Hoppy Easter and Crazy Crowds… The GDF Family Returns for Spring Break

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Wait a minute.

That update was so strange it might have come from TCD's report.

First, I am speechless over the person with their shorts pulled down. And I think you know I am not speechless often.

But more importantly, and even stranger....you went to Germany and you didn't get anything to drink??

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

I had to do a double take on the guy with shorts pulled down T-shirt. Lol. I thought it was real.

Did you really ask us if we thought you'd be bored?

Your at epcot, by yourself, how the heck could you be bored?

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

And you've never seen F&G, right? It's awesome! 

 

No I haven't and I can't wait!!!

 

Ummmm…. I’m not sure what to say about this picture.

 

 

 

Just..... no...

 

I think the skirt is awesome and I also think Z and I could quite happily dine together when it comes to all kinds of delicious things.  :)

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

The skirt/shirt is no worse than the guy getting pit stains all over the American flag in the background. Whoever came up with the idea to use the American flag as a wife-beater should be returned to sender.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I think they're playing with increasing the number of FP+ they're giving out for each ride. Do you think so?

Yes, I do think so. Especially on busy days. Which makes things miserable for the suckers in the stand-by lines, like those poor people at Soarin'.

 

 

But wait, what about Raglan Road? Did we get your comments on that? Have you decided to visit yet?

Yes, I will visit Raglan Road one day. Hopefully my amphicar driver can drop me off there after I stop by the Boathouse for an order of asparagus.

TCD

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

Mission Space... I did the lesser of the two rides a couple of trips ago; once was enough for me.  I thought it was pretty amazing how mentally you know you're not going anywhere, but physically it felt as though you were moving.  Crazy stuff.  Funny part is, Tom went first and then he stayed out with the kids... I can get very claustrophobic, so I was a bit nervous when they mentioned (over and over again) tight spaces.  Nice of my hubby to (not) mention that warning     Fortunately, that part actually did not bother me.

 

Butterfly Garden: that place is sooo neat .   We've got to go in there once... unfortunately it started to rain and they escorted everyone out.  It was pretty for the few minutes we go to see it though :)

 

The guy with the shirt... yeah, not.

 

Little man and his salad.  Too great :)   Gotta love a kid that likes a healthy snack!

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

A couple of hours alone?  Heaven!

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Hopefully my amphicar driver can drop me off there after I stop by the Boathouse for an order of asparagus.

TCD

 

Up arrow for that!!  :rofl2:

[Beckers 1,136]

Yes, I will visit Raglan Road one day. Hopefully my amphicar driver can drop me off there after I stop by the Boathouse for an order of asparagus.

TCD

Did you win the lotto and not tell us? Lol

I bought a little over a lb of aspagus today and it was $4.35 and I almost died. Still, not even close to the Boathouse price!

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

I got behind but now I am caught up!  Wonderful pictures of an amazing trip!  

 

 

Except this time we're staying 5 days with the Wild Womenz.  :parrot:

:banana:

[BuckeyeFortMama 43]

I got behind but now I am caught up! Wonderful pictures of an amazing trip!

:banana:

I second that.

I'm a little bummed to hear FP lines are getting longer. We're on day 1 of driving now.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

 

I bought a little over a lb of aspagus today and it was $4.35 and I almost died. Still, not even close to the Boathouse price!

 

And Trader Joe's had asparagus last week for $1.99 a pound.

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

I second that.

I'm a little bummed to hear FP lines are getting longer. We're on day 1 of driving now.

Safe travels!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Wait a minute.

That update was so strange it might have come from TCD's report.

First, I am speechless over the person with their shorts pulled down. And I think you know I am not speechless often.

But more importantly, and even stranger....you went to Germany and you didn't get anything to drink??

 

I know, very strange! I filled up on cheese dip and the steam bun. Shame on me. 

 

I had to do a double take on the guy with shorts pulled down T-shirt. Lol. I thought it was real.

Did you really ask us if we thought you'd be bored?

Your at epcot, by yourself, how the heck could you be bored?

 

Some people might think so. 

 

No I haven't and I can't wait!!!

 

 

Just..... no...

 

I think the skirt is awesome and I also think Z and I could quite happily dine together when it comes to all kinds of delicious things.  :)

 

You'll love it, but Epcot will look bare the next time you see it.

 

I think the skirt is awesome too! 

 

The skirt/shirt is no worse than the guy getting pit stains all over the American flag in the background. Whoever came up with the idea to use the American flag as a wife-beater should be returned to sender.

 

Very good point. I was too distracted to notice him. 

 

Yes, I do think so. Especially on busy days. Which makes things miserable for the suckers in the stand-by lines, like those poor people at Soarin'.

 

 

Yes, I will visit Raglan Road one day. Hopefully my amphicar driver can drop me off there after I stop by the Boathouse for an order of asparagus.

TCD

 

I don't think you have gained the proper appreciation for Raglan Road, sir. 

 

Mission Space... I did the lesser of the two rides a couple of trips ago; once was enough for me.  I thought it was pretty amazing how mentally you know you're not going anywhere, but physically it felt as though you were moving.  Crazy stuff.  Funny part is, Tom went first and then he stayed out with the kids... I can get very claustrophobic, so I was a bit nervous when they mentioned (over and over again) tight spaces.  Nice of my hubby to (not) mention that warning     Fortunately, that part actually did not bother me.

 

Butterfly Garden: that place is sooo neat .   We've got to go in there once... unfortunately it started to rain and they escorted everyone out.  It was pretty for the few minutes we go to see it though :)

 

The guy with the shirt... yeah, not.

 

Little man and his salad.  Too great :)   Gotta love a kid that likes a healthy snack!

 

I like Mission Space. The butterfly garden is cool. I just wish there were more butterflies. 

 

Z loves salad. I didn't eat it until college, so I'm impressed with him. 

 

A couple of hours alone?  Heaven!

 

Coming up! 

 

Up arrow for that!!  :rofl2:

 

Hey, he's making fun of Raglan Road. 

 

Did you win the lotto and not tell us? Lol

I bought a little over a lb of aspagus today and it was $4.35 and I almost died. Still, not even close to the Boathouse price!

 

I REALLY don't get the asparagus price. Someone needs to try it and report back. 

 

I got behind but now I am caught up!  Wonderful pictures of an amazing trip!  

:banana:

 

Thanks for reading along! 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I second that.

I'm a little bummed to hear FP lines are getting longer. We're on day 1 of driving now.

 

They were that week, but it only led to a significant wait once. 

 

And Trader Joe's had asparagus last week for $1.99 a pound.

 

The boathouse stuff must be really special. 

 

Safe travels!

 

Yes, safe travels! 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Suddenly, I was alone, well as alone as you can be at a major theme park.

 

I did some shopping.

 

 

From there, I decided to wandered counter clockwise around the WS.

 

Z would have liked this playground.

 

 

Mater

 

 

Fountain

 

 

A friend is collecting the Starbucks mugs and was curious if the new Epcot one had come out.

 

 

It hadn’t (but has now). TCD wasn’t hanging out there either.

 

Flowers

 

 

Another playground

 

 

 

This web thing looked like a lot of fun.

 

 

The Urban Eats booth was vegetarian, I believe, and not very popular.

 

 

Some clouds and the crowds

 

 

No logging show… from what I understand, that’s a good thing.

 

 

As an English teacher, I found the Shakespeare garden pretty cool.

 

 

Wandering on

 

 

I decided to try the push-pop in France.

 

 

 

I don’t drink tea. Yep, it’s true. Plus don’t revoke my Southern citizenship. Even so, I thought this was pretty good. It was also very refreshing on a hot day.

 

Try the gray stuff!

 

 

Continuing my meandering, I saw another empty booth.

 

 

People were enjoying the seating, however.

 

 

 

I arrived at the Smokehouse. I wasn’t very hungry, but there was something I wanted to try here.

 

 

The Piggylicious Cupcake! (and something to wash it down with)

 

 

I thought it was pretty good. To me, it tasted almost like a cornbread base, but the released recipe says it’s just regular yellow cake, so maybe it is.

 

I saw a CM training another CM on the processes of the booth. They were feeding the smoker, so I asked to see inside.

 

 

Yep, TCD is correct. They aren’t cooking much here. The BBQ and burnt ends are being cooked elsewhere and reheated here. The sausage is actually cooked in the big smokers.

 

 

The CM doing the training was a nice guy. I asked him why he thought there was the difference between the F&W Festival crowds and the F&G crowds. He explained that for F&W there’s a big vision of menus that are decided by one group, so the booths are like pieces of a whole. For F&G, each booth makes their own menu. Some work better than others. He also said that the Smokehouse and Florida Fresh are the most popular booths at F&G. Based on the crowds I saw, that seems true.

 

Moving on… more topiaries

 

 

I went to the wine shop in Italy and did a wine tasting.

 

 

I enjoyed the wines very much, and they were generous pours, so it wasn’t a bad value. I had fun chatting with a mom and her adult daughter that were from GA. But before too long, it was time to head out and meet my friend

 

On my way to meet my friend Jessica, I saw Peter Pan greeting. I’m guessing this was a training as I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in Epcot.

 

 

I’ll finish up Monday night in my next update... Girl time in Epcot is a lot of fun! Jessica is a HUGE Disney fan, but I got to take her somewhere she’d never been. It’s another GDF favorite, so I bet some of you can guess where we’ll go. 

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

The playgrounds... are they ALWAYS there??  Seriously, I think we need to spend more time in Epcot.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I'm a little bummed to hear FP lines are getting longer. We're on day 1 of driving now.

 

Fear not, BFM.  The lines for FP+ return were a phenomenon around spring break, where it seemed pretty clear that Disney had upped the number of FP+'s being distributed.  They pretty much have to do that, since everyone is promised 3 FP+'s for the day, and parks like Epcot and DHS don't have enough attractions to spread out the demand.  Even though there are lines, they move quick.  That's good if you have a FP+, but it stinks if you're waiting in the stand-by line.  Have a great trip!

 

GDF-

 

Excellent update.  How fun for you to have free time to solo travel- even if only for a couple of hours.

 

We visited the F&G food booths toward the beginning of the Festival.  There were lines at some of them then.  It seems like they're dead now.  It's amazing to me how much they've bungled this.  How can the F&W booths be that much more popular than the F&G ones?  BTW- the Urban Eats isn't vegetarian.  The tilapia they serve there isn't bad.

 

Good job confirming that the smokers at the BBQ place are just props.  Another fail.  A competent BBQ person would be able to figure out how to cook and serve the food there efficiently.

 

Since you're pretty predictable, I'm guessing you're heading to Italy next.  It's either that or Biergarten, but I don't think you could go to Biergarten without the boys.

 

TCD

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

Burnt ends are so good when done right. I am guessing they are not as good re-heated.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Burnt ends are so good when done right. I am guessing they are not as good re-heated.

 

The burnt ends from the booth are inconsistent.  This is what I got one week:

 

 

There were no burnt ends in those burnt ends- just cubes of smoked beef.

Just a week later, we were back, and this is the same exact dish from that booth:

 

 

The service was terrible at this booth the year before- they could not keep up with the demand, as light as it was.  This year, they're obviously mass producing this stuff back-stage.  Both times this year, my burnt ends were served from a tray full of premade dishes.

 

It's a shame they can't get this right.

 

TCD

 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

The playgrounds... are they ALWAYS there??  Seriously, I think we need to spend more time in Epcot.

 

No, they aren't. They bring them in for the festival. 

 

Fear not, BFM.  The lines for FP+ return were a phenomenon around spring break, where it seemed pretty clear that Disney had upped the number of FP+'s being distributed.  They pretty much have to do that, since everyone is promised 3 FP+'s for the day, and parks like Epcot and DHS don't have enough attractions to spread out the demand.  Even though there are lines, they move quick.  That's good if you have a FP+, but it stinks if you're waiting in the stand-by line.  Have a great trip!

 

GDF-

 

Excellent update.  How fun for you to have free time to solo travel- even if only for a couple of hours.

 

We visited the F&G food booths toward the beginning of the Festival.  There were lines at some of them then.  It seems like they're dead now.  It's amazing to me how much they've bungled this.  How can the F&W booths be that much more popular than the F&G ones?  BTW- the Urban Eats isn't vegetarian.  The tilapia they serve there isn't bad.

 

Good job confirming that the smokers at the BBQ place are just props.  Another fail.  A competent BBQ person would be able to figure out how to cook and serve the food there efficiently.

 

Since you're pretty predictable, I'm guessing you're heading to Italy next.  It's either that or Biergarten, but I don't think you could go to Biergarten without the boys.

 

TCD

 

We did wait in one FP line that was substantial. And we were not happy about it. 

 

I forgot about the fish. Oh well!

 

Let's see if you're right! 

 

Burnt ends are so good when done right. I am guessing they are not as good re-heated.

 

I agree. 

 

 

The burnt ends from the booth are inconsistent.  This is what I got one week:

 

 

There were no burnt ends in those burnt ends- just cubes of smoked beef.

Just a week later, we were back, and this is the same exact dish from that booth:

 

 

The service was terrible at this booth the year before- they could not keep up with the demand, as light as it was.  This year, they're obviously mass producing this stuff back-stage.  Both times this year, my burnt ends were served from a tray full of premade dishes.

 

It's a shame they can't get this right.

 

TCD

 

 

For the BBQ, that smoker is so big that they could put on meat every few hours and rotate it down, so it was ready in stages. I'm not sure if what I'm saying makes sense, but hopefully you get it. 

 

After the first burnt ends, I'm surprised you got a second. 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

TCD was right… again. I’m predictable, and we’re heading to Tutto Gusto in Italy.

 

 

Jessica goes to Disney even more than I do, but she’s allergic to gluten, so she’s never paid much attention to the Italian restaurants. I know she loves wine and told her about some of Tutto Gusto’s food offerings, and she agreed that it would be a perfect girl’s night.

 

Per usual, I requested one of the couch tables.

 

We started with the Grand Tour.

 

 

They brought out regular bread service for me.

 

 

And gluten free bread for her… it’s pictured in this shot of all our small plates.

 

 

Cheeeese…

 

 

And now that I look at that picture, we kind of match. That’s funny.

 

We enjoyed the good food, good wine, and good conversation. It’s nice to have some adult time. Jessica fell in love with Tutto Gusto, and I know she’ll be returning soon.

 

After our meal, we headed out to the WS.

 

 

At this point, I was pretty full, but there was something I HAD to try… the shrimp and grits!

 

 

It was good, like I remembered. The only problem is that the booth doesn’t really have anything that goes with it to drink. It’s not like I really needed anything else, but you would expect a nice white wine to pair with it.

 

Being silly!

 

 

This area to eat works much better in the evening as opposed to the day when it’s 95 and the sun is blazing.

 

Too soon, it was time for the fun to end. I had the option to walk with Jessica to the Beach Club and Uber or walk to the front and bus back. I figured it would probably be a wash time wise, but I got extra girl time if I walked with her, and the low-cost Uber fare was worth it in that case.

 

Jessica forced me to get a slushy on the way. She and Elena have more in common than just the gluten thing. They’re both bullies! Ha ha ha!

 

 

We headed towards the International Gateway.

 

 

 

And we spotted this guy! Another training I suppose.

 

 

Serious security measures… I don’t think I’ve ever seen this at Disney before.

 

 

We walked to the Beach Club.

 

 

It was a beautiful night!

 

 

 

 

About here, I requested an Uber ride, and they were pretty much pulling up as I walked towards the main entrance. I believe the fare was around $7.

 

Tomorrow is a DHS day… and we’ll discuss the worst FP return experience I’ve had to date. 

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

I am not so sure about these friends of yours. :rofl3:

[LONE-STAR 370]

Burnt ends sound good right now I liked them.

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

I'm sure Jessica had to really twist your arm for you to drink that slushy. Lol

I can't wait till I get to walk around Epcot by myself.