Stop Throwing Tissues on Me! – September 2023 Food and Wine Fest Trip Report! (Updated 2/12!)

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Following!

, thanks for following along!

 

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The BC buses can be very weird. Sometimes a random bus will show up without warning. Other times the buses don't wait for their posted arrival times before departing. We try to keep an eye on the bus times listed on the MDE app, but buses can still be random.

Yeah, the buses can be such a pain sometimes. It's frustrating when the time on the board or in the app aren't accurate!

 

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Day 5, Part 2: Caring For Giants!!!!​

We last left off riding FoP. After the ride it was time to head to our next activity, so we made our way over to Harambe Village.

We arrived at the check-in area right at 8:45, and quickly got checked in for our tour, Caring for Giants!!!

The tour started promptly at 9, and our guide was one of the guides we had for Savor the Savanna the previous year!

We made our way backstage to the bus. We had a verrrry polite group of people on this tour where everyone was insisting that everyone else go first to the point it was comical.

It was a quick ride to the viewing area, and soon we were out watching the elephants! (big photo dump, sorry!)















I got some videos too!
​

https://flic.kr/p/2psr3Vi

We ended up spending about 30 minutes at the overlook, our guide (I apparently forgot to write down his name, oops!) was answering questions and providing information the whole time.

It was really nice and so relaxing to just hang out there and watch the elephants.

After about 30 minutes we made our way back to the bus and drove back to the backstage parking lot.

It was a super short tour, but it was really great to get the additional information from our guide, plus it was so relaxing at the overlook area, I could have stayed there for hours!

After the tour, we headed out, or first stop to the GET.

After we had ridden FoP, I had tried to book another day of DAS ride, but it would only let me book my mom, not myself.

I quickly came to the realization that this was because the second touch point on FoP wasn’t working for me so the CM just waved me through, so I never “cleared” that from my DAS queue, but since I had already scanned into the first touch point it wouldn’t let me cancel it. So off to GET we went!

They were great and the second I started to explain what happened they knew exactly what they needed to do and fixed it, and added me to the DAS I had booked for my mom.

Our next stop was the safari! The animals weren’t really active this day, which was surprising since it had really cooled off, but it was still a good ride!



After the safari mom was getting tired, so we decided to head over to Nomad to see if we could get in.

Next up: Our Favorite Lunch!​

 

[rdkeim]

Great day so far! My daughter in law would love Caring for Giants. Now, if I could just get her back to DW..... it might just make her a Disney girl So nice you and your Mom both enjoy it so much and travel well together. I've never been to Nomad but will definitely put it on the list for our next trip!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Absolutely LOVE the Caring for Giants tour. I love that it's short and sweet and the viewing area is fantastic. I'm thinking I might have to do it again soon. I've only had to use them a couple times but having the guest experience teams throughout the parks is really helpful.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We ended up spending about 30 minutes at the overlook, our guide (I apparently forgot to write down his name, oops!) was answering questions and providing information the whole time.

It was really nice and so relaxing to just hang out there and watch the elephants.

We did the Caring for Giants tour and really enjoyed it, too. We could see a lot more elephants from this vantage point than you can on the safari. There really isn't much to the tour but we were very happy with what we got.

 

[VAtink]

Great day so far! My daughter in law would love Caring for Giants. Now, if I could just get her back to DW..... it might just make her a Disney girl So nice you and your Mom both enjoy it so much and travel well together. I've never been to Nomad but will definitely put it on the list for our next trip!

It was a great start to the day! Caring for Giants was a really nice little tour, if your daughter in law likes elephants I'd definitely recommend it, even though it is pretty short.

Nomad is amazing, sitting out on the patio with a delicious drink and a nice breeze blowing is probably one of my favorite things to do in AK!

 

[VAtink]

Absolutely LOVE the Caring for Giants tour. I love that it's short and sweet and the viewing area is fantastic. I'm thinking I might have to do it again soon. I've only had to use them a couple times but having the guest experience teams throughout the parks is really helpful.

Yeah, it was a really nice tour. I like that it didn't take up hours of time, yet was super chill and of course I loved the views! The GET has been fantastic every time we've needed help from them, usually they can fix what's wrong (usually the app) in a minute or two.

 

[VAtink]

We did the Caring for Giants tour and really enjoyed it, too. We could see a lot more elephants from this vantage point than you can on the safari. There really isn't much to the tour but we were very happy with what we got.

It was a really nice tour, I liked how relaxing it was, and the view was really great!

 

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Day 5, Part 3: Our Favorite Lunch!​

We last left off heading to see if we could get into Nomad.

We arrived a bit before 11, which I figured was ok timing since it opened at 11, but sadly when we checked they said it was a 30 minute wait for a party of two (better than the hour wait for the party of 4 ahead of us!). Kinda annoying since there were a ton of open tables still out on the patio, but maybe they were understaffed?

Since we had reservations at Tiffins at noon, we figured it would be too rushed, so decided to head over to see if we could just wait in the lobby since my moms leg was really hurting again.

We were shocked when we entered Tiffins to find out that they started opening earlier again and were already open for business (when we booked the reservation they still weren’t opening until noon)! So we asked if we could be seated early, and they gladly accommodated us!

We were seated in our favorite room (the one with the totem poles, think it’s the grand ceremony room?).



Our waiter was fantastic today and we had a great time chatting with him for a while before we got around to ordering.

Per usual, we started with the octopus, and then for entrees mom got the veal and I got the surf and turf.

Mom wanted a beer to drink, but couldn’t decide, so I recommended the Kungaloosh, which I love, but she wasn’t sure. Well, our waiter overheard this exchange and came over to offer a sample of the beer to help her make her decision. She gladly accepted.

Sadly (for my mom), she wasn’t a fan of that beer, but it was good news for me since I got to finish the sample!

In the end she got the Singha beer, and I got the cab flight (again, I always get this)



Eventually our meals were brought out, and once again they were great!







While eating, the manager came over to chat with us, and we told him how we’ve been eating there since it first opened, although that first dining experience was a total accident. I had read (on these boards) about this great new restaurant in AK I wanted to try, and while we were in the park in 2016 and getting hungry I decided to see if I could book that restaurant and couldn’t remember if it was Tiffins or Yak and Yeti, so guessed Tiffins and booked that. Turns out it was Yak and Yeti I had read so much about, but it was a fortuitous mistake, we’ve been obsessed with Tiffins ever since!

We chatted with him for a while, we also brought up that we’d be bringing my dad there in a few months and how we were a bit worried about getting food he’d like since he prefers very basic, non-spice food. The manager assured us that if needed, they could even throw together a burger for my dad, just to let them know. It was a great conversation, and that manager really is fantastic.

As we were wrapping up the meal, we were surprised with special dessert on the house! Our waiter mentioned it was a thank you for being such dedicated customers, which was so nice, and a throwback to pre-pandemic days where we would get parting gifts of chocolate for being repeat customers. This day the dessert was a strawberry shortcake, and it was delicious!




Finally got a new one of these, I have so many of the painted dogs one!

Next up: Another Evening in Epcot!​

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Wow, how nice of the manager. Good to know they could do something like a burger in a pinch. I'm selfishly delighted as it seems we can always get in but sad for them that they aren't more popular. I think the menu really scares off less adventurous eaters. And I think the typical earlier close time for AK doesn't help their dinner crowd either. I don't think I've ever noticed the cab flight on the menu ... making a mental note for next time!!

 

[motherdaughtercruisers]

Day 5, Part 3: Our Favorite Lunch!​

We last left off heading to see if we could get into Nomad.

We arrived a bit before 11, which I figured was ok timing since it opened at 11, but sadly when we checked they said it was a 30 minute wait for a party of two (better than the hour wait for the party of 4 ahead of us!). Kinda annoying since there were a ton of open tables still out on the patio, but maybe they were understaffed?

Since we had reservations at Tiffins at noon, we figured it would be too rushed, so decided to head over to see if we could just wait in the lobby since my moms leg was really hurting again.

We were shocked when we entered Tiffins to find out that they started opening earlier again and were already open for business (when we booked the reservation they still weren’t opening until noon)! So we asked if we could be seated early, and they gladly accommodated us!

We were seated in our favorite room (the one with the totem poles, think it’s the grand ceremony room?).



Our waiter was fantastic today and we had a great time chatting with him for a while before we got around to ordering.

Per usual, we started with the octopus, and then for entrees mom got the veal and I got the surf and turf.

Mom wanted a beer to drink, but couldn’t decide, so I recommended the Kungaloosh, which I love, but she wasn’t sure. Well, our waiter overheard this exchange and came over to offer a sample of the beer to help her make her decision. She gladly accepted.

Sadly (for my mom), she wasn’t a fan of that beer, but it was good news for me since I got to finish the sample!

In the end she got the Singha beer, and I got the cab flight (again, I always get this)



Eventually our meals were brought out, and once again they were great!







While eating, the manager came over to chat with us, and we told him how we’ve been eating there since it first opened, although that first dining experience was a total accident. I had read (on these boards) about this great new restaurant in AK I wanted to try, and while we were in the park in 2016 and getting hungry I decided to see if I could book that restaurant and couldn’t remember if it was Tiffins or Yak and Yeti, so guessed Tiffins and booked that. Turns out it was Yak and Yeti I had read so much about, but it was a fortuitous mistake, we’ve been obsessed with Tiffins ever since!

We chatted with him for a while, we also brought up that we’d be bringing my dad there in a few months and how we were a bit worried about getting food he’d like since he prefers very basic, non-spice food. The manager assured us that if needed, they could even throw together a burger for my dad, just to let them know. It was a great conversation, and that manager really is fantastic.

As we were wrapping up the meal, we were surprised with special dessert on the house! Our waiter mentioned it was a thank you for being such dedicated customers, which was so nice, and a throwback to pre-pandemic days where we would get parting gifts of chocolate for being repeat customers. This day the dessert was a strawberry shortcake, and it was delicious!




Finally got a new one of these, I have so many of the painted dogs one!

Next up: Another Evening in Epcot!​

So excited to hear it is so good! We have reservations coming up in about 2 weeks!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Mom wanted a beer to drink, but couldn’t decide, so I recommended the Kungaloosh, which I love, but she wasn’t sure. Well, our waiter overheard this exchange and came over to offer a sample of the beer to help her make her decision. She gladly accepted.

Sadly (for my mom), she wasn’t a fan of that beer, but it was good news for me since I got to finish the sample!

That was very nice of the waiter to bring a sample of Kungaloosh for your mom to try. I would assume that the beer was on tap. In fact, the waiter was nice about everything.

 

[VAtink]

Wow, how nice of the manager. Good to know they could do something like a burger in a pinch. I'm selfishly delighted as it seems we can always get in but sad for them that they aren't more popular. I think the menu really scares off less adventurous eaters. And I think the typical earlier close time for AK doesn't help their dinner crowd either. I don't think I've ever noticed the cab flight on the menu ... making a mental note for next time!!

That manager was pretty awesome. He was there again when we went in December as well, and still just an awesome guy!

Yeah, I can see the menu scaring some people off, even though they have added more "normal" stuff to it over the years. I think the last time I saw the place packed was back when they had the Rivers of Light dining package there.

That cab flight is great, and pretty decent size pours, so kind of a deal for Disney prices!

 

[VAtink]

So excited to hear it is so good! We have reservations coming up in about 2 weeks!

It is so good, it's the one restaurant we make a point to eat at every single trip! If you're ok with veal, then I highly recommend the cardamom spiced veal, my mom had it on our December trip and it was so good! Hope you have an amazing time!

 

[VAtink]

That was very nice of the waiter to bring a sample of Kungaloosh for your mom to try. I would assume that the beer was on tap. In fact, the waiter was nice about everything.

It was so nice, and it was a pretty big sample too! He was a fantastic waiter

 

[motherdaughtercruisers]

It is so good, it's the one restaurant we make a point to eat at every single trip! If you're ok with veal, then I highly recommend the cardamom spiced veal, my mom had it on our December trip and it was so good! Hope you have an amazing time!

I actually already put it on my tentative ordering list based on your report!

 

[VAtink]

Day 5, Part 4: Another Evening in Epcot!​

We last left off finishing up lunch at Tiffins. On the way out we of course took pictures!



We go super lucky this afternoon and arrived at the bus stop just as a bus was arriving! Wahoo!

When we got back to the YC we spent some time packing. Ugh, I hate short trips.

While packing I decided to stream some football on Sunday Ticket, but ran into this error message…



I guess you can’t use Sunday Ticket on Disney TVs?!? That sucks.

Around 5:30 we had enough of packing and made our way over to the Boardwalk, I wanted to go buy that Abracadabar shirt I had seen earlier in the week, but sadly they didn’t have my size.

After the failed shopping trip, we swung by Abracadabar to drown my sorrows. We got lucky and a table just opened up as we entered, and funny enough it was the same table we lucked out to get during hurricane Ian the year prior!

Once settled in I got the sour assistant to drink, and mom got the one like a magarita that changes color, I believe it was the conjurita.

We also got the charcuterie board to split.









This was all so good!

Before leaving, I ordered another sour assistant to go, and then we headed back to the YC. On the way we swung by the store to fill up our refillable mugs before heading back upstairs to do a few more minutes of packing. (packing is somehow easier after a drink or two! )

Finally it was getting close to our ILL return time for Guardians, so we headed back out to Epcot!

We made our way to the front of the park and soon were on!



This time we got One Way of Another. Seriously, I’m starting to think Disco Inferno doesn’t exist, you all are lying to me

(in all seriousness, I’ve been on Guardians now like 30 times, I don’t understand how I still haven’t gotten this ONE song!)

After Guardians, we made our way over to WS to get some dinner at the food booths.

While Epcot was packed this evening, the food booths had no lines at all, which was odd but really nice!

On the walk I had to get a picture of the sunset!



We made our way around, but didn’t want anything until we got to America. As we were getting close to the booth, I saw one of the picnic tables open up, so I ran over there and sat on it, facing out, and waited for my mom to catch up. I figured she could sit there and rest her leg while I ran up to get the food.

Well, as my mom arrives, I turn around and see that some random guy had decided to sit across from me. Um WHAT?!?! Seriously, since I was sitting on the bench facing out I totally didn’t see him come join me, so it was so awkward and he was just weird, so we decided to move on even though my moms leg was really hurting her (we both shot daggers at this guy with our eyes as we left). Seriously, what is wrong with people?

Fortunately we passed another picnic table that was just opening up as we walked to the line to the food booth and mom claimed that while I went to get the food.

Here I picked up the beef sandwich, and mom got the carrot cake.

The carrot cake was delicious! The sandwich was ok, there was too much bread, like the bread to filling ratio was way off, but the beef was really good!



Our next stop was Japan, where we finally got the food booth item we were both the most excited about trying, the beef wagyu!


(sorry for the poor quality, it was dark and we didn’t have a table so had to hold them).

This was phenomenal! We loooooved this dish. I really hope they bring it back next year!

Around 8 we decided to head out to finish packing, and we wanted to watch the fireworks one last time from our balcony.

We ended up watching the fireworks this evening while enjoying the rest of the wine in the room and the leftover macarons from the previous night. It was the perfect end to the night, and the perfect end to the trip!



Next Up: See Ya Real Soon!​

 

[suse66]

We go super lucky this afternoon and arrived at the bus stop just as a bus was arriving! Wahoo!

When we got back to the YC we spent some time packing. Ugh, I hate short trips.

There's never enough time at Disney!

After the failed shopping trip, we swung by Abracadabar to drown my sorrows. We got lucky and a table just opened up as we entered, and funny enough it was the same table we lucked out to get during hurricane Ian the year prior!

Nice to get a table so easily!

Before leaving, I ordered another sour assistant to go, and then we headed back to the YC. On the way we swung by the store to fill up our refillable mugs before heading back upstairs to do a few more minutes of packing. (packing is somehow easier after a drink or two! )

Agreed!

Finally it was getting close to our ILL return time for Guardians, so we headed back out to Epcot!

We made our way to the front of the park and soon were on!

The advantage of being at an Epcot area resort!

While Epcot was packed this evening, the food booths had no lines at all, which was odd but really nice!

On the walk I had to get a picture of the sunset!

Gorgeous!!

We ended up watching the fireworks this evening while enjoying the rest of the wine in the room and the leftover macarons from the previous night. It was the perfect end to the night, and the perfect end to the trip!

Definitely the perfect way to spend your last Disney evening. Love it!!

 

[jgl130]

This time we got One Way of Another. Seriously, I’m starting to think Disco Inferno doesn’t exist, you all are lying to me

It’s the exact opposite for me! I’ve never gotten One Way or Another and I seem to bounce between Disco Inferno and Conga. I’ve gotten September twice, and Everybody Wants to Rule the World and I Ran once.

Side note I often lurk on your reports, love reading the trips with your Mom! I’m also a Penn Stater! Class of ‘04