The Aussies Are Running Wine & Dine 2019

[pkondz]

OMG I'd love to experience a white Christmas one day!

To be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Except... I want it to snow... a lot... on December 1st... and then completely melt and be gone and warm on January 2nd.

Christmas here in Australia is our summer and it's damn hot!!

I knew that. No snow for you unless you stick your head in the freezer.

Instead of eating roast meats like turkey with all the trimmings we typically eat seafood and cook outside on the big day

mmmm… okay, I'd like that!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Hm quick service recommendations:

AK has tons that are good: Saut'li Canteen, Yak and Yeti QS, Flame Tree BBQ are our favorites
Epcot also has tons: Sunshine Seasons, China and Mexico are at the top of my list
MK: Columbia Harbor House
HS: none of them stick out to me, they're all just ok
Resorts: Captain Cook at the Poly for sure, the food court at AoA is great (and easy to walk to from Pop), Gasparilla's at the GF, Roaring Forks at WL
DS: Blaze pizza, Chicken Guy, Earl of Sandwich, Wolkgang Puck Express are our go-tos

 

[VeronicaMarie]

OMG I'd love to experience a white Christmas one day!

Christmas here in Australia is our summer and it's damn hot!!

Instead of eating roast meats like turkey with all the trimmings we typically eat seafood and cook outside on the big day

My dad celebrated Christmas Day in Australia last year, and it was weird Face timing him with this BBQ dinner outside and me with my turkey dinner staying warm from the snow ha ha.

 

[Sinders99]

Hm quick service recommendations:

AK has tons that are good: Saut'li Canteen, Yak and Yeti QS, Flame Tree BBQ are our favorites
Epcot also has tons: Sunshine Seasons, China and Mexico are at the top of my list
MK: Columbia Harbor House
HS: none of them stick out to me, they're all just ok
Resorts: Captain Cook at the Poly for sure, the food court at AoA is great (and easy to walk to from Pop), Gasparilla's at the GF, Roaring Forks at WL
DS: Blaze pizza, Chicken Guy, Earl of Sandwich, Wolkgang Puck Express are our go-tos

All of your AK recommendations are on my list. Same with EPCOT with the exception of China. I've actually not heard great things about any of the food at China but I'll keep it in mind.

Columbia HH is definitely on my list. Everyone raves about that place!

I completely agree about HS QS. Food in general at HS is either really average or really expensive. We've had to pretty much go TS at HS and have booked 50's Prime Time which we LOVED on our last visit and we're going to try Sci Fi Dine In Theatre this time as well. Galaxies Edge will be open when we get there so I'm hoping that the food offerings in there lift the standard.

Captain Cooks YES!! AOA YES!! Not sure about Gasparilla's but we'll keep it in mind too. We booked in at Whispering Canyon at WL but I'm sure we'll find ourselves back there more than once.

Blaze was awesome last trip and we'll definitely go back there. Chicken Guy is on our DS food crawl list

GREAT GREAT QS suggestions!! Thanks so much!!

 

[Sinders99]

QUICK UPDATE!!

Oh my goodness, I've been so bad at keeping everyone updated!!

It's been a hectic month between updates with lots going on in my work life that's kept me away from posting planning and training journal updates but there have been some advances in the planning

As the new Christmas/Holiday activities have been announced I've had to move around some park days and bookings so that we could see as much of the Holiday fireworks and Christmas Tree Trails as possible!! We won't get back to Disneyworld for a couple of years so we want to try and see as much as we can and Christmas is my very favourite time of the year.

I think it's about time I sat down this weekend and went over my updated plans so stay tuned for a big update this coming weekend ​

 

[pkondz]

QUICK UPDATE!!

Oh my goodness, I've been so bad at keeping everyone updated!!

It's been a hectic month between updates with lots going on in my work life that's kept me away from posting planning and training journal updates but there have been some advances in the planning

As the new Christmas/Holiday activities have been announced I've had to move around some park days and bookings so that we could see as much of the Holiday fireworks and Christmas Tree Trails as possible!! We won't get back to Disneyworld for a couple of years so we want to try and see as much as we can and Christmas is my very favourite time of the year.

I think it's about time I sat down this weekend and went over my updated plans so stay tuned for a big update this coming weekend ​

Standing by, Captain!

 

[Sinders99]

ONLY 70 DAYS TO GO!!!

Oh my goodness me!! Where has the time gone??
I'm pinching myself at how close our trip is now. It feels like just weeks ago we were at the 180 day mark and making our dining reservations. It might sound strange but this is one of my favourite parts of the planning process. In 10 days time I'll be booking fast passes and we'll shortly be arranging our final travel documents, booking our seats on the plane, starting to arrange currency and all those fun things you take with you start getting put into piles in the spare bedroom ready to pack into suitcases.

It's a really fun time but it's also torture!!

My work recently has been so demanding and stressful and I'd kill for a break but I need to save every leave day to put towards our trip, so 70 days feels like an eternity!!!

For those of you who haven't been following my Training Journal on the boards I've been struggling with a persistent calf strain issue since I ran the Great Ocean Road Half Marathon in May.

Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr

And then in June I had a nasty fall which left me with a badly bruised ego, hand and knee and a really gravel eaten knee cap.

It's been a difficult few months and a hard road back to a pain free training schedule. I've been especially stressed in getting back on track as the whole purpose of this trip was so that I could fulfil a bucket list item which was to run a Disney Half Marathon. That goal of running a Disney Half Marathon is what got me running in the first place. But I've been working closely with a great physiotherapist who's also a running specialist who's been helping me to make corrections to my form, gate and training schedule. I'm a much better runner for it and have been relatively pain free for the past 3 weeks and today I ran 7km which is the longest run I've been able to complete since May when the injury first occurred. YAY!!! And not a moment too late seeing as though in 11 weeks I'll be running a 5km, 10km & a Half Marathon over Wine & Dine weekend.

So where are we at with the planning?

I looked back over my 180 day post and WOW!! have our dining plans and even our daily schedule changed. So much has happened since we first started planning and boy has Disney thrown us some huge curve balls to deal with. So what do our daily plans look like 70 days out??

26 Oct
Travel day - Melbourne to Orlando
Arrive and checkin @ POP
Early night!
DINNER = Everything POP

27 Oct
Morning shopping trip to Walmart/Target to pickup snacks and breakfast supplies
1200-1800 Magic Kingdom
1400 Festival of Fantasy Parade
Park closes 1800 for MNSSHP
LUNCH = MK QS
DINNER = Chef Art Smith's Homecomin

28 Oct
0600 - 1200 Hollywood Studios
0940 Oga's Cantina Booking
1600 - 2100 Epcot
1845 Eat To The Beat Concert - Hanson
LUNCH = HS QS
DINNER = F&W Booths

29 Oct
Free Morning - No plans - Staying flex
1600 - 0001 MNSSHP
LUNCH = ?
DINNER = Baylake area QS

30 Oct
1100 - 1700 Animal Kingdom
1900 Orlando Magic vs New York Knicks Game (tickets yet to be purchased)
LUNCH = 1130 Yak & Yeti
DINNER = Offsite

31 Oct
0600 - 1300 Hollywood Studios
1300 - 1600 Wide World of Sports Run Disney Expo & Race Bib collection
LUNCH = 1105 50's Prime Time Cafe
DINNER = Polite Pig

1 Nov
0530 Wine & Dine 5km Race
1000 - 1600 Epcot
1230 Beef Culinary Demonstration
LUNCH = F&W Booths
DINNER = Maria & Enzo's BOGP (Be Our Guest Podcast) Lizards Meet Up

2 Nov
0530 Wine & Dine 10km Race
1000 - 1800 Animal Kingdom
LUNCH = Flame Tree BBQ
DINNER = Art of Animation

3 Nov
0530 Wine & Dine Half Marathon Race
1100 - 1500 Magic Kingdom
1100 - 1200 Medal Shots around Magic Kingdom
1900 - 0001 Epcot Wine & Dine After Party
LUNCH = 1300 Liberty Tree Tavern
DINNER = F&W Booths

4 Nov
1200 - 2200 Magic Kingdom
1400 Festival of Fantasy Parade
2030 Happily Ever After Fireworks
LUNCH = MK QS
DINNER = 1700 Whispering Canyon Dinner

5 Nov
0900 - 2100 Hollywood Studios
2100 Fantasmic
LUNCH = 1130 Mama Melrose Fantasmic Dining Package
DINNER = Backlot Express

6 Nov
Non Park Day with no set plans
Checkout of POP
Check In at Saratoga Springs
Saratoga Springs Campfire & Resort Movie
LUNCH = Artists Palette
DINNER = 1730 Turf Club

7 Nov
0800 - 1300 Epcot
* Considering booking Behind The Seeds tour
1500 Coctails & Apps @ Trader Sams
1830 Chip & Dale Campfire Sing Along
1940 Fort Wilderness Outdoor Movie
LUNCH = Katsura Grill
DINNER = P&J's Southern Takeout

8 Nov
0900 - 2100 Hollywood Studios Christmas
1050 Droid Depot Build A Droid
1240 Ogas Cantina Drinks
2030 Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam
LUNCH = HS QS
DINNER = 1700 Sci Fi Dine-In Theatre

9 Nov
0900 - 1500 Offsite shopping trip
1600 - 2000 Animal Kingdom Christmas
LUNCH = Offsite
DINNER = Satuli Canteen

10 Nov
0800 Port Orleans French Quarter Beignet Dash
1000 - 1700 Offsite shopping trip
1900 - 2100 Splitsville Bowling
BRUNCH = Sassagula Float Works
DINNER = Splitville

11 Nov
0900 - 1300 Magic Kingdom
* Considering booking a Keys To The Kingdom Tour
1800 - 2200 Disney Springs Christmas Tree Trail
LUNCH = Included in Keys To The Kingdom Tour if we book it
DINNER = Disney Springs Food Crawl (itinerary outlined in previous post)

12 Nov
1000 Winter Summerland Mini Golf
1600 - 0001 MVMCP
LUNCH = Disney Springs
DINNER = Contempo Cafe

13 Nov
Checkout Saratoga Springs
1200 Catch the Tragical Express
Depart Orlando or Melbourne

Phew!! That was a marathon! So what's in there that's a first time experience for us??

Chef Art Smith's Homecomin
Festival of Fantasy Parade
Happily Ever After Fireworks
Oga's Cantina - along with the rest of the planet LOL!
Eat To The Beat Concert
Yak & Yeti
Orlando Magic Basketball game
Polite Pig Dinner
Wine & Dine Expo
Wine & Dine 5km, 10km & Half Marathon races
Maria & Enzo's
Liberty Tree Tavern
Magic Kingdom Medal Photos
Wine & Dine Afterparty
Whispering Canyon Cafe
Mama Melrose
Fantasmic
Artists Palette
Turf Club
Saratoga Springs and first Delux Report Experience to boot!
Resort campfires
Resort outdoor movies
Trader Sams
PJ Southerns Takeout
Behind The Seeds Tour
Chip & Dale Campfire
Sci-Fi Dine In Theatre
Droid Depot Build A Droid
Jingle Bell Jingle Bam Fireworks
Animal Kingdom Christmas
Sassagula Floatworks
Beignet Dash
Disney Springs Christmas Tree Trail
Disney Springs Food Crawl
Winter Summerland Mini Golf
Splitsville
Rivers of Light
EPCOT Forever Fireworks


Until I actually just put that list together I had no idea that we'd managed to cram so much new stuff into this trip! Seeing as though this trip is almost 2.5 times longer than our previous trip, it's no wonder we've been able to include so much new stuff but I've tried hard to build in offsite time, some late starts and a few half park days so that we don't get too 'over' Disney.

I'd love to hear ya'll thoughts on our plans and if you have any tips/hints about any of the new experiences or dining we've included? I'm so excited for so much of what's here and there's something to look forward to every single day!! WE CAN"T WAIT!!!

70 DAYS AND COUNTING EVERYONE!!











​

 

[pkondz]

In 10 days time I'll be booking fast passes and we'll shortly be arranging our final travel documents, booking our seats on the plane, starting to arrange currency and all those fun things you take with you start getting put into piles in the spare bedroom ready to pack into suitcases.

Coming up fast!

It's a really fun time but it's also torture!!

Yes it is! Very much a description of Disney when you're waiting in a line, too.

I've been struggling with a persistent calf strain issue since I ran the Great Ocean Road Half Marathon in May.

And then in June I had a nasty fall which left me with a badly bruised ego, hand and knee and a really gravel eaten knee cap.

Oh, no! I'm so sorry to hear all that!

I'm a much better runner for it and have been relatively pain free for the past 3 weeks and today I ran 7km which is the longest run I've been able to complete since May when the injury first occurred. YAY!!!

Yay!

I'll be running a 5km, 10km & a Half Marathon over Wine & Dine weekend.

DINNER = Chef Art Smith's Homecomin

DANG IT!!!!!
I forgot all about this... I just went to see if I could change my plans to that and... nope. Earliest ADR I can get is 10:15pm. Nope!

DINNER = Maria & Enzo's BOGP (Be Our Guest Podcast) Lizards Meet Up

What is that?

 

[Sinders99]

What is that?

BOGP (Be Our Guest Podcast) is a trip planning and trip report podcast I listen to. They record 3 podcasts a week and also have a running group called the Lizards. We have a Facebook page with runners from all over the world and when a group of us attend a race weekend we all make plans to meet up pre-races

This will be my first Run Disney onsite run experience, so it'll all be the first time I'll get to meet a lot of these wonderful people who have encouraged me and helped me along my running journey

 

[pkondz]

BOGP (Be Our Guest Podcast) is a trip planning and trip report podcast I listen to. They record 3 podcasts a week and also have a running group called the Lizards. We have a Facebook page with runners from all over the world and when a group of us attend a race weekend we all make plans to meet up pre-races

Oh! That'll be fun!

This will be my first Run Disney onsite run experience, so it'll all be the first time I'll get to meet a lot of these wonderful people who have encouraged me and helped me along my running journey

Very happy for you!

 

[Sinders99]

EEEEKKKKKKKK!!!

FAST PASS BOOKING WINDOW OPENS IN 45 MINUTES. CROSSING MY FINGERS AND TOES WE GET EVERYTHING WE'D LIKE.

Have prioritised Flights of Passage, followed by Frozen Ever After then Navi River Journe and then 7 Dwarfs. Everything after those is gravy and with 18 days to book for we're just worried about getting the headliners atm.

WISH ME LUCK!!
Will report back in a few days as to how I went ​

 

[VeronicaMarie]

Best of luck on your FP day!!! Everything in your plans sounds amazing so far. I can't believe how much a Disney trip can change from start to finish in terms of planning, because they switch things around etc etc.

 

[pkondz]

EEEEKKKKKKKK!!!

FAST PASS BOOKING WINDOW OPENS IN 45 MINUTES. CROSSING MY FINGERS AND TOES WE GET EVERYTHING WE'D LIKE.

Have prioritised Flights of Passage, followed by Frozen Ever After then Navi River Journe and then 7 Dwarfs. Everything after those is gravy and with 18 days to book for we're just worried about getting the headliners atm.

WISH ME LUCK!!
Will report back in a few days as to how I went ​

Hope you got what you wanted!

 

[Sinders99]

ONLY 8 WEEKS TO GO!!

Holly cow!! How did we get here so quickly?? As of today, 1 September, we can officially tell people we're going to Disneyworld next month EEEEKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!


So on Tuesday night Australian time our Fast Pass window opened and we were able to get everything we wanted easily. I was expecting it to be a bit of a drama but I guess when you have the luxury of 18 days to experience all the parks you also don't have to stress too much if something you want isn't available because you've got plenty of time to go back.

I've been sitting down today working out the finer points of my daily plan and realised that I really haven't included many non park days but what I have done is build in lots of late starts or offsite time to go shopping or explore other Orlando area attractions.

One thing that's really confusing me is what weather to pack for? Our last trip was in early September 2016 and we nearly died in the heat and humidity. Every day was a struggle and we really had to start touring early, rest/hide in air conditioning from 1-5 and then venture out again in the early evening if the storms didn't keep us inside. When I first started planning this trip I just assumed that the weather would be cooler and so I chose a Halloween Party costume with long sleeves. Our party date is 29th October but I've seen reports of a really hot summer so I'm worried that I've made a bad choice.
Can anyone shed some light on what kind of weather we might expect in late October and early to mid November? Do you think we'll need to pack anything with long sleeves or are we crazy?? Will it still be shorts and t-shirts during the days?

With only 55 days to go we're starting to finalise things like registering our ESTA's as well as registering our trip details on the Smart Traveler website.

We've also now made all our costume choices for our Halloween party, 5km race, 10km race and Half Marathon. I'm going to keep them a secret but I can tell you that we'll pay tribute to Star Wars & Toy Story. I was never thrilled by the individual race themes so we knew early that we weren't going to go with them.

I'm also well into my race training and am happy to report that my calf strain is recovering well. With every run I'm feeling stronger and recovering quicker.

Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr

I've just completed my weekly long run and clocked up 9.4km's. The weather here is definitely telling me that spring has sprung and it's making all those km's so much more enjoyable.

Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr
Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr
Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr

I think I mentioned before in this report that hubby and I are lucky enough to have friends who live close to Disneyworld. We met them on our 2016 trip and are so looking forward to seeing them! In the lead up to our trip they've generously offered to have items shipped their address to save on postage back to Australia so I've recently had a couple of additional Lost Princess Apparel dresses shipped to them as well as an AMAZING Disney themed medal display that I've had on my wish list for a year or two now. I've got over a dozen Disney medals from the Virtual races just sitting in draws because I don't currently have a way to display them that does them justice. Once I get back from this trip I'll have close to 20 Disney medals to display.

Well, gott run. There's a heap of Food & Wine reviews for me to watch on YouTube LOL!!​

 

[lvcourtneyy]

We've travelled in October/November the last couple years and are again this year. Unfortunately you have to pack for all kinds of weather. Last year it was sweltering hot almost every day and the year before I had to buy a sweatshirt on our Halloween party night.

 

[VeronicaMarie]

Yay for getting all your fast passes. I think having lots of park days but having late starts or shorter park days is just fine. Might as well take advantage of the FP everyday in the very least! Happy training

 

[pkondz]

our Fast Pass window opened and we were able to get everything we wanted easily.

Great!!

I guess when you have the luxury of 18 days to experience all the parks you also don't have to stress too much if something you want isn't available

I don't, usually. I'm there for 4-5 days and some of those FPs are a bit tough to get.

One thing that's really confusing me is what weather to pack for?

Can anyone shed some light on what kind of weather we might expect in late October and early to mid November?​

Oh that's easy. Pack for this:

​

Or this:

​

And everything in between.



You're welcome.

I'm also well into my race training and am happy to report that my calf strain is recovering well.

Good to hear!

 

[Sinders99]

ONLY 6 WEEKS UNTIL WE FLY OUT
7 WEEKS UNTIL WE RUN WINE & DINE

It's getting closer and closer to our departure date and we're so excited. Disney just seems to be cropping up everywhere in our lives right now. Last weekend I did a Polymer Clay craft class and my donut mysteriously turned into a mickey donut

Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr

It'll make a nice addition to my park touring outfits!

I also received my last set of custom ears this week. I had them specifically designed to match a Lost Princess Apparel dress I ordered. I LOVE THEM!!

Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr
Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr

We've had the most spectacular weather recently and training for the Wine & Dine races is so much more pleasant now that I'm not running in the dark at 6am and running in zero degrees. On my most recent long run I even saw ducks out and a rabbit bolted across the track in front of me LOL!

Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr
Untitled by Jennie G, on Flickr

The one thing I'm really struggling with now is how I should split up our spending money. Our Aussie dollar is so so bad right now. I've already secured some USD in cash and we were planning on using our magic bands and paying the balance on our credit card on checkout but we've recently learnt of a policy change on charges since our last trip in 2016. We've just found out that when you charge anything over $100 to your magic band, Disney takes an additional $100 holding charge on your credit card to ensure payment. The holds are eventually released back to you but it can take a week or more. I'm still really confused about this policy and am going to research it more today but it seems to completely fly in the face of using your magic band for convenience. It's so disappointing because it really makes me wonder now what we'll do? We could end up paying hundreds in foreign transaction fees if this is the case HELP!!​

 

[pkondz]

It's getting closer and closer to our departure date and we're so excited.

Good! You should be!

my donut mysteriously turned into a mickey donut

I like it!

a rabbit bolted across the track in front of me LOL!

You should be more concerned with what made the rabbit bolt in front of you...

Disney takes an additional $100 holding charge on your credit card to ensure payment. The holds are eventually released back to you but it can take a week or more.

Yeah... and you pay to convert it to USD... then the "refund" comes back and you pay to convert it back...

We could end up paying hundreds in foreign transaction fees if this is the case HELP!!

I wish I could give you exact figures from my May trip, but...
It wasn't hundreds... more like "tens". It wasn't enough (given all the other expenses that go into a Disney vacation) that I even really noticed. Well... I noticed, but I didn't bother to do the math. More like "They charged me X, but after converting, the refund was only Y."
It wasn't a "holy crap!" moment or even close to one.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Can you buy Disney gift cards to pay for things with instead of charging to your magicband?