“I do not deal with my problems like I know I should” - F&W Fest 2018 - Update 1/20 Going Home

The hibachi experience seems amazing! I need those little owl containers.
It really was amazing! They do sell the containers in the store underneath - however, I'm not sure I would actually use them so I held off on buying them. I don't eat soup or rice enough at home!

That habaici sounds like it was a lot of fun.
Lots of fun! You could tell the cast was enjoying it too which adds to the experience!

O-M-G!!! What a awesome dinner! I’m crying at the seafood as I can no longer enjoy due to this new allergic reaction, wah! Ooh the mojito sounds yummy! I was crying inside at well done beef too! What a fun night and then to meet up with friends!
It was awesome. Wait?!? Seafood Allergy!?!?! That sucks! I would cry as we all know how much I love shrimp. It was a great night!

WOW! That dinner looks amazing...... yum.

oh gosh, i would have cried on the inside too, so sad.
Totally worth it! I'm glad we were able to get in as it is only for 16 guests.

Oh my the hibachi experience looks amazing, all the food and drinks yummy! I love the seafood and wagyu courses.
My husband (if he ever came to Disney) would love this meal!

I agree with the service dogs, why 4, I feel bad for those dogs!
Maybe you could tempt him to Disney with this event ;).

It really does make me sad. I just feel there is a huge abuse on the service dog allowance in Disney. I know some colorful poodles have gotten kicked out of the parks before because despite being service dogs they weren't behaving as such. While I know dogs are allowed at certain hotels - if I were to ever bring Gantu with me - we would be staying in the cabins at Fort Wilderness as that is really the only space I feel is good for dogs around the parks. He would have a blast there but he's also good enough to hang out in a crate for a few hours without crying.

Wow, just wow! That may well be one of the single greatest Disney dining experiences I have seen. Of course you had me at Scallops and Wagyu, but that Japanese omelet thing sounds divine. And booze too! Sign me up for 2020 with you :-) Just be sure to note on the reservation that I need to bring my 5 service dogs with me :P

It is one of the most amazing Disney dining experiences I have experienced. Also up there is the Omakase at Morimotos or Chef's Counter at Napa Rose (& V&A but they've overpriced themselves). I really liked that Japanese omelet/pancake thing. It was different!

I'm sure all the service dogs would love that Wagyu!
 
Around Future World

Again, this morning my husband woke us up at 5:30AM so he could run. Who wants to bet this keeps up for the whole trip? Will I ever get to sleep in uninterrupted?

We got ready for the day and headed to International Gateway - arriving around 7:45AM. We were let inside and then held at the bridge area before Extra Magic Hours started. We bolted straight to Soarin’ where while the wait stated 15 minutes - it took all of 6 minutes to get into the loading area for the ride. (Side Note: My cell phone times is making this real easy to remember times!) We were the first ones of the day to use Concourse B.

dkBJni2.jpg

Soarin’ Wait

cNNRX9C.jpg

Soarin’ Loading Area

We headed over to Test Track where the standby was already almost an hour. We looked at each other and were like ‘nope’ and headed into the single rider line. We didn’t need to ride together that badly. The one thing I don’t like about the single rider line is that you can’t really design your car but oh well. We could do that later in the trip. It still took about 30 minutes to get through the single rider and out of the ride.

OmbaacV.jpg

Chevrolet Design Studio

Once we test drove our non-designed vehicles, I needed a drink. As it is Food & Wine Festival, we headed into the Festival Center to fix that problem.

RsGyTf6.jpg

Festival Center

As it just 9AM, we headed for the Sparkling Sips Mimosa Bar to have a glass or two. We got the two mimosas I hadn’t tried from the first trip. The Keylime was very sweet. The tropical was definitely the winner of the two!

AfwTNVZ.jpg

Tropical Mimosa & Key Lime Mimosa

As we sipped our mimosas, we headed into the chocolate area to look at the sculptures since my husband hadn’t seen them yet and to get our free caramel chocolate square. Mimosas & Chocolate for breakfast! Can’t get better than that!

ZHRXsBy.jpg


CcJyLhd.jpg


xXnlItm.jpg


cd1dWYM.jpg


I was really tempted to buy the signed can of Hanson Mmmhops but I talked myself out of it as I thought the beer was gross the last time I tried it and we didn’t need more junk. I mean, we have a signed bottle of the Little Bigtown wine we still haven’t opened from when they did their big release party at my husband’s job.

okXhTFE.jpg

Mmmhops

We did need to drink more wine though and we got the Pinot Flight as I had been wanting to try the Skywalker Pinot but didn't’ want to commit to the bottle price ($80 retail) I enjoyed the Skywalker but not enough to pay for the price of a full bottle. I can get similar Pinot Noirs for $20 to $30. Trying 5 wines before 10AM makes for a great vacation day!

tMVERZ2.jpg


Lnh2n9M.jpg

Pinot Noir Flight - Macmurray Estate Vineyards, Kurt Russell’s Gogi Wines “Birdie” and Skywalker Vineyards

We headed out of the festival to do the green side of Mission Space. I really don’t like the mission anymore. The storm cell looks like a huge hurricane when you are launched. There is no way you don’t know that is going to create a problem upon landing. Maybe I’ve lived in Florida too long to know that you usually get some warning.

69uuPUi.jpg

ISTC

p159FtX.jpg

Very Happy Lady

8tg5G6x.jpg

System Diagnostics

We headed to use our first FP+ of the day for Spaceship Earth. We were silly with our photos at the end!

OaqXWNW.jpg

Spaceship Earth

fuJnnsJ.jpg

Welcome To Your Future

As we were thirsty again, we headed to Club Cool for a drink. I immediately regretted it as it was a madhouse. I realize it's ‘free’ but there were a few too many entitled people there.

ExTrXcS.jpg

Club Cool

Then it was off to our 2nd FP+ at Living With The Land. The line was a bit long so I was glad we had a FP+ but I think FP+ is what causes this attraction to have a wait as it never used to. It did have a much more fall feel this time around than it did in August.

TQpfxJX.jpg


v41IFwB.jpg


FVWWtaY.jpg


ZrEskfT.jpg


KJ57qWV.jpg


PhIB3I5.jpg


Today’s research was yet again, Venus Flytrap, Redwood and Dragon Fruit were being studied. I hope this research is actually useful. It’s been going on for years!​
 
I have seen the lady with the poodles at AK before! I heard she was suing Disney for discrimination, yikes!

I agree about LwtL, never had a wait, FP+ definitely has made some filler rides hard to get on now!

I do love a good Pinot Noir!
 
I somehow fell way behind! But was fun to binge read through several updates on this rainy afternoon, I really need to stay at AKL again soon. I always wind up at an Epcot resort to be able to walk into Epcot but I do love AKL. I ate at Jiko as well in Oct and loved it. I thought the tea and hot towel was a nice touch and also loved the glasses. Congrats to your husband on a successful race. I can’t believe he got up the next morning to run again just for fun!! I’m very impressed with all the wine knowledge he’s building in this new job - took more notes this time. Bummer on rainy Star Wars dessert party. I like that it seems they are adding more savory items to these parties. I’m not a sweets person but would be all over an appetizer party. I bet I can guess what your meeting at the Grand was regarding... :rolleyes1 You tried some good stuff at F&W. I spent over a week there and still didn’t try everything I wanted to. I did try the spam and was not a fan. I liked the Pinot flight too. I wish Skywalker had done a wine seminar this year like they have in the past. Wow!! The Hibachi Experience looks so fun! I’d love to check it out next year (here’s hoping registration is less of a mess than it was this year!)
 


Looks like an awesome morning to me. Wine and mimosas before 10. Sign me up!
 


How fun to see LwtL all decked out with fall stuff. I was bummed we weren't able to ride it during our last trip.

Also, a definite thumbs up to your mimosa and chocolate breakfast! :D
 
I have seen the lady with the poodles at AK before! I heard she was suing Disney for discrimination, yikes!

I agree about LwtL, never had a wait, FP+ definitely has made some filler rides hard to get on now!

I do love a good Pinot Noir!

I heard that too! That lady is crazy.

FP+ totally has! Imagination gets waits now too!

I somehow fell way behind! But was fun to binge read through several updates on this rainy afternoon, I really need to stay at AKL again soon. I always wind up at an Epcot resort to be able to walk into Epcot but I do love AKL. I ate at Jiko as well in Oct and loved it. I thought the tea and hot towel was a nice touch and also loved the glasses. Congrats to your husband on a successful race. I can’t believe he got up the next morning to run again just for fun!! I’m very impressed with all the wine knowledge he’s building in this new job - took more notes this time. Bummer on rainy Star Wars dessert party. I like that it seems they are adding more savory items to these parties. I’m not a sweets person but would be all over an appetizer party. I bet I can guess what your meeting at the Grand was regarding... :rolleyes1 You tried some good stuff at F&W. I spent over a week there and still didn’t try everything I wanted to. I did try the spam and was not a fan. I liked the Pinot flight too. I wish Skywalker had done a wine seminar this year like they have in the past. Wow!! The Hibachi Experience looks so fun! I’d love to check it out next year (here’s hoping registration is less of a mess than it was this year!)

Life happens! Glad you could binge read to catch up. I think @franandaj hasn't found this yet or is well behind so she may be in a world of hurt when she does. (Sorry Fran!).

My husband has an early morning running problem this trip. It was annoying.

I like sweets sometimes but I did get my money's worth of cheese and prosciutto!

First Rule of Fight Club is that you don't talk about Fight Club (re: The Grand) (I bet you are right!)

We never did get to try everything we wanted either but we got a decent amount down. Next year is going to be harder to get stuff eaten since we are there for such a short time but better than nothing!

Why would you subject yourself to Spam?

You would love the Hibachi Experience! At least you live closer so you might have more flexibility with your dates to ensure you get in! Glad I'm not dealing with booking of events next year!

Looks like an awesome morning to me. Wine and mimosas before 10. Sign me up!

I knew it would be your style!

Whirly Ball. His name is Whirly Ball, OK?
giphy.gif


Here we go again...
giphy.gif


You of ALL people should know the importance of getting names correct, Teez ...
giphy.gif


So is BB-9E black whirly ball then?
giphy.gif


NO. Geez. He's Bad Whirly Ball.
giphy.gif


How fun to see LwtL all decked out with fall stuff. I was bummed we weren't able to ride it during our last trip.

Also, a definite thumbs up to your mimosa and chocolate breakfast! :D

You did at least get a lot of thrill rides in! Your ride counts were impressive! We are much lazier than that.

It was the breakfast of champions!
 
2nd Round of Festival

Done with rides for now, we headed towards the World Showcase to have a few bites around the world even though we did have a special event soon. Knowing we had the event prevented us from ordering too much so we just got some of our favorites from years past. Our first stop was Canada where I wish my husband and I didn’t split the beer as that Moosehead is so good! Very refreshing no matter the weather. The soup was eh to me. Once the pretzel roll was gone, I didn’t want the soup anymore as its just too thick for it to be a soup to me. The beef was perfectly tender.

bdTMJfm.jpg

Canadian Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Soup served with a Pretzel Roll
Le Cellier Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle-Butter Sauce
Moosehead Radler: Lager Infused with Grapefruit, Grape and Lemon Juices


Our next stop was in Ireland where we shared the wonderful and warm chocolate pudding. This has always been a favorite of ours!

uf3CunC.jpg

Warm Chocolate Pudding with Irish Cream Liqueur Custard

As we rounded France, we split up as I wanted my usual from Brazil whereas he wanted his usual dish from Belgium I just love that cheese bread. I know its hit and miss for some people but I’ve usually been happy! My husband has yet to be disappointed by his dessert waffle which is why he always keeps going back. He switched it up this time and also got one of the beers as he wanted to try the St. Bernadus as he didn’t believe me when I said he had tried it before. He was happy with his choice!

wY7HYVl.jpg

Pao de Queijo: Brazilian Cheese Bread

FJWz1hZ.jpg

Belgian Waffle with Warm Chocolate Ganache & Whipped Cream

yN3OilI.jpg

St. Bernadus Abt 12

I wasn’t cold but for some reason I really wanted an espresso. Maybe to get me in the mood for the Italy event we would be doing in a bit. So we stopped at the Italy Coffee & Drink Stand where I got a double espresso despite it being in the 80s. I never said I wasn’t crazy.

ujPMTan.jpg

Espresso

While I sipped my espresso, we looked at the trains and eventually took a bathroom break in Germany before we explored the shops some.

i5mHh28.jpg

Trains

yKN2MY3.jpg

Fake Food


It was nearing the end of our window for FP+ for Frozen Ever After. I would never wait the 55+ minutes listed in standby but going with a fastpass at least is a reasonable option. I’m sure once Ratatouille and Guardians of the Galaxy open, there will be shorter wait.

mlltRSE.jpg

Frozen Wait Times

9fGaeLD.jpg

Olaf

After the ride, we still had some time to kill before we could check in for our event. We killed the time looking at the displays for Shanghai Disneyland and the shops around China. We’re trying to figure out how we are going to make it there when we do either the Tauck or Adventures by Disney Tour for China in 2020/2021.

aE68OcF.jpg


0C0yfFp.jpg


BvnNsry.jpg


AJHUizP.jpg


NopwtoX.jpg


N5ylEat.jpg

 
Totally agree it’s hard to call it “soup” in Canada but I sure do enjoy it with the pretzel bread. I wonder if they will go back to offering it at the Refreshment Port. I liked the Moosehead as well but was bummed that had run out of the original offering (a Moosehead Radler, I think?). Seems like there were more things than usual this festival for which they seriously underestimated demand. Loved that cheese bread in Brazil!! Can’t wait to hear about your Italy event. And how fun to be planning a Shanghai trip. I think I may just follow you guys around. I’m debating between Hawaii and Italy as my next destination.
 
Love your trip report... all that food looks sooo good! The habachi lunch looked amazing!
 
Sounds like you had a run of good dishes! Also, that Shanghai Disneyland exhibit looks neat--I kept meaning to stop and we just never did. :( Next trip, for sure!
 
looks like you guys had fun with the booths at food and wine
We killed the time looking at the displays for Shanghai Disneyland and the shops around China. We’re trying to figure out how we are going to make it there when we do either the Tauck or Adventures by Disney Tour for China in 2020/2021.
Fun. Can't wait to read about that trip. My DH is kicking himself that he didn't extend his work trip to China to include Shanghai Disneyland. I think I convinced him we all need to come when he goes to France and go to Disneyland Paris
 
I still have never tried the beer cheese soup, I would love dipping the pretzel bread in the soup!

The cheese bread also looks very yummy

Thanks for sharing all the food booth choices!
 
Totally agree it’s hard to call it “soup” in Canada but I sure do enjoy it with the pretzel bread. I wonder if they will go back to offering it at the Refreshment Port. I liked the Moosehead as well but was bummed that had run out of the original offering (a Moosehead Radler, I think?). Seems like there were more things than usual this festival for which they seriously underestimated demand. Loved that cheese bread in Brazil!! Can’t wait to hear about your Italy event. And how fun to be planning a Shanghai trip. I think I may just follow you guys around. I’m debating between Hawaii and Italy as my next destination.

It is hard to call it soup! I know my husband enjoys it more than me so I was glad to give him more. They must have gotten more of the Radler in after your trip as we definitely had the Radler. They did run out of some other things early it felt like especially in the light lab. I was shocked they still had the special milkshake cups in Ireland when we were there as I assumed they would be gone.

Hawaii or Italy would be awesome! I have good things to say about both!

Love your trip report... all that food looks sooo good! The habachi lunch looked amazing!

It was good! The hibachi experience has been of our highlights of the trip each time we've done it. Glad the menu switches up a bit too so each year it is something new!
 
Sounds like you had a run of good dishes! Also, that Shanghai Disneyland exhibit looks neat--I kept meaning to stop and we just never did. :( Next trip, for sure!

At least your next trip is about 2 months away! Yay! Just too many things to see and do but that is what keeps us going back.

looks like you guys had fun with the booths at food and wine

Fun. Can't wait to read about that trip. My DH is kicking himself that he didn't extend his work trip to China to include Shanghai Disneyland. I think I convinced him we all need to come when he goes to France and go to Disneyland Paris

We did! We didn't get to everything we wanted but at least we got to a decent amount of them.

When I worked at my last job - there was a chance I would have to go to China to visit a casting vendor. I volunteered if they would let me extend a few days so I could go to Shanghai - then the tariffs happened so no more China trip at the site level. Definitely won't be traveling there with my job now!

The family totally needs to go to France with him! I'm excited we get to try Disneyland Paris next year!

I still have never tried the beer cheese soup, I would love dipping the pretzel bread in the soup!

The cheese bread also looks very yummy

Thanks for sharing all the food booth choices!

One of these years you should try it at the festival if you don't want to commit to it at the full size at the restaurant.

Coming up more food!
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!










Top