Abby and Estelle's Birthday Wish: A Food-Centered Disney Trip!

[cbg1027]

Hello DISers!
I've decided to try this whole trip report thing, so without further adieu, I present...

Abby and Estelle's Birthday Wish: A Food-Centered Disney Trip!

I'm Abby. I'm a 24 year old college student who has always had a love of all things Disney. It's just gotten a little worse recently - I blame the DIS Boards in part!

Estelle is my maternal Grandmother. She's 80, but she doesn't act like it - and I'm so glad. She wouldn't be caught dead baking cookies, and she doesn't really cook at all. Not your typical grandma and I like it that way! I'll be referring to her as Gram.

I tried to convince Gram to let me take her to Europe last year. She used to go once a year...until she ran out of money. She said she didn't plan to live this long so she spent all her retirement money already! Well, Gram is pretty stubborn about things, and wasn't liking the idea of me paying her way in Europe since that would be big bucks. She's always lamenting how she wishes she was rich so she could "be a better a Grandma".

Well, I came up with a trip to Disney as an alternative. It wasn't nearly as expensive because we live in Florida and Disney is an easy 4 hour drive. So we ended up going in March/April earlier this year, and yes, she let me pay. I got really sick towards the end of our trip though, so we missed a lot.

I came up with the idea of going for our birthdays. Mine is Oct 27 and hers is Nov 2. I'm not paying for her this time, but we're taking advantage of the free Birthday promotion. They have an even sweeter deal for FL Residents - get a 3 day pass for $55 bucks when one of those days falls on your actual birthday! Pair that with my 40% room discount PIN, and even my frugal Jewish Gram couldn't say no!

Neither one of us like to pose for photos, but I caught a few on last trip, so you can put some faces with the trip report.

We both love food and love to eat. Part of our love of traveling the globe. So it couldn't be more perfect that our trip coincides with the Epcot Food and Wine Festival!

We have a reservation for a standard room at POP Century. We've stayed at ASMo twice so we kind of know what to expect, but I'm excited about a different theme and location. I called today and requested a room in the 50's buildings because I think that will appeal to Gram the most.

The plan is to drive down to Disney after I get out of class at 2:15 on Friday Oct 30. Since we're getting a late start and don't want to be rushed, I skipped making a dinner ADR for that day. My plan to check in at POP and then head to DTD. I bought a FL Resident Seasonal Pass that I need to pick up and want to buy TIW. I'm hoping we will be able to go to Wolfgang Puck Express for dinner. We went there once in 2000, so I don't really remember it, but the menu sounds good, and we don't need an ADR there, so it seemed like a good dinner option.

I'll fill you in our planned itinerary in the next post!

 

[Brave teacher]

I'm in! It's pretty cool that you travel wiith your grandmother. I can't wait to hear about your plans.

 

[cbg1027]

I've already been planning this trip for 6 weeks, so a lot of stuff is decided on and set up.

It's funny how traits are passed from one generation to another yet skip some. My grandmother is a pretty flexible and easy to please person. She likes to plan things, but she's no where near as OCD about things as my mother (her daughter) and me. So Gram makes a wonderful travel companion for me since she's happy to just sit back and let be tour director!

Since I have so many details already worked out, I think I will post my itinerary 1 day per post.

So for Friday Oct 30 -
I get out of class at 2:15. I'll pick Gram up and we'll hopefully get on the road by 3:30. It's 4.5 hours to Disney if Gram drives, but only 4 if I drive. So guess who does the driving on the way there. Funny thing is, she always tells me how great of a driver I am and how she can't stand riding with my mother or sister. Maybe she just can't see the speedometer in my car from the passenger seat.

Gram has a serious addiction to Diet Coke, and it's a lot cheaper when we bring our own. We don't carry it in to the parks, but we will both drink it with breakfast or anytime we need a pick-me-up. There's a running joke in my family that advil and a coke can cure any ailment. Last time, we brought a cooler and just kept replenishing it with ice from the machine in the hall. So I was happy when I joined the DIS and learned about fridge swaps and was able to find one with dates open for our stay. Many thanks to the Under-POP-ulated Fridge Swap!

So once we check in and get our fridge set up, we'll probably take the car to DTD.
I purchased a FL Resident Seasonal Pass, but just have the exchange certificate. So I want to go to Guest Services at DTD and get my pass and purchase TIW. We'll also pick up Gram's 3 day pass then. I wanted to do this on Friday so we don't waste time at the park doing it the next morning.

I didn't make a dinner ADR for this day because we don't want to feel rushed about getting there. Plus, we're trying to keep this trip on the cheap side, so eating at mostly CS places is going to work better for that.

I was originally thinking we'd eat at the POP food court for dinner. But since we're going to DTD anyways, I decided we need to try Wolfgang Puck Express for dinner! The menu sounds really yummy, and I like the prices. Let me know if you've eaten there and what you thought of it! I think we actually ate there in 2000 on a family trip, but I dont really remember it, so it will be pretty new to us.

Oh this would be a good time to tell you about Gram's dietary restrictions and our eating habits in general.

So as for me, I am extremely adventurous when it comes to food and will try almost anything once. I have not come across any menus for a place at Disney with something I wouldn't be willing to sample. My favorite cuisines are French, Italian, Thai, and Middle Eastern. Compared to most people, I have eaten some strange things. My mother is a really fabulous cook, so I was exposed to a lot of "different" foods at a young age and have always been a pretty daring eater.
The only stuff I've ever come across that I just plain don't like is Japanese. And it's not the raw aspect of it - I love carpaccios, tartares, and a nice rare steak. But something with Japanese flavors just doesn't do anything for me.

As for Gram, she's not quite as adventurous as me. She's by no means picky, but she isn't a fan of any Asian cuisines, and doesn't like spicy food. Her favorite cuisine is definitely Italian - she even went so far as to marry an Italian (my Grandfather, he died before I was born).
Gram has somewhat of a lactose intolerance. She can't have milk, cream, or soft, young cheeses (like ricotta) or items made with them. But she is fine with butter, medium (cheddar) or hard cheeses (parmesan, pecorino and the like). She can have goat or sheep milk products because they don't contain lactose.

We'll go back to POP after dinner and try to get a lot of sleep before our first day the parks!

 

[cbg1027]

For Oct 31 we're going to Epcot.

Since I like the thrill rides and Gram doesn't, I will probably take the bus to arrive for 9am rope drop. Gram will probably take the bus and meet me around 10 or so.

I plan to go ride Soarin', Test Track, and Mission Space first thing and then I'll meet her for a couple more rides in Future World. As soon as World Showcase opens at 11 we plan to begin our "glutton's tour of the world". We'll hit up the food kiosks along the front edge of the lagoon and "graze" until it's time for a very special occasion.

What could this occasion be you ask?
One of the culinary demostrations - featuring Andrew Zimmern of the Travel Channel shows "Bizarre Foods" and "Bizarre Worlds".
I am a HUGE fan of his and always watch the shows. He is a super adventerous guy. As the name of "Bizarre Foods" might imply, this guy will eat ANTHING. He recently had his first book published. My copy just arrived yesterday and I wanted to read it before the demo, but I also ordered a Walt Disney Biography, and decided to go with that first. I think Mr. Zimmern will still be willing to sign my book though.

I am sort of mad that Disney is now charging for the demos, but at the same time, $8 to see Andrew Zimmern and taste something he cooks seems more than worth it to me. I keep wondering what he's going to cook though...will it be "normal" food? I told my Gram that I hope she likes crispy fried ants.

Depending on how tired we are after the demo, we may or may not go back to POP for a nap. If we don't, we plan to do more "grazing" at the F&W kiosks.

For dinner this night, I've booked us an 8:20 ADR at Kouzzina. As soon as I heard about it I wanted to try it. I love Greek food and the menu items sound delicious. I've been a little nervous about because of the mixed reviews on the boards, but like any place, I'm not going to knock it til I've tried it for myself.

Gram is looking forward to it as well. Usually, Greek cuisine doesn't use many cow milk products - their cheeses are made from sheep or goat milk. So she's hoping they use real Greek cheeses here so she can get a cheese fix!

 

[cbg1027]

On Sun Nov 1, we plan to hit AK. We've both been twice before and absolutely love this park. One of the reasons Gram likes it so much is the landscaping and use of plants. She's really in to plants, but especially tropicals (bromeliads mostly) - she has a greenhouse full of them. Going to AK is like visiting a botanical garden...but better!!!!!

It's also a great park for us to do together since there are fewer rides she won't do. We usually skip Kali Rapids bc neither one of us ever feels like getting that soaked. I won't ride Dinosaur anymore because it scared the living daylights out of me last time. So EE is the only thing there that I want to see that Gram won't.

When we went in March/April, we saw Flights of Wonder and ITTBAB, so this time we're hoping to see Nemo and FOTLK.

Last time we ate at Pizzafari for lunch. It was ok...nothing special, but no complaints. I've already decided we're going to try Flame Tree BBQ for lunch. As I mentioned, Gram doesn't like Asian, so Yak and Yeti is out and I don't think Restaurantosaurus appeals to either one of us.

We don't have any particular dinner plans for this day. One of my ideas for trying to keep this as an inexpensive (for Disney) trip. We'll probably end up at the POP food court...any suggestions?

If I'm feeling up to it, I might hit DHS EMH this evening without Gram. I can hop with my pass, and I haven't been to DHS in soooo long, and I really want to try TOT, RnRC, and TSM!

 

[cbg1027]

For Monday November 2, we plan to head back to Epcot for more F&W!
Again, I'll probably head over early for Rope Drop and have Gram join me around 10.

We'll try to hit some of the rides in Future World we didn't get to on Saturday. Maybe go on some twice - we love Living with the Land! Makes my garden look like a sad mess.

Once WS opens at 11 we will continue our F&W sampling trek, and try to hit the booths we didn't get to on Saturday. There are so many drinks I want to try....but I'm such a lightweight when it comes to alcohol (not that it's usually a bad thing!). I'll probably have to pick 1 to try each day if I want be able to enjoy the rest of the day. Any suggestions? I was looking at the The Parisian Cosmo Slush.

I'm so glad we're taking this trip. Last time, as I mentioned, our trip got cut short since I got sick in the middle of it. I also didn't know when I would be coming back to Disney, so I had this rush-around-and-ride-everything mentality. This time I plan to be a lot more relaxed! We have two days to devote to Epcot, and I have another trip in December coming up. Plus, I've got my Seasonal Pass, so hopefully I will be going several more times in 2010!
I'm hoping since this should be a more leisurely trip, we won't need to nap on this day. We can just take our time exploring the WS. Go to a booth, get some food, sit down, (take photos for the Post Report!) sample, and relax until we feel the urge to move on.

That evening at 7, we have an ADR for our birthday celebration dinner at Citricos! We tried it for the first time on our last trip and both feel in love with it! If you'd like to hear about our superb experience, check out my review - http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2287273
Hopefully we won't be TOO stuffed to enjoy dinner. But I think they're good about letting people linger without feeling rushed so we'll probably order our courses one at a time. I really hope the same servers we had time are still working there and will be on duty this night! They mad eour meal so special, and we weren't evening celebrating anything (other than being at Disney!) last time.

Wishes is at 8 that night, so I doubt we'll be out in time to watch, but no biggie...we saw it from the Cali Grill in its entirety last trip.

 

[cbg1027]

OK, so you know how I said we we're going to get Gram the 3 day pass for $55 because of the birthday promotion? Well, someone posted a question asking about that deal. I assumed we could get there on Oct 30 and buy that pass for Gram, who has her birthday Nov 2. Turns out you can't buy a pass with that deal until your actual birthday. So we have 2 days of park going planned before her birthday. Grrrrrreeeaaat.

So looks like we will have to buy Gram the regular 3 day pass, which is about $150 for FL residents. Since we are still going on her birthday, I think I will just buy her the pass now and not tell her about it. Then when we get there, go with the birthday fun card option. I'll 'buy' the card from her and only let her pay me back for the $60 I originally quoted her. I wasn't planning on doing a lot of shopping this trip since I kind of went overboard last time.
Guess I'll just have to make more merchandise purchases than I intended. I was planning to look for my niece and nephew's holiday gifts so I guess it's so I won't be having to spend too much more than I was expecting.
I'd love that special FP, but none of the rides Gram likes even have FP, so it would be pretty crappy to get that and then then leave Gram alone all day while I ride stuff she doesn't like!

I'm pretty sure I'm not going to tell her about this mishap now, just let her find out once we're already there so she can't have any reason not to come!

 

[Brave teacher]

Sorry to have neglected you this week. I has been a very rough time at work this week. That sucks about the ticket situation. I wouldn't have told my grandmother either. All your plans look great. AK is my family's favorite park. We love it so much, part of the reason is because of all of the foliage. I can't wait to hear about all the food at the festival. As a school teacher in a district without a fall break, I can't experience the F&W Festival until I retire, and that isn't happening for about another 20 years. Therefore, I must live vicariously through others.

 

[cbg1027]

Sorry to have neglected you this week. I has been a very rough time at work this week. That sucks about the ticket situation. I wouldn't have told my grandmother either. All your plans look great. AK is my family's favorite park. We love it so much, part of the reason is because of all of the foliage. I can't wait to hear about all the food at the festival. As a school teacher in a district without a fall break, I can't experience the F&W Festival until I retire, and that isn't happening for about another 20 years. Therefore, I must live vicariously through others.

It's ok, I don't feel neglected! Glad someone is reading when they can!

Yeah, we don't have a fall break here either, but since I'm in college and only have class MWF, I will only miss 1 day. When I was little we used to go over the long weekend around Veteran's Day - but of course, we're only 4 hours from WDW so it's a lot easier for us to pop down there for a weekend than most people.

This will be my second time at F&W, and I'm not sure how many times my Gram has been. But we looove food so I will be sure to take lots of photos and write really descriptive reviews so you will want to lick the computer screen!

My mom let it slip that everyone in the family pitched in and bought me a really nice camera for my birthday - she even got it out to show me! It's a Nikon, 12 megapixels, and 5x wide angle zoom! I'm so happy, I was expecting something not so...fancy! So you can expect wonderful pictures!

Thanks for tuning in! 18 days to go!!!!!

 

[cbg1027]

Alas, this will be a short trip to Disney, but a short trip to Disney is better than no trip at all!!

After we check out of POP, we'll head over to the BC resort for a 10:35 ADR at Cape May Cafe. I decided I wanted to do a character breakfast, and this was what I went with for a few reasons:
The DISers report that this is the most low-key character meal.
Me and Gram both like all the characters - Minnie, Goofy and Donald I think it was?
I saw they have bagels and lox at this buffet - and since we're Jewish, it's our favorite breakfast item, of course.
I also have never set foot inside the BC resort, so any chance to to take a look sounds good to me!

I was originally planning to keep this ADR a secret from Gram and tell her the day before that we had a breakfast date with some 'old friends'. Well in a combination of my excitement and inability to keep surprises an actual surprise, I told her about it. She said "Aren't we both a little old for a character meal?" Umm no Gram, it's Disney! This way we can get character interaction without the lines (like we used to on our early trips in the late 80's!) and not have to interrupt our touring plans for character time.

After breakfast, depending on how exhausted we are from stuffing our faces all weekend, we might make a stop at the IKEA in Orlando before heading home. Neither one of us needs or plans to make any furniture purchases, but I love going in the store - there's plenty of odds and ends to purchase that I don't know I need until I see them!

I just now purchased Gram's 3 Day Play Pass, so theres another check off the list.

I have to call the restaurants directlyto discuss Gram'd dietary concerns. When I called WDW-DINE they only have basic options to note on the reservation like "dairy free".... so they gave me the restaurant phone numbers to call them directly. I was planning to do it today, but now it's 6pm so I'm guessing it would not be good to call now!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Hi Abby! I followed you on over from another PTR and thought I'd join in. DISing definitely does seem to make a Disney obsession worse.

Sounds like you have a fun trip planned. I'm jealous you get to go for your birthday!

 

[Brave teacher]

We tried Cape May this summer, and I just about burst from eating the bagels and lox. OMG, it was so good, and the lox was soooooo cold. GOsh, it was great!

Congrats on the camera!

The trip sounds great no matter how long it is!

 

[cbg1027]

Hi Abby! I followed you on over from another PTR and thought I'd join in. DISing definitely does seem to make a Disney obsession worse.

Sounds like you have a fun trip planned. I'm jealous you get to go for your birthday!

Thanks for joining in! I'm not sure I'm going to have much more to post on this since we're only 18 days away and everything is pretty much squared up. I can't believe I'm going to Disney THREE times in one year!!! The fact that I get to go back so soon after this trip is over will sure make leaving easier!

We tried Cape May this summer, and I just about burst from eating the bagels and lox. OMG, it was so good, and the lox was soooooo cold. GOsh, it was great!

Congrats on the camera!

The trip sounds great no matter how long it is!

Oooh glad to hear the lox was good at Cape May! I've spent so much time looking at all the food porn in the restaurant forums....it makes me sooo hungry and eager to leave already!

Yeah, I'm so eager to get my hands on the camera so I can play around with a bit before we leave and learn how it works. We may do a family birthday celebration on the weekend of the 23, so hopefully that happens and I can start practicing my photography skills!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Thanks for joining in! I'm not sure I'm going to have much more to post on this since we're only 18 days away and everything is pretty much squared up. I can't believe I'm going to Disney THREE times in one year!!! The fact that I get to go back so soon after this trip is over will sure make leaving easier!

3 times in one year?! Awesome! We went three times last year, but that was only because on our trip in Dec. '07/Jan. '08 our flight got cancelled so we got free flight vouchers! That's definitely not the norm for us but hey, I didn't complain at all! hehe

 

[cbg1027]

Ugh I feel so bad for all you guys who have to fly to reach WDW. Flying sucks these days!!! At least you have something great waiting on the other end.

I told my Gram about the boo-boo with the admission today. She handled it better thn I thought she would - took the same attitude as me about with the 'well its already planned we're doing it anyways so we'll go and have fun!". Whew! So almost everything is good to go. Just need to remember to call the restaurants during business hours to talk about Gram's dietary concerns!

16 days!!!!!

 

[cbg1027]

I just did online check in! We're at the 10 day mark!

I called Special Diets on Friday and they e-mailed me tons of helpful info and a request form. I filled out the form and sent it back and got a very prompt response that they have notified the restaurants we have our ADR's at.

I'm sooo anxious! I want to leave NOW!

 

[Brave teacher]

OOOOO! How exciting. I was thinking about doing the online check in for the next trip. Let me know how it works out for you.

 

[cbg1027]

We did online check in last trip, back in March/April and it saved us a LOT of time. We stayed at ASMo, and when we got there, the line for regular check in had at least 50 people in it, and more and more coming in every minute. The online check in line, however, had maybe 5 people. I don't know if it's gotten more popular now, and maybe more people are using it, but I'm hoping for a speedy check in like last time. Especially since we won't be getting in til 7:30 or 8, and still want to hit DTD for dinner.

 

[cbg1027]

We got back late Tuesday night. We had an amazing trip!

I've asked the Moderator to move this thread because this will now be my Trip Report, so look for it over there!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Welcome back! Glad to hear you had a great trip.