Trip Report The Good, The Bad, and The Ian -- Now, With Bonus February FARTS Trip

My next trip is officially on the calendar!

WHO: The usual trio of me, my mom, and my friend A
WHEN: 9/30-10/7
WHERE: Timeshare TBD

Our flights are booked and it was a surprisingly easy process for us compared to other trips. A found a great deal with Frontier and we jumped on it. We are flying down on 9/30 out of Trenton, NJ at 7:35am and flying back to PHL on 10/7 at 11pm. This will be the first time we are leaving from Trenton so that should be an experience. Trenton is such a tiny airport that we are hoping the check in process is much smoother than PHL. It is just about the same drive time to Trenton as PHL so it isn't inconvenient at all.

Right now, here are our park reservations:

9/30: AK
10/1: Epcot for it's 40th Anniversary!
10/2: HS
10/3: MK
10/4: AK

Since we are not staying in the parks, we are only allowed to book 5 days of park reservations at a time. We have to decide if we want to book a cheap(er) Disney Springs hotel for two nights to get the last three days of park reservations that we need or if we want to risk it and try booking the last days after we tap into the park on the first three days.

We are hoping that there will be some kind of special event or something for Epcot's 40th. I know that it will be super crowded that day since it is a Saturday but if we are going to be there for the 40th we would be foolish not to go to Epcot.

We are also hoping that Fantasmic will be back for our trip. A and I are also hoping to get super lucky and they will have AP previews for Tron while we are there. We were there when they did GOTG previews but weren't able to snag one. Maybe luck will be on our side this time

A promises that this will be a more laid back and relaxing trip. I hope that is the case.

I will update this more as we make ADRs and other plans.

 

[Katiekitten]

Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!

 

[BwlrBry212]

DAY 2 -- OCTOBER 2

Today was our first park day and we were headed to HS.

We got there a little after park opening and the wait times for all of the headliner attractions were pretty high already. We decided to hop in line for MMRR because it was only a 40 minute wait. We ended up only waiting about 25 minutes so we were off to a good start and my theory of made up wait times still held true.

Posted wait times were not getting any better so A and I went over to Star Tours which only had a 15 minute wait but we basically walked on partly because they needed a party of 2 when we got close to the front. The CM that led us on to the vehicle was great and had a lot of Star Wars jokes and impressions. I was sitting on the end right next to the door and he made sure I didn't lose a hand, but reassured me that if I did, I would be able to call myself a Skywalker.

We were on a shuttle with a couple who were dressed as Han Solo and Rey and Had turned out to be the Rebel Spy much to the delight of our tour.

We tried to meet back up with my mom who grabbed a drink and a table outside of Backlot Express to wait for us but we were cut off by a cavalcade.

After the rest of our Pixar pals passed by we were reunited and were going to head over to Muppets 3D because that also had no wait. But, we were tempted by a much better proposition and decided to rope drop Baseline instead. Aren't you proud of us, @riverside ? We all grabbed beers and pretzels and enjoyed our breakfast of champions.

We finished up at Baseline and continued on to Muppets. The Muppets are timeless and I know I always say it but this could use an update like Phillharmagic got. Also, it really bugs A that at the end Sweetums is inside the theater and is shown "outside" the theater in the video at the same time.

We had an ADR at Oga's coming up in a little more than an hour and we didn't want to risk getting in any of the lines with long times posted so we make our way over to watch the next showing of the Frozen sing-a-long because we knew that we would be done with that in time. I still always enjoy this show because the historians are always throwing in new and timely jokes alongside the standards.

Covered in a fresh dusting of snoap, we travelled off world to Batuu for our date with Oga.

We were crammed around a high top table with another party but it wasn't as cramped as we have been there in the past. Our server was great and in character. We got a couple drink, listened to some tuned spun by DJ Rex, and moved on with our day with our pockets many credits lighter.

Drinking and driving is only frowned upon on Earth so A and I got in the single rider line at Smuggler's Run. The wait time was over an hour and we literally walked right on. I was paired up with a nice British family who was very into the experience and I did my best to keep the ship in ship shape as the engineer. We collected two canisters of Coaxium and got back in relatively close to one piece.

The pretzel from earlier had worn off at this point and we were all getting hungry so we make the decision to leave HS and hop over to Epcot for some food booth appetizers before our ADR at Space 220 that night.

 

[riverside]

But, we were tempted by a much better proposition and decided to rope drop Baseline instead. Aren't you proud of us, @riverside ?

You know it!! Much better choice than the Muppets!!

 

[BwlrBry212]

DAY 2 CONTINUED -- OCTOBER 2

As you can see, the crowds at the front of the park were light and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We started off riding Spaceship Earth because it was a walk on. The sign for the Standby Entrance was covered up and the entrance was over on the other side of the LL. Afterwards, we made our way over to The Land for more walk on rides. Living with the Land and Soarin' were both empty and we were in and out of there in no time at all.

Next up on our agenda was a little bit of food before our dinner later that night. We decided on the new Fry Basket booth.

Fry Flight (L-R):

• Sea Salt and Malt Vinegar Fries (Plant-based) -- never really was a fan of vinegar on my fries but these were good. I think the vinegar was powdered and mixed with the salt.
• Barbecued Bacon Fries with smoked aïoli -- these tasted like BBQ potato chips. The bacon all fell to the bottom of the cup and the aioli was only on the top few fries.
• Sweet Potato Casserole Fries with candied pecans, toasted marshmallow cream, and caramel whisky -- I don't typically like sweet potato but these were very tasty. They reminded me of the cinnamon sugar pretzel from Auntie Anne's. Again, the pecans all fell to the bottom of the cup.

After our snack, my mom was not up for a lap around WS so she headed over to The Seas while A and I journeyed towards Canada.

We both grabbed a beer at the Canada booth. It was nothing special but it got the job done. Cold and refreshing. We continued around at a slow pace just taking everything in. We debated getting something at the France booth but the line was long and they only had one cashier working. This would be a common theme here for most of the week. As we approached America, we caught some of Sheila E rocking out. For a woman in her 60s, she still has a ton of energy on that stage. I wish we would have been able to catch the whole show. We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived in Mexico that there was a very short line for the margarita stand so we indulged. I got the Fiesta margarita which is all three flavors (lime, strawberry, and mango) layered together. A got the special 40th Anniversary margarita which was the Fiesta margarita in a smaller souvenir cup with a blue agave drizzle for more money.

At this point, it was time to meet back up with my mom for our Space 220 dinner.

We were seated on the upper level and looked over the menu.

To start, I had The Big Tang -- Avion Silver, Grand Marnier, Tang-Infused Agave Nectar, Grapefruit, Strawberry, Served with Astronaut Ice Cream. It was fruity and well balanced.

For my appetizer, I went with the Starry Calamari -- Fried Calamari, Italian Cherry Peppers, Spicy Marinara, Roasted Pepper Citrus Aioli. I have had this here before but this time the calamari was not cooked as well as it was before. These were a little bit chewy. They do give you a ton of calamari though and I only ate about half of them to save room for my main course and dessert. A also got the calamari and my mom got the burrata salad which she loved in the past and this was no exception.

For my main course, I chose the Slow Rotation Short Rib -- Braised Short Rib, Cheddar Grits, Bacon, Haricot Vert. The short rib was cooked perfectly. It fell apart with just my fork. The grits were creamy and cheesy and paired well with the short rib. The bacon on top tasted like it may have been candied because it added a touch of sweetness and smokiness to the dish. I am not a fan of green beans so I did not eat those. And, no @Tuvalu I did not ask for a to go cup for them either. A had the duck which he was a little disappointed by because it was overcooked and my mom had the snapper which she liked but said it was a little bland on its own.

Dessert was the Chocolate Cheesecake -- Whipped Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate Sauce, White Chocolate Crunchy Pearls, Cookie Crumbs, Dark Chocolate Shards. This was great for chocolate lovers and had a variety of different textures to keep it from being one note. A also had this and my mom had the matcha strawberry shortcake.

After stuffing ourselves in space, we had to face reality and come back down to Earth and put an end to our first night in the parks.

 

[DisneyfanMA]

Glad you still made your trip and were able to alter it and have fun regardless of a ***** situation.

 

[Twinglemom]

Fun TR following along.

 

[fractal]

DAY 2 CONTINUED -- OCTOBER 2

View attachment 672135

As you can see, the crowds at the front of the park were light and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We started off riding Spaceship Earth because it was a walk on. The sign for the Standby Entrance was covered up and the entrance was over on the other side of the LL. Afterwards, we made our way over to The Land for more walk on rides. Living with the Land and Soarin' were both empty and we were in and out of there in no time at all.

Next up on our agenda was a little bit of food before our dinner later that night. We decided on the new Fry Basket booth.

View attachment 672136

Fry Flight (L-R):

• Sea Salt and Malt Vinegar Fries (Plant-based) -- never really was a fan of vinegar on my fries but these were good. I think the vinegar was powdered and mixed with the salt.
• Barbecued Bacon Fries with smoked aïoli -- these tasted like BBQ potato chips. The bacon all fell to the bottom of the cup and the aioli was only on the top few fries.
• Sweet Potato Casserole Fries with candied pecans, toasted marshmallow cream, and caramel whisky -- I don't typically like sweet potato but these were very tasty. They reminded me of the cinnamon sugar pretzel from Auntie Anne's. Again, the pecans all fell to the bottom of the cup.

After our snack, my mom was not up for a lap around WS so she headed over to The Seas while A and I journeyed towards Canada.

We both grabbed a beer at the Canada booth. It was nothing special but it got the job done. Cold and refreshing. We continued around at a slow pace just taking everything in. We debated getting something at the France booth but the line was long and they only had one cashier working. This would be a common theme here for most of the week. As we approached America, we caught some of Sheila E rocking out. For a woman in her 60s, she still has a ton of energy on that stage. I wish we would have been able to catch the whole show. We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived in Mexico that there was a very short line for the margarita stand so we indulged. I got the Fiesta margarita which is all three flavors (lime, strawberry, and mango) layered together. A got the special 40th Anniversary margarita which was the Fiesta margarita in a smaller souvenir cup with a blue agave drizzle for more money.

At this point, it was time to meet back up with my mom for our Space 220 dinner.

View attachment 672137

We were seated on the upper level and looked over the menu.

View attachment 672138

To start, I had The Big Tang -- Avion Silver, Grand Marnier, Tang-Infused Agave Nectar, Grapefruit, Strawberry, Served with Astronaut Ice Cream. It was fruity and well balanced.

View attachment 672139

For my appetizer, I went with the Starry Calamari -- Fried Calamari, Italian Cherry Peppers, Spicy Marinara, Roasted Pepper Citrus Aioli. I have had this here before but this time the calamari was not cooked as well as it was before. These were a little bit chewy. They do give you a ton of calamari though and I only ate about half of them to save room for my main course and dessert. A also got the calamari and my mom got the burrata salad which she loved in the past and this was no exception.

View attachment 672140

For my main course, I chose the Slow Rotation Short Rib -- Braised Short Rib, Cheddar Grits, Bacon, Haricot Vert. The short rib was cooked perfectly. It fell apart with just my fork. The grits were creamy and cheesy and paired well with the short rib. The bacon on top tasted like it may have been candied because it added a touch of sweetness and smokiness to the dish. I am not a fan of green beans so I did not eat those. And, no @Tuvalu I did not ask for a to go cup for them either. A had the duck which he was a little disappointed by because it was overcooked and my mom had the snapper which she liked but said it was a little bland on its own.

View attachment 672141

Dessert was the Chocolate Cheesecake -- Whipped Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate Sauce, White Chocolate Crunchy Pearls, Cookie Crumbs, Dark Chocolate Shards. This was great for chocolate lovers and had a variety of different textures to keep it from being one note. A also had this and my mom had the matcha strawberry shortcake.

After stuffing ourselves in space, we had to face reality and come back down to Earth and put an end to our first night in the parks.

Light crowds and clear skies - looks like a great day in Epcot. First time I've seen an ice-cream sandwich in a drink!

 

[BwlrBry212]

DAY 3 -- OCTOBER 3RD

I forgot to mention that on our way back to the timeshare the night before that we needed to make a stop at the store because somehow my mom forgot to pack both her comb and her deodorant . While we were there we picked up some water and soda for the room as well.

Today we would be starting out our morning in MK. We were a little slow leaving but got there in pretty good time only to be greeted with a HUGE line of cars waiting to get into the parking lot at the TTC. We made the rookie mistake of planning a MK day on a Monday. A lot of people start their trips on Mondays and a ton of people choose MK for the first park of their trip. We probably waited about 15 minutes to get through the line. This would be the time that I would suggest that as an "entitled" AP holder that they should have a separate lane for APs at the parking booths but we all know that non-APs would go through that line and instead of being turned away they would be allowed to pay there and cut the regular line.

We decided on taking the ferry over to MK and I have to say that the new double decker loading system made things so much more convenient. In no time at all we were through the tapstiles and greeted by this:

Following our usual pattern, we headed towards Tomorrowland first. In the time it took us to go from the bridge into Tomorrowland to the entrance for Buzz the wait time jumped from 25 to 40 minutes and the LL line was stretched around the building. Ignoring those warning signs, we hopped in line and were pleasantly surprised that our wait was only about 30 minutes. I was disappointed in myself that I did not get Galactic Hero, especially because we stopped in the second room for a little bit. But, we got stopped as you go around the wall and I didn't have a good angle at any targets.

After defeating Zurg, we checked out the updates to two of our faves: Carrousel of Progress and Peoplemover. We liked the changes to both and I am glad that they did not get rid of "Paging Mr. Morrow." We did not see any orange cones riding the Peoplemover with us, but there were cars with laminated signs with letters on them that guests were not seated in so signs might be the new cones?

Thanks to our slightly late start combined with the parking lot line it was almost time for us to head out for our lunch ADR at Steakhouse 71. We didn't want to risk getting in line for something and having it break down or the wait time to be inaccurate and then have to rush to get there. We got back to the hub and noticed the crowds and realized the parade was on its way so we stopped and watched for a little while before leaving.

We made like salmon and fought our way upstream to the exit and over to a nearly empty monorail for our short trip over to the Contemporary. We had a little bit of time to kill so we wandered through the shops until it was time for us to check in.

We were seated right way and soon I had another date with, IMO, the best burger in WDW.

You can see in the background that my mom got the turkey club, which she raves about. I finally convinced A to get the burger as well. When we were done, I asked if he agreed with me that it was the best burger on property. He said it was "one of the best" but when I challenged him to name one that was better, he couldn't so I am going to take that as a win.

We never have enough room for it after our meal so we said that one of these times we need to go to Steakhouse 71 just for the chocolate cake which is supposed to be amazing. Our server offered us drinks to-go which we gladly accepted and we were off on our way back to the monorail to head over to Epcot for the afternoon.

 

[BwlrBry212]

DAY 3 CONTINUED -- OCTOBER 3RD

We got a birds eye view of the never-ending construction project that is Moana on our way in on the monorail. If only they could have used the COVID time to still do work inside the parks...

Anyway, we made our way over to Nemo to take a spin through the Big Blue World and to visit our undersea friends. If memory serves me, we then went over towards Imagination but opted to skip Figment and go watch the Pixar shorts to suck up some AC.

After movie time, we headed back to WS towards Canada. Our first stop was O Canada Canada Far and Wide Appleseed Orchard. We each got the beer flight there.

Big mistake! The only beer of the three that was a little bit palatable was the one on the right (Apple Pecan Brown Ale). I am, however, very opposed to alcohol abuse so I powered through them and we moved on to better things.

Our next stop was the Ireland booth for an old favorite.

Guinness Baileys Coffee Shake. I was a little concerned because they added the word coffee to the description this year but I am happy to report that it was the same shake as in the past. For some reason we always go over and sit on the wall next to the World Showplace event space gates. We all lamented the fact that the Ireland booth did not bring back the super delicious cheese dip from years past.

We wandered though the shops in England curious to see if there were any Queen Elizabeth merchandise/tributes but there was not.

Over to France we went and yet again the France booth had a huge line and only one cashier. I thought that the whole point of Mr. Paycheck keeping his park reservation system was to make sure that the parks are properly staffed based on demand. The France booth is arguably the most popular booth at the festival but it was consistently understaffed. Yet another Chapek Fail.

We then ventured over to the Brazil booth for a little snack and another tasty drink.

Brazilian Cheese Bread and a Frozen Caipirinha. I was blessed with some pixie dust because my mom also got the drink but hers was only filled to the top of the cup and mine was overflowing with tart and refreshing boozy goodness. The cheese bread is a must do every trip and this batch was hot and fresh and did not disappoint.

Moving on around the world, I know that we took the mandatory spin through the store in Japan. A made a pit stop in America. I joked with him that he always uses that bathroom because he had to use a toilet from a country that flushes in the right direction. About a minute later, I got a text saying that there wasn't a country in WS that would have toilets that flush in the opposite direction. I told him to shut and up and .

If I remember correctly (I should really take notes one of these times), we meandered our way around to Mexico and attended a fiesta with Donald and the gang.

I know for sure that we made our way over to the Odyssey building for some wings and a beer at the Brew-Wing booth.

I got the Sticky Wings with Peanut Sauce and Grape Gel and the Central 28 Beer Company Groveland Road Blood Orange IPA. I had to try these wings because we used to go to a bar at home that had Wing It Wednesday where you got a free order of wings when purchasing a pitcher of any beverage. They had a peanut flavor that was terrible and tasted like they just melted peanut butter and dipped the wings in them. My friend Mike loved them so I had to get these to compare. This version was so much better. The saltiness from the peanut sauce and the sweetness from the grape gel made these a great salty/sweet snack. The beer was a decent IPA with a little citrus flavor from the blood orange.

We hung out in there for a little bit listening to the DJ they had playing dance music and then he was followed buy a guy playing pop music on a saxophone.

After our last snack, we made our way back to the front of the park to catch the monorail back to MK because it was on of the few non-MNSSHP nights where MK was open until 11.

 

[mpaulam]

Your food all looks great! I want to try the F&W Festival, but am leary of the heat...

 

[BwlrBry212]

Your food all looks great! I want to try the F&W Festival, but am leary of the heat...

This trip was a little earlier than we usually go, but the weather was really pretty nice. It got hot during the peak of the day around 12-4 but the mornings and evenings were very pleasant.

 

[BwlrBry212]

DAY 3 CONTINUED-- OCTOBER 3

We arrived back at MK as it was getting dark. I love MK even more after dark. It just changes the atmosphere so much.

I did however fail at taking any pictures that night so this will be a text heavy post.

We went left this time since we had covered Tomorrowland earlier in the day. The wait time for Jungle Cruise was too high for our liking so we decided to go to the Tiki Room for some nostalgia.

After warbling like nightingales, we went over to POTC. I think we waited about 30 minutes or so and boarded our boat. We were seated behind a VIP Tour group. I was eavesdropping on the tour guide as he was telling the guy seated next to him on the ride that as a little kid, he dreamed of being a cast member and working at ToT. He would practice in his room by "seating" his toys in his closet and closing the doors for them to "ride". He eventually was able to achieve his dream and I thought it was such a cute story. I also noticed on this trip, especially at MK, that there were a lot more VIP Tours than I remember in years past, even pre-Covid. I always check out the groups when I see a tour guide to see if they are with any one famous. This was one of our first trips in a long time that we didn't see someone famous or at least famous to us.

We contemplated conquering the mountains but wait times were still posted a little too high for them and we were starting to get hungry again. We headed towards Liberty Square and mobile ordered at Columbia Harbor House. I got the trio platter even though I am never crazy about the fish. I like when they used to have combo options where you could get just chicken and shrimp. A got the new seafood boil that they had and he liked it a lot and it came out fresh. To my point above, while sitting there eating, at least three different tour guides came through with food for their groups.

After eating, we got in line for HM and even with a trip though the graveyard we made it inside in good time. There was a slight delay in getting out of the stretching room but the rest of the ride went smoothly.

We then made a pit stop at the Tangled Toilet Tower before making our way to an empty queue for IASM. I think we spent more time on the boat than we did in line.

We had great timing and walked right into our seats for a showing of Philharmagic.

By this time, it was getting late and our tanks were on empty so we made our way towards the front of the park. I did make a quick stop at the Confectionary to pick up a mobile order for breakfast the next morning.

We had Epcot reservations the next day and needed to be up early to play the boarding pass game...would be succeed?

 

[BwlrBry212]

DAY 4 -- OCTOBER 4TH

I woke up before my alarm due to the stress of trying to get a boarding group for Guardians. I killed time playing on my phone until the fateful time arrived. I clicked just as the time changed to 7:00:00 and got the dreaded "something had gone wrong" message. I went out of the screen and back in an was greeted with this...

With a boarding group secured, I tried to go back to sleep for a bit considering the park didn't open until 9am so we would have until at least 10am to use our boarding pass. I had no luck going back to sleep so I decided to get up and get ready for the day. I finished up my shower and yielded the bathroom to my mom.

Then I dug into my "breakfast" that I got at the Confectionary on the way out of MK the night before.

I'm on vacation! No judgements! Haha!

While I was enjoying my breakfast, I got a text from A that our boarding group had already been called and we only had until 9:10 to get there. How was this even possible?!? The park doesn't even open until 9am! Thanks to @Tuvalu now I know that they call the first batch of boarding groups during the early entry period. I don't understand how they can call groups that early when we couldn't even get into the park at that time. I assume that there might be a CM there to let people with boarding groups that aren't staying on property in early if they are there like they do for ADRs or tours.

Either way, we had to kick our morning into overdrive and speed (literally and figuratively) to Epcot to make it in time. My mom had a boarding group but was not riding because she is very prone to motion sickness so she told us to go ahead and she would catch up. I was shocked that we actually made it in time and at 9:02 we were scanning into the ride. Here are some very non spoiler-y pics from the queue.

We both absolutely loved the ride!!! In fact, it is now my new favorite ride in WDW! I still consider RotR the best attraction in WDW because it is more than just a ride. But, GotG stole the favorite ride title from Flight of Passage. We got "I Ran" and I sang the whole time. I will say that it was very difficult to follow the story but there could have been no story at all and it would still be amazing.

After saving the galaxy, A and I hopped in the Single Rider line at Test Track. We were on and off in no time at all while avoiding the long standby line. We stopped in to the Connections store and did a little shopping next.

I got a long sleeve Epcot 40th shirt and took advantage of the Mobile Shopping feature which is great! It makes shopping so much easier and it automatically applies my AP discount (which was 30% during this trip) while skipping the lines. A was hoping they restocked the AP Epcot 40th tee shirts but all they had were shmediums. He did pick up some pins for him and a friend at home. He did not have success with the Mobile Shopping however. MDE logged him out and then told him that his password was incorrect so he had to fight with that and reset his password. Finally, after getting everything straightened out, A offered to run the bags out to the car so me and my mom went over to the Land to wait for him.

We entered The Land and Awesome Planet was just starting the next show so we went in and watched that to kill some time. It's a nice little movie with some great nature scenes. As the movie was ending, I got a picture from A of the birria tacos he wanted to try at Sunshine Seasons. My mom and I grabbed a fruit and cheese thing to split. I knew exactly where A was sitting because I noticed the snowflake pattern on the table so we headed to the winter seating section. I blew both A and my mom's mind when I explained how I knew where he was sitting because neither of them picked up on the "Seasons" part of Sunshine Seasons...

Anyway, after eating we rode the boat and the glider and then went over to Figment.

We had a lunch ADR coming up so we made our way over to Italy for an old favorite.

Via Napoli! Pizza, a cheese and crushed red pepper Mickey, and A telling me that I am Number One!

Not surprisingly, it was a very enjoyable meal and there wasn't a scrap of pizza left when we were done.

We had plans to hop over to HS to accomplish some things that we didn't get to do on the first day so we walked over to the IG to catch a boat to HS.

 

[fractal]

That burger does look awesome!

Laughed at story of ToT CM.

GotG is just so much fun!

 

[BwlrBry212]

DAY 4 -- OCTOBER 4TH CONTINUED

Yes, I am still alive. It's been busy at work, I had a non-Disney (blasphemy, I know!) trip to Mexico for a friend's wedding (my first international trip complete with travel drama), and a loss of posting momentum. I do want to finish up this report so here it goes...

When I last left off, we had finished lunch at Via Napoli and were making our way over to HS. I know that it takes much longer but we always take the boat to HS from Epcot to save our legs and energy. When we got in line for the boat they asked us where we were going and separated people going to a resort from people going to HS. Apparently, they started running an express boat direct from Epcot to HS. I don't know when they started this but it was a game changer. A resort boat came first and we debated getting on it just because I am one of those people that would rather be moving towards my destination than to be standing still even if moving takes longer. We decided against it because they said that an express boat was 10 minutes away. I am glad we waited because we ended up passing the resort boat while it was at Swan/Dolphin and made it to HS before them. I hope that they keep this around.

For some reason, I did not take any pictures while we were at HS that day so my recap will be brief. The wait time at MMRR was posted at the same time as our first day that went much quicker and the line was almost inside the building already so we figured it would be even shorter than last time. Wrong! We waited even longer than the posted wait time. For some reason, the line was at a stand still for long stretches of time. I can still blame Chapek since it was still during his reign of terror!

I am pretty sure that we went over to TSMM next because we didn't get to do it on our first day. We got inside and again things came to a screeching halt. They started making the announcement that wait times were higher than usual and a lot of people started to bail. I kept checking the app and the ride was never listed as being down so we stuck it out. Eventually, we got on and the screen showed me as high score in the vehicle! However, A took a picture of his score because his was higher than mine but didn't show on the screen. I am still claiming it as a win for me!

After TSMM, A and I breezed through the single rider on Smuggler's Run.

Then we headed over to our backstage tour with a shockingly young looking Aerosmith. We opted for the single rider line but ended up waiting exactly as long as the standby wait time. Foiled again!

After all of this waiting, we burned off our lunch meal and we were all getting hungry. We decided to head back to Epcot and graze the F&W booths for dinner.

We caught another express boat back to Epcot and began our culinary journey.

First up was America. and the Hops and Barley booth.

I had the Chesapeake Crab Slider with tangy coleslaw and Cajun remoulade and the beer flight. The slider was fine but it was no substitute for the lobster roll that is traditionally served at this booth. Apparently, there was a lobster shortage or lobster inflation (I forget which one) but I will blame Chapek yet again because I can. Lol. The beer flight was solid all around and included three different styles of beer and flavor profiles which was nice: 81Bay Brewing Co. Strawberry and Lime Wheat Ale, Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel Ale, and Lord Hobo Brewing Boom Sauce DIPA. I would drink any of them again.

We moved on to Germany after this and we split up. My mom and I went to the Alps booth and I believe A went to the Germany booth.

This booth is polarizing due to the stinky cheese factor but I love me some stinky cheese so it was a hit. I went with the Warm Raclette Swiss Cheese with alpine ham, baby potatoes, cornichons, and baguette. I have had this in previous years but this one was the best. The potatoes were perfectly cooked and the cheese was nice and melty. I also got the Wicked Weed Brewing Uncle Rick’s Pilsner. This beer was pretty forgettable and I don't understand why they have an American craft beer at a booth themed to a part of the world that offers a ton of beer.

Our last stop for food was over in Future World Neighborhood where we split up again. I got the Baked Scampi Dip with shrimp, scallops, and baguette and the Bell’s Lager of the Lakes Bohemian Pilsner. Another forgettable beer but the scampi dip is a-maze-ing! My only complaint is that they don't give you enough baguette but I have no shame and ate the rest of it with a spoon. It was so good that I couldn't even be bothered to take a picture before devouring it.

We decided to call it a night and leave for the night. Tomorrow would be our only day in AK and another night in Epcot.

 

[BwlrBry212]

So I have been terrible about finishing this TR so I am going to try to just post the highlights of the last few days of the trip.

DAY 5 -- OCTOBER 5TH

This was our Animal Kingdom day.

Got to see my favorite, the tigers!

At some point A and I broke down and bought ILL for FoP. We tried to get a time first thing in the morning and there weren't any times until way too late in the day but A looked again later and we found one that was one about an hour away.

After the ride we met up with my mom and grabbed a drink and a snack at Nomad Lounge.

I forget what the drink was. It was a special for Hispanic Heritage Month. I also had the Cuban Frita Sliders with Yucca Fries. The sliders were delicious and the perfect amount of spicy. The fries were yuck-a and overcooked.

Shortly after this we made our way over to Epcot.

We explored WS some more and eventually my mom wanted to stop and sit for a while so A and I journey on without her. We stopped for another snack.

The pimento cheese and pork rinds were very tasty and a great bargain. I believe it was under $5 and it was a pretty good portion size of both cheese and pork rinds.

The wait for Ratatouille was at a reasonable time so we made our way over there but by the time we got to France the wait time had doubled. Instead, we chose to drink...

I think we made a good choice.

We killed some more time before meeting back up with my mom to check in for our Harmonious dinner package at Spice Road Table.

You got a choice of two small plates, unlimited adult beverages, and a dessert platter in addition to seats right on the water.

Blood Orange Mimosa

Spicy Shrimp

Pomegranate Mimosa

Hummus Fries

They did last call before the show started so (with the encouragement of our server) I ordered two beers.

She praised us for being some of the few people who understood the unlimited part of the dinner package.

I didn't get any pictures of the dessert platter because they had turned off the lights for the show but I did get some mediocre fireworks pictures which will be in the next post because I have hit my photo limit.

 

[BwlrBry212]

DAY 5 CONTINUED -- OCTOBER 5TH

We finished our meal with fireworks.

Overall the meal was good but I am not sure if it was a good of a value as the Rose and Crown package. I felt like Rose and Crown had more substantial food and a much wider selection of drinks. I do think Spice Road had a better view of the show. I downside of Spice Road was that there were a ton of bugs flying around because we were right on the water. At one point, our server even asked if we wanted to move inside and then come out to watch the show.

We made our way out of the park and said goodbye to this beauty for the night.

 

[amjt660]

Max

 

[BwlrBry212]

DAY 6 -- OCTOBER 6TH

We started this day off with breakfast at Whispering Canyon. I didn't take any pictures but the food was delicious as always. Our server seemed like he was new and there wasn't very much in the way of shenanigans but still a good time.

We decided to leave the car at Wilderness Lodge and head over to MK via boat.

We were greeted by the Dapper Dans on the trolley.

That was the only picture I took at MK that day so I don't really remember what we did that day. The one thing I remember is that we were still unsuccessful in our attempts to ride Pooh yet again. We got in line with a pretty reasonable wait time and then we stopped dead by the hunny wall and the cars were not moving at all. Shortly after, a crew of official looking people came over and we started to see people being evacuated from the ride. We gave it another few minutes but decided to bail. One of these days Pooh!

Later in the day we hopped on the boat back to WL to get the car and hop over to Epcot.

Again, I was slacking in the photo department so I can only tell you what I ate/drank.

We went into Mexico with the intention of getting to-go drinks from La Cava but there was table space available and the CM talked us into coming inside. We shared a stand up table with a group of middle aged women on a girls trip who were pretty entertaining. They all got cucumber margaritas and got a big kick out of it when I told them that it has vegetables in it so that practically makes it a salad.

I decided to go with something less traditional and got a Mezcal Mule.

Basically, it was a Moscow Mule with mezcal instead of vodka. Very tasty.

We finished up our drinks and said goodbye to our new friends and carried on around WS.

We made a stop in Italy because A spotted the pizza window was open and made a beeline for it. I went over to the nearby cart and got a limoncello spritzer.

If I remember correctly, this was limoncello, prosecco, and cherry juice. I was super refreshing. I also placed an unofficial mobile order for pizza with A.

Totally different style of pizza than Via Napoli but still very good. It was a little hard to eat but worth it.

We wandered a little more and called it an early night because we knew we would be in Epcot again in the morning.

 

[BwlrBry212]

DAY 7 -- OCTOBER 7TH

The last day of vacation is always bittersweet. I don't want it to end but I also miss my bed.

The day began with snagging this little beauty.

This time my mom decided to join us going through the queue at GOTG. She was worried after every room that somehow she would accidently end up on the ride. I assured her that it wasn't possible unless she actively stepped into a ride vehicle. This was our third ride this trip and we lucked out and got three different songs. We got I Ran, Conga, and September. I think that I Ran was my favorite of the three songs.

Typically our last day during the F&W Festival is a mad dash to eat everything from the booths that we wanted to eat but haven't gotten to yet. This day would be no different so be prepared for a bunch of food pics.

On our way to WS, we made a pit stop at the Odyssey building and spotted something curious in the water.

I can't even imagine a scenario how someone could lose a shoe in the water but there it was...

Our first stop was at the Hawaii booth for an old favorite.

The Kalua Pork Slider there is always a winner in my books!

Next up, I was in the mood for a drink so I opted for the Mimosa Flight from the Shimmering Sips booth.

Tropical Mimosa with sparkling wine and Minute Maid passion fruit, orange, and guava juices, Key Lime Mimosa with key lime sparkling wine and cranberry juice, and Blood Orange Mimosa with sparkling wine and blood orange juice.

The Tropical Mimosa was obviously the best because POG juice. The Blood Orange one had a weird consistency and was my least favorite.

We took some time making our way around before my next booth in Germany.

I had the Roasted Bratwurst in a pretzel roll which was much better than it had been in years past with a much better bun to brat ratio. The mustard that comes on the side is also really good and I wish they would serve that mustard with the big pretzel from the cart. The beer flight was pretty basic but the standout was the Pineapple version of the Schöfferhofer.

I got a little adventurous and tried something from the India booth next.

Crispy Paneer with mango-curry ketchup. This was just ok. I was hoping the cheese would be more melted. The cheese itself was very solid and pretty bland. The ketchup gave it some flavor but not enough to make this a repeat. Again the beer was nothing special but I got it just to check off a beer from India off the list.

I had one last thing on my to-eat list and that was at the Fry Basket booth.

Adobo Yuca Fries with garlic-cilantro aïoli. These were sooooo good and way better than the ones at Nomad Lounge. I wish I would have eaten these earlier in the trip because I would have gotten these multiple times.

We took a break from the eating and did a lap of the rides in Future World (or whatever the neighborhoods are called). It was getting close to the time we needed to head out to the airport but we wanted a more substantial meal because our flight was late and we weren't sure what would be open at the airport so Regal Eagle was the destination.

I got the Brisket Sandwich and a Smores Brownie. The sandwich was tasty and I love having a variety of dipping sauces for my fries. I was a little bit disappointed in the brownie however. It was cold and the toppings peeled away from the brownie which made it difficult to eat.

We then made the slow, sad, walk back to the front of the park to head back home.

Goodbye Epcot and goodbye WDW. Until next time.


The reason that I was trying to rush to finish this TR was because I just got back from my next trip a few days ago and hoped (but failed) to have this report done before that trip. I think I will just add on this trip to the end of this report so stay tuned for more...