Even though the leaves haven’t turned, and the sun is still boiling down, you can tell it’s fall in Florida when Disney rolls out the banners for their annual Food and Wine Festival. And what better welcome to the season of abundance than a big, parkwide celebration of the great foods of the world? And a nice, two mile walk around EPCOT to burn off a few of those calories? Count us in!

We came ready to eat! Vacation calories don’t count, right? 

One of the best things about the Food and Wine Festival, for us especially, is the chance to get small plates from lots of different places! It’s something we often do anyway when we travel by only ordering, and splitting, one entree (so we eat 4-5 meals a day). So we’re definitely on board with a whole festival dedicated to this idea of sampling just a bit so you can taste more variety, it’s almost like the concept was made specifically for us. This year, we even took it a step further to really personalize our festival enjoyment. Instead of grabbing one thing, eating the thing, and then going to the next booth, we decided a few times that there were enough dishes we wanted to try in a small area that we could grab allthethings and then sit down to our custom menu spread! Admittedly this isn’t our original idea…Disney even offers a special event that’s basically the same thing, the Party For the Senses, but at more than $300 a person, we’ll stick to our diy version thank you very much!

Kinda proud of this “meal”..appetizer, fish course, entree and dessert! 

We mainly took advantage of this strategy at the marketplace locations outside of World Showcase… Once we were walking around the world, there’s something kind of fun about getting an item in a particular pavilion and eating it in that setting. Miniature German bratwurst while listening to the “groovin’ alps” percussionist troupe? Or sitting by a Zen garden in Japan eating sushi? Somehow the food just tastes better when you’re enjoying it in a unique setting. Plus stopping periodically helped us build up an appetite for whatever was next. Even with small portion sizes, our biggest problem was still being so absolutely stuffed that we weren’t hungry for a dish that we previously had our eyes on!

Lobstah’Roll? Definitely Chris’s repeat favorite!

Since Disney attracts a lot of first time visitors, they tend to have the same dishes from year to year at the Food and Wine Festival. We’ve been a few times before, so we skipped some of the longer lines for the trusty favorites and went with dishes we hadn’t tried before. Except Chris’s favorite, the Lobster Roll at the Hops & Barley booth. Thankfully, hot Florida weekdays mean shorter lines! The locals come to EPCOT after 5pm and especially on the weekends, so we did our best to avoid the park during those hours. It worked beautifully, the longest we had to wait in line was about 5 minutes, and that was when we park-hopped from Hollywood Studios at dusk for dessert in World Showcase (see previous note…dusk is well after 5…so we should have anticipated more crowds)

So many stamps, so little time…We think we did pretty well though! 

Overall, we’d say we had a pretty successful Food and Wine Festival… Of our 6 day trip, we went to EPCOT for at least one meal 5 of the days, partly due to a genius marketing ploy from Disney. This year, Annual Passholders get a free mini-cutting board, but only if they visit EPCOT 4 days during the Festival. It’s targeted to get local passholders in the park more often (to spend more money on, well, food and wine), but since this was our only trip during Food and Wine, we had to go nearly every day to make sure we got our freebie. Not that we’re complaining, you can’t keep us away from EPCOT during the Food and Wine Festival!

As summer winds down and fall is looming closer, so too is the Halloween season. We’re both big fans of Halloween, as it’s technically when we first met (we’ve got a GREAT how we met story…but that’s for another time…). And as members of the Rebel Legion/501st costuming groups, clearly we have a love for dressing up every now and then. So when our most recent trip to Disney World coincided with some of the dates for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom, we couldn’t resist. Even though it was in September. In Florida. We’ve been to enough comic conventions that no matter the time of year, we’re ready to jump into a costume and stroll around in public!

Only, comic conventions are indoors. The Magic Kingdom, for the most part, is, outdoors. In September. In Florida. It. Was. HOT.  Still, we definitely recommend dressing up, it was so much fun to run around Disney in a costume. Chris desperately wanted to dress as, and meet, Gaston, so Angie played along with her take on Belle’s peasant dress from Once Upon A Time.

Belle+Gaston? Quite the odd couple, but, we’re used to that. 

The Characters: 

We lucked into a night that didn’t have much rain, just a short little shower right as the party began at 7pm. Though your ticket gets you in at 4pm this year, once the park closes for regular guests at 6 there wasn’t much to do until 7…So we decided to queue for the Belle and Gaston meet and greet. We’ve heard on some nights they will arrive before the party starts, but since the rain brought a bit of lightning, it wasn’t safe for the characters to come out until about 7:15. But when they did arrive, oh, they were brilliant! Gaston was so excited to see “two of him” and Belle was so kind.. In fact, our photos turned out kind of disappointing because all 4 of us were enjoying the interaction so much! Disney’s characters are always such a pleasure to meet, but we felt like they went above and beyond at the party, especially for characters that aren’t normally together during the day at the park.

The Rides:

By going to a Halloween party in September, we never waited more than about 15 minutes for any ride, and rode pretty much everything we wanted. Our final ride list for the night was: Space Mountain(more on that in a bit), Splash Mountain, Big Thunder, Pirates, Peter Pan, Little Mermaid, and of course, Haunted Mansion.

Now about Space Mountain. For the party this year, the lights in Space Mountain are completely turned off. No tunnel lights, no starry night sky/shooting stars. Dark. Angie loved it. She worked at Space Mountain during her college program, so getting to experience it in a completely new way was absolutely amazing for her! Chris didn’t enjoy it as much, since it’s such a chaotic coaster to start with, not having any tiny glimpse of what was coming next made it seem even more jerky and bumpy than normal. But we both agree, the “new” soundtrack for the party is completely lost by the loud coaster noises, like the regular soundtrack it’s barely audible.

This is Angie’s happy face. In her happy place. ❤

The Parade:

We really don’t care much for parades, but we did want to catch the Headless Horseman. A little bit before the parade, he rides down the route. And it is pretty amazing. No music, just the sound of horse hooves clanking down a dimly lit street. We happened to be between Frontier land and Liberty Square when we decided to wait for him, which added another nice touch with the appropriate scenery for a ghostly rider. That particular vantage point also gave us an easy escape route into Adventureland after we saw the Headless Horseman, so we weren’t stuck watching the rest of the parade.

Disney has some pretty amazing characters, but this is probably one of the coolest. 

The Fireworks:

Since Wishes was replaced, we’re kinda bitter when it comes to Magic Kingdom fireworks. So we were excited for Hallowishes, for no other reason than it’s not Happily Ever After. (Don’t get us wrong, Happily Ever After is nice, and the castle projections are amazing, but it just doesn’t pull at the heart strings like Wishes did.) But, for us, sitting around on Main Street to wait for fireworks just wasn’t in our plan for the party night. So instead we settled for a spot in Tomorrowland next to the Speedway. It’s actually a great place to watch the fireworks themselves, as long as you’re ok with them not being centered behind the castle, and missing the castle lighting effects. And, for the halloween party, you are RIGHT beside one of the perimeter fireworks launch locations.

Seated,  uncrowded fireworks viewing? Yes please! 

Overall, we definitely had a great time at Mickey’s Not so Scary. We also tried some of the food that was exclusive to the party and got to trick-or-treat, and still left the party a bit before the event ended. So that’s quite a lot to pack in to 5 hours! Even if it was nearly 2 months before Halloween. In Florida. Because nothing says fall like sweating in 1000% humidity at 10pm during September. But still, totally worth it, if for nothing more than to avoid the daytime crowds. Some of the parties closer to Halloween are nearly just as crowded as a normal park day, but by going early we were able to experience Magic Kingdom without having as many people around. And Halloween extras or not, enjoying a relatively quiet Magic Kingdom is easily worth the price of the party ticket!

It pains us to admit that our Disney bucket list is embarrassingly short. We’re not big completists, don’t have to keep up with the Jonses, and, really, we’ve done a lot of stuff at Disney already! But one major tick that we hadn’t made on our somewhat small list was “do all the parks in one day”. Mostly because, walking. Since we’re annual passholders, we really don’t spend a lot of time in a hurry at Disney, and frequently arrive late to the parks, sit around people watching or enjoying a leisurely meal for a while, and then head back to our hotel for a few hours or an early evening. We’re jaded, we know, but we did want the satisfaction of seeing all four parks (and actually doing something fun in each park) in one day. We should probably start with a little backstory that explains our chronic desire to just slow down at Disney.

Chris: My first trip to Disney World was when we first got married, and Angie had just started a new job. To say we were broke was an understatement, and Angie didn’t have any vacation time either. But her friend, who was a seasonal cast member, was going to be working at the parks for a bit, and offered to get us into the parks for one day. We decided we were young, and when else would we get such an awesome deal? So we left Friday night, drove 8 hours to a rest area on the turnpike, slept in the car, and met her friend at the EPCOT main gate at basically rope drop. We made a beeline to Soarin’, walked around the world showcase, and hit up Test Track and Mission Space, all before lunch. From there, we went to Hollywood Studios for Rockin’ Rollercoaster, Tower of Terror (twice!) and Star Tours. We even ran into some of my extended family that was visiting. But Angie was just getting started. So off we go to Magic Kingdom, where we had just enough time for Space Mountain and Wishes. She swears the bridge area by the #purplewall is her favorite fireworks spot, but all I can remember is the TTA spiel that kept playing over and over and over. It was a great day, but by the time we checked into our budget motel late that night, my feet were actually bleeding. And we had to be on the road first thing the next morning so we could make it back to Alabama at a decent hour. It was a great trip, and it was very slow at the parks so we were able to experience a lot of attractions in one day, but it was so overwhelming.

Fast forward to our most recent trip, when somewhere mid-morning our last day of the trip we decided in our Disney-drunk brains that we could totally accomplish all 4 parks in one day…only, maybe more relaxed than that 3 park whirlwind day. (full disclosure,  due to a large number of unexpected “uh ohs” during our trip, we did feel like we needed to bring it to Disney’s attention, and they were gracious enough to compensate us with a couple of “special” fastpasses from guest relations, so a few of the rides we used that…but some we just used the regular fastpass+ app! We certainly DO NOT advocate complaining for every little thing that goes wrong, but we had some real dropped balls and headaches, and are so grateful for Disney’s customer service going above and beyond)

Our first stop of the day was Animal Kingdom, where we planned to stay until lunch and then maybe back to Hollywood Studios or Magic Kingdom for a few hours. Naturally, we started the day with Expedition Everest, arguably our favorite attraction at DAK. When we finished, it was just about time for Finding Nemo the musical, so we went, despite some protests from the boys. (this should be your first clue that we were not planning to go to 4 parks in one day, I think that show has the longest running time of any disney parks production) Long story short, after that we sent our friends to Pandora for Flight of Passage while we dealt with guest relations, and then headed over to Hollywood Studios for Rockin’ Rollercoaster. (we were planning to ride Tower of Terror also, but that’s part of that long story…) This is pretty much the part of the day when we decided, yeah, we could definitely do this. We’re down 2 parks, and it’s only noon? Why not go for four!? So off to EPCOT we went! We debated Soarin’ and a partial stroll around world showcase, but decided there was a lot to do at Magic Kingdom, so we left after only doing Test Track and hopped on the monorail. Angie of course voted for Space Mountain, but we ran by Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger spin first. We pitted girls vs boys at Test Track and the girls won, so the boys decided they needed to take back their glory at Buzz, then we could go to Space Mountain. We then grabbed a quick ride on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train before monorailing back to our car at EPCOT, while our friends stayed for the fireworks at Magic Kingdom. We thought about staying, but ultimately staying park open to close wasn’t on the bucket list, only making it to each park, so, check!

One of the biggest questions we get asked when people find out we are Disney World annual passholders is “but you don’t have kids, is Disney still fun for adults?” Well if it wasn’t, we wouldn’t pay for those pricey passes, would we? Obviously, for some people, Disney isn’t going to be as enjoyable without children, but for us, it it absolutely a great vacation for just the two of us. So we decided to share our love of Disney with our friends, who are fellow DINKs (dual income, no kids) who had posed that question to us. The trip was even more special as the husband had never been to Disney at all, and the wife hadn’t been since she was a teenager!

As passholders, we are sometimes able to access discounted rooms on Disney property, and when we went to book our trip, we noticed a really great deal on the “royal rooms” at Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside. Keep in mind, we were planning a trip for four grown adults, who certainly didn’t need a fancy princess bed, but we just kept coming back to the Royal Room option. Angie had stayed at Port Orleans before, but not since they added the new rooms, so we figured this would be a great trip to splurge a little on a nicer room, especially since our friends were coming along on this trip to help with the costs. (it’s worth noting that even without the passholder discount, the royal rooms are not much more than a “preferred” room at Port Orleans, and are comparable in amenities to those preferred rooms)

And Port Orleans seems to have a more adult vibe, with the sprawling wooded areas and large grass courtyards, it’s certainly more mature than some of the other Disney resorts. Plus we have relatives who live in Louisiana, and so do our friends, so staying in a room themed to New Orleans seemed sort of silly since we’ve all been there/done that in the actual sense, not the Disney “new orleans that never was and always will be” sense. So we decided we would give the royal rooms a try, with or without kids!

Not true to New Orleans by any stretch, but certainly true to fairy tales!

It turned out to be such a great decision, the room was really such a fun addition to the stay, and really helped bring that Disney magic to our entire stay. There were so many hidden touches that I think would be lost on kids, from Suzy and Perla hiding in the wallpaper border to the elegant light plates and towel hangers, Disney really made a great attempt to create an upscale princess decor that didn’t feel over the top and super-girly. (yes, we’re old, we got excited about the cute wallplates and fixtures) I mean, Chris isn’t exactly ready to convert his mancave to look like the royal rooms, it’s definitely designed with a feminine touch, but it’s not over the top. There’s just enough to make it feel special, and really draw you into that fantasy world even when you’ve left the park and come back to what could be just another hotel room. We had a bit of trouble with the resort buses on this trip, so when we stepped into the lobby a few days we were having trouble finding that happy Disney spirit, but as soon as we hit that magic band back into our room, there it was again. Especially for adults, it’s tough to keep that fun vacation feel going when your feet are tired and you just want to take a break back at the hotel, but when your room has fireworks on the headboard…how can you not smile while you kick your feet up and give in to that dreaded “I’m getting too old for this” nap?

Children must eat at a table, but all bets are off when there are no kids on the trip!

The resort grounds themselves are gorgeous, with or without a sparkly, fireworks laden headboard, and like all Disney resorts come with some amazing perks from staying on property. Although we did have some difficulty with the buses, they are still such an convenient transportation option over having to fight for parking, take a tram, and remember where you parked each night (or multiple times a day since we like to take a mid-day break like we often do). Port Orleans even has the option of a relaxing boat ride to Disney Springs. We use the term “relaxing”, because if you’re planning to get to Disney Springs quickly, this isn’t your ticket. It took at least 20 minutes each way slowly drifting through the canals to get where we were going, which wasn’t such a bad trip during the day because the scenery was very nice. Our return trip to the resort was at night though, and with nothing to see and a screaming baby a few rows back, we were kind of wishing we had sprung for an uber. Just another perk of kid-less travel though, those poor parents had to deal with a dark boat ride and their poor baby, who we think just wanted a bottle that was tucked safely in the stroller that was parked at the front of the boat.

Daytime boat ride to Disney Springs, highly enjoyable! Nighttime, not so much..

Generally, we are very frugal people, and our friends are too, so upgrading to the Royal Room was initially a bit of a hard sell since there are cheaper options, and with a Disney trip a lot of time is spent outside the hotel, so it was hard to justify spending extra for pretty decor. But we were all very pleased with the rooms, in fact all four of us took turns pressing the fireworks button on the headboard at random times, it was such a cute little surprise and always got a laugh or a smile. The Royal rooms are also located in one of several southern “mansion” style buildings at Port Orleans, so even on the outside they seem really opulent and special. Oh, and it’s also helpful that when Disney updated the rooms, they included updates on the furniture, so no worries for those of us who have reached the age of “chronic back problems”, we all slept amazingly well!

We recently stayed at Port Orleans Riverside at Walt Disney World for a week, and we found out they offered a morning yoga class a few days a week, totally free for resort guests! Angie decided to give it a try, I mean, Disney is pretty much a workout all by itself, so why not throw a little extra exercise into your trip, right? But she really wanted the experience, and Disney rooms aren’t exactly cheap, so may as well get what you pay for!

If you’re gonna exercise at Disney, at least you’ve got great scenery!

Angie: First off, I should mention that I have never taken an actual yoga class. I am very self conscious about my lack of athletic skill, so all my exercise is limited to dvd/streaming workout videos. (definitely not a sponsored post, but amazon prime has some amazing yoga options!) However, I do quite a bit of yoga at home, so I was very excited to find out there was a free morning class offered a few times a week at our resort. I tend to prefer yoga that is more cardio-inspired, I think it is called vinyasa yoga? The type of videos I gravitate to require a good knowledge of yoga poses, even when they are marked as being for beginners, because that style of yoga is very fast paced and designed to flow through quickly to get the heart rate up. But there are plenty of other styles of yoga, so with that in mind I figured a 30 minute class at Disney would most likely NOT require any yoga knowledge or skill with advanced poses, so I packed up my yoga pants and planned to get up early for a little sunrise session.

(I set my camera discretely behind me so as not to distract anyone else, sorry for the rear end view!)

Currently yoga is offered on mon/wed/fri mornings from 7-7:30 am at Riverside, and there were signs out the afternoon before with information on where the class was, and it indicated that any (reasonable) age could participate. They cap attendance at 20, but my particular class only had about 6, and I walked by another morning and saw about 10-12 joining in that day. They provided really nice, thick yoga mats and towels too, and as best as I could tell the instructors are actual yoga instructors contracted by Disney from a local studio. The instructor had a mic and music, so it’s clear this isn’t something they just slap together to make it seem like something extra, it’s a legitimate bonus for those who want to take advantage of the class. As for the actual yoga, it was very easy, and was focused mostly on breathing and stretching. There were only 3 or 4 actual “yoga poses”, and the instructor did a great job of explaining the tougher poses and offering variations for the one pose that was challenging (tree pose) so everyone had an option for their own skill level. It was very easy and went at a relaxed pace, and really was suitable for just about any age. There was a bit of sitting and laying involved, and because the grass was wet we held class on the brick pavers, so it might not have been great for someone with back problems even with the cushy mat. However, I think most mornings they lay the mats on the grass, so that would probably be less of an issue.

Again, my rear end, in tree pose this time. But, that courtyard! I loved the view during class!

Overall, I think the class was certainly worth getting up before everyone else, even with a full day of walking in the parks planned. I came back to the room ready to throw open the windows for all those sleepyheads and get our day started. In fact, I felt like the yoga refreshed me and gave me a boost for the day thanks to all that deep breathing and stretching! I would definitely do it again if they still offer it on our next trip, I think there are several resorts at Disney that offer a morning yoga class a few times a week. Who knows, maybe I’ll even have the confidence now to take more actual classes instead of videos and working out at home!