November 2019 - Girls Trippin’ Again! - Completed 3-8-20!

[brewhome]

Hi all! I’ve finally gotten myself together enough to edit my photos and put together a trip report from our last girls trip in November 2019! This was the third trip for me (47), my sis (56), her adult daughter/my niece (26), and my sis-in-law (50) to the Food & Wine Festival... we love it so much that we keep going back! We all pile into one room and just get silly... no work, no men, no kids, all fun!

This year, we decided to really splurge and stay at the Yacht Club for the first time... and man, it did not disappoint. The resort is absolutely gorgeous and you can’t beat the convenience of walking right into Epcot and taking the boat or walking to HS. We won’t do that every trip just because it’s quite expensive, but it was an awesome experience, especially for enjoying F&W.

Our trip dates were November 6-11, but we ended up getting a bonus day due to bad weather and canceled flights! More to come on that later.

So follow along with me on my trip down memory lane... lots of food, drinks, and fun to follow!

First up... day one - arrival at the Yacht Club, Epcot, and DS!

 

[brewhome]

11/6

Arrival day! We had an 8:50-11:40 direct flight from Buffalo, landed on time, and MDE got us to the Yacht Club by 12:45, where we were greeted by name at the door. We immediately fell in love with the atmosphere... elegant, but not stuffy, beautiful fresh flowers everywhere, and great service! Here’s a shot of the gorgeous lobby...



So, so pretty. We had a water view room on the 4th floor, and were thrilled when we walked onto the balcony and saw this...



Amazing! We were all blown away. The room was gorgeous as well...



Lots of room for the four of us to spread out, and tons of storage, too. We unloaded some stuff from our backpacks and made a beeline for Epcot, which we were happy to find was just a short five minute walk away. As we got close, we got our first glimpse of the Skyliner in action...



So cool! There was a lot of work being done at the International Gateway, but we had no wait for security and we breezed right through to France for our first cocktail of the trip!



Ahhh, the famed Citron slushee... heaven in a plastic martini glass. It was the perfect way to start our afternoon. We all were ready to eat so we headed back over the bridge past the IG and stopped at our first F&W booth, Ireland, where we had...



...Warm Irish Cheddar Cheese and Stout Dip with Irish Brown Bread and Roasted Irish Sausage with Colcannon Potatoes and Onion Gravy (sorry, we cut that one up before remembering to take the pic!). These are two of our favorites from past years and we were happy that they were just as delicious this year! Next, we went to Canada and had a beautiful view of the gardens.



Here, we went in where the CircleVision was turned into the Appleseed Orchard Cider and Wine Bar... and it was so cool in there, literally and figuratively!



I think it was genius of them to use this space for food and drinks this year. We enjoyed some goodies here...



...Charcuterie and Cheese Plate featuring Burton’s Maplewood Farm Applejack Brandy Barrel Aged Maple Syrup, Forge Cellars Dry Riesling Classique, and a Cider Flight that included:

• Ciderboys Lemon Cello Hard Cider
• Collective Arts Brewing Cherry Apple Hard Cider
• Woodchuck Hard Cider Spiced Apple

We enjoyed all of this very much, but our favorite was the Lemon Cello Cider... so delicious! The wine was from a winery in the NY Finger Lakes, which is only a couple of hours from Buffalo, and we visit there often.

So far, both of the booths that we hit were winners... with many more to come!

To be continued in next post...

 

[brewhome]

11/6 Continued...

Next up was another of our favorite booths from years past, the Wine and Dine Studio.



The theming is so great here! We had...



...Seared Scallops, Truffled Celery Root Purée, Brussels Sprouts and Wild Mushrooms; Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter Vinaigrette, Parmesan Cheese and Pumpkin Seeds; Trio of Artisan Cheese (Gorgonzola with Cow and Sheep’s Milk, Artigiano Aged Balsamic & Cipolline Onion, and Italico); and Rainstorm Silver Linings Pinot Noir Rosé.

We loved all of these! Disney really does know how to cook scallops - they were tender and sweet, and the ravioli were excellent. The cheeses were all super tasty, and the wine was different than anything I have had before - very yummy, and I don’t typically like reds... but this being a blend, it was really good. Winners all around!

Next up, we hit the Cheese Studio, where we had...



...Braised Beef “Stroganoff” with Tiny Egg Noodles, Wild Mushrooms and Boursin® Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese Sauce, and Domaine Saint André de Figuière Rosé. The beef was tender and rich, and the wine was yummy, but not quite as good as the previous one. But then... we had what I have decided is my absolute most favorite thing EVER from all three F&W Festivals and one F&G Festival that I have attended...



...Maple Bourbon Cheesecake with Maple Bourbon Cream, Caramel and Pecan Crunch.

HEAVEN ON A PLATE, FOLKS. This is so dreamy that I actually do dream about it once in a while. It’s a perfect balance of creamy and crunchy, not too sweet. Sigh. I could eat three of them right now with no regrets to the damage they would do to my waistline or my arteries.

After all of this goodness, we headed down to Future World for our FastPasses... can you guess what our first one was by this pic?



If you guessed Spaceship Earth, you were right! Since it probably would be our last time riding it before it’s refurb, we were all soaking in the smell of Rome burning and our favorite scenes... mine being this groovy lady!



Maybe she will make it into the new one... I can only hope! Next up, it was time to design a car at Test Track!



Interestingly, they cut off the line right after we got in because there was lightning in the area, so we weren’t sure if we’d make it all the way through... but we did, and thank goodness with no rain!

Next up was Mission:Space (green because we ate too much to chance the orange version!)... a beautiful flight over Earth... but not until we received our training!



After these three, it was time to head back to the Yacht Club to get ready for an evening at DS, but not before one last stop to hit two more food booths, Shimmering Sips and Hawaii, where we had...



...a Mimosa Flight with:

• Tropical Mimosa with Sparkling Wine and Passion Fruit, Orange, and Guava Juices
• Key Lime Mimosa with Key Lime Sparkling Wine and Cranberry Juice
• Blood Orange Mimosa with Sparkling Wine and Blood Orange Juice

Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet-and-Sour DOLE® Pineapple Chutney and spicy Mayonnaise; Grilled Tuna Tataki with Seaweed Salad, Pickled Cucumbers and Wasabi Cream; Maui Brewing Company Bikini Blonde Lager; and AULANI Sunrise: Vodka, DOLE® Pineapple Juice, and Grenadine.

Yum yummy yum! We really liked the tropical and key lime mimosas, but the blood orange one was a bit on the bitter side (which of course didn’t stop us from drinking it all!). The slider was delicious as usual, and the tuna was cooked perfectly and we liked the seaweed salad a lot. The beer was tasty but a bit plain, and the Sunrise was a real winner... especially in its adorable souvenir tiki glass! Sis-in-law uses it for sangria at home.

This was a perfect end to our afternoon at Epcot, so we headed back out through the IG and took our short walk back to the Yacht Club, where our luggage was waiting for us. We took a bit of time to unpack and settle in, and then headed down to the buses for a ride to DS! Can you guess where we had a 7:30 dinner ressie?

To be continued in next post...

 

[heaven2dc]

I'm first to join in!! Happy New Year! Yacht Club is so gorgeous and can't wait to stay there on our 2020 trip! I think I need to tag along with you gals next trip - love your touring style

I'm stumped on your dinner ressie

 

[suse66]

Love your room at the Yacht Club and all the fun you had at F&W! My guess for dinner is the Boathouse.

 

[DLo]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more.
YC is my favorite resort. Can’t beat an EPCOT resort during F&W . I just now have discovered ciders and those look delish. I also love a good mimosa . Last trip was during F & G but next is during F&W so hope to try some of those .

 

[DisneyDillyDally]

Following

 

[brewhome]

I'm first to join in!! Happy New Year! Yacht Club is so gorgeous and can't wait to stay there on our 2020 trip! I think I need to tag along with you gals next trip - love your touring style

I'm stumped on your dinner ressie

Welcome, @heaven2dc! You will absolutely love the Yacht Club. It is amazing! Our touring style is definitely different than many - we put in a lot of steps, but we definitely take some time to just stop and enjoy the atmosphere, and definitely to sample lots of great drinks and food! Stay tuned for our DS ressie! It was at a place none of us had been to yet!

Love your room at the Yacht Club and all the fun you had at F&W! My guess for dinner is the Boathouse.

Welcome, @suse66! Good guess, you are close in location but not quite there. I have gone to The Boathouse before though and it was incredible... one of the best meals I have had at Disney.

Following along. Looking forward to reading more.
YC is my favorite resort. Can’t beat an EPCOT resort during F&W . I just now have discovered ciders and those look delish. I also love a good mimosa . Last trip was during F & G but next is during F&W so hope to try some of those .

Welcome, @DLo! We definitely enjoy ciders and Disney serves some good ones! Try the Rekorderlig Strawberry Kiwi one if you’re ever at Raglan Road. We had more mimosas later in the trip, so stay tuned! ;-)

Following

Welcome, @DisneyDillyDally - hope you enjoy reading along!

 

[brewhome]

11/6 Continued...

After unpacking and freshening up a bit at the hotel, we hopped a bus to Disney Springs for a reservation at a place new to all of us, one that we had all been looking forward to...



...Wine Bar George! What a cool place! The bar downstairs was crazy crowded, but we ended up at a table upstairs which was still packed but a little quieter. We loved the atmosphere...



It’s a cool mix of soft seating, bar seating, and tables. They have a lot of tapas-style food so we decided to split some dishes. I didn’t do too well with the pics because we were all hungry, but here is one shot I got partway in...



We had Crispy Mac and Cheese bites that were really good with a little bit of a kick; Chicken Skewers that had an Asian style sauce and were delicious and juicy; House-Made Meatballs over polenta that were absolutely wonderful; and House-Made hummus with pita and cucumber (not pictured), which is probably the best hummus I’ve ever had.

Sis and I had a really nice German dry reisling, sis-in-law had a fantastic red sangria, and niece had a specialty cocktail:



“Authored in Autumn”: St. George Spiced Pear / Rittenhouse Rye / Honey / Lemon... it was wonderful! Not too sweet, and the pear slice floating on top had been dried first and was full of flavor.

This was a really nice meal and with the annual pass discount was quite reasonably priced, especially for the quality of the food and drinks, and our server was great too! I give the servers there a lot of credit, as they run up and down the stairs constantly!

After this, we needed to walk a bit, so we did some shopping at a few of our favorites... Basin, World of Disney, the Co-op, Goofy’s Candy Store, and of course, the LEGO store, where they had a really neat mural...



So neat - it was flat but looked 3D the way the colors popped. We decided to grab one last beverage each at Dockside Margaritas and drank them while enjoying some live music...



We went for the frozen ones this time, and man, were they filling! Two were lime, one was strawberry, and the one at the back left was a strawberry daiquiri, and they were all wicked strong. Just like we like them!

Around 11 we decided to call it a night and caught a bus back to the hotel to get a good night’s sleep before Day 2... which included a fun jaunt around AK, an afternoon break at Stormalong Bay, and an evening visit to Epcot for more F&W fun... stay tuned!

 

[brewhome]

11/7

Day 2... after a great night’s sleep on the Yacht Club’s super comfy beds, we woke up to this beautiful view...



Ahhh. There’s something to be said for staying at a deluxe resort... I can see why people may never want to go back to mods or values, especially in they are people who like to spend lots of time at their resort instead of in the parks.

Today was Animal Kingdom day and we couldn’t wait - it’s our favorite park. We made our way over around 10:00 and headed to our favorite spot, but not before stopping for pics of the iconic Tree of Life...



...and a quick stop off to see the refurbished otter exhibit. This pic is a little blurry, but these little guys are so stinking cute! And notice that the pic is of a little dude’s bootie. I have a notorious habit of taking lots of animal pics when they have their butts toward me... it’s a thing. I don’t try to, but those pics always end up coming out the best for some reason!



Then we made it to our favorite land...



...Africa! We just love the vibe in there, and our favorite place to be is...



...The Dawa Bar! We just love the vibe, the drinks, and the street entertainment and make it a point every trip to grab drinks and breakfast at...



...Kusafiri Coffee Shop and Bakery! Here’s a pic of my delicious margarita... yum yum!



Sis had the same, and sis-in-law and niece had their awesome Bloody Mary’s, which came with some really tasty thick cut spicy/sweet bacon. We also got these goodies from Kusafiri...



...a giant Mickey cinnamon roll and a spinach and feta quiche. These are both amazing, and were a great balance between the two of sweet and savory. And both are huge - we split them four ways and each had plenty to eat, so for around $15 we had four breakfasts, which is a pretty good deal for Disney! We thoroughly enjoyed this breakfast while watching our favorite entertainment ever at Disney...



...the Tam Tam Drummers of Harambe! They always bring a smile to our faces and we just can’t help but dance! It’s such a great way to begin a day at AK.

The Christmas decorations were out in full force and I love how eclectic they are... this bike wheel turned into a wreath is just one example of a unique one, and in the “bar” pic above is a wreath made out of bottle caps.



Continued in next post...

 

[brewhome]

11/7 Continued...

After our awesome breakfast, we did a little shopping at the store in Africa. I absolutely love this themed Christmas tree...



We had some time to kill before our first FP, so we decided to take the train to check out the new Animation Experience!



We always enjoyed the one that used to be in Hollywood Studios, so we are glad it’s back! It was a lot of fun... we drew Flick from It’s a Bugs Life and they came out pretty good! Next up, it was time for our first FP on Kilimanjaro Safaris! We saw the usual animals in the first section, and then we got to my niece’s favorite of all...



The giraffes! Notice the fabulous butt shot. Ha! They were really close to the trucks this time and we got some absolutely great close up time with them...



Following that bootie down the road...



Then she turned and we got this fabulous series of pics while going by...



That crazy tongue was cracking us up!



Hilarious!



Doesn’t she look like she’s laughing in that shot?



So gorgeous. And of course, one last butt shot...



This never gets old, I tell ya. When people don’t understand why we keep coming back to Disney, I list the experiences on the safari as one of the reasons why... always different and exciting!

Continued in next post...

 

[brewhome]

11/7 Continued...

Just a few more shots from the safari...



That’s one big elephant bootie!



And a heck of a rhino bootie!



And finally a shot of faces! Loved the guy rolling in the mud. Next up, we had some time before our next FP, so we stopped in and saw one of our favorite shows...



The Festival of the Lion King! Another thing that never gets old... the colors, the music, the energy... so good. Next up we had a FP in Pandora, and enjoyed our views of the floating mountains on our way there...



These really are a marvel.



Pandora was packed, and unfortunately I couldn’t get a FP for Flight of Passage this day, so it was off to Na’vi River Journey instead! We sang along with our favorite shaman...



It’s such a relaxing little ride. Since we had to wait until later in the week for FOP, this was a good substitute to get a Pandora fix. Next up was our last FP of the day... do you know where this pic was taken?



If you guessed Kali River Rapids, you were right! It was really hot so the water felt so great! None of us go totally soaked, but wet enough to cool down. And we had the cutest little kids on our raft who had never been on it, and it was fun to listen to them scream and giggle!

After this, we decided to grab a late lunch at Satu’li Canteen. Sis and I had been there before, but sis-in-law and niece had not, and they loved it! The food is so good and a nice departure from the typical quick service. I had a beef bowl with rice and black bean viniagrette, and the blonde ale... yum yum!



Sis had chicken with rice and black bean dressing and the blonde ale, and if I remember correctly, the other two also got chicken with rice, but the creamy herb dressing. Delicious and filling! The portions are absolutely huge.



Then it was time for a pool break... our first time checking out Stormalong Bay!

Continued in next post...

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Following! Sounds like a great trip so far!

 

[brewhome]

Following! Sounds like a great trip so far!

Thanks and welcome, @lvcourtneyy! We had an awesome time!

 

[brewhome]

11/7 Continued...

After our awesome jaunt around Animal Kingdom, we caught a bus back to the Yacht Club and took a little time to relax at Stormalong Bay! What an awesome pool. We absolutely loved floating around on tubes in the lazy river and dipping our toes in the sand bottom of the main pool. We found our own little quiet corner and enjoyed relaxing under some beautiful puffy clouds. I took just a couple of quick pics...



The spot on the left in the pic below is where we hung out in some peace and quiet... aaahhh!



I will say that we all found it a little odd that if you want to use the slide, you have to exit the main pool area and cross the boardwalk to get to it. It just seemed weird to have to run across where so many people stroll through, but it certainly didn’t stop anyone from doing so!

After our refreshing swim, we walked back over to Epcot and entered through the IG for the second time... so convenient! We headed toward the back of the World Showcase to hit up some booths. Since we had that huge late lunch at Satu’li Canteen, we decided to go straight for drinks and dessert at...



...Belgium, where we had the Golden Malted® Belgian Waffle with Warm Chocolate Ganache and Whipped Cream, Golden Malted® Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream, and a beer flight containing:

• Leffe Blonde Belgian Pale
• St. Bernardus Witbier
• Delirium Red Fruit Beer

Those waffles... sigh. So good. My favorite is the chocolate, because the chocolate itself isn’t too sweet and it’s such a good balance against the sweet waffle and whipped cream. Good thing the others likes the berry one better... more for me! We enjoyed all of the beers, but the Delirium Red Fruit Beer was our favorite because it was so puzzling - it didn’t really even taste like beer!

While we were enjoying these, I snapped one of my favorite pics of the trip of the Italy pavilion...



I’m not sure why I like this one so much, but I do! Maybe it’s the contrast between that dark sky and the illuminated bricks. Anyhoo... next we decided to get an old favorite and something new that instantly became a new favorite...



...Violet Sake from the Garden House and BlackBerry Sake Mist from Kabuki Cafe in the Japan pavilion! We split these between the four of us and they were both fantastic! The Violet Sake is something that has a really unique flavor, and is way too easy to drink down fast, so we always split one or else we would get bombed quickly! Ha! The BlackBerry Sake Mist was a huge portion and I can imagine it would be so refreshing on a super hot day, but would melt fast! Yum.

Next up... we needed a treat to take into the theater with us for our Eat to the Beat concert, so what do you think we got that’s near the American pavilion?

Continued in next post...

 

[brewhome]

11/7 Continued...

At the end of the last post, we were stopping for a snack and drink near the American pavilion... here’s what we got!



We each got our own Arendelle Aqua lemonade from the Block & Hans stand, and these were super yummy! They had frozen lemonade, Old Smokey blackberry moonshine, and Monin Cotton Candy. They were very sweet though, so they took a while to drink, which was ok. We also stopped at the Hops & Barley booth for a festival favorite, the Freshly Baked Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Icing. This is delicious! That frosting... mmmmm mmmm. We noshed on these while attending our first ever Eat to the Beat concert...



Yep, the classic 80’s band The Hooters! My sis-in-law was so excited, and they put on a great show!



You can’t beat how close the stage is, and they came out into the audience a bit, too, which was a lot of fun.

When the concert ended, we took a little wander down to the Germany pavilion to get some treats from Karamell-Kuche to take back to the hotel with us. I forgot to snap pics, but we got chocolate covered sea salt caramels and a caramel apple. It always smells divine in there!

Then we staked out a spot near the Japan pavilion...



... to watch a show new to us - Epcot Forever! I snapped a couple of shots of the Japan pavilion while waiting... here’s the main area...



And the pagoda...



I just adore Epcot at night. We really liked the show, especially the kites. Here are a couple of shots...





It’s definitely a neat show; I especially appreciated all of the “old” Epcot music they included. We were glad to see it, but we are also looking forward to the new HarmoniUS show that’s coming this year.

After a long, full fun day, it was time to head back out through the IG to a good night’s sleep at the Yacht Club!

Next up, a crazy, tipsy day at Hollywood Studios and a special birthday dinner for sis-in-law! Can you guess what signature restaurant we chose? One hint - it wasn’t at Hollywood Studios!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Oo I want that Arrendelle Aqua Lemonade!

 

[brewhome]

Oo I want that Arrendelle Aqua Lemonade!

@lvcourtneyy, it was so good! And so pretty.

 

[brewhome]

11/8

Hi all! I’m back to update you on our tipsy day at Hollywood Studios! So I have a confession to make... we enjoy shower beers (yep, that’s beers in the shower! If you haven’t done it, try it!) and sangria or reisling (aka “juice”) for breakfast in our room on vacation mornings, and sometimes we slip a little something extra into our water bottles to enjoy on the walk or ride to the parks. This day we kicked off our Hollywood Studios day with a couple of morning pick me ups in the hotel room, and then a refreshing adult beverage to enjoy on our boat ride there from the Yacht Club. NO JUDGES! . It was vacation and we deserved it. So by the time we got to the park, we were already three or four drinks in. Don’t worry, we didn’t get TOO sloppy!

We decided to take a leisurely boat ride to HS, and while waiting we couldn’t help but take just a couple more pics of the beautiful Yacht Club area...



The dock is so pretty, especially with the Boardwalk in the distance! And the resort really is spectacular...



We had a nice easy ride with a quick stop at the Swan, and then we arrived at...



HS was all decked out for the holidays and we were loving the fifties vibe of the decor! Here’s another shot...



I have to say, I don’t miss the sorcerer Mickey hat that used to dominate this view. It is so nice to see the Chinese theater instead! I’m sure there are some who disagree with me on that one.

We were excited to head to our first FP of the day at one of our favorites...



Yes! Loved the stars lining the road, too. This ride has, in my opinion, some of the very best theming in all of Disney...



My (adult, mind you) niece always gets nervous and starts giggling like crazy as soon as we get in the line, and then usually has herself so freaked out by the time we get in the elevator that she laughs and cries through the whole ride! We get some absolutely hilarious ride photos that I have promised never to share. As freaked out as she gets, she still keeps going on it!

On our way back up Sunset Boulevard, we came across some street performers that were absolutely hilarious. The girl was singing, the cop wanted to arrest her for being in the street, the other guy was pleading for her, and on and on... they were great!







I love coming across these types of things and hope they never cut them completely. We had some time to burn before our next FP, so we decided to go for our first “official” cocktails of the day from Min & Bill’s Dockside Diner...



Sis-in-law and I had the Schofferhofer Pink Grapefruit Hefeweizen, and sis and niece had lime margaritas that were there as a special. That is such a delicious beer, if you like light fruity ones! I didn’t think it was tart like grapefruit usually is... more of a sweet citrus taste. The margaritas were fine, too... nothing fancy but they hit the spot!

Can you guess what our next FP was for?

Continued in next post....

 

[brewhome]

11/8 Continued...

After our delicious beverages, we headed to our next FP at another one of our favorites...



The Frozen sing-a-long! We absolutely love this show... the Arendelle Historians are so hilarious and make it so fun! I totally relate to Anna in the picture above... that’s me every morning. And we love these sisters...



The cool thing about seeing the show during the holiday season is that they add in a section with songs from the Frozen holiday special, and Olaf plays a big role! If you haven’t checked out this show, try it! It’s so fun and it snows, too!



After this, we had a throw away FP at Muppet Vision 3D that we decided not to use. We’ve seen the show so many times that we didn’t need to again. I really hope with the opening of Mickey’s Runaway Railway, the FP tiers will change again and we will be able to get some better tier 2’s once more. Anyhoo, we had bigger things in mind than the Muppets...



Our first visit to Galaxy’s Edge! Anticipation was high as we walked through the main entrance...

The theming is really impressive in here... we were there before the opening of Rise if the Resistance, so it’s wasn’t super crowded right near the entrance, and we were able to get a glimpse of Rey’s speeder...



And then we saw her and Chewie working on a ship together!



I love that big fur ball. Next we just took some time to admire the theming...



...especially the little details. My sons will go crazy over this section when they visit...



We followed a couple of storm troopers further into the area...



...and checked out some droids...



We didn’t use the app while we were there, but we saw some people interacting with these and it was pretty cool.

Continued in next post...