Home » Forums » General » Welcome to WDWFG! Introduce Yourself! » 67 Days and Counting

67 Days and Counting

Login to post comments
14 posts / 0 new
Wed, 08/10/2011 - 13:58
Kris1971's picture
Kris1971
Offline
Joined: 08/10/2011
Posts: 2350
67 Days and Counting

Hi folks! I'm new to the forum but have been a Disney fan for years. My husband and I both celebrated our 40th birthdays this summer and ,as a present to ourselves, are planning to do Disney for the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival this year in October. We're going to be staying at the Contemporary (Magic Kingdom View Room) for the very first time. Given this is our first time at the Contemporary and the first time we'll be experiening the Food and Wine Festival, I would love some tips from the experts (i.e. you). Has anyone stayed at the Contemporary since the rooms were refurbished? Also, is there anything we need to know about the Food and Wine Fest to give us a leg up? We're so excited!

__________________

Tags:
Wed, 08/10/2011 - 14:31
MrHub's picture
MrHub
Offline
Joined: 10/29/2009
Posts: 9504

Hi Kris and welcome to the friendliest Disney site you'll ever find! Congrats on your up coming trip. We'll be there in Oct too for the F&W festival. One tip would be, if you have the meal plan, you can use the snack credits at the vendors. Never stayed at the Contemp, so can't tell you anything there. Let us know what your trip plans are, we would love to here all about them.

Wed, 08/10/2011 - 14:32
Lizzy_B's picture
Lizzy_B
Offline
Joined: 10/25/2010
Posts: 3246

Kris - welcome to the board from a fellow 40 year old! We're super glad to have you here, and we look forward to getting to know you and hearing about your trip.

You are going to LOVE F&W! A favorite resource for our crowd is the Disney Food Blog. DFB has TONS of information hereon the F&W Fest, and they will be there, reporting from the event as well.

I think my biggest tip is - don't make lunch or dinner ADRs on the days that you're doing F&W. Save your money to snack and drink around the world.

As for the Contemporary, I love it! - but haven't gotten to stay there yet. This is a great site for lots of info on the Contemporary, just in case you haven't visited yet.

http://www.disneycontemporary.com/

Good luck with your planning!

__________________

Wed, 08/10/2011 - 15:16
JustCar's picture
JustCar
Offline
Joined: 08/24/2010
Posts: 1042

SWEETNESS

Ahhhhh the wine and food festival. don't make lunch plans just each your way around the world, it's so much fun. a little something over here and a little something over there. It's like a picnic on the go

__________________

Oct 2009 POP
Sept 2011 POP
Oct 2013 Coronado
May 2014 AKL , Magic, AoA Girlie Trip
Oct 2014 CBR Pirate Room Girlie Trip
Nov 2014 DCL Fantasy 7 Night Eastern Caribbean, Girlie Trip, POR Royal Guest Suite, GF Concierge
August 2015 DCL Magic 7 Night Mediterranean
October 2015 DL Grand Californian, DCL Wonder Panama Canal

https://www.facebook.com/MsBubbles
https://www.facebook.com/MVTRavel

Wed, 08/10/2011 - 15:24
Mase's picture
Mase
Offline
Joined: 03/02/2011
Posts: 5438

Congrats and welcome to the forum! Sounds like you guys are going to have a blast!!! clapping

__________________

- 2013 Trip Report!
- My Int3ractiv3 Trip R3port '12 - CLICK HERE!
[url='http://www.wdwforgrownups.com/forum/pick-mases-dinner-disney']- My Interactive Trip Report '11[/url]

Wed, 08/10/2011 - 17:23
Kris1971's picture
Kris1971
Offline
Joined: 08/10/2011
Posts: 2350

Thank you all for the wonderful welcome and tips. I am so excited. I'm usually a bit more thrifty when I take my Disney vacations (I'm a big fan of Port Orleans FQ), but being as though it was my 40th and its Disney World's 40th, we decided to splurge on this trip. We've even got reservations at the California Grill for dinner one night. Has anyone eaten there? Oh and Lizzy_B, thank you for the website link. Its very cool!

__________________

Wed, 08/10/2011 - 18:35
Vettelover's picture
Vettelover
Offline
Joined: 03/28/2009
Posts: 4658

Hi, Kris and welcome to WDWFG. You will find the people here to be the greatest and friendliest bunch ever assembled, AND I might add the most knowledgable too. Don't be shy and tell us all about your upcoming plans, and don't leave out any food details, you will see that food is a big part of our site.

__________________

Wed, 08/10/2011 - 20:11
Kris1971's picture
Kris1971
Offline
Joined: 08/10/2011
Posts: 2350

OK Vettlelover, here goes....

We're taking the autotrain down on a Sunday with a Monday arrival, and we're hitting Harry Potter before checking into the Contemporary for our Forty & Fabulous birthday trip. We're scheduled to have dinner at the Kona Cafe Monday night and will be diving right into the Food & Wine Fest at EPCOT on Tuesday. Dinner Tuesday night is at the Coral Reef (one of our favorites). Wednesday night we'll be meeting up with some friends (who are also scheduled to be there the same week) for dinner at Restaurant Marrekesh. I've never dined there before, but I heard its a lot of fun. Thursday is our Magic Kingdom day and a romantic dinner at the California Grill. Friday is check out day (too short I know) but we're planning to hit Wolfgang Puck's at Downtown Disney for lunch and then do some shopping before we head back to the auto train for the trip home. We did Disney on our Honeymoon in March 2009 and went crazy trying to see everything. This time, we're shooting for a more relaxed pace and will be playing some of the trip by ear.

__________________

Wed, 08/10/2011 - 22:50
MrHub's picture
MrHub
Offline
Joined: 10/29/2009
Posts: 9504

Cali Grill awesome that's our favorite restaurant! We go there every trip. Food is excellent, sushi is to die for, and the drinks will knock your socks off! Really great views too. You can go out on the walk ways on both sides of the restaurant and get some great pictures. Pretty cool place to watch the Wishes firework from too, they pipe in the music. Definitely take your camera.

Thu, 08/11/2011 - 03:14
Jess's picture
Jess
Offline
Joined: 03/04/2011
Posts: 3280

Welcome to the best disney fourm around Smile

__________________

Thu, 08/11/2011 - 13:34
Kris1971's picture
Kris1971
Offline
Joined: 08/10/2011
Posts: 2350

You are all so wonderful. It is so nice to join a group that loves Disney World as much as I do. Thank you for the wonderful comments.

__________________

Fri, 08/12/2011 - 12:25
scrappy
Offline
Joined: 10/29/2009
Posts: 1905

Welcome
As Mrhub as said, you will be there the same time we will be.

Fri, 08/12/2011 - 15:04
Lizzy_B's picture
Lizzy_B
Offline
Joined: 10/25/2010
Posts: 3246

Kris1971 wrote:
Thank you all for the wonderful welcome and tips. I am so excited. I'm usually a bit more thrifty when I take my Disney vacations (I'm a big fan of Port Orleans FQ), but being as though it was my 40th and its Disney World's 40th, we decided to splurge on this trip. We've even got reservations at the California Grill for dinner one night. Has anyone eaten there? Oh and Lizzy_B, thank you for the website link. Its very cool!

My pleasure! I visit that website whenever I'm "homesick" for the Contemporary Smile

As Mr. Hub said, you will LOVE the Cali Grill! Food is amazing, the ambiance is refined yet relaxed. Everything is fresh. The wine list is to die for. And the views...yes! I celebrated my...let's see...28th bday there. I thought it was my 30th but I think I had my years mixed up. Anyway, definitely worthy of a celebration, and destined to become a favorite for life Smile Enjoy!

__________________

Fri, 08/12/2011 - 17:06
Kris1971's picture
Kris1971
Offline
Joined: 08/10/2011
Posts: 2350

I'm super excited about the Cali Grill. I've heard amazing things about it before, but I've never splurged. Everybody I've talked to who has been there said it is definitely worth it. I asked for Disney gift cards for my birthday this year, so dinner is on my family. That way we don't have to use two of our allocated dining plan meals.

__________________

 
‹ Previous topic: First trip to Disney without the kids! Next topic: Hello Everyone!!! ›