Travel dates: October 11-17,2017
Travel method: Air and rental car
Resort: Disneys Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa
Accommodations: 1 Bedroom DVC villa
Ages Represented in Group: 56 and 58
Disney Resort Experience Represented in Group: 25th trip
Cast of characters: Michael and Kelli
Wednesday Oct 11, 2017
Bob, our friendly limo driver picked us up at 3:50 AM for our 6 AM JetBlue flight out of JFK. We were through security by 4:50 thanks to getting the TSA pre-check on our boarding passes.
We grabbed croissants with butter, a bowtie and chocolate chip muffin for the flight down.
JetBlue names all their planes. Our planes name was Bluemanity.
On the runway we almost returned to the gate since one clueless father would not stop holding his crying daughter and put her in her seat and belting her in. How many times does a steward have to say something before a person listens?
After finally taking off the flight was uneventful. I watch Spiderman: Homecoming on the screen in front of me. We landed five minute early but had to wait for someone to move the jet bridge before we could disembark. While waiting the piolet came on and said welcome to Orlando where the weather is beautiful and JetBlue service is slow. The JetBlue plane next to our gate was named All the Blues and Whistles.
When we finally deplaned and after a quick pit stop; our checked bag quickly came out and we were on our way. I had signed up for National Car Rentals Emerald Club for free through work and was able to get a Nissan Altima, bypassing the counter and going straight to the lot across the street.
This time saver put us passing under the Disney arch at 10 AM. We directly went to Epcot since a text from Disney said our room was not ready.
Our parking lot luck was poor this trip. We parked towards the end of a row with a long walk to the trams nearly every time.
It was already warm and we tried Club Cool but it wasnt open yet. Journey Into Imagination With Figment only had a 5 minute wait so in we went; but the line was longer than that.
We were thirsty after the ride; so we visited the DVC lounge up from the gift shop. We grabbed some DVC member buttons and tried a variety of coke combinations including Mellow Yellow Raspberry and Peach, plus a soda I never heard about, Pibb Zero. It tasted like a Dr. Pepper; its a spicy cherry soda. We also received small packets of chocolate chip cookies and cheese-its.
Next at the suggestion of Kelli; we enjoyed the Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival. There are now two new films besides Get a Horse; Piper and Feast. We really enjoyed all three films. The reaction to Piper from the audience was priceless.
It was finally time for the Food and Wine Festival. Our first stop was Flavors from Fire. We enjoyed: Piggy Wings, Roasted Pork Wings with Korean BBQ Sauce and Sesame Seeds; Chocolate Picante, Dark Chocolate Mousse with Cayenne Pepper, Chili Powder and Raspberry Dust and an Orlando Brewery Smokin Blackwater Porter. This area was nice, they had little round tables under shade to stop and eat. We noticed our first Remy on top of the kiosk. There is a game to play looking for this rat from the Ratatouille movies around the showcase.
Next up was The Cheese Studio; Braised Beef Stroganoff with Tiny Egg Noodles, Wild Mushroom, and Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese Sauce and the Savory Caramelized Onion Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese Tart with Cold Arugula Salad and Aged Balsamic.
There were nice displays in this area explaining the color of wine and perfect pairings; hints on pairing wine with chess.
We took a right at the World Showcase and viewed the Canada film with Martin Short since we hadnt seen it for a while. We perused the shops and spent some quiet relaxing time on a bench way up in the back.
At the New Zealand kiosk I tried the Seared Venison Loin with Wild Mushroom Marsala Sauce and Kumara Pure. We were already full and time was nearing for our food demo; so after filming some of the fountain show we shopped in Mouse Gears. Outside we watched the Jammin Chefs before heading to the Food and Wine Center Inside we sat and watch some clips from the recently tapped The Chew TV show. The best part was viewing the hosts on a variety of Disney rides. I also stopped for a free Ghirardelli free sample before entering for the F&W Culinary Demonstration with Jennifer Bushman on salmon cakes. She went on and on about the brand of Salmon and sustainable fisheries. And about a list published by the Monterrey Bay Aquarium on what and what not to eat. She did very little about the preparation.
I did learn that for great texture in a salmon cake use half diced and finely chopped salmon. And if reheating salmon or crab cakes to use parchment to keep them crispy. The crab cake was delicious. On our way out we received a recipe booklet titled Sea Change written by Jennifer as well as John Ash.
We received a text to see the front desk about our room assignment so we headed out but not before stopping at Jeffreys at the Main Entrance for an Iced Mocha.
We arrived at Saratoga Spring Resort. We had request close to Disney Spring and a high floor. They did put us in the Congress section as requested but on a ground floor. They were able to find another 1 bedroom in Congress on the second floor so we took that. We love balconies since we spend time eating breakfast out there in the morning and sometime relax outside in the evening.
We had a nice view of Disney Springs from the room and we took a one 1-hour nap. Rested; we headed out to the Publix on Vineland for provisions and got water, Lactaid, marmalade, raisin bran, eggs, bacon and English muffins. We walked over to the main building and ate at Artist Pallet. Our Caprese and Cheeseburger flatbreads were delicious. Afterwards we headed out the back steps into a waiting boat to Disney Springs. We did some light shopping, ending with a with a pineapple whip with dark rum at the Marketplace Snacks and walked back to our room. We were happy to get to sleep early since were up since 3 AM.
Thursday Oct 12, 2017
We sleep in till 7:30 and made bacon and eggs and had a leisurely breakfast out on the balcony enjoying the weather. I took a short walk while Kelli got ready to enjoy the perfect early morning weather and took some pictures.
We headed to Epcot and arrived at 10:15AM. We used our FastPass for Soarin and got the middle section, second row for an enjoyable ride. Next was viewing The Circle of Life - DAM!
The Food and Wine booths were now open and we tried Active Eats first with a M.I.A. Beer Company Hard Water Cucumber & Lemon Lime Hard Sparkling Water. It tasted like cucumber water with a bit of a kick. Next was Earth Eats for a Grilled Beef Skewer with Romaine, Apricots, and Feta Cheese; followed by Farm Fresh and a Florida Orange Groves Mango Mama Wine.
In the World Showcase we tried the Taste of Greece: Stuffed Grape Leaves with Lemon Dill Sauce, Grilled Octopus and Feta Cheese Dip with Warm Pita bread. It was the first time my wife Kelli had tried octopus and was fine with it.
In Thailand I tried the Red Hot Spicy Thai Curry Beef with Steamed Rice. My first bite was a piece of cauliflower that must have had a good chuck of hot pepper in it since it cleared out my sinuses! But the rest of the dish was just mildly hot and spicy.
In Hawaii we enjoyed a very sweet Florida Orange Groves Sparkling Pineapple Wine. Kelli thought that this was the best wine of the trip, but she only likes sweet wines.
We shopped in the Disney Traders and Port of Entry stores and purchased a Remy Hide and Squeak Map then headed for Craft Beers in the Odyssey building which also had a display on the 35th anniversary of Epcot. Here we tried the Florida Beer Company Passport 35 Triple Chocolate Milk Stout and the LOrange Cotton Candy: A mixture of Lime and Orange Cotton Candy. The beer was great. It had a very heavy chocolate aroma. Its a stout with a hint of chocolate flavor.
Next was Spaceship Earth using a Fastpass. Kellis head photo looked like Swiss cheese, full of holes. It made for a funny video. We headed out to rest before tonights Halloween party.
We left the room at 3:15 and used the buses and made it to the Magic Kingdom right at 4 PM. I like the Disney bus monitors at the bus stops but noticed that they kept adding minutes to our bus till it arrived 5 minutes after the original time.
We entered the park and got our bands for the party but skipped line to get bags since we had a 4 PM ADR for The Plaza Restaurant. After checking in we had to wait 25 minutes before being seated. We did listen to the stage show at the castle while we waited.
Kelli had the Tomato Bisque Soup and a Wedge Salad - half wedge of iceberg lettuce served with tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers and topped with Gorgonzola and ranch dressing
I had the Home-style Meatloaf - hearty slices of meatloaf served with red skinned garlic mashed potatoes, gravy and seasonal vegetables. Dinner did not disappoint but skipped dessert so that we can sample the special desserts at the party.
We went to the front of the park and around The Chapeau to what they use as the exit in the evening but an entrance for the party. We got our Halloween bags along with a starter pack of candy. There was party merchandise available and we got a couple of items including the party pin.
We did Monsters Laugh Floor and once again Buddy Boil picked Kelli to read her mind. This time I remembered to get some video of it. I was briefly on camera when Buddy made the comment that Kelli likes 2 for 1 deals since we were both wearing our old Halloween party shirts from 2008. She did great and Boil guessed her number correctly even though he hid his eyes when she told the audience her number.
We relaxed on the Tomorrwland Transit Authority and then tried for the Carousel of Progress but it was closed. Next was Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid. When we got out it was 7PM and Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party started. We trick or treated on a line that ended up inside Pinocchio Village Haus. We headed around the castle to find the Jack Skellington dessert from Sleepy Hollow; a push up pop with chocolate cake and crme topped with a white chocolate jack. It was fantastic!
Next was the Haunted Mansion. Both cemeteries were eerily lit. Outside a female ghost and dead butler interacted with passersby. Next treat was the Haunted Mansion dessert from the nearby Liberty Square Produce market. This delicious treat was a chocolate tart shell filled with chocolate ganache and topped with peanut butter icing and white chocolate.
We made our way to the castle stage to see the Hocus Pocus show. This was disappointing as we did not like the music and left before it finished. We looked for a spot to view the parade near the shooting gallery and listened to the Cadaver Dans Barbershop Quartet.
The Headless Horseman rode pass 11 minutes after nine followed by the parade 7 minutes later. I think weve seen the parade to many times. It was good but not as exciting as before since there are no new elements.
After the parade we Trick-or-treat inside the Tiki room and headed to the hub for Hallowwishes. The special fireworks were fantastic as usual. This was followed by Trick or Treating inside the Stitch ride. We had to try the Candy Corn Ice-cream from Auntie Gravitys. It tasted much better than it sounds.
We finished the night at the Scream-o-ween Dance party with Boo, Sulley, and Mike where they danced to Callin' all the Monsters by Chyna Anne Mcclaine.
We left the party before it officially ended to avoid the huge lines for the buses and got back to the room at midnight.
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