What should we drink to? Let’s drink two and see where it goes. - Star Wars Half 2019 -Update 5/5

Yay for The Poly, one of my favorite resorts!

Sorry about the poor server, I detest my water glass being empty, such an important part of the meal and often overlooked.

The fish and dessert look very yummy!
 
Your meal at Cali Grill looks delicious! Too bad about the service. That is a sure fire way to put a damper on any meal. I haven't eaten there in years, but the looks of that food is making me want to go back for dinner.
 
Mizners is closing?
How fortunate about The Poly! Can't wait for more

Yes, Mizner's closed on April 4th. They have a downstairs location temporarily going on but it isn't the same.

I was super happy I could get the Poly for that one night!

You know I wouldn't miss this for the world!

Glad to see your trip started off on a good food note though sorry the service was bad. CG is usually one of our favorites, though service is usually anything put consistent. Its either phenomenal or bad. I think some people have worked there so long they just dial it in after a while.

Yay! At least good food is more important than good service although I do want both! It was totally a dial in since the shift was almost done.

Great start! Looking forward to hearing about your weekend!

Thanks! Lots of fun to be had this weekend!

Yay for The Poly, one of my favorite resorts!

Sorry about the poor server, I detest my water glass being empty, such an important part of the meal and often overlooked.

The fish and dessert look very yummy!

The Poly is an awesome resort. We really should stay there more often than we do.

Agreed on the water glass! Its usually why we order Pellegrino for dinners as I can finish a liter of water by myself over the course of a meal. Gotta keep hydrated, especially at Disney!

Your meal at Cali Grill looks delicious! Too bad about the service. That is a sure fire way to put a damper on any meal. I haven't eaten there in years, but the looks of that food is making me want to go back for dinner.

The food is really good! My mom wants to go back during our November trip so I'll go there again this year. If I get the same server, I may say something though...
 


Royal Tea Tour

Despite having gone to bed at almost midnight the night before, I somehow still woke up at 6:30AM. I’m a creature of habit. As EPCOT was opening at 8:00AM, I decided I might as well get moving and switch my car to the Grand Floridian so I wouldn’t have to deal with it later that day. I parked over at the Villas and didn’t use it again until Sunday morning as I love not having to drive if I don’t want to at Disney! I checked my luggage at Bell Services so that my computer and toiletries wouldn’t have to hang out in the sun all day. The Grand Floridian had all their Easter Eggs out in the lobby.

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I headed over to Gasparilla Grill to pick up a banana for a small bite for breakfast since I needed something in my stomach. It did its job although I felt a little silly spending $2.25 on a banana.

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Drink & Banana

I headed over to EPCOT as it was Extra Magic Hours so I was able to get on Soarin, Living the Land and Figment.

I am happy to report to my long time readers that Living with the Land has finally changed two of their researches! They are now researching Vanilla & Cassava instead of Venus Flytrap & Redwood.

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Today’s Researches

My immature humor also got me as I was leaving The Land with the name of a plant they were displaying along the side but I’ll just keep it clean for the boards and say the scientific name is “Neoregelia” but I sent the photo to my friend and we had a good laugh about scientific humor.

I headed to the UK pavilion to check in at the Rose & Crown Patio for my tour. This tour was $20 + tax and included a 45 minute tour through the tea garden in the UK followed by a snack & tea at Rose & Crown. It is only offered during Flower & Garden festival. There is a free version of the tour that doesn’t include the food & drink at the end and is only 20 minutes in the gardens verses the 45 minutes we got.

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At 9:30AM, we headed over to the tea garden where our hosts introduced themselves. The gentleman host had gotten to spend 2 full days with the lead tea master for Twinings to try to learn everything special he could from him. During the tour we learned that all teas (black, green, chai, oolong, white) come from the exact same plant. It is just how the leaves are processed on how the tea is created. Herbal teas don’t have the tea plant involved in their processing. The tour also discussed how Twinings will only use the best leaves of the plants and leave the rest for the lesser brands. Twinings also doesn’t own any tea plantations as they rather find the better crops each year since farming is too risky for them to invest time or money in.

We went to each of the twelve cups around the gardens and discussed the origins of the tea and the blend. We discussed how Lady Gray was created because Twinings didn’t get a trademark on Earl Gray and thus others copied their recipe for it. They fixed that with a lighter version with the creation of Lady Gray.

Another tip that was given that if you have tea that a hot tea you would like to make an iced tea is to brew it double strength, let it cool to room temperature and then pour it over a glass of ice. This will allow the tea to taste the right way.

A few more tips and tricks were given but I don’t want to spoil everything given on the tour!

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After our tour was over, we headed back to the Rose & Crown where we got to pick up a box of scones. There was also all twelve of the tea blends we discussed. You could get refills of the tea while you enjoyed the scones. I started with the Green Tea with Pomegranate & Berries which I found refreshing. I switched to the Turmeric Wellness Blend for my second cup as I had forgotten to take my turmeric pill that morning so figured I might as well get my supplement a different way! I didn’t need to add sugar to either of these teas but I don’t typically do that anyway for most hot teas. The scones were a nice bite to enjoy this morning. The devonshire cream worked for both of the scone types. The savory one was my favorite of the two but I don’t love raisins all that much!

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All the teas we discussed

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Scones - One Savory & One Sweet with Jam & Cream

At the end of the event, we were given a parting gift of some different types of tea, including one of the blends developed to be an iced tea. There was an option to go to the tea shoppe prior to opening if you wanted but I didn’t need to buy any teas so I headed out to enjoy some of the Flower & Garden Festival instead.

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Parting Gift - 3 Tea Bags

Overall, I really enjoyed this tour and for the cost I felt I got my money’s worth. I am glad I did this alone as I don’t think my husband would have enjoyed it at all.
 
I was reading about this tour and thought it would be enjoyable, I’m glad you liked it. Maybe next F&G, I will do this.

I forgot to add how I thought about you when I saw they were finally researching something else in Lwtl.
 


I adore those eggs!

I'm so happy they finally concluded research on the Venus fly trap. I wonder how long it will take them to complete vanilla?

We wanted to do the tea tour, but it won't be available when Jason and I go again. Bummer! It looks enjoyable.
 
I LOVED your tea review!!! When we ate at Rose and Crown last summer and I ordered an iced tea and LOVED LOVED LOVED it!! I got home and emailed Disney asking what was the tea brand/name and come their response to me was "Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World® Resort! I have partnered with the proprietor at Rose & Crown and they serve Twinings Lady Grey loose leaf brewed Iced Tea."..

so you know I had to run right out and buy some, but I still have not managed to make any tea myself... :rolleyes1

and I had no idea about this tour....gonna put it on my To-Do list! :thumbsup2
 
Thanks for the tea tour! Looking forward to the rest of your report!

You’re welcome! I hope to be able to keep up the updates steadily as in 5 weeks a puppy is joining our family so I know my computer time will be gone for the summer!

I was reading about this tour and thought it would be enjoyable, I’m glad you liked it. Maybe next F&G, I will do this.

I forgot to add how I thought about you when I saw they were finally researching something else in Lwtl.

You would probably really enjoy this tour! They offer it every year and I don’t think the price has changed much over the years.

I’m glad they are finally researching new things! Now just to get them to stop the dragon fruit!!

I adore those eggs!

I'm so happy they finally concluded research on the Venus fly trap. I wonder how long it will take them to complete vanilla?

We wanted to do the tea tour, but it won't be available when Jason and I go again. Bummer! It looks enjoyable.

I’m sure it will take another two years! We’ll see what it has when I go over Thanksgiving.

as you’re now DVC members, there is always next year to go during Flower & Garden time! We love the festival and I wish we would have been able to enjoy it more.

I LOVED your tea review!!! When we ate at Rose and Crown last summer and I ordered an iced tea and LOVED LOVED LOVED it!! I got home and emailed Disney asking what was the tea brand/name and come their response to me was "Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World® Resort! I have partnered with the proprietor at Rose & Crown and they serve Twinings Lady Grey loose leaf brewed Iced Tea."..

so you know I had to run right out and buy some, but I still have not managed to make any tea myself... :rolleyes1

and I had no idea about this tour....gonna put it on my To-Do list! :thumbsup2

I totally get buying some fun Disney item and have it just sit there! I have a wooden puzzle from November and a puzzle from January that are just sitting waiting on me to finish although they just got bumped for the Lego Steamboat Willie!

We haven’t eaten at Rose & Crown in forever. I should fix that.

Glad to let you know about the tour! It was a great value which is hard to say nowadays on most things.
 
Flower & Garden Festival

After the tour, I looked at some of the toperiaries as I went around the World Showcase.

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Figment

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Thumper

I ended up using one of my two snack credits at the La Isla Fresca which was just ok. The shrimp was on the edge of being slightly undercooked which as disappointing but I didn’t feel too bad as I knew I had a large lunch coming up shortly.

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Sugar Cane Shrimp Skewer with Steamed Rice & Coconut-Lime Sauce

I boated with Donald & the gang in Mexico along with Elsa & Anna in Norway as I made my way towards Japan for lunch.

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Coco Performer

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Elsa

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Anna

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Thor

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Alone Troll
 
Teppan Edo

I checked in right before noon at Teppan Edo so I got to see the opening ceremony for Teppan Edo & Tokyo Dining. I love how they have that tradition!

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Restaurant Sign

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Opening Ceremony

Not long after that, I was buzzed and the group of 8 for our table was gathered and the first group sat for the day at the hibachi tables. I was a little sad to see that they no longer give out the hot towels for washing your hands before your meal but rather give the cold wet napkins wrapped in plastic that I get from takeaway around Naples. Oh well!

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Table Setting

As I was on the dining plan, that meant I could get a drink included. Their menu made it very easy to tell what was and wasn’t included in the plan drink wise which was helpful. Out of the table of eight - I was the only one to partake in a beverage! Once drinks were served, our waitress took our orders and it wasn’t long before everything got moving along.

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Violet Silk Martini - Vodka Shaken w/ Purple Pear and Lime Juice

The salad disappointed me. I was expecting a yummy ginger dressing like you usually get at any Japanese restaurant but they now have a dressing that is heavy on the soy. I ate it as I needed to make sure I had something healthy today.

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Garden Salad

Our chef came out as we were enjoying our salads and started with the smiley face that turns into a Mickey. The children at the table got a kick out of that!

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Mickey

The shrimp of the tempura were really good however the vegetable selection was a bit odd. It was okra, eggplant and a japanese squash. I only enjoyed the squash as I wasn’t feeling the other two options. At least it wasn’t like I was going to go hungry this meal!

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Tempura Shrimp w/ Vegetables

Our chef continued cooking the first portion of the meal. They mix up the vegetables with the udon noodles. I had a few bites but I was saving room for my meat and rice as I enjoy those more.

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Cooking Vegetables

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Udon Noodles w/ Vegetables

We were brought out our steamed rice which once you put some of that yum-yum sauce on top, I’m a very happy girl. I don’t know what is in that sauce but it is addicting for me!

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Rice w/ YumYum Sauce

Our chef continued to cook and it wasn’t long before I had my medium-rare filet in front of me. It was tender and plentiful.

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Cooking Meat

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Hibachi Filet Mignon

I really was full but as dessert was included with the dining plan, I picked the soft serve ice cream. I only was able to have a couple bites before I called it quits. I liked the flavor and wish I could have enjoyed it more!

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Green Tea Soft Serve Ice Cream

As my meal was $69, I totally made out with my one night of the deluxe dining plan as I received $201 worth of food and drink for my $116 cost. California Grill came in at $100. The refillable mug came in at $19. My one flower & garden festival item was $7 and I picked up a bag of goofy candy for the second snack credit so my husband could have candy in the room when he arrived the next day which I think was worth about $6. That said, I don’t think I would do that plan for more than a night or two. We just don’t usually eat an appetizer, entree and dessert for every meal. I would have never gotten the appetizer or dessert at Teppan Edo and I probably wouldn’t have gotten the dessert at California Grill. That probably would still have made me come out ahead if I hadn’t order those but I felt obligated.

After lunch, I headed out International Gateway to catch the RunDisney bus to the expo from the Beach Club. While waiting, I had received a message to see the front desk about my room assignment from DVC. I was hoping it meant I got the rare DVC upgrade. Turns out, I was wrong!

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Screenshot

The expo was an easy experience. I was able to get my husband two shirts he wanted along with my dark side spirit jersey. That spirit jersey will totally be my outfit for when Episode 9 comes out. I got my bib and headed into the arena with all the vendors. I didn’t stay too long there as I wanted to get to my hotel room to relax some before my Highway in the Sky.

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Boba Fett

Checking into the hotel wasn’t the most relaxing experience. When I checked in, apparently the Polynesian desk had done something really strange with my Magicband that it wouldn’t let them encode it. I could tell the check-in lady noticed I was annoyed as this was my Dooney Pink Dog Magicband so they brought me to my room while they would continue to work on it. In the room, I called bell services to bring up my luggage and I just played on my phone as I waited for the luggage and the magicband to be fixed. 45 minutes later, a different lady from the front desk came to the room to explain what happened. My magic band had to be hard encoded in a way that they never want to do but they haven’t a clue why the Polynesian would have done that to my band. She said my other bands for the room should work since I said my husband wouldn’t be in until tomorrow. (Spoiler - that was wrong) As it reached the hour mark, my luggage hadn’t been delivered. I called back down to Bell Services where the guy stated, well you weren’t in your room so he just left it there. Um, I never left my room so that’s wrong and I stated it as such. They had delivered it to the wrong room! It arrived at 5:15PM and I didn’t have time to unpack as I needed to head to the Contemporary for my 6PM Highway in the Sky. Frustrating!​
 
Checking into the hotel wasn’t the most relaxing experience. When I checked in, apparently the Polynesian desk had done something really strange with my Magicband that it wouldn’t let them encode it. I could tell the check-in lady noticed I was annoyed as this was my Dooney Pink Dog Magicband so they brought me to my room while they would continue to work on it. In the room, I called bell services to bring up my luggage and I just played on my phone as I waited for the luggage and the magicband to be fixed. 45 minutes later, a different lady from the front desk came to the room to explain what happened. My magic band had to be hard encoded in a way that they never want to do but they haven’t a clue why the Polynesian would have done that to my band. She said my other bands for the room should work since I said my husband wouldn’t be in until tomorrow. (Spoiler - that was wrong) As it reached the hour mark, my luggage hadn’t been delivered. I called back down to Bell Services where the guy stated, well you weren’t in your room so he just left it there. Um, I never left my room so that’s wrong and I stated it as such. They had delivered it to the wrong room! It arrived at 5:15PM and I didn’t have time to unpack as I needed to head to the Contemporary for my 6PM Highway in the Sky. Frustrating!
That sounds very frustration.

I checked in right before noon at Teppan Edo so I got to see the opening ceremony for Teppan Edo & Tokyo Dining. I love how they have that tradition!
Tappan Edo is one EPCOT resturant I haven't tried yet. Back in NY we had a few good Hitachi places, haven't tried near me since we moved.
 
I’m sorry your shrimp weren’t the best at F&G, I had those last year and really enjoyed them. Teppan Edo looks like a nice lunch. I think you made use of your 1 day Deluxe Dining.

How frustrating with the magic band and your luggage in another room, not the best way to start you stay.
 
I ended up using one of my two snack credits at the La Isla Fresca which was just ok. The shrimp was on the edge of being slightly undercooked which as disappointing but I didn’t feel too bad as I knew I had a large lunch coming up shortly.

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Disappointing this was cooked well as I have heard many raves about it over the years. Can't wait to finally try it next month.

Not long after that, I was buzzed and the group of 8 for our table was gathered and the first group sat for the day at the hibachi tables. I was a little sad to see that they no longer give out the hot towels for washing your hands before your meal but rather give the cold wet napkins wrapped in plastic that I get from takeaway around Naples. Oh well!
Really??? Seems a simple, authentic (and cheap) way to start the meal.

ut of the table of eight - I was the only one to partake in a beverage!
AKA there was only one smart person at the table :drinking1

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Garden Salad
And the disappointments just keep on coming. Where is the crappy lettuce covered in ginger? My expectation for all things Japanese Steakhouse

As my meal was $69, I totally made out with my one night of the deluxe dining plan as I received $201 worth of food and drink for my $116 cos
Wow, you really made out with the dining plan. Good call in getting it!
 
That sounds very frustration.

Tappan Edo is one EPCOT resturant I haven't tried yet. Back in NY we had a few good Hitachi places, haven't tried near me since we moved.

It was frustrating but I have had many trips without these many issues that I probably was due forgone.

Teppan Edo is ok as far as hibachi goes. Our closest one that has a decent show and food is about 25 minutes away so we get it a lot less than we did when we lived in Georgia. At least we have a fast casual restaurant with decent food!

I’m sorry your shrimp weren’t the best at F&G, I had those last year and really enjoyed them. Teppan Edo looks like a nice lunch. I think you made use of your 1 day Deluxe Dining.

How frustrating with the magic band and your luggage in another room, not the best way to start you stay.

I probably just got a bad batch! I'll totally get again next year.

Not the best way to start the stay but what can you do? At least I had some fun coming ahead!

Disappointing this was cooked well as I have heard many raves about it over the years. Can't wait to finally try it next month.
It usually is really good! I've had it before. Probably a bad batch but it won't stop me from trying it next year! Have fun at the festival next month!

Really??? Seems a simple, authentic (and cheap) way to start the meal.
Maybe their washing machine was down. I would think doing the clothes would be cheaper and more environmentally friendly than plastic wrapped paper towels too!

AKA there was only one smart person at the table :drinking1
Yup! Excellent martini!

And the disappointments just keep on coming. Where is the crappy lettuce covered in ginger? My expectation for all things Japanese Steakhouse
I know! Its my expectation too! I mean at least the lettuce was better than iceberg. At least they didn't get rid of the yum yum sauce or I would have called foul!

Wow, you really made out with the dining plan. Good call in getting it!

I did! I'll keep it to smaller trips like this especially since I'm between Table in Wonderlands.
 
Highway In The Sky Dine Around

I arrived at The Wave Lounge around 5:30PM as I had some luck with the monorail timing. Check in for Highway in the Sky started at 5:45PM and I just wanted a drink after my frustration with check in at the Grand Floridian & Bell Services. Well, they were out of most of the bourbons I wanted (Blanton’s, Booker’s, Angel’s Envy which were all listed on the menu) but they did have Eagle Rare so I just went with that on the rocks. That made me happy and I headed over to check-in area for Highway in the Sky and waited with the few people that were already there. I felt slightly underdressed but I hadn’t unpacked yet so I was just wearing park clothes. Oh well! I wasn’t going to tell everyone that drama so they can just think I was underdressed.

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Credentials

After everyone had arrived and checked in, we were presented our first cocktail. The cocktail changes with the season which is nice if I ever do this again. I’m not normally a gin drinker but the flavors with the cucumber and strawberries helped hide the pine tree notes I usually get from gin! I would totally drink this again.

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Gin Cocktail w/ Cucumber & Strawberries

Our first bite was a pea truffle soup. Growing up, we used to go to these fried chicken restaurants that would serve creamed peas as one of the sides. It was pretty much the only way I enjoyed to eat peas. The soup tasted exactly like one of those delicious sides. Not sure if that was the taste profile they were going for but it worked for me!

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Pea Truffle Soup

After about 20 minutes, they had us go through a modified security check onto the monorail. They had a car reserved for us so we quickly loaded onto the monorail and were on it until we reached the Polynesian. They held the other doors as we unloaded at the Polynesian and we went inside to the sitting area between the stores and the monorail. I took a sit at one of the hightops as everyone settled down. The manager greeted us and talked a bit about the Polynesian before the performer from Ohana sang some songs. The drink we were given was a mai-tai. I thought it was weak but apparently some other people thought it was too strong for them so your mileage may very there. The food was still being plated while we were there so I found that process interesting to watch. The poor guy needed help though as it took him a while to get all the plates done for the group so by the time we got our food we really only had about 10 minutes to enjoy it before we needed to head to Grand Floridian. The sauce with the fish was outstanding even though the fish was a bit cold by the time we got served. I enjoyed the mango flavors to the tuna poke. The filet was a bit tough and the potatoes were cold but I knew I had more food coming so it was ok. It was kinda like how when you watch cooking competition shows they tell you to be careful when you are doing duo or trio plates. This was exactly like that.

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Polynesian Table Setting

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Polynesian Performer

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Mai-Tai

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Polynesian Food - Fish w/ Soy-Lime Sauce, Tuna Poke, Kona Coffee Rubbed Filet w/ Potatoes

We headed back onto the monorail in our special car and headed to the Grand Floridian. Our groups had assigned seating at three different tables inside the restaurant where they already had bread and water waiting for us. The server came around to ask if we would like a white or red wine. I went with white since I had been mixing up my alcohols all day. The white was lovely although I should have gone with the red because of the meal that was served! We were presented a surf and turf of their signature braised beef short ribs and their sea bass. Both of these were excellent! I just wish I could have gotten a refill on the wine.

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Citricos Bread

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Italian White Wine

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Surf & Turf - Braised Short Ribs & Sea Bass

We headed downstairs to the Garden View Lounge where they had tables already assigned to each party and the cheese & charcuterie course and sparkling wine already out. I really enjoyed the Robiola cheese and the Prosciutto di Parma. I’m not sure which of the two salamis I had as I left the super tough one behind. The wine felt a bit too sweet for this course but that could just have been a me thing since I was hoping for more of a brut.

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Cheese & Charcuterie Course

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Explanation Card

A little after 8:40PM, we were gathered again and we headed back to the Contemporary where we went to the balcony off the 4th floor. They had desserts, coffee and some cordials for us to enjoy before the fireworks went off. I ended up going with some Bailey’s and hot chocolate as I didn’t want too much caffeine at this point. I picked up two of the three desserts as I was near full. The lighter color bar was some type of lemon dessert. I really liked how light it felt! The chocolate pyramid was rich but the right size to just be enough. I didn’t get seconds of dessert as I was full but I did get another boozy hot chocolate! While we were at the table, we kept getting to see the underside of the monorail. It’s almost as cool as the backside of water, I know!

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Dessert Spread

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My selection

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Underside of the Monorail

At 9:15PM, the fireworks started but you could only tell because of the loud noises. They didn’t pipe in music and thus I got distracted as there wasn’t enough to keep my interest as the show is so projection heavy. This is probably my only big complaint about this event.

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Fireworks

As soon as the fireworks ended, I dashed out and was given a parting gift. I wanted to make it to the monorail before the masses were leaving Magic Kingdom and thus making the monorail a nightmare. I was successful with beating the crowds!

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Parting Gift - 1 Dark Chocolate & 1 Milk Chocolate Truffle

Overall, a great event. I’ll do it again sometime in 2020 with my husband if Disney continues with the lack of Food & Wine Festival events that started this past year.
 

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