**LIVE w/ pics** {updated Oct 31} Eat, Drink and Be Merry - A F&W Trip Report Oct 06

TinkerBelle_325

DIS Veteran
Joined
Aug 21, 2001
Cast

Tink (Me) - :tink: age 21 - Self-proclaimed Disney obsessive, planner extraordinaire, food photographer - 23rd trip to WDW

DMom - ::MinnieMo - Snap happy photographer, nicknamed "the white rabbit" for her near constant proclaimations of "we're late!!" (myself and DDad are the reason we are late...she would be perpetually 5 minutes early were it not for us lol) 28th trip to WDW

DDad - ::MickeyMo - Just as Disney obsessed as Tink but less likely to admit it ;) Soup junkie (cheddar cheese soup (Le Cellier), French Onion Soup (Chefs de France) Potato & Leek Soup (Rose & Crown) Guinness Stew (Rose & Crown)) 27th trip to WDW

***

Day 1 - Wednesday October 26th 2006

After getting up at the ungodly hour of 4am (with a mere 3 1/2 hours of sleep) My parents and I dragged ourselves from our room at the Holiday Inn Express to the Buffalo Airport. Things went smoothly at BUF as always and we arrived at the gate for our 7:20am Southwest airlines flight nearly 1 hour early. The bonus to this was being the first people in the "A" boarding pass lineup and securing the wonderful exit row 11 with what must be at least a foot and a half of leg room. The flight was basically uneventful and landed at MCO at 9:40am. After gathering our bags and piling them into our SUV rental we were off to WDW!

We checked into the Beach Club around 11am, our room was not ready (not surprising) but we were informed that our requests had been granted and that our room would be on the 2nd floor in the wing closest to Epcot :cloud9:

After a brief shopping trip to the Mall at Millenia and Super Target we returned to the Beach Club at 2:30 to get our room. I will post the number after we check out. The room itself faces the Villas, with a view of trees and the slighest view of Spaceship Earth. It is literally a 5 minute walk from our door to the International Gateway :cheer2:

Here are a few pictures I've taken of the room
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View from the Room (Look very closely and you will see Spaceship Earth)
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Aww look at the cute Mickey on the bed
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TV & Daybed
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Queen Beds & Nightstand
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Vanity, Towel Clown and Me LOL
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Towel Clown Closeup

That's all for the moment, but I will update tonight after we get back from Epcot. I'll have Food & Wine Pics :)

**Day 1 continued**

We left our room at the Beach Club around 6pm to go and graze around the World for dinner. This is our first time at the food and wine festival so we were excited to try out the booths.

First up: CANADA! (Somewhat ironic considering we are from Toronto Ontario lol)
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3 Cheese Soup $2.75 each
1 Maple Glazed Salmon with Arugula and Roasted Corn $3.50
TOTAL = $9

**Notes**
- we LOVED the cheese soup, as we knew we could {10/10}
- the salmon was for DMom and DDad, they both said it was perfectly cooked but nothing to write home about {7/10}

POLAND
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1 Kielbasa and Potato Pierogies with sour cream $3.75
1 Okocim Beer $5.75
TOTAL = $9.50

**Notes**
- DDad got the pierogies and kielbasa - he was underwhelmed by the pierogies {4/10} but thought the kielbasa was awesome {9/10}
- We all sipped on the Okocim beer and thought it was nice and light, a very easy beer to drink {8/10}

WILD & WONDERFUL FLORIDA SHRIMP
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1 Sauteed Shrimp with Ginger and Lime $4.25
1 Evian $3.00
TOTAL = $7.25

**Notes**
- We all took a bite of these shrimp and thought they had a very nice flavour, would gladly get them again {7/10}

MEXICO
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2 Quesadilla con Chorizo y Pollo $3.50
TOTAL = $7.00

**Notes**
- the quesadillas were a definite hit! We gobbled them up in about 30 seconds flat. They were on the mild side in terms of the chorizo, shredded chicken and cheese, what's not to like? {9/10}

AUSTRALIA
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1 Shrimp on the Barbie $4.00
1 Grilled Lamb Chop with Caramelized Onion $4.50
1 Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon $2.50
TOTAL = $11.00

**Notes**
- shrimp were nice, we'd all give them {8/10}
- the lamb was to die for, DMom and DDad raved about it so much that i gave in and tried a bit even though im not a huge lamb fan - i was not disappointed. It melted in your mouth. {10/10}
- wolf blass yellow label is one of my parents favorite wines, very nice {8/10}

GERMANY (forgot to take pictures)
2 Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce $2.00
2 Two Princes Riesling $2.50
TOTAL = $9

**Notes**
- the strudel was great, it was nice and warm with a vanilla sauce {8/10}
- the riesling was easily one of the best I have ever had - I'll definately be getting it again {10/10}

NIGHTLY TOTAL = $52.75
**First Impressions**
- we love the comcept of the Food & Wine Festival
- the idea of sampling all sorts of little appetizer size portions is wonderful
- we noticed fewer young children and a much larger proportion of 30-somethings and up in age
- we also noticed several obnoxious drunk people, but with an event set up in this capacity that is understandable and almost expected - they were definitely a very small minorty (maybe 5 people that really stood out throughout the evening - but that is 5 more than you would typically see lol)

~*UP NEXT*~ Day 2 - The Magic Kingdom, Liberty Tree Tavern (L), Epcot, Alfredo's (D).
 
I loved at the pictures of the food and wine festival. It makes me want to go next year in October.
 
Oooo hope you enjoy LTT :) Let me know who your server is as I worked there almost 3 years ago (well this coming January it would have been 3 years already holy moly)!
 
Ah yes, our traditional first morning at WDW trip to the Magic Kingdom. Im a sucker for tradition and just love the feeling I get when I turn the corner at main street and see that beautiful castle...to me that is the ultimate "I'm home!" feeling.

I noticed that all the monorails have new “The Year of a Million Dreams” skins on them
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After our trip around the highway in the sky we entered The Magic Kingdom
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We noticed new Year of a Million Dreams all over the parks. I just love the new logo
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The castle looked amazing, even though it was still being painted. The crane is a bit annoying, but they are doing their best to hide it from sight.
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Our first stop of the morning was a walk through Adventureland...
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We noticed the crowds were extremely light as we walked towards the Pirates of the Caribbean.
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After Pirates we wandered through Frontierland. Splash Mountain looked tempting but we all thought it was a bit too chilly for us to get wet.
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As we made our way through Frontierland we Saw Woody's Roundup. It was just adorable and awesome for little boys.
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Time for my favorite ride in the Magic Kingdom....
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Throughout the day my parents and I had noticed Cast Members making a bigger effort to give guests magic moments and I had one very small moment that made me smile at the Haunted Mansion. Because we are a party of 3, we often ride as 2 and 1. I rode on my own for this ride and the woman who was boarding us on the Doom Buggies snuck up beside me and said "Don't worry dear...you'll have company later!" and proceeded to cackle evilly. LOL.

Off to Fantasyland...You can get a clearer view of the crane from behind the castle.
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Mmmm ok...its Lunchtime!

Can you guess where we are going to eat?
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The Liberty Tree Tavern!
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To start, I had the Tavern Fried Cheese - with marinara sauce $5.29
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DDad had the Maryland Crab Cake - pan-seared blue crab cake on fire-roasted corn succotash with tartar sauce $7.49
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DMom had Today's Soup Kettle - $3.99 (Beef and Vegetable)
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For an entree DMom had Fresh from the Harbor - cider-cured salmon on griddled pumpkin bread, spaghetti squash, and fresh mache with butternut squash vinaigrette $15.19
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DDad and I both had Pilgrims' Feast - traditional roast turkey with herb bread dressing, mashed potatoes and a garden vegetable $13.99
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TOTAL $72 w/ DDE and Tip

**Notes**
- DDad loved the crab cake and felt that part of what made it so good was the combination of the sauce, the crab and the little salad of corn and lima beans. [b]{8/10}[/b]
- DMom could not stop raving about her soup, she said the beef was tender and the broth delicious. [b]{10/10}[/b]
- I liked the Tavern Friend Cheese, but the mozzarella (on the right) was much better than the cheddar (on the left). [b]{8/10}[/b]
- DMom loved her salmon, it was perfectly cooked and she said the combonation of flavors was to die for. [b]{9/10}[/b]
- DDad and I both love the Pilgram's Feast, its wonderful comfort food and the gravy rocks! [b]{8/10}[/b]
 
After lunch we had one last tradition to do in the Magic Kingdom.

*Drumroll*.....
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THE DOLE WHIP! hehe

We wandered up through the Main Street Shops and as we got to Town Square we saw the Main Street Family Fun Day Parade
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When we got back to the Beach Club it was so beautiful outside that I decided to take some pictures...

The Beach Club Villas
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Beach Club
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The Lobby
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Outside
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In the evening we went to Epcot and had dinner at Alfredo's

We started with the Antipasto Platter - $24.95
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DMom had Ziti with Plum Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella and Black Olives - $18.50
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DDad and I both had the Lasagne Modenese - $18.50
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DMom & DDad had a nice red wine...a barollo i believe $16/glass
I had a glass of Pinot Grigio $8/glass

TOTAL = $130 w/ DDE and Tip

That's all for now because we're heading out to the Disney Village Marketplace. I'll update again later tonight with...The Seas with Nemo & Friends, More F&W Booths and...a surprise upgrade!
 
Thanks so much for posting! I loved seeing your pictures! Are the parks crowded?
 
OOOH your report is making me HUNGRY!

I have a question- What is the Family Fun Day Parade? Never heard of it!

Lovely pictures by the way. :thumbsup2
 
I loved our friend cheese b/c it was different kinds of cheese! Glad you enjoyed LTT to me I like lunch sometimes alot better then dinner- the clam chowder is relly good! Who was your server?
 
Great report so far! Loving it, and all of the food pics! Have fun!
 
Really enjoying your report and Pictures :cool1: One month from today we will be having dinner at LLT and going to MVMCP. :santa: party: :santa:

Looking forward to your report from today.
 
Rootskate,

The crowds were pretty light thursday and yesterday. Tonight it was pretty busy, but I am assuming that is because it is a Saturday and more locals come

Adreayoung,

Sorry but I can't remember my servers name :confused3 We love Liberty Tree and have had both breakfast and lunch there
 
Ok, I just got back from The Party for the Senses (don't worry, I'll be posting a review of it as well ;)) but for now I'll finish off the rest of Day 2.

After dinner at Alfredo's we made our way to Future World to get Extra Magic Hour wristbands.

We went to Soarin and despite the sign listing the wait as 45 minutes we were on in about 15.

After, we headed over to The Seas with Nemo and Friends and I was thrilled to find it open. The redo of the pavillion is VERY effective and extremely detailed.
And, i just LOVE the seagulls outside...."Mine..mineminemine...MINE!"
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The ride is adorable and the effects are amazing.

On our way back to the Beach Club we stopped at the Ireland Food Booth
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We tried:
Irish Cream Trifle $2.25
Evian $3.00

TOTAL $5.25

**Notes**
- One Word...YUM! We all gobbled this up. The top layer is irish cream custard with a crumb cake, the second layer was raspberry jam and the third was vanilla custard {10/10}

When we got back to the Beach Club we were upgraded to Concierge!! There is a story to go along with it but I'll tell that at a later time.

Here's a pic pf our new room
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And here is the view
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That's all for Day 2...

Coming up: DMom's B-day AND The Party for The Senses
 
**Updated Oct 31st 2006**
I've added to this post - all the menu items listed here are the ones our party tried. We missed about 8 items, some intentionally others we didn't have the opportunity to get to. Overall we LOVED the party and would gladly do it again. I'll post a more detailed review in the next few days.

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Where Green is Grand
CHEFS
Aimee Barrera & Tom Hill
Victoria & Albert's, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Lightly-smoked Long Island Duck Breast with Root Vegetable Flan & Serano Ham Jus
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Gregg Hannon
Yachtman Steakhouse, Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resorts
- Red Wine braised Beef with Celery Root Puree and Natural Jus
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(item on the left)

PASTRY CHEFS
Matt Lewis
Baked, Brooklyn, NY.
- Tower of Terror Ice Box Cake
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(sorry for the sideways image)

Toni Marie Cox
Toni Marie's Sweets & Savories, Hinsdale, IL.
- Pumpkin Shaped Chocolate Chip Grand Marnier Cake with Marzipan Leaves and Raspberry Coulis
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Where Blue is Beautiful
Kit Miller
Restaurantosaurus, Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park
- Oven Dried Tomato stuffed Chicken Breast with Cheese Layered Potatoes
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(item on the right)

Andrew Aubin
Cinderella's Royal Table, Magic Kingdom
- Sassafras braised Beef with Bacon Spatzel
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Where Purple is Passion
Cat Cora
Iron Chef America, Food Network
- Spicy Cinnamon-roasted Pork with Fennel and Citrus Marmalade

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Where Yellow is Mellow
Amber Kent
Rose & Crown Pub & Dining Room, United Kingdom Pavilion, Epcot
- Beef Tenderloin with Arugula and Fig Salad with a Walnut Mascarpone Cheese
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Cesare Casella
Maremma, New York, NY
- Insalata Uovo e Carne Secca del Pontormo - Pontormo's Warm Salad with Egg and Pancetta

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Where Red is Ravishing

Adam Levine
Disney's Contemporary Resort Conventions & Catering
- Grilled Lamb with Salsa Verde, Roasted-garlic Cauliflower Mash & Feta Cheese

Stephan Czapalay
Chef Stefan Global Gourmet, Nova Scotia Canada
- Caramelized Apple and Onion Tart with Long Pepper braised Pork Belly & Plum Chutney

Where Pink is Pizzazz
Jurgen David
Maremma, New York, NY.
- Olive Oil Cake with Mascarpone Mousse and a Red Wine Sauce with Walnut Nougat
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Deran Lanpher
Disney's Boardwalk Resort Bakery
- White Chocolate Mousse with a Citrus Glaze
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