Epcot After Hours Wind Down

November 4, 2014May 25, 2016

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Written by: Dawn Gosdin

Welcome to Food & Wine y’all! Epcot’s World Showcase is covered with Food and Wine everywhere, two of my very favorite things! My friend Colleen and I enjoyed spectacular food and drinks beginning with the Hawaiian pavilion. I had the Kālua Pork Slider with sweet and sour Dole® Pineapple chutney and spicy mayonnaise which I paired with Maui Splash Sweet Pineapple Wine and ended the night at Epcot~ After Hours Wind Down.

It’s a special ticketed event at $35.00 per guest. La Cava del Tequila~ Mexico Pavilion was our choice for mischief that awesome October evening. We checked-in at the entrance to La Cava del Tequila at 9:10 PM. and received our colorful wristbands then patiently waited, we explored the Mexican pavilion till our reservation time of 9:20PM. Right on cue the doors opened (angels were singing) and it was time to get down and dirty (not really.) We were whisked away to our assigned seating and quickly noticed the tables were already filled with a tequila flight, a small bottle of water and a two shot glasses, one of vodka and the other~ even more tequila, now that’s what I’m talking about!

Tequila flight included:
• Shot of Tequila Ambhar Blanco
• Shot of Tequila Partida Reposado
• Shot of Tequila Casa Noble Añejo
• Shot of Mezcal Sombra Blanco

On with the show~ Hilda was the “tequila ambassador” and our host for this special event. She taught her captive audience an informative yet quick history on tequila making and most importantly; proper drinking techniques which made it literally easier to swallow, yum. She did a great job; I actually had a better understanding of tequila after her spiel.

Now it’s time to eat or so I thought. When they say “light” appetizers they aren’t kidding, a little too light for me. I would have eaten my way through Food & Wine if I knew this was all I was having. Some sort of slaw, shrimp cocktail, chicken salad and dessert in a sample size taster. Not really what I expected, I felt it was an odd pairing but overall delicious.

You also have the opportunity to order selected fare off the menu as well. We ordered chips & salsa for additional $3.50, which I found to be a great value for our money and very good to boot.

Epcot~ After Hours Wind Down is only available during Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival; but with Disney anything is possible, who knows what the future might bring. Overall it was a lovely experience, though not sure I would do La Cava del Tequila again. I think I would enjoy Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar, I do have an affinity for wine; also Rose & Crown Pub sounds appealing to my inner beer lover and fish & chips are always amazeballs.

“Disney Dawn” is here to help guide Disney newbies into full-on Disney dorks like herself! She’s forty-two years young, Louisiana native, married to her BFF Ryan and mother of two deviously rotten teenagers. Half Marathon Runner/Writer/Blogger/Disney Dork/Regular Podcaster on http://mousequestpodcast.com/. You can follow Dawn on Twitter @Logpey.

The Latest From Walt Disney World

September 30, 2014May 20, 2016

Written by: Heather McGilvray

Walt Disney World® has seen quite a few exciting announcements released in the past couple of weeks so I thought I would take a few minutes to highlight them all in one place.

In Epcot, some chilly changes are being made at the Norway Pavilion. On October 5th, the Maelstrom attraction will be closing permanently. Maelstrom is being replaced by a ‘Frozen’ themed attraction projected to open in early 2016. Although Arendelle is a fictional location, much inspiration was taken from Norway in the development of the movie. In addition to the new ‘Frozen’ attraction, there will also be a ‘Frozen’-themed meet and great. This announcement has brought some controversy as the Maelstrom attraction which opened in 1988 and is a favorite among many guests. I, personally, loved the Maelstrom ride but think the Norway Pavilion is a perfect location for ‘Frozen’. Although it is always hard to say good-bye to the old, I think this transformation will be a great addition to Epcot. I am anxious to see how the Imagineers will incorporate ‘Frozen’ and Scandinavian traditions.

Like Epcot, Hollywood Studios has an attraction permanently closing. The Backlot Tours attraction is closing at the end of September. There is still speculation as to what the area will be used for, nothing official has been released. We do know that Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post will be relocating to the area. This is a store centered on all things ‘Frozen’. The Trading Post will be near the “For the First Time in Forever: A ‘Frozen’ Sing-Along Celebration.” While we don’t know what will the future holds for the area, it is speculated that some major changes are coming to Hollywood Studios. I am curious to see how they will update and add changes to this park. Know that MouseQuest will keep you updated as soon as we know the plans!

Not quite as popular as ‘Frozen’, but I was excited to see Pandora will be adding Disney charms. If you are not familiar with Pandora charms, they are a popular charm bracelet that you can customize. It was recently announced that this fall Pandora will be releasing sixteen Disney-inspired charms. This announcement caught my eye because I love shopping at Disney! On any given day you can find one or more of my family members sporting Disney apparel. For myself, I personally enjoy items that are practical, nice and a little bit unique. The charms will first be available at Walt Disney World and Disneyland and there is a charm for each of the parks. My personal favorite is the Mickey Mania but it is hard to choose. Look at how cute they are! I am so excited for this special addition of Disney fun.

More than shopping at Disney, I treasure our family Disney photos. It was just announced that on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train they will have photos and videos of your experience. Yes, videos! When Memory Maker is attached to your Magic Band your video from the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will automatically be added to your My Disney Experience account. In addition to the video, Memory Makers will provide you all photos taken by Disney photographers and on attractions throughout the parks during your stay. You can purchase Memory Maker at the parks but when pre-purchased, at least three days in advance, you save $50. Of course with the $50 savings you could go shopping (see above)! Memory Maker is always on my to-do list before a Disney vacation. I love Memory Maker because I can let Disney photographers capture some great shots and I can enjoy the special moments with my family. I can’t wait to see the included videos from the Mine Train on our next visit.

Disney Movies That Should have Park Attractions

July 13, 2014May 25, 2016

– Written By: David Smith

At one point or another, all of us armchair imagineers look around the parks and think about all the Disney properties that don’t have a representative attraction. With that in mind, I went about creating a list of the Disney movies (not Marvel, sorry) that I would love to see in the parks. First, a couple of ground rules I set for myself…

A) The movie must be one that I consider a “classic” Disney film. By this I mean that 20 years from now it will still be remembered (and knowing Disney, still being re-issued for purchase). John Carter might make a good attraction, but I doubt we’ll be talking about it in 20 years (at least not in the good way). Call me cynical if you want.

B) This list only applies to Walt Disney World. The movie might have an attraction in Disneyland, but for the purposes of this list, it does not exist. I did not include movies that already have attractions, even if I believe they deserve much better attractions (ie. Aladdin, The Lion King, etc.). I lumped stage shows in as existing attractions, but not character meet-and-greets.

C) I must have a specific type of attraction in mind. I can’t say that Mars Needs Moms would make a great attraction without stating what kind of attraction it should be. Actually, come to think of it, there is no way I can ever say that Mars Needs Moms would make a great attraction. Let’s just all agree to block that movie from our collective memories and move on.

Now, on to the list:

10. Sleeping Beauty (1959) – The last of the old-style animation classics, this movie is filled with artistic set pieces, memorable characters, and action that could easily translate into the classic dark ride format. In fact, this is probably more easily turned into an attraction than Snow White, suffering only in release chronology.

9. Super Mario Bros. (1993) – Reviewing the Disney film library, I was surprised to see this movie listed. I certainly don’t consider this movie a classic in any way. In fact, quite the opposite as this is one of the few blights on the Brothers Mario record. However, the concept of turning Nintendo properties into attractions is very, well, attractive. I’m sure there are all kinds of legal roadblocks to doing this, but I see this as the next big wave of attraction tie-ins.

8. Mary Poppins (1964) – Certainly the most famous of Disney’s live action movies, this movie gives us a variety of locales and the kind of episodic story that fits perfectly into the dark ride format. The movie that basically built a good portion of Disneyland certainly deserves a larger park presence than much more forgettable fare (I’m looking at you, Disney Junior shows).

7. Pinocchio (1940) – The movie that gave us Jiminy Cricket, Monstro, Pleasure Island, and donkey boys needs to have a Fantasyland dark ride.

6. WALL-E (2008) – A dystopian landscape, space travel, mass manipulation, robot love… how does this movie not have a coaster already? In all seriousness, I could see this as a high-speed coaster or EMV attraction recreating some of the more memorable scenes. Plus, it would be a chance to include Michael Crawford singing Put On Your Sunday Clothes in the attraction, and that’s always fun.

5. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) – Disney’s classic action movie still holds up today. I’m sure someone at WDI could come up with something using this movie as an attraction.

4. The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) – I’m already breaking my “classic movie” rule here, but I would love to see Kuzcotopia as a water ride, or even Yzma’s secret lab entrance as a coaster. Many possibilities here, and surprisingly, the movie still holds up to viewings now.

3. The Incredibles (2004) – This movie provides great characters, exciting action, and enough fantastic settings to fill 10 Little Mermaid show buildings. However, I think that this movie would do even better as a thrill attraction. The music alone makes me want to go fast. In fact, I think some consideration should be given to re-theming Rock-N-Roller Coaster as the… (building suspense)… Incredicoaster! Thank you, thank you very much.

2. Up (2009) – This movie already has an attraction built in basically. How easy would it be to take the Peter Pan ride system and create an Up dark ride. Just replace the pirate ship with a blimp, and you’re already half way there.

1. Tron (1982) – Even without the new movie coming out soon, this movie could easily support several different types of attractions: dark ride, coaster, simulator, EMV, 4D movie, whatever. Unless they called it Tron’s Great Escape, how could this possibly fail?

Hmmm… seems like I’m forgetting something here… nope, that’s it I guess…

OK, OK… let’s talk about it… that little film with the cult following (in much the same way that oxygen has a cult following), Frozen. The exclusion of Frozen from the list above is not an indication that I don’t want a Frozen attraction. On the contrary, I do want a Frozen attraction. I just don’t want 10 Frozen attractions. I get the feeling that Hollywood Studios is quickly turning into the Star Wars / Frozen park with Hoth acting as the transition between the two. At some point, the fanaticism towards this film with subside and be replaced with the normal level of respect due a classic Disney animated musical, right? RIGHT? I mean, things have to level out and we can get a new offering from WDI that doesn’t feature Anna and Elsa. Maybe? Anyone? Hold on, World of Color is starting…(The snow blows white on the…) sigh…

Episode 76: WDW’s Summer Events

June 8, 2014May 20, 2016

Episode 74: WDW’s New Ticketed Events

May 27, 2014May 20, 2016

Episode 42: What’s New in the Parks

October 13, 2013May 20, 2016

Episode 38: All About Epcot

September 16, 2013May 20, 2016

Welcome to the MouseQuest Podcast- Your guide in the quest for the perfect Disney vacation. This is episode number 38. On this week’s show we will be answering questions all about the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow – or Epcot. On October 1, 1982 Walt Disney World opened this second theme park, which is more than twice the size of the Magic Kingdom. Join us as we discuss our favorite rides, shows and attractions of the park that celebrates human achievements through imagination, wonders of enterprise and concepts of a promising future.

Epcot is very unique in that its pavilions and attractions are created not only to entertain guests but also educate them as well. To give our listeners a quick overview, the park is made up of two sections – Future World and World Showcase. Future World has a number of pavilions and attractions that focus on innovation, science and technology such as the History of communication, Space Travel, Energy, Motion, The Sea, The Land and Imagination. World Showcase features 11 countries from around the world and in them explore cultural aspects of each one. Currently the countries included are Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, The American Adventure, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom and Canada. Obviously this park is huge and we won’t be able to cover everything it has to offer but we can talk about the highlights and help others know what not to miss when they visit Epcot. Questions this week include:

When some people view Epcot as being an educational park they may see it as boring or not having enough for kids and families to enjoy. Does your family enjoy Epcot?
Epcot is probably my favorite place in all of Walt Disney World to eat. There are so many different options to choose from and so many cuisines from all around the world. What are your top 3 Counter Service and top 3 Table Service restaurants in Epcot?
As many different restaurants that Epcot has to offer it also has a LOT of shopping. Where do you like to go to find unique souvenirs in Epcot?
One of the best things about World Showcase is the variety of shows and performers it offers. What would you say are the top 3 shows in Epcot that everyone should see?
If you could list your top 5 things to do in Epcot with your family, what would they be?
What is your favorite thing to do in Epcot?

Appearing this week are James Cameron, Dawn Gosdin, Rich Grady, Amy Leto, and Marci Smith.

To submit a question for the show, please go to the MouseQuest Podcast website, or send an email to question@mqpodcast.com.

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Your Guide on the Quest for the Perfect Disney Vacation

Tag: Epcot