Eat, Drink, & Be Scary-- Pre-Trip Report October 2018-- UPDATED 10/25 (w/ "Final" Plans)

stralkeral229

Earning My Ears
Joined
May 22, 2018
Hi Everyone,

This is my first ever PTR and my actual first post EVER on the Disboards! I feel like I’m a little behind the usual PTR schedule, but more on that later.

* Travel Dates

October 27th- November 1st

* Where we are staying:

Best Western Buena Vista in the Disney Springs area

* WHO: Husband and I

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Me: My name is Alison. I’m 30 years old and love all things Disney. I work full time in the textile industry as a R&D Project Manager while also attending online college part time trying to obtain my Master’s degree. This will be my 5th time visiting WDW. During college I had a friend who was in the college program, so I went a few times to visit her. My first ever trip before that was in 1998 when I was 10 years old with my parents. I think I'm super excited about this trip because it is really the first time that I'm getting to do exactly what I want to do. As a kid obviously that was really planned by my parent's and then visiting my friend mostly revolved around her time and things she had planned. I never really thought about that before planning this trip and don't get me wrong I had awesome times visiting her, but we are also quite different personality wise.

Favorite Character: Sadness or Eeyore (see the theme...lol)

Favorite Princess: Merida

Favorite Ride: Toy Story Midway Mania

Favorite Show: Beauty and the Beast

Favorite Park: Epcot

Favorite Movie: UP (Husband and I actually had an UP inspired wedding and engagement photo shoot. A couple of photos are posted below our introductions).

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DH: His name is Jason and this will be his 2nd visit. His first trip was in 2013 which was my last chance to take advantage of deals through that friend I mentioned earlier (she moved back home a few months after). He did not really grow up with anything Disney and is not the excitable type. I am getting excited doing all the planning, but he’s not super helpful (he keeps saying he’ll be excited when we actually get there). He is a CAD Technician and just recently started a new job after being laid off a couple months ago. This is part of the reason why I'm just now booking and planning this trip because I wanted to wait until we both had secure income coming in again. He really works so super hard though and supports me in everything I do-- including planning vacations that he may not be overly excited about....lol

Favorite Character: Wreck-It Ralph

Favorite Movie: Wreck-It Ralph

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Here is my fav pic from each of our UP themed engagement and wedding photos:
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*WHY

A little background information for motivation for this trip—

One- I’ve wanted to go back since our last trip in 2013, but we love travelling in general and like to go different places so going back to Orlando just hasn’t come up since our last trip

Two- Since DH and I were together for over 4 years before we finally got married, we still count our first date as an ‘anniversary’ of sorts. So, November 1st of this year will make 7 years together!

Three- My father passed away in October from cancer and through this while reminiscing and looking through old photos after his passing I pulled out our family picture album from that 1998 trip I mentioned. I soon realized that 2018 would mark 20 years since that first trip, so I’ve been set on this being our big trip this year since that realization. I’m hoping to pick out a couple of my favorite pictures with my dad and me and make sure to visit those areas and “recreate” a couple photos with DH and me in the same spots.

* Advanced Dining Reservations:

As of right now they are as follows:

Garden Grill 10/28 Breakfast at 9:45AM

Tusker House 10/29 Dinner at 4:05PM

Hollywood and Vine 10/30 Lunch at 2:45PM

T-Rex 10/30 Dinner at 9:30PM (The one thing hubby has helped pick so far….lol)

Crystal Palace 11/1 Breakfast at 9:45AM

* Special Events/Plans

So far, I have booked the following events:

MNSSHP on 10/31- That’s right, I’m going to celebrate actual Halloween with the mouse himself. I have been to MVMCP, but never been to MNSSHP before, so I knew it was a MUST for this trip. Since it will be a first time for me, I’m still debating on also booking a second MNSSHP another night of our trip because I know it’s going to be sold out/super crowded Halloween night. I NEED to meet Jack & Sally and I’m thinking I’d rather not waste majority of my time on Halloween in lines, but really want to just leisurely take in the atmosphere more so Halloween night than try to squeeze everything in….. Decisions, decisions……

Return to Sleep Hollow on 10/29- Yep, the person who’s never been to MNSSHP and thus never seen the headless horseman in person is going to this event. After reading the reviews of this event last year, I knew it was another MUST for me.


So there's the current plan and bookings. Knowing me some things will change and shuffle around, but I feel pretty happy with what I was able to book so far. I look forward to updating you all and also for any suggestions you all may have for our upcoming trip!
 
Hello again fellow Disney lovers,

So, as mentioned in my introduction I work in the textile industry. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Textiles and am currently pursing my Master’s in Textiles. Funny story though—I really don’t like clothes shopping. I do like the idea of being creative though and have been obsessed with Disney Bounding ever since I heard about it being a thing. Unfortunately I have only heard about it in the last couple of years, so it was after my last Disney trip. BUT that means my dream right now is to make up for that in a big way and I want to bound EVERY day on our trip this year. That’s right—I found a way to make clothes shopping exciting to me!! Since I’m always fascinated to see other’s ideas for this, I thought I’d share my process with you all and maybe even get some feedback.

So far, this is my list of what I’m thinking of trying to achieve. Some will be easier than others and this may change around depending on what I’m able to find. My hope is to also have coordinating “ears” for each outfit as I think this will really tie it all together…..now to decide if I want to be crafty myself or just buy from other fellow crafters…..

To make this a little more visually interesting, I am adding pics of some of my favorite ears I have found online so far since I don’t technically have anything for this outfits yet.

*Sunday Morning @ Epcot 10/28: Marie
White dress with pink belt
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*Sunday Night @ MK MNSSHP 10/28: Sally (Buy husband a Jack shirt and convince him to wear it….lol)
I will most likely buy an actual Sally dress costume for this
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Monday @ HS & AK 10/29: Russell??
Khaki pants w/ Yellow shirt; Probably use the same UP ears as below for Ellie....

Tuesday @ AK & HS 10/30: Sadness
Blue skirt & top OR Blue dress
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Wednesday Morning @ Epcot 10/31: Gaston??
Red shirt w/ Khaki pants
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Wednesday Night @ MK MNSSHP 10/31: Ellie (Husband already has a Carl “outfit” from our engagement photos)
Outfit from engagement photos (Overalls w/ button down shirt)
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Thursday @ MK & Epcot 11/1: Eeyore
Grey dress w/ Pink belt
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Friday @ MK 11/2: Ariel
Green skirt w/ Purple top
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So there you have it! Those are my current ideas. I'm excited to see what I can find and update along the way.
 


Officially Official Now??

Well, I feel a little more official now that we booked our flights this weekend! We were able to find the perfect flights and actually we are going to leave Friday night (10/26) now instead of flying in Saturday. Hubby is happy because we have decided to stay at a hotel when we land Friday close to Universal and then spend all day Saturday at Universal. He is definitely more of a ride person so he's happy to be going for more intense rides and I'm happy that I will FINALLY get to see Harry Potter world. I just made an account on Pottermore so I could be sorted into my house-- turns out I am a.......
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Okay, back to the Disney stuff. My major update for that is that I was able to book a time for a Be Our Guest dinner. I know there is some unknown still with the change coming this summer, but as long as you can still meet the Beast at dinner I'm good. One of my fondest memories from that trip with my parents when I was 10 was us meeting Belle and Beast together. Beast evidently told his character attendant to tell me that he loved my hair. As a kid who grew up semi-hating my super frizzy, curly red hair for some reason hearing that made me so happy. I haven't met the Beast in any of my other visits, so I think it's quite fitting to hopefully meet him again on this "20 years later anniversary" trip.
Also, speaking of the Beast, I decided to change one of my DisneyBound outfits to Belle! I visited Target last week specifically looking for the wire frame ears I had seen others post about. I bought 5 pairs with the intention of leaving one as is and maybe customizing the others somehow. Well, I guess the crafty bug bit me today, so I made my first custom pair that are inspired by--- Belle! I'm pretty happy with how they turned out considering I was really just winging it :rotfl:

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Enjoy the planning! I will be there October 10-20. We curly redheads seem to hold a special place in our hearts for Merida!
 
When your Disney plans go into limbo…..

Okay, so that may be a little over dramatic, but being in limbo is why I’ve been gone from my PTR for so long. Basically when we first started thinking about a trip to Disney it was going to be me and hubby, but when he acted less than thrilled at the idea I said well fine it will be me and my mom. Then hubby changed his mind and the dates we wanted to go didn’t work well for mom and her job. After asking mom one more time if she was SURE she didn’t want to go and reminding her she could just fly down for a few days and not have to stay the whole week so it wouldn’t interfere with her end of month work stuff, she finally decided that she DID want to come down. So, she’ll be flying down on the same flight as us on Friday night and then flying back Tuesday morning. She decided this a couple weeks ago, but it’s taken me some time to get back on course after a few panicking moments of “oh crap, we have all our dining booked”, “is she going to want the same rides as us”, “now I have to start ALL over.” Once again dramatic….lol, but that is just how my brain works, I’m a super planner.

Once my panic subsided I finally focused on the task at hand and realized it really wasn’t THAT bad. Mom is basically going to do her own thing Saturday—she may go with us to Universal, she may explore Disney Springs, who knows, but either way it wouldn’t affect hubby and I’s plan for that day at least. Sunday DH and I have our Bon Voyage breakfast which mom had no interest in (shew). The breakfast is at 7:55, so plan is for us to go to that and then meet mom at Hollywood Studios. We’ll spend the morning in HS and then head over to Epcot. Epcot was mom’s one request, it’s her favorite park. I was at first a little bummed because we were originally going to go to MNSSHP on Sunday night, once again no interest in this from mom, but I decided to just move our second MNSSHP night to Tuesday and stay with mom at Epcot Sunday. Works out kinda well too because there is night EMH at Epcot Sunday, so she’ll get lots of time in her favorite park. Monday we are going to spend all day at the Animal Kingdom since mom has never been! (Reference back to my first post that our last family trip was Easter 1998 right before Animal Kingdom opened) I haven't seen Pandora yet, so it should be a busy yet fun day for us all.


SO, with these changes lets start over again (kinda):

* Travel Dates

October 26th- November 2nd (Now flying out Friday night and coming back home late the next Friday night)

* Where we are staying:

Best Western Buena Vista in the Disney Springs area

* WHO: Husband and I + Mom (for a couple days)

You already have seen DH and I and been introduced to us, but for reference here is my mom:
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I should be able to post an updated itinerary and some other updates soon!
 


Updated Itinerary

Friday 10/26- Fly to MCO

Saturday 10/27- Universal (no set plans yet for this)

Sunday 10/28-
Bon Voyage Breakfast (DH & I)
Hollywood Studios (meet up with mom)
Leave around lunch time and head to Epcot
Food & Wine at Epcot! Stay until end of EMH

Monday 10/29-
Animal Kingdom ALL Day! (1st time at this park for mom and first time seeing Pandora for DH & me)
Lunch at Tusker House w/ ROL tickets
View ROL
Head to Ft. Wilderness
Return to Sleepy Hollow event at 10PM

Tuesday 10/30-
Mom will be flying home this morning
DH & I will be heading to Hollywood Studios for the morning
Lunch at Hollywood and Vine for Minnie's Seasonal Dine
Leave after lunch to head back to the hotel to rest a bit and change into costumes
MNSSHP

Wednesday 10/31-
Epcot in the morning (Garden Grill breakfast)
Leave a little after lunch to head back to hotel to change into costumes
MNSSHP

Thursday 11/1-
Breakfast at Crystal Palace
?????
Dinner at BOG

Friday 11/2-
?????
Flight home leaves MCO around 9PM

Any suggestions for Thursday and Friday? I've really been contemplating calling to see if the Keys to the Kingdom tour is available on Friday. I was thinking it would be a great end to the trip and its actually something that hubby seemed semi-excited for when I mentioned it.
 
Hi!! We will be there at the same time!! Oct 27 - Nov 4th!! AND we are doing MNSSHP on Halloween as well!!

Looking forward to your pre-trip plan!
 
Hi!! We will be there at the same time!! Oct 27 - Nov 4th!! AND we are doing MNSSHP on Halloween as well!!

Looking forward to your pre-trip plan!
Awesome! I see from your signature that you have done MNSSHP before. I've done MVMCP, but not Halloween, so I'm super excited! Hope you have a great trip.
 
Food and Wine!!!
I was super excited to see the food and wine menus posted a few days ago. My current thought is that I want to try to eat something from every marketplace-- crazy or no?? Either way, best to be prepared is my motto....lol....which is why I have decided which item(s) I would want to try from each booth (in bold below). I know each area has beverages as well, but I have only included those in my list if there is something I want to try to drink from that one.

Active Eats
Food:
  • Loaded Mac ‘n’ Cheese with Nueske’s® Pepper Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Peppers and Green Onions
  • Spice-crusted Verlasso® Salmon with Warm Lentil Power Salad, Crushed Avocado and Sherry Vinegar
  • Active Eats Energy Bar Bites: a mixture of Chocolate, Nuts, Dried Fruit and Dates
Africa
Food:
  • Berbere-style Beef Tenderloin Tips with Onions, Jalapeños, Tomato and Pap
  • Spicy Ethiopian Red Lentil Stew with Vegan Yogurt and Quinoa
The Almond Orchard Hosted by Blue Diamond Almond Breeze
Food:
  • Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Pulled Chicken, Toasted Blue Diamond Almonds and Parmesan Cheese served with Nut Thins® Crackers
  • Fire-roasted Tomato Hummus topped with Blue Diamond Lightly Salted Roasted Almonds and served with Blue Diamond Artisan Nut Thins® Multi-seeds Crackers
  • Banana Almond Soft-serve Sundae with Fresh Berries and Chocolate Almond Streusel
Australia
Food:
  • Grilled Sweet and Spicy Bush Berry Shrimp with Pineapple, Pepper, Onion and Snap Peas
  • Grilled Lamb Chop with Mint Pesto and Potato Crunchies
  • Lamington: Yellow Cake Dipped in Chocolate and Shredded Coconut
Beverages:
  • Coopers Brewery Original Pale Ale
  • Hope Estate “Wollombi Brook” Semillon, Hunter Valley
  • Franklin Tate Estates Chardonnay, Margaret River
  • Yangarra Shiraz, McLaren Vale
  • Wine Flight
Belgium
Food:
  • Beer-braised Beef served with Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes
  • Belgian Waffle with Warm Chocolate Ganache and Whipped Cream
  • Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream
Beverages:
  • Leffe Blonde Belgian Pale Ale (Flight)
  • St. Bernardus Witbier (Flight)
  • St. Bernardus Abt 12 (Flight)
  • Stella Artois Hard Cider
  • Chilled Coffee featuring Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
  • Beer Flight
Brazil
Food:
  • Moqueca: Brazilian Seafood Stew featuring Scallops, Shrimp and White Fish with Coconut-lime Sauce and Steamed Rice
  • Crispy Pork Belly with Black Beans, Tomato and Onions
  • Pão de Queijo: Brazilian Cheese Bread
Brewer’s Collection
Beverages:
  • Radeberger Zwickel Pilsner (Unfiltered)
  • Hacker-Pschorr Hefe Weisse Naturtrüb
  • Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen Pomegranate Beer
  • Beer Flight
Canada
Food:
  • Canadian Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Soup served with a Pretzel Roll
  • Le Cellier Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle-Butter Sauce
The Cheese Studio, Hosted by Boursin® Cheese
Food:
  • Braised Beef Stroganoff with Tiny Egg Noodles, Wild Mushroom and Boursin Garlic with Fine Herbs Cheese Sauce
  • Cheese Trio: Profiterole topped with Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese and Orange Apricot Jam; Smoked Salmon Pinwheel with Boursin Shallot and Chive Cheese and Everything Seasoning; Strawberry Macaron with Boursin Pepper Cheese
  • Maple Bourbon Boursin Cheesecake with Maple Bourbon Cream, Caramel and Pecan Crunch
Beverages:
  • Florida Orange Groves Winery Sparkling Blueberry Wine, St. Petersburg, FL
  • La Crema Pinot Gris, Monterey
  • Domaine Saint André de Figuière Rosé, Côtes de Provence
  • Alta Vista Estate Malbec, Mendoza
China
Food:
  • Xi’an Pancake with Beef
  • Chicken Dumplings with Chinese Slaw
  • Beijing Roasted Duck Bao Bun with Hoisin Sauce
  • Black Pepper Shrimp with Garlic Noodles
Beverages:
  • Mango Bubble Tea with Assam Black Tea and Milk (Non-alcoholic)
  • Jasmine Draft Beer
  • Happy Peach: Peach Liqueur and Dark Rum
  • Kung Fu Punch: Vodka and Triple Sec
  • Byejoe Punch: Chinese Bai Jiu Spirit, Lychee, Coconut and Pineapple Juice
  • Honeydew Bai Jiu Cocktail: Chinese Bai Jiu Spirit and Honeydew Syrup
Chocolate Studio
Food:
  • Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almond Truffle with Warm Whiskey-Caramel
  • Sweet Dark Chocolate Raspberry Tart with Whipped Cream
Beverages:
  • Twinings® Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea and Chocolate Shake (Non-alcoholic)
  • Banfi Rosa Regale Sparkling Red, Piedmont
  • Daou Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles
  • Croft 10 Year Tawny
  • Twinings® Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Frozen Cocktail with Caramel Vodka
Coastal Eats
Food:
  • Lump Crab Cake with Napa Cabbage Slaw and Avocado-lemongrass Cream
  • Baked Shrimp Scampi Dip with Sourdough Baguette
  • Seared Scallops with Roasted Corn, Butterbean Succotash and Chili-chipotle Butter Sauce
Craft Drafts
Beverages:
  • Central 28 Beer Company Waff-Ale, DeBary, FL (Flight 1)
  • Bold City Brewing 1901 Roasted Red Ale, Jacksonville, FL (Flight 1)
  • Florida Beer Company Passport Triple Chocolate Milk Stout, Cape Canaveral, FL (Flight 1)
  • First Magnitude Brewing Co. Lemongrass Saison, Gainesville, FL (Flight 2)
  • JDub’s Brewing Company Honeydew Melon Kölsch, Sarasota, FL (Flight 2)
  • Shipyard Brewing Company Monkey Fist IPA, Clearwater, FL (Flight 2)
  • Your choice of 2 distinctive Beer Flights
Earth Eats
Food:
  • The Steakhouse Blended Burger: Blended Beef and Wild Mushroom Slider with Brie Cheese Fondue, Arugula, Truffle and Blue Cheese Potato Chip on a Brioche Bun
  • The IMPOSSIBLE™ Burger Slider with Wasabi Cream and Spicy Asian Slaw on a Sesame Seed Bun
Beverages:
  • Health-Ade Kombucha Pink Lady Apple
  • Health-Ade Kombucha Pomegranate
  • Health-Ade Kombucha Beet-Lime
  • Kombucha Flight
The Festival Center Wine Shop
Food:
  • Charcuterie Plate: Chefs Selection of Artisanal Meats and Accompaniments
  • La Bottega di BelGioioso® Cheese Plate: Crescenza-Stracchino®, CreamyGorg® Gorgonzola Dolce, and Artigiano® Vino Rosso Cheeses
  • Bloody Mary Seafood Cocktail: Shrimp, Bay Scallops, Mussels, Olive Salad and Crisp Lettuce in a Bloody Mary Vinaigrette
Flavors from Fire
Food:
  • Piggy Wings: Roasted Pork Wings with Korean BBQ Sauce and Sesame Seeds
  • Smoked Corned Beef with Warm Crispy Potatoes, Pickled Onions and Blonde Ale Beer Fondue featuring BelGioioso® Romano and American Grana Cheeses
  • Charred Chimichurri Skirt Steak on a Smoked Corn Cake with Pickled Vegetable Slaw and Cilantro Aïoli
  • Chocolate Picante: Dark Chocolate Mousse with Cayenne Pepper, Chili Powder and Mango
Beverages:
  • Orlando Brewery Smokin’ Blackwater Porter
  • Michael David Winery 7 Deadly Zins Zinfandel, Lodi
  • Swine Brine featuring Jim Beam Bourbon
France
Food:
  • Croissant aux Escargots: Escargot Croissant with Garlic and Parsley
  • Carbonade de Boeuf, Purée de Pommes de Terre: Beer-braised Beef with Bacon, Onion and Mashed Potatoes
  • Crème Brûlée à la Confiture de Framboises: Crème Brûlée with House-made Raspberry Jam
Beverages:
  • La Passion Martini Slush: Vodka, Grey Goose Le Citron, Cranberry and Passion Fruit Juice
  • Chardonnay, Le Vieux Manoir
  • Cabernet Sauvignon, Village la Tourelle, Bordeaux
  • St-Germain Sparkling Kir: Sparkling Wine and St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur
  • Kronenbourg Blanc 1664 Pale Lager
Germany
Food:
  • Schinkennudeln: Pasta Gratin with Ham, Onions and Cheese
  • Roast Bratwurst in a Pretzel Roll
  • Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce
Greece
Food:
  • Loaded Greek “Nachos”: Pita Chips, Meatless Sausage Crumbles and Vegan Tzatziki
  • Taste of Greece: Chicken Souvlaki, Feta Cheese Dip with Warm Pita and Lamb Sausage with a Dill Tomato Ragu
  • Spanakopita: Greek Spinach Pie
  • Bougatsa: Warm Phyllo Dough Strudel with Sweet Vanilla Custard, Lemon Honey Syrup and Cinnamon
Hawai’i
Food:
  • Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour DOLE® Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise
  • Grilled Tuna Tataki with Seaweed Salad, Pickled Cucumbers and Wasabi Cream
  • Teriyaki-glazed SPAM® Hash with Potatoes, Peppers, Onions and Spicy Mayonnaise
  • Passion Fruit Cheesecake with Toasted Macadamia Nuts
Beverages:
  • Maui Brewing Company Bikini Blonde Lager
  • Florida Orange Groves Sparkling Pineapple Wine, St. Petersburg, FL
  • Mai Tai with Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum and DOLE Pineapple Juice
Hops & Barley
Food:
  • New England Lobster Roll: Warm Lobster with Fresh Herb Mayonnaise and Griddled Roll
  • New Brunswick Slider: Slow-braised Beef Brisket “Pot Roast Style” with Horseradish Cream and Crispy Fried Onions on a Potato Roll with Pickled Vegetables on the side
  • Freshly Baked Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Icing
India
Food:
  • Warm Indian Bread with Pickled Garlic, Mango Salsa and Coriander Pesto Dips
  • Madras Red Curry with Roasted Cauliflower, Baby Carrots, Chickpeas and Basmati Rice
  • Korma Chicken with Cucumber Tomato Salad, Almonds, Cashews and Warm Naan Bread
Ireland
Food:
  • Roasted Irish Sausage with Colcannon Potatoes and Onion Gravy
  • Warm Irish Cheddar Cheese and Stout Dip with Irish Brown Bread
  • Warm Chocolate Pudding with Irish Cream Liqueur Custard
Beverages:
  • Guinness Foreign Extra Stout
  • Bunratty Meade Honey Wine
  • Guinness Baileys Shake
Islands of the Caribbean
Food:
  • Ropa Vieja Empanada with Tomato Aioli
  • Jerk-spiced Chicken Lollipop with Roasted Sweet Plantain Salad and Mango Chutney Yogurt
  • Quesito: Puff Pastry with Sweetened Cream Cheese and Guava Sauce
Beverages:
  • Red Stripe Lager
  • Caribbean White Sangria
  • Frozen Mojito
Italy
Food:
  • Fritto Misto: Crispy Shrimp, Zucchini and Sweet Potatoes with a Spicy Sauce
  • Pollo Alla Cacciatora: Braised Chicken Thigh, Mushrooms, Tomatoes and Parmesan Polenta
  • Mezzi Rigatoni: Vodka Sauce, Crispy Pancetta and Parmesan Cheese
  • Cannoli: Cannoli filled with Sweet Ricotta, Chocolate and Candied Fruit
Japan
Food:
  • Teriyaki Chicken Bun: Steamed bun filled with Chicken, Vegetables and a Sweet Teriyaki Sauce
  • Beef Nigiri topped with Shrimp Sauce and Diced Pickled Jalapeños
  • Spicy Roll: Tuna and Salmon topped with Volcano Sauce
Beverages:
  • Kirin Ichiban Lager
  • Ozeki Rai Sake
  • Fuji Apple Cocktail: Sake, Peach Schnapps and Green Apple Syrup
Light Lab
Beverages:
  • Phosphorescent Phreeze
  • InfraRED
  • UltraVIOLET
  • Bleu Spectrum: Blanc de Bleu Cuvée Mousseux with Boba Pearls
  • Original Sin Dry Rosé Hard Cider, New York, NY (Cider Flight)
  • 3 Daughters Brewing Blueberry Peppercorn Hard Cider, St. Petersburg, FL (Cider Flight)
  • Ciderboys Zen Berry Hard Cider, Stevens Point, WI (Cider Flight)
  • Playalinda Brewing Co. Red Cherry Tart, Titusville, FL (RGB Flight)
  • GrassLands Brewing Company Green Kiwi Blonde, Tallahassee, FL (RGB Flight)
  • M.I.A. Beer Company Blue-berry Golden Ale, Doral, FL (RGB Flight)
  • Cider Flight
  • RGB Flight
Mexico
Food:
  • Short Rib Tostada: Corn Tortilla topped with Short Ribs, Black Beans, Salsa Verde and Spring Onion
  • Shrimp Quesadilla: Corn Tortilla with Shrimp, Oaxaca Cheese and topped with Spicy Guajillo Sauce and Sesame Seeds
  • Coconut Rice Pudding served with Mango Coulis
Morocco
Food:
  • Kefta Pocket: Seasoned Ground Beef in a Pita Pocket
  • Hummus Fries with Cucumber, Tomato, Onions and Tzatziki Sauce
  • Chocolate Baklava: Rolled Phyllo Dough with Toasted Almonds and Dark Chocolate Sauce
Beverages:
  • Casa Pale Lager
  • Kasbah Prestige Red Wine
  • Mimosa Royale: Sparkling Wine and Orange Juice topped with Orange Liqueur
  • Red Organic Sangria
New Zealand
Food:
  • Steamed Green Lip Mussels with Garlic Butter and Toasted Breadcrumbs
  • Lamb Meatball with Spicy Tomato Chutney
  • Seared Venison Sausage with Kumara Purée and Wild Mushroom Marsala Sauce
Refreshment Outpost
Food:
  • Spicy Hot Dog with Kimchi and Mustard Sauce
Beverages:
  • Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky & Frozen Coke
Refreshment Port
Food:
  • Beef Brisket Poutine: French Fries with Beef Brisket, Beer Cheese Sauce and Poutine Gravy topped with Crispy Onions
  • Sweet Potato Poutine: Sweet Potato Fries with Caramel Sauce, Mini Marshmallows and Pecans
  • Pineapple Soft-Serve Ice Cream
  • Pineapple Soft-Serve Ice Cream with Bacardi Coconut Rum
Shimmering Sips Mimosa Bar
Food:
  • Chocolate Croissant: Flaky Croissant stuffed with Chocolate
  • Almond Croissant: Flaky Croissant topped with Toasted Almonds
  • Jumbo Blueberry Muffin with Streusel Topping
  • Cheese Danish with Sweet Icing
Beverages:
  • Frozen Apple Pie (Non-alcoholic) (KA)
  • Tropical Mimosa with Sparkling Wine and Pomegranate, Orange and Grapefruit Juices
  • Key Lime Mimosa with Key Lime Sparkling Wine and Cranberry Juice
  • Blood Orange Mimosa with Sparkling Wine and Blood Orange Juice
  • Madras Mimosa with Cranberry Sparkling Wine and Orange Juice
  • Fromosa: Frozen Mimosa featuring White Claw Lime Hard Seltzer
  • Joffrey’s Cold Brew Coffee
Spain
Food:
  • Charcuterie in a Cone with imported Spanish Meats, Cheeses and Olives with an Herb Vinaigrette
  • Spanish-style Paella with Chorizo and Roasted Chicken
  • Seafood Salad with Shrimp, Bay Scallops, Mussels, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, White Balsamic Vinegar and Smoked Paprika
Thailand
Food:
  • Marinated Chicken with Peanut Sauce and Stir-fried Vegetables
  • Seared Shrimp and Scallop Cake with Cold Noodle Salad
  • Red Hot Spicy Thai Curry Beef with Steamed Rice
Wine and Dine Studio
Food:
  • Seared Scallops, Truffled Celery Root Purée, Brussels Sprouts and Wild Mushrooms featuring Melissa’s Produce
  • Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter Vinaigrette, Parmesan Cheese and Pumpkin Seeds
  • Trio of Artisan Cheese featuring La Bottega di BelGioioso® Cheeses
    • La Bottega di BelGioioso Crescenza-Stracchino®
    • La Bottega di BelGioioso CreamyGorg® Gorgonzola Dolce
    • La Bottega di BelGioioso Artigiano® Vino Rosso
  • Artist Palette of Wine and Cheese
    • Trio of Artisan Cheese paired with Rainstorm Silver Linings Pinot Noir Rosé, Reata Chardonnay and Spellbound Petite Sirah
Beverages:
  • Reata Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast
  • Rainstorm Silver Linings Pinot Noir Rosé, Oregon
  • Spellbound Petite Sirah, California
Additional Festival Locations
Block & Hans
Beverages:
  • Dogfish Head Brewery 60 Minute IPA, Milton, DE
  • Ciderboys Strawberry Magic Hard Cider, Stevens Point, WI
  • Full Sail Brewing Co. Blood Orange Wheat, Hood River, OR
  • Karbach Brewing Co. Love Street Kölsch Style Blonde, Houston, TX
  • Big Top Brewing Company Hawaiian Lion Coconut and Coffee Porter, Sarasota, FL
  • Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, Lexington, KY
Fife & Drum Tavern
Beverages:
  • Hanson Brother’s Beer Company Mmmhops Pale Ale Tulsa, OK
Funnel Cake Stand in American Adventure Pavilion
Food:
  • Maple Bacon Funnel Cake topped with Candied Bacon
Joffreys Coffee and Tea: Coffee Carts
Beverages:
  • The American Adventure: Fire and Ice: Frozen Lemon with Fireball Cinnamon Whisky
  • Canada: Riviera Sunrise: Frozen Orange Pineapple with Grand Marnier
  • Showcase Plaza: Wild Goose: Frozen Wild Berry Acai with Grey Goose Vodka
  • Future World East: Fast Lane: Frozen Cappuccino with Brown Jug Bourbon Cream
Taste Track
Food:
  • Croissant Doughnut Tossed in Cinnamon Sugar
  • Croissant Doughnut with Chocolate and Marshmallows
  • Croissant Doughnut with Chocolate Hazelnut Cream
  • Croissant Doughnut with Sprinkles
  • Add Chocolate, Hazelnut, White Chocolate Raspberry or Vanilla Bean Gelato for an additional charge
Beverages:
  • Pancake Milkshake
The Chocolate Experience
Beverages:
  • Banfi Rosa Regale Sparkling Red, Piedmont
  • Ghirardelli® Drinking Chocolate (Non-alcoholic)
 
FastPass Day
So yesterday was my day to book our fastpasses. As I've mentioned before its been a while since I've been and also I think paper fastpasses were still a thing (at least what I remember), but either way all my planning was always done by someone else. All that said I was SUPER nervous about FastPass day! Thankfully all that worry went away and I was able to get the main 3 rides that we wanted-- 7 Dwarfs Mine Train (twice!), FoP, and Slinky Dog Dash. :jumping1:

Even better still, they were all at times that worked out pretty well for our already made plans and dining. I'm going to go back through and double-check everything, which means I'll probably add an updated itinerary soon!

Personal Life Update
As mentioned in my introduction, my father passed away from cancer in October of last year. We received his diagnosis in July 2017 and I had been purposefully growing out my hair since then with the hopes of cutting it to donate eventually. Well I finally had enough that I was able to cut off 12 inches to donate! I sent off my hair to Wigs for Kids and I'm hoping it'll be used in a wig that makes a kid feel special and happy.
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That's all the updates I have for now. I am working through my Disneybounding outfits to see what I have and then what I need to still buy. May share that with you all soon.

Hope everyone has a magical day!:earsboy:
 
Disneybounding!!

As promised, here is an update on my progress for putting together some Disneybound outfits to wear during my trip. None of these are complete yet, but I think that is part of the fun too-- I'll save the final reveals for when I'm actually at the park and come back to do a trip report. Feel free to chime in and give me any critique or suggestions for how to make these bounds even better!

First up is Ariel!
I am contemplating buying a different top even though this one I think is a great color for an Ariel bound. It's just a little thicker than I'd like so I'm going to see if I can find something a little lighter and maybe more flowy. Other than that all I need is a pair of ears to top off this outfit! Again still contemplating if I want to make them myself or just buy some.....
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Next will be my outfit for our MNSSHP on Halloween night! Vanellope from Wreck it Ralph. Hubby is going to be Ralph and we already have his shirt that we ordered from Etsy. This will be one of the only times where hubby and I will be bounding together and this outfit request was actually his idea!
I need to order the leggings and a pair of ears for these and then I think it will be basically good to go.
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Another outfit in the rotation is Gaston. He is one of my favorite villains (I also like Dr. Facilier, but in all honesty Gaston is probably THE favorite for me). Is it weird to try to decide which of the baddest is the best? LOL.
These ears I made myself and I am pretty proud of how they turned out. Let's just see how well those antlers do in the parks (they are only cardboard). The plaid in the ears I got from one of my dad's old button up shirts. (Side note: I took a ton of his shirts and also neckties after his passing and have been using them for little crafts here and there. Just one of my little therapeutic things I guess.)
I'm going to order a mustard yellow (thin) scarf and then this outfit will be complete!
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Of course I have to pay love to my favorite character of all--- EEYORE!!! This one is really a pretty simple bound, it's just a grey dress I already had in my closet. The ears I bought from Etsy and I LOVE them.
I am looking for a "chunky" pink belt to add to this dress and then I think this bound will be all set!
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And finally my other gloomy favorite-- Sadness!!
I have found some leggings with clouds and raindrops online that I think will go perfect with this outfit-- just need to order them to be done with this bound too!
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So there you have it! I still need a Sally dress for our 2nd MNSSHP night and something to wear for my Belle disneybound day. OH and I'll be doing an Ellie bound on our AK day, but to see that outfit just scroll up to our engagement photo that I added in the intro.

I look forward to any comments and suggestions!
 
That’s so awesome of you to donate your hair!!!

I’ve never done any Disneybounding yet, so no suggestions, but I love the Gaston one!!!
 
Your disney bounds are so cute! I also love that you donated your hair! Short hair looks great on you!
 
Your disney bounds are so cute! I also love that you donated your hair! Short hair looks great on you!

Thanks, short hair is so much easier to take care of too for a curly like myself. It's been a long time having it short since I had been growing it out for so long!
 
EEEKK! Where did September go???

That's right, somehow I must have blinked and a whole month just passed me by. My semester of school started end of August though and has pretty much consumed me which is why I have missed so much time. I am looking forward to the trip even more now though as a get-away from school AND work for a week. That also means the next couple of weeks will be even crazier as I try to get everything wrapped up so that I don't have to think about it while I'm gone.
On top of all of that normal life stuff, it has been a trying few weeks in my family as one of my uncles passed away at the end of September and then my grandpa passed away just a couple weeks ago (both passing were exactly a week apart). AND then last week was also what would have been my dad's 58th birthday plus the one year anniversary of his passing is this upcoming Thursday. It's so hard for me to believe it has been a year already. All of this, while sad, has also made me even more resolved to have a blast on this trip and live my life to the fullest because life really is so, so short.
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In terms of Disney, I am working on making sure I have all the items I need for my bound outfits and hubby and I started packing actually this weekend! Also in other news, after crunching the numbers and much debating we decided that the cost of tickets for just one day at Universal wasn't worth it, so instead we are adding on another day at The World!!!
I'm busy right now painting my tights for my Vanellope outfit and also have the supplies but need to find the time to make my last 3 pair of ears. Once complete maybe I'll share them and also will be a good time to get my final itinerary typed up and sorted.
 
I loooove your Sadness outfit! And we are going to be there the same time as you! 10/27-11/3. I just posted our PTR today. We'll be at the party on the 30th with our kid instead, and will enjoy our anniversary (10/31) on an adult only F&W feast!
 
We fly to Disney Tomorrow?!?!

Yep, after what feels like an eternity but has really only been like 6 months our trip is finally here (basically). Because work and school have been throwing me a one-two punch and haven't let me even stop to think much about Disney here is my very basic itinerary....lol

Friday
Fly out 7PM
Land in MCO 9:30PM
Check in to hotel and SLEEP! (who am I kidding right)
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Saturday
Hard Rock Café @ Universal Citywalk to have breakfast (side note: I collect pins from HRC so we go to them as much as we can and I was taking a little look at the website to check hours and I saw that they open at 8:30. So of course I'm like why are they open that early and investigate to find out this HRC now serves breakfast! WHAT?!? So of course I'm all in for trying a HRC breakfast while picking up a couple new pins for my collection)

4 Parks 1 Day Challenge-- After filling up on some breakfast we'll head in to the parks to attempt this! I'm excited and nervous all at the same time, but I'm going to go in with the idea that if we don't get it done, whatever. Since this is not an "official" challenge it does not have "official" rules, so here are the ones I made up for us. In each park:
1-photo in front of park icon
2-ride 1 ride
3-meet 1 character
4-eat 1 snack

Sunday
Bon Voyage Breakfast @ 7:55 AM
Meet mom at Hollywood Studios after breakfast
Spend a couple hours in HS (I'm sure this will include riding Star Tours as much as possible as this is the only thing my husband keeps telling me over and over again he wants to ride.)
Leisurely make our way over to Epcot at some point for FOOD & WINE

Monday
Animal Kingdom all day with mom
I was able to secure a morning safari FP as well as FP for Everest and FoP! We will be having lunch at Tusker House.
At park closing DH and I will head to Ft. Wilderness to attend the Return to Sleepy Hollow Event

Tuesday
Mom will be heading back home
DH and I will be heading into HS for the morning. I was able to get a Slinky Dog Dash FP for 1:30 so plan is to eat lunch at Woody's lunch box.

As soon as we ride SDD we'll head out of the parks and take an Uber to the Regal theatre on I-Drive. Hubby is a huge movie buff and he said he really wants to experience a 4DX movie. Well there are only about 7 movie theatres in the states with that capability and one just happens to be in Orlando. So since I'm a loving wife I agreed we could go watch a 4DX movie there. Bonus: The movie we are going to watch in 4DX is Nightmare Before Christmas! You can take the girl out of Disney but you can't take the Disney out of the girl....lol.
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After we are done with the movie we'll just relax and probably go do some shopping. Thinking of going to one of the character warehouse stores, but if nothing else we'll definitely just head back to Disney Springs.

Wednesday
Head into MK a little before noon
FP Haunted Mansion & Peter Pan
Dinner @ 4PM Cinderella's Royal Table
FP 7DMT
Get wristbands for MNSSHP and enjoy Halloween with the mouse!

Thursday
Crystal Palace breakfast @9:50
??????? (No set plans here yet, probably just decide what else we still want to do/explore and go do that in-between this time for breakfast and dinner)
Be Our Guest dinner @7:30

Friday
Last day at WDW :(
We have no set plans for this day either other than knowing we are going to into the parks!
Flight leaves MCO at 9PM so we should have plenty of time for some last minute favorites and shopping.


There we have it!
Just 8 Hours of work and one Midterm stand between me and vacation now!
 

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