Trip Report Sweating at the Swolphin: a 2017 Food and Whine Report

Hello and welcome to another Bee trip report! My DW M and I had the privilege of attending the opening weekend of the 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival, and the timing couldn't have been better! We both go "back to school" soon (she's an academic admin at a university and I teach voice and piano at a performing arts school), and last month we found out we have to move from the very affordable apartment we've loved for over three years because someone new bought the building and wants everyone out. We considered cancelling the trip given the moving news but almost everything was paid for already, and we decided in the end that we really needed this escape from reality. We made the right call!

You may know from the PTR to my California trip that this trip was originally scheduled for the end of September and beginning of October to coincide with Epcot's 35th birthday, but a flight change caused us to reschedule. More on that here.

The Plans
Who: M and me
What: A quick trip to Food and Wine!
When: Thursday, August 31-Monday, September 4
Where: Caribbean Beach and WDW Dolphin
Why: Because we needed a distraction from real life!
How: Lyft, Southwest Airlines, Magical Express, and more Lyft!

Keep reading for new experiences, old favorites, and of course lots of food and drinks!

 

[bee]

Day 3, cont.

Full of bread and cheese and mimosas, we left France and walked toward Future World.

If you were us, and you were already day-drunk, what ride would you NEED to go on?

I think we waited an ENTIRE ten minutes to board. Apparently we didn't take any photos of this time.

When we exited the up escalator was closed (WHINE) so we took the stairs. Honestly we didn't mind taking the stairs as much as we minded the traffic jam it created.

I happened to check wait times on my phone and saw this:

I'm sure that's always a nightmare for the Norway CMs!

As we exited through the IG there was a Friendship Boat just arriving! We started out sitting on the back deck but decided to go inside as it was less crowded inside.

Bless you, fan! It was actually a very comfortable temperature in the boat this time.

Bye, Epcot!

We made it!

Up next: "Did we just go back in time??"

 

[Tiggerish]

I was away for the weekend, so I fell behind...

Day 2, cont.

It was time for our second ride on Frozen Ever After.

At some point after we'd scanned our bands the first time the guy in line in front of us stopped and didn't keep moving when the line started moving in front of him. He was staring intently at his phone and didn't respond when we tried getting his attention. Finally we tapped him and he looked up and realized he was blocking the line. He blurted out, "The Epcot 35 merch is in the Disney Parks app early!" We noticed he was wearing one of the Universe of Energy extinction shirts and various Passholder and parks-related merchandise. He continued staring at his phone all the way to his boat!

After Frozen we wanted one more snack before going back to the Dolphin.

Paneer pockets from Africa! Very worthy of a repeat!

More assertive wildlife

We decided to try the boat again.

Matchy boat!

We picked up our keys from an eager, friendly employee in training named Samantha. We walked over the elevators to go up to the sixth floor.

Up next: The room!

Those are amazing photos of the Dolphin from the boat and on land! That paneer looks pretty good...and the guy who was distracted by the early drop of Epcot 35th merch is probably a fellow member here.

Whatever, teenagers are annoying, get over it, etc. As we approached the point where guests are divided into different theater groups, the CM was sending us all to the new theater! Hooray! EXCEPT...the five girls got sent there and M and I had to wait for the next one So if they hadn't rushed past us in the first place we may have been in the new theater

On the bright side, though, just imagine what it would have been like to experience Soarin' in the same theater as that group. You probably lucked out being separated from them for the attraction itself.

Bottomless mimosas??!!! I must try out this F&W experience.

 

[bee]

On the bright side, though, just imagine what it would have been like to experience Soarin' in the same theater as that group. You probably lucked out being separated from them for the attraction itself.

HA! Very true!

 

[bee]

Day 3, cont.

I think we both napped for a bit after we got back to our room. When we awoke we were hungry so we headed down to try Picabu. Though we've now stayed at the Swolphin three times and visited other restaurants between the two hotels, this was our first time trying this particular establishment.

We shared a rice bowl. Sadly they didn't have any veggie protein options (tofu, etc.) and the beans were all cooked with meat so it was basically just rice and a bunch of toppings, lol.

From the look of things this place was last renovated in the early 2000s. Additionally, the radio played nothing but pop hits from about 2000-2005. It was honestly a bit eerie. But on to the food!

Even if the bowl thing (which was more like a salad now that I'm thinking about it) was a little weird it was fresh and tasty. Aaaaaand Picabu has a large selection of hot sauces to accompany their dishes (NO WHINE!)

My favorite was the Brother Bru-Bru's.

After our lunch we headed toward the buses.

The outside door in the photo had clearly been open for some time and was letting in the gross Florida summer air. We closed it on our way out.

Up next: We go to a park other than Epcot (!)

 

[DonnaOnTheRocks]

Finally caught up, woohoo!! Loving your report and definitely wanting to stay at the Swolpin sometime soon! Illuminations is my favorite night time show also . Have you ever watched it in the FP area? I did it for the first time last trip and loved it! But of course, nothing beats watching it from the countries it was just cool to see it from another angle . Can't wait to read the rest!

 

[MinnieM123]

When we awoke we were hungry so we headed down to try Picabu. Though we've now stayed at the Swolphin three times and visited other restaurants between the two hotels, this was our first time trying this particular establishment.

Any time I stay at the Swan or Dolphin, I go to Picabu several times. The decor is fun and festive. It's a great cafeteria-style restaurant and I always find an open table to sit down. Sometimes, I just go for a cup of coffee and relax for a while. I also get a bit of a discount with my AAA card.

 

[Figgy1]

THNX for the Pikabu heads up, I'll make sure not to go in hungry Looks like the perfect light meal place

 

[bee]

Finally caught up, woohoo!! Loving your report and definitely wanting to stay at the Swolpin sometime soon! Illuminations is my favorite night time show also . Have you ever watched it in the FP area? I did it for the first time last trip and loved it! But of course, nothing beats watching it from the countries it was just cool to see it from another angle . Can't wait to read the rest!

I don't think I've ever gotten a FP for it, though I've watched it twice at the Sparkling Dessert Party (which has been replaced by the Frozen party-RIP). Thanks for the tip!

Any time I stay at the Swan or Dolphin, I go to Picabu several times. The decor is fun and festive. It's a great cafeteria-style restaurant and I always find an open table to sit down. Sometimes, I just go for a cup of coffee and relax for a while. I also get a bit of a discount with my AAA card.

Oooh good idea to go for a relaxing cup of coffee!

THNX for the Pikabu heads up, I'll make sure not to go in hungry Looks like the perfect light meal place

Yes, they haven't caught up with the rest of property as far as good vegan and vegetarian options go. Personally I'd rather go back to the Fountain or walk over to Boardwalk Bakery.

 

[bee]

WE SIGNED OUR NEW LEASE THIS MORNING!!!

​

Our new apartment is in a brand-new building (!!!) in our ideal neighborhood. Our unit is the smallest floorplan in the building but it's still over 1000 square feet and has a dishwasher AND washer/dryer in unit!! Our current/soon-to-be-former building is over 100 years old and hasn't been well-maintained over the years, and this apartment is about 600 square feet. We don't have laundry even in the building now so this is a MAJOR upgrade.

The new place is significantly more expensive, but I'm pretty sure our old place is literally the cheapest apartment in New Jersey because it's rent controlled and not in a super popular neighborhood. Our realtor negotiated a small decrease in rent on the new apartment (~2.7%) since we offered to sign a 24-month lease instead of a 12-month lease. The official lease begins November 1 but the landlord is letting people move in starting October 15 so we'll get in a little early.

After the nightmare that has been getting kicked out we are beyond relieved and actually excited about moving. We're thinking we'll just rent a U-Haul (*insert lesbian joke*) and do the moving ourselves since we don't have that much furniture now. We'll have to buy some new (or new to us) furniture so we have more seating in the living room, and I'm going to sell or donate my old keyboard and buy a decent digital piano so I can teach from home.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled trip report!

 

[bee]

Day 3, cont.

A bus pulled up about two minutes after we arrived at the stop. There were fewer than ten other people on the bus with us.

And soon we were here:

Bag check was quick this time and we breezed through the AP line. No blue Mickey for me this time!

We had no immediate plans so we headed toward Pandora to check it out. Some sights along the way:

And on to Pandora!

Our first impression of Pandora: it's...fine. We tried to go in without reading too many reviews or opinions so we wouldn't have great expectations either way. I guess I expected it to be bigger and to feel more "transported." Maybe I'm just a cynical ex-Floridian, but it just looked like Florida jungle with some blue stuff. I did like all the waterfalls. Whatever, different strokes and all that. I know there are things at Disney (and in life) that I love that aren't everyone else's taste and that's fine.

Up next: Some REAL animals!

 

[bee]

Day 3, cont.

Confession time: I have never been a big Animal Kingdom fan. It's not that I don't like AK, it's just that it doesn't have the same pull for me as a place like Epcot. Maybe it's the size, maybe it's the layout, maybe it's the heat, I don't know. Despite this, and despite being underwhelmed by Pandora, I was determined today to give the rest of the park a chance today!

We weren't in the mood to wait for rides, so we checked out some of the trails.

???

There they are!

We were the only ones on the trail and it was so peaceful! We loved just watching the animals and getting closer to the Tree, even though it was hot, humid, and starting to rain.

"I'm not Lord Stark, I'm the Three-Eyed-Raven"

The Tree of Life is such a great park centerpiece and icon from afar, and it's even better up close when you can really see the details of the individual animals. I can't wait to come back when the weather is more pleasant and spend more time exploring the trails and gardens!

Poor M was really feeling the heat and said she didn't care what we did next as long as it involved air conditioning! That gave us a few choices, and you can bet we picked one that involved booze.

Up next: I swear we don't normally drink this much, only on vacation!

 

[DryerLintFan]

WE SIGNED OUR NEW LEASE THIS MORNING!!!

​

Our new apartment is in a brand-new building (!!!) in our ideal neighborhood. Our unit is the smallest floorplan in the building but it's still over 1000 square feet and has a dishwasher AND washer/dryer in unit!! Our current/soon-to-be-former building is over 100 years old and hasn't been well-maintained over the years, and this apartment is about 600 square feet. We don't have laundry even in the building now so this is a MAJOR upgrade.

The new place is significantly more expensive, but I'm pretty sure our old place is literally the cheapest apartment in New Jersey because it's rent controlled and not in a super popular neighborhood. Our realtor negotiated a small decrease in rent on the new apartment (~2.7%) since we offered to sign a 24-month lease instead of a 12-month lease. The official lease begins November 1 but the landlord is letting people move in starting October 15 so we'll get in a little early.

After the nightmare that has been getting kicked out we are beyond relieved and actually excited about moving. We're thinking we'll just rent a U-Haul (*insert lesbian joke*) and do the moving ourselves since we don't have that much furniture now. We'll have to buy some new (or new to us) furniture so we have more seating in the living room, and I'm going to sell or donate my old keyboard and buy a decent digital piano so I can teach from home.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled trip report!

Congratulations!! I'm sure your relieved!!

 

[gdisneyfans]

Congratulations on the new apartment - what a relief!!!

 

[Figgy1]

WE SIGNED OUR NEW LEASE THIS MORNING!!!

​

Our new apartment is in a brand-new building (!!!) in our ideal neighborhood. Our unit is the smallest floorplan in the building but it's still over 1000 square feet and has a dishwasher AND washer/dryer in unit!! Our current/soon-to-be-former building is over 100 years old and hasn't been well-maintained over the years, and this apartment is about 600 square feet. We don't have laundry even in the building now so this is a MAJOR upgrade.

The new place is significantly more expensive, but I'm pretty sure our old place is literally the cheapest apartment in New Jersey because it's rent controlled and not in a super popular neighborhood. Our realtor negotiated a small decrease in rent on the new apartment (~2.7%) since we offered to sign a 24-month lease instead of a 12-month lease. The official lease begins November 1 but the landlord is letting people move in starting October 15 so we'll get in a little early.

After the nightmare that has been getting kicked out we are beyond relieved and actually excited about moving. We're thinking we'll just rent a U-Haul (*insert lesbian joke*) and do the moving ourselves since we don't have that much furniture now. We'll have to buy some new (or new to us) furniture so we have more seating in the living room, and I'm going to sell or donate my old keyboard and buy a decent digital piano so I can teach from home.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled trip report!

Congrats and you could also insert a joke about any women renting one. ok just the one about me renting one to move my sisters. It wasn't pretty

 

[Sans Souci]

Thanks for posting the vegetarian menu at FF. I had been looking online for one. It looks good, but I was such a fan of the old vegetarian bento box.

 

[Tuvalu]

Our first impression of Pandora: it's...fine. I guess I expected it to be bigger and to feel more "transported." Maybe I'm just a cynical ex-Floridian, but it just looked like Florida jungle with some blue stuff.

You + me = AGREE.

Confession time: I have never been a big Animal Kingdom fan. It's not that I don't like AK, it's just that it doesn't have the same pull for me as a place like Epcot. Maybe it's the size, maybe it's the layout, maybe it's the heat, I don't know.

It's everything....size, layout and most of all HEAT.
Are you sure we're not related?

P.S. Congrats on the new apartment!

 

[LowesChevy]

I am also not a huge fan of the Animal Kingdom. I think maybe because I was high school aged when it opened and quite frankly there wasn't that much to do back then rides wise. It was incredibly hot-lack of shade- and the vegetation hadn't grown in fully yet. It still only takes us a half day to tour, but hopefully Pandora adds some excitement. Epcot is also my main jam. Glad to hear your new lease went through and continuing to follow along!

 

[MinnieM123]

Wonderful news about your new apartment!! Talk about a weight off your shoulders. And sometimes it's better to pay more, for a good place in a safe neighborhood. Very happy for the both of you.

 

[fractal]

congrats on the new place and good luck!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Congrats on your new apartment! Sounds like an upgrade.