"No, We're Not Getting Married at Disney!" a 2018 tripS report - update 10/25 AKL food + DHS Day

Trip One: MLK Day Long Weekend for Festival of the Arts - Walt Disney World Swan - January 13-15, 2018 - "Mexico, you *fooled* us again"

Where to start better than the beginning? .... of the year. :D For our January trip, I accidentally told a fib on the intro post, apparently we actually stayed at the Swan and not the Dolphin. I'd booked it on a whim in early December while REALLY missing Disney prior to our little visit on the way to DH's family at the holidays. We'd really enjoyed our visit to the Epcot Festival of the Arts in its inaugural year (2017) so it wasn't too hard to convince R that this was a good idea. He teaches so our opportunities for long weekends are basically all high-crowd times, but MLK never seems so bad. One priceline booking later, we were all set with FP and hotel accomodations, and VERY few ADRs.

I will apologize in advance for my very few notes and relatively few pictures of anything other than food this trip. I was still thinking this might be part of a dining report, and then I went ahead and already wrote up the most notable parts of the dining experience over on my quick and dirty Festival of the Arts review. Anyway, apologies aside, here we go!

January 13, 2018

As per the usual, we woke up at an ungodly hour and got started down from Atlanta probably around 3:00 am. We usually drive through the night like this to avoid traffic and to make the most of our first Disney day! We got ourselves parked at the Swan and headed in to check in, figuring there was no way our room would be available so early in the morning on a holiday weekend. Wrong! Our room was ready so we went back to the car and schlepped our bags up to the room, freshened up (sort of) and headed off to Epcot.

When we entered through the international gateway, we stumbled upon a first for us, character training!

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I was so excited to meet Rapunzel and seeing me so excited, R agreed we could line up. Since she was a princess in training, she didn't have photopass, but her handler took a photo for us with my phone. It was a bit of an odd character interaction (all but the very best of the face characters make me feel a little awkward) but it was a great way to start the trip!

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Passing through the UK pavilion, we saw the first of the Festival of the Arts offerings featuring some special character portraits near where characters would be meeting later:

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R particularly loves the Alice in Wonderland story and characters as an educator, and I requested that he pose for a photo. This early in the trip he wasn't tired of my request to photograph him and he obliged me :rotfl:

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We were really here to enjoy a laid back weekend, and our main plans consisted of enjoying the festival booth offerings.

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I loved the artwork for the festival. Too bad the weather wasn't a bit better for photography purposes, but c'est la vie. I won't spend too much time on the festival offerings since I've already reviewed them, but we tried out some offerings from the Mexico booth first, accompanied by some Joffrey's coffee offerings, spiked with liquor to help us combat the cold :thumbsup2

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R coined the catchphrase of this trip, "Mexico, you fooled us again!" Except maybe it was a different F word. Possibly. :rolleyes1 Somewhat irritated and not much better off mood or temperature-wise despite the adult Joffrey's offerings, we headed into the Odyssey building to check out the art displays and the snack options inside, where it would be a bit warmer.

They were out of of the hors d'ouvres sampler dish I wanted to try, so I settled for beer and art!

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I loved the above version of the Small World poster. That mid-century style is just my thing!

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Okay, I'm getting bored of attraction posters, what about you guys? Just one more as this was a bit odd:

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They'd apparently had concept art of the new Skyliner Gondolas up and then pulled it down before we got there for some reason. Okay I lied, one more, because it's probably my favorite Epcot attraction:

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:lovestruc SSE :lovestruc

We were a little cranky after our early morning, still pretty cold, and ready to find something substantial for lunch, but first I wanted to stop in MouseGear.

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I was looking to see what special Dooneys and Alex & Ani bracelets they had, since there are often options you can only get in-park.

I was so excited! While this is not my photo, it basically depicts what I saw...

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Haunted Mansion bangles! I was thrilled. I'd gotten the Madame Leota one for Christmas but they'd been sold out online since well before Christmas and I'd also really wanted the singing busts. I picked that one up as well as the Epcot 35 bangle.

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(also not my photo, thanks interwebs!)

I did, however, lay eyes on this beauty for the first time:

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I couldn't justify the price tag and resigned myself to continue living with just my one Disney dooney :laughing:

Purchases in hand, we made our way to find some lunch.

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Part two to follow...
 
January 13, Part Two:

Our hearts led us over to our favorite Walt Disney World lounge, Geyser Point.

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Despite the cool weather, nothing would keep us from a couple of refreshing adult beverages! The full Geyser Point review is available on the Festival of the Arts thread I posted, so I'm just posting photos of our incredibly delicious lunch!


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We were very pleased and enjoyed our experience at Geyser Point, as usual. After lunch, we set off to see if they had R's favorite Disney treat on hand, so we made the short and lovely walk to Roaring Forks.

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Along with a multitude of other tempting options (I will get you sometime, campfire cupcake!), we found what we came looking for! Behold, the Magic Cookie Bar:

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We found a couple of comfy chairs not too far from the fireplace, and settled in to relax for a few minutes and enjoy some of our Magic Cookie Bar.

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I love Wilderness Lodge because it has so many great places just to kick back and relax.

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After we enjoyed our relaxation time, we summoned an Uber and had a bit of an adventure heading back over to the Swan, where we had a nice rest.

We had evening fastpasses in DHS, with a ToT fastpass and a Rock N Roller Coaster fastpass lined up.

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After dropping in at our favorite hotel, we got backstage passes to see Aerosmith, can you believe it?!

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The launch on this coaster always freaks me out, but I still love it. The lady in the front looks like one of my favorite former professors so I love this crazy ride photo. After our fastpasses, we grabbed a couple of photopass pictures with a really energetic CM:

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We were a little less energetic than he was. :faint:

The usual "must do" for us in DHS is a visit to our favorite bar and bartender - if you've been to the Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge walk up bar, you've almost certainly met Ron. He's there every single time we visit without fail. On the Dis Unplugged podcast they recently mentioned this... but I think they called him Steve. Poor Ron! :rotfl:They honor the TIW card here so we always like to visit this bar for our in-park libations, at a discount. Drinks in hand, we decided to take a stroll around Echo Lake to enjoy the evening.

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We found another PP photographer in front of Gertie!

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She's one of my favorite WDW landmarks.

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R let me photograph him again. We haven't done Indiana Jones since I was a child. Adding a mental note to watch it again in case it changes ahead of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge going in. (I just noticed our drinks on that concrete ledge, not quite out of frame :rotfl2:)

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We found a ledge to sit on (in front of that Jeep where R was pictured, above) and just peoplewatched for a while.

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We decided we were hungry and that we'd try to beat the fireworks crowd out of the park. Back in our room, we were debating dinner options when some noise from outside the room caught my attention.... Behold, a garbage quality photo of our cool view!

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If you're going to have a roof view, you could at least sweeten it up with some fireworks, yeah? Not too bad.

I thought we might finally try the Yachtsman, or visit one of the new venues at Disney Springs (the Edison or Enzo's Hideaway). After quite a bit of thought, we settled on just going downstairs to Il Mulino to see if we could be seated for dinner without too much of a wait. Travel day woes! We probably only waited about 10 minutes after putting our name in with the hostess. I did take lots of photos of dinner and haven't reviewed it yet, so here it goes. I'm sorry if the photos are a bit garish, it is really really dark in Il Mulino so I had to lighten these up a bit.

As usual, we both started with a drink. R had his usual Maker's Mark and soda, while I tried the Il Mulino Signature Cocktail

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Testarossa aka the "Red Head" - Ketel One Vodka, Grand Marnier and Crandberry Juice, muddled with Strawberries and Fresh Basil Leaves topped with Ground Pepper. ($13) This was delicious and very fresh tasting, probably a little sweeter than I usually like my drinks but definitely refreshing and went down easy.

Each meal at Il Mulino starts with a basket of their hot, fresh bread.

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It's always light and yeasty, accompanied by an amuse bouche that has not changed in the time we've been going to Il Mulino:

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Eggplant caponata served with sliced salami. The eggplant caponata is absolutely to-die-for, despite the fact that I usually really don't care much for eggplant. The salami is salami, but hey, it's free! I was trying not to eat too much bread so it was nice to have these options before our appetizers arrived.

Speaking of which...

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Calamari Fritti - Lightly Fried Calamari with a Spicy Marinara Sauce ($15). As you can see, this was also served with fried zucchini mixed in. This was good and light, with a tasty sauce. It's not something I would specifically need to go back for, though.

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We also ordered the Polpette Al Forno - Italian Meatballs with Tomato Basil Sauce and Parmesan Cheese ($12). Do you need a reason to go out of your way to try Il Mulino? Well this is it. These are amazing! SO rich and tasty while somehow being impossibly light and tender. They are so so good. We've had these before but I don't think I've ever gotten a photo before we dug in! Definitely a reason to return! Highly recommended.

We knew we were over-ordering when we did it, but we nevertheless each chose an entree to follow our shared appetizers.

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For some reason, I was feeling pizza and went with Margherita - Tomato Sauce, Basil, and Buffalo Mozzarella ($16). It hit the pizza spot, but a lot of it came back to the room with us. Recommended only if you're in the mood for pizza and nothing else will suffice.

(Cue angels singing)

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:cloud9::cloud9::cloud9::cloud9::cloud9::cloud9::cloud9::cloud9::cloud9::cloud9::cloud9:

THIS is the reason to go to Il Mulino. Even people who don't like mushrooms love this, amirite @ariane37?

Rigatoni con Funghi - Rigatoni with Wild Mushrooms, Spicy Cherry Peppers, Garlic and Truffle Oil. (Normally $25, half order available for $15) We went with the half order which was still enough for us to share and struggle to finish given our appetizers. The sauce, such as it is, is light and flavorful with that signature truffle richness. The peppers add a nice contrasting spice. This is so delicious I can't even describe it!

We ordered dessert to go and settled the tab, which came to $111.46 after our TIW discount was applied (includes 18% gratuity). Not bad for a three course meal and drinks (I had two) for two people.

Back up in our room, we dug into our dessert in bed while watching some mindless tv:

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Tiramisu - Layered Espresso and Coffee Liqueur infused Lady Fingers coated with Marscapone Cream ($11). I love Tiramisu and this was a very good one. It wasn't overly sweet but satiated our dessert craving nicely. We hit the hay to prepare for another big day ahead!

Coming up next: we visit an often-overlooked restaurant to satiate a breakfast craving! Where will we go?
 
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I'm here!!!! And following along!

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Testarossa aka the "Red Head" - Ketel One Vodka, Grand Marnier and Crandberry Juice, muddled with Strawberries and Fresh Basil Leaves topped with Ground Pepper. ($13) This was delicious and very fresh tasting, probably a little sweeter than I usually like my drinks but definitely refreshing and went down easy.
That is a giant basil leaf! But that does sound tasty!
 


He teaches so our opportunities for long weekends are basically all high-crowd times

I feel this. Ugh.

accompanied by some Joffrey's coffee offerings, spiked with liquor to help us combat the cold :thumbsup2

Naturally.

I did, however, lay eyes on this beauty for the first time:

Oh my gosh, the Mary Poppins print! I'm such a fan! I could not resist.

I couldn't justify the price tag and resigned myself to continue living with just my one Disney dooney :laughing:

Smart! Good for you! Stay away....stay very far away....Dooneys will come for you and all your money. :sad1:

The usual "must do" for us in DHS is a visit to our favorite bar and bartender - if you've been to the Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge walk up bar, you've almost certainly met Ron. He's there every single time we visit without fail. On the Dis Unplugged podcast they recently mentioned this... but I think they called him Steve. Poor Ron! :rotfl:

Good tip! We'll have to go meet Ron sometime. Nathan wants to try the lounge sometime for a drink/snack.
 
Joining in

DH and I have been to Disney together now more times than I can count. We love to travel, and I love Disney, so by extension, R has been forced to love Disney too. He does enjoy it, but wishes we went other places besides Disney more often :confused3

What do you mean there's other places to go besides Disney? :confused:
 
When we entered through the international gateway, we stumbled upon a first for us, character training!

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Love the character training spots. Hoping we can catch a few next August as we always seem to find obscure characters there.

Oh dear god what is this???? My instinct is a diaper but hopefully the R's favorite Mexican pavilion hasn't dived that low yet.

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I loved the above version of the Small World poster. That mid-century style is just my thing!
Me too. Wonder if you can buy these? I'd love to have it in our house

Our hearts led us over to our favorite Walt Disney World lounge, Geyser Point.

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Can you believe we still haven't been able to get to Geyser Point? Hoping to rectify that in August.

Along with a multitude of other tempting options (I will get you sometime, campfire cupcake!), we found what we came looking for! Behold, the Magic Cookie Bar:

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Oh my favorite!

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The launch on this coaster always freaks me out, but I still love it. The lady in the front looks like one of my favorite former professors so I love this crazy ride photo. After our fastpasses, we grabbed a couple of photopass pictures with a really energetic CM:
:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2: This doesn't even look like you. Though I can't judge, I'm totally the same way.

They honor the TIW card here so we always like to visit this bar for our in-park libations, at a discount. Drinks in hand, we decided to take a stroll around Echo Lake to enjoy the evening.
Great tip!

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Testarossa aka the "Red Head" - Ketel One Vodka, Grand Marnier and Crandberry Juice, muddled with Strawberries and Fresh Basil Leaves topped with Ground Pepper. ($13) This was delicious and very fresh tasting, probably a little sweeter than I usually like my drinks but definitely refreshing and went down easy.
Sounds like this is the perfect drink for @ariane37 to have with her mushrooms :P

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We also ordered the Polpette Al Forno - Italian Meatballs with Tomato Basil Sauce and Parmesan Cheese ($12). Do you need a reason to go out of your way to try Il Mulino? Well this is it. These are amazing! SO rich and tasty while somehow being impossibly light and tender. They are so so good. We've had these before but I don't think I've ever gotten a photo before we dug in! Definitely a reason to return! Highly recommended.
Yum! We enjoyed these too, though like any good Italian girl gotta of course brag that mine are better :-)

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:cloud9::cloud9::cloud9::cloud9::cloud9::cloud9::cloud9::cloud9::cloud9::cloud9::cloud9:

THIS is the reason to go to Il Mulino. Even people who don't like mushrooms love this, amirite @ariane37?
No you ain'trite!!!! No chance in a million years that would ever grace my lips.
 


I’m in, just found this, excited to read about all your adventures and awesome dining experiences!

Love your cute outfit! You and R take such nice pictures, both of you have great smiles!
 
Wrong! Our room was ready so we went back to the car and schlepped our bags up to the room, freshened up (sort of) and headed off to Epcot.

What better time to be wrong, though!

When we entered through the international gateway, we stumbled upon a first for us, character training!

OOOH fun! Look at you nailing those face character interactions!

It was a bit of an odd character interaction (all but the very best of the face characters make me feel a little awkward) but it was a great way to start the trip!

YUP! Somehow superheroes are easier, though.

R coined the catchphrase of this trip, "Mexico, you fooled us again!" Except maybe it was a different F word. Possibly.

:rotfl2:


Glad you posted one more! Saved the best for last!

Our hearts led us over to our favorite Walt Disney World lounge, Geyser Point.

Such a wonderful lounge... really can't think of one more peaceful and enjoyable.


Pretty! Really love those ears.

We haven't done Indiana Jones since I was a child.

SAME. It's so hard to want to spend all that time in a show that really hasn't changed any since I was a child either.


This looks divine!

Tiramisu - Layered Espresso and Coffee Liqueur infused Lady Fingers coated with Marscapone Cream ($11). I love Tiramisu and this was a very good one. It wasn't overly sweet but satiated our dessert craving nicely. We hit the hay to prepare for another big day ahead!

:cloud9:
 

Every time I see one of your wedding pictures, I swoon! Your dress, your hair, your bouquet - gah! Perfection!

We love to travel, and I love Disney, so by extension, R has been forced to love Disney too. He does enjoy it, but wishes we went other places besides Disney more often :confused3

Luke told me tonight "there's places in the World other than Anaheim and Orlando you know". Pfft.

January 13, 2018

Wait, you arrived at WDW on my birthday! I was around that morning! Magical Express didn't pick me up like 2pm! We could have briefly met up!

I couldn't justify the price tag and resigned myself to continue living with just my one Disney dooney :laughing:

That's my struggle! I also only have one, but there's a few I have my eye on (like that new Winnie-the-Pooh one...)

Magic Cookie Bar:

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I've always drooled anytime @ariane37 has posted a picture of one of these - I need to visit Wilderness Lodge and get one of these bad boys!


I love the contrast between your face and R's face :rotfl:

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Testarossa aka the "Red Head" - Ketel One Vodka, Grand Marnier and Crandberry Juice, muddled with Strawberries and Fresh Basil Leaves topped with Ground Pepper. ($13) This was delicious and very fresh tasting, probably a little sweeter than I usually like my drinks but definitely refreshing and went down easy.

I love my drinks nice and sweet - this sounds delicious to me!
 
I'm here!!!! And following along!


That is a giant basil leaf! But that does sound tasty!
Yay!!! :flower3: Welcome, friend! It was a giant basil leaf, but I prefer that to a chunky muddle where you're getting a lot of roughage in the straw :crazy2:

Smart! Good for you! Stay away....stay very far away....Dooneys will come for you and all your money. :sad1:
So far Disney has only taken about $150 of my money thanks to a bunch of Disney Visa rewards and my DVC discount in Aulani. I got this one, and have carried it pretty much every day since:

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(stole the photo from the interwebz)

I always LOVE the dooneys featuring Figment but can never seem to pull the trigger... which is a good thing! I only need ONE expensive collection and right now it's Alex & Ani :D

Good tip! We'll have to go meet Ron sometime. Nathan wants to try the lounge sometime for a drink/snack.
I know you're not a huge drinker due to your neurological condition but it's the best place in DHS to grab a "to go" drink. We've never sat and had service at the outside lounge but it looks like a great option if you are there in a nice weather time!!

Joining in
What do you mean there's other places to go besides Disney? :confused:

:welcome:

I know right!? hahaha
 
Oh dear god what is this???? My instinct is a diaper but hopefully the R's favorite Mexican pavilion hasn't dived that low yet.
Um. Yeah. It definitely has a crappy presentation. It's roasted lamb in spices. It was BAD. And odd that it was just a bag of chewy meat.

Can you believe we still haven't been able to get to Geyser Point? Hoping to rectify that in August.
NO I CANNOT! Get you a magic cookie bar and a libation, lady! They actually have some drinks on their menu that aren't on the regular ol' Disney bar standard menu. Love it! Though it's gonna be hot as all get out in August...
:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2: This doesn't even look like you. Though I can't judge, I'm totally the same way.
Thank god that doesn't look like me! I think I thought it would be funny to scream my head off that time. I didn't realize R was going for the stoic look at the time...

No you ain'trite!!!! No chance in a million years that would ever grace my lips.
ALRIGHT FINE. But I know you'd like it, since you like the truffle oil on the carciofi. Maybe they could hold the mushrooms? And add arugula? ;)

*throws confetti*
:banana:
I’m in, just found this, excited to read about all your adventures and awesome dining experiences!

Love your cute outfit! You and R take such nice pictures, both of you have great smiles!

Thank you! I am so glad to have you here. I'm feeling like I hit the big time, moving from the dining board to the trip report board :rotfl:

Thank you on the photo compliment! Of course I only post the best ones... :blush:
 
What better time to be wrong, though!
AND we got a good parking space! It was a first for us. The Swan parking lot is kinda the wild west at times. I was prepared to park way far away so it was great being wrong in multiple ways!!!

OOOH fun! Look at you nailing those face character interactions!
I know right?! Who am I? There's an even better one coming up on the next trip!!!

Glad you posted one more! Saved the best for last!
I figured you would appreciate that! Oddly enough, Space Jesus didn't make the promo materials :confused3

Pretty! Really love those ears.
Thank you! They're my Figment inspired ears!! They have a sparkly rainbow ribbon on them too. :rainbow:

SAME. It's so hard to want to spend all that time in a show that really hasn't changed any since I was a child either.
I'm starting to get FOMO though feeling like it's about to close. I should go do it because I seem to be the death knell for attractions in DHS - I got to say goodbye to Great Movie Ride and the backlot tour very shortly before they both disappeared. And don't get me started on the Osborne Lights. :(
 
Every time I see one of your wedding pictures, I swoon! Your dress, your hair, your bouquet - gah! Perfection!
:thanks:

I am trying to decide when to post my wedding photo drama... I'm still kinda upset so I feel like I should still wait but I might just need to vent.

Luke told me tonight "there's places in the World other than Anaheim and Orlando you know". Pfft.
Like where?! :confused3 We did just go to Asheville, NC for 5 days to sort of satiate R's desire to visit places other than Disney. And we're planning a massive trip to Italy so I feel like I am compromising?

Wait, you arrived at WDW on my birthday! I was around that morning! Magical Express didn't pick me up like 2pm! We could have briefly met up!
I think I knew we had a tiny overlap but I didn't want to suggest a meet because I knew it was your wedding trip :blush: I figured you were busy with all of your guests or your new husband!!!

That's my struggle! I also only have one, but there's a few I have my eye on (like that new Winnie-the-Pooh one...)
The Flower and Garden ones always tempt me but I talk myself out of them thinking I wouldn't carry something quite so bold. Actually, it's probably more that I am really attached to the shape of my current crossbody and Dooney doesn't tend to make those for the festivals. I might get a wallet this year though, depending on the design. My wallet is falling apart, quite literally! :laughing:

I love the contrast between your face and R's face :rotfl:
I know! I had no idea he was doing serious. This launch scares me, but I don't usually yell my head off like that. I usually just look like I have about 14 chins from the force of being propelled back against the seat :rotfl:
 
I'm so excited to see Festival of the Arts next year!

I was so excited! While this is not my photo, it basically depicts what I saw...

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The singing busts are pretty cool! I don't really collect Alex and Ani (don't wear many bracelets), but if I did, that would be one I'd get!

I couldn't justify the price tag and resigned myself to continue living with just my one Disney dooney :laughing:
I haven't found a design yet that I get so in love with, I need to buy!

After quite a bit of thought, we settled on just going downstairs to Il Mulino to see if we could be seated for dinner without too much of a wait. Travel day woes! We probably only waited about 10 minutes after putting our name in with the hostess. I did take lots of photos of dinner and haven't reviewed it yet, so here it goes. I'm sorry if the photos are a bit garish, it is really really dark in Il Mulino so I had to lighten these up a bit.

As usual, we both started with a drink. R had his usual Maker's Mark and soda, while I tried the Il Mulino Signature Cocktail
Sounds like a yummy dinner! I'm planning on eating there in December!
 
which is a good thing! I only need ONE expensive collection and right now it's Alex & Ani :D

Haha fair enough! I caught myself looking at some of the Alex & Ani bangles online the other day in preparation for our trip, and I had to stop myself. I can't afford any new vices right now! :laughing:
 
The singing busts are pretty cool! I don't really collect Alex and Ani (don't wear many bracelets), but if I did, that would be one I'd get!
Alex and Ani bracelets definitely toward the more generic for the most part, so when they have unique options I get sucked in! I love attraction-specific stuff so I couldn't resist these.

Sounds like a yummy dinner! I'm planning on eating there in December!
Well Il Mulino may or may not make another appearance shortly :rolleyes1 the dangers of staying at the Swan!

Haha fair enough! I caught myself looking at some of the Alex & Ani bangles online the other day in preparation for our trip, and I had to stop myself. I can't afford any new vices right now! :laughing:
Me neither! I am trying to cut back on buying ANYTHING that's nonessential but it's so hard. I want a new pair of Chacos so bad but I would rather have that money as play money at WDW next month :charac2:
 
January trip, Chapter Two: The Pink Coat Goes to Walt Disney World :laughing:

January 14, 2018:

I had been dreaming, fantasizing about, and craving something for months leading up to the wedding... FRENCH TOAST! :rotfl: I had been on a low carb diet for a while trying to look my best for the wedding, so this was a nice trip of indulgence before I buckled down again after the holidays. My favorite french toast at Walt Disney World is without a doubt the Grand Floridian Cafe's vanilla bean french toast. I'd made an opentable reservation for the Grand Floridian Cafe for a late breakfast seating around 10:45. Later we'd be headed to my favorite park, but first we had some cravings to satiate!

Because of the late breakfast reservation, we were able to sleep in and get the rest we needed after yesterday's crazy wake-up time. We had to wait a few minutes after checking in for our reservation and we were seated at a less-than-ideal table just behind the hostess station at the GFC where constant traffic through that atrium brought a perpetual breeze from the doors opening. For some reason I went through a spell of thinking that taking photos of menus would make be a better Dis reporter... :scratchin

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We ordered drinks and then our server disappeared for a long time.

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I had a bloody mary ($8.25) and a cup of coffee

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R had a coffee and also went for the "Walk the Plank" - Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye Whisky, Orange Juice, Orgeat (Almond), and fresh Lime Juice garnished with Luxardo Gourmet Maraschino Cherries. ($12)

We both ordered french toast, once our server finally came back... :cool:

The first thing out was my favorite part of the Grand Floridian Cafe French Toast:

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The vanilla bean butter! I am not even a big vanilla person, I would never get a vanilla milkshake or vanilla ice cream, but this is so delicious. I guess I am a butter person... I never knew people could dislike butter until I was catching up on @Lesley Wake's TR this morning! :rotfl:

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Brioche French Toast - $16 - Madagascar Vanilla Bean-scented Brioche French Toast with Bacon or Sausage :cloud9:

I obviously ordered mine with sausage. I also ordered a side of their hashbrown casserole:

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Because carbs. "Cheesy-Hash Brown Casserole" $5. This is really good... probably not $5 good but hey, I was having a cheat! The flavors are really delicious and it is definitely cheesy goodness!

R's eggs came out looking a little....

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... rubbery. The server immediately noticed and was mortified. She snatched them up and promised to return with better eggs.

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They did come back cooked much more to R's liking. At some point we'd also each ordered another drink (probably because our server disappeared for so long and then our food took FOREVER to come out...)

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So we had a photo shoot. Errrr... I tried to get R to take a decent photo of me in my ears. At the time I had a pretty successful Etsy shop and I was trying to get social media content. R's photo composition left something to be desired so we quit with the photos and settled the bill. With TIW discount and gratuity it came to $84.11. Mind you, we'd each had two drinks and we'd both ordered an extra side. Also I just noticed they did not charge us for the coffees. Bonus! :dogdance:

Against better judgment, we rode the monorail over to MK since we were already so close.

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It was a gorgeous day and, again, I was trying to get cute photos of my ears for my shop.

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R was wearing my Disney sunglasses since his got inadvertently left at home this time. Whoops!

Again with the composition issues... this is me, posing with someone else's ECV...

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And a trash can... :rolleyes2

So I settled for photopass instead:

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At this point it was about 1:30 and the crush of people in the hub was sort of freaking R out, plus he was irritated with me trying to get him to take pictures of me in my ears. I mean, I think we all know that at Disney, husband = photographer. Come on guys! :laughing:

We decided to cut our losses and leave the park to have a rest.

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It really was a gorgeous day.

(continued, next post)
 
(Continued from previous post)

We'd made our fastpass plans at Animal Kingdom that day, so after regrouping in our room, we headed out to my favorite park!

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We were in the park by about 4:00, and headed to our first fastpass, to meet our friends at the character outpost!

I am getting more "into" character meets and we had not done this one in a while, so I thought it was a nice opportunity to hang out with my main mice!

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I was showing off my pins to my girl Minnie.

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I feel like R looks like a model here. :love: Gotta love the lighting at the character meets!

Then it was snack time, so we headed to our usual favorite AK snack spot, Mr. Kamal's. They tend to change up the menu fairly regularly, but samosas and falafel tend to rotate on and off and we like both, so as long as one of them is there, we are happy. This time we decided to try a new-to-us offering:

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Mr. Kamal's Seasoned Fries - topped with tzatziki sauce and sriracha ketchup $5.49. These are fantastic - the toppings worried me a bit as they didn't sound like they went together, but they somehow work making this a great savory treat. R picked this out but I got to help enjoy them! Yummy!

We were en route to my favorite thing in Animal Kingdom, but stopped in Harambe on the way for a beverage

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Reef Donkey APA Draft $9.25 - "secret selection of Hops gives this Dry Beer a Lemon-Lime Aroma with a Citrus and slight Tropical Fruit flavor." This is a favorite of mine that I will usually stop for at least once a trip. :thumbsup2

Where were we headed?

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To catch a set from Burudika, of course! They are my FAVORITE! :lovestruc I must have hundreds of photos of Burudika at this point, I really should have posted a better one, but oh well, this one is from this January evening. I always enjoy stopping to take in the ambiance and listen to this incredibly talented band!

After the set concluded (with "Waka Waka", as always) we headed off to our next FastPass, which was not too far away...

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Pandora is just gorgeous at sunset. We had a fastpass for Flight of Passage to use!

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I always dawdle in the fastpass line just soaking in the details.

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Flight of Passage was fantastic, as always! I love the smells and the bioluminescent forest at night scene. I wish I could live there!

Not my greatest photo, but it's the last one I took in Animal Kingdom. We would be park hopping to our third park of the day, up next!
 
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