I’ve been to the 20th Food & Wine Festival about 5 times so far and I’m still sampling my way through it all but this is the list so far.
Kill: America – New England Lobster Roll
I am from New England and had lived there my whole life before last year and I can tell you that this is not something that a New Englander would make. The roll was great, warm and toasted with butter. The only ingredients in a lobster roll should be: lobster, mayo and maybe shredded lettuce and celery if you are fancy. There should never be diced red pepper anywhere near that dish. Huge disappointment. I’m going to kill this dish because it’s so simple that’s it’s a challenge to mess it up.
Refurb: China – Beijing roasted duck in steamed bun with hoisin sauce
I feel like the idea is great but it’s dated and needs a change. The taste was pretty good, maybe a little greasy and the bun was just devoid of any flavor. I agree that China should have a duck dish but it’s time to take it up a notch.
Marry: Brazil – Escondidinho de carne
This is like Brazilian shepherd’s pie. The bottom layer is a mildly spicy sausage and pepper blend and the yucca is like a dense potato with a thick bubbly layer of cheese to top it all off. It’s like comfort food meets pizzazz! The portion that is given is enough for a meal. You just can’t go wrong with this. Perfect!
Honorable Mention: Cheese Studio – Cheese and Wine Pallet
OMG, it’s cheese and wine and it’s wonderful! Not overly large portions, of course, but enough to figure out what you like. I actually liked a wine made in Harvard, MA, who knew?
All Four Disney Parks in One Day – Courtney, Gina and Joe
Picture in front of all four landmarks Courtney:pink hat, Gina: blue “B” hat, Joe: blue golf hat
We put together a plan first. This is a must. Know what you are going to do before you even leave home/hotel. We decided the order of the parks, the transportation and the activities that would be done. We also knew to stay hydrated and take it slow because if you burn yourself out too quickly, you won’t enjoy the journey.
We started at Animal Kingdom. This was actually the only FP+ we used all day. We wanted to get on the Safari right away. We went to the bakery and had a haystack and white chocolate chip cookie. Breakfast of champions! We walked around a little after the great safari (the animals were really awake and close to the trucks) and stopped by Starbucks for some caffeine. What a wonderful job they did in there!
Safari-Animal Kingdom
We then jumped on the bus (furthest stop ever #17) to Hollywood Studios. It was actually a little more crowded than I would have anticipated at the entrance. My Magic Band has been having issues and needs to be replaced but luckily my crew didn’t dump me and leave me behind.
We checked out wait times and decided to go to Muppet Vision 3D. Yippee, one of my favorites! We again walked around a bit and checked out the fun times on Pixar Street. We stopped for a churro because they rock! We did share it at least (I’m pretty sure Joe got the biggest piece). Again, I was a little surprised by how crowded this park was getting.
Muppetvision 3D- Hollywood Studios
We then hopped on the boat to Epcot. We entered through the International Gateway and ate again. We wanted real food so we stopped by the United Kingdom. We had the quick service version of fish & chips made even better because Courtney paid. Always get the free ice water. Nice little cool down. We had to check out the Doctor Who merchandise and walked out to see a musical quartet. How cool is that?
sights and sounds throughout Epcot
I can’t believe how crowded the food stands for the Food and Wine Festival were. We had been two days earlier for the preview, so luckily I had most of the dishes I wanted. I figure we’ll try that on an early Epcot day again.
Living with the Land- inside The Land- Epcot
We went to the Land and rode Living with the Land. It had been closed briefly earlier in the month for some maintenance and it feels fresher. Always a great ride. We had done the Behind the Seeds tour which gives you a whole new appreciation for the work that is accomplished in Epcot.
Food & Wine Festival themed entrance and exit displays- Epcot
We did stop in the old Wonders of Life Pavilion to check out the festivities. We watched an interesting movie on the work that goes into the Food & Wine Festival and also ate some chocolate samples.
Food & Wine Festival Event Center-near Universe of Energy-Epcot
We then boarded the Monorail to the TTC and then onto the Magic Kingdom. We had moved slower in Epcot but decided to really relax and enjoy now. We had hit four parks and needed ice cream! We stopped at Plaza Ice Cream Parlor and enjoyed our scoops sitting at the Tomorrowland Terrace. We could see the Festival of Fantasy Parade from that spot. My only complaint is that the music from the parade can’t be heard very well over the pumped in futuristic music.
Carousel Of Progress-Tomorrowland-Magic Kingdom
We went to The Carousel of Progress next. I could go to this show every day and love it more and more each time! Such a happy tune that gets stuck in your head! We needed to visit the charging outlets in the Space Mountain gift shop afterwards. They have been somewhat relocated to the right hand back side of the store. There are changes going on in the store where you will be able to customize phone covers – similar to the Co-op in Disney Springs.
Positively Disney 