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

The trip is going well! My husband PR'd his half marathon time which is awesome. He's going to wake up at 3AM tomorrow to do it all over again. Hopefully a PR again but he also wants to just have fun.
[QUOTE="Dis_Yoda, post: 60139700,


He PR'd his marathon as well so overall a good weekend for him! He's only really sore on his butt because he chaffed where his running shorts hit. Now he knows to put Body Glide there next year![/QUOTE]

Congrats Dis_hubby! So now I’m seriously gonna cry that we didn’t see each other! I was so nervous all weekend and thought maybe Sunday we’d run into each other! Next time! There’s always Star Wars weekend!!


Edit....I’m still learning how to multi quote on my phone! Lol
 
Congrats to your husband! That’s amazing!! Photopass never seems to get my Slinky Dog rides either. Either I didn’t know there was Solo stuff or I saw it before the movie. I liked the movie so may need to go back, if it’s still there. These days I need a reason to visit DHS... but know it won’t be that way for long!!

Yes! It is amazing! I'm super proud of him. They need to figure out the Photopass at Slinky Dog as its sad it doesn't work. I assume the Solo stuff will stay there for a bit until the next movie comes out unless they do some things from the new TV shows coming for their streaming service. We still love DHS but we also aren't people that stay in the parks for hours and hours so it works out.

Oooh I like the TSL Christmas decorations much better than the others. And that Birthday Stormtrooper is hilarious :D

Yes! The TSL Christmas decorations were nice! That birthday Stormtrooper could be yours for all of $850!

The alien Christmas balls, uh, ornaments are adorable.

They are!

Congrats Dis_hubby! So now I’m seriously gonna cry that we didn’t see each other! I was so nervous all weekend and thought maybe Sunday we’d run into each other! Next time! There’s always Star Wars weekend!!

Edit....I’m still learning how to multi quote on my phone! Lol

One of these days, we'll finally meet up! You should come to the Happy Hour meet ups during the race weekends. MY husband even came to the Marathon Weekend one but he was anti-social and stayed at his own table. I'm finally starting to plan that weekend now that Marathon is over.
 
Brown Derby Lunch

While we were waiting at Muppets to go into the show, my husband and I decided that we wanted lunch at The Brown Derby. I was able to make us reservations for 12:05PM which worked out perfectly for us! We got there right before their noon opening and checked in. It wasn’t long before we were brought to our table and reviewed the menu. Our server here was super friendly. It might be because we immediately ordered a bottle of wine & he realized we weren’t going to be thrown off by the prices of this place.

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Marsuret Prosecco

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Alien Likes Prosecco Too

The Brown Derby had a Street Character going around the room, talking loudly to all the guests. When he came up to us, he made a joke about how we must really enjoy vacation - we have the wine! And that we did. The prosecco was nice. My husband decided to educate me about Prosecco Labels and apparently this prosecco had the most prestigious status - DOCG. Only about 10/15% of the proseccos produced get that but as I haven’t met a prosecco I haven’t liked (well, at least once we get above the $10 range), it didn’t really matter to me much. Either way, I enjoyed the wine while we ate our bread and butter and watched the Street Character speak to other tables.

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DOCG Label

My husband had their beef burger which made me happy. You put fried egg on top of well seasoned meat patties and he’s content. It was gone in no time!

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Grilled Wagyu Beef Burger - Gruyere, Pastrami, Fried Egg, Toasted Brioche, Hand-Cut Steak Fries

I’m sure no one is shocked that I had shrimp. It was the theme of the trip (nor is it the last shrimp of the trip) They were well seasoned and I really enjoyed the grits. There was no problem becoming a clean plate club member here!

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Shrimp & Grits - Andouille-crusted Shrimp, Costwald Chive & Onion Grits, Poblano Cream Sauce, Mango Pico de Gallo

We skipped dessert but I had an alcoholic coffee beverage. It was the last day of vacation so we were going to go out in style!

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Cafe Henry III - Brandy, Kahlua, Grand Marnier and Galliano (I think - I could be wrong)

After our meal, I decided I wanted to try to get a shirt I passed up earlier so he headed back to the room at the Boardwalk whereas I headed back to Sunset Blvd. Sadly, they were out of the Spirit Jersey in the two sizes I would comfortably wear but they told me I could try at Animal Kingdom later.

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Shirt

I headed out after getting more looks from creepy Christmas Children and decided to take the boat back as I didn’t feel like doing the walk back to the hotel.

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Christmas Children

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Mickey

On the bus, I scored us some great fastpasses to enjoy at the Animal Kingdom later that afternoon!

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Flights of Passage FP+

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Flowers Outside Art Store

Back at the room, I took an hour long power nap before we had our last adventure of the trip!
 


I love Brown Derby!! One of my must do’s. I had the burger last time too and loved it ... but 4 fries? Artfully arranged but FOUR?!?! Come on. That annoyed me. I didn’t need a bowl of them (although...) but they looked so pitiful on the plate. I don’t much care for the streetmosphere in the restaurant but they are good about reading tables and either leave me alone or quickly move on. Love a good prosecco. I’m really impressed by all your husband has learned with his “new” job... sounds like they do a good job with training! And you get to reap the benefits!! Sad to see your trip winding down.
 
One of these days, we'll finally meet up! You should come to the Happy Hour meet ups during the race weekends. MY husband even came to the Marathon Weekend one but he was anti-social and stayed at his own table. I'm finally starting to plan that weekend now that Marathon is over.
I went to HH last year but this years plans changed and it didn’t work out. I did get to meet up with Mrs goofy at DATW though so that was fun!

Lunch looks great and I love the spirit jersey! I still haven’t been on FOP!!
 


Aw, Brown Derby! Definitely one of our faves. Your husband's burger looks really good.

Awesome FP score!! :)

(also i'm deliberately ignoring those creepy Christmas kids)
 
We're planning a F&W trip in 2019 and it will be our first trip during this time period. Can you tell me how crowded you found the other parks to be? I expect Epcot to be nuts but did the crowds carry over into the other three as well. We're going mid-October. Thanks.
 
Looks like you all had a great meal at Brown Derby. We had a terrible experience eons ago and I haven't been able to get Jason back, but I keep trying to tempt him with the burger your hubby had. So far no luck, but I keep trying :P

Awesome score on FOP! I totally feel like I won the jackpot on the slots when I can pull a FP like that.
 
I love Brown Derby!! One of my must do’s. I had the burger last time too and loved it ... but 4 fries? Artfully arranged but FOUR?!?! Come on. That annoyed me. I didn’t need a bowl of them (although...) but they looked so pitiful on the plate. I don’t much care for the streetmosphere in the restaurant but they are good about reading tables and either leave me alone or quickly move on. Love a good prosecco. I’m really impressed by all your husband has learned with his “new” job... sounds like they do a good job with training! And you get to reap the benefits!! Sad to see your trip winding down.

I ended up missing Brown Derby this past trip after our horrible service at Sci-Fi but that food was good so that made it ok. Made me glad we didn't have TIW so I could tip accordingly.

As it was towards the end of the trip, I think my husband was ok with the lack of fries as we had a lot of food this trip. He has learned a ton during training! It was a wonderfully long relaxing vacation.

Your lunch looks good!

It was good! Its a solid spot for us at Hollywood Studios.

I went to HH last year but this years plans changed and it didn’t work out. I did get to meet up with Mrs goofy at DATW though so that was fun!

Lunch looks great and I love the spirit jersey! I still haven’t been on FOP!!

Aww! That's too bad you had a change of plans. Yay for running into Mrs Goofy! I love her :). I'm sad I had to miss the DATW! You need to fix that about FOP!

Aw, Brown Derby! Definitely one of our faves. Your husband's burger looks really good.

Awesome FP score!! :)

(also i'm deliberately ignoring those creepy Christmas kids)

It is super yum! It is our safest bet at Hollywood Studios.

We're planning a F&W trip in 2019 and it will be our first trip during this time period. Can you tell me how crowded you found the other parks to be? I expect Epcot to be nuts but did the crowds carry over into the other three as well. We're going mid-October. Thanks.

It will be crowded but manageable. I find avoiding the EMH parks & getting there at opening to work to our advantage if we want to avoid crowds. I have my FP+ planned that I use as well.

Looks like you all had a great meal at Brown Derby. We had a terrible experience eons ago and I haven't been able to get Jason back, but I keep trying to tempt him with the burger your hubby had. So far no luck, but I keep trying :P

Awesome score on FOP! I totally feel like I won the jackpot on the slots when I can pull a FP like that.

We did have a great meal! I hope you can get him to go back. We had issues years ago as well back in 2006 during my husband's first trip there but I got him to go back eventually! Well worth it!

It did feel like a jackpot! I was super happy.
 
Savoring The Last Moments

We woke up from our nap and headed to the bus stop. We made it just enough time to catch the bus so I’m glad the timing worked out in our favor.

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Bus Screenshot

We saw their Christmas Tree and headed straight to Pandora so we could get our ride in before our event.

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Christmas Tree

Flights of Passage is handing out Caution Papers now although I don’t find this ride more intense than many of the other rides but oh well. We didn’t have too long before we were linked up to our banshees and flying through the sky in Pandora. While I would never wait that insane wait for it, I will gladly always enjoy it with FP+.

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Link Pass

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Pre-Show Room 1

We headed to Africa where we visited the Check In Desk for our tour and had a bit of time to kill before it would start. I headed to the shop while my husband used the restroom.

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I need this shirt

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Animal Tours

Right at 5PM, we were allowed into the waiting area for the tour. This little outcove is between the standby line and fastpass line for the Safari ride. Our guide poured us some POG juice while we waited for it to begin. 2 other couples were there already but I ended up annoyed at one of the other parties as there are only 3 benches in this area. She and her husband took over 2 of them because she parked her EVC in front of one of them while her husband spread out on the second. Rude! So we stood while we enjoyed our juice and they never got a clue.

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POG Juice

After introductions from our guide, we were told it would just the three parties this evening. We headed over to Rafiki’s Planet Watch (RIP) to board our special vehicle that would take us on the safari ride. The signage had not yet been removed at this time.

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Planet Watch

While on the savannah, we took the normal path up until a certain point where we pulled to the side where a cast member was preparing dinner for the animals. We were talked to about how they just let a young Ekland onto the Savannah at this time which is why all the canvas fencing was around. It allowed for the young animal to learn its boundaries around the attraction. She talked about their feeding habits and how they assign a 24 hour crew to watch newly added animals to the attraction for at least a week to make sure they are integrated well. This is why we saw another truck near the young Ekland.

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We moved along the path towards where the Giraffes were playing. Here a young giraffe was having fun being silly trying to get their mother’s attention. As it was all adults, we had a very open conversation about the teenage giraffes we saw towards the entry/exit path for the animals as they were in full puberty mode fighting for dominance. If they wouldn’t work out their differences, one of them would be relocated eventually.

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After our time with the giraffes, we headed to the overlook platform. This platform is what is used for other tours like Wild Africa Trek for the snack point. There was a spread of various appetizers and desserts along with 2 beers, 4 wines, juice and water available for us to enjoy. It was nice to have a lighter option for dinner after such a food heavy trip. I really enjoyed the cheese, the shrimp (the last shrimp of the trip), prosciutto and the smores in the small metal tin. If something ran out, they magically appeared again but as there was only 6 of us, the only thing that had to be refilled by the pita bread and edamame but that is good to know in case of a larger group.

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Side One Of Spread - Nuts, Cheese, Jerky, Pita Bread, Hummus, Fruit and Fruit Spread

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Side Two of Spread - Prosciutto, Edamame, Cilantro Shrimp, Couscous, Fruit

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Top of Spread - Strawberry Cheesecake, Magic Bars, Smores

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Casa Beer, Tusker Beer, The Den Chenin Blanc, The Game Reserve Chardonnay, The Den Pinotage, The Game Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

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Smores

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Lion Print

Along the platform, there was an extension over to where the rhinos hang out and if it wasn’t dark, we could usually see/hear the lions as well. As the sun had set, we didn’t get much visibility. Overall, we were on the platform for about an hour.

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After that time, we went back on the special safari vehicle and continued along the normal safari ride path. The ride was closed at this point from day guests. Once back at the front of the attraction, we were given a souvenir and headed out of the park.

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Favors - Savor The Savannah Coasters

Back at the room, we finished all the packing except for a few things we would need in the morning and got it set up in the front of the hotel room.

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Good Night Shot @ EPCOT
 
Right at 5PM, we were allowed into the waiting area for the tour. This little outcove is between the standby line and fastpass line for the Safari ride. Our guide poured us some POG juice while we waited for it to begin. 2 other couples were there already but I ended up annoyed at one of the other parties as there are only 3 benches in this area. She and her husband took over 2 of them because she parked her EVC in front of one of them while her husband spread out on the second. Rude! So we stood while we enjoyed our juice and they never got a clue.
Goooood grief some people have NO situational awareness. So frustrating. People do that at Costco near me and it drives me absolutely insane.

After our time with the giraffes, we headed to the overlook platform. This platform is what is used for other tours like Wild Africa Trek for the snack point. There was a spread of various appetizers and desserts along with 2 beers, 4 wines, juice and water available for us to enjoy. It was nice to have a lighter option for dinner after such a food heavy trip. I really enjoyed the cheese, the shrimp (the last shrimp of the trip), prosciutto and the smores in the small metal tin. If something ran out, they magically appeared again but as there was only 6 of us, the only thing that had to be refilled by the pita bread and edamame but that is good to know in case of a larger group.
YUM! That food looks delicious.

Sounds like a great tour--those favors are cute too!
 
Fun tour, yummy food and cute souvenirs! We did the sunrise safari a few years ago. I think it was only offered to club level guests and a buffet at pizzafari was offered after. Sounds similar. Ugh to clueless people omg makes me so mad!!
 
Did you feel the cost of the event/tour was worth it? I'm a little underwhelmed by the food spread.
 
Wow, what an amazing tour!!!!! Looks like it is definitely a step up from the normal wild trek. Did they offer an annual pass discount for it?
 
Goooood grief some people have NO situational awareness. So frustrating. People do that at Costco near me and it drives me absolutely insane.

YUM! That food looks delicious.

Sounds like a great tour--those favors are cute too!

You are right! I'm used to the lack of situational awareness around Naples because of the rich seasonal residents here. It was a great tour that was relaxing for wrapping up the trip. Loved the foods.

Fun tour, yummy food and cute souvenirs! We did the sunrise safari a few years ago. I think it was only offered to club level guests and a buffet at pizzafari was offered after. Sounds similar. Ugh to clueless people omg makes me so mad!!

It was a great tour! We never did the sunrise safari as we're usually up running that early in the morning! They have so many fun options of tours offered to AKL guests! We really need to take advantage of more of them.

Did you feel the cost of the event/tour was worth it? I'm a little underwhelmed by the food spread.

The food was more than enough to fill us up for dinner. Prosciutto & Shrimp are two of my favorites! We found it worth it to us but I worth is hard thing to quantify. We found it to be worth it for the the combination of food, wine, and safari ride. If we were worried about a strict budget, that worth might be different.

Wow, what an amazing tour!!!!! Looks like it is definitely a step up from the normal wild trek. Did they offer an annual pass discount for it?

It was a nice step up! They do have AP/DVC discounts on the tour which made this around $300 for the two of us.
 
Goodbye

If you thought I would have at least one day of this vacation where I could sleep in, you would be wrong. I was very glad to know I had Veteran’s Day off at work as I finally got my chance to sleep in to at least 8am. It was glorious. But this time was woke up at 5:30AM and I gave my husband the look. All of you in a long term relationship know that look I’m talking about. He stated he would drive home even though he drove up as a way to get us on the road home earlier. We got all our luggage together so that we could manage it on our own and not call bell services. It was a bit of a puzzle but we made it work. As the cooler was pretty empty now, we put a lot of the souvenirs in there to help reduce the baggage.

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All packed up

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Stitch Saying Goodbye

We loaded up the truck and I hopped in the passenger seat. We had to pull over before leaving Disney as my husband’s phone fell and he needed to be able to switch his podcasts. The one disadvantage to the truck since it is a lot hard to get things when they fall!

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Last Sign of Disney

The drive home was mostly uneventful but took longer than planned as there were two car wrecks along I-4 but that’s I-4 for you! We made up a bit of the time though and were home by 9:30 and unpacked. Luckily, I didn’t have a ton of laundry to do but I started the one load we had from the past couple of days and put away everything else. Then it was time to pick up the puppies from the kennel and like that, we were back to real life!​
 
Wow, the safari event sounds awesome. I’ve been wondering about that one as well as the one at AKL. I think the latter may involve a full dinner but I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll just try both! The coasters are a cute favor. Up at 5:30 to head home?!?! I’d have given “the look” too. Probably with some choice words as narration. But there is something to be said for getting home, laundry started and, of course, seeing the pups! Thanks for sharing your trip with us!
 
Another great report as always!!! Though I think I'd have to hurt Jason if he wanted to leave that early in the morning. Now I'm all for wanting to get to Disney as early as possible, but I wanna leave as late as we can!
 

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