Chunkymonkey and Chubbyhubby's F+W Free Dining Fest! 9/26 One more day!

[chunkymonkey]

Hi everyone! This is the PTR for our what is now an "annual" trip to WDW! Annual for me at least since I have been here every year since 2009. Last year DH didn't make it to WDW since I went with my sisters on a girls trip but he did make it to WWOHP and we dined at the Poly during that trip - so does that count?

This year, we've decided to make it down for Epcot's Food and Wine Festival, plus we also get the tail end of FREE DINING. Therefore, it's going to be an amazing 6 days of eating! Whoopee, my favorite activity. We are super excited to try new restaurants, eat at our favorites, and also experience F&W for the first time!

The cast:

Me, my name is Su-Lynn and I am 36 years old, aka Chunkymonkey. I work in IT as a business analyst for a financial services company. I love to take pictures and I am a former freelance photographer (long story as to why I no longer take professional pictures, to be explained). But you can see from my previous PTRs and TRs that I love pictures, so hopefully the TR for this trip will be no different. I've been to WDW and DL multiple times as a kid and this will be my 5th time to WDW with DH.

DH, Steve, aka Chubbyhubby, he is a project manager for a financial services company. He loves computer/video games, is the smartest person I know, and we've been married for 3.5 years. Actually when we go to WDW, we'll be a month shy of our 4 year anniversary. This is a picture of him on Test Track, one of our favorite rides. Can I tell you how sad we are that this is under refurbishment when we're there?

We live in New York City, the big apple! But lately we've been finding ourselves vacationing a lot in Hawaii (we just got back from a 2-week trip to Honolulu and Big Island, and last year we vacationed at the Aulani!) and of course, WDW. Here are more pics of us:

BTW, these pictures above are from our trip to WDW in 2009. I have more recent pictures in WDW but for some reason those albums aren't coming up for me online, so 2009 pics will have to suffice for the introductions. Just imagine us a little older, and a little chubbier, otherwise we look exactly the same.

Dates: Sept 27-Oct 2nd
Resort: Art of Animation, Finding Nemo Suite
Dining Plan: Regular Dining Plan for FREEEEEEEE
Tickets: 6-day Park Hoppers

Stay tuned for more plans...including our ADRs!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Table of Contents

Background and Planning
ADRs made so far
New food items to try at WDW
We got Tickets!
Tentative Touring Plan
1-Month Mark and Touring Plan Update!
1-Day Mark, WDW here we come!

 

[Darragh]

Hi everyone! This is the PTR for our what is now an "annual" trip to WDW! Annual for me at least since I have been here every year since 2009. Last year DH didn't make it to WDW since I went with my sisters on a girls trip but he did make it to WWOHP and we dined at the Poly during that trip - so does that count?

This year, we've decided to make it down for Epcot's Food and Wine Festival, plus we also get the tail end of FREE DINING. Therefore, it's going to be an amazing 6 days of eating! Whoopee, my favorite activity. We are super excited to try new restaurants, eat at our favorites, and also experience F&W for the first time!

The cast:

Me, my name is Su-Lynn and I am 36 years old, aka Chunkymonkey. I work in IT as a business analyst for a financial services company. I love to take pictures and I am a former freelance photographer (long story as to why I no longer take professional pictures, to be explained). But you can see from my previous PTRs and TRs that I love pictures, so hopefully the TR for this trip will be no different. I've been to WDW and DL multiple times as a kid and this will be my 4th time to WDW with DH.

DH, Steve, aka Chubbyhubby, he is a project manager for a financial services company. He loves computer/video games, is the smartest person I know, and we've been married for 3.5 years. Actually when we go to WDW, we'll be a month shy of our 4 year anniversary. this is a picture of him on Test Track, one of our favorite rides. Can I tell you how sad we are that this is under refurbishment when we're there?

We live in New York City, the big apple! But lately we've been finding ourselves vacationing a lot in Hawaii (we just got back from a 2-week trip to Honolulu and Big Island, and last year we vacationed at the Aulani!) so my long-term goal is to move there one day. However that means I'll be much further from WDW so I better get my WDW fix in now, LOL. Here are more pics of us:

BTW, these pictures above are from our trip to WDW in 2009. I have more recent pictures but for some reason those albums aren't coming up for me online, so 2009 pics will have to suffice for the introductions. Just imagine us a little older, and a little chubbier, otherwise we look exactly the same.

Dates: Sept 27-Oct 2nd
Resort: Art of Animation, Finding Nemo Suite
Dining Plan: Regular Dining Plan for FREEEEEEEE
Tickets: 6-day Park Hoppers

Stay tuned for more plans...including our ADRs!

You'll be there approximately the same time we are. Our trip is Sept 29th - Oct 6.

 

[chunkymonkey]

You'll be there approximately the same time we are. Our trip is Sept 29th - Oct 6.

Welcome to my PTR! Cool! Sounds like you guys will have a blast! Deluxe dining? SWEET. I'm gonna read the rest of your PTR now...

 

[chunkymonkey]

Planning the trip...and a little background

Late last year I was diagnosed with Radial Tunnel. It’s a painful syndrome somewhat akin to Carpel Tunnel, but if affects the elbows and forearms instead of the wrist and hands. The pain started in my right arm but then also moved to the left arm. It was probably the most pain I had ever been in and I was unable to use my arms for typing, cooking, cleaning, writing….anything. I was miserable. Basically the nerves in both arms were being impinged by some of the muscles and ligaments. It was caused by my natural anatomy, and flared up probably by excessive use, like typing, and my hobby and freelance work: photography. It wasn’t very fun to say the least. I tried different remedies, acupuncture, massage, pain medication, and went to a bunch of doctors and took a bunch of tests, some of them pretty painful in itself. Finally it was determined the only option was physically therapy and possibly surgery to combat the pain for good.

After 8 months of intense physical therapy, and 1 surgery on my left forearm, I am pretty much back to normal, but I still do physical therapy to help post-surgery. I also most likely have to have surgery on my right arm too in the fall. I wouldn’t say my left arm is 100% better yet as there is still residual pain, but I’ve been living with it for a while now therefore used to it, and the pain is not as intense as it was when I was first diagnosed. I also have a really prominent scar on my left forearm from the surgery. This is the main reason I gave up shooting photography professionally because it was so physically demanding and taking its toll on me, but it doesn’t stop me from taking pictures for myself .

Anyways, I was really worried that I wasn’t able to go on vacations in 2012 because of the surgeries and pain. I was supposed to go on a Hawaii vacation with my family 2 months after surgery (it was already scheduled before the surgery) and I thought I wouldn’t be ready, but the doctor assured me that I would be ok in time for the trip.

Right after surgery, I was in a lot of pain and my arm was immobile and swollen and ugh, it wasn’t pleasant, but after even more physical therapy I was thankfully A-OK for the trip. I was swimming and doing lots of water activities that I loved. Not as crazy as I used to be, but I was really happy to be swimming again. So I was convinced I would be able to do a Disney trip this year too, hopefully before my 2nd surgery. So right before the free dining offer ended, I booked our trip to WDW!

I am hoping for a pretty leisurely trip this time, as me and my DH are known to do Power Disney. I want to take our time and enjoy Epcot during the festival and I also want to spend time at AoA at the pools which I hear are amazing.

Why AoA?

This is only the 3rd time I’ve stayed on property out of the numerous times we’ve been to WDW, but once you stay on property you don’t want to stay anywhere else! The initial 2 times we’ve stayed at POFQ which I adore, but unfortunately it was not available for our dates and free dining. The only other mod available was CBR, the rest were Deluxe and Values. I was ok with staying at CBR but was also dying to see AoA. I thought of staying at a Deluxe, but since we don’t spend that much time in the room I didn’t want to spend that much but I wanted more amenities than a Value. AoA seemed like a good compromise. It has nice features, it’s brand spanking new, and it was much cheaper than the Deluxe (although a significant amount more than CBR, grrr). When we booked, only the suites offered the free dining, but we heard the standard Little Mermaid rooms came on the free dining too, but we had already booked the suite and I didn’t want to change. And besides, Ariel is NOT my favorite princess (a little spoiled IMO), so I didn’t really want a Little Mermaid standard room.

The more I read about AoA, the more I am excited to experience it! Even though it’s just the 2 of us in a suite, I think we’ll appreciate the extra space.

Anyways, sorry for my really loooong wordy post, but that’s also the reason why I’ve been missing from the DISboards for a while. I had been following so many PTRs and TRs and suddenly fell off the face of the earth, but it didn’t mean I didn’t stop reading the boards!

I hope to see a bunch of familiar faces as I continue this PTR!

 

[chunkymonkey]

So here are the ADRs I have made so far. Some of them are places we’ve never been to, so I’m pretty excited! I kind of made my ADRs a bit late in the game since we booked our vacation way after the 180 day mark, so we didn’t get exactly the times we wanted but it was good enough. This vacation is all about the dining, so I’m going to plan my park visits around my ADRs and not the other way around.

Thursday Sept 27th:
Dinner – Liberty Tree Tavern (a first!)

Friday Sept 28th:
Breakfast – Tusker house (a first!)
Dinner – Tokyo dining (a first!)

Saturday Sept 29th:
Breakfast – Crystal Palace (haven’t been here in years, looking forward to re-experiencing it!)

Sunday Sept 30th:
Dinner – ‘Ohana (a must-do for us! Two words: BREAD. PUDDING.)

Monday Oct 1st:
Lunch – Le Cellier (me and DH really enjoyed this 2 years ago)

Tuesday Oct 2nd:
No ADR

I only have TS credits for 5 meals, so one of these will have to be OOP. I am thinking it should be one of the breakfasts…? I ‘ll have to do more research on which is the cheapest option…

I’m also debating whether to keep the Tokyo Dining or not. Me and DH love sushi, so it’s a surprise we’ve never had it at WDW. I guess I just don’t’ know if it’ll be good sushi, so was always skeptical, but I think we may give it a try. But I wonder since it’ll be the first day of F+W that maybe we’ll want to eat at all the kiosks, then again it is a Friday and the first day of F+W, so maybe there will be large crowds and we’ll just want to eat at a sit-down place? Anyone know if the crowds on a Friday at F+W will be crazy?

Here are a few more pics of us. These were taken at Aulani last year.

 

[tankgirl427]

I'm here! I've missed seeing you around. Ann flew to DL today so I'm sure as soon as she gets back she'll be following you along. Now to check your ADRs compared to the pile of ADRs Ann and I made.

 

[tankgirl427]

OKay so we have a Le Cellier ADR on the 1st as well. Its Epcot's 30th and I really want to be there. CP is the cheapest breakfast if you are paying OOP. When I went last year Friday afternoon - Sunday night got packed! I had to dodge around people and walk quickly to not get swept up, I would recommend going during the week if you want to relax and enjoy the festival.

 

[chunkymonkey]

I'm here! I've missed seeing you around. Ann flew to DL today so I'm sure as soon as she gets back she'll be following you along. Now to check your ADRs compared to the pile of ADRs Ann and I made.

Oh that's right, Ann is in DL! How awesome. Can't wait to hear how her trip went. I love DL and DCA! Can't wait to see the new DCA too.

OKay so we have a Le Cellier ADR on the 1st as well. Its Epcot's 30th and I really want to be there. CP is the cheapest breakfast if you are paying OOP. When I went last year Friday afternoon - Sunday night got packed! I had to dodge around people and walk quickly to not get swept up, I would recommend going during the week if you want to relax and enjoy the festival.

What time is your Le Cellier ressie? Ours is at 1pm.

OK Looks like CP will be OOP then. Hmm, I guessed as much that F+W on the first day will be packed. I may save it for Mon and Tues then. Looks like I may end up shifting my ADRs around...

 

[onescgirl]

Hey Su-Lynn!
I'm glad that you started a PTR
I'm sorry about your Radial Tunnel diagnosis. I arm your arm continues to heal completely and that your upcoming surgery is a great success too.

Your ADR's look great! I see that you have 3 that will be new to you.
I always have a hard time picking new ones because we have liked every restaurant that we've been to. We are going to Ohana & that is a new one for us!

I'm looking forward to reading more!

 

[rachel09985]

I am in and looking forward to reading more! We are staying at AoA in November and I am excited!

Can't wait to see more pictures. I just started photography with my dinky Canon T3 so I need to learn more!

 

[tankgirl427]

What time is your Le Cellier ressie? Ours is at 1pm.

OK Looks like CP will be OOP then. Hmm, I guessed as much that F+W on the first day will be packed. I may save it for Mon and Tues then. Looks like I may end up shifting my ADRs around...[/FONT][/QUOTE]

1:25pm. Maybe we'll finally be able to meet!

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

Oh...I am so excited! I have read your other TR and I am glad to be able to catch this trip from the beginning.

 

[kdka421]

Jumping in to say hello, and I'll be subscribing We are hopefully a few days from booking our October trip (not having the plans finalized yet hasn't stopped me from starting my PTR, haha!), and I'm excited to follow some other October PTRs. Look forward to reading more!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Hey Su-Lynn!
I'm glad that you started a PTR
I'm sorry about your Radial Tunnel diagnosis. I arm your arm continues to heal completely and that your upcoming surgery is a great success too.

Your ADR's look great! I see that you have 3 that will be new to you.
I always have a hard time picking new ones because we have liked every restaurant that we've been to. We are going to Ohana & that is a new one for us!

I'm looking forward to reading more!

Thanks Amy! Good to see you here too! I've been reading along with your PTR too. It's cool that so many people I know on the DIS are heading down at the same time.

I too have a hard time picking new ADRs over our favorites. I think you guys will like 'Ohana. It's a lot of fun!

I am in and looking forward to reading more! We are staying at AoA in November and I am excited!

Can't wait to see more pictures. I just started photography with my dinky Canon T3 so I need to learn more!

Yay! I'll report back on how much we like AoA, and I am sure we will! The Canon T3 is not a dinky camera! It's an excellent starter camera. I learned on the Canon xSi which is a much older camera than the T series. And right now, I don't even use my DSLRs much, it's too heavy for me, so I use a micro four thirds camera, a Panasonic GF1.

1:25pm. Maybe we'll finally be able to meet!

Yeah! Totally! Although we may do it even earlier. We want to go to the Villains bash at DHS the night you guys are running. Maybe we can meet up there? Although I am sure you guys will be tired and sore. Kudos to you both for running 10 miles on vacation! I am not a good runner, otherwise i'd join you.

Oh...I am so excited! I have read your other TR and I am glad to be able to catch this trip from the beginning.

Cool! Thanks for visiting!

Jumping in to say hello, and I'll be subscribing We are hopefully a few days from booking our October trip (not having the plans finalized yet hasn't stopped me from starting my PTR, haha!), and I'm excited to follow some other October PTRs. Look forward to reading more!

Thanks for reading! The fall is a great time to go to Disney! Can't wait to read your PTR when you start!

 

[chunkymonkey]

In addition to the ADRs for restaurants we’ve never been too, and not counting F+W kiosks (which will all be entirely new to me!) I’m excited to try some items I’ve never had as well. The Disney Food Blog is one of my favorite Disney-related websites to read, and they are always talking about interesting new stuff. Here’s a few of what I hope to try. Sometimes I think items sound better than they will actually taste, but I am up for trying everything once. Do any of these look good to you? What are you looking forward to trying for the first time? (all pics courtesy of the Disney Food Blog)


Waffle Sandwiches in MK at Sleepy Hollow Refreshments: Pictured here is the spicy chicken waffle sandwich. Now this is an interesting take on a southern classic, chicken n waffles. I can see this being either good or bad. I know that there are other sandwiches too, one with prosciutto, a breakfast one with eggs, and another one with nutella and fruit. Not sure if this is counted as a snack credit or QS on the dining plan. Have to do more research.

Guava Cream Cheese Cupcake at Epcot SS: Back when the cupcake craze was really in, I ate a cupcake like every other day, my favorite being red velvet. But I now refrain from having too many sweets, and save my sweet tooth for something that really interests me. I like the way this cupcake sounds, it doesn’t sound overly sweet, which I find that a lot of other cupcakes are. I also prefer less frosting on my cupcakes. Since this one is cream-cheese based it will probably be less sweet to begin with. Plus I love tropical fruits, and the guava in this one sounds like a lovely combo.

Flavored Boneless Chicken Wings at AK: This seems like an interesting flavor twist on your average chicken nugget. It comes in teriyaki, sweet n sour, and chili garlic flavors. May be a good option if we want something quick at AK. I will probably try the chili garlic or teriyaki flavor.

Triple Yeti Blast at AK: This is unfortunately not a snack, because it has alcohol in it, but even if it didn’t it would still look pretty good, right? I don’t really drink alcohol during the day as it makes me sleepy, but I think it’ll be a nice treat if we’re at AK in the evening.

Mac and Cheese Truffle Oil hot Dog at DHS’s Fairfax Fare: Doesn’t this look scrumptious? I love mac n cheese and I love truffle oil. Combine it on a hot dog, and it’s just..WOW! Lots and lots of calories on a bun…LOL. This may be a good QS option in DHS, although I do have a soft spot for Toy Story Pizza Planet…

Tipsy Duck Drink at Epcot’s China Pavilion: Not a snack either but a combination of iced tea, coffee, chocolate syrup and an optional shot of bourbon poured over ice with whipped cream. Yum! In Chinese countries, tea rules of course, but they are also big coffee drinkers. A popular way to drink both is to mix them and flavor it with milk and sugar. To me it gives the coffee an even nuttier, roasted flavor. This takes it to the next level with the addition of chocolate and bourbon. Although I may just get it virgin depending on the time of day. Looks like a yummy concoction!

What do you guys think? Any other items that are worth mentioning?

 

[onescgirl]

I have not seen those food items before.
I'm not sure if I would want to try chicken in a waffle I'll let you try it & tell us how it is
But that mac n cheese hot dog looks really good!!

 

[kdka421]

Wow, you found a ton of food items I've never heard of.

The highlight to me is those waffles - I just sent a link of the waffles to my husband, and he went nuts. Those are definitely making their way onto our dining plan list...
FYI from what I found out, it doesn't look like they are available as CS or even as a snack. Oh well. I think it's still totally worth getting them! A cheap replacement for a meal, and we can use our credits for something else.

I also told my husband about the hot dog. He says: "Can I have two?"

 

[Motocross Tink]

Hey! I'm joining in and subbing! Your plans look great so far! I love Le Cellier and Ohana's! The bread pudding has to be the most amazing thing I've ever tasted!! If you like cupcakes, something to add to your list to try is the Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcake from DHS's Starring Rolls Cafe!! That cupcake is awesome, and it's so big two people can share just one!

 

[annmarieda]

I am here! Super excited for you that you will be staying at AoA!!!

The food items all look way too yummy.

Dd had the waffle sandwich (I think a couple different kinds) on her last trip. She love them.

I had the guava cupcake on my last trip...was AMAZING. I think you will like it because what you said about cupcakes.. I feel the same way. I don't like a lot of frosting and I don't want it overly sweet.

The drinks... okay, so now I have to put them on my list too.

I like mac n cheese on hot dogs...so add that to my list too. When we at at Goofy's Kitchen recently, we had mac n cheese pizza.. Who would have thought it would have been sooo yummy.