Larded and Loaded Tour: Food and Winopalooza 10/11-10/20 Complete! 3/9
- Thread starter BriarRosie
- Start date
BriarRosie
<font color=blue>Creator of Tag Fairy Haiku:<br>Cl
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2002
Have a great trip - hope to see you somewhere at the Mousetrap next week.
And I'm looking forward to hearing all about your F&W experiences ... and seeing lots of pictures.
Safe travels.
Aww thanks. Most of my pictures will probably be food!
Packed.....or not.........I hope you have a wonderful trip!!!
Please take lots of pics to share!!
BTW: It is kinda more work to pack for 4 people instead of 1, which is what I'm used to!!!!
I'm pretty much packed with the regular stuff, but I haven't really done any
carry on packing.
And on a side note, a cast member who works for the Epcot food and wine
events left a voice mail with me. She offered to send me a copy of the
menu they will be having for the Signature Dinner at the California Grill on
Sunday. I emailed her and basically said to "bring it on!", but actually in a
respectfully polite way.
yearbook50
Mouseketeer<br><font color=darkorchid>I gave all o
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2006
Have a great trip! I'm sure I'll see you sometime during it.
wdeversole
aka iamspuds
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2000
Have a great trip, Briar!
And post lots of food pictures when you get back!
And post lots of food pictures when you get back!
Flossbolna
Sea days are just so relaxing!
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2006
If you stil have time in the next seven hours until your trip starts (according to your ticker) and get to read this: have a fantastic trip!!!
Otherwise: welcome back!!
Otherwise: welcome back!!
Hedy
<font color=blue>I'm <s>22</s> 27 and I still kind
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2006
Oh look at that. She left and didn't even say goodbye. Sniff.
Bye!
BriarRosie
<font color=blue>Creator of Tag Fairy Haiku:<br>Cl
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2002
LOL! I really didn't have time to say goodbye, but I'm back, baby!
I got more larded than loaded, but I had my share of good food, good friends,
good fun...and a very brief moment that required "me time". I took a lot of
photos of the food....and the rest of the park stuff....not so much.
But I'm probably going to write a food report along with my trip report. And
there will be a cross-over here with food, er...if that makes any sense.
I'm going to paste links to the start of the "real" report (once I start it) here,
rather than having a Moderator move it.
Until then, I can't wait to sleep in my OWN bed again!
I got more larded than loaded, but I had my share of good food, good friends,
good fun...and a very brief moment that required "me time". I took a lot of
photos of the food....and the rest of the park stuff....not so much.
But I'm probably going to write a food report along with my trip report. And
there will be a cross-over here with food, er...if that makes any sense.
I'm going to paste links to the start of the "real" report (once I start it) here,
rather than having a Moderator move it.
Until then, I can't wait to sleep in my OWN bed again!
zweihund
I tagged myself. I'm it.
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2006
LOL! I really didn't have time to say goodbye, but I'm back, baby!
I got more larded than loaded, but I had my share of good food, good friends,
good fun...and a very brief moment that required "me time". I took a lot of
photos of the food....and the rest of the park stuff....not so much.
But I'm probably going to write a food report along with my trip report. And
there will be a cross-over here with food, er...if that makes any sense.
I'm going to paste links to the start of the "real" report (once I start it) here,
rather than having a Moderator move it.
Until then, I can't wait to sleep in my OWN bed again!
Welcome back!
Hedy
<font color=blue>I'm <s>22</s> 27 and I still kind
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2006
LOL! I really didn't have time to say goodbye, but I'm back, baby!
I got more larded than loaded, but I had my share of good food, good friends,
good fun...and a very brief moment that required "me time". I took a lot of
photos of the food....and the rest of the park stuff....not so much.
But I'm probably going to write a food report along with my trip report. And
there will be a cross-over here with food, er...if that makes any sense.
I'm going to paste links to the start of the "real" report (once I start it) here,
rather than having a Moderator move it.
Until then, I can't wait to sleep in my OWN bed again!
Welcome home!
TheDISneyFamily
<marquee><font color=peach>°O° DIS Friendship Pixi
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2007
Welcome back, Lori! I can't wait to read all about your F&W adventures!
-Michelle
I can't wait to read all about your F&W adventures! -Michelle
BriarRosie
<font color=blue>Creator of Tag Fairy Haiku:<br>Cl
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2002
I'm back from being larded and loaded (well, more larded than loaded!) for the Food and Wine Festival. Instead of moving my pre-trip report over here and having people wade through pages of rambling, I copied the shortcut to it here. The first page has an index of links directly to the post highlights.
Click here to read my pre-trip highlights.
Welcome to:
Now that we have that settled, I'll just give a refresher for the cast of characters:
Lori (me): 37, DVC Member at Beach Club Villas. Booked a 1 BR villa because I would have friends and family staying with me at various points during my trip.
The RADP friends: RADP stands for rec.arts.disney.parks. It's a Usenet newsgroup that I really don't read much anymore, but over the past 10 years have made friends and met with people in early December. Those trips were the precursor to MouseFest. Any people that fit as a RADP friend I'll list with a RADP prefix.
Mom: 60-something, hasn't been to Disney since our family road trip in 1977. I wanted to show her the highlights of WDW.
Cari (my older sister): Turning 40 soon. The trip was supposed to be for her birthday, even though her birthday and my birthday are a month later.
Sharon (Mom's friend; known since I was little): 60-something. She's always fun and good to have around. She's also a buffer when my sister and mother drive me insane.
Improvgal and TDC Nala also make special appearances in this trip, and they are friends I met through RADP, as well. I met yearbook50 (Meli) and oybolshoi (Brenda; and her DH Jason) as well during my trip.
I planned for a 10 day trip, and yet I was still exhausted when I got home, and I didn't feel like I was able to meet with people I wanted to meet with. Perhaps it was the hot and sticky weather that slowed me down. At any rate, I did meet with lots of people, and I did enjoy myself for the most part.
Are we ready? Let's get this trip report started, shall we?
Don't want to search for the updates? Check out my index!
Day 1 (Oct 11) - Part 1
Day 1 (Oct 11) - Part 2
Day 1 (Oct 11) - Part 3
Day 2 (Oct 12) - Part 1
Day 2 (Oct 12) - Part 2
Day 2 (Oct 12) - Part 3
Day 3 (Oct 13) - Part 1
Day 3 (Oct 13) - Part 2
Day 4 (Oct 14) - Part 1
Day 4 (Oct 14) - Part 2
Day 5 (Oct 15)
Day 6 (Oct 16)
Day 7 - Part 1 (Oct 17)
Day 7 - Part 2 (Oct 17)
Day 8 (Oct 18)
Day 9 (Oct 19)
Day 10 (Oct 20)
Final Thoughts
Click here to read my pre-trip highlights.
Welcome to:
Now that we have that settled, I'll just give a refresher for the cast of characters:
Lori (me): 37, DVC Member at Beach Club Villas. Booked a 1 BR villa because I would have friends and family staying with me at various points during my trip.
The RADP friends: RADP stands for rec.arts.disney.parks. It's a Usenet newsgroup that I really don't read much anymore, but over the past 10 years have made friends and met with people in early December. Those trips were the precursor to MouseFest. Any people that fit as a RADP friend I'll list with a RADP prefix.
Mom: 60-something, hasn't been to Disney since our family road trip in 1977. I wanted to show her the highlights of WDW.
Cari (my older sister): Turning 40 soon. The trip was supposed to be for her birthday, even though her birthday and my birthday are a month later.
Sharon (Mom's friend; known since I was little): 60-something. She's always fun and good to have around. She's also a buffer when my sister and mother drive me insane.
Improvgal and TDC Nala also make special appearances in this trip, and they are friends I met through RADP, as well. I met yearbook50 (Meli) and oybolshoi (Brenda; and her DH Jason) as well during my trip.
I planned for a 10 day trip, and yet I was still exhausted when I got home, and I didn't feel like I was able to meet with people I wanted to meet with. Perhaps it was the hot and sticky weather that slowed me down. At any rate, I did meet with lots of people, and I did enjoy myself for the most part.
Are we ready? Let's get this trip report started, shall we?
Don't want to search for the updates? Check out my index!
Day 1 (Oct 11) - Part 1
Day 1 (Oct 11) - Part 2
Day 1 (Oct 11) - Part 3
Day 2 (Oct 12) - Part 1
Day 2 (Oct 12) - Part 2
Day 2 (Oct 12) - Part 3
Day 3 (Oct 13) - Part 1
Day 3 (Oct 13) - Part 2
Day 4 (Oct 14) - Part 1
Day 4 (Oct 14) - Part 2
Day 5 (Oct 15)
Day 6 (Oct 16)
Day 7 - Part 1 (Oct 17)
Day 7 - Part 2 (Oct 17)
Day 8 (Oct 18)
Day 9 (Oct 19)
Day 10 (Oct 20)
Final Thoughts
TheDISneyFamily
<marquee><font color=peach>°O° DIS Friendship Pixi
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2007
I'm ready!!! Post away!
-Michelle
Post away! -Michelle
BriarRosie
<font color=blue>Creator of Tag Fairy Haiku:<br>Cl
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2002
Day 1: Thursday, October 11
I started packing Tuesday night, knowing I'd finish most of the packing then, with some finishing touches Wednesday. I had to get up at the unforgivably early hour of 3:15am to get myself ready for a 4:30am pickup for O'Hare International Airport. Why is it that even though I knew I had all sorts of time, I always seem to scramble at the last minute to get my stuff together while the taxi driver waits a few minutes?
But I really was a bit early for my 6:30am flight. I had done my check-in the day before at work, so all I had to do was drop my bags at the special kiosk near Security and I'd be able to get to the gate. I must say that I love this feature, as the normal boarding pass/baggage check lines are always much longer. I didn't have to wait for the self-service kiosk, and I had used my pre-printed boarding pass and my ID to get me through Security.
Security noticed my driver's license was going to expire. Yes, next month on my birthday. It's nice to know the TSA are paying attention to expiration dates, I guess. I wore my hot pink Crocs because they were way easier to remove and put back on once I got through the checkpoint. Soon I was sitting at the gate, reading my book until boarding. I had been surprised that I had the entire row to myself, rather than being packed in like a sardine like the three people across from me. I'm surprised none of them asked to take my window seat. I would have had I been in Sardine Land.
I must say, the flight was uneventful, and we landed slightly early, around 10am. Soon I was on the "airport monorail" to the main terminal. This was my first time using Disney's Magical Express, and I was excited that I could go down to Ground Transportation with just my carry-on! I was a bit taken aback by the long lines in the switchback queue, but since the counter was staffed by at least a dozen agents, the line moved quickly. Soon I was directed to the "red carpet" and my next queue for the bus. After about 10 minutes, we boarded, and I found my first experience using DME to be painless and very efficient, leaving around 10:30am!
After a stop at Caribbean Beach and the Boardwalk resorts, I arrived at Beach Club close to 11:15. As I was walking towards the front doors to the lobby, who should appear as if he jumped out of the bushes but Art, the Beach Club greeter! I don't have a photo of him uploaded, but I know many people have posted pics of him online. I swear, he just materialized out of nowhere, just behind the valet desk. I greeted Art and commented on the new signs directing the DVC members to check in at the DVC building's lobby instead of the Beach Club's lobby.
So I turned around and walked past the Ariel statue welcoming me home, and went to the world's tiniest check-in desk. I was able to arrange a printout of my dining plans, and I collected buttons for The Trio (Mom, Cari and Sharon) for when they arrive the following Tuesday night. They all had 1st Timer buttons, and I picked up a Happy Birthday button for Cari, as well.
The biggest surprise was that I had a gift waiting for me. It was a long, red rectangular box, and inside was a bottle of wine.
At first I thought it was part of one of my food and wine events I booked, but later, I did see the note inside from TDC Nala. Thanks, Catherine! Sorry I didn't notice there was a note inside the box sooner! I had the cast members store the box and my carry-on, and soon I was on my way to start my first day at WDW.
Next: More trip report from Thursday, October 11!
I started packing Tuesday night, knowing I'd finish most of the packing then, with some finishing touches Wednesday. I had to get up at the unforgivably early hour of 3:15am to get myself ready for a 4:30am pickup for O'Hare International Airport. Why is it that even though I knew I had all sorts of time, I always seem to scramble at the last minute to get my stuff together while the taxi driver waits a few minutes?
But I really was a bit early for my 6:30am flight. I had done my check-in the day before at work, so all I had to do was drop my bags at the special kiosk near Security and I'd be able to get to the gate. I must say that I love this feature, as the normal boarding pass/baggage check lines are always much longer. I didn't have to wait for the self-service kiosk, and I had used my pre-printed boarding pass and my ID to get me through Security.
Security noticed my driver's license was going to expire. Yes, next month on my birthday. It's nice to know the TSA are paying attention to expiration dates, I guess. I wore my hot pink Crocs because they were way easier to remove and put back on once I got through the checkpoint. Soon I was sitting at the gate, reading my book until boarding. I had been surprised that I had the entire row to myself, rather than being packed in like a sardine like the three people across from me. I'm surprised none of them asked to take my window seat. I would have had I been in Sardine Land.
I must say, the flight was uneventful, and we landed slightly early, around 10am. Soon I was on the "airport monorail" to the main terminal. This was my first time using Disney's Magical Express, and I was excited that I could go down to Ground Transportation with just my carry-on! I was a bit taken aback by the long lines in the switchback queue, but since the counter was staffed by at least a dozen agents, the line moved quickly. Soon I was directed to the "red carpet" and my next queue for the bus. After about 10 minutes, we boarded, and I found my first experience using DME to be painless and very efficient, leaving around 10:30am!
After a stop at Caribbean Beach and the Boardwalk resorts, I arrived at Beach Club close to 11:15. As I was walking towards the front doors to the lobby, who should appear as if he jumped out of the bushes but Art, the Beach Club greeter! I don't have a photo of him uploaded, but I know many people have posted pics of him online. I swear, he just materialized out of nowhere, just behind the valet desk. I greeted Art and commented on the new signs directing the DVC members to check in at the DVC building's lobby instead of the Beach Club's lobby.
So I turned around and walked past the Ariel statue welcoming me home, and went to the world's tiniest check-in desk. I was able to arrange a printout of my dining plans, and I collected buttons for The Trio (Mom, Cari and Sharon) for when they arrive the following Tuesday night. They all had 1st Timer buttons, and I picked up a Happy Birthday button for Cari, as well.
The biggest surprise was that I had a gift waiting for me. It was a long, red rectangular box, and inside was a bottle of wine.
At first I thought it was part of one of my food and wine events I booked, but later, I did see the note inside from TDC Nala. Thanks, Catherine! Sorry I didn't notice there was a note inside the box sooner!
I had the cast members store the box and my carry-on, and soon I was on my way to start my first day at WDW.Next: More trip report from Thursday, October 11!
whogirl'smom
<font color=royalblue>Any leftover grumpiness can
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2006
I've been looking forward to this ever since I noticed your sig picture when you named your report months ago! Glad I found it early...on with the show! (Our times overlapped; we were there 7th-14th!)
BriarRosie
<font color=blue>Creator of Tag Fairy Haiku:<br>Cl
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2002
I'm ready!!!
-Michelle
Heheh. I was just starting up when you crept into my report.
Thanks! I have lots of food photos, but somehow my camera either loves to overexpose the brightness, or when I try to compensate with other settings, it goes all blurry. Most of the pics came out ok, though.
I love being at BCV, especially during the F&WF. It was lucky I was so close, because there were a couple of events at the World Showplace (the building formerly known as Millennium Village) that I would have missed had I needed to catch a bus to Epcot.
Unfortunately the signature pic needed to be removed, because the webmasters seem to have modified the signature field while I was away. I couldn't figure out how to keep it and the rest of my signature, so I just placed the picture on my first post instead.
I'll update the rest of Day 1 later. All my trip notes and such are at home.
yearbook50
Mouseketeer<br><font color=darkorchid>I gave all o
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2006
Yay! You started.
Joining along.
Joining along.
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