Loving the live trip report, and your pictures are fantastic! Glad you are having a good time. Look forward to reading more.
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~ Barb ~
JanJ and KenJ's September 2014 Trip Report
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Tue, 09/02/2014 - 20:10
Tue, 09/02/2014 - 22:28
Wow what fabulous pics. Thank you SOOO much for letting me go along. I want to be there so badly, but when do I NOT want to be there 
, really?
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Tue, 09/02/2014 - 23:00
What a great trip report and the photos are out of the this world !!
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Tue, 09/02/2014 - 23:02
I had such a good time last year at the Halloween party and the Boo To You parade was great. Thanks for the memories Ken and Jan.
Wed, 09/03/2014 - 02:34
great pictures from the party. can't wait to attend next month.
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Wed, 09/03/2014 - 02:45
I heard MNSSHP last night was AWESOME! 
That's where I'll be in exactly one week and I can't wait! So glad y'all have been having such a blast!!
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Wed, 09/03/2014 - 03:19
Thanks again everyone! This has been a great trip so far.
Today got off to a slow start! 
We finally headed over to Epcot around 11:30 and made our way over to The Land. I quickly booked FP+ for Soarin', Maelstrom and Spaceship Earth. We went on Living with the Land and we still had about an hour to wait until our Soarin' FP, so we signed up for the noon Behind the Seeds tour. We did this a couple of years ago, and found it interesting, so thought we would do it again. We got our 15% discount as AP holders! 
Cool tomato tree:
Hidden Mickey lettuce:
Giant hotdogs! Obviously, that's not what this is, but now I can't remember the name. They smelled like apples.
Fig tree:
I highly recommend this tour if you haven't been on it yet. It's pretty inexpensive and I believe they run them on the hour.
Then, it was time for a late lunch, so we headed over to Tokyo Dining (we love this place).
Window view:
Ken's Matsu sushi platter:
My Shibuya tempura platter:
Of course we had to ride Maelstrom.
And then it was off to Spaceship Earth, which we just walked on to.
We then walked over to France, as we had just made plans to have a quick visit with Allie and Jon before they had their dinner reservation. We cooled off with a drink and then had one of the Disney photographers take our picture. Sweet couple and it was great to meet them.
We then headed back to the hotel for a rest and finally decided to check out DTD at 7pm. The bus showed up right away, which is very unusual.
Being under construction certainly isn't keeping the people away! It looks like it will be amazing after it's all complete. We were also hoping to get on the Characters in Flight, but it was too windy and was securely tied down for the night.
We made it to the Cirque du Soleil building and the decided to take a boat back to the Marketplace to miss all the crowds. The new landing at the Marketplace is beautiful. It just opened about 4 weeks ago and has the new walkway to Saratoga.
Once we got back to the Boardwalk, we grabbed some dinner at the bakery and have called it a night.
Up next tomorrow is DHS and hopefully some cupcakes!!
Wed, 09/03/2014 - 11:33
Greta pictures and report Ken & Jan! Ken those pictures are really amazing!
Wed, 09/03/2014 - 13:10
Great trip report Jan - and beautiful pictures from Ken!
They are indeed expanding the walkways in the castle hub. They will be adding a second ring of walking path, more dining seating, and some new gardens. All which will create more prime viewing area in front of the castle.
Wed, 09/03/2014 - 14:20
Love all your pictures! And so excited you guys got to meet up with Allie & Jon
Kudos to you getting wet on the rapids Jan! 
Jan what was your mixed cocktail drink with your tempura shrimp?
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Wed, 09/03/2014 - 14:51
Magic Mirror wrote:
Love all your pictures! And so excited you guys got to meet up with Allie & Jon
Kudos to you getting wet on the rapids Jan!
Jan what was your mixed cocktail drink with your tempura shrimp?
That was a Mount Fuji. Pineapple juice, vodka and blue curacao. It was pretty tasty!
Wed, 09/03/2014 - 15:00
Fantastic report!!! I was going to ask about the drink it looks yummy I wonder if they sell it at Teppan Edo next door 
sounds like you having a great time!
Wed, 09/03/2014 - 16:15
!! sounds like a winner drink to me !!
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Thu, 09/04/2014 - 01:26
Thanks for your comments everyone! I haven't been saying much in this TR as Jan is doing all the talking. LOL.
We're really enjoying this trip so far. It's hot and humid but after this past winter at home, I vowed I would never complain again about heat and humidity. I'm really enjoying it in fact. As I write this, we are at the half way mark and the time has not been passing too quickly fortunately. We're doing less "hopping" around between places this time and I think that helps.
As Jan mentioned, I lost my magic band on Sunday. Didn't even notice it was missing until we were seated for dinner at Tony's. It must have caught on my pocket or something and popped it open. I'm very impressed that I got it back at the lost and found. They had a bucket full of lost magic bands as I'm sure it's a very common thing to lose them.
One thing I'm noticing is that there are NO insects here. I really don't know how that is possible, but I haven't seen a single fly or mosquito or anything.
The other nice surprise is there are NO seagalls. Not one. They're all over the place when we come in January (one even stole my cronut right out of my hands last time). But right now they are completely absent. I suppose they must migrate north? I must say, it's really nice being able to sit outside with food and not be bothered by them as they can be very aggressive.
The Halloween party was really great. I enjoyed it much more than the Christmas party. The wait times on the rides were nothing, including the new mine ride. It was a 10 minute standby! The best was the Haunted Mansion though. The CMs had full makeup on and were really acting their parts that night. They were also pumping artificial fog everywhere which really added to the theming.
We were in the stretching room with about 15 other people (unheard of) and the CM snuck up behind Jan close to her head and just stared at her. When Jan turned her head she saw her standing there and scared the crap out of her. It was hilarious. Then once the door opened to the main loading area, the CM just yelled "OUT!!!". It was so funny.
As you can see in the photos above, we met up with Allie and her husband Jon over in France. It was really nice to meet with them and chat for a bit.
Downtown Disney is a bit of a mess but it wasn't too bad really. Mind you, we took a Disney bus there so we didn't have to deal at all with the parking lot. We chatted with a CM over by the new docks at the market place. He told us that there are multiple waterfront restaurants being built and he said the makeover will be spectacular. There are some huge buildings going up right now and I can't wait to see the final product.
The Poly was very strange walking in there. It's eerily quiet without the waterfalls. It will be interesting to see the final product there as well.
I'm enjoying taking photos as usual and I actually bought a new camera for this trip. It's a bit smaller than my other camera. I brought both along but have been carrying around only the smaller camera and just one lens this time.
Anyway, Jan just told me right now that the Captain's Grille has hand cut salt and vinegar fries. Gotta go...
Wed, 09/03/2014 - 16:51
KenJ wrote:
I'm enjoying taking photos as usual and I actually bought a new camera for this trip. It's a bit smaller than my other camera. I brought both along but have been carrying around only the smaller camera and just one lens this time.
I was wondering what you're shooting with! The low light imagery is really sharp and colorful. What did you buy?
Wed, 09/03/2014 - 17:11
Kristen K. wrote:
I was wondering what you're shooting with! The low light imagery is really sharp and colorful. What did you buy?
Hey Kristen, it's a Panasonic Lumix GX7 with a 20mm 1.7 prime lens. Very small package with a micro four thirds sensor (same as my GH3 which I've used in the past). It's really good in low light and I never use a flash (or very rarely). All of the photos in this TR so far are without flash except the one of Jan trick or treating. I'm extremely pleased with this camera. I'm shooting RAW of course then processing in Lightroom.
Here's the camera and how it fits into the small bag to carry around with my sunglasses in the parks. I've included my magic band for size reference.
Wed, 09/03/2014 - 17:19
Sharp pictures and great report!
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Wed, 09/03/2014 - 17:25
KenJ wrote:
Hey Kristen, it's a Panasonic Lumix GX7 with a 20mm 1.7 prime lens. Very small package with a micro four thirds sensor (same as my GH3 which I've used in the past). It's really good in low light and I never use a flash (or very rarely). All of the photos in this TR so far are without flash except the one of Jan trick or treating. I'm extremely pleased with this camera. I'm shooting RAW of course then processing in Lightroom.Here's the camera and how it fits into the small bag to carry around with my sunglasses in the parks. I've included my magic band for size reference.
I'm really impressed with its quality, and it's so small it looks like a breeze to carry. Are all of the pics handheld?
Wed, 09/03/2014 - 17:42
Yes, all my photos are handheld.
Wed, 09/03/2014 - 18:31
KenJ wrote:
Yes, all my photos are handheld.
Sweet! Great stabilization in the low light environment.
Wed, 09/03/2014 - 20:44
JanJ wrote:
Magic Mirror wrote:Love all your pictures! And so excited you guys got to meet up with Allie & Jon
Kudos to you getting wet on the rapids Jan!
Jan what was your mixed cocktail drink with your tempura shrimp?That was a Mount Fuji. Pineapple juice, vodka and blue curacao. It was pretty tasty!
That sounds yummy! Do they have them "to go?"
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~ Barb ~
Wed, 09/03/2014 - 23:00
Did I read correctly, you just walked up for the Behind the Seeds tour? I want to do it too but trying to figure out which Epcot day to add it to. If we can just walk up and join, that would be so much easier....
PS, do y'all want to go back in November, say the 1st-8th and Ken can be my personal photographer??? The pics are great, each one has me feeling like I am right there!
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"I do not like the cone of shame."
"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell."
"It seems to me that we have a lot of story yet to tell."
Thu, 09/04/2014 - 00:42
The Colonel wrote:
Sharp pictures and great report!
Thanks Colonel!
BTW, you have some WONDERFUL images on your SmugMug site. Very nicely done!
Thu, 09/04/2014 - 00:57
Spook wrote:
Glad to hear the Halloween party was a hit. I'm really looking forward to going for the first time in October. Did you see any cool guest costumes?
Hey Spook - we saw some, but nothing spectacular. There were quite a few pirates, lots of Frozen costumes and lots of people like me in orange and black. We did see a couple dressed up like Carl and Ellie Fredricksen that was pretty good and it was more original.
Thu, 09/04/2014 - 00:59
BarbaraB wrote:
That sounds yummy! Do they have them "to go?"
I don't think so, but I've never checked. They might offer something during F&W?
Thu, 09/04/2014 - 01:09
Amazing trip report! I am enjoying all the pictures. Will be in Disney on the 5th and it can't come soon enough. 
Thu, 09/04/2014 - 01:40
JMed wrote:
Did I read correctly, you just walked up for the Behind the Seeds tour? I want to do it too but trying to figure out which Epcot day to add it to. If we can just walk up and join, that would be so much easier....PS, do y'all want to go back in November, say the 1st-8th and Ken can be my personal photographer??? The pics are great, each one has me feeling like I am right there!
Yep... You can just walk up to the counter, pay the fee and then you're on the next tour. We rode Living With The Land and decided while riding that we wanted to take the tour. It was 11:53 when we signed up and we were on the 12:00 tour. It's really good!
About November... Absolutely! If you can pay my way, I'll be there! 
Thu, 09/04/2014 - 01:52
Thanks for all your comments.
So....today was about food and we went to 3 different parks!
We started this morning at DHS and our first FP+ was for TSM at 10:45am. It turns out that this was the only FP+ we used today. DHS is a 1/2 day park for us and we are not into Frozen and have yet to see the movie, so the new stuff held little interest for us. We decided to walk and got to the part just after 10:30am.
Fairfax Fair had already switched over their menu from breakfast items. We were both hungry, so we decided on one of their hot dogs - the one with the mac & cheese. It was so good, although very messy to eat. Make sure you have A LOT of napkins!
After cleaning ourselves up, we headed to TSM, which only had a 30 min wait for standby. I beat Ken, and had the high score for our car, but still can't move above to a "cat". Just need more practice I guess. We were going to ride the GMR, but it was a 35 min wait (????), so decided against it. I had booked a FP+ for TOT in case we got brave, but after that hot dog, neither one of us thought we should ride that! 
I'm hoping I can talk MrHub into riding it with me in January!
We walked around a bit more and then decided to head back to the Boardwalk. I wanted to try some of the cupcakes from Starring Rolls, so bought the butterfinger one and the red velvet one to bring back to the room. I tried the butterfinger one tonight, but found it really sweet. I'm leaving the red velvet one for tomorrow so will report back then.
We also stopped at the "Sweet Spot" in the Villians store right on the corner. They sell the carrot cake cookie there too and Ken wanted one of those for the way back.
We took the boat back this time for a change of pace. It's always a nice ride, albeit a little noisy as we like to sit outside. We headed back to the room to cool off a little. Our room still wasn't cleaned, so we headed back out again and walked around the boardwalk and headed to the Yacht Club. We (well Ken) wanted to try the fresh cut fries there, so we thought we'd get some lunch now that the hot dog was digested.
As you may have already read on another post, Ken had the best fish and chips. And the fish was a double size portion. I tried some of his fries and they were the best. I had the tomato and mozzarella sandwich on foccacia bread - it was also delicious. The Captain's Grille continues to surprise us with great food.
The picture of my sandwich didn't turn out - sorry about that. But trust me, it was great. We then walked over to Epcot with the intention of headed to the Poly and then MK. We stopped and watched Off Kilter for a few songs - they are really good.
Thu, 09/04/2014 - 02:06
Then it was off to the TTC and then the Poly. Ken took a few more pictures and then we headed outside in the back and lo and behold, we found the new place where the Dole Whip will be sold. It had officially opened that morning, so we were some of the first "official" customers. Ken couldn't pass it up, so he ordered a swirl.
We then wandered through a maze (at least it felt like it) to get to the marina area as we were going to take the boat to the MK. Ken took a few pictures of the construction going on outside and the DVC bungalows are coming along nicely.
Then it was off to MK. We had yet to ride POTC, so headed to Adventureland and it was only a 5 min wait, which was really the time it took to walk in. Ken took a few more photos of the hub construction on the CP side.
We took another ride on the train, this time all the way around. We then walked over to Liberty Square for another ride on HM and then decided to get a little snack as we hadn't eaten for a few hours now. We decided on the Nutella and fruit Waffle from SH - that was yummy as advertised!
We just hung out at MK wandering around (how cool a day is that??) and then eventually decided to head back to the room. The heat really makes you tired. We have another day planned in MK on Friday and my plan is to see the FOF parade that day as we missed it by about an hour today. Tomorrow the plan is to head to Kona for breakfast and then eventually make our way back to Epcot as we have the After Hours Wind Down at Tutto Gusto.
Thu, 09/04/2014 - 02:26
JMed wrote:
Did I read correctly, you just walked up for the Behind the Seeds tour? I want to do it too but trying to figure out which Epcot day to add it to. If we can just walk up and join, that would be so much easier....
We just walked up two years ago in October and were doing the tour less than an hour later.