It’s sunny in Florida they said. You’ll get a nice tan they said.
It’s been like this all day today.
And all night.
Back to Saturday. People are funny. We have 10 or 15 people at every turnstile over there.
And then no one at the turnstiles down here.
They’re all open with no one in line.
If you’re in the market for a stroller/battering ram, look out for the express rental directly near the resort boat launches.
The buses are behind us and security is to the right. That mob of people is coming from the Express Monorail.
Snow White appearing in front of The Chapeau store and Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. The “scrim situation” is the same, meaning they’re all still up.
The Main Street characters were out in full force having fun with guests.
Not my job of choice in the summer heat.
Maybe jetliners this low are common, but I don’t think I’ve ever noticed one that low before. It made a lot of people stop and look up.
No extended queue for the Speedway at 11:26am. Fast forward to a non-recommended Saturday in October and you’re going to see one even with the lower overall crowd level. Saturdays are swamped in the off-season with the longer hours of operation and rare nighttime entertainment.
A closer look at the crates outside Cool Ship in Tomorrowland.
I guess we’re safe because the pressure is currently 14.9/lb./in².
Very Barsoomian. A John Carter reference. Probably too obscure.
It’s exactly 11:30am with FASTPASS just over an hour out. The posted wait is 40 minutes. Remember that Peter Pan’s Flight had the same return time an hour ago.
By 11:51am, FASTPASS at Peter Pan is all the way out to 2:45pm. At Space Mountain, it would be closer to 12:15pm.
The backup to return with your FASTPASS. The good news is that this sort of line only makes the line inside shorter. I guess? Backups like this seem to be less common. This is more of the exception than the norm.
No line for PeopleMover.
Fast forward to an Extended Queue Saturday in October and the green flags come back out.
With FASTPASS out to 12:10pm around 11:30am at Buzz. Remember that it’s closed on June 27th and 28th to replace the floor in the queue.
Stitch’s FASTPASS machines have gone missing. An alien might be behind it.
So before we get to the good news, we do have a bit of bad news to cover. Apparently Pinocchio Village Haus no longer serves the Chicken Parmesan or Penne Pasta with Meatballs. You may remember the original menu update when the Flatbreads were added. Then we visited again to review the Pepperoni and Cheese Flatbreads here.
AND ONE OF US SHOULD HAVE NOTICED ON JUNE 12TH THAT THE CHICKEN PARMESAN AND PENNE PASTA AND KIDS PASTA ARE GONE! Here’s a larger picture of the current menu: http://www.easywdw.com/reports4/pinocchiomenu.jpg.
I really liked the Penne Pasta with Meatballs!
AND I REALLY LIKED THE CHICKEN PARMESAN!!!!!!!!! RAGE FACE!! FIST IN AIR! It was basically like a giant chicken nugget topped with pasta sauce and melted cheese with a huge side of pasta! You may remember me mentioning that service was pretty slow after they added the Flatbreads and the removal of the pasta items is no doubt a response to that. Hopefully they can move the pasta sauce over to Tomorrowland Terrace or something because both pasta dishes are very good! I’m thinking the Penne Pasta with Meatballs and Chicken Parmesan would be nice replacements for our Pasta Primavera (Pasta with Balsamic Vinaigrette salad dressing).
Lunch today is at Diamond Horseshoe. If you have the displeasure of following this website’s trials and tribulations, you would know that I’ve been harping about Diamond Horseshoe’s lack of sandwich toppings for more than a year. Their sandwiches used to come with nothing but bread and two slices of turkey. No cheese. No lettuce. Nothing. And no toppings bar. The original review is one of my favorite “reviews” of all time. Of all time! easyWDW Initiates Coverage on Diamond Horseshoe as Strong Sell if you missed it. Then again on July 28th 2011 for Magic Kingdom and Epcot Walkabout July 28 – Creepin on Fairies, Kabuki Cafe, and the Prodigal Son Returns to Diamond Horseshoe Part 1. Then October. And December. And again on April 4th, 2012 with Pecos Bill Out Of Scrims, More Crowds, More Lines No Cheese, Bonus Kiosks(?), Construction – Magic Kingdom 4/4/12. Also the April Fool’s post this year. So we have a bit of history with the Horseshoe.
Would you look at that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lettuce and tomato!
A kind of bad look at the menu. There’s still no mention of what comes with the sandwiches, so I had to order!
When I ordered the sandwich, the cast member mentioned that the toppings were something that they were “trying” and that the sandwich came with lettuce, tomato, and bacon. She said that she didn’t have a button to hold the toppings, but I could tell them at the counter that I wanted the sandwich without something. It was made by the time I got there, but they probably would have made a new one if U had an aversion to bacon or something.
And a too-small-in-my-opinion dollup of cranberry mayo. Maybe the same one that tops the turkey sandwich at Flame Tree Barbecue.
And the same chips as before too. In my opinion, the chips aren’t as crispy as one might expect. Or some of them are much softer than others, to the point where there is really no “crunch” whatsoever. That hasn’t been a problem at the other locations that serve similar chips.
The addition of the toppings make this a considerably better sandwich. It isn’t much more than “just a sandwich,” especially considering we still lack a slice of cheese. But the bacon is a nice addition. And the location is a lot of fun too. I don’t think it’s better than several other options, including the turkey sandwich over at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe.
Which looks like this if you recall. I also like most of the items at Columbia Harbour House better and the Pinocchio Village Haus Flatbreads. But it is certainly better than it was before and if you have in mind to try a turkey sandwich, this isn’t a bad choice.
Like the removal of the Burrito Hot Dog at Fairfax Fare and the Angus Pizza Burger at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe, this website will be taking credit for the addition of toppings to the Diamond Horseshoe sandwiches, even if it had nothing to do with it. My life is really just a collection of very small victories.
Take a second to look around at the various pictures and memorabilia around the restaurant. A few:
Neat stuff.
Why they refurbished the pavement in January.
And potentially re-repaving.
This little kiosk on the way into Adventureland is behind walls. How do we capture the memories without disposable Kodak cameras!
10 minutes at Pirates at 12:18pm.
This family of geniuses decided it would be fun to rip apart the rest of their Chicago Dog and feed it to the birds, prompting a cast member to enter the garden area and pick up the pieces herself.
In their defense, they are more than 3.4 feet away from the sign that says don’t feed the birds. And really something like that is open to interpretation as Chicago Dogs are part of any duck’s natural diet.
Merida merch is everywhere. This is her wall at the Emporium.
Speaking of this design that’s slapped on everything now, it’s also on stamps.
A new shirt that I’m sure someone will say they picked up in 2009.
Vinylmation is so popular they’re going to have to move the Casey Jr. gate over here to help regulate it.
Although this one is cool. DisneyStore.com (not an affiliate link) is “limiting” orders to eight. LOL! You should be so lucky, DisneyStore.com!
My “Best Locations to Drink Scotch at Walt Disney World” book should be on Emporium shelves soon.
A couple of people had asked whether the colorful “glasses” from the post from a couple of days ago were actually glass. gooby pls. They’re very lightweight plastic and run $6.95 each regardless of style. I’ll refer to them as “cups” from here on out.
As of today, Rapunzel has moved to Town Square Theater across the way to join Cinderella and Belle (and separately Mickey/Minnie). That means you can FASTPASS her. Aurora now meets here. I’ll have pictures if it ever stops raining. So now you don’t have to run straight for Dumbo or Rapunzel.
Everything has changed.
My circle of influence continues to expand.
Grand Floridian DVC construction:
Save up.
{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }
I am literally crying reading your original Diamond Horseshoe REVIEW. HILARIOUS!!! I love this blog…..
Thanks for the update on Rapunzel moving, Josh! As you are in MK watching the rain in the coming days and weeks, can you please keep an eye on what happens to the Princess FP return times now that she has moved there? It used to always be 50 minutes or so out. Wondering now if they are going to take off or not. Thanks for all your work!
Thank you! We are off to the Magic Kingdom for a few hours in the morning. We will be soggy I’m sure, but we will be getting fastpasses to see Rapunzel. Sooo glad to hear that rumor was true! Now if this rain will let up just a tad. . .
I’ll refer to them as “cups” from here on out.
Mmhmmm… but how many cups? Surely more than 1, but 2.2165, which is the optimal size for drinking sweet tea with ice while watching the rain?
Perhaps you should hedge your bets and refer to them as “drinking vessels”
Also, those Suffragette ladies on Main St are really fun! I like the interaction with them and Scoop and the Mayor almost as much as Cinderella’s step-family and the Stars of Hollywood. I wish they were out more often – I hardly ever see them on weekdays (but I sleep in on weekdays, and only bother to get to the MK early for Saturdays and Sundays).
The Disney World site took Stitch off of its list of FP rides just as you had mentioned the machines being removed recently. They are on TOP of it.
“gooby pls” is my new phrase now.
That jetliner is definitely military, and looks like a C-17.
Next time you pass a huge display of historically inaccurate Main Street Mickey and Walt items, I’d love to see the price on that Christmas ornament shown next to the stamps.
I thought that jet might have something to do with the President being in Orlando but he was there Friday not Saturday so…yeah, probably not.
I can’t believe they put bacon on the turkey sandwich but not cheese. As much as I like bacon (okay, Disney bacon not so much) I would much prefer a slice of Swiss or cheddar instead. Or they could just copy the Flame Tree turkey sandwich entirely because that one is very tasty. (I am a turkey sandwich aficionado so I feel qualified to judge.)
It wasn’t 2009, but I’m pretty sure Janet from Threes Company wore that shirt as a nightgown.
Bacon > Cheese
Bacon and Cheese > Bacon
Because I actually clicked on each Diamond Horseshoe link I can tell you the December one kept telling me I 404ed it, bro. My daughter is a vegetarian so she might like the portabella there and I love the look of the restaurant. Alas since I always visit during slow seasons I will probably never have the opportunity.
Yeah, about that rain…we came in on Saturday. We are not rookies. We know the Florida rainstorm score. We have rain gear, and we tromp through the parks. We were in IoA yesterday (ps: Potter *and* Spiderman are as good as *anything* Disney has done) until noon, when the rain really started to come. We decided to go to Pointe Orlando to watch Brave (movie good, Pointe Orlando good, parking garage total clusterf****) and decided this morning was a sleep in day. We are intrepid, but we are not ducks.
Well, I do think it’s interesting that many of the items on your Top 5 list from April 1st have been removed or renovated. Of course, I can’t imagine Disney didn’t get a few complaints from guests on those offerings also.
I’ve always wondered why they don’t include a complete description and ingredient list of items on the reader boards at their CS locations, it seems especially important since many people are visiting from other countries and have no idea what a regular turkey sandwich should include or if it’s something they’d like. Leaving it to guessing and “asking the nice lady at the order counter” wastes everyone’s time.
I was totally surprised with how manageable the crowds were at MK on Saturday on our recent trip. We did MK both Wednesday and Saturday. Wednesday was a nightmare with crazy crowds but saturday was rather pleasant. I really expected Wednesday to be better then Saturday as far as crowds but it turned out not to be.
“It’s sunny in Florida they said. You’ll get a nice tan they said.” Josh, they lied.
I agree with mesaboy2 that the jet looks like a C-17. If the prez was in Orlando, they’re probably taking the bazillion dollars worth of stuff they have to bring along back to DC. Do you have a higher-res photo you can link? A little zooming in on a higher-res version can confirm, if anyone really cares…
Does this help?
http://i.minus.com/ibq53KPb9nXzA0.JPG
Did you get a picture of the price tag from the 2009 shirt?
“My circle of influence continues to expand.”
I’m in my office at work reading this and almost snorted Diet Coke out of my nose. I had to do some sort of cover-up cough so no one heard me laughing. My office should really block this website so I can’t read it while here! LOL
Obama was at the contemporary during that time so I guess the jet was keeping the skies clear/checking things out.
How far out do fast passes go out for the princess meet and greet? We were going to gun it for Rapunzel right at opening and head to Dumbo, but now I think Grab FP for princess then go to Peter Pan. We will already have met Cindy and Belle at Princess Dining at Epcot 2 days earlier, can we just meet Rapunzel? Or is she last on the greet of all 3? Is it FP photographers at that greet too? I have not done any research on that cause I thought we were not going!
The C-17 (cargo plane based out of here/Charleston SC) was most likely carrying the motorcade for the President… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Presidential_limousine_loaded_in_aircraft.jpg
Look identical: http://aiaa.pr.erau.edu/past/Edwards98/C17_01.jpg
I enjoyed that Chicken Parmesan at Pinnochio’s back at the end of May. I guess I was one of the last to get that choice! We also watched some “geniuses” feeding the birds at Flame Tree Barbecue while we were at AK on our trip. They were sitting very close to the signs to not feed the wildlife. They thought it was so amusing and funny. We did not think so and almost had to move, because after they finally left the birds began stalking our food. I just don’t get why people think rules don’t apply to them and don’t understand that there is probably a reason for the rule! Oh, and I also like to think that you and your website have influence on changes that are made around WDW. It makes me feel like I have a personal part in it too, since I read your site regularly and tend to agree with your assessments!
@ bnoble: “We are intrepid, but we are not ducks.”
This is an awesome statement. You’ve got to do something with it!
I love the Diamond Horseshoe! I found it by accident a couple of years ago. Apparently I’m the only one who didn’t get the memo about the bad food and service because we were one of the only people in there. And MK was ridiculously crowded that day. I was hot and hungry and so sick of lines. Then the Diamond Horseshoe appeared in front of us. I think there was a rainbow… anyway there was definitely air conditioning and NO LINES!! I thought the food was wonderful but that might have been due to my state of euphoria at that moment.
Great update! I want the next one to be about January hours though!
I can’t believe the imagineers haven’t figured out how to control weather down there yet. Mr. Burns figured out how to block out the sun years ago on the Simpsons. I wouldn’t complain, though, if I was there. Best time we ever had was during a 3-day rain storm in February. 1st ever trip and we rode every ride in every park multiple times and had “premium” seating at the parades and fireworks. Rained just enough in the A.M. to keep the locals away and just enough during the day to send everyone back to the resorts. Bought my wife a poncho (amazing they had them in stock and on the counter!) and it stopped raining 5 minutes later.
With all that rain, perhaps the alligators will stay in the swamps and not in people’s pools.
Josh–I am having major deja vu looking at the Diamond Horseshoe inside shots on the previous post (and laughing my hindparts off at the same time). Did there used to be some sort of musical revue there years ago? And by years ago, I mean around the time you were still in the womb.
Yes, The Diamond Horseshoe Revue.
http://blog.silive.com/goofy_about_disney/2012/02/disneys_storied_diamond_horseshoe_revue.html
for example
Thanks so much! I must have seen it circa 1987. Thanks for yet another happy Disney memory! I love your site!
has the Fast Pass started for sure for Rapunzel? Maybe some pics soon? There are some people that won’t believe me. lol
Thanks for the plastic drinking vessel clarification.
thanks josh for the laugh! I love the fact that u called out that family that fed those poor ducks! RAOTFLMAO! I am sure u are aware that those signs r everywhere and even at flame tree at AK they put cards on your tray. DONT FEED THE BIRDS! But u still have “genius familys that do it” Love your site! Your humor and your outlook!
I just started reading your blog this month and I love it! Keep up the good work.