Pick-A-Pearl

We had a great visit with Terri and Bill. After picking them up at the airport around 8:30 a.m., we headed for their hotel, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. Figuring their room wouldn’t be ready for several hours, the plan was to drop off their bags, pre-register, and head out for breakfast. Surprisingly the room was ready, and they had been upgraded to a room with a fantastic view from their balcony of the Magic Kingdom across the lagoon. After breakfast, we dropped them back at the hotel and made plans to return later that evening. Bill was treating us to dinner for his 60th birthday!

We began the evening with drinks at Mizner’s Lounge and then walked over to Narcoosee’s, both located at the hotel. The restaurant is situated on the Seven Seas Lagoon, and we were fortunate to get a window table with a great view of the water. Russ and Terri shared the Fried Oysters Rockefeller to start while Bill and I each got a bowl of the Butternut Squash-Tomato Bisque Soup. Ohmigosh was it yummy!! Terri’s favorite dish at Narcoosee’s is the Crispy Whole Snapper, which is served upright on the plate and has a crispy exterior with a deliciously moist and flaky interior. Russ ordered the same, I ordered my “usual” Grilled Filet Mignon (ok, it’s only the 2nd time I’ve eaten there), while Bill enjoyed the Surf & Turf. (Are you hungry yet??) All came with delicious sides, and we were stuffed by the end of the meal, but of course we managed to save a teeny bit of room for dessert. We ordered two to share…the Crème Brulee Duo and the Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse Dome with Raspberry Sauce to which the restaurant added a candle and “Happy Birthday” wishes on the plate. After managing to roll ourselves out of our chairs and the restaurant, we returned to their room to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from their balcony.

On another day we all met at Epcot planning to just hang out in World Showcase. We enjoyed walking “around the world”, stopping in many of the countries' shops, getting a bite to eat in America, and drinking margaritas in Mexico. At Canada this little waterfall is located just outside one of the shops, and as you can tell by the photo, it was a rather chilly day! At Japan Bill insisted that I choose an oyster from the Pick-A-Pearl tank because he likes to watch the production the cast members create in opening each one. As they bang sticks together and clap, an announcement is made to gather a crowd. The young lady then asks everyone to count to 3 (first teaching us how to say it in Japanese), and with a quick flick of her blade, the oyster is open revealing a beautiful little pearl tucked within the meat! You never know what you might find inside…sometimes there are even two pearls or occasionally the rare black pearl. Mika made a little game of measuring its size and explained the process of cleaning it as she did so (though quite frankly we hardly understood anything she was saying because her accent was so thick!) But it was fun, and I got a 7-1/4 mm cultured pearl…thanks, Bill!

As we exited the shop, the Japanese Matsuriza had just begun their performance of Taiko, a form of drumming. This is one of Bill’s favorite things at Epcot, and the ladies are amazing to watch as they bang the drums in well choreographed rhythm.

Of course their trip wouldn’t have been complete without a trip to Steak ‘N Shake, which is where we enjoyed lunch on Sat. Bill and Terri had come down to escape the cold and snow of NJ and enjoy some warm FL sun. Unfortunately it never got warm enough for them to enjoy any time at the pool but at least it was warmer than home…and there was no snow! On the drive back to the airport, however, we told them they could take the cold weather back north, and the next day the temp here reached 71. :-)

The following week Russ and I returned to Epcot, but on this day stayed on the Future World side and arrived first thing in the morning planning to ride the very popular Soarin’ a few times before the lines got too long and they ran out of Fast Passes. Traffic along the way had been surprisingly light so we arrived at the park 30 min. before opening. What Disney generally does is at about 15 min. before the park opens, they allow everyone to come through the turnstiles up to a roped off area where you’ll wait the next 15 min. A few minutes before 9 a.m. several of the characters come out to greet the crowds, and after the countdown, they lead the way further into the park. The cast members do a great job of keeping order (and the people from running) all the way to the entrance of The Land and inside, down to the lower level where this most popular ride exists. It’s kind of funny though because people are constantly jockeying for position as they walk, heels on heels. In fact it reminded me of a car race with all the weaving back and forth. I started out right behind the cast members and Russ was a couple rows back. By the time we got inside and downstairs, I was 5 rows back and Russ was about 10 back! With arriving early and the use of Fast Passes, we were able to ride Soarin’ 3 times by 11:30, which is really good given the crowds this ride attracts.

While waiting for the entry time for our last ride, we walked over to The Seas to catch Turtle Talk with Crush, a 10 min. interactive “discussion” with the dude himself. Though geared mainly towards the littlest dudes and dudettes, we totally get a kick out of it and especially of what comes from the mouths of babes! After leaving the show, we strolled around viewing the 5.7 million gallon saltwater aquarium and even found a hidden Mickey!

After our final Soarin’ adventure, we walked next door to catch the return of “Captain EO”, the 17-min. musical 3-D space fantasy adventure film featuring Michael Jackson. Created and first shown 26 years ago, we remember seeing it for the first time back then and being amazed at the technology, the special effects, and being wowed by the music. Its last showing was in 1994 so this was a big deal when Disney announced last year that they were bringing it back for a limited time. This was going to be our first time seeing it since back in the 80s, and as excited as I had been beforehand to see it, I was kind of disappointed afterwards. Perhaps part of it is because cinematic technology has advanced so much in the past 26 years that this now seems almost ho-hum. It was still good, but we probably won’t make a point of going to see it again. (You can see how excited Russ was about it. :-)

Epcot was busy preparing for their annual International Flower & Garden Festival with many of the topiaries already in place, and before leaving the park, a cast member offered to take our picture in front of Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto. Looking forward to returning when all the topiaries are up!