Destination Unknown: Part 7

Spending the night at Helsinki Airport.

After a long and arduous spring and summer in Mariehamn we decided to go for a four week long vacation around USA.  Mjau, the flights are not the best between Helsinki and Mariehamn so we had to stay overnight at Helsinki Airport. Fortunately it is a really nice airport, one of the best we have been to; and we have been to a lot of airports! Our flight from Helsinki to Dallas-Fort Worth was pretty uneventful. We were surprised by the overbearing heat in Dallas! We stayed at the Crown Plaza Downtown. We were pleasantly surprised by our room. Our expectations were not that high as we had read reviews on TripAdvisor about having to share our room with cockroaches and other bugs. We got some food from Berkleys and stayed in our room watching Disney movies.

Our room at Crown Plaza Downtown.

Bu on the hunt for food!

Some delicious cake, no utensils though, mjau.

Whole Foods Haul!

The next day our butler and Bu walked around Dallas to scout if it is safe for us to tag along. We stayed in watching Disney Movies as they had a marathon going on one of the channels. They walked to whole foods to get us some food and to stock up on fruits for our week in Walt Disney World. They also visited famous historic sites such as the Daley Plaza where John F. Kennedy was shot. It looked a lot smaller than in the video clips we have seen. Dallas seemed a lot smaller than we expected, mjau. Not everything is bigger in Texas after all.

Sightseeing in Dallas!

We had an early flight to Orlando so we had to get up at 3 a.m. to catch the train to the airport. Mjau, we woke up on Monday morning to warnings about flash floods! Scary! The trains were not running due to the rain and as you were not supposed to leave the area unless instructed. Mjau we ended up having to wait for the train for almost two hours. Mjau it was scary and uncomfortable as the homeless and mentally ill people kept trying to talk to our butler. We just wanted to get to the safety of the Disney bubble. We contemplated getting a cab to the airport. However our butler is extremely cheap!!! In case we would not make it to the flight, it would be about the same price to just buy a ticket for another flight. Therefore we just had to wait in the rain for the train. However, karma served our butler as a cockroach tried crawling up our butler's leg. Mjauhihi! Finally our train arrived! Although the seats were soaking wet we were relieved to find it was from the rain and not because someone had decided to use the train as a lavatory. (In the US you can never be too sure!) We managed to get through airport security and switch terminals in under 15 minutes. A new record for us! The doors closed five minutes after we got to our seat. Finally we were on route to Walt Disney World!

Our room at Disney's Pop Century Resort.

We stayed the entire week at Disney's Pop Century Resort. We stayed here during new years as well. We like the big bathrooms and the Skyliner is a big advantage. It is also the cheapest resort our butler can get while still being within our standards. Mjau, we will never set paw in the All Stars Resorts! We only had park-hopper tickets for four days so we had a couple of days for only resort hopping. Mjau, so much fun! we think that in the future we will allocate even more days for resort hopping!

So happy to be back at Disney's Boardwalk!

Delicious banana bread and cheesecake brownie.

Mjau, we saw this little fella roaming around the boardwalk.

Enjoying a sunny day at Yacht and Beach Club.

Our first stop was to the Boardwalk! It is so convenient to take the Skyliner. Such a nice breeze in the Florida heat. They have changed the boardwalk bakery which we are a bit sad about. We really liked their snickerdoodle muffin! they still have the delicious banana bread. We also bought a slice of banana bread and a cheesecake brownie dessert. Then we headed up to an outdoor seating area at the Boardwalk and enjoyed our desserts. Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming when you first arrive at a Disney Park, so you'd best get some pastries to collect your thoughts and calm yourself. After a stroll around the boardwalk where we saw Chip and Dale and Daisy lurking about and the Yacht and Beach club we proceeded to the Magic Kingdom area resorts. Mjau! We got some delicious Honolulu Cookie Company cookies and made our way to our special hill.

We can't wait to enjoy these cookies!

On Tuesday morning we had our first park reservations to Magic Kingdom. Mjau, we took advantage of the Magic Mornings and we got to ride most rides by 10 a.m. We thought the last time we could ride Splash Mountain was during our previous visit over Christmas and New Years so we were happy to have another chance to ride Splash Mountain and bid our farewells before it gets rethemed to Princess and the Frog. We were lucky that they already have the Halloween decorations up! We then headed to Disney's Wilderness Lodge to get a Campfire Cupcake from Roaring Fork for breakfast. So delicious, tastes like Oreos! We then walked around the resort before we could park hop to Epcot. 

Magic Kingdom here we come!

The Halloween decorations are already up!

Beautiful kitties in front of a beautiful castle, mjau!

Haunted Mansion, why won't our butler save the man in the casket!?

Auf Wiedersehen Splash Mountain, we miss you already!

Trying out the benches at Magic Kingdom. Which one is your favourite?

A delicious cupcake for breakfast.

At Epcot we entered the virtual queue for Cosmic Rewind. Mjau it was so difficult to find working wi-fi at the park! We feel it has gotten much worse in the recent years. We suspect it has something to do with all the unnecessary features on the My Disney Experience App. It was so hot outside we did not really have a big appetite for warm food. Si got a refreshing Tropical Mimosa with guava juices and passion fruit from Shimmering Sips. Fortunately since this was during the last week of August it was guaranteed to start raining at least once a day so we could cool down. We timed our next meal perfectly. We got our Chesapeake Crab Slider from Hops & Barley and sat down at one of the tables under the cover. A bit after we finished our meal the thunderstorm started. Mjau, it was raining so much we got wet even though we had a roof over us. The thunder was so loud people were getting scared! Mjau we must have had too much fun and the Tiki gods were now punishing us. We went to watch The American Adventure and hoped the Tiki gods have calmed down when the show is finished. Mjau we were right!  We still had a couple of hours before it was time for Cosmic Rewind. Mjau, after a couple of rides we decided to go and relax at Belle Vue at the Boardwalk.

Si enjoying a tropical mimosa.

Enjoying a delicious slider.

Mjau, we just got done riding Cosmic Rewind!

Mjau, we were pleasantly surprised by Cosmic Rewind. The wait for the ride was approximately 20 minutes so we were happy to be able to ride it now as the wait will probably be a couple of hours for the standby. We were not a fan of the several preshows in the queuing area. The ride itself was smooth and fun. As we are not big marvel fans we could not help but imagine how amazing it would be if they had the same ride but themed to Disney classics like Fantasia, more specifically Mickey's Sorcerer.

Getting our customary picture with Bo, mjau.

On Wednesday we started our day at Hollywood Studios. Mjau, we wanted to be able to ride Slinky Dog Dash and Tower of Terror before the lines get too long.  We were done with the rides fairly soon, so we decided to go to Animal Kingdom Lodge for breakfast. Mjau, it is a bit inconvenient that you can not park hop until 2 p.m. Mjau, at least that gives us plenty of time to resort hop and find breakfast spots. At the Animal Kingdom lodge we got the Flamingo cake. Really delicious spice cake with vegan chocolate mousse. The mousse is really delicious and does not taste too sweet or heavy. After enjoying a relaxing afternoon gazing at the animals we headed to Epcot to score another virtual queue for Cosmic Rewind. Mjau, unfortunately the virtual queue was already filled to capacity and closed for the day. Mjau, no worries. We got a guava mousse cake from Shimmering Sips. Au tried to get our butler to buy her some nuiMOs garments as souvenirs. The mission was unsuccessful. 

Guava mousse cake at Epcot.

Delicious Flamingo Cake.

Delicious cocktails at Nomad Lounge.

Some delicious cauliflower snacks to go with the drinks.

Enjoying the rides at Animal Kingdom.

We went to Animal Kingdom instead for a couple of turns on Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safari. Mjau, we also went to one of our favourite lounges, Nomad Lounge. We had the leaping lizard and lamu libation. They were out of pineapple rum for lamu libation so they used coconut rhum and it was a relevation! So delicious! We also got the fried cauliflowers as the munchies hit us. After our drinks we decided to go for a tipsy Safari ride! We also ventured back in time to look for an iguanodon. After almost getting eaten by a carnotaurus and hit by a meteor we returned back to safety. We then decided we would like to go on another adventure. Perhaps fly through a different planet on a banshee. Mjau, there was an issue on our ride so we had to watch the preshow twice! After Animal Kingdom we went to Magic Kingdom to enjoy a wonderful evening.

The next morning we went back to Magic Kingdom again to enjoy the short queues. We also decided to wear our costumes to the park for the early Halloween festivities. Figment and Heimlich! Bu just wore his Minnie Ears. 

A golden figment!

Winne the Pooh catching butterflies in Epcot.

Enjoying a delicious fry flight.

Mjau, we park hopped to Epcot again and managed to get a return time for the virtual queue for Cosmic Rewind. We got the Fry Flight from The Fry Basket for lunch. Our favorite was the sweet potato casserole fries with candied pecans, toasted marshmallow cream and caramel whisky. We wish they sold them separately! It was also so hot so the marshmallow cream turned liquid quite quickly. Second place we give to the barbecued bacon fries with smoked aioli. We would have preferred a bit more bacon. Last place goes to the sea salt and malt vinegar fries. They were fine but a bit boring compared to the other fries. For dessert we got a delicious cookie from Karamel Kuche. Mjau so sad that our favourite cookie, the gingerbread salted caramel buttercream cookie sandwich got discontinued. What is even more infuriating is that they brought it back only a few weeks after we left Walt Disney World. Mjau, the audacity!

A cookie from Karamel Kuche.

On Friday we did not have park reservations so we decided to just relax and  go to Disney Springs. Mjau, we got a Ghirardelli chocolate square each. We then took the boat to Port Orleans and got the delicious beignets. We got one with rumchata and kahlua. Delicious breakfast! So relaxing to dine outside and listen to the nice jazz music playing. We decided that we shall return in the evening for Scat Cats Club. In the mean time we headed over to the Magic Kingdom area resorts. Mjau we enjoyed some relaxing boat rides between the resorts. Such a nice breeze during the blazing Florida heat. We went to Tambu Lounge for a cocktail, Polynesian Mai Tai, of course. We enjoyed a relaxing stroll from the Polynesian to Magic Kingdom. It started pouring down so we headed back to our room in Pop Century.  In the evening we went back to Port Orleans French Quarter and had the delicious Mickey shaped beignet  fried oyster burger at their lounge. We were lucky we got the last table. There were more people than we expected as they had a band playing music. We would have preferred if they had only played Disney songs! They only played one Disney song per set on average. 

Delicious Ghirardelli Chocolate.

Delicious beignets.

Polynesian Mai Tai at Tambu Lounge.

Beignet fried oyster burger.

Saturday was another park free day. We had made reservations for the brunch at Olivia's Café in advance. Mjau, we think Olivia's Cafe is so underrated. Although we prefer it that way so it can remain our hidden little gem. We were tempted to get the banana bread french toast again but decided to try something new. Mjau, we were not disappointed in the least! We had the sweet potato waffle with fried chicken. Perfect balance of savory and sweet. 

Delicious brunch at Olivia's Café

Waiting for the boat to Disney Springs.

Saturday was spent mostly walking around trying new snacks. We got a seasonal banana muffin with crumble from Beach Resort. As a thunderstorm had started the Skyliner had stopped running. Instead they had a Skyliner bus that drove between the Skyliner resorts so we were able to take the bus from Disneys Yacht and Beach Club Resort directly to Disneys Riviera Resort. At the Riviera we went to Le Petit Café and got a hazelnut pastry and frangelico spiked iced coffee. The pastry was a tad disappointing but the iced coffee was delicious. We really enjoy the decor of the café. We like all the old books and displays. Mjau, a Pinocchio book previously owned by Walt Disney is on one of the display cases. 

Le Petit Café

Banana muffin.

In the evening we decided to take a walk around the Art of Animation Resort. We like seeing all the characters and it is extra magical in the dark.

On Sunday we had our last park ticket reservation so we headed to Epcot first thing in the morning. Mjau it is so nice to walk through an almost empty World Showcase. We had already entered the virtual queue for Cosmic Rewind so we decided to ride Frozen. Mjau, we went to the store to be shocked by the prices on Finnish items. Mjau, 12,95 dollars for a Fazer Sininen chocolate bar! After going on some more rides  we took the skyliner to the Riviera for breakfast. Mjau, we found a new delicious french toast: the cinnamon crumble french toast bread pudding from Primo Piatto. Delicious! Although we would have preferred a different sauce than the vanilla custard. Perhaps a Bahamian banana-rum syrup.

The murals at the Riviera are simply magical.

Enjoying some french toast for breakfast.

Mjau we then took the Skyliner and strolled along the boardwalk before heading back to Epcot once more just in time for another go at the Cosmic Rewind. As we knew this would be our last visit to Epcot for our vacation we took the time to ride our favourites once more. Living with the Land, Soarin' and The Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros. We are so happy that they finally opened a single rider line for Soarin', although it is not yet always open. Hopefully the single rider line is here to stay. We saw that the lines at Animal Kingdom was very short so we decided to go there next. Mjau, only a ten minute wait for Kilimanjaro Safaris! We went three times as no ride is the same! It started raining quite a bit and we even heard the thunder. It was quite an experience to have the Safari in the rain. Mjau, the animals were still active, all except the lions. Consequently the cheetahs were the most active we have seen. They were standing up looking right at us! Mjau the rain got so bad the walkways were flooded. Mjau, fortunately we have a butler that can carry us so the sudden floods did not bother us. We decided to go back to our room. Mjau our butler was so soaking wet she left a puddle on the bus seat. Some of us did wonder if perhaps our butler had a little accident. Mjau, how embarrassing! Back in our room we watched Moana. Later in the evening we took the bus to Hollywood Studios as the Skyliner was still down. We went on Mickey's Runaway Railway and bid our farewells to Hollywood Studios. We then headed over to Magic Kingdom to enjoy the short late night lines. The rain also guarantees shorter lines. So magical! We want to go back! Immediately!

We had to leave Walt Disney World on Monday. Fortunately our bus to the airport was around noon so we had time to walk around the boardwalk area one last time. Mjau, we also went to Olivia's Café for breakfast. We got the delicious banana bread french toast this time around. 

Mjau, enjoying some delicious Banana Bread French Toat as our last meal.