Food, Frights, & The Fortieth: A Trip Report of Epic Proportions. *11/28*
- Thread starter BerrysGirl
- Start date
TanzUnited99
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Hi BerrysGirl/Megan! Joining in! After our meet with Donald Duck this trip I totally get why he is Matts' favourite 
That is cool that DBF is doing the College Programme and also that you got to see the apartments
I love the orange manicure!
I laughed out loud at the coffee addict post - join the club! Speaking of which think it is time for my next brew!
You should be proud of the WDW sign photo - it is a great shot!
Yay on Matt getting the Jack Sparrow keyring and your room looks lovely - what an ideal location!
Lol I love that you got a shot of Matt drinking Beverly and
on scoring front row seats for Soarin! Hope you make it to your tea on time.
That is cool that DBF is doing the College Programme and also that you got to see the apartments
I love the orange manicure!
I laughed out loud at the coffee addict post - join the club! Speaking of which think it is time for my next brew!
You should be proud of the WDW sign photo - it is a great shot!
Yay on Matt getting the Jack Sparrow keyring and your room looks lovely - what an ideal location!
Lol I love that you got a shot of Matt drinking Beverly and
on scoring front row seats for Soarin! Hope you make it to your tea on time.
teekathepony
DIS Veteran
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- Oct 2, 2009
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- 4,777
Hi! I'm all caught up and joining in 
IheartDDuck
DIS Veteran
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- Sep 20, 2009
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You do exactly what I do when I get into my room for the first time! No one can put anything down until I get a picture of the room untouched.
poisonapple_PRINCESS
DIS Veteran
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- Mar 21, 2011
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- 569
Joining in! Love it all so far! Cant wait for more!
Your room is beautiful! And I love your key chain!
Your room is beautiful! And I love your key chain!
BerrysGirl
Waiting for the Lights
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2011
- Messages
- 402
Hiiii Sarah!
Hope your trip planning is going well. It's so close!Hi BerrysGirl/Megan! Joining in! After our meet with Donald Duck this trip I totally get why he is Matts' favourite
That is cool that DBF is doing the College Programme and also that you got to see the apartments
I love the orange manicure!
I laughed out loud at the coffee addict post - join the club! Speaking of which think it is time for my next brew!
You should be proud of the WDW sign photo - it is a great shot!
Yay on Matt getting the Jack Sparrow keyring and your room looks lovely - what an ideal location!
Lol I love that you got a shot of Matt drinking Beverly and
Thanks for joining in : and an extra special welcome to a fellow coffee addict! I just finished my morning cup as I type this Hope you enjoy my TR, I'm really loving yours!Hi! I'm all caught up and joining in
thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy!It's so much more impressive when the room is empty, right?
Isn't that such an issue with hotel rooms? As soon as you move in all your stuff just seems to explode all around it. But I always have to unpack at Disney. They do welcome you home after all 
The Chinese soda is very good... almost like fizzy juice. I guess that doesn't come out as sounding good but trust me, it isGreat updates!
It looks like Matt was fairly stoic about Beverly
Matt probably appreciates that you called him stoic because trust me, he was not. That face was the aftermath of this face 
. 
Joining in! Love it all so far! Cant wait for more!
Your room is beautiful! And I love your key chain!
We really could not have asked for a better room. Considering we made zero room requests, I think we got truly lucky. Of course having a CM in the room could have helped things 
I also stopped by our local lego store in our mall yesterday and they too had no Jack Sparrow keychains (they did have Elizabeth Swan and Barbosa with his peg leg which I actually found to be adorable). Guess Captain Jack is verrry popular!
Good start! Can't wait to hear more.
Hope I don't disappoint 
BerrysGirl
Waiting for the Lights
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- Apr 5, 2011
- Messages
- 402
When we last left off DBF and I were scrambling to get to the monorail to make our 3:30 ADR at the Garden View Tea Room. I don't remember hitting many snags in our journey... the monorail came after a reasonable length of time and there was a resort monorail waiting for us when we got to the TTC. I did feel very guilty about making Matt rush around. His mother has a very nasty habit of doing things on her own time and ending up being late / rushing to get to places. I know Matt was having serious déjà vu, and I felt really bad about it. Luckily we didn't have too many issues and found the Tea Room very quickly and were checked in by 3:31 pm (it said so on our receipt).
They were running a little behind so we were asked to wait in the lobby for a few minutes. I had no problem with that... it gave us an opportunity to catch our breath and freshen up a little before we were seated. I'm not a huge fan of the Grand Floridian... it just isn't my taste, but that afternoon they had a pianist playing in the lobby and it was really nice sitting there in the cool AC.
A few minutes later our name was called and we were seated near the entry, against the wall.
It was so pretty there and such a nice view... I got to look out at the garden while Matt got to see the lobby. Quite a win-win if you ask me.
Our receipt said our waiters name (don't remember it anymore) and after looking around I noticed only one man working that day so I figured that must be him. He was rushing around a little frantically so I figured he was busy. No biggie. We'd never been there before so I wanted the opportunity to read the menu and really study all the teas they offered. I had a big choice to make!
Matt and I discussed our options and decided it'd be cheaper if we ordered a la carte. Therefore we decided on the cheese plate and the strawberries and cream to eat, but we were still unsure of the teas we wanted to try. We decided we wanted to ask our servers opinion, and that's when we looked up and noticed he had disappeared... Hmm... No problem, we'll wait...
and wait...
and wait...
About 15 minutes later I'm starting to get a little annoyed. We'd been sitting there for probably about 20 minutes at this point and our waiter had not so much as said hello! Umm, not exactly the kind of service I expected at the Grand Floridian.
FINALLY our waiter stopped by to assure us that he'd be with us shortly. I was just happy to be acknowledged at this point and to be honest, there was so much to look at and read I really didn't mind. I was just thirsty! If I could have been waiting with a cool glass of water I could have happily sat there all day. Matt and I hadn't seen each other for almost two months at that point and we certainly had enough to keep us occupied.
Our waiter stopped by shortly after his initial greeting and apologized profusely for making us wait. He said it was just one of those days where as soon as something gets fixed, something else goes wrong. As someone who has worked in the food service industry (and someone else who still is working in the food service industry) we totally got it. Our server was very attentive from there on out and I must say I have zero complaints about our service.
Matt, who is especially new to the tea-drinking world, wanted to hear some of our server's recommendations. Our server was very good at describing the teas and recommended Matt try the Eros tea, which was a: Medium bodied Ceylon: Sweet Mandarin orange with warm vanilla for a sweet, smooth and creamy finish (allears.net). It was one that Matt had already been eyeing so he readily ordered that.
I really wanted to try one of the specialty blends made just for the Grand Floridian, but the tea I had had my eye one, The Mad Hatter was not offered. So I had decided on The Princess Breakfast Tea - A sweet custom blend of South African organic rooibos flavored with vanilla bean and a hint of strawberries. Rich in antioxidants and vitamins, and naturally decaffeinated (allears.net). But really had been hoping for some caffeine. Our server was telling us a little bit about the teas they brewed and happened to mention the Mad Hatter tea, which he described as a highly caffeinated tea with notes of pomegranate and passion fruit. I asked if it was available and he said it was! It just wasn't on the menu because they had made room for some seasonal teas. I am so glad I asked because I immediately changed my order!
Feeling really good about our tea experience now, we waited only a few minutes before this was brought to our table:
There is so much deliciousness on such a small table!
I have zero complaints about our meal. I regret that I don't remember the types of cheeses on the plate but it was so much fun to try such a wide variety (and yes, that one cheese is green and it was amazing)! Our teas were superb. I liked mine better and Matt liked his better, but we both tried a cup of each others and I would drink either of them again in a heartbeat.
While we were enjoying our meal this happened:
I truly apologize for the picture quality but that woman stood up at the very last minute and ruined my shot
If you can make it out, that is the wedding carriage making its way to the pavilion. It was completely decked out with two attendants and four white horses! They must store it somewhere at the Grand Floridian because it was empty and certainly looked like it was on its way to a wedding. It was so great to see!
Matt and I really enjoyed our experience at the Garden View Tea Room. I was worried it'd be a really negative experience when it began but really it was nothing but positive.
To make up for our wait, our server even brought us this:
That is a swan pastry filled with Pina Colada Mouse. Yum yum yum yum yum!
Matt didn't love it, but Pina Colada really isn't his thing. But still, it was a very nice gesture from our server and I certainly gobbled it up!
(Disney has implemented a new policy where you can write in your tip as soon as you receive your bill. This is something Matt and I found to be very convenient since it means your card is only charged once. We went ahead and wrote our 20% tip on the bill right away and then our server brought us the swan pastry... So secretly I think that's why we got our freebie. No biggie though, given the knowledge our server shared with us regarding our tea selections, I wouldn't have dreamed of tipping him anything else!)
They were running a little behind so we were asked to wait in the lobby for a few minutes. I had no problem with that... it gave us an opportunity to catch our breath and freshen up a little before we were seated. I'm not a huge fan of the Grand Floridian... it just isn't my taste, but that afternoon they had a pianist playing in the lobby and it was really nice sitting there in the cool AC.
A few minutes later our name was called and we were seated near the entry, against the wall.
It was so pretty there and such a nice view... I got to look out at the garden while Matt got to see the lobby. Quite a win-win if you ask me.
Our receipt said our waiters name (don't remember it anymore) and after looking around I noticed only one man working that day so I figured that must be him. He was rushing around a little frantically so I figured he was busy. No biggie. We'd never been there before so I wanted the opportunity to read the menu and really study all the teas they offered. I had a big choice to make!
Matt and I discussed our options and decided it'd be cheaper if we ordered a la carte. Therefore we decided on the cheese plate and the strawberries and cream to eat, but we were still unsure of the teas we wanted to try. We decided we wanted to ask our servers opinion, and that's when we looked up and noticed he had disappeared... Hmm... No problem, we'll wait...
and wait...
and wait...
About 15 minutes later I'm starting to get a little annoyed. We'd been sitting there for probably about 20 minutes at this point and our waiter had not so much as said hello! Umm, not exactly the kind of service I expected at the Grand Floridian.
FINALLY our waiter stopped by to assure us that he'd be with us shortly. I was just happy to be acknowledged at this point and to be honest, there was so much to look at and read I really didn't mind. I was just thirsty! If I could have been waiting with a cool glass of water I could have happily sat there all day. Matt and I hadn't seen each other for almost two months at that point and we certainly had enough to keep us occupied.
Our waiter stopped by shortly after his initial greeting and apologized profusely for making us wait. He said it was just one of those days where as soon as something gets fixed, something else goes wrong. As someone who has worked in the food service industry (and someone else who still is working in the food service industry) we totally got it. Our server was very attentive from there on out and I must say I have zero complaints about our service.
Matt, who is especially new to the tea-drinking world, wanted to hear some of our server's recommendations. Our server was very good at describing the teas and recommended Matt try the Eros tea, which was a: Medium bodied Ceylon: Sweet Mandarin orange with warm vanilla for a sweet, smooth and creamy finish (allears.net). It was one that Matt had already been eyeing so he readily ordered that.
I really wanted to try one of the specialty blends made just for the Grand Floridian, but the tea I had had my eye one, The Mad Hatter was not offered. So I had decided on The Princess Breakfast Tea - A sweet custom blend of South African organic rooibos flavored with vanilla bean and a hint of strawberries. Rich in antioxidants and vitamins, and naturally decaffeinated (allears.net). But really had been hoping for some caffeine. Our server was telling us a little bit about the teas they brewed and happened to mention the Mad Hatter tea, which he described as a highly caffeinated tea with notes of pomegranate and passion fruit. I asked if it was available and he said it was! It just wasn't on the menu because they had made room for some seasonal teas. I am so glad I asked because I immediately changed my order!
Feeling really good about our tea experience now, we waited only a few minutes before this was brought to our table:
There is so much deliciousness on such a small table!
I have zero complaints about our meal. I regret that I don't remember the types of cheeses on the plate but it was so much fun to try such a wide variety (and yes, that one cheese is green and it was amazing)! Our teas were superb. I liked mine better and Matt liked his better, but we both tried a cup of each others and I would drink either of them again in a heartbeat.
While we were enjoying our meal this happened:
I truly apologize for the picture quality but that woman stood up at the very last minute and ruined my shot
If you can make it out, that is the wedding carriage making its way to the pavilion. It was completely decked out with two attendants and four white horses! They must store it somewhere at the Grand Floridian because it was empty and certainly looked like it was on its way to a wedding. It was so great to see!
Matt and I really enjoyed our experience at the Garden View Tea Room. I was worried it'd be a really negative experience when it began but really it was nothing but positive.
To make up for our wait, our server even brought us this:
That is a swan pastry filled with Pina Colada Mouse. Yum yum yum yum yum!
Matt didn't love it, but Pina Colada really isn't his thing. But still, it was a very nice gesture from our server and I certainly gobbled it up!
(Disney has implemented a new policy where you can write in your tip as soon as you receive your bill. This is something Matt and I found to be very convenient since it means your card is only charged once. We went ahead and wrote our 20% tip on the bill right away and then our server brought us the swan pastry... So secretly I think that's why we got our freebie. No biggie though, given the knowledge our server shared with us regarding our tea selections, I wouldn't have dreamed of tipping him anything else!)
kokotg
DIS Veteran
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- Apr 14, 2006
- Messages
- 693
That swan is so pretty! Pina colada isn't my thing, either, so I probably wouldn't like eating it, but it sure is pretty to look at!
I've never even set food in the Grand Floridian, and lately I've gotten sort of fixated on doing so. I think we'll have to schedule a meal there at some point next trip, just so I can have an excuse to see it.
I've never even set food in the Grand Floridian, and lately I've gotten sort of fixated on doing so. I think we'll have to schedule a meal there at some point next trip, just so I can have an excuse to see it.
TanzUnited99
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- Aug 27, 2010
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Yay you made it to afternoon tea!
I'm glad you were able to order the Mad Hatter tea and the cheese looks yummy - well apart from the green one but yay on it being amazing!
Love that you got to see the wedding carriage and that swan looks very pretty .
I'm glad you were able to order the Mad Hatter tea and the cheese looks yummy - well apart from the green one but yay on it being amazing!
Love that you got to see the wedding carriage and that swan looks very pretty .
poisonapple_PRINCESS
DIS Veteran
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- Mar 21, 2011
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- 569
Ohhh the Mad Hatter tea sounds SOO good! And that swan looks absolutely delicious!
Lucky you on seeing Cinderella's carriage. I hope it's in use during my trip so I get to see it too....what a wonderful (and magical) thing to have in your wedding!
Lucky you on seeing Cinderella's carriage. I hope it's in use during my trip so I get to see it too....what a wonderful (and magical) thing to have in your wedding!
teekathepony
DIS Veteran
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What a lovely tea time! I am always a little nervous being in the GF. I feel almost like I'm not fancy enough for it or something!
BerrysGirl
Waiting for the Lights
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- Apr 5, 2011
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- 402
Isn't the swan adorable? I saw the pastry tray floating around throughout tea and when he offered to bring it I must have had a longing in my eye that made him bring us our freebie swan.
I've only ever eaten at Narcoses for dinner but I've always wanted to try Citricos. Buffets aren't really my thing but I'd love to try the Strawberry Soup from 1900 Park Fare. DBF and I even made it at home once! Now I just have to know if it's like the original
Yay you made it to afternoon tea!
I'm glad you were able to order the Mad Hatter tea and the cheese looks yummy - well apart from the green one but yay on it being amazing!
Love that you got to see the wedding carriage and that swan looks very pretty .
I loooved our tea experience. It is HIGHLY recommended
I know the green cheese looks creepy but it was one of the best on the plate. My least favorite was one that looked like goat cheese but tasted like blue cheese... and I HATE strong cheese flavor. My favorite was a creamy goat cheese with garlic and herbs. Uh, I'm hungry just thinking about it.
I think you and Meg would love afternoon tea! The tea can be as expensive or cheap as you'd like. Here's the menu. The only thing is they charge you $6.25 for tea regardless of who orders what. If you and Meg got the same tea, for example, it'd be the same price as if you got different pots. And with the amount of food you can get it definitely could replace a meal!
Ohhh the Mad Hatter tea sounds SOO good! And that swan looks absolutely delicious!
Lucky you on seeing Cinderella's carriage. I hope it's in use during my trip so I get to see it too....what a wonderful (and magical) thing to have in your wedding!
I HIGHLY recommend the Mad Hatter! It was sooo good. And it really was magical seeing Cinderella's carriage. Even the CMs were excited to see it because it was so elaborate with both attendants and four white horses. It gave me wistful dreams of being a princess on my wedding day... then I remembered that would mean having all those people looking at me and I had second thoughts
I'm in! I was there the same time as you, I arrived on 9/29 and just got home on 10/8, I should be starting my TR in a few days! Great start, CBR looks beautiful, I'd love to stay there someday! I love your Jack Sparrow keychain!
I stopped by your PTR and saw we were at the same Halloween party too! (9/30, yes?) And you had planned to watch Wishes on the 1st? We were there too! How amazing were those fireworks? Can't wait for you to start your TR, I'll be sure to check it out :That's exactly how Matt felt too
But IMO how fancy can a place be that has Mrs. Potts and Chip in the floor? It's still Disney after all, it's a happy place! Although I agree, GF is not my favorite resort 
dreamerchic33
Mouseketeer
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- Aug 10, 2010
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great updates!!!
BerrysGirl
Waiting for the Lights
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- Apr 5, 2011
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- 402
Thanks darlin'! Your wedding is sooo close
BerrysGirl
Waiting for the Lights
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- Apr 5, 2011
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- 402
Feeling great after our tea, we decided to wander the GF for a while. We were at Disney and had our whole vacation ahead of us!'
First I took Matt into the boutique right beside the tea room that had the Disney Dooney's... I had my eye on the 40th anniversary print but I really wanted the wallet. It was the most practical purchase for me and I didn't love the purses. I have so many purses already I wasn't sure if I could justify the cost for a purse I'd only use every once in a while. The wallet, on the other hand, I would use every day. Unfortunately, when Matt first got to Disney World, he started hunting for my wallet... apparently with a dream of getting it for me for my birthday. Well, it turns out the wallet had sold out and the CMs he had spoken to wasn't sure if they'd ever get another shipment in
(keep this in mind, it is important later on).
Matt traded pins with the CM in the boutique (my apologies now, I did not track our pin trading this trip... looking back I really regret this) and we moved on to the main gift shop upstairs.
There, we traded vinlymations!
I got Bean the Bunny from the Muppets and Matt got Big Baby from Toy Story. For some reason Matt really loved Big Baby
I thought he was a little creepy but, naturally, I found Bean to be adorable!
With our new vinylmations in hand, we decided to hop back on the monorail and go back to the Food and Wine festival!
Once we got back to Epcot, I managed to snag this picture:
I thought the theme for this year's F&W was awesome!
I dragged Matt on Spaceship Earth next. I love that ride. When I was 5 we went to Disney World with my Dad's best friend and his family. They had a daughter my age and every night we'd make our parents go back to Epcot to ride Spaceship Earth and Figment. We loved Spaceship Earth because our parents would let us ride in a car by ourselves (with the moms in front and the dads behind us supervising, of course). And Figment was, well, Figment! I NEVER got sick of the old Figment! I do miss Walter Cronkite's narration (I know Jeremy Irons narrated as well, I liked him too!) but Dame Judy Dench is amazing and I love the quiz at the end. It doesn't really feel like Disney to me until I've been in Spaceship Earth... ah nostalgia.
After our wonderful journey through time, we headed back to World Showcase to scope out F&W. We weren't overly hungry after tea, but I also attributed it to the heat. It was still quite warm out and I reasoned that after the sun went down, Canadian Cheddar Cheese soup would sound more appealing.
I love that they recycled some of the topiaries from the Flower and Garden Festival. I also saw the Lightning McQueen and Mater topiaries over at DHS and the Lion King topiaries (Rakifi & Simba, Timon, and Pumba) over at AK.
We stopped at the gift shop at the entrance of World Showcase to trade Vinylmations again.
I started to get artsy-fartsy with the vinylmations placement. Matt got Rex and I got the Turtle. I didn't notice until I looked at these photos how much paint had chipped off that Rex. Guess it's a good thing we didn't keep him!
It was about this time Matt decided to make his first F&W purchase:
Purple Haze!
Purple Haze is Matt's favorite beer (it has a raspberry taste, for those who haven't tried it) and I think it's great too. Matt had never had it on draft before so he was excited to give it a try. I, of course, insisted that he get the largest portion in the souvenir glass.
P.S. Draft Purple Haze is even better than bottled Purple Haze. If you're going to F&W (and are over the age of 21 of course!) I highly encourage you give it a try! Even if you aren't a beer drinker, it's quite good.
After our success in our first F&W booth, we decided it was time for another souvenir. And this one was technically free!
We put $30 on a gift card to use exclusively at F&W. I'm so strange, but I love gift cards and I love the image on this one!
By this time, the temperature had dropped dramatically, and I was ready to give the Cheddar Cheese Soup a try:
Wow was this heavenly. I can only imagine what this would taste like with the pretzel bread. I'd be tempted to just order two bowls of that for my dinner and call it a day!
After our success in Canada, we decided to continue our tour around the world.
Wow did F&W start to get busy! And it technically wasn't even open yet! I believe that was part of the problem. Since it was a soft opening, they only had one window open at each booth, causing quite the backup. That, in addition to CMs being able to get guest in for free that day (I forgot to mention, it took Matt a good 15-20 minutes to get through the CM gate), and the secret soft opening not being so secret anymore meant crowds I haven't seen since Christmas! It was pretty crazy. That, added to the fact that I'd been up since 3:30 am meant that it was 8 pm and I had hit my wall. I was exhausted and completely overwhelmed. Matt noticed around Morocco and suggested we head out. I felt guilty leaving before Illuminations since it's Matt's favorite but he could tell I really wasn't having fun anymore. So we decided to stop at one more booth for the night then head out before the crowds.
I knew exactly what booth I had in mind:
I have always wanted to try kimchi and I thought this was the perfect opportunity.
I ordered the Lettuce Wraps with Roast Pork and Kimchi Slaw (left) and DBF got the Boolgogi BBQ Beef with steamed Rice and Kimchi (right).
Boy is kimchi spicy! I know I may be stating the obvious but for someone who had never tried it before I was very surprised! Matt's dish was definitely more spicy than mine (we split) but both were very good. Matt's beef was excellent but I like my lettuce wrap better. The pork was sweet and it paired very well with the Kimchi slaw. South Korea was probably my favorite booth we tried and the Lettuce Wrap was my favorite dish! For the prices ($3.00 and $4.25) I also thought the portions were very reasonable.
After our tasty snack, we decided to head for the door. I can't remember waiting very long at the bus stop and I'm fairly sure we had a seat. Shortly after we were back in our room.
We got ready for bed and crashed when I wanted to watch some Stacey to fall asleep! That's when we realized. There was no remote? Weird... around this time was also when we discovered a candy wrapper filled with crumbs that I spilled all over the carpet when I discovered it. The wrapper was on our dresser next to the glasses (glasses I was unwilling to use after because not noticing the wrapper means they did not change the glasses. And what if they had been used?). We called the front desk and shortly had a new remote. Which is good because Stacey had just completed her loop and I think Matt was a little sick of her.
Needless to say we were less than thrilled with our Mousekeeping staff at this point. Matt mentioned the state of our room the next day at work and his manager told him that to get more rooms ready earlier in the day, they had brought in a Third Shift mousekeeping staff. Which I thought was a fantastic idea... a Third Shift means more jobs for people who need them AND rooms ready earlier! It seems like a win-win but apparently the Third Shift Mousekeeping is notorious for doing a horrible job (our room being an obvious example). So the moral of the story? If your room is available very early in the day, give it a proper examination. It will save you a late night call to the front desk and some peace of mind because I was a little grossed out by our room the rest of the trip. Not enough to truly get to me but enough that I didn't use the blankets and I walked around the room with flip-flops, not bare feet.
Once we had successfully secured a remote, we pretty much fell asleep instantly. Matt had to work in the morning and I was exhausted!
First I took Matt into the boutique right beside the tea room that had the Disney Dooney's... I had my eye on the 40th anniversary print but I really wanted the wallet. It was the most practical purchase for me and I didn't love the purses. I have so many purses already I wasn't sure if I could justify the cost for a purse I'd only use every once in a while. The wallet, on the other hand, I would use every day. Unfortunately, when Matt first got to Disney World, he started hunting for my wallet... apparently with a dream of getting it for me for my birthday. Well, it turns out the wallet had sold out and the CMs he had spoken to wasn't sure if they'd ever get another shipment in
(keep this in mind, it is important later on).Matt traded pins with the CM in the boutique (my apologies now, I did not track our pin trading this trip... looking back I really regret this) and we moved on to the main gift shop upstairs.
There, we traded vinlymations!
I got Bean the Bunny from the Muppets and Matt got Big Baby from Toy Story. For some reason Matt really loved Big Baby
I thought he was a little creepy but, naturally, I found Bean to be adorable!With our new vinylmations in hand, we decided to hop back on the monorail and go back to the Food and Wine festival!
Once we got back to Epcot, I managed to snag this picture:
I thought the theme for this year's F&W was awesome!
I dragged Matt on Spaceship Earth next. I love that ride. When I was 5 we went to Disney World with my Dad's best friend and his family. They had a daughter my age and every night we'd make our parents go back to Epcot to ride Spaceship Earth and Figment. We loved Spaceship Earth because our parents would let us ride in a car by ourselves (with the moms in front and the dads behind us supervising, of course). And Figment was, well, Figment! I NEVER got sick of the old Figment! I do miss Walter Cronkite's narration (I know Jeremy Irons narrated as well, I liked him too!) but Dame Judy Dench is amazing and I love the quiz at the end. It doesn't really feel like Disney to me until I've been in Spaceship Earth... ah nostalgia.
After our wonderful journey through time, we headed back to World Showcase to scope out F&W. We weren't overly hungry after tea, but I also attributed it to the heat. It was still quite warm out and I reasoned that after the sun went down, Canadian Cheddar Cheese soup would sound more appealing.
I love that they recycled some of the topiaries from the Flower and Garden Festival. I also saw the Lightning McQueen and Mater topiaries over at DHS and the Lion King topiaries (Rakifi & Simba, Timon, and Pumba) over at AK.
We stopped at the gift shop at the entrance of World Showcase to trade Vinylmations again.
I started to get artsy-fartsy with the vinylmations placement. Matt got Rex and I got the Turtle. I didn't notice until I looked at these photos how much paint had chipped off that Rex. Guess it's a good thing we didn't keep him!
It was about this time Matt decided to make his first F&W purchase:
Purple Haze!
Purple Haze is Matt's favorite beer (it has a raspberry taste, for those who haven't tried it) and I think it's great too. Matt had never had it on draft before so he was excited to give it a try. I, of course, insisted that he get the largest portion in the souvenir glass.
P.S. Draft Purple Haze is even better than bottled Purple Haze. If you're going to F&W (and are over the age of 21 of course!) I highly encourage you give it a try! Even if you aren't a beer drinker, it's quite good.
After our success in our first F&W booth, we decided it was time for another souvenir. And this one was technically free!
We put $30 on a gift card to use exclusively at F&W. I'm so strange, but I love gift cards and I love the image on this one!
By this time, the temperature had dropped dramatically, and I was ready to give the Cheddar Cheese Soup a try:
Wow was this heavenly. I can only imagine what this would taste like with the pretzel bread. I'd be tempted to just order two bowls of that for my dinner and call it a day!
After our success in Canada, we decided to continue our tour around the world.
Wow did F&W start to get busy! And it technically wasn't even open yet! I believe that was part of the problem. Since it was a soft opening, they only had one window open at each booth, causing quite the backup. That, in addition to CMs being able to get guest in for free that day (I forgot to mention, it took Matt a good 15-20 minutes to get through the CM gate), and the secret soft opening not being so secret anymore meant crowds I haven't seen since Christmas! It was pretty crazy. That, added to the fact that I'd been up since 3:30 am meant that it was 8 pm and I had hit my wall. I was exhausted and completely overwhelmed. Matt noticed around Morocco and suggested we head out. I felt guilty leaving before Illuminations since it's Matt's favorite but he could tell I really wasn't having fun anymore. So we decided to stop at one more booth for the night then head out before the crowds.
I knew exactly what booth I had in mind:
I have always wanted to try kimchi and I thought this was the perfect opportunity.
I ordered the Lettuce Wraps with Roast Pork and Kimchi Slaw (left) and DBF got the Boolgogi BBQ Beef with steamed Rice and Kimchi (right).
Boy is kimchi spicy! I know I may be stating the obvious but for someone who had never tried it before I was very surprised! Matt's dish was definitely more spicy than mine (we split) but both were very good. Matt's beef was excellent but I like my lettuce wrap better. The pork was sweet and it paired very well with the Kimchi slaw. South Korea was probably my favorite booth we tried and the Lettuce Wrap was my favorite dish! For the prices ($3.00 and $4.25) I also thought the portions were very reasonable.
After our tasty snack, we decided to head for the door. I can't remember waiting very long at the bus stop and I'm fairly sure we had a seat. Shortly after we were back in our room.
We got ready for bed and crashed when I wanted to watch some Stacey to fall asleep! That's when we realized. There was no remote? Weird... around this time was also when we discovered a candy wrapper filled with crumbs that I spilled all over the carpet when I discovered it. The wrapper was on our dresser next to the glasses (glasses I was unwilling to use after because not noticing the wrapper means they did not change the glasses. And what if they had been used?). We called the front desk and shortly had a new remote. Which is good because Stacey had just completed her loop and I think Matt was a little sick of her.
Needless to say we were less than thrilled with our Mousekeeping staff at this point. Matt mentioned the state of our room the next day at work and his manager told him that to get more rooms ready earlier in the day, they had brought in a Third Shift mousekeeping staff. Which I thought was a fantastic idea... a Third Shift means more jobs for people who need them AND rooms ready earlier! It seems like a win-win but apparently the Third Shift Mousekeeping is notorious for doing a horrible job (our room being an obvious example). So the moral of the story? If your room is available very early in the day, give it a proper examination. It will save you a late night call to the front desk and some peace of mind because I was a little grossed out by our room the rest of the trip. Not enough to truly get to me but enough that I didn't use the blankets and I walked around the room with flip-flops, not bare feet.
Once we had successfully secured a remote, we pretty much fell asleep instantly. Matt had to work in the morning and I was exhausted!
TanzUnited99
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2010
- Messages
- 3,942
I really hope you get your hands on the D&B wallet later on.
I love the F&W festival photos.
Lol I love all of the Epcot rides as well - they sure are great
Wow at the crowds at Epcot - aaw that is sweet that DBF noticed you were tired and suggested leaving.
Ugh at the Mousekeeping situation - thanks for the tip though.
I love the F&W festival photos.
Lol I love all of the Epcot rides as well - they sure are great
Wow at the crowds at Epcot - aaw that is sweet that DBF noticed you were tired and suggested leaving.
Ugh at the Mousekeeping situation - thanks for the tip though.
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