toodycat
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 4, 2008
- Messages
- 1,648
The next morning, DH received a wake up birthday call from Goofy, we spied a few animals from our balcony on the savannah and then had breakfast at the concierge lounge. I enjoyed the fresh blueberries and quinoa and the bran muffins with dried fruit. Then, it was off to Epcots Food and Wine Festival. We called the valet ten minutes in advance to request that they bring the car around. When we arrived ten minutes later, no one had even gone to get the car yet and the young woman dispatching valets looked exquisitely unconcerned.
As always, once at Epcot we dashed straight to Soarin, then to Living with the Land and then back to to Soarin. Living with the Land was interesting and DH is an avid gardener, so we signed up for the Behind the Seeds Tour of Epcots hydroponic garden. This is about an hour long and very informative. I would definitely recommend it for anyone interested in growing their own food or learning more about the produce served at Disney World. Ines, our guide from Cameroon, was very knowledgeable and charming.
After that, it was festival time. We had steak with chimichurri and empanadas from Argentina, ravioli Bolognese from Italy, This was our first time at the Food and Wine Festival and I would definitely return. We didnt really do any of the attractions in the World Showcase, except for The American Adventure. Norways Maelstrom was, unfortunately, under repair. As it was, we were at Epcot from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. which is pretty much a record for us.
On the way out of Epcot, we stopped at the big Disney merchandise shop to look for a Halloween hat for DH. (I already had sequined Minnie ears and DS, who is a big Tim Burton fan, had Jack Skellington ears.) We found a magnificent silky looking, Mad Hatter hat, complete with long, curly, orange locks that complemented DHs auburn goatee and concealed his completely shaved head. We all loved the hat so much that DH wore it out of the park, to the bemused comments of many other Epcot guests. The spectacle of the Mad Hatter pulling out of the parking lot in a white convertible Mustang with the top down evoked quite a few amused stares and funny comments.
We returned to AKL to find a generous goody bag from my parents and a delicious birthday cake and a fruit and cheese platter from the front desk. We went for a swim at the pool which is lovely. It is not so warm in October, but it has a great atmosphere and a fun slide. Then, it was time for dinner at Jiko. This was, by far, the culinary highlight of our trip,. Stephanie, our server, was friendly and made great recommendations. We shared the Taste of Africa appetizer. DH has the sweet corn and crab soup and the barbecue beef short ribs with roasted Yukon gold potatoes, DS had the stewed beef in crepes and the filet mignon and I had the beet salad and the curried shrimp. For dessert, we shared a chocolate mousse cake decorated with a white chocolate depiction of Mickey cycling., just as I had ordered. Awesome service Jiko! (I would absolutely recommend Jiko for celebrating any occasion. It is a beautiful restaurant and the food is fantastic. The next day, we received a phone call from the hostess, thanking us for dining at Jiko.) After dinner, we turned in early since we had to be ready for the Sunrise Safari by 6:15 a.m.
As always, once at Epcot we dashed straight to Soarin, then to Living with the Land and then back to to Soarin. Living with the Land was interesting and DH is an avid gardener, so we signed up for the Behind the Seeds Tour of Epcots hydroponic garden. This is about an hour long and very informative. I would definitely recommend it for anyone interested in growing their own food or learning more about the produce served at Disney World. Ines, our guide from Cameroon, was very knowledgeable and charming.
After that, it was festival time. We had steak with chimichurri and empanadas from Argentina, ravioli Bolognese from Italy, This was our first time at the Food and Wine Festival and I would definitely return. We didnt really do any of the attractions in the World Showcase, except for The American Adventure. Norways Maelstrom was, unfortunately, under repair. As it was, we were at Epcot from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. which is pretty much a record for us.
On the way out of Epcot, we stopped at the big Disney merchandise shop to look for a Halloween hat for DH. (I already had sequined Minnie ears and DS, who is a big Tim Burton fan, had Jack Skellington ears.) We found a magnificent silky looking, Mad Hatter hat, complete with long, curly, orange locks that complemented DHs auburn goatee and concealed his completely shaved head. We all loved the hat so much that DH wore it out of the park, to the bemused comments of many other Epcot guests. The spectacle of the Mad Hatter pulling out of the parking lot in a white convertible Mustang with the top down evoked quite a few amused stares and funny comments.
We returned to AKL to find a generous goody bag from my parents and a delicious birthday cake and a fruit and cheese platter from the front desk. We went for a swim at the pool which is lovely. It is not so warm in October, but it has a great atmosphere and a fun slide. Then, it was time for dinner at Jiko. This was, by far, the culinary highlight of our trip,. Stephanie, our server, was friendly and made great recommendations. We shared the Taste of Africa appetizer. DH has the sweet corn and crab soup and the barbecue beef short ribs with roasted Yukon gold potatoes, DS had the stewed beef in crepes and the filet mignon and I had the beet salad and the curried shrimp. For dessert, we shared a chocolate mousse cake decorated with a white chocolate depiction of Mickey cycling., just as I had ordered. Awesome service Jiko! (I would absolutely recommend Jiko for celebrating any occasion. It is a beautiful restaurant and the food is fantastic. The next day, we received a phone call from the hostess, thanking us for dining at Jiko.) After dinner, we turned in early since we had to be ready for the Sunrise Safari by 6:15 a.m.
