What is This Wet Stuff Falling on Us? September 2021 Food and Wine TR! (RL Update 10/2!!)

[VAtink]

Catching up. Sorry about your finger. Ouch! Hurrah for planning for Food & Wine. Four parks in one day sounds fun. Tiring but fun. As frequent visitors, I find that having a quest of some sort can make it fresh and fun. Of course, mine are often around food and drink. I wonder if the park hopping rules will remain in place or get amended. I think I saw somewhere that park reservation system is expected to remain through this year and next. UGH on your balcony being occupied when you got back. So frustrating. This is blasphemous but I honestly often prefer the quiet pools even to Stormalong Bay. But I do like them to be quiet. The construction must have been annoying. I think I saw that it's still ongoing there! Crazy!! Enjoy your staycation this week!!!

Love planning for F&W! We are really hoping they bring back at least some of the special events this year, we're leaving a bunch of time in our plans juuuust in case they finally bring them back!

We can't wait to try four parks in one day, but yeah, it will be exhausting. It does make it more fun having some sort of quest to do while there, and absolutely nothing wrong with it being about food and drinks! Those actually sound more fun than running to 4 parks in one day

Haha, it's funny you say that about the pools, we actually tend to spend more time in the quiet pool while we're there. We love Stormalong bay, but sometimes it's just too busy there and we just want to relax without all the noise and activity.

 

[VAtink]

We had painters on our balcony at the Beach Club one time. But what you had was a lot worse. Was that room supposed to be taken out of inventory in stead being given to guests?

We were actually wondering why the rooms where they were working weren't taken out of service. The hotel didn't seem like it was very booked that week and the workers were moving super slow and were only working outside maybe 16 rooms total for the entire time we were there. So yeah, it would make sense to me if they took those rooms out of service for the 2ish weeks they were working outside of them. Who knows, maybe logistically they couldn't make it work?

I really like the YC quiet pool. It is almost always empty, or close to it.

We love it down there, you're right it's usually empty, and we love how quiet it normally is.

 

[VAtink]

Day 6, Part 3: Where Did the Crowds Go?

We last left off with us heading over to Epcot!

We were shocked when we arrived at how empty it was. Compared to the previous few days the place was dead this afternoon! Wahoo!

We of course loved this, so much so that we decided to change plans on the fly and instead of having dinner at Geyser Point that evening, to stay in Epcot and enjoy the food booths and low crowd level.

Our first stop in Epcot was the store at the IG to pick up our prizes for the Remy scavenger hunt. There were these two guys checking out in front of us and every form of payment they were trying to use was getting declined. After watching them try about six cards we got sick of waiting so gave up and headed out without our prize.

We ended up stopping at either Port of Entry or Disney Traders to pick up our prizes. I believe it was Disney Traders since the first one we stopped at didn’t have them so we had to go to the other. Anyways, we were surprised that they were almost completely out of the prizes! They only had three Remy bowls left and four Figments, the Belle and Mickey and Minnie bowls were all gone. We both opted to get the Remy one.

We also ended up buying a bunch of F&W merch while we were there, and for the second time this day we broke a register. Once again after scanning in our merchandise the register completely froze! Clearly, we were bad luck to registers this day….or maybe the registers were trying to tell us we were spending way too much money!

After shopping it was time for some food! Our first stop was Canada to get the filets. As always these were great!



We apparently also got wine there…

Our next stop was the Swanky Saucy Swine where I got the porchetta and the zinfandel. This was delicious!



After enjoying the porchetta, we made our way over to Australia where mom got the lamb and I got the wine flight.





Mom loved the lamb, I thought it was ok, but I’m not the biggest fan of lamb. The wine flight was really good!

We next headed to Appleseed Orchard where I got the Apple Pecan Ale and mom got the cherry cider.





The ale was delicious, I need to see if I can get this at home! It was also nice to take a break from the heat in there.

Our last stop was Ireland where I got the Guinness Baileys Shake, which was delicious as always!



After finishing up the drink we headed out for a nice break before our evening at MK!

NEXT UP: Boo Bash, Part 1!​

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Ah, an empty EPCOT is a glorious thing. As is a lazy afternoon/evening grazing around the food booths! Wish I was there right now!!!

 

[cheryllarsen]

My kiddos love it when it rains during a disney trip. Nothing more fun than gearing up and walking in the rain!!

 

[cheryllarsen]

Thanks for posting. Enjoy the great read!!

 

[VAtink]

Ah, an empty EPCOT is a glorious thing. As is a lazy afternoon/evening grazing around the food booths! Wish I was there right now!!!

It really is! And I swear it seems way more crowded there lately, especially during the week, than in the past. Even in April when it was still capped at 25% capacity it felt a lot more crowded during the week than it used to. So yeah, when we saw how empty it was that day we couldn't leave!

I too wish I were there right now...can't wait to get back!

 

[VAtink]

My kiddos love it when it rains during a disney trip. Nothing more fun than gearing up and walking in the rain!!

Haha, it's funny when I'm at home and have my rain boots and rain gear I don't mind the rain at all, I actually like splashing around in the puddles (much to my dogs displeasure ). It's too bad my rain boots are too big to pack for Disney!

Thanks for posting. Enjoy the great read!!

You're welcome, glad you're enjoying it!

 

[tigerlilly]

Hello VATink ... I have sat and read your entire trip report this evening!!! It has been so fun. Thank you so much for going to all the hard work of posting a trip report with pictures! Can't wait to read the rest. My husband and I are booked to go to WDW the last week of September this year so it if fun to read about your Sept. trip.

After seeing the picture of the ladder and people on your balcony I will say you definitely deserve the stay in May!! If nothing else you will get to write a flower and garden trip report!!

Can't wait to read more!

 

[snikki]

I would have been highly annoyed at people on my balcony. Management probably figured most people would be at the parks and never notice people were ever on the balcony so they decided not to close those rooms. It was probably just to offer you a free trip later than to close off that section. I wonder how many other people complained.

 

[VAtink]

Hello VATink ... I have sat and read your entire trip report this evening!!! It has been so fun. Thank you so much for going to all the hard work of posting a trip report with pictures! Can't wait to read the rest. My husband and I are booked to go to WDW the last week of September this year so it if fun to read about your Sept. trip.

I'm so happy you're joining in on the fun! And yay for a September trip! We'll be there the last week of September as well, so if you see us feel free to say hi!

After seeing the picture of the ladder and people on your balcony I will say you definitely deserve the stay in May!! If nothing else you will get to write a flower and garden trip report!!

Right? I mean I get that Disney needs to do maintenance, but at least put that room out of service while it's being done. I am grateful that they made up for it though, and that reminds me, I need to actually book the May trip still! Oops!

 

[VAtink]

I would have been highly annoyed at people on my balcony. Management probably figured most people would be at the parks and never notice people were ever on the balcony so they decided not to close those rooms. It was probably just to offer you a free trip later than to close off that section. I wonder how many other people complained.

Yeah, it was a bit of a shock, we've never experienced anything like that before! I can see management thinking that, silly management! Don't they know Disney is exhausting and people may need a nap? Haha! I am very happy how they handled it though, never would have expected a free trip, but we'll gladly take it!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We have found a few empty Epcots, but usually not in the afternoon. I love walking around an empty World Showcase.

 

[VAtink]

We have found a few empty Epcots, but usually not in the afternoon. I love walking around an empty World Showcase.

Same, we were shocked how empty it was, we haven't seen it that empty for years! It was so nice strolling around world showcase with hardly anyone else around. Perfect afternoon in Epcot!

 

[VAtink]

Day 6, Part 4: Boo Bash, Part 1!

After getting ready and into our costumes, we headed down to the bus stop around a bit before 6. Our luck with buses continued here and we ended up waiting over 30 minutes for a bus to arrive. There were a bunch of other groups in costumes there already when we arrived, so who knows how long they had to wait!

The bus filled up at the YC, so we were surprised that it also swung by the BC. We were packed in like sardines on that bus, it was kind of ridiculous. I don’t understand why they don’t have more buses running to the MK when an event is about to start.

We ended up getting to the MK at 6:45, and the party line was crazy long, so since we had park hoppers we headed to the left to the regular entry where there was no line at all. About half a dozen CMs warned us as we headed that way that we needed day tickets for those gates, which we of course had, but I’m glad they are warning people since it would suck to get out of the party line only to be turned back and have to get back into it at the very end!

We got through quickly and headed over to Tomorrowland to pick up our wrist band and treat bags. There was a short line there, about a 5 minute wait, but soon we had our bands and bags and were on our way!

We decided to start over at Buzz, but on the way over we passed Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, and mom really wanted to check it out, and since it would turn into a treat station during the party we decided to stop then.

It was about a 15 minute wait, and we were surprised how crowded it was, we were really packed into the waiting area. Finally it was show time, we opted to get seats at the very back to avoid being squished in again, and we really enjoyed it! It was really funny! I can’t believe we’ve never seen it before.

By the time the show wrapped up it was already 7:30, so we decided to continue on our way to Buzz. There was a short wait, about 5 minutes and soon we were on!



This was an amazing ride this time around because I FINALLY, after years of trying, made Galactic Hero!!!!! Hence the ride picture of me just relaxing instead of shooting. Sadly they were out of the stickers or buttons so I couldn’t get anything to commemorate my win, although they did say if I took a picture I could show them that another day and I could get one.

Luckily I took a picture:





After Buzz, mom needed a bio break, so I sat on the benches in front of Space, and while mom was in the bathrooms I watched the wait time for Space drop for 25 minutes to 10 minutes, so of course when she got out we headed there!

It ended up being a total walk on, yay!

As we exited Space, HEA started, so we found a place to stand by the coke cooling station to watch, it was actually a pretty decent view, although I had to move a few times to avoid getting sprayed!

After the show ended we headed to Peoplemover to relax and get a birds eye view of the crowds. I think also our goal was to let the park clear out of day guests before heading out of Tomorrowland. It was around 8:35 at this point and the park was still pretty packed with day guests.



After Peoplemover we headed to Buzz again! I didn’t do as well this time around, but it was still a fun ride!



Once off Buzz we decided it was finally time to see other areas of the park, so we headed back to Fantasyland. The CMs were great about checking wrist bands, we had to go through three checkpoints just to get to Fantasyland.

When we got there the line to 7DMT didn’t look too bad, and it was still pre-party, only 8:48 at that point, so we decided to hop in line and hope for the best!

This was a pretty good decision since the wait ended up being just a hair under 15 minutes! Wahoo!



The timing was perfect, we exited the ride just a few minutes after the party started, and there was a food cart right in front of the exit with no line, so we grabbed some Mickey bars and some cokes and went to sit on a wall to enjoy.

As we were enjoying our goodies a line started to form in front of us, but we couldn’t figure out what for, so we asked the people by us and they told us it was for a special Photopass picture. So of course after finishing our treats we got in line!

This may not have been the smartest idea, the line ended up taking about 20 minutes, and it was not our favorite pictures.



Our next stop was the treat trail at Pinocchio’s, the line was starting to build when we got there, but it only ended up being about a 5 minute wait, and when we got out the line had gotten crazy long so good timing on our part!

Next up: Boo Bash, Part 2!​

 

[Wood Nymph]

This was an amazing ride this time around because I FINALLY, after years of trying, made Galactic Hero!!!!! Hence the ride picture of me just relaxing instead of shooting. Sadly they were out of the stickers or buttons so I couldn’t get anything to commemorate my win, although they did say if I took a picture I could show them that another day and I could get one.

The only time I made Galactic hero was when the ride stopped for awhile but the scoring function kept going. Congratulations on doing it the real way. You must know the locations of some of the high score targets.

I love your merit badge sash. It reminds me of the Girl Scout ones.

After the show ended we headed to Peoplemover to relax and get a birds eye view of the crowds. I think also our goal was to let the park clear out of day guests before heading out of Tomorrowland. It was around 8:35 at this point and the park was still pretty packed with day guests.

We went to MK on a Halloween party night so we could see the new Enchantment fireworks. We got there shortly before the fireworks went off and when the party guests were coming in. We had the opposite experience - the regular park entrance lines were really long while the party guest line was short. I guess a lot of people had the same idea as we did - catch the new fireworks on a party night. It was mobbed around the castle and we had a tree between us and the fireworks, although we could see the castle. A lot of people stayed in the park until after the fireworks on a party night.

It is good to hear that they are very good about making sure you are a party guest for the different areas in the park. That wasn't always the case.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Quick RL Update!

So I'm going to see if I can book my free stay at the end of May this year. I'm a bit apprehensive about this since I have to call and give a code for the free stay, and I am totally imagining them coming back and telling me it was all a joke! I mean, the chances of them doing that are slim to none, but that's just how my brain works. So hopefully will have some good news about a trip soon!

In other news, this happened....


Yesterday evening I was chopping some food and my dog bumped into me and the knife slipped and got my finger instead of the food, eek! Turns out I have a really great knife, cuts through things great, including my finger. So I spent my Friday night hanging out at the urgent care. Ended up having to get 7 stitches! Not how I wanted to start the weekend, but at least this gives me a great excuse for a super lazy Saturday! ​

just catching up and saw this! Hope you are healing well!

 

[VAtink]

Day 6, Part 5: Boo Bash, Part 2!

We last left off leaving the Pinocchio treat station. Our next stop was HM. When we got there the line was starting to build and was outside the gates, but it moved fast and we were in the stretching room in about 5 minutes.



It was a fun ride as always, but the ride ended up stopping for about 15 minutes while we were in the séance room which got to be really annoying after a while!

We decided to go get the headless horseman shot next so made our way over to Liberty Square and got in line. We ended up behind this couple from NJ who were the nicest people and we ended up chatting with them the whole wait. Nice to pass the time chatting with awesome people, especially since the wait was about 25 minutes.

*Side Note* While we LOVE the magic shots, these really did end up being a huge time suck during the party. Fortunately we were doing two parties this trip, so we could spread all the fun out over two nights, but even with those two nights we didn’t ride many rides at all. We really ended up missing having MNSSHP and DAH as separate events instead. We love DAH for riding rides, and MNSSHP for all the party fun. Trying to combine the two into one event and stuff it all in just 3 hours was just too nuts.

Ok, moving on!

Finally it was our turn for the picture, and we were thrilled to find that there were two photopass pictures here!





Once we wrapped up our photoshoot we headed over to our favorite, Splash!

There was a small line here, but nothing bad, and when we got to the loading area I requested row 1 and the CM sent us to #5, which after my mistake earlier in the week I now knew was row 1 in the second boat!

We got in the boat and a were ready to go, and then the ride broke down. Noooo!!!!! First HM now Splash! They got it up and running again, but it took another 15 minutes or so, so we ended up spending over 30 minutes of a 3 hr party stuck on broken down rides. Grr.

The ride, once it was running again, was a blast! We got soaked! The breakdown also worked in our favor since we were on the ride with a great view of the parade route when Maleficent came out and breathed fire, it was so awesome being able to see that from the ride!


HAAAAA, that kid behind me!

After Splash we headed over to Thunder and lucked out to get assigned to the last car! This was a blast as always!

Once off Thunder we were getting hungry again so swung by the food cart by Splash to pick up some soda and popcorn. I was surprised to see the popcorn was in 50th containers, and the CM told us they had just come in that day so we were some of the first guests to get them!

We found a fence to lean on to eat, and just enjoyed and people watched for a little bit.

After enjoying our popcorn we stopped by the treat trail by Splash, and then made our way ToTing through Adventureland.

While in Adventureland we saw another Photopass Photographer, so hopped in line.

About a minute after getting in line, the couple from NJ we had met earlier got in line behind us! We ended up chatting with them again while waiting and compared party notes.

The wait this time was only about 15 minutes, so not bad compared to the others.



We also stopped by a Photopass photographer by Jungle Cruise, but those pictures never seem to have made it into our account. Whomp whomp.

After the pictures we looped through the whole park again to trick or treat more. Just as we passed HM again I saw that Maleficent was coming, so I jogged over to get a front row seat to see her go by. She breathed fire right in front of us, it was so awesome. I am totally obsessed with this float, it is just so incredibly cool!

We ended up following her towards the Hub, but the CMs held us back at the bridge, apparently when she’s on it they don’t allow guests near it. Once she crossed though we were allowed to follow. In the hub we ended up cutting to the right to get front row spots to watch her go by again.

Got a cool picture of the castle while up there.


It was about 11:50 at this point, so the party was winding down. We ended up finding a bench to sit on to enjoy more popcorn and let the park clear out a bit. It was fun to people watch and see all the costumes! Finally at 12:12 we decided it was time to head out so slowly made our way to the buses.

There was a massive line at the YC/BC bus stop, and a much smaller line for the BW bus, so we decided to sit on the planter in front of the two stops and wait to see which bus we could get on. Plus, we didn’t want to be packed in like sardines again, so we were willing to wait for the lines to calm down a bit. Luckily we had full popcorn buckets to snack on while we waited!

The bus for both the YC/BC and the BW arrived at the same time, and while the YC/BC bus hardly made a dent in that line, the BW bus completely emptied out their line.

After those two buses left we waited some more, and about three minutes later another BW bus arrived, and there was no one in line so we hopped on! Such a good decision, if we had joined the YC/BC line when we arrived we would have had to wait for probably about 2 buses and would have gotten back so much later!

We ended up getting back to the room at 1:10, and spent some time winding down, drinking some limoncello, and writing trip notes.

NEXT UP: Cabana Time!​

 

[VAtink]

The only time I made Galactic heron was when the ride stopped for awhile but the scoring function kept going. Congratulations on doing it the real way. You must know the locations of some of the high score targets.

Thanks! I know of two of the high score targets, but I'm sure there are more. I should look into that so I can be a galactic hero again!

I love your merit badge sash. It reminds me of the Girl Scout ones.

Thanks! I loved this costume, definitely will be a repeat in the next few years.

We went to MK on a Halloween party night so we could see the new Enchantment fireworks. We got there shortly before the fireworks went off and when the party guests were coming in. We had the opposite experience - the regular park entrance lines were really long while the party guest line was short. I guess a lot of people had the same idea as we did - catch the new fireworks on a party night. It was mobbed around the castle and we had a tree between us and the fireworks, although we could see the castle. A lot of people stayed in the park until after the fireworks on a party night.

Yikes, that's unfortunate, I'm glad it wasn't too packed when we had arrived. Although we got there before 7, and I think the fireworks were after 8, so that may have helped.

It is good to hear that they are very good about making sure you are a party guest for the different areas in the park. That wasn't always the case.

Yeah, they did a great job that night checking wrist bands, and well into the night too.

 

[VAtink]

just catching up and saw this! Hope you are healing well!

Thank you! Almost back to normal, thankfully!