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

I’m On A Boat

giphy.gif


We couldn’t go on the other 2 boat rides in EPCOT without visiting the other, especially if rumors are true it will get an update to Coco. Side Note: Am I the only one that didn’t like Coco? I fell asleep during it, I was that bored!

E5nPoki.jpg


qy2wnB0.jpg


KkfqKXh.jpg


aKheEsD.jpg


cBIueOl.jpg


Mexico

It had been too long without alcohol and food so after our boat ride, we remedied that quickly at the Mexico F&W Booth! I really liked the shrimp quesadilla but I know some others haven’t liked it. I think it depends on how much you like corn tortillas (grainier than flour) and Oaxaca Cheese. My mother wasn’t a fan at all. We also think our margarita got mixed up. It was spicy which looking at the ingredients, it wasn’t supposed to be unless it was the chamoy. I think my mother drank it only because it was almost $10 but it was nursed for a while...

iFw8D3U.jpg

Shrimp Quesadilla: Corn Tortilla w/ Shrimp, Oaxaca Cheese and topped with Spicy Guajillo Sauce
Mariachi Loco: Margarita w/ Libélula Tequila Joven, Mango Puree and Chamoy


Thailand

I went to the next booth I wanted to visit and got the peanut chicken. Chicken was a bit dry but the sauce on top of the chicken was exactly what I wanted my flatbread from the night before to be like but wasn’t. Could have used some rice to soak up all that sauce as well!

0zqIE0f.jpg

Marinated Chicken with Peanut Sauce and Stir-fried Vegetables

HAIgBMU.jpg


Light Lab

We headed to the light lab where I decided to get the cider flight as I still needed more alcohol in my day. We took a break here on the floor to get out of the heat. I slowly sipped the ciders while my mother was still nursing that margarita from earlier. Of the three, the Ciderboys was my favorite but I drink Ciderboys a lot at home. My ended up throwing out about half of the blueberry peppercorn as it was just ok. The dry rose from Original Sin was also ok and I drank most of it.

SjVyxzR.jpg

Cider Flight: Original Sin Dry Rose, 3 Daughters Brewing Blueberry Peppercorn Hard Cider, Ciderboys Zen Berry Hard Cider

Rested and hydrated we used our last FP+ on Imagination. The FP+ wasn’t needed as there was no line and our ride train was pretty much empty except for 2 other parties.

3tcc2ZC.jpg


LGuJFtz.jpg


vuc2x3D.jpg


After exploring 4 of our senses, I needed to work on number 5 and I picked up a bucket of my cheddar cheese popcorn before we headed back to the Grand Floridian via the monorail. I snacked on the popcorn later in the weekend and on my drive home Monday! I think I can get away with bringing it back with me in November since Halloween would have just ended. Who can pass on $1.75 refills? Overall, it was a successful day at the festival. We didn’t try everything we wanted but at least I got through some of my list and will have more in November with my husband.

28gUoxV.jpg


L6nOROn.jpg

 
I have been trying forever to get on the boards and find your F&W posts; I have so enjoyed your past ones. I have been taking F&W notes like crazy. We will be there one day only, Oct. 14, and do you know how hard it is to get 5 people to understand my commando style and review the menus ahead of time? They are driving me crazy. We are going to be up super late that Sat. with a long day at US/IOA during the day and HHN during the night, but I am determined to get everyone up early. We then fly out super early Monday. I will take one day at Epcot over no days. It has been about 4 years since any time at WDW. it is so awesome to see someone enjoy it like you do with going often. Looking forward to more, and your news in October. And I love the pics of you and your Mom.
 
Yes! I will definitely say hello if we see you!

Yay!

I have been trying forever to get on the boards and find your F&W posts; I have so enjoyed your past ones. I have been taking F&W notes like crazy. We will be there one day only, Oct. 14, and do you know how hard it is to get 5 people to understand my commando style and review the menus ahead of time? They are driving me crazy. We are going to be up super late that Sat. with a long day at US/IOA during the day and HHN during the night, but I am determined to get everyone up early. We then fly out super early Monday. I will take one day at Epcot over no days. It has been about 4 years since any time at WDW. it is so awesome to see someone enjoy it like you do with going often. Looking forward to more, and your news in October. And I love the pics of you and your Mom.

That real life stuff does make it hard to keep up with the boards. I know Gantu keeps me away more than normal as I barely touch my computer at home in the evenings anymore.

Oh my! One day only with 5 people on a weekend. You are a brave woman. At least Sunday is better than Saturday but yes, that is going to be a crazy weekend especially considering you are doing US/IOA and HHN the day before! We haven't doing HHN in 5 years and I know we won't be able to do it next year. It is such a fun event just only so many funds available to enjoy it all! That will be a fun weekend though. You may need another vacation when you get home to rest!

Disney is totally my happy place! We're going to end up missing F&W next year but that's ok.
 


Enzo’s Is The Stronger Of The Pair

This weekend trip was the first time we would be leaving Gantu uncrated for more than a couple hours. I was super nervous about that since he is still a puppy and he’s large enough that he can reach on the counters without trying. I actually wanted to board him but my husband was against it and said that he would install cameras so we can watch and see them inside the house and on the lanai. It would let me see if they were harassing the neighbors by barking too much and if he were causing trouble inside the house. The cameras also let us talk to them if desired. Once were back in the room, I decided to check in on them as they would have been left alone for a couple hours at that point. I’ve learned my dogs pretty much do sleep most of the day - they just like to change spots every hour or so. Gantu sunbathes at least twice a day on the lanai as well. He does play with his toys some solo but any of the toys with potential choking hazards are put away. I loved being able to check on him all weekend or during my business trip the next week.

ktraNHH.jpg


Once back at the room, we were a bit annoyed that our room wasn’t cleaned yet even though it was past 2PM. The guy eventually showed up at like 4:15PM where we just had him do the towels and trash. We relaxed until a little before 5PM when we walked to my mother’s car to drive to Disney Springs. We had no problems finding any parking and we were on our way to walk around a bit and check out the Disney Style store, the Star Wars store and the Marvel Store. I really felt this trip that Disney was really stepping up their game when it came to merchandise as there were a ton of different options than before!

Zakl0yu.jpg


After window shopping, we headed towards Maria & Enzo’s for our first time eating there. I had eaten at Enzo’s a couple times before and loved it so I was hoping this would also be equally as amazing. Maria & Enzo’s definitely keeps up with its theme of an airport terminal well with the signage and decorations.

RAXHIGu.jpg


frq7a9s.jpg


We were seated on the main floor (we had to take the elevator due to my ankle) and took time to review the menu. The menu had changed since we had picked it and I was a little disappointed to see that they no longer had various Italian Meats and Cheese a la carte and just had the large meat & cheese platter. I really only wanted prosciutto and parmesan cheese to start and not a huge platter so we passed on that.

iJRL9No.jpg


NOLTose.jpg


Ly6P8Un.jpg

First Class Lounge

While we reviewed the menu, we ate some of the bread and each of us ordered a different flight of wine. Originally my mother ordered the same prosecco flight as me but I switched to the red wine as I wanted us to have more options as 6 wine tastes are better than 3. We each liked our flights but I think we both ended up happier with our choices than the others choice. Italian Wines make me happy!

kpvAcE6.jpg

Bread

2Tcxpbe.jpg

Prosecco Flight

M48Acys.jpg

Red Wine Flight

So disappointed that my a la carte options were gone, I still ordered something as an appetizer for my mother and I to share. The caciovallo here at Maria & Enzo’s is a sheep’s milk cheese that is kinda like a tangy cousin of a mozzarella/provolone mix. It was different but still enjoyable. Not sure I would order it again though.

W6NCRU3.jpg

Caciovallo Fritto - Fried Sicilian Cheese, Spicy Tomato and Pomodoro Sauce

My mother ordered the sicilian pasta and it was entirely too much food for her especially after all the eating and drinking we did earlier around EPCOT. She barely made a dent in it but she said she liked it. I’ll believe her as I wasn’t touching it as I do not like cooked zucchini.

T4erH1o.jpg

Sicilian Oven-Baked Pasta - Sicilian Baked Pasta, Meat Ragu, Peas, Zucchini, Caciocavallo Cheese

I went with an entree I figured would be on the lighter side. This was a true statement but it was rather unremarkable as it wasn’t really flavorful but did the job of filling my stomach.

dogd2AM.jpg

Three Cheese Ravioli - Parmesan, Smoked Pecorino and Ricotta Ravioli, Tomato Sauce, Toasted Garlic, Almond Pesto

While our food was good, I couldn’t help but feel like I would have been happier downstairs at Enzo’s. I think that’s more my space as I liked the food better, I liked the cocktail menu better and I liked the atmosphere better. Our server was attentive enough but eh. I’m not in a rush to go back. After dinner, we headed back to the room for the night. I needed to rest and elevate my foot as it was starting to hurt a little bit after getting ready for bed.
 
Been away for a bit and looking forward to catching up! I think we may sneak in a F&W trip this year after all and I always enjoy reading your reviews!
Once we were checking out the purchase I made, we got the text that we could go inside.
I am so glad to see they are doing texts instead of the pagers now! It makes way more sense and you don't have to worry about the range of the pager (just getting back in time!)

Both were ok. Nothing amazing but filling. I wish the Thai Chicken Flatbread tasted more of peanut sauce that was supposed to be on it.
I don't remember seeing any other reviews of the flatbread but it looks pretty good! A wise choice to "balance" the nautilus :p

As we were already at The Land, we headed onto Living With The Land where we had a boat to ourselves!
Woop woop! I don't think I've ever gotten my own boat... but I also never rope drop LwtL so I see the error of my ways!

First Thought: Does this make everyone else sad too with the lack of eel or the lack of most of them having animals anymore
YES! I was just remarking on that last month when there were like 5 whole shrimp in the entire aquarium display. I feel like that space could be better used if they're not going to stock it with aquatic creatures

Second Thought: How much more can they really learn about dragon fruit, venus flytrap or redwood? Those have been up there for years!
:rotfl:

The WaffAle is high on my list, glad to see your priorities on your first F&W visit!! Looking forward to catching up and reading more!!
 
I've never seen Coco but it does seem likely they will re-theme the boat ride. I wish they'd do something with Journey Into Imagination (like return it to the original) - such a waste right now. Congratulations to Gantu on graduating from the crate! I'd love to install a camera to watch my pup -- I'm so curious what he does when I'm gone but pretty sure it is just sleep. Sorry to hear Maria and Enzo's was just meh. The airport theme doesn't really appeal to me -- but Italian sure does! I hate when I've been scoping out the menu and it changes -- that's disappointing. The flights look good though! I just read that annual passholders get 40% off lunch so I may need to give it a try.
 


Been away for a bit and looking forward to catching up! I think we may sneak in a F&W trip this year after all and I always enjoy reading your reviews!
Well, you've been away for good reasons like getting married and getting settled into that lifestyle. Yay that you are going to end up with a F&W trip! We won't be there in 2019, most likely.

I am so glad to see they are doing texts instead of the pagers now! It makes way more sense and you don't have to worry about the range of the pager (just getting back in time!)
It does! Everyone has a cell phone! My mother kept getting annoyed that I automatically gave my cell phone number each time but when I reminder her that my phone stays attached to my hand and hers stays in her purse - it stopped. Yup! You have 10 minutes to show up so you can't go too far but at least it allows you to look at the stores accordingly!

I don't remember seeing any other reviews of the flatbread but it looks pretty good! A wise choice to "balance" the nautilus :p
I think people just get the buns or the tacos and call it a day as that is normal drunk food! I'm glad I had the flatbread as cheese and bread soak up alcohol well.

Woop woop! I don't think I've ever gotten my own boat... but I also never rope drop LwtL so I see the error of my ways!
Yes! Rope Dropping LwtL is so much better with no crowds. While we enjoy rides - we're past the general RUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUN to get all the rides in.

YES! I was just remarking on that last month when there were like 5 whole shrimp in the entire aquarium display. I feel like that space could be better used if they're not going to stock it with aquatic creatures

EXACTLY! It is so sad as it keeps getting worse year after year!

The WaffAle is high on my list, glad to see your priorities on your first F&W visit!! Looking forward to catching up and reading more!!

You will like the WaffAle! So many great beers this year from various craft/local places. The beer selection is totally better than the wine this year.

I've never seen Coco but it does seem likely they will re-theme the boat ride. I wish they'd do something with Journey Into Imagination (like return it to the original) - such a waste right now. Congratulations to Gantu on graduating from the crate! I'd love to install a camera to watch my pup -- I'm so curious what he does when I'm gone but pretty sure it is just sleep. Sorry to hear Maria and Enzo's was just meh. The airport theme doesn't really appeal to me -- but Italian sure does! I hate when I've been scoping out the menu and it changes -- that's disappointing. The flights look good though! I just read that annual passholders get 40% off lunch so I may need to give it a try.

While I would love Journey into Imagination return to the Original state - I doubt that would happen either as I think all our memories have the ride aging better than it really would have. I just think they need to do something else entirely with that land but who knows what.

Gantu still is in the crate most nights. We let him sleep in bed maybe 1 or 2 days a week if he's well behaved in the day. Last night was not one of those days - when I went to bed (my husband was closing so he wasn't going to be home until after 11pm), I was going to let him try to sleep in bed but he decided it would be more fun to steal laundry, blankets and run around the house showing off his prizes. There goes another pair of boxers into the trash...It is mostly sleep! Gantu will play with some toys every now and then and just make them be everywhere around the house.

I do love Italian food too but at least I tried a new place. Now I know to just stick downstairs for Italian at Disney Springs which is perfectly fine to me! The 40% off deal is almost enough to let me give them another try at lunch but I'm not going to give up my other lunchs.
 
A Big Kid

I woke up this morning at 7AM. My mother had already been up for like an hour as she takes a while to get ready in the morning. (I’m an evening shower person as I rather just get up and go - she’s a 90 minute get ready type person but only took 75 minutes this morning) We were out the door by 7:15AM as there was early morning EMH at Hollywood Studios at 8AM. I’m glad we left when we did as the parking is a bit of a longer walk than usual but we still walked through the gates at 7:35AM - we actually were already allowed inside the park with no hold backs anywhere. We headed straight to Toy Story Land and Slinky Dog Dash! The wait posted was about 30 minutes but it really only took about 20 minutes.

MwSOXib.jpg


LwpWxbr.jpg


jv3LoF9.jpg


UXGs9uB.jpg


GliEdht.jpg


hGXMoZz.jpg


XEkjZHU.jpg


naRLYyn.jpg


I really liked the roller coaster even if I do take horrible photopass photos! I’m glad I got to experience without too bad of a wait after we couldn’t get a FP+ for it. I would probably wait up to 45 minutes for it in the future but not much more but I’m someone that doesn’t like to wait more than 20 minutes in lines anywhere so that’s saying something.

As all the rides in Toy Story Land were open, we headed to Toy Story Mania and pretty much walked on! It said it was a 10 minute wait but it wasn’t. It probably took that long to walk through the que!

PAfdlzb.jpg


n7Gce7t.jpg


2T9XD3o.jpg


0TUo0Lt.jpg


I kicked my mother’s booty along with everyone else in the ride vehicle with us. I like it that way. The difference of doing this ride with my mother versus my husband and that she doesn’t know how to turn on certain minigames that requires the two people to work together so we didn’t get those turned on. I’m still glad I did so well though even without those!

mzXHv0H.jpg


It was still only 8:20AM and we had knocked out two of the major rides in Toy Story Land and we still had 40 minutes until normal people were let in. We decided to get the Alien Saucers out of the way and adjusted our FP+ accordingly. I’m sure we made someone really happy when we released our FP+ for Alien Swirling Saucers.

4X1qH4A.jpg

Can’t Wait Until The Other Side Of This Wall Opens!

Q8nIXqw.jpg


ReiAXeD.png


UFe5uOO.jpg


OGAeTz9.jpg


The saucers were ok but I wouldn’t wait more than 15 minutes for them again. I’m glad I did it once though as a walk on! We spied Woody and Jesse while we were leaving the land but it was a long line now so we headed out to hopefully get RnRC done before Early Magic Hours were over! We did stop to visit the PhotoPass lady as we left the land where I took another bad photo squinting into the sun.

cMWXePd.jpg


vP4aFXZ.jpg

 
Fun morning and awesome to get in ahead of the crowd! The parking and bus situation - as well as the walk from Epcot- there is a total nightmare! I just did Toy Story Land last weekend and was so impressed with all the little details. Slinky Dog was a little more intense than I was expecting (but I am a wimp). I would definitely do it again. Catching a glimpse of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge was pretty awesome too. It looks incredible and massive. I can't wait for it to open but I don't even want to think about what the crowd situation will be like! I agree Alien Swirling Saucers was cute but no burning desire to go back to do it again. I have to read up on some of those "tricks" in Toy Story Mania -- I am so bad at all the games! Cute pic of you and your mom!!
 
I laugh that our mothers must have the same routine in the morning! Lol! My kids are so excited for toy story land! Well me too! Thanks for the update! Oh, I need to learn the toy story mania tricks....who knew!
 
Just checking in to say I had a chance to visit the festival yesterday and the same guy was busy studying Venus Flytrap, Dragon Fruit and Redwood on Living with the Land. :laughing:
 
Cool SDD picture, we didn’t get a picture, must have not been working when we were there! We liked it, smooth coaster!
 
Fun morning and awesome to get in ahead of the crowd! The parking and bus situation - as well as the walk from Epcot- there is a total nightmare! I just did Toy Story Land last weekend and was so impressed with all the little details. Slinky Dog was a little more intense than I was expecting (but I am a wimp). I would definitely do it again. Catching a glimpse of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge was pretty awesome too. It looks incredible and massive. I can't wait for it to open but I don't even want to think about what the crowd situation will be like! I agree Alien Swirling Saucers was cute but no burning desire to go back to do it again. I have to read up on some of those "tricks" in Toy Story Mania -- I am so bad at all the games! Cute pic of you and your mom!!

It's a total nightmare! I'm a little worried about how they may end up changing the Wine & Dine 10K/Half Marathon routes because of all that construction or if they are going to end up opening it up for people to run through. I'm glad we are able to walk when we stay at the Boardwalk.

I'm very excited for Galaxy's Edge. I'm scared of the crowd situation too but I'm hoping because Disneyland is having theirs as well - the crowd divide will be split.

Yes! There are some tricks to Toy Story Mania. The easiest one I can explain is to set off the volcano you have to set off the balloons at that top of the volcano twice. That will erupt it. After eruption, 2 comets appear. Keep hitting those so that they hit the ground.

I laugh that our mothers must have the same routine in the morning! Lol! My kids are so excited for toy story land! Well me too! Thanks for the update! Oh, I need to learn the toy story mania tricks....who knew!

Her routine is something. It's been that way forever so I don't think much of it. I'm just the complete opposite of her. I rarely wear makeup but I do regular facials to keep my skin looking nice. I don't style my hair much as well. This trip it was more so I needed to keep my hair in a bun the whole time because of the tattoo still healing.

Just checking in to say I had a chance to visit the festival yesterday and the same guy was busy studying Venus Flytrap, Dragon Fruit and Redwood on Living with the Land. :laughing:

Haha! There must be a lot to learn about those three things ;)

Cool SDD picture, we didn’t get a picture, must have not been working when we were there! We liked it, smooth coaster!

How old were the Magicbands you were using? I ask that as the photo didn't show up in my photopass but rather under my mother's when I selected "Show Friends and Family" I still rock my old MagicBands 1.0 that I had paid for (Original Purple Haunted Mansion before purple was free, Stitch, BB8) so I'm pretty sure the battery is dead in them for the long range stuff. It works fine for the close range. It is a nice coaster! Can't wait to go on it again in a 7 weeks!
 
Music To Our Ears

We made it to Rock’N’Roller Coaster before regular people were let in and it took all of 5 minutes to make it into a car. They didn’t even make us watch the pre-show as we could walk right straight to the vehicles! Score! I continued my trend of the day of taking horrible photopass photos.

hiCYUkA.jpg


pd1dtY1.jpg


o6KaJZh.jpg


It was now almost 9AM but I was starving and in need of some type of food before we continued on our day. We headed to Starbucks to get a drink and a snack. We both went super healthy for our breakfast. I had a Toy Story Cupcake and my mother had a Neapolitan. It took like 10 minutes for my drink to come out which was annoying but oh well we had done well on time so far this day. The cupcake was like a 50:50 icing to cake ratio so I ended up wasting a lot of the icing as it was too much for me. It did turn my tongue blue as well.

w03fxC5.jpg

Toy Story Cupcake + Salted Caramel Frappuccino No Whip

DHASQQZ.jpg

Neapolitan

We headed to Star Tours but I have no photographic evidence of that so you’ll just have to believe me. I was happy that we got the StormTrooper/Yoda/Pod Race/Naboo sequence as it had been a while since I had seen Yoda and while I hate Jar Jar Binks - the Naboo ending sequence is one of the better ones! We then visited Olaf as he was also still a walk in with no wait!

Ng8ouxM.jpg


8kWyLOk.jpg


We grabbed the end of the Jedi Training Academy before it was time for our Frozen Sing-a-long FP+ that my mother loves. I find the show cute. The show is a lot more enjoyable when the audience is only half full because there are less people singing along off tune.

QhKh0ha.jpg


ALJnHT1.jpg


7cyFG1f.jpg


wjwCAds.jpg


LVt93O0.jpg


yaWqXph.jpg


nBhTmmc.jpg

He Knows About Hans

bziNtha.jpg

Kristoff & Anna

lQbAGhM.jpg

Ending
 
Breakfast of champions. :thumbsup2 You guys really got a ton done that morning! I love Star Tours. I hope it doesn’t go away when the new land opens but it seems kinda inevitable. I’ve never done any of the shows - at DHS or AK. :blush: Always something new to try!
 
Disappointing about Maria & Enzo's. On the most recent Disney Dish podcast Len Testa said that he likes Terralina better than Maria & Enzo's, which is interesting since I haven't heard many reviews of Terralina yet. We liked Enzo's Hideaway a lot but I am wondering if you can do both the 40% AP lunch discount and then use TIW on drinks. Maybe if you ask for them on separate checks?

Cool SDD picture, we didn’t get a picture, must have not been working when we were there! We liked it, smooth coaster!
We were there at the same time as you guys and we didn't get Slinky pics either, and all of us had shiny new magic bands so I think the camera was just down at some point.
:guilty:

They didn’t even make us watch the pre-show as we could walk right straight to the vehicles!
But... how did you manage to get those backstage passes?!

I ended up wasting a lot of the icing as it was too much for me. It did turn my tongue blue as well
Yikes, that does look like an awful lot of awfully blue icing! I have to say, a lot of the Disney cupcakes taste better than they look though!!!

We then visited Olaf as he was also still a walk in with no wait!
Still never done this, I never remember about character greetings!

Another fun morning!!!
 
Breakfast of champions. :thumbsup2 You guys really got a ton done that morning! I love Star Tours. I hope it doesn’t go away when the new land opens but it seems kinda inevitable. I’ve never done any of the shows - at DHS or AK. :blush: Always something new to try!

I hope they don't get rid of Star Tours either! I hope they end up theming the Star Tours area towards Galaxy's Edge with a bit more Star Wars stuff and they are just holding off on it now because so much of that park was under construction.

There is always something new to try!

Disappointing about Maria & Enzo's. On the most recent Disney Dish podcast Len Testa said that he likes Terralina better than Maria & Enzo's, which is interesting since I haven't heard many reviews of Terralina yet. We liked Enzo's Hideaway a lot but I am wondering if you can do both the 40% AP lunch discount and then use TIW on drinks. Maybe if you ask for them on separate checks?
Maybe? Doesn't hurt to ask! We never really go to Disney Springs for lunch unless its post race so we won't be taking advantage of that discount. I've heard good things about Terralina as well. Maybe we'll stop by for an appetizer on our evening in Disney Spring bar hop we are planning.

We were there at the same time as you guys and we didn't get Slinky pics either, and all of us had shiny new magic bands so I think the camera was just down at some point.
:guilty:
That stinks! Guess you just need to go ride the coaster again to get another photo!

But... how did you manage to get those backstage passes?!
Magic!

Yikes, that does look like an awful lot of awfully blue icing! I have to say, a lot of the Disney cupcakes taste better than they look though!!!
It was a lot of blue icing! The cupcakes are prettier than they end up tasting. This cupcake was rather basic so I was fine (chocolate with super colored vanilla icing) but I wanted something that I couldn't get at my Starbucks down the street to eat which left cupcakes as my option!

Still never done this, I never remember about character greetings!

We only visit characters when there are no/minimal lines usually unless there is a special reason. As adults, I totally get why it isn't a priority.
 
Outdoor Eating

After our sing-a-long that we didn’t sing-a-long too, we headed into Baseline but we decided against getting anything for some reason or another and headed into the Muppets instead.

1l03rG4.jpg

Baseline

We had just missed the show that was starting so we got to see the entire pre-show which I haven’t seen in a bit. That Rizzo is totally a troublemaker but not as much as Waldo!

OjhRX8r.jpg

My favorite fountain

PRxeslZ.jpg

Penguins

CO1eyK0.jpg

My Favorite Cranky Old Men Other Than My Cocker Spaniel

h4ys2dh.jpg


Afterwards, we did a little shopping where I picked my husband and I up the passholder only Galaxy’s Edge shirts. He told me he wanted a Star Wars shirt but he owned most of them already that were his style so this was the closest I could get to something different!

It was still before noon but we headed to the Brown Derby Lounge and discovered they were already opened because of one server being nice. Apparently the other server got mad at her for doing that as our table switched waitresses after we ordered because of it. I wished that first lady got all of our tip because that second lady just seemed like she had a chip on her shoulder. My second complaint is that they served my manhattan in a short whiskey glass and not a martini glass. I realize this is something that is ridiculously picky but I’m allowed to be picky. It didn’t stop me from ordering a second one though.

UGAf5uE.jpg

Hollywood Manhattan - Palm Ridge Reserve Whiskey and Antica Carpano Sweet Vermouth Garnished WIth Luxardo Cherries

My mother ordered a bloody mary with normal vodka, no olives and double celery. She was originally given the wrong drink by our 2nd server and it took a bit for it to get corrected as we saw her real drink sitting at the bar waiting for her. Our ‘real’ server ignored this problem so we found the first one who we took the order from to correct it and that is when we found out that the 2nd server was mad at her. I felt bad for that first server. Once she got her now slightly watered down bloody mary, my mother was happy as she doesn’t like a spicy Bloody Mary.

ocORsFu.jpg

Bloody Mary

We each ordered two small plates as our lunch as we knew we had V&A coming up this evening and there was no point in overeating before hand. The first of my mother’s picks was the half portion of the Cobb Salad. My mother has loved this salad since the Brown Derby opened. She even made it sometimes at home. I’m not a cobb salad fan as I don’t like blue cheese or eggs or raw tomatoes so I don’t order it or eat it. My mother had no problem finishing it off though!

7Co61bX.jpg

The Famous Hollywood Brown Derby Cobb Salad

Her second course wasn’t on the lounge menu but rather the normal Brown Derby menu. She was still able to order it though. I got to steal one of the 3 fritters of rock shrimp and really enjoyed it! If it wasn’t so hot out - I may have actually ordered the soup as well but it was too hot for me to have soup! My mother finished this off as well without too many issues.

OeBZSmK.jpg

Sweet Corn Bisque with Rock Shrimp Fritters

For my courses, I decided to overload it with pork as that was both of my options. The pork belly was perfectly tender and it was quickly devoured!

K7SSari.jpg

Tamarind Glazed Pork Belly

The steamed buns were my second option. The pork was super flavorful.

NdQVmGn.jpg

Cochinita Pibil Steamed Buns

While we were finishing up our meal, we got to watch the March of the First Order which was nice but still isn’t a real parade. I think I’ve seen parts of it too many times to really give it much worth.

3lRsuBl.jpg

Watching The March of The First Order

We did some more shopping and I got a new purse to be shown later! I didn’t buy the Cone of Shame but it made me smile/giggle as I know come next Marchish - we’ll have a Cone of Shame around this house since I have to wait until at least 12 months old to neuter Gantu per contract. We may wait until 18 months depending on how his X-Rays go for hips.

jeyMUw1.jpg

Cone of Shame

After shopping, we headed back to the car and the Grand Floridian. Our room was already cleaned which was an improvement from the day before.

7Ntkv1Z.jpg

Clean Room

y3xvDP3.jpg

Room View

And photos of today’s shopping to follow! I’m so happy with my purse as who doesn’t love Disney Dogs?

fTMZBPz.jpg


HXefP6Y.jpg


5O3UHZP.jpg


rq613cx.jpg


After I put those away, I showered and then watched Star Trek: Deep Space Nine before taking a short nap. I had set an alarm for 4:45PM just in case I slept too long as we had a nice dinner to attend that evening!

DUgrRgS.jpg

Netflix
 
I love the Muppets too. Hope that attraction doesn’t go away! Other than your server, Brown Derby looks and sounds delicious. I had that corn soup a few months ago and it was soooooo good. But I see what you mean about the heat. That’s my one complaint about the lounge - that it’s open to the elements. I had forgotten there are Galaxy’s Edge Passholder shirts - will have to go back for those. Can’t wait to hear about V&A’s!!!
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top