My daughter lives in Jacksonville. She convinced her brother to move down as her roommate so he can help pay the very expensive, rising townhome rent. He's looking forward to the change. While scheduling this tricky move from PA we realized that we had some DVC points that need to be used before the end of the year. My other son is a huge fan of Universal Horror Nights so we hashed it out last night on what we can do. We managed to book AK for three nights and one night at the Grand Floridian. This satisfies both my wife and daughter's wishes. My wife always wanted to stay at an AK Savanah view and my daughter always wanted to stay at the Grand Floridian. We'll schedule Horror Nights for Thursday since we learned from previous visits that it's not as packed as the weekend. Also looking forward to the Food and Wine menu release. We'll be there from 9/15 through 9/19.
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Trip Report Food & Wine/Horror Nights - September
- Thread starter macefamily
- Start date
Reservations made last night for both Universal and Disney. We're doing the Disney backstage tour and the Universal RIP pass. Going to be a memorable trip. September 15-19.
We're just two weeks away from our trip. I'm looking forward to Horror Nights at Universal. I've always been a huge fan of Halloween. We have a Backstage Pass for Disney which my kids bought me for Father's Day. I don't know who that gift was for; myself or them. They purchased their own passes as well. I'm interested to see the behind-the-scenes stuff, but it's not going to be anything new for my daughter who did the Disney College Program six years ago. She's been in the utilidors and knows where all the CM lunch rooms are down there, but it will be new for this old man. I wish I would have considered the option of spending a semester down there back in 1989.
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Oh well. Let this trip report shrivel on the vine. I'm the official photographer and wordsmith for our group on our trips and I had to back out from the upcoming excursion. I'm staying back in PA to keep up with and settle my mom's estate who passed away 8/19. I was prepared to miss this trip if my mom still needed care, but nonetheless, there's still much business to be managed in the months after a loved one's passing. This was especially hard since my mom's cat passed away while she was in the hospital. That was rough. Sorry to be such a downer. I'll let this report fade away into the background. I will cherish the memories of our last trip together to Disney with my mom back in the spring. She had a rough time, but she still enjoyed the time with family.
I'll be back in PA, but my wife, son, and daughter will still be making this trip. Maybe they'll send a few pictures I can forward to y'all. Be well.
I'll be back in PA, but my wife, son, and daughter will still be making this trip. Maybe they'll send a few pictures I can forward to y'all. Be well.
fractal
Well-Known Member
My condolences. Wishing you the strength to get through a tough time.
cgersic
Well-Known Member
I'm so sorry @macefamily . Losing a mom is the absolute worst and her kitty must have known and wanted to be with her. Hugs to you!
The drama continues. I WILL be heading to FL tomorrow morning. Luckily I didn't cancel any tickets/reservations. My sister is going to take care of my mom's outstanding issues for the next five days. Looking forward to a break and I will start a trip report upon our return.
Horror Nights tomorrow 
Reservations for MK, HS, and EP already confirmed. Staying at AKL for 3 nights and staying at the Grand Floridian 1 night (my daughters dream was to stay there, although I can't afford a Victoria and Alberts dinner in these times).
Reservations for MK, HS, and EP already confirmed. Staying at AKL for 3 nights and staying at the Grand Floridian 1 night (my daughters dream was to stay there, although I can't afford a Victoria and Alberts dinner in these times).Buzz was upset that we had the suitcases out and getting ready to pack. He knows.
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rshell68
Well-Known Member
Our dog pouts too when we pack for trips LOL
"Hi, I'm Buddy Dyer....." You all know the intro who fly into MCO and take the monorail. It was much less crowded than the early morning flights that we're used to. Maybe because it was a Thursday ?
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We were staying at AK Kidani for the first time. It's been my wife's dream to stay there. Quite frankly, it doesn't matter to me where we stay. Our home is OKW which I'm happy with. I also love Saratoga & the Treehouses. For me, the main resorts are just too crowded.
Our room wasn't ready so we did some exploring around the resort and we were ready for an afternoon light meal. Our plan was to relax, eat, and unpack before we headed over to Universal. I had reservations for Cowfish before we went to Horror Nights. We went to Sanaa and ordered the Indian-style bread service. It was perfect for what we needed; multiple types of naan with nine types of dipping sauces ranging from spicy to sweet and flavorful.
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Our room wasn't ready so we did some exploring around the resort and we were ready for an afternoon light meal. Our plan was to relax, eat, and unpack before we headed over to Universal. I had reservations for Cowfish before we went to Horror Nights. We went to Sanaa and ordered the Indian-style bread service. It was perfect for what we needed; multiple types of naan with nine types of dipping sauces ranging from spicy to sweet and flavorful.
That's what we're here for !!!!! Horror Nights '22
![IMG_2066[1].JPG](https://forums.wdwmagic.com/attachments/img_2066-1-jpg.668245/ "IMG_2066[1].JPG")
We had a 4:45 PM reservation at Cowfish which I was excitedly awaiting. It was extremely humid and sunny out. We went to check in and had a 15 minute wait. No problem. There's an elevator to get to the second floor dining area or you can take a spiral staircase. We walked the stairs and I made the comment to my family that it felt very humid even though we were indoors. We reached the dining area; still humid and hot. I sat down and couldn't understand how the dining room was 88 degrees ? Call me a diva, but I can't eat in that condition. I waited about 5 minutes, I pulled out my credit card, and I told my family that I was not going to join them because I would not enjoy it. Too uncomfortable.
I went outside across Citywalk and went right to Fat Tuesdays. I ordered up my favorite drink...190 Octane with an extra test tube of grain alcohol. My dinner !
We met up when they were done and my wife said that the server told them that the HVAC has been broken for three days. He said that I wasn't the only walkout they experienced. He said there were many. God bless the cooks.
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![IMG_2068[1].JPG](https://forums.wdwmagic.com/attachments/img_2068-1-jpg.668246/ "IMG_2068[1].JPG")
I went outside across Citywalk and went right to Fat Tuesdays. I ordered up my favorite drink...190 Octane with an extra test tube of grain alcohol. My dinner !
We met up when they were done and my wife said that the server told them that the HVAC has been broken for three days. He said that I wasn't the only walkout they experienced. He said there were many. God bless the cooks.
We continued over to Universal Studios. We bought the Express passes because we found out years ago that it's the only way you will be able to do every house in one night. Check out the crowd behind us on the second pic. It was crazy. Also, take a look at the clouds. The sky looked like it was getting very angry. We had no ponchos.
Our plan was to walk through the Hollywood scare area and head over to the attractions by E.T. Those backlot houses are always very long walks.
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Our plan was to walk through the Hollywood scare area and head over to the attractions by E.T. Those backlot houses are always very long walks.
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Right before we got to the first two houses the skies opened up. We checked the radar and this deluge was going to continue until 11:00 PM so we had to deal with it the entire evening of doing Horror Nights. Some of the house floors were slippery from the crowd tracking the water in. I didn't get many pics because it was raining so hard that I was afraid to take out my camera. All of the Scare Zones were shut down so we didn't get to experience all of them.
And yes, that is another 190 Octane. My son bought 8 Voo Doo doughnuts to take back to the room.
We were watching the local news when we got back to the room and Fox 35 was reporting that the storm we were out in spawned a funnel cloud close to Kissimmee (photo is from Fox 35). This was September 16th if you want to look up more photos. There's a few out there.
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And yes, that is another 190 Octane. My son bought 8 Voo Doo doughnuts to take back to the room.
We were watching the local news when we got back to the room and Fox 35 was reporting that the storm we were out in spawned a funnel cloud close to Kissimmee (photo is from Fox 35). This was September 16th if you want to look up more photos. There's a few out there.
Of course I was the first one up. I was really impressed with the tile work in the master bathroom; very cool. We were getting ready to go to Epcot that day. I made a Joffrey's coffee (which I hate) and sat out watching the animals have their breakfast. I was jealous.
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It was hot and my youngest son has never been to the DVC lounge so we went straight to it. We figured there would be a waiting list very soon. It was a nice start to begin the day. We had to control ourselves because the snack of the day was cheddar popcorn ! Last two times we were there it was animal crackers...meh. They don't go so well with super variety of sodas they offer.
Last time we were there was for Flower and Garden and it was a fairly low crowd level. But as you can see on the second pic there was an army of strollers and we could tell by the parking lot volume that we were in for an elbow to elbow day with long waits at the food booths. I would have stayed in the lounge munching cheddar popcorn and trying every diet drink all day.
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Last time we were there was for Flower and Garden and it was a fairly low crowd level. But as you can see on the second pic there was an army of strollers and we could tell by the parking lot volume that we were in for an elbow to elbow day with long waits at the food booths. I would have stayed in the lounge munching cheddar popcorn and trying every diet drink all day.
Let the games begin ! My daughter went to Shimmering Sips to get the mimosa flight. I'm a big key lime fan so that was my favorite. My son is a picky eater so we had to find something that he may like. Pork slider ? Yes, there was pineapple chutney and spicy aioli, but we didn't tell him. He actually liked it. We stopped by the England shop because my son wanted to buy a soccer jersey. I remember when they had walls of different English clubs, but now there is nothing. I liked the 'baby Claret jugs.'
Next food stop was France. When I see escargot, I'm all over it. My daughter is an adventurous diner like myself so she tried it with me. It was actually pretty good and there was a nice amount of escargot. Notice two creme brulee ? My wife handled one herself while we all picked at the other. The raspberry jam on the bottom was a nice addition. I got the red wine blend while my daughter always gets the Grey Goose slushie.
We needed to hold back because we had 8:30 pm reservations at Hoop Dee Doo Revue. I was never there, but I heard all they do is keep bringing plates of food. We decided to circle back towards Test Track and not complete the entire trip around. It seemed like there were alot of great booths in that area.
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Next food stop was France. When I see escargot, I'm all over it. My daughter is an adventurous diner like myself so she tried it with me. It was actually pretty good and there was a nice amount of escargot. Notice two creme brulee ? My wife handled one herself while we all picked at the other. The raspberry jam on the bottom was a nice addition. I got the red wine blend while my daughter always gets the Grey Goose slushie.
We needed to hold back because we had 8:30 pm reservations at Hoop Dee Doo Revue. I was never there, but I heard all they do is keep bringing plates of food. We decided to circle back towards Test Track and not complete the entire trip around. It seemed like there were alot of great booths in that area.
We decided to get out of the blistering heat and sit down for some wings in Brew-Wing. I didn't like the beer flight. I'm not one for a fruity IPA. The wings were just as bad. To me, they tasted like they were microwaved. They weren't crispy at all. Flavors were also bland. The wife got the parm and I got traditional. There was nothing traditional about them. I guess because we're from the northeast we're accustomed to a certain quality of wing. We've had wings in FL at several places, and I was never impressed. Bad choice of food, but nice to be in AC.
We went back outside, and my son wanted to try the french fry flight at The Fry Basket. It was awesome ! Never thought I would go for sweet potato fries with sweet toppings, but they were a hit. My daughter ran over to Coastal Eats to get the oysters Rockefeller and the baked scampi dip with a crispy baguette. Excellent choice, but after that I was ready to tap out and wait for Hoop Dee Do.
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We went back outside, and my son wanted to try the french fry flight at The Fry Basket. It was awesome ! Never thought I would go for sweet potato fries with sweet toppings, but they were a hit. My daughter ran over to Coastal Eats to get the oysters Rockefeller and the baked scampi dip with a crispy baguette. Excellent choice, but after that I was ready to tap out and wait for Hoop Dee Do.