“I do not deal with my problems like I know I should” - F&W Fest 2018 - Update 1/20 Going Home

[kastoney]

I'll have to check this out. Always looking for quality wine reccos especially from someone in the business!

Oh these look and sound amazing!!!! We were so close to ordering these one our last visit and ultimately went with the calamari instead. Big fail on our part !

We also split a side of truffle fries although we were very unfancy with them and had ranch and ketchup with the fries instead of the lemon aioli.

Thumbs up to the best fries in all of Disney. But firm thumbs down on the ranch and ketchup. That is just sacrilege to the poor truffles

 

[buteraa]

How adorable was that turkey sundae!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I’ve done Tony’s once in January. I was pleased with it compared to some the reviews. Glad you had a decent meal there.

I am a big fan of the Boathouse. I also love their fries. That sundae looks pretty awesome. I haven’t been to Vivoli yet.

Aren’t runDisney friends the best

Yeah - Tony's isn't known for amazing meals so having a decent meal works for us! Them now having wine and beer is also helpful as post race, who doesn't want a beer or a glass of wine?

It was an awesome sundae. We will be back to Vivoli but way too many options now and not enough stomach space!

runDisney friends are so much fun although drinking runDisney friends are the best .

Ok Your food looks amazing!! We might need to try the Boathouse next time.

Also we didn’t get a tornado alert either. You must be more important that us, haha

Thanks again for the ticket, we had a great time at the party! And @rteetz is right runDisney friends are the best!

Yes! Boathouse is our favorite Disney Springs place. A bit expensive but totally worth it!

Maybe I am more important...I mean I am a trained FEMA gov't responder now. You know, to go inspect and record damage assessments.

Glad you had so much fun at the party!

I'll have to check this out. Always looking for quality wine reccos especially from someone in the business!

You would love this wine if you are in the mood for a quality chardonnay. I think it retails around $58 at the store so getting it for $95 at a restaurant is a good deal.

Oh these look and sound amazing!!!! We were so close to ordering these one our last visit and ultimately went with the calamari instead. Big fail on our part !

Well, you just have a reason to go back now! There will be a lot of shrimp throughout this trip report. I was on a kick. Guess we'll see how my cholesterol
readings go that I did 4 days after the trip for my work health insurance. Hope the calamari was good but I know you haven't gotten there yet in your report.

Thumbs up to the best fries in all of Disney. But firm thumbs down on the ranch and ketchup. That is just sacrilege to the poor truffles

Well - the fries with the cheese and truffles on top, we ate plain - it was just the ones underneath. Sometimes I just like to be low-brow!

How adorable was that turkey sundae!

It is so cute!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Wine & Dine 10K

At 3AM, we were awoken by the lovely buzz of the alarm. We were rested enough for this 3AM call as we’ve learned the pattern that works for us even if we do go to sleep at the same time as the snowbirds! Naples has taught us well! We made it onto the 2nd bus but when we arrived at the start line - there would be no characters for us as this were the wait times when we arrived at 4:10AM:

Yuck!

At that point, we headed towards the corrals and people watched. Once the corrals opened, we sat along the wall until we started. They had Goofy and Donald in chef outfits which was cute!

Not long after 5:30AM, we were off and split up. I was totally not trained for this and my husband was super trained. We would meet up later back in the room.

Cars - Between Mile 1 & 2

Horrible Jack Sparrow Photo - Between Mile 1 & 2

Green Army Man - Between Mile 2 & 3

Chip & Dale - Between Mile 3 & 4

Oswald - Between Mile 4 & 5

Spaceship Earth

Food & Wine Festival

Action Shot of Me

This race was not pleasant but I only have myself to blame. I finished at a pace of 19 min/mile which is over what is allowed. I know I can do better thus the lack of selfie at the end. Since starting my new job, I finally have energy and motivation to be active again so April should go way better. Since starting my new job - I’ve already lost about 5 pounds from less stress without working out. Now to just get in the regular habit again. Gantu can also start running outside with us come February which will also be a good motivator so that he’ll be nice and tired out! (Side Note: we did 2 walks yesterday - 1.6 miles on one and .5 miles on the 2nd one and it was the right amount to have him set for the day! We’re about to go out again for the same length of walk)

My husband finished at a pace of 8:19 which is what he needed to replace his better proof of time. His action shots were way better than mine even if he does sweat buckets while he runs.

After the race, I headed back to the room to clean up and by the time I arrived, my husband was already ready for the day. I took about 30 minutes to soak in the tub and get dressed as we had plans for the day!​

 

[2xcited2sleep]

The Boathouse is my favorite as well -- and more specifically the dockside bar ... although probably not the place to be in the midst of a tornado warning! I've lived in FL for a few years now and I cannot get used to those warnings. They are scary! Making a note of that wine. Meant to mention in a prior reply that I'm intrigued by the wine you referenced at Wine Bar George that is $2,000 per bottle. Can't wait to find out if you tried it! I've never made it to the gelato place either -- always way too full. There is seriously just so much yumminess in Disney Springs now. Hurrah for the new job being far less stressful!! And weight loss without trying is always a bonus! Good for you on the 10K! Maybe I'll see you at the Light Side! I am not looking forward to that early morning. I really do need to get training for that. I did one without training several years back and I walked with a wobble for the rest of the trip... I'm hoping to avoid that this time around!

 

[rteetz]

Congrats on the 10K again! It may not have went well but you finished and things are looking brighter!

 

[SweetSerenity]

Proud of you!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Congratulations on the 10k! It sounds like the new job was the right move for you and I know from your reports you have had numerous injuries, so give yourself a break! It looks like you have a plan in place to keep up with your running so that is awesome!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

The Boathouse is my favorite as well -- and more specifically the dockside bar ... although probably not the place to be in the midst of a tornado warning! I've lived in FL for a few years now and I cannot get used to those warnings. They are scary! Making a note of that wine. Meant to mention in a prior reply that I'm intrigued by the wine you referenced at Wine Bar George that is $2,000 per bottle. Can't wait to find out if you tried it! I've never made it to the gelato place either -- always way too full. There is seriously just so much yumminess in Disney Springs now. Hurrah for the new job being far less stressful!! And weight loss without trying is always a bonus! Good for you on the 10K! Maybe I'll see you at the Light Side! I am not looking forward to that early morning. I really do need to get training for that. I did one without training several years back and I walked with a wobble for the rest of the trip... I'm hoping to avoid that this time around!

I have never made it out to the dockside bar. I really should correct that problem on one of these trips. The warnings aren't too bad - I guess because I grew up with them I just know how to handle of them.

You may already have the answer to your question on my instagram

There is way too much yumminess there! Just more excuses to visit Disney Springs and try out places! Yes, start training for the 10K! The early morning isn't too bad as long as you make sure that you go to bed at a decent time the night before. And training helps the wobbling! I'm just need Gantu to turn 1 so I can have a running partner rather than a walking partner. At least we. are getting him used to the running leash now!

Congrats on the 10K again! It may not have went well but you finished and things are looking brighter!

Thank you! Things are looking brighter, especially with having my running buddy be old enough in just 2 more months!

Proud of you!

Thank you .

Congratulations on the 10k! It sounds like the new job was the right move for you and I know from your reports you have had numerous injuries, so give yourself a break! It looks like you have a plan in place to keep up with your running so that is awesome!

It was such the right move mentally. I ran into some of my old coworkers this weekend and they commented on how much happier I look and how miserable they still are. Money isn't everything if you can't be happy!

Yes, I have had my fair share of injuries. Hopefully I stay injury free this go around but I have 4 months to train for April so that will be more than enough.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Extinction

One of the nice things about staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge is typically you do not have a very long wait for buses to Animal Kingdom. As my husband was the one running the next day, we figured Animal Kingdom would be a good park to hang out at for a couple hours before we split up for the afternoon so he could rest and I could go drink with people.

We walked through the gates right around 9:15AM - not quite rope drop but pretty decent for having done a 10K that morning. It was also a bit cool this morning which was nice but definitely in need of a longer sleeves.

Animal Kingdom Gates

We used the annual passholder entrances which was nice since it was still the morning opening madness. We had fastpasses set for a little bit later so we headed straight to Dinosaur as I just love that ride!

That sun is rising but the temperature wasn’t!

I wish we would have seen more of the Dino-Bash but we didn’t get a chance to head back that once it was all running for the day.

Dinosaur has zero wait so we walked right into the pre-show room and soon we got blasted to the past. When we got into the ride vehicle - my bag holder in front was filled with popcorn so I moved my phone and sunglasses to my husband’s.

As we got off the ride - I should have left my glasses in the popcorn and maybe this wouldn’t have happened…

RIP Tiffany Sunglasses…I had you since my 29th birthday 3.33 years prior. You served me well.
Now I need to find a new pair of cute sunglasses. Too bad those aren’t on sale Black Friday!

Next up was Everest to visit a Yeti using our 1st Fastpass of the day. You can tell my husband was very excited!

As we still had time to kill before our Navi FP+, we headed to Its Tough To Be A Bug where it was very crowded for 10:15AM!

My husband and I play a funny/mean game here. Before the show, we each state how many children we think will bail during the attack scene. As the show was more crowded than normal - we both were off as 12 of them left!

During our wait for the show, my stomach was growling as neither of us had eaten more than some chips/processed cheese dip post race and we had some time to kill till before our FP+ once we had our education about the importance of bugs so popcorn it was! Disney Popcorn when you are hungry is really so good, especially when its freshly popped!

It was gone quickly during our walk to Pandora.

At Na’vi River Journey, I got annoyed. I realize that there is a line but I hate that they put two adult parties of two together on the same row. The boat is just a little too small for that when you have people with big butts in the mix (i.e. me and someone from the other party) so we got cozy with some strangers. I know @buzzrelly just made similar comments in her report as it happened to her at Living With The Land!

As we walked back over to Asia post ride, I picked up a puzzle as I love puzzles and would buy a few this trip. This was the first time I’ve seen this one and it was the only place I saw this puzzle all trip. It’s going to be difficult since its two-sided! I like difficult though. Haven't started it yet but I'm currently building one of my other purchases this trip.

Up! Puzzle
​

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I have no sense of geography so don’t know if this is even possible but really wish you could walk to AK from AKL or have some easier way to get there that isn’t bus. Too bad on those sunglasses - they’re so cute! I did the river journey for the first time this last trip. Even with a fast pass, what a let down. I found it boring and am not sure I’d go again even if a walk-on but was just reading on another thread that there are scenes from the Flight of Passage ride (?) so I may need to do them back to back. I had a row to myself and I cannot imagine 4 adults in it!!

 

[disneyAndi14]

I love Dinosaur to! The same thing happened to Andi and I on NRJ, 2 very large men were seated with us, makes the ride less enjoyable! I secretly love all the scared kids in Bug’s life, makes me laugh every time!!

 

[buzzrelly]

As we got off the ride - I should have left my glasses in the popcorn and maybe this wouldn’t have happened…

Oh no! Those were cute too!

My husband and I play a funny/mean game here. Before the show, we each state how many children we think will bail during the attack scene. As the show was more crowded than normal - we both were off as 12 of them left!

Ha! We'll have to try this game next time

At Na’vi River Journey, I got annoyed. I realize that there is a line but I hate that they put two adult parties of two together on the same row. The boat is just a little too small for that when you have people with big butts in the mix (i.e. me and someone from the other party) so we got cozy with some strangers. I know @buzzrelly just made similar comments in her report as it happened to her at Living With The Land!

So you're saying maybe it wasn't just the mean CM hating me for requesting the front? Ugh…this is seriously the worst though. Especially on a bench seat where there is no barrier between people…even the busses kind of round up around the edges so you don't slip into someone else's seat

This was the first time I’ve seen this one and it was the only place I saw this puzzle all trip. It’s going to be difficult since its two-sided!

That's really cute, but double-sided?? Way too difficult for me!

 

[SweetSerenity]

This was the morning I saw you!
It was chilly, but we loved that it was so cool at AK since it's hard to escape the heat there.

 

[Araminta18]

We walked through the gates right around 9:15AM - not quite rope drop but pretty decent for having done a 10K that morning.

Uh, yea! Half the time we didn't make it to parks by 9:15 and we had no such 10k excuse...

We used the annual passholder entrances which was nice since it was still the morning opening madness. We had fastpasses set for a little bit later so we headed straight to Dinosaur as I just love that ride!

AK was the only place we used the AP entrance, cause it was insane there. That line was such a timesaver! I really like some of these intangible AP quirks. Also, Dinosaur is way more scary than it has any right to be. I get scared every time.

As we walked back over to Asia post ride, I picked up a puzzle as I love puzzles and would buy a few this trip. This was the first time I’ve seen this one and it was the only place I saw this puzzle all trip. It’s going to be difficult since its two-sided! I like difficult though. Haven't started it yet but I'm currently building one of my other purchases this trip.

That is SUCH an adorable puzzle! I've never seen it before, or I definitely would have bought it. You'll have to post pics when you do it.

 

[kastoney]

RIP Tiffany Sunglasses…I had you since my 29th birthday 3.33 years prior. You served me well.

RIP Sunglasses. I'm sure it was a good ride

Before the show, we each state how many children we think will bail during the attack scene. As the show was more crowded than normal - we both were off as 12 of them left!

This is amazing!!!!! I'll totally have to steal this and pretend it was my idea on our next trip. I'm always amazed at how many parents ignore the warnings and then seem to be perturbed by it

Disney Popcorn when you are hungry is really so good, especially when its freshly popped!

Why did you pay for this when you could have just eaten the popcorn your found on Dinosaur

his was the first time I’ve seen this one and it was the only place I saw this puzzle all trip. It’s going to be difficult since its two-sided! I like difficult though. Haven't started it yet but I'm currently building one of my other purchases this trip.

A 2 sided 1000 piece puzzle? That sounds like complete and utter torture

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I have no sense of geography so don’t know if this is even possible but really wish you could walk to AK from AKL or have some easier way to get there that isn’t bus. Too bad on those sunglasses - they’re so cute! I did the river journey for the first time this last trip. Even with a fast pass, what a let down. I found it boring and am not sure I’d go again even if a walk-on but was just reading on another thread that there are scenes from the Flight of Passage ride (?) so I may need to do them back to back. I had a row to myself and I cannot imagine 4 adults in it!!

I think originally there was supposed to be a special entrance around Africa for the AKL but I think they ended up setting the hotel further away and the planned changed. It looks to be about a mile away from the park form the map!

The river journey is one of those rides that I would only do with a fast pass or a wait less than 10 minutes. Lucky you had a row to yourself! That would have been more pleasant.

I love Dinosaur to! The same thing happened to Andi and I on NRJ, 2 very large men were seated with us, makes the ride less enjoyable! I secretly love all the scared kids in Bug’s life, makes me laugh every time!!

Oh no! That would not have been very uncomfortable on NRJ! I wish they didn't force parties to sit together on that ride.

It does make us laugh too! Its so easy to time it where they get scared.

Oh no! Those were cute too!

I know Now time to shop for new cute ones!

Ha! We'll have to try this game next time

I'm glad to help to make it more fun.

So you're saying maybe it wasn't just the mean CM hating me for requesting the front? Ugh…this is seriously the worst though. Especially on a bench seat where there is no barrier between people…even the busses kind of round up around the edges so you don't slip into someone else's seat

It wasn't just a mean CM! I mean, it could have been for you since typically I don't get forced to sit with other people at Living with the Land. Hopefully it won't happy again!

That's really cute, but double-sided?? Way too difficult for me!

This may take a long time for me too but at least that means I'll have something to do for a long time.

This was the morning I saw you!
It was chilly, but we loved that it was so cool at AK since it's hard to escape the heat there.

I'm still a little sad we never ran into each other! It was nice it being a little chilly but still needed the sleeves on!

Uh, yea! Half the time we didn't make it to parks by 9:15 and we had no such 10k excuse...

Well, it is vacation so you can be a little late!

AK was the only place we used the AP entrance, cause it was insane there. That line was such a timesaver! I really like some of these intangible AP quirks. Also, Dinosaur is way more scary than it has any right to be. I get scared every time.

There entrance always seems like a hot mess. I hope it gets a bit better eventually as Pandora wanes a bit in popularity.

I actually don't get scared at Dinosaur but we always take funny photos at the photo spot. It could be because years ago, it was in bad maintenance shape and included a disco flash Dino (similar to Disco Yeti) and some of the effects weren't nearly as intense as they are now such. I can see how it can be scary for people though.

That is SUCH an adorable puzzle! I've never seen it before, or I definitely would have bought it. You'll have to post pics when you do it.

My mother actually tried to find it last week for a Christmas Present for her boss's daughter and I told her where I got it at and she couldn't find it. I will post photos! I finished my other puzzle down.

RIP Sunglasses. I'm sure it was a good ride

It was!

This is amazing!!!!! I'll totally have to steal this and pretend it was my idea on our next trip. I'm always amazed at how many parents ignore the warnings and then seem to be perturbed by it

Glad my game will provide you and your family with entertainment!

Why did you pay for this when you could have just eaten the popcorn your found on Dinosaur

Too bad I wasn't hungry at Dinosaur!

A 2 sided 1000 piece puzzle? That sounds like complete and utter torture

Well, I am an engineer that isn't practicing anymore. I do need to keep my brain skills up Or I like torturing myself with difficult things.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Some of my favorite things!

We were heading to Asia as while we love Tiffins, we haven’t gone to Yak & Yeti in a while. We needed to give it some love as we used to always enjoy our meal there. We checked in right at our ADR time and shortly were taken upstairs to sit. Our server here was a bit overwhelmed it felt like. It seemed like she was super unsure of what she was doing but didn’t want to ask for help or questions of her coworkers. Not sure if it was a bad day or if because she was new. It made our meal take a little longer than it should have but we weren't in a hurry at least!

I started with a drink as all my paid for exercise for the trip was now over and I was going to enjoy myself. My husband was boring with his diet coke but he did have a race to do the next day. I liked my snap decision as it was a different take on a kentucky mule as the apricot brandy added something to it. My husband did not enjoy it he doesn’t like Ginger Beer.

Snap Decision - Yak & Yeti’s Woodford Reserve Bourbon Personal Selection, Apricot Brandy, and Crisp Apple Real Infused Syrup, topped with Fever-Tree Ginger Beer

For my meal, I ordered two appetizers and a side. One of those appetizers was my standby Wonton Soup. Their crunchy wontons on the side are some of the best anywhere although I don’t know how they can call a few green onions the addition of ‘vegetables’ to a soup. It was also a bit chilly still so it worked on warming me up! You can also see in the background my husband was on Diet Coke #3.

Wonton Soup - Pork Wontons, Clear Chicken Broth and Vegetables

My second appetizer was the firecracker shrimp since I was on a shrimp kick and who doesn’t like some spice in their life! It reminded me of the shrimp I used to get at Ruby Tuesdays back in the day as it was a sweet spicy sauce and I had no problem finishing it off!

Firecracker Shrimp - Crispy Fried Shrimp Tossed in A Creamy, Spicy Sauce

Still in a shrimp phase, I did a side of coconut shrimp as while I wanted to try their coconut shrimp, I didn’t want to commit to an entree and this was a much cheaper option. I really enjoyed these as there wasn’t excessive coconut but just enough to give you the taste of it but not making your mouth feel like that strange chalky texture excessive coconut can give.

Side of Coconut Shrimp

My husband went with the honey chicken. I kinda questioned him on this as he typically hates honey flavored things but I guess he wanted sweet and sugars in his post race meals and this was a great option for that! He actually finished his plate so I would say he liked it!

Honey Chicken - Tempura Chicken, Fresh Vegetables Tossed in a Honey Sauce Served with Jasmine Rice

We paid and headed out of the park. I handed him my puzzle from earlier as I was going to the RunDisney Meet at Hurricane Hannah’s while he was heading back to our hotel room so he could relax and watch football. I didn’t have too long of a wait before the Yacht/Beach Club bus arrived.

Leaving My Husband Behind

Once at the Yacht Club, I headed over to Hurricane Hannah’s where @Bree and @croach were already there. I started with Frose and then switched to Summer Shandy’s. I probably spent around 3 hours there drinking and talking to the various members of the RunDisney boards - some of which I had met before and some that were first time meets! I did watch my drinking this time as during Dark Side - it ended up killing my appetite for Yachtsman and I wanted to make sure I was going to enjoy Jiko!

Frose & Summer Shandy

Eventually it became time to part ways and I took a taxi back to AKL and headed back to the room as we still had dinner to attend to.​

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Funny, I was just thinking the other day that I missed Yak & Yeti. Your drink looks delightful. And hurrah for paid-for exercise being over and time to go into full vacation mode. That those green onions constitute “vegetables” is hysterical ... but it looks good. Hurricane Hanna’s is a fun spot for a meet! Good call on saving appetite for Jiko!

 

[rteetz]

Yak and Yeti looks good. Another place I haven’t been to yet.

The meet up was a lot of fun! Can’t wait to do it again.