Trip Report Why not ? Booking tonight for this weekend !

We've been talking about it for awhile, but we haven't acted on it. My daughter in FL has a long weekend as we do too. The only issue was that my wife just started her new job a month ago and she was reluctant to ask for time off. She decided to ask this morning and her new manager said "Yes !" So we started looking and booking. My wife and I both have airline miles so that's taken care of. My daughter will pick us up at the airport so that's taken care of. Looks like we'll be leaving from PHL Thursday night and arriving in Orlando around midnight. Plans will be discussed tonight when we do our nightly call with our daughter. We'll have 3.5 days because our departing flight leaves from Jacksonville at 6:00 PM on Monday. We'll be able to squeeze a half day at a park Monday. We were sad that we missed the Christmas holidays at the parks this year; probably the first time in 20 yrs. This last-minute trip is a bonus so we're very excited.

 

[erstwo]

My daughter surprised me when she said she wanted to try the chorizo and potato empanada. Hey, I'm down once I saw the spicy ajiaco soup with corn, avacado, chicken, two types of peppers, and a little creme fraiche. Oh yes, my diet is officially down the tubes.
The chicken kusiage at Japan was awesome ! We were considering going over for seconds. That's OK I let the ladies eat that and I ate half of the sushi doughnut which was really fresh and bright. Of course I tried their saki in a traditional wooden cup; not bad. Souvenir.


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Is the square thing the cup? That's pretty cool - if you'd have asked me, I'd never have guessed that the traditional cup was wooden. Loving all of these Art Festival offerings - these seem even better than Food and Wine.

 

[macefamily]

Is the square thing the cup? That's pretty cool - if you'd have asked me, I'd never have guessed that the traditional cup was wooden. Loving all of these Art Festival offerings - these seem even better than Food and Wine.

Yea, I really liked the wooden cup too. They tell you it is 'personalized.' Well, they ask your name and someone writes it on the side of the wooden cup with permanent marker ! The symbol looked like no Japanese character I ever saw and I worked for a Japanese company for six years. Anyway, my daughter looked it up online while we were sitting there and the character was nothing like it should have been for my name. I guess they're just scribbling stuff ? It's probably a Japanese curse word !

 

[macefamily]

We spent some time hanging around because we just hit three quick food stops. We agreed that we were going to take some time on this trip and let the food digest so we don't fill up. I had my wishes set on trying a wild boar cassoulet and wild boar sausage. I like trying the different stuff like venison, bison, or any non-domesticated red meat. But I believe we're going to end up at the American Experience/Craftman's Courtyard which is close by so time to take a slow walk and meander to our next destination.

 

[macefamily]

Next stop, The Artists Table. I mix up the names. I think it's Hops and Barley for the Food and Wine. All I say is let's go to the American Experience. This place was mobbed. Luckily I found a seat in the courtyard and it was the wife's turn to stand in line. It was a 45 minute wait. They told the people that they are waiting on scallops to finish up. Again, this was the second day of the festival and I don't think this booth had it's process down yet.
These 'beggar' birds are always there. There's also a mallard who shows up at times. Signs are clearly posted not to feed the birds, but I always see families tossing them stuff.
As you can see the wife doubled up on the scallops. I was just going to sample a spoonful from each because there were some heavy beers in this flight: Mammoth White Ale, Analoger Amber Ale, and Yacht Rock Brown Ale. They also ordered the beef wellington because they said it looked good. I'm starting to slow down because I'm saving room for that wild boar. Oh, I almost forgot about the pistachio cake with cherry mousse. It was interesting. Not my grandmother's pistachio cake.

 

[macefamily]

We moved on after resting in the courtyard for awhile. We were taking our time. The crowds were fairly heavy with this being the second day of the Festival on a Saturday. The line in the first picture is for the Italy booth. Again, this was an absolute cluster-F. The way they have the queue set up is a logistical nightmare. The people are bunching up, and there's two registers that are getting no customers while the first two registers are getting all of the people. I set out to sightsee and take a few pictures and by the time I got back to our table the ladies have already started to feast. They left me some arancini and a sausage ravioli. I didn't want any of the Italian doughnut. I've already done enough damage. I was glad they thought of me and ordered me a Moscato.
One more thing. I commented on this for several years regarding the Epcot festivals. Can you imagine the plastic waste that comes out of Epcot ? I can tell that the perforated cardboard plates are definitely recyclable, but having food waste on them makes it a more difficult process. Why not sell a Festival themed plate, cutlery, and cup that you can use 'around the world' with wash stations located all over the park ? Would it be more expensive for Disney to install temporary wash stations and process the cleaning water versus throwing away tens of thousands of pounds of plastic ? If I see this happen some Imagineer is going to go missing

 

[macefamily]

Along this stroll there was deep discussion if we wanted to stand in line for a Figment bucket. We really loved the tomato soup and grilled cheese last time which is what we really wanted but it was the same line as Figment. We sat down at The Epcot Experience and rested for a bit. I told my wife and daughter that I'd take a walk over to see how bad it is. When I got there the cast member holding the 'end of the line' sign was there. I asked her what was the approximate wait. 45 minutes. Not too bad...I waited that long for crappy lobster mousse and sparkling Chardonnay. So I took my place. About 10 minutes later my wife and daughter showed up and my daughter rolled her eyes. I told her that we can get 6 buckets because it's 2 per person. My daughter yelled back at me, "NO!" She was clearly embarrassed for even being in that line. It was weird because people coming into the park just jeered at you probably thinking 'what a freakin' nerd.' I've always had obsessions for 'hot' items. This was our last day at Epcot and I would probably hate myself if I didn't. So there we stood.

 

[macefamily]

That was our starting position for 45 minutes. I couldn't imagine where the line went yesterday when they said it was four hours long. I saw people who had 12 of these hanging around their neck. The buzz of 'they're going for $500 on Ebay' set everyone into a tizzy. I just wanted a few to stow away and maybe give to my nieces. Of course I'd keep one. My daughter was keeping one for her ex-Disney College roommate from Louisianna who was visiting in a few weeks. Her favorite attraction is Figment. They were wheeling in boxes of Figments every five minutes. For those people that think they're going to make thousands off of these plastic jugs; they're nuts We paid our penance and made it to the counter. We really wanted to try the new apple and brie grilled cheese with the canned tomato soup.

 

[BwlrBry212]

I've love to hear back from someone who tried this lobster mousse.

I had the mousse and I thought it had nice lobster flavor and it even had a couple of big piece of lobster in it. The texture was weird but the flavor was good. The dill brioche did not taste like anything however.

 

[macefamily]

I had the mousse and I thought it had nice lobster flavor and it even had a couple of big piece of lobster in it. The texture was weird but the flavor was good. The dill brioche did not taste like anything however.

Appreciate your feedback. I can eat anything, but my wife and daughter who are absolute lobster lovers did not care for it at all. Also agree that the dill brioche was nothing spectacular either. I tasted no dill whatsoever.

 

[macefamily]

It was a fitting end to a long day at Epcot. We said we were going to take our time and enjoy a full day at Epcot and not have to worry about park hopping and getting back to go pick up the dog from Best Friends. I didn't mind standing in line for our grilled cheese and tomato soup, although I must say that the tomato soup was not as tasty as last time. We also splurged for a few Figments which didn't come with popcorn because they ran out. Instead they gave us a nifty little spork which was a nice substitute. After eating we sat down in the play area and relaxed watching the people come and go. Our short trip was halfway complete. The next day we will be going to Hollywood Studios. It is a long holiday weekend so I expect it to be mobbed.

 

[erstwo]

That is so crazy that they ran out of popcorn! Everyone seemed to think that people were only in line to get them so they could resell them - I would think the resellers would want the bucket to be clean/ brand new so they wouldn't they have not wanted the popcorn? Maybe there were quite a few people who just were Figment fans and wanted the bucket in line as well (and not to resell them)?
So funny all your pictures - everywhere you look there is a Figment!

 

[macefamily]

We left Epcot and decided to stop by Saratoga Springs to see if there was any interesting DVC merchandise in the shop. It was on our way to Best Friends kennel so why not do a "Welcome Home ?" The place was quiet on an early January evening. There wasn't much in the shop so we left with nothing. It was a cool evening in the low 60's, but people were still getting ready to use the pool although the lifeguards seemed a bit bored. I love Saratoga Springs.

 

[macefamily]

It was our final day at Disney and we had a breakfast reservation for Steakhouse 71. It was blustery and wet. The last time I visited the parks with my daughter it poured for the Food and Wine Festival. I swore that I would be prepared for the next rainy visit with Crocs and a rain jacket. Well, I checked the forecast and packed those items. My wife and daughter went to Payless Shoes the night before and bought the cheapest open toe sandals so they wouldn't ruin their sneakers. You'll see in the pictures ahead that we look like a bunch of bums the way we're dressed. Of course, by the early afternoon the rain broke and the sun came out while we looked like a pack of hobos. Breakfast was OK; nothing to cheer about. I think our server was new because she was slow, and she was being watched excessively by her supervisor. I felt bad for her because the snobby table next to us definitely had a bigger bill than us and left a $10 tip (it was dropped right in the middle of their dirty table). Me, my wife and daughter have been servers in the past so we made up for it; left her a 30% tip.

 

[macefamily]

Although there were 20 mph wind gusts and driving rain, the lifeguards were still out there at the Contemporary. My daughter was a lifeguard there a few years ago with the Disney College Program. She said the only way they can leave the pool is if there's lighting in the area.
We were early so walked around the Contemporary and eventually ending up finding a couch in the lobby. I was a bit perturbed that our reservation wasa over 20 minutes late. As I mentioned earlier, the service wasn't too efficient either so we were set back already for our Hollywood Studios plans. But it was our last day there so we were going to make the best of it.

 

[macefamily]

I thought the remodel of the old Wave to Steakhouse 71 was really sharp. I took no pictures of the food because I think I was just complaining the whole time. I can get hangry, but at times when I was really disgusted I've just ordered a Bloody Mary with no food. I did that once at Art Smiths after being seated 35 minutes late for an ADR we made a month prior. I really got steamed because it was a wedding party that held us up. Art Smiths didn't schedule for that ? Similar situation at Mama Melrose's one time. I just got a wine.
The pictures lining the hallway of Steakhouse 71 are very interesting. Some really old school Disney pics.

 

[macefamily]

We made our way back to the car to head to Hollywood Studios. As you can see, the rain was ending. We came
dressed for a drenching, and that wasn't going to happen. It was a gray day with a healthy breeze. There's only a limited amount
of people wearing shorts (me) You can always tell the whack jobs from the north.

 

[macefamily]

We hung around Sunset for a while and walked through the shops. It was very breezy so we hopped in and out of the stores. I had to take a picture of the "balloon guy" because I thought he could float away at any moment. I took that picture with my first Long Island Iced Tea of the day which was very disappointing. I think when you pay $14 for a drink it should be robust and strong. This one tasted like flat cola and Couintreau.

 

[macefamily]

Classic Disney pic. We made our way over to Toy Story Mania. I am not a fan. When my kids were younger I would be the champion every time. Now, I'm lucky if I can beat my wife. I also end up with a sore wrist after the ride. I actually hopped out of the queue and told the family I'd meet them because it said 60 minute wait time, but I never saw it backed up that far. Thanks Lightning Lane !

 

[macefamily]

This was the queue that I hopped out of line for Toy Story Mania. I have never been to this part of the line in the hundreds of
times I've been on the attraction. No wait in the Lighting Lane

 

[macefamily]

i did some wandering around while my wife and daughter waiting in the Toy Story Mania line.
Just a few random observations......