Tag Archives: Disney Travel Tips

Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival – Tasty Treats and Splurges

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RM-Epcot-Food&Wine-LandscapeOur first Epcot International Food & Wine festival was a rousing success!  Maybe we should feel a little bit defeated because we didn’t taste all of the dishes on our must-try list, but NO!  We’re not sorry about that one bit.  We had a wonderful time and are formulating plans to return to Walt Disney World again in the fall of 2016 (right after Joseph turns 21!).

I could wax poetic for days about the delicious food, interesting wines and beers, festive party atmosphere, and fun fellow foodies, but instead I think this calls for a list!  Dear, sweet readers, I give to you our…

Top 10 Things We Loved at Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival (imagine “da-da-da-da” horns blowing here)

10.  The Rose & Crown Pub – Enjoyable anytime, this place is HOPPING during Food & Wine.  You’d think the kiosks & food booths would get all the attention, but no!  Those rediculously tiny beer samples that go along with the special food offerings seem to make people gravitate towards the places where you can still buy a full serving of adult refreshment.  We didn’t stop at the Rose & Crown for beer on our initial trip around World Showcase…we’d heard about the very reasonably priced single malt scotch flight (Thank you, Mr. Dutch Lombrowski!) and dropped in specifically for that experience.  Excellent!!!RM-Rose-and-Crown

9. Boeuf Bourguignon and French Men Who Shout – Very delicious dish in France, that Boeuf Bourguignon, made even more fun by the tall, strapping young French lad working the food booth – He yelled out each order as they came in (each guest hands their receipt to the Cast Member working the booth) and when I yelled at him in French to say, “That’s right! Very good, thanks!” – He yelled right back in French to say, “You’re Welcome!!!”  Both of us grinning from ear to ear.  Good times.RM-Epcot-Food&Wine-Menu-Boeuf-Bourguignon

8. Two Hour Lunches With Lots of Wine – These were our splurges.  Would we have enjoyed the festival without them?  Absolutely, but I’m so glad we decided to book two very special experiences – The Italian Food & Wine Pairing (Via Napoli) and the French Regional Lunch (Monsieur Paul).  While I will write individual reviews on each, let me just say that these events are so much fun, one of our table mates (Hi Patti!) in Via Napoli admitting to being a repeat attendee – and she doesn’t drink wine!  If you’re anti-social or take your wine very seriously, these lunches are probably not for you.RM-French-Regional-Lunch-Table

7.  Passport Stamping – Guests get a souvenir passport with each country’s foods/beverages in it and can have a Cast Member in each country stamp the booklet as the booth is visited.  Simple, but fun!RM-Epcot-Food&Wine-Passport

6. Pepper Bacon Hash – At the Farm Fresh booth.  Seriously – this was good stuff!  Hash, Hollandaise, jalapenos on top.  Had it not been so crowded (with lots of potential witnesses), we would have licked the empty container.RM-Epcot-Food&Wine-Pepper-Bacon-Hash

RM-Epcot-Food&Wine-Pepper-Bacon-Hash-Container5. Sharing – This is the key to Food & Wine Festival happiness.  Knowing that sharing means you can taste more food and sample more beers and wines.  Also knowing when NOT to share is key.  More on that in a sec.

4. Glorious Weather and Beautiful Landscaping – We were so thankful for both.  Stopping to enjoy and appreciate the wonderful surroundings is important to us!  It helps us maximize our enjoyment of every single second.RM-Epcot-Food&Wine-Landscape2

3.  A Seared Sea Scallop, Some Garlic Shrimp and Griddled Cheese – All were absolutely wonderful!  The scallop was from Scotland, the shrimp from Australia, and the cheese from Greece.  Oh, the FOOD!  These were among our absolute favorite flavors.RM-Epcot-Food&Wine-ScallopRM-Epcot-Food&Wine-ShrimpRM-Epcot-Food&Wine-Griddled-Cheese

2.  Meeting Duffy the Disney Bear (and lots of other fun folks!) – Sounds weird, the Duffy thing, I know!  We knew where Duffy would be on the Mexico-side of the World Showcase’s entrance since we saw him posing for pictures there in May.  I can think of no way to soften this – our kids loathe, detest, and despise Duffy.  So, being the loving parents that we are, we decided even before we left home for vacation that we needed to have our picture made with Duffy to send to the kids!  The joke was really on us – Duffy was hilarious and super sweet!  We loved Duffy in his cute little pumpkin outfit.  Sigh.  That Duffy!RM-Duffy

1. Crispy. Pork. Belly.  Just say it out loud once or twice and imagine how delicious it sounds… guess what?  It tastes even better!  This, we did not share.  You want to know how to stay married to the same person for 25 years?  Know when NOT to share.  Each of us had our own serving of this incredibly decadent Brazilian delicacy.  We may have made a couple of yummmm sounds, but we ate in companionable silence.  And were happy.RM-Epcot-Food&Wine-Crispy-Pork-Belly

Dinner at Citricos at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

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Citricos-Interior“Citricos in the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa is a hidden gem among Walt Disney World’s table service dining options.  The combination of excellent service, relaxing atmosphere, and delectable dishes makes Citricos an excellent choice for a romantic dinner.” – Me, once again channeling my inner restaurant critic.

Last week Raymond and I ate at Citricos for the very first time.  All through our meal and after, we kept asking ourselves WHY!!?!?  Why did we wait so long to eat there?  It was a fantastic experience – one we cannot wait for the opportunity to repeat.

From the moment we walked through the door, we were made to feel like the most special guests in the restaurant.  Escorted to our centrally Citricos-Vincelocated table by Vince (who looked very young yet had oodles of charm to spare) and introduced to our server, Michael, who helpfully explained the menu to us and pointed out a few of the restaurant’s specialties; our evening began.

Raymond chose a bottle of wine for us to enjoy while Michael brought us some fabulous bread with butter.  The butter is unsalted, but sprinkled with sea salt and citrus zest before serving.  I may have eaten a little more bread and butter than was wise, but it was just irresistible.  Perusing the menu, we were pleasantly surprised by the selection – a huge number of items to choose from, sure to please every type of appetite.  Even the children’s menu is amazing.

Citricos-MichaelFor starters we chose the Cheese Course Trio which is “Wijngaard Chèvre Affiné from Holland, Taleggio D.O.P from Italy, and Cashel from Ireland served with seasonal accompaniments” and completely perfect in every way.  It reminded me of the cheese appetizer we had at the Boardwalk’s Flying Fish (and we loved that as well).  Michael paced our courses just right.

The entrée was so hard to select!  Raymond and I both decided on the Pan Seared Icelandic Cod served with “Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes, Nueske’s Applewood-smoked Bacon, New Smyrna Clams, P.E.I. Mussels, Carrots, Fennel, and Creamed Fish Fumet”.  For all that fancy talk, we got some mighty tasty eats!!!  I’m not a huge fan of fennel and was pleased to note that I couldn’t even tell it was in there.  The dish’s flavors blended together perfectly.

Between the bread and butter, the cheeses, and the huge main course, we didn’t have room for Citricos-Seared-Icelandic-Coddessert.  We took our time finishing our wine and enjoying the restaurant’s ambiance and each other’s company.  When we were finished, we leisurely made our way to the monorail and rode back to the Contemporary and our home away from home at Bay Lake Tower.  Except for eating a bit too much, we couldn’t think of a single thing we would have changed about the evening.

Check out Citricos’ full menu here and do not pass up the opportunity to try Citricos for yourself next time you’re looking for an awesome Disney dining experience.

Have you eaten at Citricos?  What was your experience like?

Citricos- Copper-Pot-Mickey

 

Walt Disney World’s Memory Maker Review Round Two

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STUDIO_TOWEROFTERRORBRIDE_7071419898Please note:  The advance purchase price for Memory Maker has increased to $169 (from $149) since this post was originally published.

If you read my first review, you already know that our initial experience with Memory Maker was not a good one and it was entirely our own fault.  Raymond and I decided to have a do-over, a Memory Maker Mulligan, if you will.  Perhaps it seems silly to spend $149 (advance purchase price) to have Disney photographs of just the two of us, but hey!  We are not the type to ask a bunch of strangers to take our pictures AND we aren’t the best at selfies (perhaps our advanced ages are a disadvantage?).  No matter the reason, we took this most recent trip to Walt Disney World to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary and I wanted pictures to commemorate the occasion.

So, how did we do with round two of Memory Maker?  I’m proud to say much, much better!  MM-Animal Kingdom EverestWe got 105 pictures from many different settings in each park.  We absolutely love the new ride videos included with our Memory Maker purchase!  We are completely happy with our investment this time around.

What we did differently:

  • We deliberately located a photographer immediately after park entrance every day and waited (if the line was short) when necessary.
  • We took advantage of photographers a little off the beaten path.  (One we found near Epcot’s Italy Pavilion was especially great.)
  • When we saw a character with a short line, we jumped in it.  Our pictures with Duffy are priceless (we sent one to our children right away since they are most decidedly NOT Duffy fans!).  Our pictures with Chip and Dale in Frontierland are hilarious because we were still soaking wet from Splash Mountain!
  • MM-Magic-Kingdom-Hat-KissWe didn’t just stand side-by-side.  When Raymond kissed me behind his hat in the middle of Main Street U.S.A., a nearby snack vendor started calling out tips which in turn got the crowd involved.  “Kiss her again!” “Without the hat!” “Ma’am!  You’ve got to pop the foot!” – which meant we got even more cute pictures!
  • We asked if “Magic Shots” were available and ended up with Olaf in one picture and Anna and Elsa in another.  The ghost driver of the hearse in front of Haunted Mansion during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party was our favorite.

Note:  You can view your photos almost immediately by logging on to My Disney PhotoPass.  Even if you make sure everyone is linked, you still may not be able to see all the pictures.  This happened to us – when Raymond’s Magic Band was scanned after pictures were taken, I couldn’t see them.  A quick stop at (of all places) a FastPass+ Kiosk in Epcot got the situation resolved.  A very helpful Cast Member named Jennifer was able to quickly fix the problem.Magic Shot at MNSSHP

Tip:  If any of your pictures are missing, call (407) 560-4300 (Monday – Saturday from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm) and see if they can be located.  The Cast Members are excellent and will do all they can to find your missing photos.

Have you used Memory Maker?  How was your experience?  Where were your favorite pictures taken?  How many pictures did you get?

  • Expedition Everest Ride Photo

The Por Favor Podcast Anti-Weasel Guide to Walt Disney World

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Por Favor Hosts Mike and GaryThe Por Favor Podcast Anti-Weasel Guide to Walt Disney World

Hi folks! We’re Gary and Mike, the co-hosts of the Por Favor Podcast. If you’ve heard us you know that we don’t take things too seriously (except beer, and food, and Disney, and sports, and well…never mind).

Anyway, Lisa has asked us to write an article for her blog while she jet-sets across the globe. She said it’d be a great way to cross-promote our podcast, but I have a feeling she’s just trying to get some free labor out of the deal.

One of the things that we frequently talk about on our podcast, is our love/hate relationship (ok, mostly hate) with the Walt Disney World Weasels. In case you don’t know what a Walt Disney World Weasel is, we can define it for you:

  1. Any person under the age of 16 who runs roughshod throughout a Disney Park
  2. The parent/guardian of any such person listed in definition #1No Weasels
  3. Someone who tries to game the Disney system (i.e. line cutting)
  4. Someone who stops, without notice, in the middle of a crowded walkway
  5. Someone who uses their darned iPad to take photos/video of the parades and fireworks!

Let’s be clear here, we understand these things happen on a trip to Walt Disney World, and someone can be a Walt Disney World Weasel and still be a good person, but if you frequently fall into one of these categories, then you probably want to stop reading this post! Here is the Official Por Favor Podcast Guide to Avoiding Walt Disney World Weasels©.

Step 1:

If you want to avoid the Walt Disney World Weasels, one of the easiest ways to do so is by avoiding the parks entirely. This piece of advice is not great. We love the parks. So let’s amend this step and say, go late and stay late. If you show up to the park at 11am and stay until 6pm, you are in weasel central. After the little ones are all tuckered out, it’s your chance to have your Por Favor Gary and Gastonrun of the place. Plan on staying until (after) closing and take advantage of the weaning weasel hours.

Step 2:

Avoid character meals like the plague. If you are looking for Walt Disney World Weasel central, look no further than a character meal. This is the time where the group in definition 1 and 2 are most prominent. Little weasels running around a crowded restaurant like they just free-based pixie sticks and their weasel parents sitting back with a cocktail updating their Facebook status so their friends back home can be jealous. Let’s be clear, if you want a picture with Chef Mickey, there will be weasel blood on your hands to do so. Fair warning!

Step 3:

Stay at Coronado Springs Resort. This resort has been certified by the Por Favor Podcast as the least likely resort on property to encounter a weasel. It has everything going for it to repel weaseldom. It is sprawling, it is not overly Disney-fied and it is relatively far from all of the parks. Plus, if you are looking for a resort with some very comfy beds and beautiful scenery and landscaping, this resort is for you!

Step 4:

Hang out in World Showcase as much as possible. We know EPCOT Center is not the most kid-friendly park (so they say) so in general, the weasel ratio is much lower here as is. Plus, it’s huge, lots of open spaces to avoid the weasel parents texting while operating a stroller. But, World Showcase is the place to be. Not only do you have the advantage of the best food options in any park, but you have the ever-famous drinking-around-the-world to partake in (note: you run the risk of becoming a weasel if you aren’t careful in your drink consumption). We say get to World Showcase at 11am when it opens and take your time looking in all the countries. Grab a snack, meal or drink in each country and really spend some time in the least weasel-friendly locations like; Morocco, Canada, Germany and China. Editors note: Step 4 will become null and void once Frozen takes over Norway (yuck).

Step 5:

Resort hop. This is a great way to see parts of the Walt Disney World property that you probably haven’t experienced before. Instead of rushing right into the Magic Kingdom, take a resort launch to the Wilderness Lodge and check out their amazing lobby. Hop on the monorail and walk around the impeccable grounds of the Grand Floridian. Before heading into World Showcase, use the back exit and walk along the Boardwalk, an homage to a seaside resort town. Take the bus to Animal Kingdom lodge and soak in the atmosphere at one of the most beautiful places you’ll ever see! Don’t be afraid to explore each resort and see what they have to offer. The benefits are two-fold, while you are expanding your resort horizons, all the weasels are in line to meet Ana and Elsa, so they’ll be out of your hair and you might even find a new resort to call home!

So there you have it folks. Five easy steps to avoid the dreaded Walt Disney World Weasels. If you follow these simple steps you should easily lower your weasel encounter-counter for your next trip to Walt Disney World! Thanks!

Gary Arruda & Mike Hurley

www.porfavorpodcast.com

@PorFavorPodcast on Twitter.com

facebook.com/PorFavorPodcast