A Very Magical Disney Proposal.. My first TR!

[Vernie822]

FRIDAY 9/19 - EPCOT: F&W Round 1

While we had eaten a pretty substantial breakfast, we were more than excited for the first day of... FOOD AND WINE!!!

We started on the Canada side of the World Showcase and worked our way around.

This is our "We are so happy to be stuffing our faces but should have worn our fat pants" face.

We started on the Canada side of the World Showcase and worked our way around. This is what we did for lunch that day.

Since we had so many snack credits left, and we had some gift cards purchased for F&W use, we decided to do the obvious.. use the snack credits on the pricier items ($5 or more) and our gift cards on the cheaper items.

Our strategy was to eat everything. If one of us wanted something the other may not like, we tried it anyways! There were plenty of things one of us would like that the other we knew would not. We started around 11:30.

First stop: Hawaii.

Kālua Pork Slider with sweet and sour Dole® Pineapple chutney and spicy mayonnaise – $3.75, DDP Snack Eligible

We really liked this. Justin did not love the pineapple chutney, but I did. It was slightly spicy but the mayo was SO GOOD!




Second stop: Puerto Rico.

Carne guisada con arroz blanco: Slow-braised beef with Puerto Rican-grown rice (gluten free) – $4.50, DDP Snack Eligible

We liked this. It tasted similar to stuffed peppers. Justin was a bigger fan than I.



Third stop: Canada.

Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup – $4.25 DDP Snack Eligible and “Le Cellier” Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle Butter Sauce – $7.25 DDP Snack Eligible

A better pic of the filet..

This was definitely the WINNER! I was really torn between Yachtsman and Le Cellier for our ADRs. I figured since we could sample Le Cellier at Food and Wine, we would go to Yachtsman. We have decided that we a) need to find out how to make this soup and b) must go back here. The filet was great. Very tender. The soup was delicious, too!



Fourth stop: France.

Boeuf bourguignon: Braised short ribs in cabernet with mashed potatoes – $5.75, DDP Snack Eligible

REVIEW: The beef was good. Really tender and juicy. I think the mashed potatoes were a little lumpy, but overall the dish was good. Not a favorite, it didn't really stick out with amazing flavors, but still great.



Fifth stop: Brazil.

Crispy Pork Belly with Black Beans, Tomato, and Cilantro – $5.25, (gluten free) DDP Snack Eligible

REVIEW: I LOVED this. Justin was not as big of a fan, mainly because of the tomato and cilantro. Maybe a little too much fat, but still a great dish. A ton of flavor.



Sixth stop: Belgium.

Belgian Waffle with Warm Chocolate Ganache and Whipped Cream – $3.50, DDP Snack Eligible, and Leffe Blonde – $3.50.

REVIEW: This was another highlight. The waffle was hot and crispy. The whipped cream and chocolate complemented each other very well. I was going to go with a hoegaarden, but I decided against it and went with the Leffe Blonde. It had a funny aftertaste. It wasn't bad, but not my favorite.



Seventh stop: Morocco.

Baklava – $2.95, DDP Snack Eligible, Sangria – $5.00

REVIEW: I ordered this, Justin did not try any here. It was great. The baklava was a typical baklava, but hey I LOVE baklava so I was not complaining! And the sangria was great too. Mmm... I love sangria!



Last stop for the morning.. Greece!

Chicken gyro with tzatziki Sauce – $4.25, DDP Snack Eligible

REVIEW: This was Justin's. I gave it a try. I typically do not like gyros, but since this was chicken I had a bite. It was gooooood, especially with the tzatziki and the pita. YUM!!

As you can understand, we were SO full after this.. We really did pace ourselves though so it was well worth it. We did this in about an hour.. Ok so maybe we should have paced ourselves a little more.. hahaha.

 

[Vernie822]

FRIDAY 9/19 - EPCOT: F&W Part 2

We took a break after our first round to go back to the resort and pack a little. We knew with a late ADR and wanting to leave for Miami early the next day that a break from the heat, plus some packing, couldn't hurt.

We were back for more Food and Wine later that day, still long before our reservation at Teppan Edo.. which was the worst idea ever. We should never have made an ADR after eating around the world! Since we only had one day at Food and Wine we really wanted to make the most of it.

So, note to selves.. do not book an ADR after you stuff your faces in each country!

This time we started in Mexico.

First stop: Mexico

Rib eye taco: Marinated rib eye, roasted chipotle salsa and grilled scallions on a corn tortilla (gluten free) – $5.50, DDP Snack Eligible, and a mango strawberry margarita.

I loved the flavors of the taco! It was fantastic. The margarita was great, too. I have no idea why there's no picture here.



Second stop: China

Chicken Potstickers – $4.00, DDP Snack Eligible

Justin loved these. I only had a bite. From what I recall, they were just your average potsticker.



Third stop: Germany and Craft Beer.

Roast bratwurst in a pretzel roll – $5.00, DDP Snack Eligible, Schöfferhofer Grapefruit – $3.50

Omg, this was fantastic! We loved it. The bratwurst was so juicy and flavorful and the pretzel bun was awesome, too. I also really loved the grapefruit beer.. you'll see I come back for more later!



Fourth stop: Poland

Kielbasa and potato pierogi with caramelized onions and sour cream – $5.25, DDP Snack Eligible

We loved these, too. We have never had a combo of all of these things, but we love all of them individually. Justin loves pierogies so these were right up his alley!



Fifth stop: Italy

Ravioli alla caprese: Cheese ravioli, tomato sauce, mozzarella, parmesan and basil – $6.00, DDP Snack Eligible

I had wanted to try the Filetto di pollo, con funghi al marsala, but I was getting really full and Justin would much prefer the ravioli so we tried that. I just thought it was average. It did not really impress me, but he liked it.



Sixth stop: Belgium

Belgian Waffle with Warm Chocolate Ganache and Whipped Cream – $3.50, DDP Snack Eligible, Vegetarian
Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream – $3.50, DDP Snack Eligible, Vegetarian

(Sorry, I swear I got a picture of these, but maybe not since I got one the first time.. haha)

Obviously we were in love with these.. we came back for more! I was eager to try the berry waffle, it did not disappoint either. These were so amazing.



Seventh stop: America, Hops and Barley

Artisan cheese plate featuring Cabot Cloth wrapped cheddar, Purple Haze chèvre goat cheese and Cave Man blue cheese – $5.00, DDP Snack Eligible

I liked this. From what I remember, the blue cheese and goat cheese were great. The cloth wrapped cheddar was my least favorite, but it was overall really delicious.



Eighth stop: Greece

Griddled Greek cheese with pistachios and honey (gluten free) – $3.75, DDP Snack Eligible, Vegetarian

I had been really wanting to try this. It was okay, I guess maybe I expected more. It was mostly so melted that it had kind of become more crusty than runny, so maybe if it was newer it would have been better? I'm not sure. I still liked it, but it was not my favorite.

We also went to DTD in between and got our bride and groom ears personalized with "Mr" and "Mrs" and they turned out really cute! Since it was raining that afternoon, DTD was not too busy and we got a quick parking spot.


Stay tuned for us attempting to eat at Teppan Edo 2 hours later, HAH!

 

[Vernie822]

FRIDAY 9/19 - EPCOT: Teppan Edo ADR

We came back from DTD and made one last lap around the WS for any last minute goodies. Thankfully, we got a really close parking spot at Epcot which allowed us some extra time. It was raining, so a lot of people had left.


I made the mistake of grabbing a Schofferhofer Grapefruit beer in Germany beforehand. It wasn’t a mistake because the beer was amazing, but it did fill me up! I also grabbed one last bag of caramel corn from Karamell Kuche. That needs to be an every trip staple now, because it’s SO GOOD!

After our bout around the WS for more goodies, we had one last Table Service meal at Teppan Edo. We stopped eating around 5, and our meal was set for 7:45 so I was sure we’d have some time to digest before then.

It was really raining here, so we had our ponchos on. We checked in around 7:35 for a 7:45 reservation.

They sent us outside, because our table was not yet ready and the lobby was full of people. So I just continued to sip on my beer.

When it was time for us to eat, we were paired with a family of 4 from somewhere in Florida (I can’t remember where, but it was a few hour drive), and a couple from Brazil. The couple from Brazil didn’t talk much. The mom and dad from Florida had 2 little boys, maybe 3 and 7. The boys were so well behaved, and really enjoyed their meal. We had a nice time chatting and dining with them, which was a fun change of pace since we ate by ourselves all week. So if you’re a single couple, or even a duo or more, and you enjoy dining with a few others, this could be a fun place for you!

I'’ll preface this food review by saying, we eat hibachi often. Probably only once or twice a year, but it is a meal we enjoy as a luxury when we are celebrating a birthday, promotion, etc. So we’re not necessarily there for the show, because we’ve seen the one at home plenty of times, but thought it would be a good place to try. I let my fiancé look at the restaurant menus and this is one he really wanted to try, so we thought we would.

We had a female hibachi chef here. This is the first time I have ever had a female chef. She was really good!

At this particular hibachi restaurant, the tables were pretty close together. I felt like we were scrunched in there. The room had wall to wall people, and there were 4 tables total in the room we were in. It just seemed a little crowded!

I can’t remember if they bring out soup salad or not here. At our home place, they do give you soup and salad. I don’t recall eating it here, but I also don’t like the salad so there’s a chance I just passed on the salad.

We chose steak and chicken combos for our entrees. I always like steak and chicken because it’s the best of both worlds!

Nihonbashi - Steak & Chicken Breast with Seasonal Vegetables, Udon Noodles, and Sukiyaki Beef Rice - $29.95

Noodles:

Steak and chicken!

Disclaimer: Most of mine went untouched by me. I was not hungry, but I was trying to eat a little bit because I did want to try it.

I really liked the noodles. They were delicious and flavorful. The steak was, too.

The veggies were standard, but I liked them.

The chicken was dry as could be. Like, no matter how much yum yum sauce I used, it was still very dry. I usually think hibachi chicken is so good because it’s juicy and saucy and flavorful. This wasn’t, unfortunately.

The rice: usually any hibachi place I have been to offers steamed white rice, or fried rice. I love fried rice so that is usually what I get. Here, they give you sukiyaki beef rice, which was not good, in my opinion. The taste might work well for others, but I did not enjoy it. You could chalk this up to me being picky, or not wanting it since it’s not what I’m used to, but I was not a huge fan of it.

Justin had the exact same thing and ate much of his, and some of my meat I couldn’t finish.

We both passed on dessert, as we had eaten so much that day! I KNOW, free dessert with the DDP. I was so full though, we were both very tired! It was pouring down rain so no Illuminations for us.

I think our bill was about $70 here, between drinks, $29 meals, and tax. We used 2 TS credits here.

 

[Vernie822]

Saturday had come. Our checkout day.

We grabbed breakfast in Pepper Market before leaving. We both had Mickey Waffles as our last goodbye breakfast.

We checked out around 10 and had a few snack credits left to burn, along with 2 QS at DTD.

We ended up with 2 bags of popcorn, one for each of our moms, and one ginormous yummy krispy treat from Goofy's Kitchen.

This krispy treat got eaten over the course of the next 3 days. It was so good!

We also got ourselves a few souvenirs, including a Minnie backpack as a gift for my 2 year old cousin, an ornament at the Christmas store for our tree, and some sweet soap at Basin for Justin's mom. I think we got my mom one, too.

At Earl of Sandwich, we used our last 2 QS credits. Our plan was to hit the road for Miami no later than 1. We had plans to go to the Miami Marlins game that evening, and we had a drive ahead of us. It was still rainy that day.

At EOS, I had the best sandwich ever, the Holiday Turkey. Omg, can I go back now and get one!? Seriously!

Justin didn’t want anything too crazy, so he went with The Earl’s Club: Turkey, bacon, swiss, lettuce, tomato & sandwich sauce, minus the tomatoes. He got a big cookie, which was included with our dining credit, and a Diet Coke.

The Holiday Turkey has: Turkey, stuffing, cranberry, gravy, and seasoned mayonnaise.

Seriously, this was one of the best sandwiches I have ever had! And we're from Pittsburgh where we have Primanti's.. so that says a lot IMO.

We also got Diet Coke to drink, a cookie, and a brownie. Justin ate his sandwich, I had a few bites of mine and saved the rest for the road. He didn't want to eat and drive at the same time. We saved the cookies for while we were in Miami.

Overall, we had an AMAZING time in Disney. I'll do one last post to wrap things up, but we had such a great time.

Miami was another story. We love baseball, so we thought it would be fun to spend a few days there. I think after 8 days in Disney, we were worn out. We had to drive to Miami in the rain, which as fine. We had no idea where to stay, so we had booked a Holiday Inn, thinking it was the safest bet in an area that we did not know.

We made the most of our two days there. We were blessed to be on vacation to begin with, but I think driving to 2 different cities (Tampa and Miami) within 10 days was just exhausting.

 

[Vernie822]

WRAP UP!

Thank you all for joining us for our trip report! It was my first one, and I hadn't been to WDW in 6 years, so I had a lot that we wanted to see.

Here are some highlights from our trip..


FAVORITE THING:
Ashley: "When Justin proposed to me in the Plaza Rose Garden, and then we spent the rest of our night enjoying the Halloween party."
Justin: "Ohana.. I'm just joking, what do you think it was!? When you cried when I proposed.. I don't even know if you managed a YES!"

Justin also says "Eating at Ohana and riding the safari at Kilamanjaro Safari were great, too."


FAVORITE RIDE:
Ashley: A tie between BTMRR and Soarin'.
Justin: Splash Mountain.

FAVORITE PARK:
Ashley: Magic Kingdom, with Epcot as second.
Justin: "Entertainment wise, Animal Kingdom" (because he likes animals). "Food Wise, Epcot, and history wise, Magic Kingdom."

FAVORITE QS MEAL:
Ashley: Holiday Turkey Sandwich at EOS
Justin: Taco Salad at Pecos Bill

FAVORITE TS MEAL:
Ashley: Ohana and Yachtsman
Justin: Ohana

FAVORITE RESTAURANT (For Experience):
Ashley: Ohana and Be Our Guest.. tie!
Justin: Ohana

FAVORITE Thing I Ate, Hands Down - Top 3, 1 Being the Best:
Ashley:
3) Carciofi pizza at Via Napoli
2) NY Strip at Yachtsman
1) Noodles and Steak at Ohana

Justin:
3) Potstickers at Ohana
2) Cheddar cheese soup in Canada
1) Belgian Waffle with chocolate syrup (Food and Wine)


FAVORITE DRINK:
Ashley: Schofferhofer Grapefruit Beer in Italy
Justin: "I mostly only drank Diet Coke!"

FAVORITE DESSERT:
Ashley: Ohana Bread Pudding
Justin: Belgian waffle with chocolate syrup and whipped cream at Belgium stand (Food and Wine)




Aside from these obvious highs.. here are some other thoughts of mine.

I loved going in September. This was awesome because we were able to avoid really long lines. We also were able to take advantage of free dining which I did not know existed when we first booked our trip. Food and Wine was also great, because this is something we both really enjoyed and again didn't know about until after we chose our dates.

We don't have kids, so while there were lots of kids there, September worked for us since we don't have kids to worry about taking out of school.

I am so glad we booked 180 days in advance so we could take advantage of booking restaurants that we really wanted to get.

Every restaurant we ate at was outstanding, with Teppan Edo just being OK. Again some people love it but our hometown hibachi place is outstanding so we were used to that!

I think 1 party day, plus 4 park days, just wasn't enough. I felt really rushed. I could do 4 days again, but I think we were just trying to cram a lot in this trip since it was our first big one together. Even though we had a whole week there, between our arrival day just being dinner, and our party day, and our travels to Tampa, we really only had 4 park days.

When we go back, we are planning 5 or 6 days just so we make sure we can get on a lot of rides. I feel like we were trying to take everything in so we did miss out on a lot of rides that we'll get on next time. I know you can't see everything each trip!

Daytime naps worked out well since Justin wasn't feeling well and since it was SO HOT. We didn't park hop too much, with the exception of HS/Epcot one day. Next time that could work better for us instead of napping, since it will still get us out of the heat for a little.

Again, I feel like we were so focused on just taking it all in/seeing everything that we didn't ride as much. But I'm not a huge rider anyways so it was okay.

Mini life update: We have booked our church and wedding venue for 9/3/16. It will be in Pittsburgh, where I'm from. Justin is from a little farther north but his family will make the trip. We are SO EXCITED to begin planning! We have been saving and are so happy that we can throw one big party for our family and friends. The most important thing to us, throughout this whole experience, is that we enjoy each other's company and have a blast planning our wedding. You only get one shot at this so we are going to make sure our friends and family have a blast, as well as us!

We'll be taking another trip next year! At first, since I have an AP, we wanted to get there in September again. However, Justin has a big work audit each September and he cut it a little close last time. So then we switched to May. But with going on a trip with my mom, aunt, and cousin in March, I think May is too close. So we're going to try for October/November, around Halloween! We loved Food and Wine so we're hoping to get there for that next year too!

Overall, I had an amazing time with my new fiance, celebrating the beginning of our next chapter together. Thanks again for joining us on this fun trip, until next time See ya real soon!

XOXO, Ashley & Justin

 

[AutumneB]

Really enjoyed your TR..................and congratulations on your engagement! I had the holiday sandwich at EOS for the first time in November; now you've got me wanting another one now!

Did Pecos Bill's really get rid of the taco salad??? I had one second week in November.........

And on another note, if you do become serious about purchasing DVC, I'd look into the resale market. I just purchased 90 points at AKL and paid about half of what I would have directly through Disney. If you ever have questions about how it works, PM and I'd be happy to answer questions!

 

[KatMark]

Wonderful final updates.

I love the pictures at Crystal Palace (a must do for us every trip for that puffed French toast), and the pictures on Splash Mountain and the Mine Ride are awesome.

We had a lot of the same things at the Food & Wine. Unfortunately, like our last meal at LeCellier, the filet we got at Food & Wine was awful.

I need to get back to Teppan Edo; we went in 2012 and really liked it.

Again, congratulations on your engagement and thank you for sharing your TR with us.

 

[mdsouth]

Fantastic trip report! Thanks for sharing the details of your engagement and all the fun!
Enjoy planning your wedding and future trips.

Happy New Year!

 

[Ceryssa]

Thanks for sharing your trip with us!! I LOVE the proposal, that's my favorite part too So sweet. Congratulations to you both!! Glad you enjoyed MNSSHP, I'd love to experience it one day.

The Yachtsman looks amazing. I'd love to eat there someday...but not until our kids are able to eat at a table without destroying everything in immediate proximity lol! And the Boardwalk is just so amazing at night. I could look at it ALL day, every day.

We had the same reaction to Hollywood Studios. I went in July for the Frozen event, and that stuff was fun but I didn't enjoy a whole lot else (other than TSMM which of course is awesome!). When I took the rest of the family in November they felt the same way...just like it's really missing something. I hope Disney gives it a lot of love soon, it needs it!

I think Crystal Palace is just a great way to start off an MK day! And dinner at BOG is a great way to end it--we did those two on one of our MK days as well! I think Anna & Elsa are just so much fun--I wish they hadn't split them up, it would be hilarious for them to play off each other.

I made the same mistake with Food & Wine--only I booked TWO TS restaurants one of our Epcot days. What was I thinking?!?! I will NOT be repeating that. I think you guys made it to more of the booths than we did. Something else I plan to correct!

Can't wait to hear about your March trip!