Oct 30 2010 7 Night Western (PART 2)

[PrincessTrisha]

I have never been to F&W and we are going to be at Epcot on Monday the 25ish. I have no idea what to expect.... so anyone look at the menu? I know the Ireland Lobster and scallop fisherman's pie sounds OMG yum!!

Here's my advice for the F & W festival - look over the menus first and come up with a list of stuff you really want to try. Avoid things you can get really great versions of at home (we have a great Greek area here in Toronto so as much as I love spanakopika and greek salad, I learned after the first year not to use up stomach space on it). There are so many great and unique things that I want to try that I need to avoid the "everyday stuff" to ensure that I can sample all I want.

2 - Share. If you're in a couple or a family - get one sample and several forks. Oh and another thing I do - keep my fork. I see no reason to pick up a new fork for each of us for each tasting.

3 - Get a bottle of water before you start. Somethings are very strong tasting and I find it better to sip a little water in between so that I get the true taste of each item instead of them all piling on each other. I guess you'd call it a palate cleanser of sorts.

4 - The booths can be fairly close together. I check the map and each of us go to a booth and meet back at a centrally located table (tables - especially picnic tables - can be difficult to get so this may take a little perseverence). Last year we parked my mom (in her wheelchair) next to table and the 3 of us each went to two booths in the area and brought back samples. For me I find it more relaxing to sit down and be able to pass around several plates for tasting then to stand and eat and keep moving. Benches work as well if you can't find tables in certain areas (outside of France is a good place for large benches and a good meeting space).

Those are my hints for a Food and Wine festival rookie. I figure it goes without saying but I'm going to say it anyways. Know your limit. Especially with the wine. You're outside in the Florida heat, alcohol can really hit you hard. Nothing puts an end to a day quicker than having to leave the park because one member of your party is stinking drunk.

Have fun and enjoy!

 

[morgansmom2000]

Well, since you asked

Please ignore her hair, she had to wear a headband to dance and it was wet when she put it in.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Well, since you asked

Please ignore her hair, she had to wear a headband to dance and it was wet when she put it in.

Another great shirt!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I'm not our packers but I can pass on what Linda does - we do iron everything and then items going into the regular suitcase she rolls - they arrive wrinkle free!

Yes, I do this too and it works great. Not only do they not wrinkle so bad but also uses every inch of the suitcase with no wasted space.

I also unfold the garment bag and hang it up (or lay flat) as soon as we get to our hotel room so our formal clothes are only squashed as long as they have to be. In the am I fold it back up right before we leave.

 

[adnil530]

Here's my advice for the F & W festival - look over the menus first and come up with a list of stuff you really want to try. Avoid things you can get really great versions of at home (we have a great Greek area here in Toronto so as much as I love spanakopika and greek salad, I learned after the first year not to use up stomach space on it). There are so many great and unique things that I want to try that I need to avoid the "everyday stuff" to ensure that I can sample all I want.

2 - Share. If you're in a couple or a family - get one sample and several forks. Oh and another thing I do - keep my fork. I see no reason to pick up a new fork for each of us for each tasting.

3 - Get a bottle of water before you start. Somethings are very strong tasting and I find it better to sip a little water in between so that I get the true taste of each item instead of them all piling on each other. I guess you'd call it a palate cleanser of sorts.

4 - The booths can be fairly close together. I check the map and each of us go to a booth and meet back at a centrally located table (tables - especially picnic tables - can be difficult to get so this may take a little perseverence). Last year we parked my mom (in her wheelchair) next to table and the 3 of us each went to two booths in the area and brought back samples. For me I find it more relaxing to sit down and be able to pass around several plates for tasting then to stand and eat and keep moving. Benches work as well if you can't find tables in certain areas (outside of France is a good place for large benches and a good meeting space).

Those are my hints for a Food and Wine festival rookie. I figure it goes without saying but I'm going to say it anyways. Know your limit. Especially with the wine. You're outside in the Florida heat, alcohol can really hit you hard. Nothing puts an end to a day quicker than having to leave the park because one member of your party is stinking drunk.

Have fun and enjoy!

Thanks for the tips! We will be there 1 week from today and we didn't have a game plan. This will certainly give us a start.

Linda

 

[tjbaggott]

If shipping something to the port from within the US, is later this week best, or early next week?

 

[nenner1]

If shipping something to the port from within the US, is later this week best, or early next week?

I would do it ASAP myself.

 

[podsnel]

I would do it ASAP myself.

Ditto.

 

[Fastpaks]

I would do it this week. Especially, sine your package has to cross customs.

 

[morgansmom2000]

It sounds like she's mailing from within the US, but I would still mail earlier than later. USPS has a priority mail service which takes "2-3" days, but I wouldn't take any chances.

 

[Pudo]

If shipping something to the port from within the US, is later this week best, or early next week?

I don't think there is any urgency, but I would ship this week. No point in waiting since the package will be stored in a warehouse until it is time to get it to the port.

I couldn't find any fans in Wal*Mart or Target (not surprised considering the season) so I ordered them on Amazon. They are supposed to arrive Thursday, I will mail them out as soon as I get them.

 

[tjbaggott]

Thanks for the shipping info. Although I live in Canada, someone from the US will be shipping a package for me directly to the ship. I'll tell him to do so ASAP.

 

[Dreams83]

ok now down to the last week to get everything done we leave saturday after my sons game so that means this will be a busy week of packing and cleaning and getting everything we need together and hope we didnt forget anything behind thank god i get out at noon on friday. Cant wait for vacation but its almost sad at the same time its been a year of waiting and now its almost here just 5more days after today. I hope it doesnt go to fast while we are here.

Also ladies i had a question to ask you guys. I am hopfully going to go get a pedi on friday after work and thinking of adding a design instead of just painting them plain, are u guys doing any design or have in the past that u think is cool that u want o share at first i wanted to find someone to do mickey heads but dont know if i can find someone in missouri who knows how to make cute disney themes now im thinking maybe some floral or carrinean tropical theme what do u guys think??

 

[JKSWonder]

Packed up all the FE gifts. DH is going to mail the box to the port tomorrow. I hope everything gets there o.k.

I also finished our Halloween t-shirts and the shirts DH and I are wearing as part of our Halloween costumes (Yes, we decided to dress up. We thought of something we could do together that wouldn't take up too much room in the suitcase!)

My mom is making DS's costume, but she is almost done with it. I have all the clothes laid out in the extra bedroom, so I should be able to pack it all up this Saturday. We leave the following Thursday.

I just have a couple of magnets I need to print out and then I think we will be good to go!

Dreams83, I thought about getting a design on my toe, but it will depend upon how much time I have to devote to the mani/pedi I intend to get the Wednesday before we leave. I thought about a palm tree, because I know my manicurist knows how to do that one. I may end up being boring though, and just opt for a relatively neutral color. DD will also be getting hers done and they always put designs on her automatically....it's included in the kids mani/pedi package.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

ok now down to the last week to get everything done we leave saturday after my sons game so that means this will be a busy week of packing and cleaning and getting everything we need together and hope we didnt forget anything behind thank god i get out at noon on friday. Cant wait for vacation but its almost sad at the same time its been a year of waiting and now its almost here just 5more days after today. I hope it doesnt go to fast while we are here.

Also ladies i had a question to ask you guys. I am hopfully going to go get a pedi on friday after work and thinking of adding a design instead of just painting them plain, are u guys doing any design or have in the past that u think is cool that u want o share at first i wanted to find someone to do mickey heads but dont know if i can find someone in missouri who knows how to make cute disney themes now im thinking maybe some floral or carrinean tropical theme what do u guys think??

How about a palm tree? Mickey Heads would need to be done free-hand (instead of air brushing) so they might be tougher if they haven't done them before - of course - it doesn't hurt to ask

I'm going the opposite - short nails all around. I have a bad habit of chipping nails and it's just not worth the chance. Even my toes - short and neat and unpainted




I got some bad news tonight. My boss' father passed away on Friday night. The viewing is tonight and the funeral is tomorrow. I'm pretty friendly with my boss (he's a very open guy). I'm feeling a little guilty about going on vacation when I know that he'd prefer to have my support at the office and to run things in his absence. A couple of weeks ago his common law partner was hospitalized with a stomach tumour and I "acted" for him then (was Manager for the week and half he was away). I'm sure I'll be doing it again this week but then I've got the next two weeks off (a few days to pack, a couple of travel days, a couple of days at WDW and then the 1 week cruise).

 

[tjbaggott]

I printed off all my magnets today, well not all I had planned but it might just end up being ALL. I took them to staples to have laminated and left them there as the girl had no time to do it today but will do them tomorrow. I printed off all the iron on transfers for shirts and have one embarkation day shirt done, and just about to do the second one. The other two, well, the shirts I HAD bought seem to have disappeared. So today I had to go buy two more. Yes, try and find T shirts at this time of year, plain white ones. Well for DH it was not a problem, but for DS13, I searched and searched Walmart, and finally found ONE, the ONLY one his size. So they are in the wash right now. DS7's white shirt, thats the one I've finished the iron on on, and I noticed that the sides of the bottom of the shirt are stained. He ended up wearing this shirt once, even though he wasn't supposed to. Too late now, I"ve got the iron on ironed on, and the stains not that noticeable, it kinda blends in with the white, but is noticeable if you're looking for it. Now that I've said that, you'll all be saying on Embarkation day "That mom didn't use TIDE"
DH vacuumed out the van today and removed the one middle seat we won't need. I talked with the neighbour about gathering our mail, and I'll call the home insurance company tomorrow to see if we HAVE to have someone coming in to check on things. Going to try and use up all the fresh food in the cupboards and fridge before we go, so we don't have to through out a lot. Now less than 7 days before we leave, and the boys still don't know!

 

[SpeedyWil]

Okay, I have no idea what DD and DH mean. There are initials before my kids names that I just dont understand and since I am getting sooooo old I just don't care if I sound dumb anymore. Can someone please tell me what these initials mean?

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I printed off all my magnets today, well not all I had planned but it might just end up being ALL. I took them to staples to have laminated and left them there as the girl had no time to do it today but will do them tomorrow. I printed off all the iron on transfers for shirts and have one embarkation day shirt done, and just about to do the second one. The other two, well, the shirts I HAD bought seem to have disappeared. So today I had to go buy two more. Yes, try and find T shirts at this time of year, plain white ones. Well for DH it was not a problem, but for DS13, I searched and searched Walmart, and finally found ONE, the ONLY one his size. So they are in the wash right now. DS7's white shirt, thats the one I've finished the iron on on, and I noticed that the sides of the bottom of the shirt are stained. He ended up wearing this shirt once, even though he wasn't supposed to. Too late now, I"ve got the iron on ironed on, and the stains not that noticeable, it kinda blends in with the white, but is noticeable if you're looking for it. Now that I've said that, you'll all be saying on Embarkation day "That mom didn't use TIDE"
DH vacuumed out the van today and removed the one middle seat we won't need. I talked with the neighbour about gathering our mail, and I'll call the home insurance company tomorrow to see if we HAVE to have someone coming in to check on things. Going to try and use up all the fresh food in the cupboards and fridge before we go, so we don't have to through out a lot. Now less than 7 days before we leave, and the boys still don't know!

wow, I don't know how you keep it a secret...

ok now down to the last week to get everything done we leave saturday after my sons game so that means this will be a busy week of packing and cleaning and getting everything we need together and hope we didnt forget anything behind thank god i get out at noon on friday. Cant wait for vacation but its almost sad at the same time its been a year of waiting and now its almost here just 5more days after today. I hope it doesnt go to fast while we are here.

Also ladies i had a question to ask you guys. I am hopfully going to go get a pedi on friday after work and thinking of adding a design instead of just painting them plain, are u guys doing any design or have in the past that u think is cool that u want o share at first i wanted to find someone to do mickey heads but dont know if i can find someone in missouri who knows how to make cute disney themes now im thinking maybe some floral or carrinean tropical theme what do u guys think??

My mom once got Mickey heads. They did them free hand and it looked pretty good. She always gets some kind of design.

Okay, I have no idea what DD and DH mean. There are initials before my kids names that I just dont understand and since I am getting sooooo old I just don't care if I sound dumb anymore. Can someone please tell me what these initials mean?

dd=darling or dear daughter
ds= " " " son
dh= " " " husband
dw= " " " wife

 

[tjbaggott]

Okay, I have no idea what DD and DH mean. There are initials before my kids names that I just dont understand and since I am getting sooooo old I just don't care if I sound dumb anymore. Can someone please tell me what these initials mean?

LOL, don't feel dumb. I was the same, when I first joined the DIS, LOST. I had to ask the same question! Later I found an explanation of all short forms in the DCL FAQ's thread.

 

[bfosbenner]

So is there a schedule for the FE exchange? I got the room chart but
did not notice any sort of schedule so we all dont do it the same day.

Also, whats with the fans?
This is our 5th cruise and dont recall needing one in our room.