"No, We're Not Getting Married at Disney!" a 2018 tripS report - update 10/25 AKL food + DHS Day

[buzzrelly]

When she noticed I was getting married, she mentioned that her Dad really wanted her to marry Kocoum. This is when things went off the rails. Partly because I was awestruck to be meeting one of my favorite princesses, partly because she was such a great conversationalist, and partly because of the beer, I retorted with "Oh no, you need to marry John Smith. Kocoum is hot but he dumb!"

I kinda broke Pocahontas. Oops!!! Not one to miss an option for a good comeback, she told us, "Yes, and you know, John Smith comes every night" (!!!)

Oh, my!

And we got at least one "normal" one. I've gotta say, this was the BEST character interaction EVER!

Sounds like great fun!

Then she told us of one of the nearby instagram-famous "Disney Walls". She did warn us that it was in a cast member area headed toward backstage, so she wouldn't be able to take our pictures with her camera, but she'd get everyone's photos with our own cameras or cell phones!

I love this, it's just perfect with your dress and the quote and the ears

So... the cast member who's been censored from this photo overheard a joke that I'd made about cultural appropriation (casting a Puerto Rican woman as the lead singer of an Afro-pop band), and it was seriously a JOKE, every one of my friends knows how huge of a Disney fan I am and how much I love Animal Kingdom, and so this CM saunters up and starts a casual lecture about how authentic Animal Kingdom is and it's not cultural appropriation and blah blah blah... you can see how happy my friends were about this.

Yikes! What a buzzkill

 

[disneyAndi14]

What a great Pocahontas meet! So funny! I bought this movie for my son when he was little and he came into the kitchen and said to me, “me no like PoHo, I want Lion King” He loved Lion King!

I am with you The Landry card is so awesome, use it almost every trip!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Looks like such a fun afternoon in Animal Kingdom! I love your character interaction and the funniness of the conversation. Hopefully too many little ones couldn’t hear *giggle*.

Your impromptu photo shoot looks like so much fun as wel!

 

[thumper*]

She's a Disney regular but didn't know about the magic of the Landry's card!

Keep saying I'm going to get one of these, gotta get on it.

Firecracker shrimp $11.99 - Crispy fried shrimp tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce, Asian slaw

$15.99 - Spicy tuna, avocado, topped with Dynamite crab, tempura crunch, sweet soy glaze

Love both of those

I kinda broke Pocahontas. Oops!!! Not one to miss an option for a good comeback, she told us, "Yes, and you know, John Smith comes every night" (!!!)

Oh No you didn't, Oh No she didn't.

we headed back to Africa and got drinks using mobile order at Harambe Market. That was a fantastic shortcut that let us skip the line!

awesome idea must try next time

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I kinda broke Pocahontas. Oops!!! Not one to miss an option for a good comeback, she told us, "Yes, and you know, John Smith comes every night" (!!!)

This is too funny! I love it.

And then we ALL lost our composure... Please observe my friend on the left doubled over in laughter.

Amazing! If you had non-Disney fans, I think you may have converted a few.

And we got at least one "normal" one. I've gotta say, this was the BEST character interaction EVER! She spent so much time with us that we were starting to get some side eye from the line. It totally made my whole weekend though and was just amazing. True Disney magic. If anyone knows this CM, please message me. I would love to tell her how much this meant to us.

I feel like big parties should get more time, I mean if you guys went up in pairs it would probably have taken the same amount of time.

I've gotta say, it's a great photo spot!

Amazing Photo. It's informant that this is practically in a cast member area.

 

[kastoney]

Hey lady! Real life consumed me after our trip too, but now I'm back and all caught up. Loving your Pochanantas interaction and all the drinks that were flowing. You have me so longing for a non-summer trip. I loved our August time but all that heat and humidity really cuts into my drinking time

 

[pepperandchips]

Yum...that sounds wonderful, so I guess I'm just as "basic" as you are.

Don't mind me, I'm just sitting around burning fall-scented candles lamenting my lack of pumpkin spice anything. So I guess I'm only moderately basic?

WOAH! That's wild. How very CM-like...

It was definitely not a productive use of her time, but I think it was just her way of defending Disney... nevermind that Disney didn't need defending. I just mostly shared the story becuase the photo was so funny

Oh, my!

Nothing like getting the facts of life from Pocahontas prior to your wedding...

I love this, it's just perfect with your dress and the quote and the ears

Thank you! your check is in the mail for saying something so kind... haha.

Yikes! What a buzzkill

She sure put us rowdy broads in our place

What a great Pocahontas meet! So funny! I bought this movie for my son when he was little and he came into the kitchen and said to me, “me no like PoHo, I want Lion King” He loved Lion King!

I am with you The Landry card is so awesome, use it almost every trip!

Poor poho! The Lion King is one of my favorites too, but my parents must've already spent the allocated VHS budget the year that one came out as it was one of the few '90s Disney animated films we didn't have the video of. My sister was super cute when she was little (she's 6 and a half years younger than me) and she called a video or a movie a "movie-o". Sounds like you guys have some cute sayings in your family too from when your babies were little!

 

[pepperandchips]

Looks like such a fun afternoon in Animal Kingdom! I love your character interaction and the funniness of the conversation. Hopefully too many little ones couldn’t hear *giggle*.

Your impromptu photo shoot looks like so much fun as wel!

That's the great thing about that huge Pocahontas meet and greet area, all the other families were safely out of earshot! We did get a lot of looks, but I think it was just because she took a "long" time with us and people were probably sad they couldn't hear the joke...

Keep saying I'm going to get one of these, gotta get on it.

Good news is you can just get it there so you don't forget!

Oh No you didn't, Oh No she didn't.

Oh yes she did!!!

awesome idea must try next time

Fastpass for the beer line? Yes please!

This is too funny! I love it.

Seriously it still makes me laugh out loud just thinking about it. Then we had our catchphrase for the rest of the trip....

Amazing! If you had non-Disney fans, I think you may have converted a few.

I think we did too! I am not sure all of them are rushing off to buy annual passes but I think everyone had a great time and at least "got it" as to why I love Disney so much.

I feel like big parties should get more time, I mean if you guys went up in pairs it would probably have taken the same amount of time.

Exactly! And goodness knows there are certain big parties that have no problem saying "OKay now one with just the kids and grandma, ok now one with aunt sally and the girl kids and just uncle joe...."

Amazing Photo. It's informant that this is practically in a cast member area.

All the best instagram walls have struck me as being in odd places once you actually find them. Like oh yeah, let me just stand here in the Spaceship Earth exit!

Hey lady! Real life consumed me after our trip too, but now I'm back and all caught up. Loving your Pochanantas interaction and all the drinks that were flowing. You have me so longing for a non-summer trip. I loved our August time but all that heat and humidity really cuts into my drinking time

Hey back at you! I have been eyeballing the Dining Reports thread trying not to miss the first 90% of your dining report like I usually do

Don't worry, Orlando can make any trip into a summer trip! April? Hot as heck. October? Hot as heck. August? Hotter than a witch frying in hell. R has already started in with the complaints about how hot it's going to be in October. Who suggested we go again?

 

[pepperandchips]

Friday, April 6, Concluded:

This evening was to be a nice relaxing one. After our afternoon rest, we all met back up in the deluxe alcove room for a little celebration and champagne. Refreshed and freshened up, we headed out via bus for Disney Springs. I wanted to show my girls one of my favorite restaurants, so we had reservations at Homecoming!

My friend that lives in Orlando now also met up with us that evening. She was so sweet to come! We were seated at a giant round table over near the entrance to the outdoor patio. I was looking forward to one dish in particular and had been concerned that the appetizer I had in mind had been removed from the menu - but as is the case sometimes, Disney's menu posted online was just incorrect so I was delighted to order:

Bee Haven Fried Green Tomatoes ($14) Shaved ham, rémoulade sauce and dressed local greens. These are some of the best fried green tomatoes I've ever had, always sliced perfectly thin and fried crisp. Tender and tangy in the center, balanced with the rich and succulent ham and creamy remoulade sauce.

I also had an Old Fashioned Elder, which is Michter's Bourbon, St. Germain Elderflower, dash of bitters, garnished with an orange peel and fancy cherry. ($12) This is one of my go-to drinks at Homecoming and it went down well with the tomatoes. We also ordered the deviled eggs and the Jasper board to share, but I didn't get photos of those or eat much of them myself. I was focused on those FGTs!

While I'd been adamant that we needed two orders of the Fried Green Tomatoes between the seven of us, I was trying not to grossly overorder and tried to encourage the other ladies that one order of fried chicken dinner was ample for two people. I got a few puzzled looks but they agreed, though we ordered FIVE extra sides . Three chicken dinners between the seven of us was actually plenty.

Despite ordering just shy of one dinner per two people, we ended up bringing like three boxes of leftovers back to the room! I'm telling you, the Homecoming portions are crazy.

After dinner, we split up. Animal Kingdom had been a full day of merriment and not everyone got a nap, so four of the girls went back to the room and a couple of us went to get an after-dinner drink.

It actually ended up being the first night that Disney Springs was promoting its late-night offerings, and there was a media event going on so we had great people watching. Of course we didn't know that when we headed up to the Morimoto Forbidden Lounge and sidled up to a table for a round of drinks.

Of course, I only have eyes for my favorite: the Smoked Coconut. ($14) "a sweet and nutty blend of maestro dobel humito smoked tequila, bacardi coconut, and giffard orgeat."

One of my girls ordered the Shirayuri (White Lily) - $14 - sudachi shochu, calpico and yuzu served with a twist.

Ash also saw a dessert that caught her eye:

It was MASSIVE! MM Parfait - $16 - chocolate creampuff, vanilla gelato, hazelnut chocolate crunchies, sesame mochi. This wasn't very flavorful, it was just a giant bowl of "sweet" and Ash was disappointed in the mochi. It sure made a statement though!

After we ate what we could of the fruit and whipped cream, we trudged off to find a bus back to the Swolphin. While we were waiting I had the absolute BEST surprise - @samantha3590 recognized me from dining reports and introduced herself. I've got to say, my friend E thought that this was amazing (I mean, I thought it was amazing too, but E was really gobsmacked. I haven't quite lived that down yet). Fortunately for me, Samantha was on her way back to the Swolphin too so we were able to chat on the bus and she and her companion kept us from falling into conversation with a very awkward father/son duo who kept trying to chat with us. SO hi again Samantha thank you for saving us from bus weirdness and I hope you had a great trip!

Up next: an exciting Epcot day!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Bee Haven Fried Green Tomatoes ($14) Shaved ham, rémoulade sauce and dressed local greens. These are some of the best fried green tomatoes I've ever had, always sliced perfectly thin and fried crisp. Tender and tangy in the center, balanced with the rich and succulent ham and creamy remoulade sauce.

Yum, this was the stuff I got on my biscuit during brunch! It's basically the fried green tomatoes with a biscuit and an egg on top. Can't go wrong

I'm telling you, the Homecoming portions are crazy.

They are! Good idea on sharing the entrees, they are huge! Of course sides are my favorite so nice that you all had a wide variety of sides!

After we ate what we could of the fruit and whipped cream, we trudged off to find a bus back to the Swolphin. While we were waiting I had the absolute BEST surprise - @samantha3590 recognized me from dining reports and introduced herself. I've got to say, my friend E thought that this was amazing (I mean, I thought it was amazing too, but E was really gobsmacked. I haven't quite lived that down yet). Fortunately for me, Samantha was on her way back to the Swolphin too so we were able to chat on the bus and she and her companion kept us from falling into conversation with a very awkward father/son duo who kept trying to chat with us. SO hi again Samantha thank you for saving us from bus weirdness and I hope you had a great trip!

That is so sweet. This has happened to me before (most recently 3 weeks ago!) and it really astounds me as to what a small world it is, and how people really do pay attention to the things you write!! It really is an awesome feeling and very much well-deserved for you!!

 

[pepperandchips]

I interrupt this irregularly scheduled programming to bring you another PepperandChips random...

PTR Update:

After digging in on the idea that we'd go a year without Food and Wine Festival, my beloved husband suggested we book a trip over his school system's fall break. We are supposed to be saving money for Hawaii, so this is going to have to be a very budget-conscious trip. (But like, best husband ever, amirite? )

I ended up finding the Towneplace Suites at Flamingo Crossing for an incredible rate - I've paid $267.96 including tax for four nights and they don't charge for parking or a resort fee. It's a bit farther away than we prefer to stay - when we've stayed offsite in the past it's mainly either been at Disney Springs or Bonnet Creek, which are both technically still ensconced within Disney property. When I stayed offsite at a vacation home a couple of years ago, I really didn't love the distance, but Flamingo Crossings is closer than that was and it's just off the toll road we usually drive in on from Atlanta, so I'm at least familiar with the area.

Plus, $267.96?! That's far less than what I spend per night sometimes at Disney resorts... So far so good on the budget.



WE ARE GOING BACK TO DISNEY!!!!

However, as of now my mom has suggested that she wants to come but doesn't have any reservations and trying to add her to our fastpasses only unearthed major MDE problems so I had to spend a long time on the phone yesterday with MDE Help Desk, resulting in a final solution of disconnecting and reconnecting both my mom and my sister. It was crazy, but the phone agent was so sweet and ultimately gave us some pixie dust fastpasses (though they're not anytime fastpasses, that would have been way more useful). Anyway, since she was under no obligation to do anything for us except fix the glitches, I appreciate her help!

I have the hotel room booked, fastpasses for at least two of us booked, next to no dining, and a sketchy version of plans, but in case anyone's interested or also traveling at the same time, here are our vague plans:

Thursday, 10/4: Drive through the night as usual, except this time maybe leaving at a far more reasonable 3:00 in the morning. We don't need to arrive until Festival booths open at 11:00. We'll fest feast at Epcot and then take a break to check in and swim or nap. Is a swim/nap break a swamp break? I might use that, it's easier to type. Return to Epcot in the evening for more snackage, FPs, and Illuminations.

Friday, 10/5: Mom to potentially arrive at some point. Magic Kingdom will start our day with fastpasses for Splash, Space, and HM. We'll break from there (probably to rendez vous with my mom) and to eat lunch at Epcot again. We'll plan to spend the evening eating dinner at a resort lounge - possibly Geyser Point - - and catch Hallowishes.

Saturday, 10/6: No parks day. We'll be poolin'. We may head to Disney Springs for dinner to check out the Wonderfall menu (and pig out on Amorette's).

Sunday, 10/7: My friends Sarah and Kay (from the current bachelorette TR) are also going to be in WDW this day so we will meet up with one or both of them for Epcot snackage in the AM. I've got Animal Kingdom and AK fastpasses lined up for the afternoon. You know there will be beer and burudika.

Monday, 10/8: A last visit to the Food and Wine fest is in order after checkout. We'll snack, do a few FP, and drive back home

6 sleeps!!!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Bee Haven Fried Green Tomatoes ($14) Shaved ham, rémoulade sauce and dressed local greens. These are some of the best fried green tomatoes I've ever had, always sliced perfectly thin and fried crisp. Tender and tangy in the center, balanced with the rich and succulent ham and creamy remoulade sauce.

I dream about this! Soooo good!!!!

Friday, 10/5: Mom to potentially arrive at some point. Magic Kingdom will start our day with fastpasses for Splash, Space, and HM. We'll break from there (probably to rendez vous with my mom) and to eat lunch at Epcot again. We'll plan to spend the evening eating dinner at a resort lounge - possibly Geyser Point - - and catch Hallowishes.

Hey!! We will be there too! We are flying to Orlando on Thursday late. But we are planning on Magic Kingdom Friday in the AM and the EPCOT in the afternoon/Evening!

 

[pepperandchips]

I dream about this! Soooo good!!!!


Hey!! We will be there too! We are flying to Orlando on Thursday late. But we are planning on Magic Kingdom Friday in the AM and the EPCOT in the afternoon/Evening!

Oh my gosh! I would love to run into you guys and meet my alter-ego, Morgan. Do you have fb messenger on your phone? I could message you if you think you might want to grab a quick selfie!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Oh my gosh! I would love to run into you guys and meet my alter-ego, Morgan. Do you have fb messenger on your phone? I could message you if you think you might want to grab a quick selfie!

Andy and I are going by ourselves. So, no Morgan. We are looking forward to going by ourself, though! And I def would love to meet up to say hello. I do have facebook messenger on my phone, so def send me a message!

 

[pepperandchips]

Andy and I are going by ourselves. So, no Morgan. We are looking forward to going by ourself, though! And I def would love to meet up to say hello. I do have facebook messenger on my phone, so def send me a message!

Whaaaat adults trip woop woop!!! Okay let's maybe aim for Epcot then! Yay!

 

[kastoney]

What a great meal at Homecoming. I have to try those fried green tomatoes sometime. If a Georgia girl says they are good they gotta be amazing I can't believe you all split meals and still left with 3 boxes of leftovers. They certainly don't skimp do they?

Where is the Morimoto forbidden lounge? I don't think I've heard of that before.

How awesome you get to go back to Disney next weekend!!!!!!!! Offsite or not you'll be in Disney. We are actually headed to your neck of the woods while you are there. Visiting friends in Savannah

 

[disneyAndi14]

Oh man, I should have tried those fried green tomatoes they look really yummy!

How exciting to be heading back to Disney for a F&W trip, sounds so fun.

Enjoy your trip!!

 

[MeghanEmily]

OMG you're going back to Disney!! And SOON!

 

[thumper*]

Is a swim/nap break a swamp break?

Love it yes you must use it.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Have a wonderful trip next weekend!