The Snarkiest Safari That Ever Sailed! An October 2018, Food & Wine Trip! Complete 4/26/19!!

October 18, 2018
BOO TO YOU, AND YOU, AND YOU, AND YOU!


Sometime later, we headed back to the MK and though the bypass to get our candy bags and take some pictures.

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Mike was still kind of full from his lunch, but I was getting kind of hungry.
I didn't want to waste time later eating during the party so we headed to Pecos Bill and I got the Southwest Chicken Salad.
I also got some extras from the fixins' bar to add to it. This was so good and I definitely had it at least one other day during this trip. And I'm sure I'll get it again in April when we go ::yes::

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The party hadn't officially started yet and the crowds were kind of low. I made Mike wait in line with me for BTMR and when we got up to the ride, he stepped through. Oh well, at least I didn't have to wait by myself.
It definitely was the wildest ride in the wilderness!


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After that, we headed back and rode Pirate's again. It was still the regular ride since it was still pre-party.
And there were still no mermaids on the beach :sad2:

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We had another round with grim grinning ghosts...

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and then made our way over to Fantasyland so Mike could get a snack.

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This was his but I made him give it to me before he could eat it so I could take a picture :laughing:

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At 7 o'clock we headed to Tomorrowland because now that the party was starting I wanted to try out Space Mountain with the lights off.
This already had a REALLY long line by the time I got in it, as in backed up halfway to the People Mover.
I didn't make Mike wait with me this time and he went off to wander around.


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I took this picture at 7:23, so I guess the line was about 25 minutes. I also waited and asked to be sat anywhere BUT the back row since I get too shook up back there, so my wait might have been a couple minutes shorter if I hadn't asked for that.
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Space Mountain with the lights off was definitely not as good as with the lights on, and I didn't really care for the music they played.
It was just kind of a weird experience to be in the pitch, pitch black.

I found Mike over at the Monster's dance party and we walked over to ride the Tea Cups but again, found a very long line to get on.
We got in line but after watching for a couple minutes to see what we were waiting for, we decided the wait wasn't worth it.
So we hopped out of line and cut through Fantasyland again,

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to go see POTC with the party enhancements. Of course, this ALSO had a pretty long line...
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and I don't think the actors really added anything to it.
It was kind of disappointing , especially since we had been getting on with very short waits before the party.

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The crowds were really starting to get to us. We did do a little trick-or-treating but even those lines were super long. We were walking near the Trading Post and noticed they were setting up for the parade. We spotted a little space on a wall and sat to wait since it seemed like we weren't getting much else done.

We were actually really happy with our seats and our view. I do love this parade, in fact, it may just be my favorite in all of WDW :lovestruc

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Afterwards, we walked back to Main Street to watch Hallowishes. We didn't have a great spot for pictures, but we enjoyed the fireworks anyway.

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We decided we had had enough and headed out by 11, which was kind of a bummer.
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We did get some cute PP pictures, but none of the cute character pictures that other people got since we just didn't want to waste that much time in their lines.


This picture cracks me up because I wasn't sure what the photographer was asking and I couldn't keep a straight face,
let alone look scared :rotfl:
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It wasn't a terrible evening, but if we go back next fall, I think we might skip it unless they make it a more exclusive event and sell half the tickets (right…I know that's not happening :sad2:). It's too bad because this used to be one of my absolute favorite things, but I no longer think it's worth the money you pay. I'd rather pay for an after hours event where you get free snacks and no lines or crowds.

We were home by midnight and decided to sleep in tomorrow morning, but did we??? That'll be up next!
We went to the Halloween Party the same night as you!
 
I totally agree, what a disappointment that Disney is selling so many tickets now! A few years ago our party was so awesome, very low crowds and so much fun! I have such a hard time not doing this party, I love it way more than the Christmas one but wall to wall crowds not fun! Hopefully Disney will research all the comments from this year and realize this is not the way to go!

I'm not sure why they sell so many of these and really limit the after parties :confused3 Maybe the parade and fireworks are more expensive than I thought!n

What did he think of it?

He loved it, but he is a big fan of anything lime flavored, as am I ::yes::

Interesting. Long story short, I didn't get to see any of the ride enhancements. I had assumed the lines wouldn't be too bad, but maybe the enhancements were drawing crowds to those rides. I definitely wouldn't have waiting more than 15 minutes at a party for any ride.

Exactly! Although I really wanted to see POTC so we did wait the full 30 minutes. And then it was just, meh.

I could have written this myself (and I'm not trying to sell my TR, but it's basically what I'll be saying too...eventually...when I get to it...).

I'm glad I'm not the only one, I hate to be a complainer. And truly, it wasn't an awful night, just way more crowded that other parties I've attended, so just kind of disappointing.

I love all your Magic Shots Kelly! You and Mike look great!

Thanks, Jenny! :-)
 
I love people watching through POTC pics LOL The kids behind you have great costumes on!

Those are cute! We are boring in our Halloween shirts, but I just can't bring myself to make that much of an effort for a costume :laughing:

What a bummer that the party wasn't as fun as expected, but I sure love the pics you came away with!

Thanks, Jackie :-)

I agree that the parties just seem too busy now! I wanted to do one with DH next September but I'm really considering just doing MK during the day before a party and then skipping out once the crowds pour in!

I think that's smart, we were able to do everything without all the crowds. It made for a much more pleasant day ::yes::
 
Cute shirts. :)

Thanks! We worked really hard getting our costumes together :goodvibes

Top 3 ride for me in MK. Maybe even all of Disney.

I love it too! When we first started going (back in 2003 and then again in 2006), I wouldn't ride it…I thought it was going to be too scary :rotfl:

And later?

They're still gone, and to my knowledge I don't think they are coming back :sad1:

And... how was it?

I only took one bite but it was good. Mike loved it! But we are both big lime people ::yes::

I wouldn't as I don't think my back would be too happy with me.

I think I'm getting too old for SM too…I get beat up on that coaster :crazy2:

I've seen him before (on another TR).

We were stopped next to him for a little bit so we tried chatting, but it felt very contrived.

Oh? Too bad. The other TR writer really liked them.

Well, it's just my opinion of course, and you know what they say about opinions :rotfl:

Sorry you feel that way. I enjoy it so much. I'd love to go again. Just love the ambiance.

I love the whole ambiance too, but with that many people I just couldn't feel the ambiance. All I felt was clausterphobic :scared1:
 


I actually think what I took for nausea was the cause :sad2: (scopalamine) but whatever they prescribed me when I got home did wonders! Although it still took a good month before I was back to 100%. :faint: Without anti-nausea aids, I can't ride anything much crazier than the People Mover (see the title of one of my TRs for proof :laughing:) without extreme nausea so it's a tradeoff :laughing:

That's a bummer! Luckily there are plenty of thing to do at WDW that aren't rides. That's why my DH tolerates it ::yes::

What a good DISer you are! :thumbsup2

I try :P

What a bummer about the crowds that night... I haven't done MNSSHP myself yet, but it's always been on my list - the crowds do worry me though!

If you've never done it, you should. I think the fact that I've been to a couple parties in the past and that the crowds were super manageable was definitely clouding my perception of this party. But you won't have any pre-conceived notions :P

We went to the Halloween Party the same night as you!

And what did you think? Too crowded for you or did you get done everything you wanted?
 
I love it too! When we first started going (back in 2003 and then again in 2006), I wouldn't ride it…I thought it was going to be too scary

Disney just knows how to do theming.

They're still gone, and to my knowledge I don't think they are coming back :sad1:

Well... darn.

I think I'm getting too old for SM too…I get beat up on that coaster :crazy2:

Yeah. Ouch.

We were stopped next to him for a little bit so we tried chatting, but it felt very contrived.

Ah. I suppose it might be touch to come up with stuff for hours on end.

Well, it's just my opinion of course, and you know what they say about opinions :rotfl:

Yes. Mine is always the right one.


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:lmao:

I love the whole ambiance too, but with that many people I just couldn't feel the ambiance. All I felt was clausterphobic :scared1:

:hug: Sorry to hear that.
 
Steve and I felt the same way about the party this year, so, SO much more crowded than in years' past. We didn't have crazy long lines for the rides we did but we also didn't try to do too many lines, and luckily our PP lines weren't long, either. But holy crap the walkways were just jam packed, and while we didn't trick or treat the lines we saw for that were outrageous! At certain points you couldn't even get by; when we first started doing the party back in 2007 we actually felt like the park was on the empty side. We did have to get a parade spot earlier than usual; at our last party in 2014 we literally walked up 10 minutes before the 1st party started and got front row, then walked up to front row as the 2nd party was starting. Still love it even though they've taken away a few of my fave things that used to be there, but I'm with you on (sadly) skipping it if we return next fall.

and I don't think the actors really added anything to it.
Agree, I guess for folks that don't go often maybe they liked the actors?

I do love this parade, in fact, it may just be my favorite in all of WDW
It's still my favorite parade!!
 



Cute

This looks good ::yes::

YUM

We were actually really happy with our seats and our view. I do love this parade, in fact, it may just be my favorite in all of WDW :lovestruc
Agreed
:rotfl:

Great pic of you both

Love this PP shot!
It wasn't a terrible evening, but if we go back next fall, I think we might skip it unless they make it a more exclusive event and sell half the tickets (right…I know that's not happening :sad2:). It's too bad because this used to be one of my absolute favorite things, but I no longer think it's worth the money you pay. I'd rather pay for an after hours event where you get free snacks and no lines or crowds.
That's too bad we really enjoyed it when our girls were younger.
 
Following! My husband won't ride roller coasters either, and we were both cracking up about "Mike's bench" during EMM at TSL--my husband did the same thing whenever I rode the coasters :)
 
It seems like a bunch of us DISers are coming to the same conclusion. Are you listening Disney?? :p

We can only hope! And it wasn't just us because a lot of the bloggers were saying the same thing, so maybe Disney will listen to them :-)

That's too bad we really enjoyed it when our girls were younger.

Same! I can't imagine bringing little kids there now, I think it would be super frustrating.

Following! My husband won't ride roller coasters either, and we were both cracking up about "Mike's bench" during EMM at TSL--my husband did the same thing whenever I rode the coasters :)

:laughing: Mike will be happy to share his bench with him!

Your shirt for the party is so cute!

Thanks!
 
Merry Christmas, everyone! The elves have been working very hard around here! We are actually having family over tonight for Christmas Eve and then when they all leave the five of us will open all of our presents since this mama has to work 12 hours tomorrow. Nobody is happy about this (least of all me) because every year we get up and open our presents on Christmas morning. In all my years of being a nurse, this is the first time I've been put on 12 hours on Christmas Day and I am really not happy about it but what can you do? We'll try to make the best of it, and at least the kids are older so they understand how it all works.

I hope you all have a happy and safe holiday, however you choose to spend it!
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October 19, 2018
Food and Wine Booths


We did sleep in this morning, or at least we had a relaxing morning, since sleeping-in for me means sleeping until 6:30.
We were still at the Poly having our coffee at 9:30.

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Our FPs were for later in the day…
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so we decided to head to EPCOT to FINALLY hit some of the F&W booths.
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The Annual Passholder line was helpful at this time of the day…
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Since we didn't have any plans for rides, we stopped to take some pictures.
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Mike was dying to get his hands on the Beverly again so we headed to Club Cool :P
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Next, we headed to the food booths for some lunch. We started at Flavors from Fire. I don't know how this poor guy does this :furious:
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Mike and I shared the Charred Chimmichurri Skirt Steak…
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This was small but really delicious.

Next we tried one of each of the little burgers…
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I had the Steakhouse Blended Burger and Mike had the Impossible Burger Slider.

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Close-up of mine…
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I loved this :love: It was super delicious! I think Mike kind of regretted not getting this one as he didn't love his as much.

He ended up getting some scallops next but I forgot to get a pic of the sign…
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and then he got a Bloody Mary somewhere which he enjoyed while walking around the WS.
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I stopped for an unsweetened tea at the Joffrey's booth. I learned my lesson last year when I tried to day drink at EPCOT.
I had one slush and it just made me sooooooo sleepy I had to leave.
I'm such a lightweight and I don't want to make that mistake again, so I stuck to the soft stuff :D

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After that, we made our way out of EPCOT and headed to Animal Kingdom where we would finally stay and see Rivers of Light…
or would we??

 
Ugh, I'm sorry you have to work on Christmas and such a long shift. My husband is an EMT so he usually works holidays, too. I'm grateful to be in a family practice office so we close on major holidays. I'm sure your pts and their families will be so appreciative to have you. Merry Christmas!
 
Wow that is quite a haul of Christmas gifts, lol!

I have to work tomorrow as well, even in Homecare! My schedule is quite flexible and I can start from home so we will have a quiet little Christmas morning (the 4 of us) before I head out! You have lucked out not working many Christmases, I have lost count on how many I have worked over the years! Now I work one holiday a year so not bad and no more 12 hour shifts or off shifts so I can handle it, haha!

Nice leisurely morning after the party and F&W booths are always a good choice!

Have a wonderful Christmas!!
 
Your tree looks beautiful! I'm impressed your dog can be trusted with the Beggin' strips out front :) I won't put my dog's gifts out anymore until Christmas morning! She tramples the other gifts trying to sniff the ones for her.

I'm sorry you have to work tomorrow, but glad your family can open gifts together tonight.

I'm excited to see they had an impossible burger at F&W! They were so meat like to me that I felt weird eating it, but my husband said it's not really like meat and I just forget what real meat tastes/feels like.
 
I hope you all have a happy and safe holiday, however you choose to spend it!
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I am exhausted at the thought of waiting for everyone to open all those gifts. The tree and presentation is beautiful. Hope you have a Merry Christmas and may your work shift speed by.
 
Ugh, I'm sorry you have to work on Christmas and such a long shift. My husband is an EMT so he usually works holidays, too. I'm grateful to be in a family practice office so we close on major holidays. I'm sure your pts and their families will be so appreciative to have you. Merry Christmas!

Thanks to all the first responders, what would we do without them?

Merry Christmas!


I have to work tomorrow as well, even in Homecare! My schedule is quite flexible and I can start from home so we will have a quiet little Christmas morning (the 4 of us) before I head out!

:hug: That's nice that you have a flexible schedule.

You have lucked out not working many Christmases,

I didn't say I haven't worked many Christmases, but this is the first time they are making us do 12 hours on the holiday because we don't have enough staff to get 8-hour shifts.

Have a wonderful Christmas!!

Thank you. Merry Christmas to you and your family as well!

Your tree looks beautiful!

Thank you :-)

I'm impressed your dog can be trusted with the Beggin' strips out front :) I won't put my dog's gifts out anymore until Christmas morning! She tramples the other gifts trying to sniff the ones for her.

:laughing: He barely gave it a thought. He's so little though, and most of his teeth are gone so her wouldn't be able to do much damage anyway :laughing:

I'm excited to see they had an impossible burger at F&W!

I had to go back and look at my pic because I didn't know this was a thing. I see now there is a TM next to it…I thought it was just for F & W :confused3

Your tree is beautiful!

Thank you :-)

My DH is a retired police officer and my girls spent many Christmas's without their Dad.

You know the feeling very well :hug:

Merry Christmas to you and your family :hug: :santa:

Merry Christmas to you and yours too :goodvibes

Is that steak on a pancake?

:laughing: I believe it's a Cornbread Johnnycake…Mike liked it ::yes::

I am exhausted at the thought of waiting for everyone to open all those gifts.

:rotfl: It actually went faster than you might think!

Hope you have a Merry Christmas and may your work shift speed by.

Thank you, and Merry Christmas!
 
I had to go back and look at my pic because I didn't know this was a thing. I see now there is a TM next to it…I thought it was just for F & W

Ah! Well I live in a big city and they are still relatively hard to find so it’s a special treat when I spot one.
 

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