beauty:

That's a hot fudge sundae made with raspberry sorbet.  Yum!

I don't like the projections on the castle any more than I like the new paint scheme.  Nevertheless, I did take several pictures.  I'll share a few.

The view from the balcony:

A closer look at the Christmas tree:

As we were leaving:

[ThemeParkCommando 51]

What is the significance of the box lanterns on each of the trees in the Christmas Tree Stroll?  The one for HM looks fine, but on Star Wars and Lion King, they look out of place.  Are they for a hunt or something?

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 544]

3 hours ago, ThemeParkCommando said:

What is the significance of the box lanterns on each of the trees in the Christmas Tree Stroll?  The one for HM looks fine, but on Star Wars and Lion King, they look out of place.  Are they for a hunt or something?

I have no idea.  I went back and looked carefully at my photos of each of the 12 trees.  It appears that the only 2 trees missing lanterns are the main Disney Springs tree and the one inspired by Pluto.  The Pluto tree may have had a lantern on the opposite side ... I'm just not sure.  The one for HM looks fine to me too, but the rest of them are just plain odd.  

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 544]

22 hours ago, keith_h said:

Been there, done that. I tell the person doing the carding, in good humor, that there is a certain age where being carded isn't a compliment.

David tried to make a funny remark, but apparently this person was humorless.

22 hours ago, ependydad...Doug said:

You had me curious.

We were at the Contemporary the other night for dinner and I did ask what happened if I failed the temperature check to go into the bathroom. The woman informed me that she'd send me to another that didn't require screening.

Isn't that the only restroom on the 4th floor?  I'd  hate to be a parent with a young child who suddenly thinks they can't wait.

22 hours ago, ependydad...Doug said:

Wow, I'm surprised (and not surprised) that  they've been shuffled around so much. I surely hope he's there when we go back... it'll be the last thing we really love there gone.

Right now I'm just hoping that Trail's End will be back again.  This just didn't feel right ...

[twiceblessed....nacole 417]

The old barn will be missed... but the new barn in stunning.

 

On 1/15/2021 at 11:58 AM, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said:

Right now I'm just hoping that Trail's End will be back again.  This just didn't feel right ...

This makes me so, very sad.  Heartbreaking what we've done...

 

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,001]

On 1/14/2021 at 1:48 PM, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said:

That's a hot fudge sundae made with raspberry sorbet.  Yum!

If you're going to splurge, that's the way to do it.  🙂

[ThemeParkCommando 51]

On 1/11/2021 at 5:47 PM, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said:

Well, guys, I found out this afternoon that I will have surgery on my elbow a week from tomorrow, 1/19.  My surgeon won't know how extensive the work will be until he actually gets into it.  I'm praying for the short version rather than the long version and the much more complicated recuperation it entails.

 

 

I hope your surgery went well, and that you are at home and recovering now.  Today and tomorrow will be the worst in 'immediate pain' category.  I hope your doctors gave you good pain meds!  

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 544]

7 hours ago, ThemeParkCommando said:

I hope your surgery went well, and that you are at home and recovering now.  Today and tomorrow will be the worst in 'immediate pain' category.  I hope your doctors gave you good pain meds!  

Thank you, thnk you1  yes, surgery went well.  cAn't type to gret yet but am getting there.  sorry i didn't get tR finished before surgery but life got in the way.  Hd lots of ernds to run to get ready for surgery.  by the way my little finger that types the A is the one most involved in my problem.  I hve  to stop  nd use  nother finger to type an A. becuse I think it's working when it isn't.

[Ivy 32]

I am glad your surgery went well. I hope your recovery is going smoothly.

 

I just finished reading and enjoying all your photos. Thanks so much for sharing your adventures with us!

The empty riverbed really looks ugly. I was thinking they drained it not too long ago. I am surprised it is drained again.

I liked your stealthy photo in the Runaway railroad. I think it is neat to see some of the behind the scenes things. Looking forward to getting to ride that some day.

[Travisma 1,297]

On 1/24/2021 at 1:59 AM, Ivy said:

I am glad your surgery went well. I hope your recovery is going smoothly.

 

I just finished reading and enjoying all your photos. Thanks so much for sharing your adventures with us!

The empty riverbed really looks ugly. I was thinking they drained it not too long ago. I am surprised it is drained again.

I liked your stealthy photo in the Runaway railroad. I think it is neat to see some of the behind the scenes things. Looking forward to getting to ride that some day.

A portion from the Haunted mansion past the raft ride was drained 1n 2018 sometime around labor Day.  At least that's when we saw it drained.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,001]

On 1/20/2021 at 5:57 PM, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said:

my little finger that types the A is the one most involved in my problem.  I hve  to stop  nd use  nother finger to type an A. becuse I think it's working when it isn't.

Just leave the As out, we'll decipher it - LOL.

Seriously, very glad surgery went well and I hope the healing goes as well and quickly as possible also.

[Travisma 1,297]

5 hours ago, BradyBzLyn...Mo said:

Just leave the As out, we'll decipher it - LOL.

Seriously, very glad surgery went well and I hope the healing goes as well and quickly as possible also.

Keep it up without the A's and maybe you can be famous....

 

Written in 1939, Ernest Vincent Wright's Gadsby is a 50,000 word novel—and there’s not an "E" in sight (at least not once you get past the author's name or the introduction, in which Wright mentions how people often told him that such a feat was impossible). But Gadsby sticks to its own rules admirably. If there are abbreviations used, they are only ones that still would not contain the letter "E" if written out in full. In order to make sure he didn't accidentally cheat, Wright reportedly tied down the letter "E" on his typewriter.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 544]

Hey, y'all!  I'm back!  And my little finger is working better now, as you can tell. I have about 4" of incisions on my elbow,   I had a severe case of ulnar nerve entrapment in my elbow that was corrected.  Basically I had the same thing as carpal tunnel syndrome, only it was in my elbow. I ignored it too long, and it was to the point that it was either surgery or lose the use of my hand.  

I'm 10 days post surgery, and you wouldn't believe how well I'm healing.  I was unbelievably blessed with a wonderful surgeon, no pain, not even having to take pain pills after surgery, just everything went so well.  

Anyway, in 10 more days, if everything goes as planned, we're scheduled to make another quick trip to WDW, thanks to a wonderful friend you all know, but there are some circumstances that make this next trip iffy.  Anyway, I want to get this TR wrapped up before the next trip starts. 

So over the weekend I'm gonna try to make a huge dent in finishing it.  

[dblr....Rennie 202]

Gwen glad to hear your healing nicely, will you be at the Fort? I arrive in Florida Monday for a 2 month stay but outside of Disney but do plan some visits there as the wife who just retired yesterday ( WHOO HOO!!!! ) received some Disney gift cards as presents.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 544]

1 hour ago, dblr....Rennie said:

Gwen glad to hear your healing nicely, will you be at the Fort? I arrive in Florida Monday for a 2 month stay but outside of Disney but do plan some visits there as the wife who just retired yesterday ( WHOO HOO!!!! ) received some Disney gift cards as presents.

Congratulations! Yes, if we get to make the trip we will be in a cabin at the Fort.  Driving down Monday, February 8, and driving back home on Saturday the 13th.  Wish we were staying for 2 months!  What campground will you be at?

[dblr....Rennie 202]

1 hour ago, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said:

Congratulations! Yes, if we get to make the trip we will be in a cabin at the Fort.  Driving down Monday, February 8, and driving back home on Saturday the 13th.  Wish we were staying for 2 months!  What campground will you be at?

Elite Resort at Citrus Valley, where Grumpy & Grand mom are plus a lot of our FROG Friends

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 544]

Saturday morning weather wasn't the greatest.  It was cool with a misty rain.  After breakfast we drove over to DHS ro ride the skyliner over to the new Riviera Resort.  It was the only way we could figure out to see the resort because Disney was being very strict about letting us on properties other than the Fort. I had hoped to get some good photos from the air, but between the rain and the black film on our skyliner car they didn't turn out very well;

Anyway, we weren't very impressed with the resort.

Then we went over to EPCOT.  By the time we arrived the rain had stopped.

Because of COVID, the Festival of the Holidays wasn't like it normally is.  The food booths were open and there were some decorations in World Showcase, but that's it.  We checked out the food, but nothing really interested us.  Seemed to be mostly desserts.

We walked around World Showcase and saw Santa's cavalcade.

And then had an early dinner at Chefs de France.  I started with the charcuterie plate.  It looks small, but it was very filling and really good.

David had the French onion soup.

He thought it was really good.  I thought it was just so-so.  I think it was plant-based.  Tasted like it had no beef stock in it.  I.e., very weak flavor.  And then (gulp, I can't believe I'm saying this) it had way too much cheese in it.  

Then we both had Boeuf Bourguignon, which was delicious,

followed by Creme Brulee, which neither of us cared for.  It was pretty tasteless.  I think whoever made it forgot to add the vanilla to that batch.

We've eaten at Chefs de France several times in the past, but always with the French servers, chefs, and management. I have to say it wasn't quite as good with the American staff.  I'm surprising myself by admitting that, but i do believe the French staff paid better attention to detail and therefore gave us a much better dining experience.  

EPCOT's tree is beautiful at night:

Sunday was our next-to-the-last day at the Fort.  Normally it would have been our EPCOT day, and we would have spent our last morning at the Magic Kingdom.  Then in the next afternoon we would have come back to the Fort to clean up the motorhome and get ready to pull out the next morning.  And if we had time that evening we'd go back to MK for a last goodbye.

So this year with not having annual passes and being constricted with that dang 7-day park pass, we decided to forego a park on Sunday and do all our cleaning up and packing away on Sunday.  Our plan was to get everything but last-minute things done that day so we could play all day on Monday.

 And we were planning to leave on Tuesday and arrive home on Wednesday.  But we found out we were expecting bad weather at home.  Really bad.  Maybe ice and snow.  Like we may not even be able to make it home.  And we had to get winterized before we even tried to make it because the forecast temps were in the 20s.  

So Sunday morning we again had breakfast at Chef Mickey.  We came back to the Fort and spent all afternoon cleaning up Dolly and getting everything all packed away.  We got DeeDee, the golf cart, loaded on the Mighty Hauler.  The rugs and chairs packed away.  Inside the floors and the bathroom were scrubbed.  All the countertops were Gel-Glossed.  Literally everything but last-minute items were done.  Dolly looked forlorn.

I felt like she looked.  This had been a strange vacation, and it was almost over.

Next up:  our last day there and going home.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 544]

Monday morning the weather wasn't great, but by lunchtime it had improved.  We went to the Magic kingdom for the last time this trip ... always a sad visit.  Neither of us was in the mood to stand in a long line, so we went to the Country Bear Jamboree just because a show was getting ready to start just as we went by.

Then we saw Goofy's cavalcade again.  That seemed to be the one that came by way more often than any of the others.

A little while later another cavalcade came by. 

Does this float look familiar?

Next we went to the Hall of Presidents.

At the end of the presentation, the audience cheered!

We wandered around awhile.

And then it was time for lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern.  Only we didn't get seated at the tavern.  Due to COVID, the tavern doesn't seat very many people right now.  So they have opened up the Diamond Horseshoe right now to use for tavern seating.  

This brought back great memories of having lunch at the Diamond Horseshoe Revue and enjoying the saloon-style show when the kids were little.  With the exception of the mediocre tossed salad and the tough roast pork, our meal was delicious.  The roast turkey and dressing was the best I've ever had.  And that Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake!  We both ate way too much.

After the meal we just wandered around MK for awhile longer.

The Dapper Dans serenaded us as we left.

One last glimpse of the castle:

Up next:  pros and cons of visiting WDW during the COVID pandemic.

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,238]

I'm just now catching this. Yes, only having a few days worth of tickets stinks! I really hope they bring new Annual Passes back. I hope WDW doesn't go the way California is doing.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,001]

On 1/29/2021 at 9:10 PM, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said:

I'm 10 days post surgery, and you wouldn't believe how well I'm healing. 

Terrific news, Gwen!!

Looking forward to hearing your wrap-up.