Day 3 - Segways, Fishes, and Dinner in Paris, Fireworks in Morocco

So, this morning started early - very very early.

We awoke early with our call from Stitch - "No more sleeping", and headed over to EPCOT for our Segway tour. After spending some time doing practice laps inside and playing Segway Limbo, we headed into the outdoors.

The Segway tour is a great way to get around the world showcase at Epcot, and comes with some interesting tidbits about the construction and history of the Buildings and of the World Showcase itself.

The Segways were easy to control, and move at a fair pace (although Disney limits them to the tortice speed).

Amount Not Spent on Tour: $190

When we were done we recieved our limited edition Segway Pins (Disneyworld is Pin Crazy). And headed off to lunch at "The Land". This was another of the "Family Style All-You-Care to Eat" places. The food wasn't that great (and erica thought the Catfish was damned awful). But the characters were a lot of fun. Chip and Dale came around and were heaps of fun, as was mickey and pluto who also made an appearance.

Amount not spent on Lunch: $41.98

Following lunch we collected our Fastpasses for Soarin' and went on the Nemo ride as well as Journey into Imagination with Figment (who is a purple dragon). We then headed outside to join our AquaSeas tour.

After signing the various release forms and other things. We were pretty quickly kitted up and headed into the Aquarium, where we hung out with the fishes for about 40 minutes or so. Pretty impressive view of the fish (and an even more impressive view of the people peering through the glass!).

After we were done with the fishes and the sharks we headed back to get changed and recieve our t-shirts and pins, and next thing you knew we were back in EPCOT.

Total Not Spent on Aqua Seas Tour: $230

We rode Spaceship Earth and then we went back to the hotel for napping.

Following a good afternoon nap we headed back to Epcot in time to ride Soarin' - which is an excellent "Hang-glide" over California, where you enjoy the sights and smells of the Californian wilderness. An Excellent 5 stars ride - the queue was awful, so we were glad that we had got Fastpasses earlier in the day.

Following Soarin' it was off to dinner in Paris at Chefs de France.

Les Tartes des Chefs - Original flatbreads from the brick oven
Tarte a la Flame Alsacienne - Alsace specialty. Flatbread baked with cream fraiche, onion and bacon $8.50
Tarte a la tomate et fromage de chevre - Tomato and goat cheese tarte $9.25

Entree

Champignons sauvages et quarte fromages - Wild mushrooms and four cheeses $8.95
Cassolette d'escargots de Bourgogne au beurre persille- casserole of escargots (snails) from Burgundy baked in parsley and garlic butter $9.95
Tartare de saumon legerement fume, sauce moutarde - Tartare of raw salmon lightly smoked with cucumber dill and honey mustard sauce $10.50
Assiette de fromages de France - French imported cheese plate $9.95
Assiette Campagnarde - rustic assortment of French pates, and charcuteries $9.75
Ratatouille et calamars, sauce tomate - fried calamari and ratatouile, spicy tomato sauce $10.75

Potages (Soups)
Bisque de Homard - Lobster bisque $6.25

Soupe a l'oignon gratinee - the classic onion soup topped with Gruyere cheese - $5.95

Soupe du jour $5.50

Salades (Salads)
Salade maison - selected greens, house vinaigrette dressing $5.25

Salade de chevre chaud - Baked goat cheese with walnuts, fresh grapes, tomatoes, endives and arugula salad $7.95

Poissons (Fish and Seafood)
Noix de Saint Jacques et gambas sautees Flan d'epinards, sauce a l'oseille - Sauteed scallops and black tiger shirmp served with spinach flan and sorrel sauce $28.95

Thon poelle aux olivesSeared tuna (rare) sliced and served with olives and caper sauce, fresh greens and shoestring fries $27.95
Filet de Saumon, crepe de pommes de terre Coulis de poivrons rouge - Grilled salmon served on a potato pancake with red pepper sauce $26.95

Plat Vegetarien (Vegetarian Entree)
Lasagnes de legumes du soleil a l'huile d'olive au thym - zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, onions and tomato baked into thin layers of pasta - $18.95
Gratin de macaroni - Baked macaroni with cream and gruyere cheese $17.95

Viandes (Meat and Poultry)
Jarret d'agneau aux haricots blanc- lamb shank with navy beans $25.95
Plat de Cote de Boeuf au Cabarnet sur un lit de polenta - Beef short ribs braised in Cabernet on a bed of polenta $26.95
Demi poulet fermier roti, pommes puree au basilic et tomate braisee - Half of an all natural roasted chicken, basil mashed potatoes and braised tomato $24.95
Canard au miel, haricots vert et pommes de terre douce - Roasted breast of duck and leg confit, french green beans and sweet potato, spicy honey sauce $27.95
Filet de boeuf grille, sauce au poivre noir Gratin Dauphinois et haricots verts - Grilled tenderloin of beef with a black pepper sauce original potato gratin of Savoy and green beans $31.95

Delices et Gourmandises

Desserts - $6.95
Creme Brulee - Vanilla Creme Brulee served with a Madeleine
Clafoutis bleuets, sorbet et coulis aux fruits Rouges - blueberry clafoutis, with red berry sauce and sorbet.
Tarte au chocolat, banane et noix de coco, sauce pralinee - Chocolate tart with banana and coconut, praline sauce with chocolate ice cream.
Crepe a la pomme et cannelle, glace vanille, caramel jus de pommes - crepes filled with cinnomon apple, vanilla ice cream and apple caramel sauce
Assiette de Sorbets du jour et son palmier - Daily assortment of fresh sorbets served with an elephant ear
Salade de fruits infusee au the Earl Grey, sorbet mangue - fruit salad infused with Earl Grey tea syrup and served with mango sorbet
Profiterolles au chocolat - Puff choux with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Dinner here was excellent, with our Server (Jimmy) just recently arrived from France as part of the Disney International College program. I had the Escargot, followed by the Beef, with the Apple Crepes for desert, and I believe that Erica had the mushrooms, hmm I cant quite remember - and the Sorbet for desert

We also had a lovely bottle of French Red with dinner.

Total Not Spent at Chefs' de France: $169.70

Following dinner we strolled over to Morocco to watch Illuminations (the fireworks and light show at EPCOT) from our VIP viewing position. Very impressive again!.

After the fireworks we strolled to America nad saw the American Adventure - an Anamatronic show telling the hisotry of the USA.

We were both ready to head back to the hotel following an Exciting day at EPCOT.

Total Not Spent Today: $629.48

Disney World Day Two - On Safari (The second day of Erica-mas)

Breakfast - Donald's Safari Breakfast at the Tusker House
This morning we were only running a little bit late, having been caught at the entrance to the Animal Kingdom for the Opening Ceremony for the park.

We made our way through the crowd to the Tusker House restaurant in Africa, and were pretty much immediately. Of course it being the second day of Erica's birthday, there were many "happy Birthday's" on the way through the restaurant.

Breakfast was a buffett, serving the following:

Assorted Cream Cheeses; Jams; Jellies, and Fruit Chutney;

Yogurt Station
Fresh Fruit

Cereals

Milk
Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

Scrambled Eggs

Oven-roasted Yukon Gold Potato Wedges

Bacon and Sausage Patties

Vegetable Frittata

Ham and Cheese Frittata

Spiced Corned Beef Hash

Cheese Blintzes

Beef Bobtie Quiche

Yam Casserole

Carved Rotisserie Honey-glazed Ham

Oatmeal

Mealie Pap (Porridge)
Warm Cinnamon Rolls

Warm Banana-Cinnamon Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce

Blueberry, Banana Nut and Apple Muffins

Whole-grain breads

Turnovers

Cheese-filled Danish

Apple Danish

Chocolate and Plain Croissants

There were many opportunities to meet with characters:
And it being erica's Birthday, she joined in with the festivities by joining Donald Duck in a Conga Dance around the restaurant.

This was an enjoyable breakfast, pretty low key, good fun with the characters - and good food.

Amount not spent on this meal: $37.82

Africa

After breakfast we headed off to the Safari - no real queues for the Safari experience, so we were on pretty quickly. Our guide was great, and there were many animals out enjoying themselves prior to the heat of the day hitting.

Following our safari, we wandered around the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, seeing a number of animals up close, including Hippos, Meerkats and Gorillas, then headed over to Asia.

Asia
After walking from Africa to Asia we were a bit hot and bothered, so grabbed a cup of tea and a lemonade at the tea house, then collected our fast pass tickets for our Kali River Rapids ride, while we waited for our fast pass time to come around, we walked the Maharaja Jungle Trek - seeing tigers and birds and bats and snakes.

Time for our Kali River Rapid ride came around fairly quickly, and we certainly enjoyed using the fastpass line rather than the stand-by queue. That said, we ended up on a raft with the most amazingly backward appalling american family, who didn't seem at all capable of following simple instructions ie. Put on the Seatbelt. Otherwise and enjoyable trip on the rapids with everyone getting completely soaked.

One of the interesting things about this ride is the element of sadism built into it - you can stand on a bridge and control the anamatronic elephants squirting water over people on the ride.

Lunch - Yak and Yeti Restaurant
Having gone on safari, trekked between Africa and Asia, and gone rafting on rapids, it was time for lunch.

Appetizers
Steamed Mussels - Fresh Prince Edward Isle black mussels, white wine, lemon grass and Thai basil broth $9.99
Seared Ahi Tuna - chilled, sesame-encrusted ahi tuna, wasabi aioli, and sweet chili slaw $9.99
Pork Pot Stickers - pan seared or steamed, soy lime dipping sauce $7.49
Prawn Flavored Crisps - peanut sauce $4.99
Wok-Fried Green Beans - battered green beans, sweet Thai chili dipping sauce $6.99
Pork Egg Rolls - chili plum dipping sauce $7.99
Lettuce Cups - minced chicken breast, chopped vegetables, maple tamarind sauce, crisp lettuce cups $10.99
Dim Sum Basket - Pork pot stickers, shrimp siu mai, cha su bao, and pork sie mai steamed on a banana leaf, soy lime dipping sauce $12.99

Soups and Salads
Wonton Soup - pork wontons, clear chicken broth and vegetables $4.99
House Salad - Romaine and iceburg lettuce, almonds, sesame seeds and sesame dressing $5.99
Mandarin Chicken Salad - chilled chicken, romaine and iceburg lettuce, Mandarin oranges, almonds, sesame seeds, rice noodles and plum dressing $13.99

Specialties
Seared Miso Salmon - miso glazed Atlantic salmon, jasmine rice, baby bok choy and shiitake mushroom stir-fry $20.99
Crispy Mahi Mahi - filet of mahi mahi, Japanese bread crumbs, Cantonese sweet and sour sauce, jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables $19.99
Duck with Anandapur Glaze - roasted half duckling, orange wasabi glaze, jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables $21.99
Tempura Shrimp - chili plum sauce, coconut-ginger rice, stir fried vegetables $18.99

Noodles
Lo Mein - Lo Mein noodles, carrots, cabbage, green onoins, bean sprouts; Chicken $14.99; Shrimp $16.99
Pho - Lemon grass scented broth, poached shrimp, rice noodles, tranditional Vietnamese garnishes $16.99
WokYour choice of jasmine or brown rice
Crispy Honey Chicken - tempura chicken, broccoli, carrots, honey sauce $15.99
Stir-Fried Beef and Broccoli - flank steak, broccoli, brown sauce $16.99
Sweet and Sour Chicken or Pork - Tempura chicken or pork, ginger, garlic, bell peppers, pineapple $15.99

Grilled
Baby Back Ribs - slow-roasted ribs, hoisin BBQ sauce, chicken fried rice, sweet chili slaw $22.99
Shaoxing Steak and Shrimp - skirt steak, tempura-battered shrimp, jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables, chili plum dipping sauce $22.99
Maple Tamarind Chicken - Seared chicken breast, Indonesian tamarind glaze, coconut ginger rice, baby bok choy, shiitake mushroom stir fry. $17.99

Desserts
Mango Pie - shortbread cookie crust, fresh whipped cream, raspberry sauce $6.99
Chocolate Brownie Sundae - chunks of brownie, vanilla ice cream, chocolate and caramel sauces, fresh whipped cream $7.99
Fried Wontons - Skewers of fresh pineapple and cream cheese wontons, vanilla ice cream, honey vanilla drizzle $7.99
Sorbet - Mango, lemon, raspberry $5.99

We had the Lettuce Cups and Dim Sum basket to begin, Erica had the Duck and I had the Tamarind Chicken, and for Dessert Erica went with the Sorbet, and I had the Fried Wontons

Total Not Spent: $77.94

Back to the Wilderness Lodge
Following lunch Erica felt a bit of jetlag hitting, and having had an early start we decided to head back to the hotel and erica grabbed a nap. While she was sleeping I decided to take a boat out on Bay Lake (Amount not spent $46)

Dinner - Jiko, The Eating Place, Animal Kingdom Lodge

This was one of the highlights of our dining experiences at Walt Disney World, a wonderful meal with wonderful service from Darelene our server. There was very little to not enjoy about this meal.

Jiko is located in the Animal Kingdom Lodge, located next to the Animal Kingdom Park. The Animal Kingdom lodge looks out onto a savannah - but we will get to that after we are through dinner.

We were seated almost immediately, and made our selections from the menu.

From the Cooking Place
Lamb "Patis" - pulled lamb rolled in phyllo, with mint-cilantro chutney $9.00
Lentil "Pastilla" - Lentil filled phyllo pockets with a sweet and sour sauce $7.00
Maize and Sweet Potato "Tamales" - herbed maize pudding and truffled sweet potato mash with shredded goat cheese in corn husk boat $8.00
Pokanoket Farm Seared Ostrich Filet - creamy vidalia onion fondue, rocket cream, spiced cherries $13.00
Chef's Specialty Flatbread - with artichokes, capers, green olives, tomato-basil sauce, four cheeses $9.00
Barbecued Chicken Flatbread - with grilled onions, apple julienne, and four cheeses $10.00
Kalamata Olive Flatbread - with four cheeses, and Laura Chenel's soft goat cheese $9.00
Taste of Africa - Kalamata Olive Hummus, Durban Tikka Masala, and Malay Spinach-Lentil Dip with Lentil Pappadam, whole wheat lavosh, and flaxseed Naan bread $9.00

Soups and Salads
Roasted Zellwood Corn Soup - Meyer lemon creme fraiche, freeze dried corn kernels and basil chiffonade $7.00
Field Greens and Vegetable Salad - mixed greens with tomato, onion, radish, toasted lavosh and lemon dressing $7.00
Seared Ahi Tuna - with African spices, golden beets, watercress, Zough yogurt and South African sea salt $11.00
Cucumber, Tomato and Red Onion Salad - with arugula, cottage cheese and watermelon vinaigrette $8.00

Entrees
Spiced Crusted Pork Tenderloin - with ragout of raosted mushrooms, smoked bacon, Yukon gold potatoes, and sweet onion jus $26.00
Chermoula Roasted, Tanglewood Chicken with red-skin mashed potatoes, preserved lemons, kalamata olives, roasted garlic, and harissa $26.00
Swahili Curry Shrimp - shrimp ragout with East African curry sauce, artichokes, piquillo peppers, sweet peas, and coconut rice pilaf $28.00
Seared Filet of Arctic Char - with golden mealie POP, braised country greens, tomato broth and fennel pollen salt $31.00
Kenyan Coffee BBQ-Braised Beef Short Rib - with crushed Idaho and Sweet Potatoes and Onion-Garlic Sauce $35.00
Maize-crusted and Seared Halibut - with vegetables of the moment, tomato butter sauce, and crispy sweet potatoes $30.00
Portland Pier Scallops with stewed eggplant kottu, chickpeas and crispy okra julienne $31.00
Oak-Grilled Filet Mignon - with macaroni and cheese and red wine sauce $37.00
Wood-fired Lamb Loin - with Berbere spiced lentils, baby carrots and lemon infused demi glaze $28.00
Grains, Peas and Vegetables - kamut, pearl and black barley, wheat berries, quinoa, garbanzo peas, with roasted vegetables and seared tandoori tofu $24.00
Jiko Cheese Selection - Offered as entree or dessert (Changes often) - Mt. McKinley, Chevre, Idiazabal sheep, Purple Haze Goat, Ossau-Iraty Ewe France and Benedictine Blend US with spiced fruit jam and crostini $14.00

Desserts
Madagascar Vanilla Bean Mouse - with cardamom-spiced pound cake, macerated strawberries and strawberry sauce $8.00
Pistachio Creme Brulee - with a chocolate layered bottom $8.00
House-made Lemon Curd - with pomegranate and blueberry compote, white chocolate biscotti and sour cream ice cream $8.00
Tanzanian Chocolate Cheesecake - with chocolate ganache, Amarula sauce, and lavender ice cream $8.00Autumn Spiced Pumpkin Roll - (no sugar added) with apple and cranberry compote, cinnamon ice cream and finshed with grated nutmeg $8.00

For starters I had the Chicken Flatbread, and Erica had the lentil Samosas, for the Main course I had the Steak, and erica had the Lamb, and for dessert Erica had the cheese plate and I had the Creme Brulee. We accompanied the meal with an excellent South African Pinot.

Total Amount Not spent: $199

After dinner we wandered around the resort, having a look out on the savannah with the night vision goggles provided by the Animal Kingdom Lodge cast members. We then headed home for a well deserved sleep.

Total amount not spent today: $360.76