The ABC's of a FALL Trip with Friends, Food, Wine, and a Conference- A PTR for Now UPDATED 10/4, The EATS and TREATS and Miscellaneous Drivel

[Steppesister]

Sounds like great plan!

It's so wonderful to have you here!



and THANKS!!! I remember seeing you far more (or being more interactive with you) in the past but my DISTime is DRASTICALLY less now with my new job. I miss the constant banter on the DIS! Now, I just try and keep my head above water. LOL!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Gotcha! Huh, Race Set up? Convention? Private party? Could be any of those.

Ugh, now I'm not sure we'll be at EPCOT Saturday morning. It's looking like for some reason we switched to AK? And I have no idea why? I'm going to do a recap in a couple minutes here with what I hope is a final plan. We do our LL's and Fancy Pa$$es in a week so things sort of need to be done with decisions.

I discovered that the Wine and Dine 10K happens on that Saturday. So, it might be a bad idea to go to Epcot that morning, even though the race will be over hours before the park opens.

 

[Steppesister]

The EATS and TREATS and Miscellaneous Drivel​

Well, as you might have guessed, there has been a bit more "last minute" tweaking of the BFP.

With our LL and Fancy Pa$$ Day coming up on the 12th, I think there won't be any further changes, so here is where it stands now:

Sunday- Arrival and EPCOT, then Howl o'Scream at SeaWorld

Monday- Conference Sessions at Yacht Club with Ale and Compass Breakfast, then DHS with Dinner at Il Mulino

Tuesday- Conference at Coronado until 11:15, then day at AK with Dinner at 3 Bridges late

Wednesday- Conference at Coronado until 11:15, Lori leaves and I head to MK with B&B at 7:00 then DHS for EMH

Thursday- Start at AK with lunch at Y&Y then hop to EPCOT for evening and dinner at San Angel

Friday- Breakfast at Topolino's then day at DHS

Saturday- AK with dinner at JIKO at 7:00

Sunday- MK, park closes at 6:00, head to The Springs for a dip into Jock's Halloween and dinner at Enzo's Hideaway

Monday- EPCOT for some last F&W goodies then head home

And now....let's review the Food Fun... Festivals mean eating, so does Disney in general. Sure there are fun, immersive attractions, wonderful music and atmosphere, shows, and fireworks, but food is a pretty big part of the magic for me. I eat VERY simply for the most part at home. I only go out to eat about once a week which saves a ton of money and makes eating out a nice treat for me. The BEST part of all this Dining Drivel... We scored some FREE dining. Oh sure, we paid rack rate for the room and tix, but heck, I almost always have to pay that anyway. Free, is free. I added up what I'd have paid OOP for what I plan to get just for kicks and giggles and I'd probably come up $50 bucks short of what I'd have paid for the DDP. That $50 is a nice price for peace of mind and the cocktails and/or desserts I'd probably never have gotten.

Okay, here's how dining is shaping up. We'll see in the TR how close I actually come to matching Plan with Reality.

Sunday- Travel Day/EPCOT/Howl o'Scream

It may come as a surprise, but I actually pack a breakfast when I fly out so early. I'll grab a coffee for sure at the airport, but homemade quiche is usually my go-to packed brekkie. Lunch will likely be 3 or so F&W goodies and dinner I'd planned to get from the Howl o'Scream booths. I'm going to post my full list of F&W picks at the end of this since there are a smattering of days we'll be there. Here is the link to the Howl o'Scream treats this year that are options for dinner.

https://seaworld.com/orlando/events/howl-o-scream/taste-the-terror/

It looks like standard theme park crap with a spooky name to mask the fact that nachos are nachos no matter what you call them. Same junk, different wrapping paper. I hope I'm surprised. INTERESTINGLY, I can NOT find any information AT ALL for individual pricing for the food. Like at all. Instead, it appears you MUST buy a package for either $45 for 1 entree and 3 drinks (alcoholic) or $75 for 2 entrees and 5 drinks. WEIRD, no?!

Monday- Conference/DHS/Il Mulino

Breakfast is free with the conference, which I imagine will be granola bars, apples, and crappy coffee. Yuck. Instead I heard about the brunch at Ale and Compass and the menu looks pretty good! At least I can get a real latte or a French Press to go with that dark choco waffle. For $15, that's a fair upgrade from conference fare.
Lunch I'll pay OOP for something. @Wood Nymph mentioned a Southwest Chx Salad at Backlot Express that looks tempting. There are always the options of Woody's, Baseline, and Docking Bay too. Let's not forget a Ronto... The sky's wide open here.
Dinner at Il Mulino. Been wanting to try this for quite some time. Prices are decent for their pastas and I already have my cocktail picked out:
Amalfi Spritz- Ketel One Citron Vodka, Limoncello, Mionetto Prosecco, Fresh Lemon, Simple $16 Pasta or main TBD

Tuesday- AK/3 Bridges

Breakfast... remember that conference crap I just talked about? Yeah, that's the plan for this day. I might go to Barcelona and get a real latte though OOP. Call me a coffee snob, but I just can't do drip from an urn.
Lunch we'll grab an OOP QS probs from Satuli. Flame Tree is just too much and too heavy and I heard Harambe is turning into a Burger and Nuggies ho-hum place now. That breaks my foodie heart.
Dinner is planned for 3 Bridges. I've tried many times to get in there, but the VQ has always been too long. Hopefully with a LATE seating we can get in. My plan is to devour the Corn Dip, some tacos, and the Sangria Flight. Signature Sangria Flight: includes tastings of four signature sangrias $21

Wednesday- Conference/MK/DHS

Breakfast... remember that conference crap I just talked about? Yeah, that's the plan for this day. I might go to Barcelona and get a real latte, though OOP. Call me a coffee snob, but I just can't do drip from an urn. (Yes, I just copy and pasted )
For lunch I'm just going to enjoy something from the Mercado and use my first QS credit. The menu looks decent and I'm hoping for some leftovers for Thursday's breakfast.
For dinner we'll be at Beak and Barrel where I plan to get this:
Cook’s Corn Griddle Cakes- This warm corn cake is stuffed with melted cheese, lime sour cream, and chili peppers topped with cotija cheese. There are two paths you can take on your foodie adventure – one with roasted corn and poblano peppers;
with chipotle-braised chicken. -$14 ($12 without the chx) The reviews look like it's hearty enough for a small eater's dinner. OOP for this one. Yes, cocktails will be consumed.
I anticipate a snack later on at DHS (OOP) Loads of choices for an in-the-moment hankering.

Thursday- AK/EPCOT

I'm hoping that there'll be leftovers of some iteration for Breakfast. If not, I'll head to Creature Comforts for my usual ham and cheese croissant and a latte.
Lunch? I finally broke down and got my Landry's card so we'll head to Y&Y; we talked about splitting the Ahi Nachos and I love the Pink Himalayan- Ford's gin, ruby red grapefruit juice, passion fruit & lemon grass flavors, salt rim $14.00
This should be super low cost as the Landry's card will pay for $25 of my portion.
Dinner is scheduled for San Angel. I haven't been there since 2018 with my kids and we absolutely loved it. The food was excellent. Yes, it's super crowded but we got a water's edge table and it was fine. I'm always happy to wait extra for a better table at most places as I am to wait for a front row on attractions as well. Anyway, I'm headed for the Catch of the Day at $39 or the Roast Chicken with Poblano Cream Sauce at $33, a marg for $20, and Flan for dessert at $12- Adds up to an OOP cost of $65 but I'll pay $14 for the tip. (Tips not included in the DDP)

Friday- DHS/Maybe a hop?

Breakfast at Topolinos at the Riviera. One of the few 1-credit character meals. I'm generally NOT a character meal person OR a buffet person, but I do love the Riviera's vibe, the view is wonderful, and this seems like a nice way to start the morning slow and full. $52 OOP, FREE for me. Side note, the DDP is $95ish/day. if you're not on FREE Dining. If you aren't ordering the most expensive stuff on the menu as you go, you are losing money. However, you ARE paying for peace of mind and convenience though.... so YMMV.
Lunch: This little beauty has come to my attention: Bouncin' Mini Churros: Savory churros topped with Coca-cola and bourbon candied bacon, sriracha aioli, and scallions $9.29 It's on the DDP for a snack and looks hearty enough to be a small meal. Who knew?! Savory churros! Caveat: If I'm still too full from Topolinos, I'll save the credit and use it at F&W on Monday. (Tip, in the past, the servers have offered to throw the leftover pastries from Topolinos in a bag to go since they are going to be tossed anyway. Perfect for a next AM breakfast.)
Dinner will be a QS either at the park or back at our resort. Mara has some great looking options and as always the choices for a QS meal at DHS are endless. Either way, we'll use a DDP credit.

Saturday- AK/JIKO

Breakfast- Mara it is! Here's what caught my eye: Ancient Grain Power Bowl- Farro Wheat, Quinoa, Seasonal Berries, Greens, Sweet Potato, Feta, and a Hard-boiled Egg $10.99 DDP This sounds super interesting so I'll give it a whirl.
Lunch- Some snack at AK. Always have my eye on an 8 Spoons Mac and Cheese, there's Mr. Kamal's, and the most bang for the buck is a bucket of Fried Rice at Y&Y take out. Which I love because I can use it as a brekkie the next day!
Dinner is our fancy-affair, 2-credit extravaganza at JIKO. Been forever since I've been there (2016) and I am super stoked about giving it another whirl. Dessert comes with the DDP meals so let's start with that: Dumela- Creamy Chocolate Sorbet, Hibiscus Cake, Passion Fruit Sauce, Mango Salsa, Chocolate-Lime Soil (Plant-based) $15, How about this for a Main? Moroccan-spiced Lamb Shank- Pomegranate-glazed Lamb on Nhopi Mash, Confit Squash, Cranberry-Date Relish $49 and a cocktail too! There are at least 4 after dinner coffee drinks so I'll save my DDP drink for then. Mmm, coffee.

Sunday (almost done )- MK/DS

Breakfast, I'm sure there'll be plenty of leftovers to take care of. Glad the Food Courts have microwaves.
Lunch is planned for a QS credit at MK. Maybe CHH lobster roll? Corn dog nuggies at Casey's?? Who knows!
I snagged an ADR at Enzo's for dinner. We HAD a WBG ressie but that's not on the DDP (BOOOOOOO!) but Enzo's is a solid and the theming is cool. We'll hopefully hit up Jock's to check out the Halloween-themed drinks beforehand. While we're there, I'd love to grab a Gideon's cookie for enjoying at home too. I heard that Sprinkles has a little tub of broken cookie pieces for sale that gives you a variety of still-viable cookies in various flavors so you can try a little bit of everything.

Monday- EPCOT/Departure

Breakfast will be using my last QS credit so I'll likely hit up Les Halles or the Creperie? Not sure yet. Les Halles has some very good looking, fairly hefty and savory options.
For lunch, my plan it use up any remaining Snack Credits on F&W kiosks; the most expensive ones on my list, obviously. There are a few for $8 and $9. By then, I'll be stuffed to the max and about 10 pounds heavier than when I'd left home.
I've gotta leave the park by 4:00, so dinner will have to be at the airport and may very well be the other half of my Les Halles treat. We'll see. I'm not on as tight of a budget as in my other more recent trips so just may splurge on some sushi or other airport something.

Now, for the Official Steppe's F&W Pick List:

Alps	Kirschwasser Torte
China	Beijing Noodles
Coastal	Seaside Pot Pie
Flavors/Fire	Corned Beef
India	Samosas
Milled/Mulled	Squash Soup
Africa	Beef Stew	$6.75
Mexico	Empanada
Dumplings	French Onion
Earth Eats	Short Rib
America	Slider
Italy	Bacetti
Morocco	Lamb Wrap
*Greece	Griddled Cheese
*Milled and Mulled	Cheesecake
*Brazil	Cheese Bread
*Germany	Pasta Gratin
*Forest/Field	Ravioli

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The ones with asterisks at the bottom are on Remy's Fromage Montage. Chances are about 50-50 I complete that. But I DO plan to do both Hunts (Remy's and the Pumpkin one) to satisfy my Completist's neurosis. Obviously there are FAR more than I'll ever get to, but it does help guide my wanderings as I make my way around WS and the other kiosks. If it ain't on the list... keep walking.

Okay, Friends, next weekend is my last before I head south. Only more PTR chapter after this to go!! Lightning Lane selections are Sunday the 12th and I'll let you know what Caroline snags for us and we'll see what I end up with for the ails and now the packing goes.