Trip Report How Many Attempts Does It Take To Induce a Diabetic Coma: An Adult Adventure at Food and Wine Festival *completed*

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How many attempts does it take to end up in a diabetic coma: An adult adventure at Food and Wine Festival

Hi there, Hey there, Ho there!

Most of the planning has been concluded and we are just in that waiting phase for the adventure to begin.
It all started with three friends enjoying happy hour in the late spring of 2018. Getting together we realized that we all loved Walt Disney World, wanted to return, and all agreed on key things for our trip, such as we must stay on site, we must spend about a week there, we must have the Disney Dining Plan, and we needed Park Hopper tickets to minimize line waiting times. Since then, there have been a lot of changes, including who is going. I’ll spare you the play by play of it all.

Who: All three of us are young at heart fans of the Disney parks.

Douglas – I’m the plotter, the planner, the organizer living in Philadelphia, PA

Keith – My roomie is a gigantic Star Wars fan. When we first started our plans, we weren’t sharing a 3-bedroom house. But life has brought the two of us together (omg, I just read that and thought, no, no, no. We are not Tiana and Naveen. He is like my brother. Purely platonic). We agree we are our favorite roommates ever.

Andy – A local Floridian who used to live in Philadelphia but moved to Naples, FL and signed up to share in our adventures.
When: Even that has changed. Originally, we were going to be visiting for the traditional first week of June to Gay Days in Walt Disney World. Now, we are visiting from October 22 through 28, 2019. We figured the three of us had enough of a gay factor we really didn’t need to go at that time. While we aren’t lushes, we do enjoy an adult beverage. A lot. The fact that this time is Food and Wine Festival time is great fun and I know that Keith and I have never been at that time before. Months after we had booked our vacation, Disney announced an earlier opening for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Keith is super excited to explore the planet of Batuu. I mean you should see his bookshelves. He has so much Star Wars literature I had no idea that it all existed until I moved in.

Where: We wanted to stay on site. For those few short hours where I am resting my head, it is Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter for us. A moderate Disney resort fits the bill. I’ve always wanted to stay there since it is frequently people’s choice for favorite moderate Disney resort. For me, the biggest bonus is the extra magic hour. Having a time in which I can have less line waiting is terrific.

Even though I’m an excellent planner, I hired a travel planner that I have known for over 15 years. I can’t believe that it has been that long. She owns her own Disney specialized agency, "Reach for the Magic Destinations". It is nice to bounce ideas off her. Why not have her be up at the crack of dawn contacting Disney for me while I get a decent amount of sleep. I’m not paying her, Disney is. Denise Lang is the best! Whatever you do, I highly recommend getting a Disney specialized travel planner.

Getting a park hopper option was important to me and Keith agreed. We can go to the extra magic hours and then move on to a park that has a predicted lower crowd level for the day. That leads me to one of the subscriptions that I purchased. I subscribed for a year to touringplans.com. It is the web tool brought to me by the folks at The Unofficial Guide of Walt Disney World 2019. I purchased that guidebook as well. A good guidebook is a $20 investment towards a better $4000 vacation. I’ve been using the touring plans in the Unofficial guide since 1994. They have worked incredibly well. Now that Walt Disney World’s popularity is bigger than ever, touring plans are more important than ever. That’s evidenced by the fact that there no longer is a slow season. There is just crowded and wildly crowded, it seems by all reports. It’s the crowded times that touring plans come into more importance.

I also subscribe to the Disney Food Blog mailing list. Much of the information that I learned over the past year is from the copious amounts of emails and YouTube videos that I received from that team. The DFB 2019 Guide to Food and Beverage is incredibly thorough and allowed me to make important decisions. I also purchased the 2019 DFB Guide to the Food and Wine Festival. Basically, we will be taking AJ Wolfe and team’s recommendation to use our snack credits from the Disney Dining Plan at food booths of the festival. There are so many choices. Let their guide help you make the necessary decisions about food and beverages.

Do I think the Disney Dining Plan is worth it? For me, it is worth the peace of mind. I like knowing that most of my meals are paid for in advance. Anything I can do to enjoy the moment is appreciated. Also, I like being able to pick whatever I want on a menu and not be concerned with price. Will I save money? I really doubt it. I figure the cost of the meal plan will be close to what I would spend out of pocket. But I intend to track all of that just as a curiosity exercise.

Another resource are YouTube videos. The DIS team have given me countless hours of insight, information, and excitement about my upcoming trip. Since I’ve been watching them over a year now on a weekly basis, I feel like they are my friends even though we have never met. DISunplugged is my church, if you will. The DFB team makes a plethora of videos multiple times a week and I watch them religiously too. You never know what tidbit I might pick up from a trip report like this one on the forums. One thing that any expert on Disney can agree on is that it is an ever-evolving destination. You might have fallen in love with a restaurant on your last visit. Well guess what, the executive chef has been changed out now and it is just not up to the level you are used to. You used to be required to go to your resorts check in desk. Now, your room assignment will show up on MyDisneyExperience and you can unlock your door with your phone.

Podcasts are another great source of ideas. I love the duo Annie and Brady from “Never Growing Up”. It’s geared specifically to those of us who frequent the parks without children. They are speaking my language. I have known Sara Vance Varney for over 15 years. She and her fellow travel planners are great at giving tried and true tips on their weekly podcast “Disney Park Princess”. The duo at “Gays on the D” are also great at providing a different perspective.

I can not overstate how much insight I gain from reading trip reports. For this trip my resource was mainly trip reports found over at Disboards. If a trip report had a lot of detail, I probably got more out of it. I really don’t need a list of all the attractions you visited. I need opinion, insight, and tips. Thank you everyone at the Disney community for helping me out.

Part of the challenge for our visit is no one, I mean, no one can predict really what the line waiting will be like now that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is due to be open roughly for a month before our arrival. Disneyland really can’t be used as a template because it is a different type of park. It is more of a park for locals whereas WDW has a much larger vacation crowd. Disneyland blocked the annual passholders from entering Galaxy’s Edge at the beginning. WDW will not. I say it is anybody’s guess what the heck will happen even though folx can see hotel availability for October. Walt Disney World’s answer to help manage crowd levels is to introduce what are called extra, extra magic hours. These are hours that only guests staying onsite may experience. During our visit, Hollywood Studios will open at 6 am. Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom will be open at 7 am for their magic hours. It is only on our first day that any evening extra magic hours are offered.

Based on touring plans crowd level predictors, I came up with a game plan for what parks to visit for extra, extra magic hours, and regular operating hours. Once I knew where I would be, I figured out my dining based on my location. I came up with a list of which restaurants to patronize in each park. I simply plugged my choice into the day I am visiting that park.

I created a Google Doc which was our itinerary of the day and contained some notes for myself so I wouldn’t forget to do or see some key things at that time.

Instead of boring everyone with where I will be every minute of every day, I’ll give you all highlights of my days because no one is interested in all of that, except me.

Dining plans:
Be Our Guest, Sunshine Seasons, Docking Bay 7, Ronto Roasters, Oga’s Cantina, Geyser Point Bar & Grill, The Wave…of American Flavors, The Edison, Restaurant Marrakesh, California Grill, Satu’li Canteen, Boma, Kusafari Coffee and Bakery and the International Food and Wine Festival.

Fun plans:
Eat to the Beat Concerts, Savi’s Workshop, Happily Ever After, Epcot Forever, Monorail pub crawl, Frozen Ever After Sparkling Dessert Party, Sangria Hour at Jaleo, and Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular.

Memory Maker: I’m happy that I could add this on later as opposed to having to order it at the time of booking my package, like travel insurance. Looking forward to seeing the three of us in front of the big icons at each park.

The gift bag will include the complimentary Magic Band, a cooling towel in the same color as the Magic Band (this way we will know whose towel is whose) and a dining tray for Food and Wine Festival. The tray is like what we had as children at the school cafeteria. It is decorated with a sticker from the Disney Food Blog to announce that this is a Food and Wine Festival Official DFB Tray. DFB where “food IS a theme park”. I get a cooling towel and a tray too. I also made customized t-shirts for each of us for the main day we visit Food and Wine Festival. I made a graphic that is consistent for each and then have a fun saying that is individualized for each person. Oh! I just discovered a travel rain jacket in purple which is Keith’s color in the basement, so I’ll add that in.

FastPass+ selections were complete for Keith and I since we are the ones in Port Orleans French Quarter. Since Andy is a local Floridian with an annual pass I will try to make FastPass+ selections for him once the 30 day window opens up. Obviously, the times I was able to make today for Keith and I, Andy probably will not be able to get. My plan is to just get the same attractions and later try to modify, modify, and modify. Just pound that app. Hopefully we can sync it so we share the same window and can then experience the FastPass+ attractions together. My plan is to experience Toy Story Land on a Hollywood Studio day during extra, extra magic hour. The majority will head to Galaxy’s Edge so I shouldn’t have too long a wait for Toy Story Land attractions. Andy already said he is only interested in doing Peter Pan Flight. Other than that all that he does will be gravy. Since he has an annual pass and visits regularly The good news is I was able to get all of my FastPass+ choices today and the majority at the beginning of the day so I will be able to get additional FastPasses the day we tour. Only time will tell.

Basically, my plan is to sleep when I get back to Philadelphia from Orlando.
 
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DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
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My apologies for not getting back to this sooner. Because I waited so long to tell my story, it probably will end up being far more pictures than text. Sigh. I am so thankful that I was able to take this trip. This is how I wanted to experience Walt Disney World. What will it be like after the COVID-19 pandemic? We can only speculate. Back to my story.

After lunch Keith decided to head back to the resort. Princess Sharon and I decided to have an adult beverage at Nomad Lounge. The place was packed. We barely found the last two seats! I had the Snow Leopard Salvation cocktail which had Snow Leopard Vodka, Belle de Brillet Pear Liqueur, Mint, and Lime Juice topped with Ginger Beer while Sharon had the Leaping Lizard which contained Malibu Pineapple Rum and Leblon Cachaça with Orange, Passion Fruit, and Mango Juices. Both beverages were $15.00 each. We enjoyed our cocktails and got caught up on everything that was going on with us. It was nice to just take a breather from my day and reconnect with an old friend. We did not have a shortage of things to talk about. Once we were sucking up air instead of cocktails, I went on my way back to the Port Orleans French Quarter and Sharon continued her day of touring.

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DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
After our time relaxing back at the resort Keith and I took Disney bus transportation and made it to our 7:00 pm dinner reservation at Boma at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Boma is a buffet featuring dishes you might find in African countries. We are adventurous eaters so we were excited for that. However, if you aren’t as happy to discover the beef bobotie, there are plenty of options that would suit a more conventional palate. It is housed in the Jambo House of the Animal Kingdom Lodge and we got there early so we wandered around a bit beforehand taking in the glory that is the incredibly designed lobby. Since I now have food allergies, my choices were more limited than before. Our server gave me a little paper pamphlet which described what foods would be safe and what would be a no-no for me. One thing I did was make sure I had my desserts before I filled up with the rest of dinner. So my selections kind of went out of the usual order. I was happy that I did because I got to enjoy bread pudding and zebra domes before I filled my stomach. It was disappointing to discover that I got filled up so quickly. Our dinner was $49.00 each. Keith enjoyed a watermelon margarita at $14.00. Considering it was an all you can enjoy experience the value was excellent. It is a shame that in the era of corona virus buffets are a thing of the past.

Ambience 8
Food 7
Value/Price 9

Overall 8

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After dinner we made our way back to Port Orleans French Quarter and before you know it, we were off to dreamland.


Next: Squeezing every last drop out of my final day
 

DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
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Today is our final day, Monday, October 28, 2019. It reached 92°. I was heading to the Animal Kingdom with a crowd level of 2. I dressed in the t-shirt and cap that I had purchased earlier in the week, so I was enjoying my Disney gear. Keith has decided to take things at a leisurely pace and spend the day at the resort. He told me the highlight was a smattering of different types of beignets. Last day means finishing up the packing. I had started the night before. I took my baggage to baggage claim at the Port Orleans French Quarter. It only took a minute to take care of that.

Good news that everyone was happy and nice on the bus to Animal Kingdom first thing in the morning. Folks might be oblivious to those around them, but everyone is sweet, and no one is negative. I arrived at park opening and headed to Pandora where I took a bunch of pictures. It was only a five-minute wait for Navi River Journey and I just hopped into the line. I think the river journey sets the tone for Animal Kingdom. It is a place to take your time and explore. You aren’t rushing from thrill to thrill. I think that is the whole point of that boat ride. You are immersed in so much detail to discover. There were things I saw in this river ride that I had not seen on the one before. Upon leaving the attraction the wait time was up to 25 minutes. That’s kind of crazy, so score one for me! I know that some folks find it lackluster. What are your thoughts on the River Journey?

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DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
The cheapskate in me is coming through and I’m having a spinach and feta quiche over at Kusafari coffee shop and bakery and I’m not ordering anything to drink because right behind me is a water fountain around Port Authority. I’m just going to wash it down with tap water from the water fountain because I’m cheap like that. I made excellent use of a snack credit with the quiche costing $6.49. I found someone left a disposable tray for me. Since they don’t want it, I’ll take it. Gives me something to eat on. I’m sitting on a big planter right in front of the water fountains.

Today is a little bizarre. I’m so used to bringing in a bag into the park and today I am bag free. I just strolled into the park. There was no stopping. There was no standing.

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DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
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Overheard at the parks: “Oh, don’t mind him, he a narcissist, just like his father”. Classic!

Part of today’s mission is Leave No Snack Credit Behind. Since Keith did not go on the Food and Wine Festival tour the second day at Epcot, we have all the snack credits he would have used then to use before we head on home. After the quiche there are five snack credits left. I’m thinking Keith is going to use two at the resort. The quiche plus three more snack credits this morning means I’m going to be a very full person at the airport when I get there. How do you handle all of those snack credits?

I love how bathrooms are all over the place at Disney World. There is no shortage of bathrooms here. You aren’t going to run into any kind of accidents. Then, every twenty feet there’s a garbage can, which means that this place is so clean it is wonderful. I’m in the bathroom at one point in the Africa section and they are playing Beatles music but like with an African treatment to it.

I’m not sure if it was a good idea to go on Dinosaur where it’s bumpy and twisty. You are moving a lot with this ride. Going on that right after the breakfast might not have been my smartest choice. I’m saying give yourself time to digest. I didn’t experience any problems, but ooooh, I could have.

After Dinosaur it is time for the Kilimanjaro Safari and the animals were out in full force. I guess since it is still early in the day at 9:35 am that they felt it was cool enough to roam.

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DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
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It’s my last day and I am plagued with second thoughts with the “Shoulda, coulda, woulda syndrome”. I do my best to remember that I’m just gonna be happy with what I did. Let’s face facts. I crammed an awful lot into this trip. More than I even anticipated. Part of that is because crowd levels at this time were quite low. I would love to visit during Christmas/New Year but I know the crowds which drive me bananas.

One of my favorite memories is grabbing a Mickey Bar chocolate covered ice cream on a stick as I wander out of the park and trying to gobble it all up before it melts. What a great finish to a wonderful trip.

I took the Disney bus back to Port Orleans French Quarter where I found Keith reading in the lobby. I picked up my bag and ordered a Lyft to take us to the airport. We made our flight with hours to spare because security went like a breeze.


It was an amazing trip that went pretty much just as I wanted. It was incredibly jam packed with adventure and fun. I am so grateful for all that could take place because only four months later the world would start to change.

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DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Sad to say it most likely that I won’t be returning to Walt Disney World until a vaccine has been developed for COVID-19. I think that Walt Disney World is doing all they can to make me safe. I don’t trust the general public. There are absolutely no consequences for people on flights should they choose to ignore guidelines set forth by the airlines. The fact that I would be wearing a mask on my flight doesn’t help me if the row behind me and in front of me decide not to wear a mask. While I think it is unlikely that I might die of the virus, I am incredibly scared of the health consequences of having recovered from the virus.

Let’s flash forward to a year in which COVID-19 is not such a threat. What things I would like to experience on a future visit.

  • Rise of the Resistance and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway will be an absolute must.
  • A picture at the hub in the Magic Kingdom with the partner’s statue on the left, me in the center, and the castle on the right.
  • A Carl’s special at Rose and Crown (1/2 Harp, ½ Bass)
  • Wine Bar George – Frozcato topped with prosecco
  • I’m guessing by the time I go back Space 220 restaurant will be a go. I would love to experience that.
  • Spending more time just wandering around and taking pictures
  • Take a Behind the Scenes tour. I’ve already taken Keys to the Kingdom, so we’ll see what options are
  • Experience the Guardians of the Galaxy and Ratatouille and Tron attractions
  • Sunday Bruch at Homecomin’
What do you recommend for when this pandemic is in our rearview mirror?

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DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Love the Mickey hat and the Mickey bar looks delicious!
Really enjoyed following along and thanks for sharing your trip!

Thank you for the compliment. Mickey bars are always delicious. They now sell them at my local supermarket, but they just aren't the same. For one thing, they are smaller. I intended on having a citrus swirl on this trip but never got around to it. Oh well, there is always next time. Although since this is in the time of love and corona, I've decided my next vacation will be somewhere around the globe. Maybe Coasta Rica, maybe London, maybe Sicily, Maybe Patagonia. We shall see.
 

DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Addendum:

I did a little exercise to see how I made out with the Disney Dining Plan financially. Based on my calculations, if I had been paying out of pocket for the food and beverage that I used my dining credits for I would have spent $493.46. Keith would have spent even greater. The dining plan cost me $450. I did it to ensure that I had a built in savings for food and beverage, the fact that I saved a bit of money is just icing on the cake. We did it Mickey!


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MinnieM123

Premium Member
So glad you finished your TR, which I just happened to notice the other day (after you had paused it, back in February).

Lots of smiles and happy experiences (and some good food, too!) for all, during your vacation. It's so pleasant to read about past TRs, with all that's going on the world now. It's like a nice little escape from everything to read these upbeat TRs from our fellow forum members.

Thank you for sharing. ❤
 

DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So glad you finished your TR, which I just happened to notice the other day (after you had paused it, back in February).

Lots of smiles and happy experiences (and some good food, too!) for all, during your vacation. It's so pleasant to read about past TRs, with all that's going on the world now. It's like a nice little escape from everything to read these upbeat TRs from our fellow forum members.

Thank you for sharing. ❤

I feel exactly the same way. I've been reading trip reports to escape from this reality. The first couple of months of lockdown I was doing swimmingly, but the uncertainty of the future has been getting to me. Hope you grab a little joy here and there. Thanks for hanging in there.
 

pcrum

New Member
I love this trip report. I am local to Orlando and a Passholder, but you gave me so many ideas of foods to try! Looks like you had a great time and I am so glad you got to experience the trip prior to COVID-19! Also love your Food and Wine t-shirts!!

Do you have any other trip reports to read? I love your writing style.
 
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DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thank you for sharing your trip. It was a joy to read. I love how happy and animated you look in all of your pictures :D.

I am so glad that you enjoyed the trip report. It helps to be in your happy place to have happy pictures. I just ran a couple of errands and Keith asked me how did it go and off I went on a tirade.
 

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