The water may be fake, but the wine is real! Mother Daughter 2017 F&W Trip!!! (Updated 5/27!)

Following along! We were there the same time you were and were actually at the party on the 19th as well! We were Wilderness Explorers :)
 
Wow that family sounds nuts! What on earth would make them think they get their own vehicle? It really is amazing how rude people can be!
 
Wow, I can't believe the nerve of the ecv family...I would probably have opened my big mouth and told them they would be sitting together if they had gone to the freaking row as they were told.

Enjoying your adventures anyways :flower1:

Haha, I know! I wish I had said something along those lines! I was just so in shock that they actually thought they could have their own private vehicle!

Following along! We were there the same time you were and were actually at the party on the 19th as well! We were Wilderness Explorers :)

:welcome: That is such a great idea for costumes! I told my mom next year I want to go as Dug and she can be Kevin. She did not like that idea. Guess I have a year to convince her or think of something new!

Wow that family sounds nuts! What on earth would make them think they get their own vehicle? It really is amazing how rude people can be!

I know! We were so shocked! Not only thinking they deserved their own vehicle, but then their attitude towards other guests. Ugh, just SO wrong!
 
Day 3, part 5: We Try Tiffins Again!

We made our way out of Africa and over to Asia. We had FP+ for EE that evening after dinner, but I noticed that the wait time was only listed as 10 minutes at that point, so I suggested to my mom that we head over there early and ride it before dinner, so then after dinner we would have more time to explore night time Pandora.

My mom LOVED that idea, mostly because she didn’t want to ride EE with a full stomach, so we made our way over to the ride!

The wait ended up being non-existent and we walked right on!



So much fun, I love that ride!

Once we got off the ride we decided to make our way over to Tiffins for dinner. We ended up getting there about 40 minutes early, but we were hot and tired so decided to hang out in Nomad Lounge for a bit beforehand.

We checked in, and told them that we’d be happy to be seated early if they had a table, so they took my phone number and then we headed over to the Lounge. The lounge was fairly crowded, but we found two seats at the bar.

We both ordered water, and I got the Hightower rocks!

We also asked for our check when we ordered since we knew from past trips it can take them forever to bring that out!

The check and drinks arrived quickly this time, and right as I was signing for it my phone buzzed that our table was ready! YAY!

So far looking MUCH better than our last experience with Tiffins!

For those who did not read my previous reports, we tried Tiffins for the first time last September and absolutely fell in love with it. The atmosphere, the food, omg, it was amazing.

Fast forward to May this year and we did it again, and it was a disaster. We ended up being seating like 40 minutes after our ADR time, and the room we were seated in felt more like an unsupervised daycare than a fine dining spot. There were kids running around the room with napkins over their heads running into things, other kids rolling around on the floor, and the kid next to me on the bench kept kicking me throughout dinner. Now, I know this is bad parenting and not the restaurants fault, which was why we were trying it again on this trip! Also, in May when we stopped by the bathroom after our meal, we peaked into the other dining room and it was exactly like we remembered the previous trip with the low light, very relaxing atmosphere, and more the fine dining we expected. It seemed to us they were putting the families with the ROL dining package in the Asia room, and the other diners in the other rooms, so we figured this time around we’d be back in the main dining room.

So when we got the text that our table was ready EARLY this time, it was definitely a step in the right direction. That was until the hostess started leading us back to the Asia room. NOOOOO! She started going on about the room, and asked if we’ve been in it before. I told her we had, and frankly, we didn’t like it, that we had a horrible experience there in May. Oh man, I felt bad for saying that, the poor girl looked so shocked and stammered for a bit trying to figure out what to say. Oops! Sorry CM...guess the heat was making me grumpy.

Finally she came up with “well hopefully your experience will be better this time around!”

We entered the room, and I could tell immediately it would be a better experience. This time the room was calm, phew, what a relief! We still prefer the other rooms, we find the Asia room tends to get very loud compared to the others with just the normal din of dinner, and we prefer the darker lighting of the other rooms since it just seems so much more relaxing.

Anyways, we were seated at a table in the middle of the room and soon our waiter came out to great us. He was really nice and really funny, and from my home town, so we had a great conversation about that!

We ended up ordering the grilled octopus to split as usual, and then the bread service as well to start. We also ordered a bottle of wine to share.

The octopus was once again fantastic! It tasted a bit less smoky this time than in past trips, but still delicious. The bread service was surprising good. I figured it would be just basic bread, but they served multiple types of bread, and three dips. They were all sooooo good!


The Grilled Octopus (after we split it...it does come looking a lot nicer than this!
)


The bread service...it came in a tiffin!

Next up was our main course. I ordered the steak again, although new this trip it was with short ribs! It was again delicious, although seemed like they reduced the portion slightly. My mom got the chicken and she loved it!


My mom's chicken


My steak!

We opted to skip dessert this time around since we were super full. Plus we wanted to head out and try to hop on the safari again before the sun set, so we paid our bill and headed on our way!

Next up: Sunset Safari and Pandora at Night!!!!
 


No way! That's awesome, it was a great week to be there...although very hot!
It was def hot!

She stepped over, pulled my mom aside, scanned the magic band with her tablet, took her pictures (not sure why) then told us to head on in and have a great day! Well, that was fast! Thank you awesome CM!
I think they do that, so if it happens again, they pull up the picture and make sure it's the same person. I know they were giving that option to people who didn't want to scan there finger.

There was a bit of a line with the FP, but we didn’t mind since we got to really take in all the details in the queue! For instance, the walls look like they have water running down them, but it’s actually fake water…it’s not really wet!
So, the time we went in the FP line, there wasn't any wait really. And I TOTALLY missed that! I will need to look for that next time!

my first thought was “that was it?”
I think that is most peoples reaction. I can't image waiting an hour + for that ride.

They had a CM there interviewing guests as they existed on their thoughts of the ride, so we stopped to give our opinions.
We got picked as well! Not a good sign when you have that outside of a brand new ride. They didn't have anyone after Flight of Passage....

He kept glaring over at my mom and I! Yeah dude, not our fault your family can’t follow instructions!
That is the worst!
 
Can't believe I'm just finding your TR.
Love the gift idea for your mom
that loaded mac and cheese looked awesome
That bus wait:eek:
Loved reading your Skippers Canteen review. We also have 4:40 ressy before our Christmas party.
Love those costumes and the ducks. I think the reason Don was squatting was be cause it looks like a pumpkin on the ground.
Now on to catch up with pg 3&4
popcorn::
 
I think they do that, so if it happens again, they pull up the picture and make sure it's the same person. I know they were giving that option to people who didn't want to scan there finger.
Ohhhhh! That makes sense! We were thinking they were watching her on camera since she is such a troublemaker! :rotfl2:

So, the time we went in the FP line, there wasn't any wait really. And I TOTALLY missed that! I will need to look for that next time!

Yeah, it's oddly really cool!

I think that is most peoples reaction. I can't image waiting an hour + for that ride.

Oh my gosh, if we had waited over an hour for that we would have been so disappointed!

We got picked as well! Not a good sign when you have that outside of a brand new ride. They didn't have anyone after Flight of Passage....

Haha, we thought the same thing! I wonder if they have plans to change anything on the ride...

That is the worst!

I know! That family was ridiculously rude!
 


Can't believe I'm just finding your TR.
:welcome: Thanks for following along!

Love the gift idea for your mom

Thanks! It ended up being a hit! Especially since she shared the wine with me :-)

that loaded mac and cheese looked awesome

It was SO good! I was surprised how much they gave out as well, it was a huge portion for F&W!

That bus wait:eek:

Haha, exactly. Longest wait we've ever experienced!

Loved reading your Skippers Canteen review. We also have 4:40 ressy before our Christmas party.

Oh it's so good! I highly recommend the sustainable fish! It was delicious!

Love those costumes and the ducks. I think the reason Don was squatting was be cause it looks like a pumpkin on the ground.

Ohhhh, that makes sense! He certainly looked more like a pumpkin than my mom and I! Ha!
 
Day 3, Part 6: Sunset Safari and Pandora at Night!

After wrapping up at dinner, we made our way back to Africa to hop on the safari. The posted wait time was only 15 minutes, but ended up being closer to 25. Not horrible though for standby! Plus we were able to get on just as the sun was setting!

We saw fewer animals than on the afternoon safari, although we did see the lions on this one, they hadn’t been out earlier in the day!



One thing we did find odd, it seemed the driver was really trying to rush through as fast as he could. Usually when there are animals around they’ll stop for a few seconds to talk about them and for people to take pictures. This guy didn’t even slow down (hence the blurry pictures). It was a bit odd, and the fastest safari ride we’ve ever been on!

We decided after the safari it was getting dark enough it was time to head over to Pandora again to check it out in the dark! We strolled over, and by the time we got there it was dark out.





So, I hate to admit this, but walking through Pandora at night I felt like I was at a 1980s dance with black lights and glow in the dark splatter paint! Looking around that’s all I could think about! HA!

It was actually very pretty, but my mom had a lot of trouble getting around since the lighting is SO low. I ended up having to hold onto her hand as we explored the area since she was having such a hard time seeing.

We stopped at a photopass photographer (of course).



We explored a bit more, but quickly ran out of things to see, so started making our way out. On the way I saw a photopass photographer taking pictures of a couple and there was no one in line nearby, so we headed over and asked him if he could take our picture.

Instead of the normal happy CM reaction, this guy glared at us, and in the most condescending way says “have you waited in line?” So I tell him we hadn’t because there was no line. He smirks and in the nastiest tone goes “there’s a line over there” and points to a line that is about 50 feet away, and completely blended in with the people sitting around waiting for their FoP FP to kick in. Seriously? If you’re going to form a line, at least have it somewhere NEAR you, and don’t be so rude to the guests who made an honest mistake.

At that point we were so tired and hot, so decided to make it an early night and not wait in line just to experience that rude CM again, so we headed back to the hotel to relax, watch some tv, and drink some wine.

Of course on the way out we stopped for more photopass photographers!





Next up: Another day of Food!
 
Little side note...We're going back to Disney World!!!! Just booked this morning for next September at the BC!

So question...how easy is it to add days and tickets once you have a package booked? We may add a day or two to our trip once my mom knows her work schedule, but we've never done that before so have no idea what to expect!
 
Day 4, Part 1: The Most Relaxing Morning!

We got to bed super early and had a great night sleep. Our room this trip was super quiet, we only heard our neighbors once the whole trip, and that was when they were out on the balcony.

We slept in a bit, waking up around 8:30. It was a bit of a lazy morning for us yet again. Eventually we starting getting ready for the morning…at the pool!

We did this for the first time our last trip, and we loved it, so just had to do it again! We got down to the pool a bit before opening, and were surprised it was already open! Yay! Although surprised that yet again there was no one scanning magic bands!

We found lounge chairs easily this time, the new padded ones are SO comfortable!

It didn’t take long for us to make our way into the pool and over to the lazy river! We love floating around that over and over.





So, we have been coming to the YC/BC since 1996, with 14 or 15 stays since then, and this is the first time we ever noticed there is a bench built into the wall in the deeper section of the lazy river!



So cool…and we are amazed we missed this for so many years!

After a nice relaxing morning at the pool, we headed upstairs and got ready for our special lunch, the Tequila tasting!

We headed over to Epcot around 11, and had a small wait to get through security. Once through and into the park we decided to get a bit of food in our stomach before all the tequila! We did the tequila lunch last year, and although we loved it, we left a bit tipsy. So this year we figured it would be good to have something in our stomachs before drinking so much!

Our first stop was France where I got the beef and a beer, and my mom got the crème brulee. It was amazing, the beef once again rivaled that at Canada!






Guess I was really happy about eating? Haha, not sure why I posed this way!

Next up: Did someone say tequila?
 
Glad your dinner at Tiffin's was better this time around!

What a snarky Photopass CM! The pictures you got as you exited the park are really nice though!

What a nice morning spent at the pool!
 
Little side note...We're going back to Disney World!!!! Just booked this morning for next September at the BC!
So question...how easy is it to add days and tickets once you have a package booked? We may add a day or two to our trip once my mom knows her work schedule, but we've never done that before so have no idea what to expect!
YAY another trip. The last time I stayed at WDW w/ a package I had no problem adding extra days. Disney is always willing to accept more money. That being said I would add days asap in case the resort gets booked up during your stay.

It was amazing, the beef once again rivaled that at Canada!
LOL I find this strange when we went to Europe in 2013 all the food was great but the beef.
 
Glad your dinner at Tiffin's was better this time around!

Haha, us too! Much better this time!

What a snarky Photopass CM! The pictures you got as you exited the park are really nice though!

Oh my gosh I know! We were so surprised he acted that way! Someone needed a break!

What a nice morning spent at the pool!

It is such a great way to start they day! We're going to try to have at least one morning a trip now where we just head down to the pool first thing in the morning!
 
YAY another trip. The last time I stayed at WDW w/ a package I had no problem adding extra days. Disney is always willing to accept more money. That being said I would add days asap in case the resort gets booked up during your stay.


Haha, I should have figured Disney would make it easy to take our money!


LOL I find this strange when we went to Europe in 2013 all the food was great but the beef.

It's funny, when I read this I thought back to my past trips to Europe, and I'm almost positive I've never actually ate beef over there! Just lots of seafood, pasta and chicken! I have however enjoyed some beef at the France pavilion, and that is pretty fantastic! #fakeeuropeanfood
 
Day 4, Part 2: Did Someone Say Tequila?

When we had finished up at France, we made our way around to Mexico for the event! We arrived 17 minutes before the start, and went to check in. The woman at the desk told us they wouldn’t be letting anyone in until noon, so to just wait outside until then. Um what? Last year they let everyone inside to wait in the AC for the event to start, why were they making us stand out in the heat this year? Grrr.


My mom and I decided we really didn’t want to spend almost 20 minutes just standing outside in the heat, so headed into Mexico to look around. We spent a few minutes in there, then went back outside to see if they were letting people in yet. They still weren’t, so we went across the path to the stroller parking area to at least be in the shade. There were a number of other guests who were also waiting to get in hanging out in the shade over there. We got to taking to a couple from Miami, and they were really upset that Disney would make guests stand out in the head for this long for this event. We told them last year they let us wait inside and we all agreed that was a much better option!

Eventually, a minute or two before noon, they started letting people in.

We checked in with the woman out front, than again with a guy at the desk inside. Guess they really want to make sure people don’t sneak in!

Similar to last year, as you entered they provided a margarita, this year it was a Cucumber one instead of the regular. Also, this year it was smaller, and did not seem nearly as strong.


Our place setting, with info booklet and menu, and our welcome margarita.

We were seated at a table by the window set up for four, so ended up being seated with this great couple from Pensacola. They were really sweet and fun to chat with throughout the event!

Soon after we were seated, Humberto came out to introduce himself and the drinks on our table. This year we had the usual blanco, reposado, and anejo tequilas, as well as the dessert cordial and the vodka to cleanse the pallet. New this year was a sample of mezcal!


As Humberto was going over what was on the table, the servers brought out the first course, a Heart of Palm Salad.



We were a bit surprised when Humberto just told us to start eating and to compare the blanco tequila before and after the food. Last year he had gone through the whole thing of smelling the tequila first, so we were afraid they cut that part out.

The salad was tasty, but honestly nothing very special. The soup they had last year was definitely better!

After the salad, Humberto went into the other items on the table, the lime peels, the cinnamon sticks and the coffee beans. We were pleased to see he was starting to get into the part we thought he missed!

Humberto went through how to smell the tequila at the bottom, mid and top of the opening of the glass, then had us do the smells again after sniffing the items on the table. It’s so cool how it changes the smell!

Smelling coffee beans...

As he was going over this, the servers were bringing out the next dish, the Grilled Octopus! This dish was paired with the Casa Noble Cava Select Reposado.



We love the grilled octopus at Tiffins, so had high standards for this dish, and it did not disappoint! We still prefer the octopus at Tiffins, but this was still excellent and the sauces were amazing!

Next up, Humberto strayed from the order on the menu a bit and went through the difference between mezcal and tequila and had us try the mezcal at the table. It was good, but I preferred the tequila!

Mezcal Tasting

Soon the servers were bringing out our next dish, the beef tenderloin! This was paired with Tequila Ambhar Anejo. Both the food and tequila were amazing!



Finally, they brought out the dessert dish, the Mamey Flan which was paired with Avion Espresso Tequila. I liked the taste of this better than the dessert last year, but still not my favorite course.



I learned last year that I love love love anejo tequila. I never was really a tequila drinker, but this event showed me that tequila actually could be great, and not burn your throat! Haha, ok, so I've been drinking cheap tequila. Anyways, ever since the event last year I have been trying to find anejo tequila at home, and they NEVER have it. It's such a bummer since I'd love to have some at home.

So final thoughts:

The event itself was good, if we had not done it last year, we would have thought it was great. They did however cut out things that we really missed this year. Last year they had a section where they brought in a bartender from Cava del Tequila to show us how to make a margarita, which was absent this year. Also last year they had someone in the audience come up and attempt to recreate the margarita after the bartender taught us how, which obviously also did not happen, and that part was so funny! Really missed those things.

In the end the event was hardly more than an hour, when it was supposed to be 1.5 hours. I suspect removing the margarita making portion is the cause of that since most everything else was still included. It also seemed rushed this year, we were still eating the dishes when the servers came around trying to clear them. It was still a really fun event, just wasn’t as awesome as it was last year.


In the end we did end up having 6 shots of liquor, not including what was in the welcome margarita, so we were a tad tipsy leaving. We were glad we grabbed some food on the way in this year, but definitely wanted to pick up a bit more to eat afterwards as well!

Next up: Back to the Food Booths!!!!!
 

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