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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MinnieM123

Premium Member
I will always have a fondness for the Haunted Mansion because of the indelible memory of thoroughly enjoying this attraction at the age of eight. It was wonderful not being scared then and it is a marvel of old school Imagineering today.

Amen. It is a classic masterpiece.

We did learn an important lesson. We thought all we had to do after the rides Splash Mountain and Haunted Mansion was tap our Magic Bands to any button at the wall with all of the pictures displayed. Wrong!!! The picture is connected with a line to a particular button on the wall. Consequently, we ended up with some other folx in our PhotoPass collection for these two rides. Ugh! Learn from our mistakes. Tap your Magic Band to the correct button. I thought Disney had screwed up, no, we did.

This made me smile. I've never done PhotoPass, but this is the first time I heard about this sort of nuance in relation to it. Sounds like something I'd probably do! ;)

I miss the days when the mugs were resort specific. Also, I prefer them like a tumbler without the handle but those were not available.

Resort specific mugs went the way of the dodo bird, unfortunately. I know many who enjoyed them and had a souvenir collection at home. As for the handles, from what I've read, many people wanted those -- so they went back to them.

Building 1 is the furthest out from the main building and the pool. I’ve had a very quiet stay with no one disturbing us the whole week. Paying for a garden view was important for me. A view of the parking lot would have taken me out of the Disney magic just a bit. Even though it was the furthest out building on the top floor, it only took five minutes to get from our room to the bus stop.

ANY day, I'd pick a quiet location -- and with a view!! :) (nice pictures, by the way)
 

DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Resort specific mugs went the way of the dodo bird, unfortunately. I know many who enjoyed them and had a souvenir collection at home. As for the handles, from what I've read, many people wanted those -- so they went back to them.

ANY day, I'd pick a quiet location -- and with a view!! :) (nice pictures, by the way)

Is it any surprise that I want the merchandise that isn't as popular? I really miss the days when the resort specific merchandise was more plentiful. They had it at Jackson Square, but it was limited. I definitely considered myself one of those collectors of mugs. Thank you for the compliment on the resort photos. Most of the time I would take the steps up to the 3rd floor to get to my room. But there were a couple of rare occasions when I would take the elevator. On those rare occasions I would pass by the rooms with a standard view and I realized how much really like having the garden view. Even though I spent not much time at all at French Quarter, it made a difference for me.
 

DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
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After our rest in our room it was time to take advantage of our only evening extra, extra magic hours of our trip. For the uninformed, on select days those guests staying on Walt Disney World property gain access to certain parks beyond normal operating hours. For our trip, they anticipated larger than normal crowds due to the opening of Galaxy’s Edge and provided more extra magic hours than before and called them extra, extra magic hours. Today was the only time they offered them in any park in the evening during our stay. It was time to head to Epcot to take advantage of the evening extra, extra magic hours.


It is the Wonderful World of Walls at Epcot and it’s kind of crazy how much is blocked off in Future World. All of the old monoliths are gone. It’s kind of not pretty here at Epcot. They have started the process to convert Future World into a set of new worlds, namely World Discovery, World Celebration, World Nature. World Showcase will essentially remain intact. When finished this will be an extensive transformation of a Disney park

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We started with Spaceship Earth with only a five-minute walk on at the standby line. That’s awesome. I love the smell of Rome burning at this classic Epcot attraction. It’s going to be a few years before I return to Walt Disney World, so this was my last shot at seeing this version of Epcot. They plan to re-do the inside attraction to focus on “storytelling”. The outside exterior will remain the same, but inside it will be much different.


But we’re off to have dinner at Sunshine Seasons inside the Land Pavilion. Thinking of my buddy, Onat, because he is super into seasons. His wedding was even themed around seasons. The one nice thing about Sunshine Seasons is that there are a lot of choices from sandwiches to pizzas to a grill to Asian food. You name it and they have got it. It’s like the food court at your local mall. But that’s what you get here. We had what was like the Asian food I get at my local food court at a mall. Sunshine Seasons was clean, orderly, not busy. It’s fine but nothing to write home about.

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Keith had the Mongolian Beef at $13.49 with the Schofferhoffer Grapefruit Hefeweizer, $9.50. Keith says it tasted like grapefruit juice with a little something extra. I had the Sweet and Sour Chicken with Jasmine Rice, $11.59. My drink was an Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Hard Cider at $8.50. Most of my meals I don’t have alcohol. But we had paid for the Dining Plan that included the alcoholic beverages. We were all about taking advantage to get our money’s worth.


Sunshine Seasons

Ambience 6

Food 5

Price/Value 5

Overall: 5

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Next: Taking advantage of Extra, Extra Magic Hours
 

MinnieM123

Premium Member
We started with Spaceship Earth with only a five-minute walk on at the standby line. That’s awesome. I love the smell of Rome burning at this classic Epcot attraction. It’s going to be a few years before I return to Walt Disney World, so this was my last shot at seeing this version of Epcot. They plan to re-do the inside attraction to focus on “storytelling”. The outside exterior will remain the same, but inside it will be much different.

This! First of all, we all love the "Rome burning" smell ! :D I don't know what it is about that scene, but man, it's gotten a lot of mileage in the forums down through the years. :happy:

As for the update to the current version inside SSE, I'm concerned about that. Just not sure what they'll do. I've always loved SSE (some updates were better than others, of course), but this upcoming one sounds like something major.
 

DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
This! First of all, we all love the "Rome burning" smell ! :D I don't know what it is about that scene, but man, it's gotten a lot of mileage in the forums down through the years. :happy:

As for the update to the current version inside SSE, I'm concerned about that. Just not sure what they'll do. I've always loved SSE (some updates were better than others, of course), but this upcoming one sounds like something major.

They are only supposed to keep about 3 scenes and totally re-do the rest. It's supposed to be a major overhaul and take over a year to complete. I don't quite remember when it will start. I suspect it will begin with the new year. We'll see.
 

DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
All I could think about as we approached “Living on the Land” was ‘Get me as far away from that screaming child’. Luckily, as I’ve said before the children around the park were great and were not an issue. I liked the attraction because it gave me the time to relax, take it easy. It was nice and cool in the evening. I have never seen it before at night, only during the day. It almost seemed like a different attraction to me seeing it in the nighttime. Usually, the sun is streaming in through the glass panes of the pavilion. But just when I thought I was successful with avoiding the screaming child, right behind me one starts to have a melt down at the end. I thought, “those poor parents”. No one wants to have that happen. But Keith and I ran away as fast as we could as far as we could. That one and the one we had on the airplane, I’m done with the under-five set, thank you.

Keith says, “It’s not time for a face lift, yet”…for either of us. Mission: Space made us feel like we were having a face lift. I’m telling you. But we follow directions well and kept our heads back into the headrest. We were on the orange side which spins you around more dramatically. The key to this is you have to play it up. You need to yell out things to your fellow passengers to help the simulation along. Remember, it is a big game that you are playing. If you all are silent during the whole time it just isn’t as fun. “Hit those boosters!”

It’s extra, extra magic hours and everything is basically a walk on. We walked on the Nemo and friends over at the Seas pavilion and rode our clam mobile. We spent a good amount of time exploring the aquarium. It is split up into different sections, so it is a little more digestible and I appreciate that. We saved Turtle Talk for a time when more children would be around. My thought was that it would be more fun for Crush to interact with a good amount of youngin’s.

At the beginning of our day, we were at Tomorrowland and we visited Mickey’s Star Traders. Keith liked going into various merchandise shops throughout the Disney World, but rarely made a purchase. I wasn’t half as keen to enter a shop but ended up purchasing more products than he did. Go figure. So we are in Mickey’s Star Traders and I spot a Loungefly bag that I spotted online before our trip. One thing that I did learn in my research is if you want something, you better get it because you might not have the opportunity to get it again. But there will always be an opportunity to return an item. I don’t know what it is about bags, but I was all about bags on this trip. At least in my mind I was. Then I really had a hankering for all of the Loungefly bags. All is not an exaggeration. They just make great backpacks and I wanted them all. I especially liked a Haunted Mansion one, a R2D2 one, another droid one, a Stitch one, you get the picture. But at Mickey Star Traders I saw a castle one. It was stylized so it could be any of the castles but since I was in Walt Disney World, I’m going to say it is Cinderella’s castle. I learned my lesson and decided to purchase it right then in there. Since I was staying on property I had them ship it back to my resort and I would pick it up the next day.

I also learned a little trick in my research which saved me some money. While at home, I got from Target a red card which I linked to my everyday debit card. Then, once I had the red card, I purchased a number of Disney gift cards. Using the Target red card gave me 5% off of the price of the gift card. Sales tax in FL was 6%. I looked at it as if I had made purchases with no tax. It’s a few dollars but every penny helps, especially at Walt Disney World. Guess what I used to purchase my new Loungefly Castle Backpack? It’s smaller than I would prefer. But it won’t be my everyday bag, so that’s just fine.

Imagination was closed. All that was left for us in Future World was Test Track and I had a FastPass+ to use later in the week so there was no reason to wait in a line. I guess we could have done single rider. But it is now 10 pm and I have had about 3 hours sleep. I just never, ever, get much sleep before departing for Disney World. I’m way too excited and can not get a decent night’s sleep. I fell asleep ok, but I woke up after three hours and my mind just would not rest. Back to POFQ via a Disney bus we go.

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NEXT: Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, do we make it for rope drop at 6 am?
 

DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
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What is with the folks at Disney and the colons. They are just not good at naming things lately. Have you seen on Disney+ the new High School Musical: The Musical: The series. I mean, really, the redundancy, repetitiveness, neoplasm. Which reminds me that I saw two of the leads of that show at a music festival in Central Park, Elsie Fest. They were ok. Nothing to write home about. Anyway, back to our story.

We were at the French Quarter bus stop and the bus picked us up at 5:20 am. I had gotten about 3 hours sleep because once again my brain was in overdrive and would not shut down. Ugh! So frustrating! By the time I realized a sleep aid would help, it was too late. I would not be able to enjoy a Disney park feeling like I am under water and just want to desperately lie down. Yes, you heard me right, 5:20 am. What am I doing getting up at this hour? I actually was up and getting ready a half hour before. Keith and I had a routine. I would shower and iron my clothes before hitting the sack and he would shower in the morning. While he was showering, I fixed him a cup of coffee supplied by the room. The bus driver was nice and friendly. I don’t expect super cheerfulness at that hour, but it was if he had been driving for two hours already. He greeted us with a smile and then he did an amazing thing. He kept the lights off. He knew that I’m not fully awake yet. It’s early, early, early times at Disney Hollywood Studios. It was one of those new buses. A new bus smell is like a new car smell, apparently.

We arrived at Disney Hollywood Studios. I made it through bag check. I made it through a first check of my magic band to ensure I qualify to enter for extra, extra magic hours. It’s not terribly crowded at all at Hollywood Studios. It’s about 5:40 am. We’re just waiting to get into Hollywood Studios. We have a second check of my magic band and it is off to Galaxy’s Edge. The vast majority of the crowd veers off to the left to head in that direction and a few people veer right to go to Toy Story Land. Every few paces there are groups of cast members guiding our way and greeting us with smiles. Before you know it we are on the planet of Batuu. Soon after entering we were greeted by storm troopers above us patrolling the environment. It is very dark and it is hard to see all of what the planet has to offer. We all wind our way through a queue to enter Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run. Basically, since we were with the first 200 that gained entry into the park it is a walk on. The queue just winds its way through the line established for the attraction. Before you know it, we are given our assignments for being the crew of the Millenium Falcon. We had no time at all to stop at the little area where the original cast would play a version of chess. It was all move, move, move. No time for pictures. Keith and I were assigned the roles of engineers. I was fine with that for my first journey on the Falcon. I would say it was great fun on the attraction. It was a hybrid of Star Tours and Mission Space. I really enjoy both of those, so it works for me. Once again, you have to play along with the experience. The pilots were hearing me shout “Punch it!” Or the gunners would hear me exclaim, “Shoot them down! Now! Do it! Do it”. You need to have fun with the experience. I had a great time. Keith really liked it.

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DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
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It's best not to start an argument with me
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By the time we were finished with our first attraction, it still was not daylight. We hadn’t eaten, but we were so excited we didn't notice. We wandered around a bit exploring Batuu and then it was off to Toy Story Land.

After breakfast I think we explored every nook and cranny of Batuu and took a number of pictures. Next on our agenda was the fairly new Toy Story Land which neither of us had enjoyed. The theming was bright and colorful. There was so much detail. I’m going back to my childhood with the tinker toys and the barrel full of monkeys, the cootie, and everything. Oh, my goodness, it’s crazy! At Swirling Saucers, a little boy was having the time of his life. He was loving it. He had a huge smile on his face the whole time. As soon as it ended, crying. Crying, crying, crying. I don’t know why he was crying. But I was going to go over and say hi he was laughing so much, but I left the scene to his family. I’m not dealing with the crying baby. Nope. Not mine. Slinky Dog Dash was a lot of fun. It was scarier than I imagined. I don’t know how kids could be on that thing. That was kind of scary. That had a lot of ups and downs. Toy Story Mania was fun. I liked the 3D. I really enjoyed actually being able to tell the consequences of your actions. My accuracy was much higher than Keith’s, but he had a higher score, almost doubled mine. I would anticipate that. In our non-Disney lives he is far more active on video games than I am. I hardly ever play at all.
 
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DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
It was time for a breakfast Ronto Wrap. We each had one of those and paid out of pocket since our meal plan, we were saving for all our other meals. My breakfast Ronto wrap was really tasty. I enjoyed it a lot, especially the sauce they used. A Ronto Morning Wrap consists of scrambled eggs, grilled pork sausage, shredded cheese, and peppercorn sauce wrapped in a pita. It cost $12.49. To save money I had a $4.25 bottled water. In order to reduce the number of things I would lug around; I left my water bottle at the room. Keith had the same breakfast sandwich but had some caffeine.

NEXT: Thrills beyond Batuu
 

MinnieM123

Premium Member
My breakfast Ronto wrap was really tasty. I enjoyed it a lot, especially the sauce they used. A Ronto Morning Wrap consists of scrambled eggs, grilled pork sausage, shredded cheese, and peppercorn sauce wrapped in a pita.

Holy cow, that sounds delicious!! :hungry: (I'm not sure if I could eat that for breakfast, but for lunch or dinner -- YUM!!)
 

DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Holy cow, that sounds delicious!! :hungry: (I'm not sure if I could eat that for breakfast, but for lunch or dinner -- YUM!!)

Well, after breakfast they serve the Ronto Roaster: The wrap is filled with roasted pork, grilled pork sausage, peppercorn sauce, and a tangy slaw. Like the breakfast wrap, it’s all wrapped up in a pita. It seems to be they just substitute the scrambled eggs with a tangy slaw and substract the cheese. Since I've been there they have introduced a chicken sandwich which seems pretty Greek to me. It has a cucumber relish with the grilled chicken and an herb feta garlic sauce. That sounds refreshing.
 

DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Ronto Roasters

Ambience: 9
Food: 9
Price/Value: 8
Overall: 8.5

They were completely out of the rebel jacket that I wanted on Batuu. They didn’t have my size. They didn’t have it anywhere else in Walt Disney World. They didn’t have it online. They simply didn’t have it. How disappointing. Boo! The interaction with characters at Batuu is really great. 2 storm troopers just came up to a young man and asked him what he was doing with his data pad (his cell phone). The guest was in such shock, he could not answer at all. Totally hysterical. The storm troopers continue with ‘We have eyes all around. We are watching you.’ Another time, a character from the Star Wars universe, was being escorted out by storm troopers. Then Rey was lurking about and hiding from storm troopers. Storm troopers were up above and on the look out. They are constantly on patrol here. I almost ran into a patrol. Literally ran into, well, walked into the patrol. Yeah, it’s really crazy here. Keith believes Galaxy’s Edge is so good that it deserves to be not just its own land, but a whole park dedicated to Star Wars. I do not disagree at all. I think Batuu is great, even if you have never seen a Star Wars movie. Because you don’t have to have a frame of reference at all. I think you’d actually be happier if you had no frame of reference. The character interaction makes it far more enjoyable. I hope they don’t try to save money and eliminate all of that.

We decide to leave Batuu and have some thrills with the rest of the Hollywood Studios.

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Keith about to have the breakfast that the droid behind him is preparing at Ronto Roasters

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DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
From there we went on to enjoy the traditional Disney Hollywood Studios attractions. The Muppets I will always love and wonder why they have been getting such short shrift in recent years. With each passing year, I believe I become more and more like Stadler and Waldorf. It’s just a matter of time. I think the sense of humor is just timeless. Tower of Terror is one of my top five attractions at Walt Disney World. I’m so happy that we were seated in the first row because I needed to grab onto that bar in front of me. How can someone ride that drop and not have something to cling onto? Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster proved to be the longest wait we had the entire week. We waited all of 15 minutes. It is true I have been spoiled. I don’t know what to do when I go back with line waits being so short. I recall being disappointed the last time I saw Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. When Keith pleaded that we don’t revisit it that sealed its fate. I think it is just dated. Movie making has moved on and has that show changed in 30 years? I’m guessing not. I was totally surprised by Star Tours being totally focused on the new trilogy of Star Wars films. We saw a lot of the new characters. I love any use of motion simulators, so this ride was right up my alley. I had never seen Voyage of the Little Mermaid. It might have been one of my last FastPass+ selections that I made. At the end of booking FastPass+, for whatever reason, I was getting quite anxious about finishing up my choices in a timely manner and I panicked and went with this choice. I didn’t hate it. For adults, it will have some nostalgia value. I love the Menken and Ashman score. Considering this stage show featured the three big hits from the movie, I enjoyed that part. For Little Mermaid super fans, I’m sure they will be happy. For me, I would prefer just watching the original film instead of this abridged show.

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DouglasE

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Original Poster
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We had an appointment back on Batuu. Keith wanted to try the signature drink of Galaxy’s Edge and got the Blue Milk. But he got the blue milk with alcohol. Because its Keith. He says, and I agree, it is like a piña colada slushy. That’s kind of what it is like. The main ingredient is rum for the blue milk. The green milk has tequila. You can only get the ones with alcohol at Walt Disney World. At Disneyland they do not have an alcoholic option. It’s basically a boozy tropical kind of concoction. It just looks blue. We don’t know what the blue is. It’s like it is a state secret. The cast members won’t tell you how it is made. We were exploring all that Batuu had to offer, that is for sure.

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DouglasE

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Original Poster
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At noon we had an appointment for Keith to create and purchase his very own light saber. For every customer, they can bring one guest. Prior to entering the metal scrap yard, you are given a choice to review four different themes of light sabers. Keith chose “power and protection”. The whole process is very ceremonial. We are guided through the process by individuals called gatherers. The lead gatherer did her job wonderfully. It was perfectly timed by stirring music and they do a great job at making you excited about creating your own light saber. The one downside is that light sabers are proscribed weapons and you can not have yours visible as you walk around Batuu. You are given a case/sack in which to carry it around. The lightsaber itself is hefty and made of metal, not cheap plastic. You basically choose four different parts to put together to create a unique lightsaber. The light effect is very cool and it glows a specific color that you have chosen. Each color represents a particular attribute. Don’t ask me to repeat what they all mean because frankly I can not recall. I can only tell you that Keith chose a purple one. The only downside of the whole experience is the cost. I, personally, am not willing to fork out $200 for an item that basically will be on display.

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DouglasE

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Original Poster
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Our lunch was at Docking Bay 7 and Cargo. I used mobile ordering for my quick service meal and had the same reaction that others have. Thank goodness more people aren’t using mobile ordering! By the time I entered the eatery, my meal was ready. I just walked up to the counter and they had it ready. For some reason, Keith opted to go the traditional route. It was close to 3 o’clock so probably less of a crowd, so it wasn’t that long of a wait. But if a restaurant is doing mobile ordering it is a must do. The place is incredibly well themed. We are surrounded by cargo containers, pods, exposed ducts and pipes, we have been transported to a food depot for sure. I had plenty of time to take in my surroundings while I waited for Keith to find me at the table. I was sitting adjacent to the registers and opposite a cargo container acting as seating, so it was easy to find me. I had the smoked Kaadu (Pork ribs), a blueberry corn muffin, and cabbage slaw. I just wasn’t up to alcohol at the moment, given what our upcoming plans were. I just had some water. It’s been a month now and I can not recall what Keith ordered. At the time of our visit was a big bru-ha-ha about how to list food items on the menu. We were at the stage where it depended on whether you ordered via mobile ordering or in person what you saw. I got the original listing of smoked Kaadu. I really had no idea that it was pork ribs. I figured it out as I was eating them. As of today, I believe they have created this hybrid listing of part English, part Aurebesh. I liked the Aurebesh, but I don’t like the lines that most folks would create trying to figure out what to order without English information. Then, can you imagine what it would be for the foreign visitors to Walt Disney World? This meal was incredibly tasty. I was so pleased with it. I am not a fan of blueberries, but the muffin was delicious! I was super happy with my choice. Keith really enjoyed his lunch too. Such a wonderful meal. My lunch was $16.99 for the food and $4.25 for the water, a total of $22.50. The staff was friendly. I enjoy a smile. I could understand everything that they said. At home, a fast food place usually means frequent mumbling.

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Docking Bay 7 and Cargo

Ambience: 9
Food: 8
Price/Value: 8

Overall: 8.5

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Popsicle Wall

Somewhere along the way we stopped into some shops and I decided to purchase a baseball cap and a t-shirt. The t-shirt was a classic image of mickey on a blue background and the hat was very classic in navy and grey. It featured Mickey through the years. They were rather pricey but in Walt Disney World, you rather expect that. The total came to $58. I picked it up at Once Upon A Time. It is an art deco themed shop inside what looks to be an old movie theater on Sunset Boulevard.

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I wanted to see what the Brown Derby Lounge was like. I have been to the Brown Derby restaurant, but I just wanted another cocktail. But the cocktails at Oga’s are arguably the most expensive on property and are pre-mixed. Our server was Danielle C and she was everything you would want in a server. I wish we could have stayed for a couple of hours because of her. I can’t nail down what exactly she did that was so great. I guess I would sum it with professionalism with friendliness. I greatly enjoyed the Grapefruit Cake Martini - Deep Eddy Ruby Red Grapefruit Vodka, Stoli Vanil Vodka, and a splash of Cream with a Graham Cracker Rim. Keith loved his Absinthe Minded cocktail which had Hendrick’s Gin, Lillet Blanc, Grand Marnier and freshly squeezed Lemon Juice, with a swirl of Absinthe. Both drinks were priced at $14. I feel like we were in a rush. The ambience of the umbrellas over the tables, the great service and the yummy cocktails was perfect. I will be back just like Arnold Schwarzenegger. We made our apologies and made a dash over to Batuu for our Oga’s Cantina reservation.

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Upset that I went through my cocktail at the Brown Derby Lounge so quickly
 
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DouglasE

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
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The numbing effect is from the foam of the Fuzzy TaunTaun; any numbing effect in the Jet Juice is from alcohol ;)

We went to Oga’s Cantina where it was a blast. While in line to enter, they give you a menu to peruse. Let’s face it, you don’t want to waste time on decision making when they limit your stay to 45 minutes. I didn’t need a menu. I knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted the Fuzzy Tauntaun with Cîroc Peach Vodka, Bols Peach Schnapps, and Simply Orange® topped with tangerine and pure cane sugar… oh, and some “Buzzz” Foam. This is delicious with plenty of peachyness. The foam is made from a szechuan flower said to contain a natural painkiller. It’s a super weird sensation, but it’s very fun. Note that most of the “buzz” properties reside in the foam, you’ll still get a bit of a tingle from the drink itself. Yes, my mouth was all tingly and numb from this treat. A cast member guides you to where you will stay at Oga’s. Thankfully, we were placed right where I wanted to be right at the bar. All of the drinks are pre-made. It does not have a full bar. So, there are no bottles of any kind. Keith enjoyed the Jet Juice. It has Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur and Cedilla Açaí Liqueur is mixed with white grape juice and lemon juice for $14. It is served as a large shot and lives up to its name being the strongest drink at Oga’s. He saw someone else enjoying a different beverage and ended up with a second beverage. Now he wants to look up the recipes of the beverages and recreate them at home. DJ Rex was super fun. We enjoyed the music that was being played. At one point the power goes down, the lights flicker, DJ Rex powered down. The bartenders take some wrenches and bangs on the equipment to get it started again and has the crowd shout some phrase to get things going again. It just was great fun. The bartender was kind of crusty at first but as he warmed up to us it got a lot better. He was playing a role and we enjoyed it. The cantina is super well themed. Thank goodness our plans only accommodated for a 45-minute visit or less. We really enjoyed ourselves. I would say this tied with the Brown Derby Lounge as my favorite during my stay at Walt Disney World.

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