Stop Throwing Tissues on Me! – September 2023 Food and Wine Fest Trip Report! (Updated 2/12!)

[Wood Nymph]

Wheelchairs are hard to push around. I can see how it would be a tough job in Epcot. One of my sisters injured her leg and was in a wheelchair for a short time. My other sister and I took turns pushing her around our local zoo. It was a lot of work.

 

[VAtink]

It will forever and always be Future World!

Exactly!

 

[VAtink]

Wheelchairs are hard to push around. I can see how it would be a tough job in Epcot. One of my sisters injured her leg and was in a wheelchair for a short time. My other sister and I took turns pushing her around our local zoo. It was a lot of work.

Yeah, it wasn't fun to push around, but it saved my mom from being in pain, so it was worth it!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

You and your mom are so cute together. What a wonderful Epcot evening. Now, if people are being stupid about stopping in the way, that's when I think you just let go of the wheelchair and your mom becomes a bowling ball. You get points for how many people you knock down. No?? Just me??? Well, I have decided to embrace violence today in order to get through so maybe don't listen to me.

 

[KPeterso]

One thing I quickly realized with the park wheelchairs, is that I’m either too tall to be pushing them, or my arms are too short. The handles were sooooo low, like standing straight behind the wheelchair the top of the handles were like 4”-5” below my fingertips, so I had to hunch over to push my mom. This wasn’t too bad on flat surfaces or even going uphill, but going downhill was miserable, and one thing I realized while pushing the wheelchair is that there are a lot of little ups and downs all throughout Epcot.

It probably wouldn’t have been as bad if Epcot wasn’t so crowded, but due to the crowds we had to go downhill very slowly since bowling people over with a wheelchair is generally frowned upon.

So to not crash into people, I had to physically pull the wheelchair back to keep it from going downhill too fast, and having that constant pulling back/tension while in an awkward bent over position absolutely destroyed my back. Even after only the two hours of pushing the wheelchair this night my back was completely seizing up. I joked with my mom that we may need to get a wheelchair for both of us later in the trip!

I can relate to it all. I tell people all the time that you never realize how many hills/inclines are in the park until you have to push a wheelchair. It can be pretty bad. I don't have the problem of being hunched over (since I am only 5'2", but I still feel it in my back and shoulders by the end of the day. And we also always say the wheelchair (or scooter) is an incredible invisibility device. As soon as you have one, no one can see you. Stop right in front of you, walk within 2 inches of the front (almost landing in my mom's lap a few times), and giving attitude when they cut you off and end up clipping the heels.

 

[vamassey1]

It took a hot second to find the rental place, but we eventually did and rented one. When we went to pay, the CM told us that it was “on Mickey” that night. So sweet! Although I guess at that point there was only 2 hours left of the day, so it made sense not to charge us.

Free is always good!

This wasn’t too bad on flat surfaces or even going uphill, but going downhill was miserable, and one thing I realized while pushing the wheelchair is that there are a lot of little ups and downs all throughout Epcot.

I pushed my pregnant daughter through Epcot and there was lots of up and downs.

Well, sadly this year the cheese was a huge disappointment. I don’t know if they had just been sitting out too long or what, but they were so dry and flavorless, and the dipping sauce didn’t help.

I hate to hear this. I just read a great review on another report, and it really made me want to have some in the future.

We made it to the room just in time to watch the fireworks, and wow, our view was fantastic!

Perfect viewing!

 

[VAtink]

You and your mom are so cute together. What a wonderful Epcot evening. Now, if people are being stupid about stopping in the way, that's when I think you just let go of the wheelchair and your mom becomes a bowling ball. You get points for how many people you knock down. No?? Just me??? Well, I have decided to embrace violence today in order to get through so maybe don't listen to me.

Aw thanks! And haha, it was tempting to mow people down, but I'm too afraid of being kicked out!

 

[VAtink]

I can relate to it all. I tell people all the time that you never realize how many hills/inclines are in the park until you have to push a wheelchair. It can be pretty bad. I don't have the problem of being hunched over (since I am only 5'2", but I still feel it in my back and shoulders by the end of the day. And we also always say the wheelchair (or scooter) is an incredible invisibility device. As soon as you have one, no one can see you. Stop right in front of you, walk within 2 inches of the front (almost landing in my mom's lap a few times), and giving attitude when they cut you off and end up clipping the heels.

Yeah, it was definitely a workout! And I agree, it's like she just disappeared the second she sat in the chair! For the most part I did a great job not crashing into people, except one time which was totally their fault!

 

[VAtink]

Free is always good!

Especially at Disney!

I pushed my pregnant daughter through Epcot and there was lots of up and downs.

Yeah, I was surprised, I never realized how much the elevation changed in Epcot!

I hate to hear this. I just read a great review on another report, and it really made me want to have some in the future.

I wouldn't give up on them yet, last year it was one of my top dishes of the whole fest. I'm guessing since it was so late at night when we got them this year, they had just been sitting out under the heat lamp for too long.

Perfect viewing!

It was amazing! I loved that room!

 

[cheryllarsen]

Oh Gosh! What a great time!

 

[cheryllarsen]

I enjoyed the great read! Thanks so much for posting.

 

[VAtink]

Oh Gosh! What a great time!

We had such a fun trip!

I enjoyed the great read! Thanks so much for posting.

You're welcome, I should be posting the next update this weekend!

 

[VAtink]

Day 3, Part 1: A Relaxing Epcot Morning​

We slept in a bit this morning, getting up a bit after 7. We had some breakfast in the room, just snacking on the stuff we picked up the day prior, and slowly got ready. At 7 I booked us a Guardians ILL with a return time of 9:15.

The sunrise from the room this morning was beautiful!



Around 8:15 we made our way out and over to Epcot. It was a nice walk over, and of course we took pictures on the way!




Such a beautiful morning!

This morning we decided it would be best to rent a wheelchair from the start, so once in Epcot stopped at the store to rent one. We had a bit of a wait, lots of people renting ECVs, but it was only about 20 minutes which actually was good since we would be getting to our next stop after the park was officially open (not just for resort guests) since we figured it wouldn’t be open for early entry.

Once we had the wheelchair we decided to head over to our next stop, Belgium for waffles!

On the way of course we stopped at a photopass photographer!



When we got over to the Belgium booth we saw, sadness, the booth was still closed! Unlike last year when they opened with the park, apparently this year they open later. The CM we spoke with said sometimes it will open a bit earlier, but it’s only required to open by 11, so if it’s open any earlier than that it’s just a happy surprise. Grrr. This is one change I’m not a fan of!

Since our waffle plan was foiled, we decided to just continue our way around WS and get pictures with the super low crowds.









It was amazing, almost every single place we stopped to get pictures, there was no one there, yet the second we stopped and started taking pictures a lined formed to get the same picture. Seriously, the queueing instinct is real!

We took our time strolling through the countries before making out way into FW!

Next up: Time for some Rides!​

 

[VAtink]

Day 3, Part 2: Time for Some Rides!​

We last left off heading out of WS toward FW.

We eventually made it into FW, and since we were within our return time for Guardians we made our way over there.

Now, if you remember from earlier, today I was pushing my mom in a wheelchair, and up to that point I was pretty impressed with my ability to maneuver the thing. Well, as we were approaching the LL entry, this woman jumps right out in front of us and stops short. I tried my best to not hit her, but she gave me like 4”, and I could not decelerate that quickly. She turned around and started to get really mad, which for some reason just made me want to laugh, like how ridiculously self-centered is this woman? Amazingly, I kept my calm (likely because she was being so laughably ridiculous), and politely told her that if she doesn’t want to get hit by wheelchairs she should watch where she’s going and not jump out in front of one and stop short. I don’t know if she realized she was in the wrong, or if she didn’t expect a calm reaction to her crazy, but she completely shut up and moved on.

Once that fun was over, we entered the queue. When we got to the part after the preshows where everyone dumps into the hall and we all try very poorly to merge and not be separated from our party I was a bit worried about my mom since she was down low and people might not see her. Turns out there was no need to worry, and funny enough even though I tried to be one of the last to exit the second preshow room we ended up being towards the front since everyone kept insisting we go ahead of them.

Anyways, we got the merge point, which is always a mess of people trying to push ahead, and I was absolutely blown away when this family upon seeing me pushing my mom, spread out to block everyone else trying to push ahead so my mom and I could go. There are really some awesome people out there, thank you awesome family!

Once on the ride we got One Way or Another. Still waiting to get Disco Inferno…(does it even exist? I feel like probability wise I should have gotten it at least once at this point!)



After Guardians we were getting close to the end of the return time for our pre-booked DAS for TT, so we headed over there. It was a complete walk-on. At first a CM told my mom and I to go stand on the #7 circle, and I couldn’t help but to laugh since the circles are hardly large enough for two people to stand on, but with the wheelchair there was absolutely no way we were both fitting on that circle and not encroaching on the parties in front of and behind us. Another cast member saw me trying really hard to fit the wheelchair and myself in that tiny little space and came over and had us move to a different line where there were two circles open for us to take. Phew! I mean, I was willing to try to get us to fit between everyone, but it was quite challenging!

Since we each had our own circle, the CM said we could each design our own car. This is what we designed:





Can you guess which car is mom’s and which is mine?

The only downside to this was almost all the test results weren’t working, so there would be no bragging rights about whose car did better. Whomp Whomp. I do think on the like one test result that was working my moms car was #1, so we’ll say she won.



After our ride on TT we were well into our next prebooked DAS return time for SE, so we made our way over there.

When we got to the LL to scan in the CM working there informed us that we couldn’t enter that way with the wheelchair. She verified we had a return time and we were in it (why I don’t get…anyone in a wheelchair can go in the back way, and she didn't scan us to "clear" it), and then pointed us to the side of the ride where there was an accessible door we could enter. She assured us that once we went in there would be a CM to guide us.

So we made our way over to the kinda sketchy looking side entrance (seriously this thing is fairly hidden behind a wall and seems like a place only CMs should be). Sure enough, per the CMs instructions, there was an accessible sign next to the door, which we pushed (a few times) to get the door to open, then headed in. Turns out, that guaranteed CM just on the inside of the door did not exist. HA!

It was ok though, we pushed in a bit further and realized we came into where the ride dumps out. Eventually a CM spotted us and checked to make sure mom could walk a bit and was capable of self preservation in the even of an emergency. Once that was cleared up he had us walk up the exit queue of the ride behind other guests who had transferred from their wheelchairs and soon we were loading on the ride…from the unload. I didn’t think much about this, until suddenly we arrive in the load and there were people waiting to join us. Silly me for thinking we’d have a ride vehicle to ourselves!

It was a good ride as always, although the smells seemed less smelly. Also somehow the camera thinks I’m swiss cheese…



Once off the ride we went to find our wheelchair, and since by that point it was already about 10:45, decided to head out to get in line for some food booths.

Next up: New Food Booths!​

 

[Wood Nymph]

When we got over to the Belgium booth we saw, sadness, the booth was still closed! Unlike last year when they opened with the park, apparently this year they open later. The CM we spoke with said sometimes it will open a bit earlier, but it’s only required to open by 11, so if it’s open any earlier than that it’s just a happy surprise. Grrr. This is one change I’m not a fan of!

We walked around the WS one morning when we were just killing time before we had to go to the airport. We were disappointed that nothing was open at that time. It would be nice if it opened at the same time as the rest of the park, especially since they now have so many guests coming in the International Gateway.

I'm guessing that you had the red car.

So we made our way over to the kinda sketchy looking side entrance (seriously this thing is fairly hidden behind a wall and seems like a place only CMs should be). Sure enough, per the CMs instructions, there was an accessible sign next to the door, which we pushed (a few times) to get the door to open, then headed in. Turns out, that guaranteed CM just on the inside of the door did not exist. HA!

It looks like you had a whole lot of extra walking around with the wheelchair. I'm going to look for this sketchy accessible entrance. It must have been something they had to make when the accessibility laws took effect.

 

[KPeterso]

Since we each had our own circle, the CM said we could each design our own car.

That is one nice thing at Test Track. We are always in the back couple circles at Test Track when they line people up and end up each getting our own design station and getting to create our own cars.

So we made our way over to the kinda sketchy looking side entrance (seriously this thing is fairly hidden behind a wall and seems like a place only CMs should be). Sure enough, per the CMs instructions, there was an accessible sign next to the door, which we pushed (a few times) to get the door to open, then headed in. Turns out, that guaranteed CM just on the inside of the door did not exist. HA!

Yeah, it is not well marked. I can't remember if it was last year or this year but when we went over there to enter there were a couple groups waiting outside the door. I don't know if they thought they were to wait, but I walked right around them and opened the door for Mom and walked right in. A few seconds later they all followed me and we were soon all on the ride. We usually have to walk over to the actual exit area to find the cast member. And yes, they do not always scan the DAS or return time there.

 

[vamassey1]

Beautiful morning!

Sounds like the wheelchair was a great help on this day. You're making you way through the rides.

Looking forward to more food booths.

 

[VAtink]

We walked around the WS one morning when we were just killing time before we had to go to the airport. We were disappointed that nothing was open at that time. It would be nice if it opened at the same time as the rest of the park, especially since they now have so many guests coming in the International Gateway.

Yes! I wish they had more going on back there first thing in the morning. At least we can walk through these days, better than when it was closed until, what was it, 11?

I'm guessing that you had the red car.

You are correct!

It looks like you had a whole lot of extra walking around with the wheelchair. I'm going to look for this sketchy accessible entrance. It must have been something they had to make when the accessibility laws took effect.

Yeah, I have to admit I'm glad my mom only used the wheelchair a few times, it would have been rough pushing that around all trip! The entrance it really kinda hidden, I've never noticed it before, it felt like we were going offstage when we went back there!

 

[VAtink]

That is one nice thing at Test Track. We are always in the back couple circles at Test Track when they line people up and end up each getting our own design station and getting to create our own cars.

It was really awesome being able to each design our own car, never been able to before but I wish we always could!

Yeah, it is not well marked. I can't remember if it was last year or this year but when we went over there to enter there were a couple groups waiting outside the door. I don't know if they thought they were to wait, but I walked right around them and opened the door for Mom and walked right in. A few seconds later they all followed me and we were soon all on the ride. We usually have to walk over to the actual exit area to find the cast member. And yes, they do not always scan the DAS or return time there.

It really isn't well marked, it seemed like we were going into a backstage area! Glad once we got in it made sense what we had to do though, even though it took a second for a CM to notice us!

 

[VAtink]

Beautiful morning!

It was such a gorgeous morning!

Sounds like the wheelchair was a great help on this day. You're making you way through the rides.

Yeah, it was a good call to rent it this morning, especially since we had such a long day ahead of us!

Looking forward to more food booths.

Coming up soon!