Aw, my Frose went back to being Rose - 2019 Food and Wine Adventure! RL Update 4/22!

Oh hey, two updates in one week! Winning!

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Day 4, Part 1: A Morning with the Animals!

This morning we woke up around 7:30. I felt a lot better, but was still a bit off. Still, wasn’t bad enough to skip our plans that day! I spent some time this morning trying to change our FoP FP+ from 4:00 to sometime that morning, and after about 5 minutes of refreshing was able to switch them to 10:40 that morning! Score! I had the best luck with refreshing this trip.

At 8:30 we made our way down to the bus stop, and lucky day, 3 minutes later our bus arrived! This morning we were heading to the Animal Kingdom!

We arrived around 9:00 and had a bit of a wait at security, so didn’t enter the park until about 9:15. We were shocked at the crowds this morning! We made our way through the Oasis, and found our first photopass photographer for the day!



After getting our pictures, we noticed some show was about to start right there, so swung by to check it out. It ended up being the parrot show (I’m sure it has a fancier name than this), and it was so cool to see! I love how they trained the birds to fly right there, and it was so cool to have them flying so close overhead (and not poop on us!).





Once the show ended, we were within our FP+ window, so made our way over to Asia to ride EE! I was a bit concerned about riding this since I still was feeling a bit off, but it turned out not to be an issue, and oddly enough after the ride my stomach felt much better! HA!



Our next stop was the jungle trek since we had some time before our next FP+. We love these trails, the details are amazing, and we love seeing all the animals. We ended up stopping in the aviary and taking a break on the bench in there, this has become one of our go to places to rest in the park recently.

While there, the CM working there came over to chat, and she was so much fun! She told us a lot about the birds (like did you know when a bird takes flight over you they judge their flight height based on where your head is, but once flying can’t easily adjust, so if you stand up just as they take flight, they will hit you! This explains why a bird struck me in the head when I was a kid!). We also talked a lot about our pets and more specifically about our goofy dogs! We had such a good time talking to her we totally forgot the time, and when I finally looked at my watch, 40 minutes had passed! It was time for our FoP FP+!

We said goodbye to the CM, and thanked her for all the information, and let her get back to telling kids to stop chasing the birds. We quickly made our way over to Pandora! On the way over we saw a PP photographer with no line so of course stopped for a pic!



There was hardly any wait, and soon we were in the preshow. The group in front of us could not follow directions AT ALL. So when we went into the ride room, instead of stopping at their numbers, they kept going into the next room. Now, my mom and I were #14 and 15 (the last two spots), and at first I thought maybe there are two rooms of ride vehicles and we should follow. Well, we got into the next room and it was clear that was wrong, so my mom and I went back and got onto our spots. The group ahead of us however could not figure out why there was no room for them in the other room, and were arguing with people already in their spots that they should move for them. The CM working there was clearly getting frustrated with them! I don’t blame him, this group was kind of ridiculous!

Eventually they figured it out and everyone settled in for the ride! This is the first time we rode at the top, and wow, the difference in wind is kind of crazy! The wind at the top is so much blowy-er than the lower levels, so much so that I could hardly see the screen since it kept blowing my hair directly in front of my face! I ended up having to hold my hair back with one hand just to see the screen.

After the ride, that group next to us caused even more problems, ha! Instead of exiting, they decided to circle up and discuss the ride! The CM kept begging them to please move, but they just ignored him. The poor CM was so frustrated and under his breath goes “I give up, I quit, I can’t handle this anymore.” Poor guy. I cannot imagine how hard it must be dealing with people like this all the time. These people were really rude, we heard them speaking English to each other, but when the CM tried to get them to follow instructions they pretended they didn’t speak English. I really wanted to call them out on that!

Eventually that group finally moved on, so we made our way out. On the way out of Pandora we stopped at photopass photographers!



Our next stop was lunch at our favorite restaurant…and time to check in for our event!


Next Up: Festival of the Lion King Package!
 
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Awesome job moving up your FoP FP! Sounds like a really nice morning! But that group on FoP sounds superrrr annoying!!
 
Awesome job moving up your FoP FP! Sounds like a really nice morning! But that group on FoP sounds superrrr annoying!!

Thanks! I was so impressed with myself :rotfl2: I've never had such good luck refreshing!

That group was so annoying and rude! I felt so bad for the CM, I don't know how they do it day to day when there are people like that they have to deal with. I don't think I could ever be one, I worked retail for 3 months and I realized the customer is NOT always right, and I had a hard time holding that fact in!
 
Day 4, Part 2: Festival of the Lion King Package! – Part 1, Lunch at Tiffins!

We arrived at Tiffins just after 11:30. We checked in and given a buzzer, but within a minute it went off and we were lead into my favorite room with the totem poles!

Once seated our waitress checked her notes and saw we had the FotLK package and ran off to get our lanyards.

This package is kind of great, we each got an appetizer, entrée and dessert with it, and an alcoholic drink! So when the waitress came back I ordered the cheese plate, the short ribs, and then the trio dessert. My mom ended up ordering the octopus, lamb and also got the trio dessert. We also each got the wine pairing that was suggested with our meals.

Mini aside here. Last year they really dumbed down the menu and made it way more basic, so I was sad to see this trip that they had made it even more basic than last year. They have such common food now on the menu now, like butter chicken and even grits. Now I love butter chicken (can’t say the same about grits!), but I can get that anywhere. It’s not anything special. I wish they would bring back the old menu with all the unique options for those of us who like to try fun food!

Ok, rant over! Soon after being seated, our waitress came back with our lanyards and surprise, welcome glasses of champagne! This was a nice touch. She asked us if she should wait until we finished those before bringing out our wine, and we decided to wait, no need to have wine and champagne at once!



Our appetizers were brought out soon after. We decided to each get something different so we could share. The cheese plate I ordered was so good!



I loved all the accompaniments it came with as well. I only ate half of each cheese so my mom could try them all as well.

The octopus was delicious as always, although this too seems to have been “dumbed down” as it wasn’t as flavorful as previous versions.



Our entrees came out soon after finishing the appetizers, along with our wine pairing!





I hate to say it, but this is the first time I’ve been disappointed in my meal at Tiffins. The short ribs were flavorless and were mostly fat. It was really unfortunate. I wish they would bring back the old menu, I loved so much on it, this new one just isn’t great.

My mom however really liked her lamb. She said it wasn’t the best lamb she had this trip (and by this point she had quite a bit of lamb!), but it was still good. I tried some and it was much better than the short ribs.

After finishing up with our entrees our dessert was served. This was really good. I’m glad we got the trio, it was so hard to pick just one!



It was an ok lunch, the appetizers and dessert were great, I just made a bad choice with the entrée. I was a bit disappointed we didn’t receive a returning customer gift this time. We eat at Tiffins every year, and at the end of the meal we get a bag of chocolates for being a returning customer, but this year we didn’t get anything. We also didn’t get the personalized post cards at the start of the meal we’re used to. I’m not a big fan of all these changes at Tiffins! The menu change was bad enough, but losing the personalized touches is sad.

After lunch we had some time before our FotLK show, and had a FP+ to get to!


Next up: That Odd Break During FotLK Package
 
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I'm sorry Tiffins has changed so much and that your entree wasn't the best. It stinks when you loved something and they go and change it!
 
I'm sorry Tiffins has changed so much and that your entree wasn't the best. It stinks when you loved something and they go and change it!

Thanks, yeah it's annoying, but we're still going to give it another chance! Hopefully they add more fun things to the menu by our trip next year.
 
Happy Friday everyone!!! Got a brand new update to celebrate!

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Day 4, Part 3: That Odd Break during FotLK Package

After we left Tiffins, we stopped by a nearby PP photographer for some of the Lion King Pictures!



At one point the photographer told us to act like we were walking. My mom and I looked at each other with a “how do you do that look?” and the photographer couldn’t help but laugh! We really are not good at acting!


See, we really can’t act.

After finishing up acting like fools, we made our way across the park, and it should come as no surprise we stopped at more PP photographers!



We finally made it over to Dinosaur for our FP+. It was a fun ride as always, I love when we get the front row!



After the ride we had a special mission: Meet Dug and Russell!

This day I was wearing my Up! Tank, so was really looking forward to meeting these two! The interaction was great, and they noticed my tank!



We also saw Kevin roaming around while we were over there!



After our fun with the Up! Characters, we explored the trails by the ToL a bit more.


Living the life!



While exploring I noticed a flash across the river, and knew it was a new PP spot we hadn’t seen before, so of course we made our way over there!





Finally, after getting our pictures, it was time for us to head to our FotLK show and the continuation of the FotLK package!


Next up: Festival of the Lion King Package, Part 2!
 
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The last month has been crazy busy for me, but I'm all caught up now!

What a shame that Tiffins has changed so much. I wonder if they weren't busy enough with the old menu and figure they will get more business with the changes. It's really sad that the personalized touches have been removed. Those are the things that make Disney memorable.
 
The last month has been crazy busy for me, but I'm all caught up now!

Awesome! Now I need to get caught up with writing this report! :rotfl2:

What a shame that Tiffins has changed so much. I wonder if they weren't busy enough with the old menu and figure they will get more business with the changes. It's really sad that the personalized touches have been removed. Those are the things that make Disney memorable.

Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised. It's never been very crowded when we've been there. I wish they would keep some of the unique stuff while adding the more basic dishes, make everyone happy!

I'm hoping the lack of personalized touches this trip was just due to it being an off day and not something permanent. Will have to see on our next trip!
 
Day 4, Part 4: Festival of the Lion King Package – Part 2, FotLK and Safari!

We got to the check-in for FotLK around 2:30, and were the first to arrive. The confirmed we were tier one, then told us to just hang out there for a bit until the previous show ended. So we hung out in the shade near the check-in booth for a while.

At around 2:45 they started to come out to seat us. We were a bit annoyed that groups that got there long after we did were seated first, we ended up being one of the last ones seated even though we were the first to arrive!

As expected, we had front row seats. We ended up in the warthog section. At first it was just my mom and I on the bench, which seemed normal since the bench was only wide enough for maybe 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children. Well, right before the show started, they brought in two women to sit on the bench with us, and frankly we did not all fit. I can see sitting four people from one family on that bench, but squishing two groups of two adults was a bit awkward. My mom kept asking me to move over, but I was already hanging off the end of the bench! Between this and the lack of personal touch at Tiffins earlier, we remarked that this was the first time we were really starting to feel the penny pinching here. I mean come on Disney, MUST you squeeze out an extra $50 by squishing one more person on a bench making everyone uncomfortable?

Anyways, I digress!

The show itself was fantastic, we haven’t seen it since the 90s! Being in the front row we had awesome interactions with the performers. At one point one of the guys on stilts was dancing directly in front of us, and shouted down “don’t worry, I won’t fall on you!”

HA!!!!! That should have been the title of this TR….

We also had some fun interactions with the tumbler monkeys. It was such a great experience!

Once the show ended, a CM came and got us and told us to follow her. I was surprised they didn’t wait for the theater to clear out, it was hard to follow her through the mass of people exiting. Eventually we met up with another CM outside and waited for the rest of the tier one group to arrive. There was only 10 of us in the group, so it was nice and small!

Once we had all arrived, our guides brought us to a small path between Africa and Asia. Here they went over what was next, told us some fun facts, like the streams between Africa and Asia act as sound barriers. They also offered us a bio break.

A lot of people took up the offer of a bio break, so we ended up hanging out there for a while waiting.

Once everyone was back, we made our way over to Africa, and headed to the unload area of the safari to get our own private truck. They told us we could pick any row we wanted, so I headed to the back row since I’ve heard it is the best, however those woman who shared our bench during the show ran in front of me and grabbed it before I had a chance. Apparently they were former CMs and knew like I did that the back row is the best! We ended up in the 3rd row from the back, and it was so nice to have a row to ourselves! The last few years we’ve been stuck in rows with obnoxious men who like to manspread which just makes things really uncomfortable! I’m amazed that this is such a problem nationally that they even have signs on the subway now telling men this is rude. Seriously men, get it together!

The safari was really awesome with this tour. We went on the same route as the normal one, but our guides told us that this was a “behind the scenes” safari since they weren’t going to follow the story line and actually tell us details about the ride. Some of the behind the scenes stuff wasn’t too interesting, like the flashing light to let the driver know when to go…that’s been obvious for years (and fun story, the other year the light kept flashing but our driver was super into talking about himself he kept missing it…I SO wanted to yell up at him it was time to go!).

They did have a ton of information on the animals and even knew each one by name which we found pretty impressive! They also talked about how if it’s over 90 degrees out the lions can choose if they want to be inside or out, plus their rocks are air-conditioned, and how the water you go through at the end of the ride is to clean off the vehicle so it’ll last longer.

We also got some great pictures on this safari!









Once the safari was over we said our goodbyes and made our way out of the park. Of course on the way out we stopped for some pictures!





We made it back to the hotel just after 5, so swung by the store to pick up some snacks for dinner. Around 6:45 we headed over to our favorite night time activity, Jellyrolls!

For the first time EVER, we were not the first people there! A couple got there a few minutes before us. Also for the first time ever, they actually opened right at 7!



It was a super fun evening, and once again we stayed to close, and were impressed that yet again Michael came by at the end of the night to thank us for staying through the whole thing!


Next up: Cabana time!
 
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Thanks for sharing. Sounds like you are having a great trip.

We stay at BWV quite frequently but have never done Jelly Rolls. Can you advise what they do and why you enjoy it.
 
Thanks for sharing. Sounds like you are having a great trip.

We stay at BWV quite frequently but have never done Jelly Rolls. Can you advise what they do and why you enjoy it.

Thanks for following along! It was such a great trip!

Jellyrolls is a dueling piano bar. The guys who play are amazingly talented and can play what seems like pretty much anything. Have seen some pretty weird requests and they've known them! It's a great time, the players joke around with each other and the audience throughout the night. Plus it's fun to belt out your favorite songs!
 
Ugh so sorry you got sick! That such a bummer! I am looking into this meal for the fall if it’s still being offered, but I would probably be going solo.

ugh such a bummer about Tiffins, I love it there and I agree it kinda stinks when they start making all the menus so similar!

People can be so rude... That’s all I’ve got about the people running to get the seats and them shoving other people in your row...

love all the PP pics!!!

Did jellyrolls for the first time in October and we loved it! Can’t wait to go back... we didn’t make it the whole night but I am sure that was amazing!!
 
Ugh so sorry you got sick! That such a bummer! I am looking into this meal for the fall if it’s still being offered, but I would probably be going solo.

Thanks! Yeah, it was a rough night, but fortunately it only lasted one night! Besides the whole getting sick part, the meal/experience was amazing. Loved having a front row seat to the fireworks without being squished in between people. Plus enjoying wine during the show was kinda nice too! Hopefully it's still offered next fall...we're actually looking to do it again!

ugh such a bummer about Tiffins, I love it there and I agree it kinda stinks when they start making all the menus so similar!

Yeah, I hope when we go back next year there will be more fun items on the menu!

People can be so rude... That’s all I’ve got about the people running to get the seats and them shoving other people in your row...

Ugh, so true. Maybe I was too young to notice, but I swear back in the 90s and early 2000s when we went people weren't nearly as rude as they are nowadays! Now it's something I've just come to expect when we're there.

love all the PP pics!!!

Thanks!

Did jellyrolls for the first time in October and we loved it! Can’t wait to go back... we didn’t make it the whole night but I am sure that was amazing!!

Isn't it the best? We make a point to go every year. We love it so much, it is always so much fun!
 
I am slowly catching up on everyone's reports! I think I am caught up here.

I was a bit concerned about riding this since I still was feeling a bit off, but it turned out not to be an issue, and oddly enough after the ride my stomach felt much better! HA!
Ironic!

After the ride, that group next to us caused even more problems, ha! Instead of exiting, they decided to circle up and discuss the ride! The CM kept begging them to please move, but they just ignored him. The poor CM was so frustrated and under his breath goes “I give up, I quit, I can’t handle this anymore.” Poor guy. I cannot imagine how hard it must be dealing with people like this all the time. These people were really rude, we heard them speaking English to each other, but when the CM tried to get them to follow instructions they pretended they didn’t speak English. I really wanted to call them out on that!
Ugh, I hate when you run into people like this. It is hardwhen we have the girls and trying to explain bad behavior of adults like that.

Mini aside here. Last year they really dumbed down the menu and made it way more basic, so I was sad to see this trip that they had made it even more basic than last year. They have such common food now on the menu now, like butter chicken and even grits. Now I love butter chicken (can’t say the same about grits!), but I can get that anywhere. It’s not anything special. I wish they would bring back the old menu with all the unique options for those of us who like to try fun food!
I wish Disney would just throw 1 basic adult entree on there, a standard burger and basic kids meals and leave the rest as is. We have thought of coming here a few times, but the kids menu has been a little too crazy for the girls.If they did those 2 things, I feel like they would get more people going. They haven't figured out a balance for that, unfortantly.

Ok, rant over! Soon after being seated, our waitress came back with our lanyards and surprise, welcome glasses of champagne! This was a nice touch. She asked us if she should wait until we finished those before bringing out our wine, and we decided to wait, no need to have wine and champagne at once!
That was nice! I was thinking about doing this. Did you feel like it was worth it?
 
Happy New Year Everyone!!!

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HAAAA!!!! Totally spit out my drink when I saw this!


Day 5, Part 1: Cabana Time!

This morning we got to sleep until the glorious hour of 9:00AM! We had a lazy morning, enjoyed our coffee and some snacks for breakfast, before finally around 9:40 heading down to the pool to check in for our Cabana!

We arrived right at 9:45, which is the time they told us to check-in. The CM was still setting up, and asked us to wait five more minutes, so we plopped down on the lounge chairs next to the cabanas to wait.

It wasn’t long before the CM came back to fetch us and lead us back to our cabana. We were in cabana 4, and we think it is the best one to be in! It is the furthest away from the pool, but super private as it is behind the others. Also, one thing we liked, is a good portion of the morning it was in the shade.

Before settling in, we explored a bit and took pictures.







The cabana was well stocked. Inside was a couch, table and two chairs, as well as the tv, a Bluetooth speaker, a safe, and the fridge stocked with sodas and waters and the fruit plate. They also provided sunblock which was nice.


Here's a video of the cabana from after we order lunch to get a great view of it!

After exploring we decided to take a dip since it was already super hot. The pool was pretty empty still at that point, which was nice. We did a few laps around the lazy river, and then explored the different sections of the pool. I ended up taking in my gopro and got some pretty cool videos and pictures!





After our dip we went to relax a bit back at the cabana. I hung out in the lounge chair and caught up on trip notes, and my mom spent some time in the cabana looking for something to watch on tv.

It was so great having the cabana, besides the comforts, the pool was packed that morning, so having our own private little oasis was fantastic!

Around 11:30 we ordered our lunch. I got the burger as well as the storm chaser while my mom got the turkey salad and a margarita.




My storm chaser....in the "new" souvenir glass that Disney news sites claim was just released a week or so ago that we somehow got back in September...(?)

The food was delicious and the drink was great…and huge!!!

After eating we lounged a bit longer before heading back to the pool for another dip. This time the pool was really crowded, so we didn’t last long and soon found ourselves back in our happy oasis!

I found myself back on the lounge chair and continued catching up on trip notes, while my mom watched some tv.

We had the most attentive server. He kept stopping by to check on us and to see if we needed anything. He was really fun, we had a great chat about Disney movies and we both agreed that the movies that came out in the 90s were way better than anything being released nowadays! He also informed us that all the other people in the cabanas had the same idea as us and were also going to the Halloween party that night! Great minds!

The first three hours flew by, it was shocking how fast they went. We came in thinking we might get bored, but we were so wrong! At 1:00 my mom found the Pats game on the tv, and I had my favorite experience on the trip: Laying out in a super comfy lounge chair enjoying a massive drink (seriously this thing was the size of my head) while watching my favorite team win!





2:00 came way too fast. The CM attendant was great and gave us time to pack up, and let us take everything in the fridge. We ended up heading out a tad after 2:00, and ran upstairs to shower and change and get ready for MNSSHP!

Overall, we absolutely loved the cabana experience! So much that we're booking a full day for our trip this year! I definitely recommend it, it is such a perfect way to start the day. The CMs working there were awesome, the cabanas were super comfy, and having such a huge private space to ourselves at the pool was so worth it. There was one minor negative, and that was the people walking by the paths outside the pool area who were smoking. Every now and then the smoke would drift into our cabana, which was pretty gross. Good thing we could close the drapes which did help. Not something wrong with the cabana, but rather Disney needs to enforce the smoking areas better.


NEXT UP: MNSSHP!
 
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I am slowly catching up on everyone's reports! I think I am caught up here.

YAY! I know the feeling, I am so far behind on reading TRs and updating my own! This time of year is rough!


I know, right? :rotfl2:

Ugh, I hate when you run into people like this. It is hardwhen we have the girls and trying to explain bad behavior of adults like that.

Yeah, it's unfortunate how many rude people are out there. I can imagine it must be so hard to explain this kind of behavior to your kids. I mentioned this in a previous post, but I swear people are seemingly ruder and more entitled every time we go, I feel like my parents had it easy back in the 80s and 90s when I was a kid!

I wish Disney would just throw 1 basic adult entree on there, a standard burger and basic kids meals and leave the rest as is. We have thought of coming here a few times, but the kids menu has been a little too crazy for the girls.If they did those 2 things, I feel like they would get more people going. They haven't figured out a balance for that, unfortantly.

Yeah, I feel like there is a happy medium they could easily achieve, but they keep swinging too far one way or the other!

That was nice! I was thinking about doing this. Did you feel like it was worth it?
:rotfl2: :rotfl2:

Definitely recommend. We really enjoyed this experience! We eat at Tiffins every year, so it worked out well with our schedule. Plus getting the front row seats at FotLK and the small group safari with the inside information was pretty awesome.
 

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