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

[buzzrelly]

I think FoP is less scary than Soarin for someone who hates heights! With FoP at least you always have floor under your seat. And you are pretty locked in there-not just a small seatbelt like on Soarin

That sounds very logical and reasonable. Unfortunately, I think Mike's fears are anything BUT

My husband has a fear of heights and FOP was scarier for him than Soarin.

Yea, I may as well give it up

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and have been able to relax after all that work.

Thanks, we had a great day1 I hope you did as well

Theme park pet peeve here - I think on rides like this, where there are not designated spaces for each rider, they should only seat groups from the same party together. While I am sure my fellow seatmate is a lovely person, sharing that close of quarters is not really necessary. mini rant over

I agree 100%!! This also happened to us on that Kong ride at UO last year, only that was actually worse because it was outside and HOT and we were all super sweaty I am convinced this particular CM was ticked that I asked for the first row and was trying to teach me a lesson. Especially because I could see the boat in front of us and she didn't mash everyone in on that boat.

 

[missjackiemcg]

Here's my Welcome, now:

I love it LOL Very welcoming!

Mike loves Soarin' which kind of surprises me because it's kind of high and a little scary. He won't even try FOP though I tell him it's like Soarin', only much much better. What do you guys think? If someone can ride Soarin and enjoy it, couldn't they also ride FOP?

I'm not so sure...I really love Soarin' but didn't enjoy FoP that much. Now, when we went in January they still hadn't fixed the "goggle" problem, so mine were falling off my face the whole time, which was really disorienting to have to keep letting go of one handlebar to hold them up. It made me kind of nauseous. I was glad I tried it once, and probably will do it again, but it's not a must for me....yet!

 

[buzzrelly]

October 17, 2018
You are NOT Art Smith!



In the last post I forgot to mention our lunch. You'll recall that we were in EPCOT where every kind of food known to man is there for the purchasing.

Yea, we didn't eat any of that on this day.

Instead, before we went to the pool, I had this bit of deliciousness back in the room…

Mike had some crackers or equally un-photograph-worthy snack.

We were saving our appetites for our dinner at Homecomin', which we had a reservation for at 5:30.

We decided to drive to DS and we totally underestimated the time it would take to get there. Now you're all going to judge me as being a bad Dis-er, but having never driven there I had no idea where to go or park and we relied heavily on our GPS. I knew enough to know that she (our GPS is a female) was taking us a funky way, but I had no idea how to get there so we had to trust her. After a couple of mixed exits and u-turns, we finally made it to DS and into a parking space at 5:44pm. For our 5:30pm reservation. And yes, we were a little tense since I hate being late.

So that was mistake number 1.

Mistake number 2:

We got out of the car and started walking towards what I thought were the stairs that would take us to where I kind of knew where I was. Well, we must've looked befuddled (or maybe the nice security guard heard us snapping at each other), because suddenly the nice security guard asked us if we needed help. We sure did. And he happened to have a map handy so when I looked at where we were parked and where we wanted to go, we couldn't have been further off. If we were just going to dinner, it wouldn't have mattered, but we had planned to spend a few hours shopping and looking around after and everything I wanted to look at was waaayyyyyy across DS…near the LIME garage. After a couple more minutes discussion, we got back in the car and tried to navigate our way there.

Twenty minutes later, we were finally parked here:

Luckily it was only a 5 minute walk to Homecomin' from here, but we still showed up to our ADR 40 minutes late

The hostess was so nice. I had told her right off the bat that we'd understand if we couldn't get seated since we were so late. She said we could, but it'll just be a little bit. Since this was completely our fault, we were fine with that.

After this whole traveling/parking experience, we were both kind of tense and just sat in a couple chairs looking at our phones while we waited.

We had been sitting like that for 10 minutes when a guy walks up to us. Here's how the conversation went:

Guy: "Hey, how are y'all doing tonight?"
Us: "Good." (But still kind of in our zone of aggravation and wondering why this guy was talking to us )
Guy: "I'm Art Smith."
Me: "No You're NOT!" Like, literally yelled that
Guy: "Um, yes, I am." Shows us his name tag…


He was so nice and not only did he not run away from us at that point when this crazy girl yelled at him, he so graciously let us take a picture of him. I let Mike get in the pic since it's HIS favorite restaurant and everything.

Look how happy he is:

We were seated shortly after that and were in much better moods to boot. We kept seeing Art walking around the restaurant after that and taking pictures with people. Does he always do this and I just never knew? I just think it was really cool. And for those of you thinking I lied about meeting a famous person, just remember, he knows Oprah

Cheers…with my…water

Oddly, we sat in the booth behind me the last time we ate there together and the time I went with my mom and kids. Three times and I have never been further into the restaurant than this front wall.

Dinner was delicious, as always.

We skipped the hushpuppies this time because we really wanted the deviled eggs and last time we were too full from eating both.

These are to die for:

I got a grilled chicken salad…I can't remember what they call it on the menu but this isn't a dining report so I don't feel so bad:

Mike got the same thing I think he had last time…fried chicken, of course:

And we had to order the Hummingbird Cake for dessert.

I try to eat low/no carb but when on this trip I had to make a couple exceptions. This is why I chose so carefully with my other choices, like if I was going to eat carbs, it wasn't going to be wasted on hush-puppies, I would save it for this kind of deliciousness…and a couple other treats later in the week.

We shared this and it was more than enough, and so delicious:

We didn't end up walking around DS this night. After the initial aggravation, I think we were both just done. Plus, after looking at our schedule, I realized this was one of the only times I would be able to see HEA this week. Between our schedule and MNSSHPs this week, there was't going to be another chance so I kind of wanted to get back for that.

The drive back was uneventful (thank goodness!):

I left Mike in the room since he didn't feel like going to the MK with me. Honestly, it was so much easier to navigate without him and to find myself a nice spot. It was SUPER busy tonight, probably because as I said, this was one of the few times to see HEA this week, and everyone seemed to have the same idea.

I don't have any pics of the actual fireworks because I took some video, but y'all know what they look like by now. I kind of love HEA…I love the music and the projections and the story. I thought I wouldn't love it as much as I loved Wishes, but I think I do.

After the fireworks, I headed over to say hello to an old friend…

I thought about doing a couple other rides, but they all had significant waits.

I decided to just head out. And so did everyone else.

It was an absolute mob scene at the monorail station. I go during Spring Break, and I have NEVER seen it so crowded

I stood in line for a minute contemplating what to do and thinking how much I really missed BLT at this point. Oh, hey! That's when the light-bulb over my head turned on!

I ended up walking over to The CR and pretty much got on the first monorail that came by. It was standing room only and the CM tried to discourage me from getting on, and saying I'd be better off waiting for the next one. But I knew what I had just seen and the next one wasn't going to be any less crowded, so I braved the mass of sweaty people and hopped on and making it back to the Poly after just a quick stop by the TTC.

Tomorrow morning would be another early one and we had a date with a very important person.

Who could that be? That's up next!​

 

[buzzrelly]

I love it LOL Very welcoming!

I know! Isn't that sad??

but didn't enjoy FoP that much. Now, when we went in January they still hadn't fixed the "goggle" problem, so mine were falling off my face the whole time, which was really disorienting to have to keep letting go of one handlebar to hold them up. It made me kind of nauseous. I was glad I tried it once, and probably will do it again, but it's not a must for me....yet!

Oh my gosh, that WOULD be annoying! That didn't happen to me and I love the ride!I can't wait to see what you think with proper glasses

 

[missjackiemcg]

Guy: "I'm Art Smith."
Me: "No You're NOT!" Like, literally yelled that
Guy: "Um, yes, I am." Shows us his name tag…

Holey Moley!!!!!!! Awesome!!

Looks like Christmas-time!!!! Wowza!!

 

[buzzrelly]

Looks like Christmas-time!!!! Wowza!!

Isn't that crazy?? Luckily it didn't really feel like that the whole week, but I think having HEA very few times that week just brought in crazy crowds to see it!

 

[unwritten01]

snapping at each other

only funny because we have all been there before and oh the memories - how many times my personal Mike bench has been the couch.

fried chicken, of course

That chicken looks good. Plain and simple. I am so going there.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Glad you got to meet Art! He’s such a sweet man each time I’ve met him either Disney or when he had a place here in Naples. Looks like a lovey dinner despite the initial travel woes.

 

[Raeven]

Ooo I just found your TR, following along!

I got that exact meal at Homecomin’ in May & it was delicious

 

[disneyAndi14]

I am glad you found your magic band, we were squished on NRJ with two big men, yuck!

How fun to meet Art Smith, I heard he is very nice, I have watched him on Top Chefs

I’m liking HEA more and more each time I watch it!

 

[buzzrelly]

only funny because we have all been there before and oh the memories - how many times my personal Mike bench has been the couch.

Oh, it's definitely funny and I know most of you can relate

That chicken looks good. Plain and simple. I am so going there.

You will not regret it

Glad you got to meet Art! He’s such a sweet man each time I’ve met him either Disney or when he had a place here in Naples.

So this is something he does often? I think that's really cool

Ooo I just found your TR, following along!

Hello there!!

we were squished on NRJ with two big men, yuck!

Gross

How fun to meet Art Smith, I heard he is very nice,

Keep your eyes open…apparently he's there fairly often

I’m liking HEA more and more each time I watch it!

Me too! We'll have to convince @kastoney of this in May

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Ugh on the travel odyssey getting there. I would have been frustrated too. How cool to meet Art Smith! From what I understand, he’s in the restaurant fairly often. I did a brunch with him last year as part of the Food & Wine festival and he seemed so genuinely nice and kind. I admire your discipline in ordering grilled chicken salad. It looks really good but I can’t tear myself away from the fried chicken. Great that you got to see HEA. I’ve seen it once but from behind the castle so missed the projections. The crowd at the monorail station looks insane. Great idea to walk over to Contemporary!!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Guy: "Hey, how are y'all doing tonight?"
Us: "Good." (But still kind of in our zone of aggravation and wondering why this guy was talking to us )
Guy: "I'm Art Smith."
Me: "No You're NOT!" Like, literally yelled that
Guy: "Um, yes, I am." Shows us his name tag…

WHATT!?! That is amazing! So cool.

The drive back was uneventful (thank goodness!):

Your story is why I am glad we don't ever have a car in Disney. I know we would have a evening just like this if we did!

It sounds like you managed to have a good evening regardless.

 

[pucknasty]

I'm here! EMH at Toy Story Land seems like so much fun!

 

[buzzrelly]

How cool to meet Art Smith! From what I understand, he’s in the restaurant fairly often. I did a brunch with him last year as part of the Food & Wine festival and he seemed so genuinely nice and kind

That's awesome that he does that. He seems like such a regular guy, and so, so nice. Brunch with him must've been fun

I admire your discipline in ordering grilled chicken salad. It looks really good but I can’t tear myself away from the fried chicken.

I REALLY love that Hummingbird Cake. I would have felt too guilty having both Honestly, from a nutrition perspective, the fried chicken would have been better for me (than the cake), at least it has protein.

Your story is why I am glad we don't ever have a car in Disney.

Yea, it definitely has its drawbacks. We also almost turned head on into traffic one night because our GPS told us to turn right…it was a one-way road and only going left

In some ways having a car is nice though…we were able to drive off property to get Power Ball/Mega Millions tickets since it was up to like a billion dollars when we were there. Disney doesn't sell lottery on property, just booze and cigarettes at the gas station over there

I'm here! EMH at Toy Story Land seems like so much fun!

Hello there, and welcome! I'm still waiting to see if they'll add it to our April trip!

 

[Tracy161]

Guy: "I'm Art Smith."

What!?!? That's so awesome!

We kept seeing Art walking around the restaurant after that and taking pictures with people.

I love that!

 

[SweetSerenity]

I've never thought about adding on EMM, but I can see the benefit of it, especially for highly crowded attractions. I'm glad they provide food and drink.

How cool toeet Art Smith!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

we sat by the quiet pool which is super relaxing and one of my favorite places to be

I couldn't agree more! But, you have to have a cocktail too...

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Sooooooo cool that you got to meet Chef Art!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Pluto0809]

Once we were past all the construction walls, the view was much more pleasant:

Oh, I love this shot!

Our goal was to check into EPCOT 4 times to get the cutting board…would we manage this?

Mom and I got ours but there is a bit of a story behind our acquisition that I'll talk about in my TR.

I cannot see this without thinking "Space Jesus," now

That went through my head too in October but I refrained from saying anything out loud to my family. They probably would have thought I was nuts.

What do you guys think? If someone can ride Soarin and enjoy it, couldn't they also ride FOP?

My husband Jim is a serious ride wimp. He hated Soarin' the first time through (too high) and only tolerates it now for my sake. But he absolutely loved FOP. Said it was the best ride he's ever been on and that it was the closest thing to a Star Trek Holodeck he's seen yet (giving away our Sci Fi nerd status there). We first rode it in January and in October it was his #1 priority for the trip. He still talks about how great it is all the time.

We asked to wait for the front for LWTL (I like the way the pictures come out better), and they stuck us in the front with two other, kind of larger people. Like, seriously?? We were so squished together that I had to try to mash myself up next to Mike to try to not rub legs and arms with my seat mate.

We had a similar experience on FEA in October. The CM insisted that all four of us sit in the same seat despite having a single rider in front of us. We were squished in like sardines, I couldn't even move my arms to the side at all. But at least it was family on that one. I was really disappointed when we didn't get the ride photo (never saw the cameras go off). It probably would have been hilarious.

It looks like it's going to be huge!

10 stories! I both can't wait for the coaster and am also a little scared. RNRC leaves me feeling beat up, I can't imagine what this one will be like!

Now you're all going to judge me as being a bad Dis-er, but having never driven there I had no idea where to go or park and we relied heavily on our GPS.

Nope, not judging here. I've only driven to WDW one time and I parked the car when we got there and never moved it all week. Driving has always stressed me out for some reason so Disney transportation is much preferred. We did drop by DS back in 2015 (it might even have still been DTD at that time) and only one garage was built. It was full so they ended up directing us across the street to the Casting building. That was quite the hike over to DTD.

Guy: "I'm Art Smith."

Wow! That's pretty cool.

I left Mike in the room since he didn't feel like going to the MK with me. Honestly, it was so much easier to navigate without him and to find myself a nice spot.

Whoo hoo! Solo time! I had a very fleeting morning of solo time in October and it was a lot of fun.