A Salute to Food & Wine but Mostly Wine..12/21 FINAL THOUGHTS...a Solo Trip Adventure

[MomofCKJ]

Thanks for the DL pictures! I went with my grandparents when I was 9 or 10. I don't remember all that much of it, just snippets, so it is fun to see your pics!

And please tell me that no filet story is a bad April Fool's joke. I remember seeing something about it too on a post but couldn't believe it would be true. Filet is usually the only steak I order. That would be a big bummer.

Allyson

 

[2xcited2sleep]

So I'm in that weird pre-trip stage where there's not a lot to do. ADR's are made, itinerary pretty well set and yes, Quacktatty it IS too soon to pack! I'm also having some internal debate about a solo trip and whether it will be what I want it to be. And to top it all off, not sure if any of you have perused the Food and Wine thread on the restaurant board but for the most part there seems to be a consensus that the festival ain't what it used to be. I'm trying not to let that get to me. And I have to be honest... a foodie I am not. If they serve me an adult beverage and something fried or chocolate at every stand then I'll be just fine. But reading all that does make me wonder if it is possible to learn/research too much for a WDW trip????

I've been feeling a bit out of control in all aspects of my life and when that happens I make lists. Yes, LL, lists. See, you knew you liked me.

Things I need to do before WDW
*Convert Disney visa reward $ to a gift card. I have ~$125 -- that should hold me for an afternoon at least! Any visa holders out there? How far in advance should I order the gift card?
*Cash in loose change at the grocery store machine (too lazy for rolling coins!). Hopefully this will be another ~$50 in spending money!
*Figure out what bag I'm going to carry in the parks!! I have a Kate Spade backpack but I don't think it's going to do the job. I hear a lot about the Baggalini (sp?) on the boards. And of course there is my beloved Vera B.
* Call Disney to add my flight info for Magical Express. Yep - I'm trying it. Hopefully it works smoothly. It did for me back in '06 but again in that category of possibly learning too much there seem to be a lot of negative opinions out there!
* Footwear. I need to find a new sneaker. I am a flip flop lover and have at least 12 different kinds of flips but for whatever reason I can't wear these in the parks. I need a nice light weight sneaker.
*Memory card(s) for the camera. I am a picture taking machine. We're talking hundreds of pictures. How many memory cards will I need?
* Order case of bottled water to be delivered to resort


And some lists for once I'm there...

Must-do's in the MK
*POC - I have only seen the Captain Jack updates in California so am looking forward to them here
*Haunted Mansion - again looking forward to updates
*Jungle Cruise - during the day AND at night, which I hear is a very different experience
* Strolling and shopping along Main Street
*TTA (or whatever it is called). I know... nerd alert!!
* Hall of Presidents ... double nerd alert!! But I haven't seen this in a good 15 years and it's about to go down for an extended rehab
*Dole Whip!
*Figaro Fries in Pinnochio's Village Haus. Have you heard of these? I love my fries so I'm looking forward to them even though I guess they have changed a little bit recently
*Snow White's SCARY Adventure. True confession - I still think it's a bit scary! Apparently that was the first ride my poor parents took me on way back in the early '70's and I screamed bloody murder and demanded to go home immediately. Luckily I got over it!
*Swiss Family Treehouse... sentimental favorite. Sue me.
* Toon town... believe it or not I've never been!
*Wishes
* Kiss Goodnight? Maybe?
*MNSSHP


EPCOT
* Spaceship Earth updates
*Nemo ride
*Soarin -- I'm going to ask for the top row
*The Land. For some reason I'm just fascinated by this ride. Can't keep a plant alive no matter how hard I try but am still fascinated!
* Epcot 25 retrospective? Not sure if this exhibit is still up but if it is, I would love to check it out!
*Mission Space -- the chicken version, of course!
*Grand Fiesta Tour - haven't seen the updates
* New Canada film
* And of course all of the yummy treats that go with a tour around World Showcase. I'm looking forward to taking my time browsing the shops, seeing the movies and people watching!!

Studios
*Muppets. How I love the Muppets!
*Star Tours - I am such a geek
*Tune In Lounge
* One Man's Dream

I think that may be it for must do's at the Studios. I know... no thrill rides... blasphemy. In addition to being a mega-nerd I am a BIG chicken!

Animal Kingdom
*Safari. I love this. If you ever have the chance to do the backstage safari tour, I highly recommend it!
* Nemo show?
* Dinosaur? Not sure on this one. Went on it in '06 not knowing what it was really and it scared the you know what out of me!! But in a good way... I think.
* Shopping - never really looked around here and it sounds like there are lots of spots to check out
*Paths around the Tree of Life
* It's tough to be a bug


Whew! That's a lot. I feel better now. Excitement restored. 60 days to go...

 

[Quacktatty]

I think I am suffering from over planning syndrome too. I have had everything done for a while now and even minor changes stress me out. I'm so obsessed that I even picked out my clothes and took pictures of the outfits yesterday, sad sad sad!

Thanks for reminding me I need to cash my change in! I've got a big bag of nickles, dimes and pennies (gotta use the quarters for laundry ) to bring to Stop and Shop sometime soon.

Are you morally opposed to crocs? I find them great for walking around and especially standing in line. I stood in line for an hour and 20 minutes yesterday at Old Navy, don't ask, and my feet didn't hurt at all. It was good WDW practice!

One thought on the Swiss Family Treehouse, last year I grabbed a Dole Whip Float right before I headed on the attraction and it took me the exact same amount of time to walk through as it did to eat my Dole Whip Float!

I wouldn't worry too much about what other people are saying about F&W. You will for sure find something you like at a lot of the booths. I'm a pretty picky eater and looking at the menus from past years there was a lot that I would have enjoyed.

 

[Lady Lallie]

Oh, lists! How I love thee!

Wonderful lists. Wonderful plans! I think you will have a great time not matter how F&W is going to be. I had the same pretrip low a few weeks ago.

 

[nts4wdw]

Love the list! Gotta to sit with Chuck and make a December list!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

And to top it all off, not sure if any of you have perused the Food and Wine thread on the restaurant board but for the most part there seems to be a consensus that the festival ain't what it used to be. I'm trying not to let that get to me. And I have to be honest... a foodie I am not. If they serve me an adult beverage and something fried or chocolate at every stand then I'll be just fine. But reading all that does make me wonder if it is possible to learn/research too much for a WDW trip????

I have been reading that thread, too, and I must say that all the disappointment being voiced there kind of turned me off the whole Food and Wine thing. Then I had to tell myself the same things that you told yourself! It will be fun, it's new and different, and it's Disney. It's bound to be fun!

I think that may be it for must do's at the Studios. I know... no thrill rides... blasphemy. In addition to being a mega-nerd I am a BIG chicken!

Mega-nerd and ride chicken here, also!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Are you morally opposed to crocs? I find them great for walking around and especially standing in line. I stood in line for an hour and 20 minutes yesterday at Old Navy, don't ask, and my feet didn't hurt at all. It was good WDW practice!

Not morally opposed at all! In fact one of my dubious Disney purchases (you know those things that you buy that seem perfectly reasonable while at Disney but suddenly seem a bit too nerdy in the real world) were some bright red Mickey crocs with the holes as Mickey heads. And of course I bought some of the doo-hickeys to go in the holes ... jibbitz, I think? Thanks for reminding me I had these!

One thought on the Swiss Family Treehouse, last year I grabbed a Dole Whip Float right before I headed on the attraction and it took me the exact same amount of time to walk through as it did to eat my Dole Whip Float!

Ooooh... good tip!!

I wouldn't worry too much about what other people are saying about F&W. You will for sure find something you like at a lot of the booths. I'm a pretty picky eater and looking at the menus from past years there was a lot that I would have enjoyed.

Thanks. I'm not going to worry. It's just a bit of a bummer being so excited for my first visit to F&W to see all the posts about how it's a shell of it's former self. Party poopers! But I suppose I'd rather have more info than less and of course everyone is entitled to their opinions. And what do I know... I've never been there!

Oh, lists! How I love thee!

Wonderful lists. Wonderful plans! I think you will have a great time not matter how F&W is going to be. I had the same pretrip low a few weeks ago.

I think I will have a great time too, thanks! And I KNOW you will! It's so good to know that there are other DIS'ers that go thru these stages. Because the people in my real life are convinced I am a nut case!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Love the list! Gotta to sit with Chuck and make a December list!!

I am ~90% sure that I'm going for Mousefest too!!!!!! What's on your Dec list? Other than meeting me?

I have been reading that thread, too, and I must say that all the disappointment being voiced there kind of turned me off the whole Food and Wine thing. Then I had to tell myself the same things that you told yourself! It will be fun, it's new and different, and it's Disney. It's bound to be fun!



Mega-nerd and ride chicken here, also!

Nerds and chickens unite! So are you still thinking about an October trip?

 

[Charleston Princess]

Nerds and chickens unite! So are you still thinking about an October trip?

Still thinking, but thinking is all it is at this point. Some minutes I am ready to go, and then in the next minute I am deciding not to go and using the money to stay at AKL. It's a vicious circle.

 

[nts4wdw]

I am ~90% sure that I'm going for Mousefest too!!!!!! What's on your Dec list? Other than meeting me?

Meeting you will definitely be on the list!!! 90% is good odds! I am excited to see you!!

The next most exciting thing on my list is our romantic dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table. Do you think there is any way I could convince Chuck to propose.....again?

 

[LegoMom3]

Great installment! Fellow Double-nerd here, too. Love the WEDWay (it will always and forever be known by that to me... ).

Of all the MK things to do after dark, Jungle Cruise is NOT one that occured to me!! Will have to try that!

Don't worry too much about Magical Express. I think the complaints are from control-freaks who should never have handed over their transportation needs to someone else in the first place! We've used it and we love it.

Love the lists! That's something new for me, by the way....

And speaking of.....

Oh, lists! How I love thee!

Wonderful lists. Wonderful plans! I think you will have a great time not matter how F&W is going to be. I had the same pretrip low a few weeks ago.

Hey Lal!! Fancy seeing you here! You can sniff out a list miles away, can't you?!!


.

 

[ILuvCrush]

I have been reading that thread, too, and I must say that all the disappointment being voiced there kind of turned me off the whole Food and Wine thing. Then I had to tell myself the same things that you told yourself! It will be fun, it's new and different, and it's Disney. It's bound to be fun!

I TOTALLY agree!!!...You've never been there before, so this is only wha t YOU make of it, there's no point in comparing it to a F&W that you've never been to before!!

We were there during F&W in Nov 06... LAst weekend....we didn't even TRY anything!! We were there with the kids, and they weren't interested in trying a bunch of ethnic foods...so in Oct when I go, I'm looking at it as MY 1st time and i plan to take it on it's own merrits..not what somebody else on another board says.

Like you said...Its DISNEY!! It will be fun regardless!!

paula

 

[ILuvCrush]

I stood in line for an hour and 20 minutes yesterday at Old Navy, don't ask, and my feet didn't hurt at all. It was good WDW practice!

Everytime i get stuck in the mile and a half long line at walmart...I tell myself..."think of it as practice for WDW!!"

 

[nts4wdw]

Everytime i get stuck in the mile and a half long line at walmart...I tell myself..."think of it as practice for WDW!!"

I gotta remember that!!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Still thinking, but thinking is all it is at this point. Some minutes I am ready to go, and then in the next minute I am deciding not to go and using the money to stay at AKL. It's a vicious circle.

A vicious cycle indeed. If only we were independently wealthy. Or lived at WDW. On that note I've even started peeking at their job openings but nothing yet has caught my eye.

Meeting you will definitely be on the list!!! 90% is good odds! I am excited to see you!!

The next most exciting thing on my list is our romantic dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table. Do you think there is any way I could convince Chuck to propose.....again?

A romantic dinner sounds lovely (for you two.. I won't join you... I promise!). You could always renew your vows? Or just tell the server that you're celebrating an anniversary.

Great installment! Fellow Double-nerd here, too. Love the WEDWay (it will always and forever be known by that to me... ).

The Wedway... that is the proper name! I just couldn't think of it. I hear that is good at night too!

Thanks for the reassurance on Magical Express!

I TOTALLY agree!!!...You've never been there before, so this is only wha t YOU make of it, there's no point in comparing it to a F&W that you've never been to before!!

We were there during F&W in Nov 06... LAst weekend....we didn't even TRY anything!! We were there with the kids, and they weren't interested in trying a bunch of ethnic foods...so in Oct when I go, I'm looking at it as MY 1st time and i plan to take it on it's own merrits..not what somebody else on another board says.

Like you said...Its DISNEY!! It will be fun regardless!!

paula

Thanks. Like I said I'm really not fussy and am decidely NOT a gourmet. I wasn't interested in the special events anyway and think that walking around worldshowcase eating and drinking even without the special booths sounds like heaven!

Everytime i get stuck in the mile and a half long line at walmart...I tell myself..."think of it as practice for WDW!!"

I will have to keep that in mind. BTW, Quacktatty, I do have to ask... what on earth kept you in line for > 1hour at Old Navy???

 

[Lady Lallie]

Love the lists! That's something new for me, by the way....

And speaking of.....



Hey Lal!! Fancy seeing you here! You can sniff out a list miles away, can't you?!!


.

Who? Me?

 

[Quacktatty]

BTW, Quacktatty, I do have to ask... what on earth kept you in line for > 1hour at Old Navy???

Haha...I told you not to ask!!!

I went to buy some last minute stuff for my trip - a pair of shorts and two shirts. The place was packed, apparently I decided to visit on $12 jeans day. It was totally nuts!!! But I refused to leave because I got the only pair of shorts that I liked in the whole store and I wasn't going to risk them not being there if I went back the next day. I called it Disney training.

 

[askelton]

And to top it all off, not sure if any of you have perused the Food and Wine thread on the restaurant board but for the most part there seems to be a consensus that the festival ain't what it used to be. I'm trying not to let that get to me. And I have to be honest... a foodie I am not. If they serve me an adult beverage and something fried or chocolate at every stand then I'll be just fine.

We've been to F & W for the past several years and although we're not foodies either, we have tried many things that we probably would have not tried otherwise. Who knew I liked escargot?

*Figure out what bag I'm going to carry in the parks!! I have a Kate Spade backpack but I don't think it's going to do the job. I hear a lot about the Baggalini (sp?) on the boards. And of course there is my beloved Vera B.

I have a Baggalili and I like that it holds a lot, but I prefer something much smaller (a Vera but I can't remember the style) to hold phone, camera, death ID, etc.

* Footwear. I need to find a new sneaker. I am a flip flop lover and have at least 12 different kinds of flips but for whatever reason I can't wear these in the parks. I need a nice light weight sneaker.

I love my Crocs Athens! I wear flip flops all the time and tennis shoes make my feet too hot.

*Figaro Fries in Pinnochio's Village Haus. Have you heard of these? I love my fries so I'm looking forward to them even though I guess they have changed a little bit recently

I might have heard they don't have these anymore but don't quote me.

* And of course all of the yummy treats that go with a tour around World Showcase. I'm looking forward to taking my time browsing the shops, seeing the movies and people watching!!

Gery Goose Slushy in France!

*Muppets. How I love the Muppets!

Me too!

I think that may be it for must do's at the Studios. I know... no thrill rides... blasphemy.

No way!

* Nemo show?

Pretty cool if you have time.

Try raspberry tea from the tea cart. It's not too sweet and very refreshing!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I have a Baggalili and I like that it holds a lot, but I prefer something much smaller (a Vera but I can't remember the style) to hold phone, camera, death ID, etc.

Thanks. I'm leaning in the Vera direction...

I love my Crocs Athens! I wear flip flops all the time and tennis shoes make my feet too hot.

I will check these out!

Gery Goose Slushy in France!

I'm thinking Grand Marnier slushie but perhaps I should get both for a side by side taste test!

No way!

Way! Total nerd and chicken here. And I wonder why I'm still single!

Try raspberry tea from the tea cart. It's not too sweet and very refreshing!

Thanks. I've added this to the list. Sounds yummy!!

 

[ILuvCrush]

I have a little vera hipster...that is great for the parks...except I can't fit my big ol DSLR camera in it