Trip Report *COMPLETED* 6 Parks, F&W Fest, MNSSHP & One HUGEEE Surprise!!!

Hi everyone! We got back from our Disney vacation two days ago and I am still exhausted and unfortunately sick, but I wanted to jump right into the report because if I don’t do it now, it will never get done!

You can find my pre-trip report here, http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/first-trip-in-6-years-with-a-wdw-first-timer.915675/ but here is a quick recap:

Who: My boyfriend, Mark, and yours truly

What: 5-Day Park Hopper Tickets, Food & Wine Festival, One night at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary-Halloween Party, One day at Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure and one HUUUUGE surprise, but I’m not giving anything away just yet!! You’ll have to follow along J

When: September 26th-October 3rd

Where: POP Century

Why: Mark’s first trip to Disney, and my first time back since being an AP 6 years ago!

Now that we have the particulars out of the way, let’s dive on in!
 

Second Star to the Right

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 6: Epcot/Magic Kingdom

Our last day :cry:

Rocking my Captain Hook ears while we wait for the bus to Epcot. I can feel the humidity in this picture.
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At this point in the trip, my notes are incredibly minimal. I know I was bummed that it was our last day so I think I wanted to just try to enjoy every moment. Our last day would be spent between Epcot and Magic Kingdom, because I just had to go there one last time before we left. There was still quite a bit at the F&W Fest that we wanted to do though, so that's where we began.

One thing I do remember is that we had the most thorough bag checker. Ever. It took 20 minutes to get through the bag check and the lines were not all that outrageous in all honesty.

After we finally made it through we stopped in at guest services to get our "Just Engaged" pins. They didn't have any of those, so they gave us the Happily Ever After Ones, which was fun!

Our first ride of the day would be Soarin'. We had a FP+ for it, and I'm super glad we did because one of the concourses stopped working while we were in line and the StandBy wait was over 90 minutes :jawdrop:

We made it on in 20 minutes. I could ride Soarin' all day long. I find it SO relaxing and I loved the jasmine smell over the Taj Mahal. It was nice to see the changes, but I do miss some parts of the original ride. No matter what, to me, it's all about the experience of it and again, I find it so relaxing. It's a nice break from the hustle of running around the parks.

This is when we decided the rest of our time at Epcot would be enjoying the F&W Fest. We love food :D

The first treat of the day was the Nitro Chocolate Truffle. It was delish! It tasted like a heightened Fudgsicle. We ate our dessert first in this scenario because the next stop was the Seared Scallop. That was very good with the Brussels sprouts and mushrooms that accompanied it. We love scallops and as long as they are cooked properly, it's hard to go wrong with them. Again, this is purely because we had our snack credits from the dining plan. I don't think I would have spent the $5-6 on something that small normally.

The next stop was the New Zealand booth. We used one of our extra QS credits and got the three dishes from there: Lamb Meatball with Spicy Tomato Chutney, Steamed Green Lip Mussels with Garlic Butter and Toasted Breadcrumbs and the Seared Venison Loin with Wild Mushroom Marsala Sauce and Kumara Dumpling. We really liked all 3, but the mussels were the best. Mark actually liked the meatball which is a surprise because (as any good Italian should be) he's incredibly particular when it comes to meatballs.

We started making our way to China but the path was blocked bc it was only 10 a.m. and that side didn't open until 11:00. So we went into the Norway shop to get into the AC. Just for fun I checked to see what the Frozen Ever After wait was...already 105 minutes. I'm so glad we were able to get a FP+ for this, but I would have LOVED to have gone on it one more time before we left. I just did not want to waste 105 precious minutes of our last day waiting in a line though. No matter how fun the queue is.

The next stop I remember is picking up a couple more yummy Grapefruit beers in Germany and then heading to Italy to pick up our souvenir. While we were in Italy we tried the Spezzatino alla Toscana con Polenta from the F&W booth. We both thought the meat was good, but the polenta itself was just okay.

In China, we used our last extra QS credit and got three of the options from their menu: Beijing Roasted Duck in a Steamed Bun with Hoisin Sauce, the Sichuan Spicy Chicken and the Chicken Potstickers. The spicy chicken definitely packed some heat, but it was still very good even considering it felt like it was 100 degrees out that day! I really enjoyed the duck but don't remember much about liking or not liking the potstickers.

We continued our loop around the world and picked up the Fishermen's Seafood pie from the Ireland booth. I really enjoyed this and would absolutely get it again. I'm sure it could be hit or miss, but there was big pieces of lobster and scallops in mine, and I loved the flavor. Again, the only downfall is that it was SO hot out and that is really something that would have been awesome on a chilly night.

We decided we had hit up all the spots we wanted to and wanted to get over to MK, so I made one more purchase on our way out and grabbed the Elderberry Cider from the Farm Fresh booth. That was realllllly yummy! It tasted like juice. I wish those cups were bigger!!
 
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Second Star to the Right

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We took our last monorail trip over to MK and on our way I tried securing a FP+ for the Jungle Cruise ride and there were no more available for the rest of the day and it was only 1:00 p.m.!! I grabbed one for Mickey's Philharmagic instead.

I'm not sure why we took the Ferry instead of the Monorail into the Kingdom, but it allowed me to get a fun picture!
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Before we went on any rides, we made it a point to get one last Dole Whip for the trip. We figured while we were in that area we could see what the stand-by time for the Jungle Cruise was, but again, NO luck! It was 55 minutes and I just couldn't do that on our last day there. Plus, it's an excuse to come back :D:D

We decided to just walk around for a bit and actually enjoy the park before our Philharmagic FP+. I forgot how cute that show is! At that point I felt like I was melting, so we decided not to stay and watch the parade. I don't think I regret this because we had our ADR at California Grill that night so this gave us time to get back and freshen up a bit. But then, I realized we had not done something on my wish list and we now had time for it!

We could go to the Polynesian to get a Lapu Lapu!! I had never had one before, and this really was a must-do, especially since we were that close and had some time :hungry:. Mark agreed to indulge in my craziness and we made our way to the Polynesian.

I was actually surprised when Mark ordered one with me. I'm so glad we stopped by, because I forgot how gorgeous the Polynesian is and the Lapu Lapu was delicious!!! I wanted to try the back-scratcher as well, but we really needed to get back to Pop if we wanted time to freshen up before Cali Grill.
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Second Star to the Right

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
After we freshened up we took an Uber to the Contemporary just so we didn't run the risk of being late.

This was one ADR I was super excited for. I had read great reviews about the food, but honestly, I just couldn't wait for the views. When we got to the "check-in" station on the lower floor the CM had struck up a conversation with us and realized we had just gotten engaged. When we excited the elevators to enter the actual restaurant there were several staff members waiting there and wished us all congratulations and best wishes. That was so sweet!

Then, when we got to our table there was confetti spread out over our table. This was impressive because neither one of us called ahead to say we would be celebrating there, so clearly the girl downstairs gave a head's up to the staff upstairs. Talk about amazing service and those extra special touches.

Our waiter, Ron, also treated each of us to a glass of champagne. How sweet! For our meals I ordered the wagyu beef and it was very good!! Mark got the seared scallops and they were equally delicious.

I can't say enough good things about our waiter. He was just awesome. He was super sweet, friendly, not over-bearing or pushy. He is also on my good side because he poured both of us a nice heathy test pour for our wine and then then he finished off the bottle for me because it was so close to empty so I probably got a glass and a quarter of the wine. Win! :hungry:

We ordered our desserts, and I honestly have no idea what either of us ordered because Ron also brought us out a congratulatory cupcake! Again, just went above and beyond for us. At the beginning of the meal he also asked if we wanted him to take some pictures of us and of course I did! I just hate asking and being "that person".

This is one from my IG page
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This is the only other picture I have access to from that night:
Captain Hook & Peter Pan fighting over the treasure!
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Everything about our dinner was great, the view is unbeatable, the food was delicious, our waiter was top notch as was the entire staff.

As a side note, Wishes wasn't happening that night because of MNSSHP so we decided to make one last stop at Disney Springs to pick up a gift for Mark's mom.

She loves Nightmare Before Christmas as well as Alex & Ani so we stopped in at the store and picked her up the Jack Skellington Alex & Ani bracelet. She loved it when we gave it to her!

We walked around some of the other stores, but then headed back to Pop to begin packing up :cry: The DME would be there bright and early for us.
 

Second Star to the Right

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Final Thoughts

For many reasons, this was an absolutely unforgettable trip. It was my first time back in the World in six years, after having gone at least once a year for about 10 years, and it was Mark's first time there ever. That alone was special to be able to share that with him. To top it off we were able to get the free dining while being there for F&W Fest AND got tickets to MNSSHP, along with tickets for a day at Universal with some of my family...you just can't beat that. That is, until the love of your life proposes to you in front of the most magical place for the two of us. There are no words that can adequately describe how fantastic this trip was for me, but I do want to be objective as well and review some of the not-so-magical points.

To put it not-lightly, strollers and motorized scooters and forever my mortal enemy from here on out after this trip. I was rau over more times than I can count and the fact that we would have to wait for three rounds of buses sometimes because of motorized scooters just irritates me to no end. The transportation at Pop is horrible, and they know it, but don't seem to be doing anything to remedy it. We ended up using the AoA bus more than the Pop buses.

Bongos....just don't bother. It's not worth trying especially with all of the new restaurant additions to Disney Springs.

It's also clear to see that October is no longer a slower month for Disney. There was a noticeable difference in the crowd levels from previous years I had been there at the same time. However, the crowds really were not bad, just more than I am used to in September/October. The only really bad day was at DHS and I suspect that is because there is not a whole lot to do there right now with all of the construction going on so everyone floods the top 4 attractions.

We had some awesome interactions with several cast members throughout the trip, but at the same time, one of us was selected for the random search every time we went into one of the parks. How is that possible with the amount of people coming in each hour?? Just lucky I guess!

Also, I need to learn that if we are ever going to meet up with friends/family while we are on vacation to just let things go and almost not even bother with a plan for that day. This way, if things don't work out, I won't be nearly as frustrated and my OCD will not completely take over. ;)

Overall, the trip was absolutely amazing, and my complaints are incredibly minimal. I'm never going to expect any type of vacation to be absolutely perfect, but this one was darn close!!
 

Second Star to the Right

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Updates

For those who might be following along with the spinoff of this trip report, we have a few updates on the wedding front.

We knew we wanted a Fall wedding, but we live in New England which makes that an INCREDIBLY popular time to get married. When we were searching for venues, almost every place was booked for ideal dates in 2017. We agreed that we didn't want to rush it and just pick any old place, so we have secured our venue, which was our top choice, for our wedding on October 6, 2018. We still have quite some time, but this gives us more time to plan and save! Two things I love to do!

At this point, we have our venue, photographer, DJ and we have asked our bridal party to be part of our big day. So the big stuff is done!

One other thing that I couldn't wait to do was to order my shoes for the wedding. I'm short, Mark's short and I don't like wearing heels. Plus, at this point everyone knows I like having fun TOMS for events so I KNEW I wanted a customized pair of TOMS for our wedding, and here they are!
Wedding Shoes.jpg

This Etsy shop is the same one that created my Mary Poppins TOMS and Mark's pirate TOMS for this trip. I gave the artist some ideas and showed her some pictures of what I was looking for, and she absolutely delivered. If you can guess, our colors are going to be burgundy, navy blue with gold accents ;)

That's about all I have for wedding updates, but thank you all for sharing in our story and for all of your well-wishes!! I had a blast writing this trip report, and I'm sorry it took so long to actually finish it!!

After the wedding next year I will be starting to plan our next Disney vacation!!

See ya real soon!
 

joshsprincess921

Well-Known Member
Updates

For those who might be following along with the spinoff of this trip report, we have a few updates on the wedding front.

We knew we wanted a Fall wedding, but we live in New England which makes that an INCREDIBLY popular time to get married. When we were searching for venues, almost every place was booked for ideal dates in 2017. We agreed that we didn't want to rush it and just pick any old place, so we have secured our venue, which was our top choice, for our wedding on October 6, 2018. We still have quite some time, but this gives us more time to plan and save! Two things I love to do!

At this point, we have our venue, photographer, DJ and we have asked our bridal party to be part of our big day. So the big stuff is done!

One other thing that I couldn't wait to do was to order my shoes for the wedding. I'm short, Mark's short and I don't like wearing heels. Plus, at this point everyone knows I like having fun TOMS for events so I KNEW I wanted a customized pair of TOMS for our wedding, and here they are!
View attachment 194162
This Etsy shop is the same one that created my Mary Poppins TOMS and Mark's pirate TOMS for this trip. I gave the artist some ideas and showed her some pictures of what I was looking for, and she absolutely delivered. If you can guess, our colors are going to be burgundy, navy blue with gold accents ;)

That's about all I have for wedding updates, but thank you all for sharing in our story and for all of your well-wishes!! I had a blast writing this trip report, and I'm sorry it took so long to actually finish it!!

After the wedding next year I will be starting to plan our next Disney vacation!!

See ya real soon!

Love the shoes and theme!
 

amjt660

Well-Known Member
Glad you finished it up and that you picked a date
Wishing you many many years of bliss
My wife and I celebrated 25 last August and I know with your love for each other and the magic in your life (get it!) you will meet and exceed that mark
Max
 

Second Star to the Right

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hi there, glad you came back to finish up your great trip report! Congrats again on your engagement! What were Mark's final thoughts on Disney?
He really enjoyed Disney and definitely wants to go back. We were actually talking about planning a trip for this fall again and were so close to putting down the deposit, but then we figured we would wait until more of DHS was completed and possibly after the wedding. I'm just super happy I don't have to convince him to go back! He's definitely willing to go without any coercion lol
 

Second Star to the Right

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Glad you finished it up and that you picked a date
Wishing you many many years of bliss
My wife and I celebrated 25 last August and I know with your love for each other and the magic in your life (get it!) you will meet and exceed that mark
Max
Thank you very much!! And congratulations to you and your wife. That is amazing!
 

PrincessL

Well-Known Member
What a wonderful trip report! Congrats on your engagement and happy wedding plannng! Loved all of your Toms I'm looking to order a pair as well since they are my go to at the parks! Thanks for all the F&W pics too!
 

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