Difficult Issues-Escaping in Disney

Thursday April 14, 2016                                                     Most Recent Posts:
Hollywood Studios                                                              Wednesday – A Multi Split Day
Walt Disney World                                                             Afternoon at Epcot
Orlando, Florida

 

 

I want those of you still reading my detailed Disney posts to know how much I appreciate your taking the time to do so and making yourselves known among the multitude of anonymous page views. 

You also  no doubt realize how long ago this was that we were at Disney World.  What you haven’t known is that back here in Virginia we are dealing with some difficult issues which do not relate to the health of anyone but are very sad for me and I am escaping into these posts about the happy times at the end of our stay in Florida.

  Our summer plans are now very up in the air.  Despite David having a treatment that appears to be working well enough after one month for him to travel if things stay the same for the next few weeks. I am afraid this issue will preclude that.  I hope you will understand that I don’t really want to talk about it.

Today’s escape is to Hollywood Studios which I will admit, at this point, is our least favorite of the Disney parks.  We aren’t big block buster movie goers.  We don’t do major league sports or movies for the same values laden reasons.  The players, managers, owners, actors, producers, studios all make way too much money and charge far too much for tickets to both venues.  I vote with my dollars and I don’t vote for ever escallating salaries and ticket prices.   Off soapbox and on to what we did do at Hollywood.

 

We were greeted by a gal on  a suitcase, a would be starlet who struck a pose before we walked down Hollywood Blvd toward Grauman’s Chinese.

 

 

Compare the number of people in this shot to the one later in the morning.

 

Inside is a wonderful exhibit on the life and work of Walt Disney.  We had seen this on previous visits to Hollywood but wanted to look more closely at a few things.  I particularly like this photograph of Walt and the Mickey who made his career.

 

 

I’m not an avid Star Wars fan although I have seen the original movie and enjoyed it.  I think I’d pretty much stopped doing movies by the time of the sequels and have found over the years that sequels are seldom as good as the original.  All that to say I don’t remember the names of these clearly Star Wars characters in their white suits but they were out and about greeting people.  We saw them again later in a more formal setting.

 

We headed over to the Writer’s Studio to see what they had today in the way of pasteries and books but they were closed with no sign as to when they would open. Too bad, it’s tiny but one of my favorite places in Hollywood.

 

Really, wandering around is pretty much what we did all morning with a couple of exceptions.  Here we are at Hollywood and Vine checking out the menu and find that if you do what is called “Play and Dine”, a character meal, it is a sit down restaurant at $42 a plate for adults.  Not in our budget this time after the Hoop Dee Doo Review.

 

 

But here we go, the Dino Diner. Probably more our speed and  reminiscent of having just come from Animal Kingdom’s Dinoland.

 

We also find the Dockside Diner.  They have nice outdoor waterside tables.
So much for restaurants, we’re not hungry at this point.  Lunch will be later on.

 

 

Back on the street, I love the little STOP signs.  I guess 30’s Hollywood may have had those.  They sure are cute.

 

Now we wander in and out of stores.  Mickey would look great with my giant Winnie the Pooh but no room in Winnona for more than the two big friends, David and Winnie, that I already have.  But we pose together anyway.

 

 

In the candy shop we watch the frozen Mickey Ears being covered with chocolate.  Dark, milk or white.

 

 

Back outside apparently a little street scene has finished.  We’ve seen this starlet before and she’s a riot.  Sorry I missed this but check out those stockings with seams.  Why did women ever wear those?  Were they just fashion or where the nylons were sewen together?   They may have been the latter but for sure they were the former because during WWII when nylon was requisitioned for the war effort women actually drew seams on the backs of their bare legs.  AMAZING!

 

 

 

 

Time for lunch, we pick Sunset Ranch Market as an easy stop with lots of tables.

 

Time to wander back down the street enjoying the architecture on our way to Grauman’s to do what we think is the most fun thing in Hollywood, The Great Movie Ride.  Pretty sure the benches facing the street are for the street acts like we missed earlier.

 

 

Love the colors and architectural details on the buildings.  I visited Hollywood California at one point many years ago but can’t remember clearly if this is how it looked.

 

 

 

David’s favorite thing on our walk.

 

 

In the plaza in front of Grauman’s a stage and some huge speakers have appeared and shortly a Star Wars episode begins.  Apparently there is going to be some sort of Star Wars land or something in Hollywood in the future.  So we stopped to watch even though at least I can’t remember the characters names except for R2D2, Chewbacca and of course Darth Vadar.  Was Voldemort created in his image some 20 years later??

So for the Star Wars folks, here is what we saw although the speakers were so loud we have no idea what they were saying.  SO much noise especially when the guns appeared.

 

 

Chebacca was the crowd favorite with lots of cheers when he appeareed.

 

Out come the guys we had seen earlier in the morning, guns blazing.

 

 

And then of course, you know who.  He makes some sort of speech we don’t understand because it’s too loud and of course that breathing thing.

 

 

Do you know this star wars villain?  Or at least I assume he’s a villain.  He’s wearing the right color.

 

 

Everyone has guns at the end of the skit.  The audience loved it.   Don’t see Luke or Princess Leia anywhere.

 

Not until we run into her after the show that is.  Isn’t she perfect with her hair??

 

 

We move back up to Grauman’s where stars a little more my speed are greeting their fans.

 

 

And then in we go.  Notice the number of people now.

 

The queue line waiting to get into the ride is as good in a different way than the ride itself.  Both are a wonderful history of the movie industry.  Here we are in our seats about to move forward into the movie stage sets.  I’ve shown many pictures of them in a previous blog which you can see here.  Today I just sat back and enjoyed without taking pictures.  But this is THE do not miss in Hollywood Studios in our opinion.

 

 

As we leave Grauman’s and walk past the stage, it has been turned into screens and something with a VERY LOUD sound track is playing but it’s hard to see in the bright day light.  We don’t stay to figure it out.  Notice the number of people now.   The take home message is, come early.

 

Heading back from Grauman’s to the entrance we wave farewell to Goofy.  We didn’t need more than a morning here although we spent a full day here in January as those of you who clicked my link to a previous post about the Great Movie Ride could see.  David has been here 3 times.  I think this is probably enough for me although the skits in the streets are lots of fun.

 

 

 

We take the bus back to Epcot for our afternoon.  We want to see more of the Flower and Garden Show since we will probably never stay here during any spring break time again.

It’s the Sorcerer’s apprentice.

 

We decide to take one of the boats that goes around to the various hotels adjacent to Epcot.

 

Our captain is a woman.  She does an excellent job of telling us where all we are going and most of the folks are clearly staying at these places or going there for some reason as all along the way they all get off except for us.

 

 

 

I don’t remember the names of all the hotels but as you would expect, they are architecturally interesting.  Love that they can all be reached by water just like Fort Wilderness.

This is the Swan and Dolphin from the water front.

 

From the side you can see the Dolphin.  We see the swans later from further away.

 

 

 

The Boardwalk catches David’s eye and we think we may have to come back at some point to check out this bakery or at least investigate and see if it is a real bakery.

 

 

 

On our way to the Beach and Yacht Club we can see the Swans rising behind.

 

 

 

 

The Beach Club has its own lighthouse and of course the famous Beaches and Cream.  Maybe we’ll take the boat here next time as well.

 

From the boat we can see lots of the places we have walked along the water.

 

 

 

We can also see the World Showcase pavillions from a totally different and interesting side.

 

 

Back on land, since we have been to Beaches & Cream already on this visit and don’t want to be super greedy, we head over to the other ice cream eatery we want to try.

 

 

L’Artisan des Glaces is just up from David’s favorite Disney World Bakery in France.  The line is out the door but we are determined to try these glaces.  The line moves efficiently and soon we are out the door.

 

 

I choose a waffle cone with Coconut White Chocolate and David picks a Croque Glace which is ice cream with chocolate or raspberry sauce (he has raspberry) served in a warm brioche.  They actually put it in a panini press.

 

 

Two scoops, big cone but I can handle it.  See the Croque on the table?

 

Here it is after a couple of bites.

 

Doesn’t take long to finish off ice cream unfortunately.  Behind me are all the people coming and going from the David’s bakery at the end of this little alley in France.   We see the T-Shirt of the day while we eat our sugary treats.

 

 

He must be wearing the wrong shoes.  Even at over 20,000 steps a day in Disney World, I’ve never had my feet hurt.

 

Walking on from France around the World Showcase Lagoon, we come to Canada and the Mill Stage where some Acadian music and step dancing from the Maritimes are being performed.  We stay a while to listen and watch

 

 

 

 

They have his feet mic’d.  Is that the right spelling or is it miked??

 

Thumper, Bambi and Flower make beautiful topiaries.  They are among my favorites.

 

 

 

 

We stop at a few more gardens on our way.

 

 

We’ve really enjoyed the Flower and Garden Show.  Disney has outdone themselves with color and the fabulous topiaries.  I’m really glad we sort of fell into it by accident but I don’t think we would intentionally come at this time of year again.  Spring Break is just too many people.  Of course that means all of March and April.

 

Buzz waves Good-bye. (Notice his size)  
Probably won’t see you again Buzz but it sure has been fun. 
Keep up the good work.