Trip Report The Big Fat Liars Thanksgiving Report!

Happy (belated) New Year to all! We've been back for two months and I am FINALLY getting started on this TR. December was an absolutely crazy (in a good way!) month for me professionally and after a short Christmas/New Years break January was nuts too! I am back to having some free evenings (instead of getting home from the Bronx after 1:00am night after night during tech week...) so I've been uploading my photos to a third party site so they're easy to post here.

Speaking of photos, I've decided to do a different kind of TR this time. Instead of writing huge paragraphs with pictures in between, I'm going to be mostly posting photos with captions as necessary. I took SOOOOO many photos this time (looking through them two months later I'm really not sure why I felt the need to document some of these things. And before you ask, I didn't even drink that much on this trip so it's not that!) so that's what I want to focus on.

Here is the PTR: The "we're big fat liars who couldn't stay away for even six months" pre-trip report

And finally, here is a huge block of tags. I tried to put them in alphabetical order so I didn't tag anyone twice so I'm sorry if I meant to tag you and the computer ate the tag! You're still welcome to follow of course! As usual, if you don't want to read I'm not offended and please feel free to ignore.

@21stamps @ajrwdwgirl @Beastly74 @betty rose @BuddyThomas @C.FERNIE @Ciara @Courtney6682 @dclfan @DimpledDevil18 @disneypearl @DisneyShe @Doc Disney @docdebbi @DonnaOnTheRocks @epcotisbest @figmentfan423 @FlaggNL @fractal @Gabe1 @geebee721 @jrogue @LisaBelle @littleroo @lostpro9het @maelstrom98 @mcstensrud @Mickey2422 @Mindy16 @minnie2000 @MinnieM123 @prfctlyximprct @samantha788 @ScarletBegonias @sheriffwoody @TheMouseFan @Tiggerish @Tom @Tony the Tigger @Tuvalu @wdisney9000 @WDWDarling @WDW74

 

[bee]

Yay!!!! I'm following along. Can't wait to hear all about it.

Thanks for following!

Thanks for the tag! I'm looking forward to reading about your adventures. Awesome pictures of Animal Kingdom Lodge, it is one of the resort I would like to stay in sometime as well.

Thank you! There is so much to see there!

Oh goody--you're back!! I like your pictures. Have to agree about the "suite" definition--not so much! It looked a bit larger than a standard guest room, but that was not a suite . . . LOL. Another thought I had as I looked at the room photos--I realize the trend is minimalist and that's o.k., depending upon how it's done. Personally, I wasn't excited about all the white/off white and not much else for color in the "suite". Just my opinion only.

Very impressed with your giraffe gif -- that's advanced level right there!

I'm going to laugh when this minimalist style goes out of style and all these rooms that look so current and modern now look "old."

I must confess, the gif was super easy to make. I upload my photos to a private Tumblr blog and I have the option of selecting a video and making it automatically into a gif.

You're off to a great start and thnx for the tag Nothing like flying over the Linden refinery on the way out

Thanks! We also had some beautiful Manhattan views on the way up but I didn't get my phone ready in time, haha.

 

[bee]

Day 1, cont.

Any guesses as to where we were heading?

Not Boma...

Maybe the bottles behind the tree give it away?

Or maybe this giant bottle?

How about this tree of bottles?

If you guessed the Jiko wine tasting, you guessed correctly!!!

We were instructed to check in at the Jiko desk but no one was there so we waited a few minutes for a CM to arrive. It turned out she was actually there to check in Wanyama Safari guests and not wine tasting guests, so she asked us (there were four of us waiting by this point) to have a seat in the front area of Jiko and wait for our wine tasting host/server.

Eventually the total number of guests grew to eight and our host, Mounir, welcomed us back to a large table where our tasting plates and glasses were set up. There were only six place settings because two had signed up at the last minute, so Mounir got two more plates from the kitchen and prepared two sets of glasses.

I was happy to see today's wines were all reds.

And all three were Pinotages! It turned out we had tried (and liked!) the Painted Wolf pinotage (the one on the far right).

I liked all three and would drink any of the three again but my favorite was the Fairvalley (in the middle). All of the cheese pairing were excellent as well. We especially liked the Seahive cheese (in the middle of the plate).

Since Mounir had to make two new place settings he had to open at least one other bottle of wine (I'm thinking it was the Warwick?). Annnnd since it was open he offered extra to anyone who wanted it!

Mounir was obviously very knowledgeable about the wines of South Africa and he kept going on and on about Chenin Blanc, the only white native to SA. He was so excited that he just HAD to open a bottle for us all to try!!

Chenin blanc! I'm not much of a white drinker but I found this very refreshing and not too acidic.

So, what started as three tastings of wine turned into about three whole glasses of wine total, plus pairings, plus edutainment! At $31.25/person, including tax and gratuity, I would call the Jiko Wine Tasting an excellent value if you like wine, or if you are interested in wine and want to learn more about it.

Everybody was feeling pretty happy after all the wine so when Mounir offered to take us into the wine room we were all excited!

Wine trees!

(insert joke about "just sharing one bottle of wine")

This spread was left over from the Wanyama Safari folks.

We headed out and stopped to admire this tree on the way.

We took a bus to Animal Kingdom so we could connect to the Swan for our dinner.

On our way!

The first bus to pull up was going here. Close enough for us!

On the way we saw...

Here's another gif.

 

[Figgy1]

That wine tasting is on my bucket list which some how keeps getting longer no matter how many things get checked off each trip LOL

 

[MinnieM123]

I concur -- the wine tasting appears to be a very good value, and it looked really nice. Never heard of it before, and was thinking it would be a nice treat for people who couldn't afford the dinner prices there--to at least be able to experience Jiko for a pleasant, wine tasting/cheese pairing option.

 

[bee]

That wine tasting is on my bucket list which some how keeps getting longer no matter how many things get checked off each trip LOL

Haha! Even if Disney never added anything new it would be impossible to do everything...and new things are popping up all the time!

I concur -- the wine tasting appears to be a very good value, and it looked really nice. Never heard of it before, and was thinking it would be a nice treat for people who couldn't afford the dinner prices there--to at least be able to experience Jiko for a pleasant, wine tasting/cheese pairing option.

Great point! Our Jiko dinner ended up costing about $160 if I remember correctly (ETA: it was actually about $130), and we ate vegetarian entrees and appetizers (significantly cheaper than the meat items). If you want to have some of the experience and pay much less the wine tasting might be an option.

 

[bee]

Day 1, cont.

Soon our bus was pulling up here:

And we realized that, as much time as we've spent resort-hopping and as much time as we've spent in the Epcot area in particular, we've never actually explored the lobbies of the Yacht and Beach Club!

Tree!

Bigger tree!

I thought this hallway was cool.

Resort map

We've never been to Beaches & Cream...yet...

Sometime during the afternoon we realized we were getting seriously hungry and seriously tired and didn't know if we could make it to 7:30 for our Il Mulino reservation. Luckily the reservation was easy to change on OpenTable and we were able to get a 5:30 reservation. I know, old people dinner time. In the meantime, we explored some more!

Cute kettles!

Now what EXACTLY is the difference between this "tea press" and this "coffee press?"

It should be noted that we were on a mission during the trip to find two souvenirs:
1) Mad Tea Party mugs. We love this ride and we love coffee vessels so this was an obvious souvenir choice.
2) Some small Mickey (or similar) stud earrings for me. I have a cute pair of bee earrings (the insect kind, not the me kind. That would be weird) that M gave me for my birthday one year and they are my go-to simple everyday earrings. Alas, I left them at home on this trip and was feeling naked, so M suggested we find some new earrings for me!
At each shop we visited, we kept our eyes peeled for these two things.

You know these displays caught my eye!

More poinsettias on our way!

Loved these decorations!

During our time at the Y&BC two funny/odd things happened.

1) We heard a thick NY/NJ-accented woman say, "That's a cute daaawwg!" to another guest. We turned in that direction and there was indeed a cute "daaawwg" being walked by another guest. Then when we realized what we were seeing M and I just looked at each other like "Who TF brought their dog here?" It definitely wasn't a service dog.

2) I came up with an amazing (harmless!) prank to pull on unsuspecting tourists at Disney or elsewhere. It requires several people in on the prank and some patience. Here's how it works: the pranksters watch a popular photo site (monument, Christmas tree, whatever it is that lots of people want to take their picture with). When a family/group poses for a photo and one member of the family is taking the photo, prankster #1 offers to take the photo so the taker can get in the photo. Then, quickly, prankster #2 comes and offers to take the photo so prankster #1 can get in the photo. Prankster #1 gets in the photo as if they're part of the family. This can go on as long as the family is too confused to protest...prankster #3 offers to take the photo so #2 can get in, etc.... Am I crazy for thinking this would be hilarious??

 

[bee]

Day 1, cont.

It was getting close to our (new, earlier) Il Mulino reservation time so we turned right from the Y&B area and enjoyed a leisurely walk along Crescent Lake. I remarked to M that it was just so pleasant outside and had to check the temperature:

Nice!

We kept walking...

Those clouds, though!

Bye bye, Yacht Club!

Just kidding, there is still more of you to see!

Again with these gorgeous skies!

Getting closer...

One last look toward Y&B...

Hello, Friendship Boat!!

Still getting closer...

I almost got a shot without any other guests. Oh well.

I hope we get to stay over here again soon!

We witnessed a gorgeous sunset!

Okay, we're REALLY almost there...

I hope they're remodeling the Java Bar and not just replacing it with another Starbucks.

Toy display!

 

[Figgy1]

I want the hidden Mickey glasses, another item on my Disney shopping bucket list I have to agree one of my favorite walks at Disney is between MGM and EPCOT, I always find it scenic and relaxing.

 

[MinnieM123]

Hmm . . . interesting about the "remodel" of the Java Bar. I also wonder if they're going to keep the same coffee vendor in there, or replace it with Starbucks. (I love Starbucks, but the coffee vendor they presently used was just as good--very good coffee, I thought.) Wasn't impressed by the pastries though--wouldn't mind if they chose another bakery for those, after the remodel.

Loved the Christmas photos. I really liked the tree with the blue and white ribbons--I'd never think to use a combo ribbon like that, and might try to duplicate it on my own tree next Christmas!

 

[mcstensrud]

Oooh oooh(raising my hand) I'm a little late to this party! Thanks for the tag and Great start.

 

[Tuvalu]

We've missed you, @bee!

 

[bee]

I want the hidden Mickey glasses, another item on my Disney shopping bucket list I have to agree one of my favorite walks at Disney is between MGM and EPCOT, I always find it scenic and relaxing.

Yes, I love that walk and even prefer it to the boats!

Hmm . . . interesting about the "remodel" of the Java Bar. I also wonder if they're going to keep the same coffee vendor in there, or replace it with Starbucks. (I love Starbucks, but the coffee vendor they presently used was just as good--very good coffee, I thought.) Wasn't impressed by the pastries though--wouldn't mind if they chose another bakery for those, after the remodel.

Loved the Christmas photos. I really liked the tree with the blue and white ribbons--I'd never think to use a combo ribbon like that, and might try to duplicate it on my own tree next Christmas!

I looked it up and it looks like it's still Java Bar, thank goodness! And thank you-I took Christmas tree/decoration photos almost everywhere we went so there will be plenty more!

Oooh oooh(raising my hand) I'm a little late to this party! Thanks for the tag and Great start.

Welcome! We're just getting started

We've missed you, @bee!

I'm glad to be back!!

 

[dclfan]

Omg I didn't even know Jiko had wine tastings and ALL pintoages. I am making a mental note to book that next time.

Also I'm dying over your photos of crescent lake. The walk between DHS and Epcot is my absolute favorite. I think we did it 4 of the 7 days we were in Disney in October. If you make the walk around 5:00 and take the boardwalk route around the lake they have a rolling wine bar and you can take it along on your stroll to DHS. Just an FYI

*Disclaimer. I do drink water and stuff sometimes too I promise

 

[bee]

Omg I didn't even know Jiko had wine tastings and ALL pintoages. I am making a mental note to book that next time.

Also I'm dying over your photos of crescent lake. The walk between DHS and Epcot is my absolute favorite. I think we did it 4 of the 7 days we were in Disney in October. If you make the walk around 5:00 and take the boardwalk route around the lake they have a rolling wine bar and you can take it along on your stroll to DHS. Just an FYI

*Disclaimer. I do drink water and stuff sometimes too I promise

Haha, no judgement AT ALL! You're on vacation, you can drink whatever you want (as long as you can behave yourself lol).

A disclaimer about the wine tasting: the wines can be different every time. We talked to a guest at our tasting who had done it before and she said they were all different the last time she did it. That said, there is a good chance SOME will be pinotage since that's sort of the flagship wine of SA.

 

[bee]

Day 1, cont.

WARNING: Don't read hungry!!! (ETA: or thirsty, according to @figmentfan423!)

Finally, it was time to check in at...

While we waited to be seated, we observed the decor around the restaurant.

I still had wine on the mind!

Soon we were seated near a window and our servers (they were training new servers that day) introduced themselves. I wasn't taking very good notes so I only remember that one was David and one was another very normal man's name. Richard maybe?

They brought out complimentary appetizer...

...half of which we really enjoyed and half of which we didn't touch of course since we're vegetarians. Next time we will try to alert someone sooner that we're vegetarians so maybe they can give us extra eggplant instead of the meat. But that eggplant was gooooooood!!!

There was a generous bread service too!

Obviously we needed to order drinks. It had been HOURS since those three glasses of wine!

In the spirit of Italy I had a Negroni.

And in the spirit of Florida M had a Floridian Hefeweizen.

A close-up of the bread action.

Our entrees came soon...

I had the mushroom risotto. LOOK AT THAT CREAMY CHEESEY MUSHROOMY GOODNESS!!!

M had the Margherita pizza. She let me have a piece and it was soooo good!

Folding the pizza???

We were too stuffed for dessert and almost forgot about the...

...COMPLIMENTARY HOUSEMADE LIMONCELLO!!!

We really had a excellent meal at Il Mulino. Service was fantastic, drinks were great, food was delicious (with plenty of veg choices), and the atmosphere felt upscale but modern. We would ABSOLUTELY return.

We explored a bit more before calling an Uber...

Love these lit up palm trees at night!

Can't wait to stay here again!

Swan fountain

Decorations

Tree!

Revolving door of trees!!

 

[Figgy1]

HA! You forgot to mention don't read while thirsty! That wine also looks mighty good

 

[bee]

Day 1, cont.

The Uber ride to SpringHill was quick and soon we were back in the elevator...

Does anyone else find this Santa a bit creepy?

How about now?

How about now??

Or now???

OR NOW????

It was around 7:00 when we got back and we were exhausted already from the day of travel. We showered, watched a bit of TV (we don't have TV at home so mindless junk TV is a vacation treat lol) and I passed out around 8:00!!!

This ends Day 1! Stay tuned for Day 2!

 

[Tuvalu]

I was taken aback by your photo of the painted bottle of Perrier Jouet champagne. Woody and I were given a similar bottle for our engagement 30+ years ago. We saved it for our wedding night. Two years had elapsed and we couldn't wait to try it. Woody popped the cork, poured the champagne, toasted and we clinked glasses....and at the first sip we both had the same thought ~ CAT FOOD!!

The rest of the bottle was promptly poured down the drain. Although I did save the pretty painted bottle for many years.

 

[lostpro9het]

COMPLIMENTARY HOUSEMADE LIMONCELLO!!!

We really had a excellent meal at Il Mulino. Service was fantastic, drinks were great, food was delicious (with plenty of veg choices), and the atmosphere felt upscale but modern. We would ABSOLUTELY return.

(wink & nod to my Canadian friends out there...)

 

[bee]

I was taken aback by your photo of the painted bottle of Perrier Jouet champagne. Woody and I were given a similar bottle for our engagement 30+ years ago. We saved it for our wedding night. Two years had elapsed and we couldn't wait to try it. Woody popped the cork, poured the champagne, toasted and we clinked glasses....and at the first sip we both had the same thought ~ CAT FOOD!!

The rest of the bottle was promptly poured down the drain. Although I did save the pretty painted bottle for many years.

Oh noooo! Reminds me of the Frasier episode where one of the brothers is given a rare bottle of wine only to discover the previous owner had stored it in the boiler room: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Something_Borrowed,_Someone_Blue

View attachment 186804
(wink & nod to my Canadian friends out there...)

I never doubted you! And in fact as I may have said before your reviews of IM were a big factor in deciding to try it. You and Laura have good taste.