Trick or Tweet! The Lurkyloos Do F&W, etc: 11/8 Last Day at WDW!

[MEK]

So glad you came back to update. I can always depend on you to show me some behind the scene party or event I will probably never attend. I think a lot of the food looked yum (but I am on a diet again, so saltines look good right now), but the whole up and down and finding a table. NOT. I would not enjoy that too much. I agree that $125 would probably be better spent at V&A's.

And what's up with the wierd entertainment? FWIW - Taylor Hicks was my least fav AI winner. He's talented and all, but just "eh" IMO. Sorry to see he makes a living playing events at Disneyworld and other less than ideal venues.

to watching Illuminations from your room. Nice!

 

[beatlesblonde]

Great update Carrie! Thanks for the recep on PFTS, I'm soooooo not a foodie and looking at your pics I can just imagine myself standing in the middle of the room asking "Where can I get some McDonalds?"

 

[rabbitthecat]

A great update! While I can understand Disney having a bit of trouble with the spelling of "edamame," is there really an excuse for spelling "California" wrong on that sign?! Sad, just sad!

I'm a longtime lurker on your reports but wanted to chime in on this one in particular because I think I was there at the exact same time last October - and I couldn't agree with you more about F&W. To say I was underwhelmed would be an understatement! Nothing like drunken grandmas shuffling through the World Showcase in their slippers to make you rethink an October trip!

Looking forward to reading more!

Amanda

 

[Aburns8]

So glad that you are back! I have a picture of the soup from Canada on my TR, but they decided not to fill it up all the way! What a waste.

I could never pay for the Party for the Senses event. I am such a picky eater that I couldn't eat half of that stuff. I do like the honeycomb since they had it on the appetizer table at the D23 event. That honey was soooo good! I also noticed that they couldn't even spell California correctly on the sign. That is really sad because there is this great invention called spell check. The Cirque performer kinda looked like a strip show. Just saying

I can't even recall if we were there when Taylor Hicks was performing. We were just waiting for Howard Jones at the end of the week.

 

[Happydog]

Hi Carrie! Very excited that you are underway with your Fall TR, and thanks so much for sharing all the photos from this event! Is this an "event" that you sign up through the F&W, when they officially announce the calendar of events for the festival? We have only been and of course walked through the WS for a "snackfest" as my husband calls it... I know there are classes, special tastings, etc., but with our kids there, we never looked at those offerings too closely. It does seem pricey, though... Give me BlueZoo any day

Oh, another question, totally unrelated... With what you know about the "Memories collection" for "Escape weddings" -- gee, how many more " " can I get in there... Are they hard and fast about the six person max, including the B & G?? Does that mean only four people can be there? Just curious. Thanks!

 

[lurkyloo]

Well I guess that explains why DH saw Taylor Hicks at ESPN on Saturday night.

I saw you at the Swolphin Food & wine thingy, but thought it best to not holler across the way with a mouth full of steak.

I really wish I had tried more food that week, but unfortunately morning sickness prevailed, so Kyle got to be the adventurous eater that week.

Oh no! What an awful time to have morning sickness—I hope Kyle took one for the team!

Huh. Well, I am now entirely confident that I would not enjoy the Festival for the Senses. It just seems entirely too crowded, crazy, and overpriced. For that sort of pricetag, I would at least think a seat wouldn't be an upcharge. It looks like a fun event, but just too hectic for my taste. And that Cirque performance was a bit too remnicent of the Line Ride from South Park .

I wonder if Party for the Senses is one of those things that used to be really great and a good value for the money, you know—like Disney's Magic Kingdom parties and DVC! It makes me sad that now that I'm finally able to go to these things, they aren't as good as they used to be.

Praise the lord!

My prayers have been answered soon very soon I will get to see more halloween costumes!

... by the way your comments on these pictures might have actually caused he to snort ... too funny!

Whohoo! I was worried that the blurriness of those photos would prevent the selling of the gags...

And what's up with the wierd entertainment? FWIW - Taylor Hicks was my least fav AI winner. He's talented and all, but just "eh" IMO. Sorry to see he makes a living playing events at Disneyworld and other less than ideal venues.

You know, I think about this ALL the time! Do you think the acts who play Disney are depressed that they're not filling arenas and only one step up from the fair circuit, or are they maybe really excited for a cushy job and free suite in a Disney hotel?

Great update Carrie! Thanks for the recep on PFTS, I'm soooooo not a foodie and looking at your pics I can just imagine myself standing in the middle of the room asking "Where can I get some McDonalds?"

Tee hee! Yeah, definitely not for non-foodies. In fact, I used to think of myself as a foodie before this trip. Now I realize I'm just a semi-adventurous eater who likes high-quality comfort food...

A great update! While I can understand Disney having a bit of trouble with the spelling of "edamame," is there really an excuse for spelling "California" wrong on that sign?! Sad, just sad!

I'm a longtime lurker on your reports but wanted to chime in on this one in particular because I think I was there at the exact same time last October - and I couldn't agree with you more about F&W. To say I was underwhelmed would be an understatement! Nothing like drunken grandmas shuffling through the World Showcase in their slippers to make you rethink an October trip!

OK, right? I think I let F&W get all built up in mind all these years, and so when I finally got to experience it, I was underwhelmed. Also Patrick and I have come to understand that, for us, the allure of trying a bunch of fun-sounding food at festivals like this (and the disastrous LA Street Food Fest) is completely obliterated by the uncomfortable conditions of crowding and long waits in the sun.

I could never pay for the Party for the Senses event. I am such a picky eater that I couldn't eat half of that stuff. I do like the honeycomb since they had it on the appetizer table at the D23 event. That honey was soooo good! I also noticed that they couldn't even spell California correctly on the sign. That is really sad because there is this great invention called spell check. The Cirque performer kinda looked like a strip show. Just saying

Totally! And I too was waiting for the HoJo show—too bad we couldn't have had PFTS seats at that one!

Hi Carrie! Very excited that you are underway with your Fall TR, and thanks so much for sharing all the photos from this event! Is this an "event" that you sign up through the F&W, when they officially announce the calendar of events for the festival?

Yes! You buy tickets in advance. Sometimes they say PFTS sells out, but now that I've seen how many people they cram in there at those prices, I wonder how often they really sell out.

We have only been and of course walked through the WS for a "snackfest" as my husband calls it... I know there are classes, special tastings, etc., but with our kids there, we never looked at those offerings too closely. It does seem pricey, though... Give me BlueZoo any day

I think Snackfast is the way to go!

Oh, another question, totally unrelated... With what you know about the "Memories collection" for "Escape weddings" -- gee, how many more " " can I get in there... Are they hard and fast about the six person max, including the B & G?? Does that mean only four people can be there? Just curious. Thanks!

Sorry to say they are REALLY strict about the limit on Memories weddings b/c they want larger parties to upgrade to an Escape wedding. Are any of your guests younger than 3? Would you consider meeting the other 2 people at a meal after the ceremony?

 

[Kitchensink]

After the show, an event guide leads the Party for the Senses attendees back over to World Showplace for the start of the party. I’m not very good at walking slowly, so I kinda zipped on ahead, thinking I’d be first in line at the door…

Nope! Not first in line!

Hi! You got another picture for us, just my husband this time! I must be hidden in front of him.
Karen

 

[Happydog]

Sorry to say they are REALLY strict about the limit on Memories weddings b/c they want larger parties to upgrade to an Escape wedding. Are any of your guests younger than 3? Would you consider meeting the other 2 people at a meal after the ceremony?

Thanks, but actually I am not planning a wedding -- DH and I are already hitched with two kids! I just wondered about the market for this kind of set up... almost like a Vegas wedding... but nicer... especially if it is only four people. So more like an elopement type venue? We actually eloped But if I ever wanted to do a vow renewal, you know I'd be signing up -- just unfortunately it would probably be an Escape.

With regards to the F & W, I have to confess we love it, but I get your point about standing in the hot sun waiting for your thimble full of cheddar cheese soup! I wonder if it was just busier when you went... when we went in 2009 it didn't feel crowded... Enjoying your TR as always!!

 

[Disneygrl36]

Wow ok now I don't feel so deprived that I have never been able to talk Eric into going to the Party for the Senses. Seems too hectic!

So glad you are back to this report & ready for more!

And Wow, I get to see you in just a little over a month!

 

[lurkyloo]

After the show, an event guide leads the Party for the Senses attendees back over to World Showplace for the start of the party. I’m not very good at walking slowly, so I kinda zipped on ahead, thinking I’d be first in line at the door…

Nope! Not first in line!

Hi! You got another picture for us, just my husband this time! I must be hidden in front of him.
Karen

That's so funny! OK, tell me if you turn up in any others—this is as good as Where's Waldo!

Thanks, but actually I am not planning a wedding -- DH and I are already hitched with two kids! I just wondered about the market for this kind of set up... almost like a Vegas wedding... but nicer... especially if it is only four people. So more like an elopement type venue? We actually eloped But if I ever wanted to do a vow renewal, you know I'd be signing up -- just unfortunately it would probably be an Escape.

With regards to the F & W, I have to confess we love it, but I get your point about standing in the hot sun waiting for your thimble full of cheddar cheese soup! I wonder if it was just busier when you went... when we went in 2009 it didn't feel crowded... Enjoying your TR as always!!

Yes, I think the Memories Collection is designed to be a classy elopement. I think an elopement sounds sooooo romantic... I wish we'd been to F&W when you went. I think the crowds had a lot to do with my negative perceptions.

Wow ok now I don't feel so deprived that I have never been able to talk Eric into going to the Party for the Senses. Seems too hectic!

So glad you are back to this report & ready for more!

And Wow, I get to see you in just a little over a month!

That's nuts! I can't believe Destination D is coming up so fast. See you soon!

 

[lurkyloo]

OK, first, here are some pictures that accidentally didn’t make it into yesterday’s report, in case you care:

A Rooftop Fountain at the Swan

Underwhelming Shwag from Party for the Senses

The next morning, I got up, tarted up, packed up, checked out, and zipped over to Epcot in the rental car for my first-ever Food & Wine Festival seminar.

“OK, everyone—squeeze in close and pretend like I know you!”

Once again, the Festival Center was waaaaay out in the hinterlands of Epcot at the Wonders of Life Pavilion.

Stumbling upon a CUTCO sales booth, I stifled a shriek and leapt behind the nearest potted palm. Cautiously, I parted its leaves and peered at the shills behind the knife display, scanning for signs of “Trevor” (Patrick's name for all of my exes), a CUTCO acolyte with whom I’d had a short-lived long-distance relationship that ended when I realized the only thing we had in common was our mutual interest in him.

Not Trevor.

Finally satisfied that Trevor was off cutting pennies with kitchen shears at some other convention that day, I sidled over to the check-in table for my seminar (possibly holding a palm frond in front of my face as I went).


Because this is Disney fans we’re talking about here, people were already lined up, even though we were told to go enjoy the rest of the pavilion after checking in and to just come back a few minutes before 10am.

The seminar was one of the weekly Sweet Sundays events, at which a famous pastry chef prepares three treats while the audience chows down on a buffet and knocks back a glass or five of Champagne. I figured the brunch and focus on desserts made it more worth this teetotaler’s festival dollar than, say, a wine pairing seminar.

 

[lurkyloo]

At 10am they let us into the event space and everyone scrambled for a table. I got as close as I could, with a good angle for taking pictures.

A friendly server offered to take pictures of me, so here you have rare shots of Lurkyloo in the wild…

Disney had crammed six of us at each table and then PILED each place setting with useless Martini-logo promo items: a vinyl pouch, a notepad, pencils, a bottle stopper, and a brochure in addition to four cups and glasses and four sets of silverware per person. Snug!

Oh yeah, and they’d still found room for centerpieces!

I dumped all the promo shwag into my hat and stashed it in a nearby plant, then asked the waitress to remove the various cups and glasses for drinking stuff I don’t drink. Much better!

The chef’s workspace was similarly cluttered…

After everyone was seated, the waitstaff let us know when each table could go behind the plant wall to the hit the buffet.

It was your typical Disney convention food—beautiful presentation, mediocre execution—like bland quiches, chewy bacon, doughy bread rolls shaped like croissants… at least there were Mickey waffles!

On the bill for this Sweet Sunday was Warren Brown, owner of CakeLove Washington, DC and host of the Food Network’s Sugar Rush. He was assisted by CakeLove’s Mary Meyers and Kim LaMore, and the host of the presentation was Disney Parks Blog food writer Pam Brandon. Pam turned out to be far less exasperating in person because you can’t hear typos…

 

[lurkyloo]

For about 90 minutes, Brown demonstrated how to make three different sweets—Hoosier Cream Pie, Coffee Cake, and Sweet Potato Cake—and passed out full dessert-sized portions to try. Overhead cameras captured the action up close and broadcast it on monitors.

Meanwhile, Brandon would interject descriptions at regular intervals as yet another glass of alcohol was passed out—I think there were about five by the time we finished—and jokes about drinking so early in the day flowed as freely as the booze.

When Brown told us that cinnamon and nutmeg are his favorite spices, he wasn’t kidding. They were in EVERYTHING, and everything tasted the same. It was well made (the cakes were tender and moist, the frosting just sweet enough) but I felt like I was eating three different shapes of the same thing.

Sweet Potato Cake

Hoosier Cream Pie

Coffee Cake

Overall, I enjoyed the mostly stress-free experience and convenience of the higher priced event over the long lines and crowding of the low-priced cooking demos, but $75 seems too high for what you get. Oh wait, unless you count all the booze. Again it was reinforced to me that the International Food & Wine Festival is really geared toward those who know and like wine and spirits.

On my way out, I grabbed shots of some of the other “deminars,” as I believe the Food & Wine Festival regulars call them…

I love it when I catch this fountain dancing to The Rocketeer theme!

By this time, I was playing an epic game of text tag with Sam from Disneymooner.com in order to set up an interview for my Inside Disney Weddings podcast. What I love about Disney World is that it makes it so easy to meet up with Disney fans from all over the (real) world, because everyone goes there at some point. Thanks to WDW, I’ve been able to meet with people from all over the country, plus Canada and, in Sam’s case, the UK—sometimes more frequently than I see friends who live in LA!

Sam and I finally were able to meet up in the lobby of the Dolphin, and she turned out to be one of those wonderful people who instantly makes you feel like you’ve known her forever. We ended up talking and talking, then getting French fries and a milkshake, then more talking—and this was all before the interview! I was just so excited to be hanging out with another Disney bride and weddings fan that I wouldn’t shut up.



French fries. Milkshake.

Eventually I realized I’d better start recording the interview before one or both of us lost our voices, so we hunted down the quietest place we could find—the bottom floor of the Swolphin convention center at the end of a hall, as far away from whatever was generating that incessant hum as possible. Sam was very patient as I fiddled with the iPhone recording app and then shoved my phone in her face like a microphone. You can hear what we talked about by clicking HERE and scrolling down to Episode 11!


After I said "ta" to Sam, I was completely knackered, so I took the lift to pick up my baggage from bell services, put it in the boot of my lorry and legged it for my next resort. I may also have picked up a few new vocab words from Sam...

Off to Old Key West!

 

[lurkyloo]

I was looking forward to trying out Old Key West—partly because it’s one of the cheapest DVC resorts to buy into and one of the easiest to book a room at, so I sometimes fantasize about buying a teeny tiny contract there just so I can own DVC. Or I did until they introduced Premium Annual Passes, which made the DVC discount on regular WDW annual passes (foolishly my greatest incentive for buying DVC) irrelevant. I also hoped to take lots of pictures of a newly refurbished room at Old Key West for PassPorter’s DVC Guide. Except that when I checked in, no amount of wheedling would get them to put me in a refurbished room. On the bright side, I had been upgraded from a studio to an accessible one-bedroom unit. I really dislike the bathrooms in accessible units, but hooray for free in-room laundry!!!

My car had no nickname on this trip

I’ve always liked the exteriors at Old Key West—the pastel colors are so cheery against the tropical landscaping.

The unit was clean, but it definitely had that shabbily spartan aura of corporate housing or a rental cabin. I wondered if they even bothered to do more than clean it since it was due to be renovated; there were several burned-out light bulbs, along with the usual scuffs and dings and scratches. My view was slightly swampy, and the main road went right past my windows—no Risky Business-style underwear boogie for ME!

My favorite room

The accessible bathroom was sort of like two bathrooms. There was a room with one sink and a ginormous old-skool Jacuzzi tub (which turned out to be my second-favorite place), then another room with roll-in shower, toilet and another sink.

 

[lurkyloo]

The first order of business was to get cleaned up for my highly anticipated dinner at Jiko. While that happens, please enjoy this photo of one of Old Key West’s permanent residents:

And then I was off to dinner!

This is my faux-Root version of that shot

Food & Wine Fest + Free Dining = PACKED Jiko! I had to wait 45 minutes past my ADR to get a table, which means I had plenty of time to take pictures.

I can never get a good shot of the Wine Room. Too dark!

Hey, when did the water come back?

Then, once I finally got a seat and placed my order, I had to wait ANOTHER 45 minutes to get my food! The thing is, I’m not sure this was an isolated incident—when I was back there this March, 5 months later, I once again had to wait 45 minutes after ordering to get my food. They need to revamp the management of that kitchen!

I got my usual, and it was excellent as always, but the slowness of the service left a bad taste in my mouth.

Maize-crusted Halibut with Vegetables of the Moment and Tomato-Butter Sauce

Side of White Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese

There’s never anything fruit-free on Jiko’s dessert menu, so I set out for Downtown Disney and Ghirardelli.

Nobody forget where I parked!

First I stopped in at the (now) late, lamented Basin store. OK, true, I never shopped there in Anaheim cuz it’s right across the street from Sephora, but in Florida it was a great place to treat yourself to a bath bomb for your ginormous Jacuzzi tub! Fortunately there’s still one at the Grand Floridian... Actually, what they really need at Downtown Disney is a Lush store.

They were doing stand-up at the new Marketplace stage. Wait, didn’t they used to have an ENTIRE CLUB for comedy at Downtown Disney? Sheesh!

I also stopped in at Goofy’s Candy Co. to pick up a giant Oreo for later—after all, I needed to put something in my huge kitchen!

Mmmm… blue….

 

[lurkyloo]

At last…

It was SUPER-crowded in Ghirardelli, and unusually filthy. I mean, all ice cream parlors seem to be slightly grubby for some reason (is it the stickiness of the ice cream?), but this was pretty bad even for a place staffed by college kids.

I forgot to ask for a sidecar of hot fudge, so I had to make due with the merest suggestion of it in my hot fudge sundae.

When I got back to my cavernous cabin at Old Key West, I had a nice Skype chat with Patrick before discovering that I’d left my camera battery charger in my room at the Swolphin… [cue ominous music]

Up Next: It’s a Halloween MIRACLE!

 

[burly]

Lurkyloo! Loved the update.
Old Key West, well it looks....old. I am glad it is getting a refurb. It needs to look Lighter and airier? right?


Lush would be great at DTD!

No sidecar of hot fudge, oh no....

The pictures are great, the witty writing even better. Always enjoy...


KIM

 

[DISNEYaddict4evr]

WHAT A GREAT POST!!! and yeah I'm the first response

EDIT: What I meant to say was... I WAS the first post, that is until I got beat out while I was typing mine up

lets see...

First) LOVE the deminar, I totally want to go, and yes I agree, for my taste it definitely looked like much for fun than thee other event. Though Gluten free an all probably could enjoy much of it. I wonder if they do food allergy seminars. I mean they cater to such so well I think they should.

Second) Key west looked SUPER relaxing. Did you ever get to see remodeled room while you were there?

Third) I SOOOO want to go to the food and wine festival now I would be all over the fun events

 

[lurkyloo]

Lurkyloo! Loved the update.
Old Key West, well it looks....old. I am glad it is getting a refurb. It needs to look Lighter and airier? right?


Lush would be great at DTD!

No sidecar of hot fudge, oh no....

The pictures are great, the witty writing even better. Always enjoy...


KIM

Yay! Glad you liked it! OKW totally needs an update—the pastels are sooooo '90s. And maybe we can start a petition for a LUSH store. Basin was always so bland in comparison...

WHAT A GREAT POST!!! and yeah I'm the first response

EDIT: What I meant to say was... I WAS the first post, that is until I got beat out while I was typing mine up

lets see...

First) LOVE the deminar, I totally want to go, and yes I agree, for my taste it definitely looked like much for fun than thee other event. Though Gluten free an all probably could enjoy much of it. I wonder if they do food allergy seminars. I mean they cater to such so well I think they should.

Second) Key west looked SUPER relaxing. Did you ever get to see remodeled room while you were there?

Third) I SOOOO want to go to the food and wine festival now I would be all over the fun events

Awwww... you're BOTH the first poster in my eyes.... That's a good idea you have about an allergy-focused seminar, cuz you're right—Disney is really good at accommodating them. And yes, I did eventually get to see a remodeled room—kind of a cute story there too!

 

[beatlesblonde]

Another great update Carrie! I certainly liked the looks of the spread at your deminar than the one at PFTS, it's food I'd actually eat! Actually at $75 it's not a whole lot more than you'd pay at a character breakfast during high season (I exagerate of course a bit, but especially since you get booze at the deminars I say it'd be worth the price).

I love how you stay at mutliple resorts during each trip, you and Patrick take such good pictures and you give such good details that you're like my personal trip advisor