Food & Wine Girls Trip (2018)

hes122

DIS Veteran
Joined
Aug 26, 2010
I was reading through my 2017 trip report and realized I never did one for my October trip for F&W. I'm also bored at work today, so here we go.

The details
4 adults- me and my friends S, A & M
October 10-14
Yacht Club
QS Dining
3 day park tickets (no PH) + MNSSHP

Initially there were 5 of us (we started planning this trip in January), but our other friend A backed out in late July. We were also going to stay at the Boardwalk, but since M has an AP and the rate for YC was better than BWI we decided to switch resorts in late August.

M also decided to come a few days early (she stayed at Pop & GF CL), so that combined with the fact that we didn't have our park tickets attached to our room reservation meant that our 60 day window actually opened when hers did! I was especially happy about this because it meant that we had NO problems getting our fast passes.

We originally planned on flying in Wednesday night after work, but that eventually morphed into us flying in on Wednesday morning.

Pre-Trip
I once again flew in on Spirit from an airport that's about 2 hours from my house. The airport, however, is close to several family members including my grandfather but it wasn't an option to stay at his house (weird family dynamics with the uncle who is living there now), but I did stay with another aunt & uncle who live close by. So after work on Tuesday I drove to their house, stopping by the nursing home to see my grandfather on the way.
 
Day- 1 (Arrival Day)
My flight was early, but it was nice not to get up at 3 am to get in the car and drive 2 hours to the airport. So I got up around 5 or so, got ready and made my way to the airport. Everything with my flight was on time. S & I arrived right around the same time (like 9:20ish). Since we both used our ME tags this time, neither of us stopped at baggage claim to wait for our stuff. We grabbed some Starbucks and got in line for ME. Our wait for the bus was pretty short (in fact I think we were still working on our Starbucks drinks when the bus arrived) and we got to the hotel by 10:15. I changed clothes quickly and then we dropped our bags at bell services because our room wasn't ready and we were meeting M at GF.

We took the bus to MK and then the boat to GF. While we were on the boat, M moved up our lunch reservation at Whispering Canyon because A was on her way to the resort to drop off her bags by that point and we knew we had enough time (it was shortly after 12 at this point). We met up with M and grabbed our refillable mugs (GF had the Halloween ones in stock so we got them while we could) and then made our way to WL via the Contemporary. A arrived at the WL just as we were getting off the boat so it was all-around good timing. There weren't many people in the restaurant at all and lunch was fabulous. I would eat there again in a heartbeat.

After lunch we planned to go back to GF and hang out in the CL (since M had privileges until the end of the day), but it started raining which meant the boats weren't running so we decided to take the bus to Disney Springs instead. I made the mistake of wearing some really worn flip flops so I almost fell several times while we were walking around but I survived. We shopped for a few hours and then took the bus back to YC and had our bags delivered.

S's brother & his family were also at Disney (staying offsite) while we were and this day ended up being a good time to get together with them, so after some discussion and reservation searching we ended up heading back to Disney Springs for dinner at Frontera Cocina (there were 9 of us so finding a last minute reservation was tricky). Dinner with them was lovely (her nephews are a hoot) and we stopped at Sprinkles for dessert afterwards.

We then made our way back to YC and dipped our feet in the pool before calling it a night.
 
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Day 2- (Epcot)
This was an EMH morning at Epcot and we wanted to utilize it mostly because we didn't want to deal with the F&W crowds over the weekend. Thankfully we were staying at YC, otherwise we wouldn't have made it to the park in time to get an use of the extra time (getting 4 adults up and out the door when you have people who like to sleep in is hard some days). I forgot to mention earlier that we had matching shirts made for this day. We found a design on Etsy and had a friend of M's make them for us. The shirts had 4 wine glasses (complete with Mouse Ears and Disney princess crowns) that said "You Can't Sip with Us." We got several comments on them throughout the day. We arrived around 8:30 or so and made our way over to Norway to ride FEA. The line wasn't crazy but that was really the only thing we were able to get done during EMH. We then made our way over to the Land so could eat breakfast at Sunshine Seasons. While we were eating I was keeping my eye on the wait time for Soarin, but it jumped up to 20 or 25 minutes just we were finishing up so we hit up Living with the Land instead. We then made our way over to Test Track to use FP and then on to Mission: Space (Green) for FP #2. After that we walked around the exhibit set up in the old Body wars building and got some mimosas before heading to Spaceship Earth to use our last pre-booked FP. The FP line was surprisingly longer than we expected but it was fine. While we waited, I was able to grab a FP for Soarin for later in the evening. After that we stopped by and watched the Pixar Shorts and met Minnie & Pluto.

By this point the WS was open, so we started snacking around the world. My personal favorite was the filet slider at Canada and the frozen wine drink (I think it was from either New Zealand or Australia). When we got to the International Gateway we decided to take a resort break and hit the pool. It started raining so by the time we got changed, there was a delay in opening of the pool. Just as we were getting let in the pool area I received a text from friends of mine from camp who live/work at Disney saying that they'd be arriving at Epcot around 4. I swam for a bit and then got out to go and meet them. I hadn't seen them in a few years so it was nice to catch up. We made a loop around the WS when S & A decided to join us (M was tired and wanted to chill for a bit) so we met them at the IG and we started snacking again. When we got to Mexico we rode the Gran Fiesta Tour.

At this point it was getting close to dark and my friends wanted to head out so we made our way to the front of the park to say goodbye. After they left, we hit up the Seas with Nemo & Friends and then used our Soarin FP. The 3 of us decided we didn't want to stay for Illuminations so we made our way back to the resort for the evening. We had a late reservation for Beaches & Cream so we just met M there. I loved that place and can understand why it's a highly coveted reservation!

After dessert we walked around the resort some and then called it a night.
 
Day 3- (Animal Kingdom/Magic Kingdom)
Today was a crazy, busy day. We managed to score an early reservation at Trattoria Al Forno so we got up early and walked over to the Boardwalk for breakfast. We were part of the first seating so that was helpful. After that we took the bus to AK. M isn't really an AK fan, so she hung out at the resort. When we got to the park, we took some pictures while we tried to figure out our plan. We had a FP for Kilimanjaro Safaris but it wasn't quite time for that yet, so we watched the Festival of the Lion King show. I don't care how old I am, I will cry at that show every time! When the show was over we used our safari FP and then made our way back towards Pandora for our Flight of Passage FP. Just as we were getting there we got a notification that it was down. I was really disappointed because I was looking forward to riding it. We decided that we'd try back before we left that park and started making our way to Expedition Everest.

We used our FP for EE and decided we were hungry so we made our way to Flame Tree Barbecue for lunch. It was crowded so it took a while to find a seat. We were so thankful for mobile ordering though! After we finished eating, we decided to test the waters and see if FOP was up and running again. It was so we used our final FP of the day for that. It was AMAZING and I can't wait to ride it again on a future trip! While we were in line, I found us FPs for Buzz Lightyear for when we were able to get into MK with our MNSSHP tickets so I grabbed them.

We then took the bus back to the resort and got ready for evening at MK and MNSSHP. I think I posted something on Instagram while we were on the bus to MK because another friend from camp commented that she was going to be at the party that night and was hoping to see me. We arrived at MK a little after 4 (maybe 4:15ish), got our wristbands and made our way to Buzz Lightyear. We ran into S's family as we entered the park, so we stopped and said hi for a few minutes. I finally beat S (she usually beats me every other time). After we tapped in, I was able to grab a FP for Thunder Mountain, so we headed there next. We opted to ride the train over to Frontierland rather than walk. After Thunder Mountain we decided to get in line for Splash Mountain. I can't remember how long we waited, but by the time we got off it was just about 6:00.

At this point we were hungry so we decided to eat dinner at Pecos Bill. I got up from our table to use the ladies room and apparently my previously mentioned camp friend saw me as I walked past her so she grabbed me when I returned to my table. Of all the places to run into one another! She & her friends were dressed up like Toy Story characters which was cool. When we finished eating, we rode Pirates of the Caribbean and the Magic Carpets of Aladdin, did some trick or treating and then got in line for the Haunted Mansion. After that we took some cool pictures with Rapunzel's lanterns and then rode Peter Pan's Flight. We did some more trick or treating in there somewhere too.

M & A wanted a bit of a break so S & I rode Prince Charming's Regal Carousel. After that A & I decided to wait in line for 7DMTR (we had just about enough time before Hallowishes to get it done). It was definitely the longest line of the night by far. We made it out just in time to hurry around to the front of the castle to watch the fireworks. I was too close to the castle for my liking but beggars can't be choosers when they're showing up about a minute before the show starts. I enjoyed the show. I haven't seen HEA yet, so I can't make any comparisons. After that we caught up with M & S and hung out in the HUB and watched the Sanderson Sisters show and the 2nd parade. After the parade, M & S decided to head back to the hotel while A & I went over to ride Space Mountain. We got off just as the party was officially ending. We stopped in some of the Main Street shops on the way to the bus depot. By the time we got back to the resort we were tired and I was asleep pretty much as soon as my head hit the pillow.
 
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Day 4- (Hollywood Studios)
It took a while for all of us to get up and rolling this morning. We initially had an early reservation for Trattoria Al Forno this morning, but when M was able to find one for the previous day we cancelled this one and decided to sleep in instead. M twisted her knee the night before at MK so she decided to play it safe and hang out at the resort again. The rest of us decided to walk to HS rather than wait for the boat. We arrived at the park around 10:15ish (I think; I honestly don't remember for certain). We browsed a little in the shops, but we were hungry so we made our way over to Woody's Lunch Box (everything we read indicated that breakfast was still being served). We got there though, and it was already lunch so we had lunch instead. It took quite a bit to find a table and mobile ordering didn't get my order correct, but I actually really enjoyed the brisket sandwich I ended up so it wasn't the end of the world.

After we finished eating, it was time for our Slinky Dog FP so we did that. The rest of the Toy Story rides had long lines (well longer than any of us really wanted to wait), so we went over and watched the Muppets show. We then hit up Star Tours since we were in the area and did some shopping (we totally utilized the option to pick it up at the front of the park). Sometime during this we received notification that RNRC was down so our FP for that turned into an anytime FP. We now had some more time to waste before our Tower of Terror FP so we took our time getting over there and stopped in to meet Kylo Ren (we used the Disney Visa card meet & greet) and did some more shopping (I was thisclose to buying myself a set of mouse ears). Eventually RNRC came back online, so we went down there and used our FPs for both rides.

While we were finishing up our FPs I got a message from another camp friend (if you're keeping track that's #4 this trip) who was supposed to meet us the previous day, but something came up on her end so we rescheduled for today. She had arrived in the park and was making her way to Baseline Taphouse. She had just received her drink when I arrived (S & A stopped to shop some more along the way, but they caught up to us eventually) so we chatted for about an hour or so until she needed to leave for a prior engagement. The rest of us decided we were ready for a break too, so we made our way out of the park. We stopped & picked up our bags and met some characters near the park entrance.

We took the boat back to the resort and met up with M. We hung out for awhile and then walked over to the Boardwalk Pizza Window for dinner. It was nice to sit out there and relax (the pizza was pretty good too). After that, S& I decided to head back to HS to see Fantasmic (we picked up a FP for the show while we were sitting at Baseline) so we got on the boat and made our way there. A & M decided to hit the pool again. We window shopped some along the way and made our way over to the show. We both love Fantasmic so we were happy to see it this time (we opted to watch the SWGS last time). As we left the park we did some actual shopping this time. When we got back to the resort we met up with M& A and decided to get a snack at the Beaches & Cream walk-up window. I got a float with orange pop instead of root beer (something I used to do as a child). Going backwards a bit, a good friend of ours passed away about a month before this trip and because she loved Disney we decided that we would have a toast to her (with her favorite wine of course) on our trip, but every time we thought about it we weren't all together. So now that we were all together, we stopped at the Crew's Cup Lounge and had our toast. It was a lovely tribute to a friend we all dearly miss.

By this point, it was late so we went back to the room to get packed up for the trip and in bed.
 
Day 5- (Departure Day)
Today was the day that we would all eventually leave. A had an early flight so she was up and out the door around 5 am. I hardly heard her get up so I knew the others didn't. The rest of us didn't have to be at the bus stop until later so we slept some more. Eventually we got up and rolling and went over to the Beach Club Marketplace and had breakfast. S had to be at the bus stop shortly after this, so we grabbed her stuff and waited at the bus stop with her. After she left, M & I sat down and chatted for a bit in an out of the corridor at the BC. I decided to go back to Disney Springs and bum around a bit (I still had over 5 hours until my ME bus departure). I did some shopping (I really wanted to get a t-shirt, but all the ones I really liked had a year on them and I didn't want a year on it) and then decided to do the Characters in Flight balloon ride. It was fun and I would do it again in a heartbeat (it was HOT that day though). I bummed around DS some more and used up the last of my snack credits at Starbucks.

I decided it was time to head back to the resort, so when I got there I found M and waited with her until her ME bus came. After she left, I decided to use my last QS credit at Hurricane Hannas for an early dinner. My football game was on the tv by the bar so I watched the game while I ate. Not long after the game was over it was time to go meet my ME bus so I went over to bell services and picked up my bags. My bus arrived pretty much on schedule and my flight left on time as well. Of course my bag was one of the last ones to come off the plane so it was almost 11 by the time I left the airport. I realized about 30 minutes into the 2 hour drive that I would need some caffeine to get me home, so I stopped at a Sheetz to get some hot chocolate (I don't do coffee). It took me forever to find the lids and I think the guy behind the counter took pity on me so I didn't end up paying for my drink. It was about 12:45 am when I got home and I crawled right into bed.
 
Final Thoughts
Overall it was a great trip. I'm glad we did it. Looking back there were some things that I would've done differently (gone to park on arrival day since we all got in early), so those are just some good things to put in the back of my head to remember for next time. Our travel agent was awesome. She helped out so much when we were deciding on a resort and every time a new discount would come out, she'd make sure it was applied to our trip right away. I'll be using her again for sure.

S & I are tentatively planning our next trip for November 2019, but I need some other things to fall into place before I can commit totally. Regardless I am looking forward to a return trip!
 



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