CRP | Epcot's Food and Wine Festival

The past six weeks or so have been crazy busy at work due to the 20th Food and Wine Festival at Epcot.  It's pretty much exactly what it says on the tin: a massive celebration of international food and drink in the World Showcase.  There have been 31 extra food kiosks around the lagoon and in Future World and it's been a great way to try some different cuisines!  It was initially our plan to try something at every food carts but due to hectic schedules and other plans, we only managed to try 21 out of the 31 - not too bad of an effort though! 

What was great about this festival was the fact that every single dish we tried was delicious!  The chefs did such a good job of making sure all the food was great quality.  Most of the dishes were around $5 too and tapas sized so it was pretty affordable.  

Along with the awesome food and drink, there were free concerts performed by some well known (and some less well known) bands and singers although I didn't manage to catch any of them.  

I think I visited the festival on three separate occasion as a guest and I have been thinking about what my favourite dishes were... it has been a really tough decision!  I think my favourite savoury dish was the Kalua pork sliders and favourite sweet dish was the liquid nitro chocolate truffle from the Chew Lab.  I was also really pleasantly surprised by the Pumpkin Cider from the Florida Farm Fresh stand - who would have thought that Pumpkin spice would make for a delicious cider?  It was like a refreshing mulled wine!  

A lot of guests have visited Epcot purely for the Food and Wine festival so it has been great hearing how the festival has grown and become bigger and better every year.  It seems as if Disney are striving to make it even more impressive and a few episodes of the Chew were filmed in the park, which I think must have been pretty exciting for foodies!

Now the festival is drawing to a close, I think Epcot is going seem quiet for a little while before Thanksgiving, Candlelight and Christmas kick into action.  It's been so much fun being able to get to take part in all of these incredible things that happen in the Disney parks; I still pinch myself to remind myself that it's all real... I think I'm pretty  much going to be saying that all year round!  

CRP | The breakfast blog

Warning: there is more eating involved in this blog! I think I said a couple of blogs ago that breakfast is one of my favourite meals and working a lot of evening shifts means that it's the easiest meal to eat out for.

A lot of the restaurants offer a la carte breakfast dining or buffet and to be honest, I have tended to just go for the buffet as its great value for money and the best way to fuel yourself for a busy day at the parks or work! I really must try and steer myself away from the buffet at some point though and try some of the delicious sounding breakfast options! I really need to try real American French toast (that's confusing!). 

First up, we have breakfast at Trail's Emd at Fort Wilderness. I really want to give them props for their guest service too; we arrived a little bit late for the breakfast sitting but as the buffet was still out, they allowed us to have that instead of ordering lunch. Although you have similar breakfast staples across all buffets, they also have individual twists suited to each resort. For example, at Trail's End, they had cornbread muffins straight up from the South! One of my favourite items from this buffet was the chocolate chip Mickey waffles (I will never, ever get sick of Mickey waffles!). It was also great to have loads of fresh fruit - something that we aren't really eating a lot of at the moment. I also unstandably enjoyed the huge selection of pastries: donuts, muffins, cinnamon rolls.... Yum! All, of course, washed down with bottomless coffee. 

Next up, we have The Wave at The Contemporary. Our second restaurant at The Contemporary, The Wave bases itself on modern American cuisine and this is evident in its buffet extras. They offered sweet potato pancakes, eggs benedict, salmon and an awesome build your own parfait station.  I stocked up on more Mickey waffles smothered in hot maple syrup served with crispy bacon. They also had a large selection of cheeses, ham, various fruit salads, breads and pastries. The Wave fits in perfectly in The Contemporary, it's design is almost 1980s like, but that fits Walt's vision of the future. I've really enjoyed both my meals at The Contemporary and I'm desperate to eat at Chef Mickey's, where you can watch the monorail soar silently overhead while you enjoy your meal! 

Thirdly, we took a little tour off property for a genuine American breakfast experience! Our American friends took us to one of their staple restaurants: Crackerbarrel! Crackerbarrel is Southern cuisine which, seems to me, means hearty portions of delicious food! The menu was HUGE! I struggled to choose what I wanted but ended up going for blueberry pancakes. These pancakes were some of the most delicious I have ever come across. They were light and fluffy with crispy edges and packed with blueberries. The portion was so generous I couldn't finish it and I really liked those pancakes!! While you're waiting for your food, they have a little peg game to play and you can also play board games there as well. Attached to the restaurant is a shop filled with all kinds of goodies, from food to holiday decorations to music. It was one of those places you could happily wander round for ages. 

America really knows how to do breakfast! 

CRP | Staycation #3 The Grand Floridian

It's been so hard trying to keep up to date with my blog but I'm going to try and catch up a little bit!! I've been busy staycationing so we'll start with probably my favourite so far....

The dream finally came true! I got to stay in The Grand Floridian and it really was everything I wished it could be and more. This resort is so beautiful and elegant without feeling stuffy or uncomfortable. If you couldn't tell, I loved it! 

We managed to actually see a little bit more of this resort as we had a bit longer there. The main entrance is a wonderful hub of activity: shops, hairdressers, restaurants and plenty of comfy chairs to sit and relax on. There's also a band that plays, which definitely helps transport you to a bygone era! 

The whole resort is reminiscent of a Victorian seaside town, complete with th architecture and areas to promenade around. We explored two of the swimming pools; one of which is nestled right next to the lagoon. 

We ate at the quick service restaurant (hurrah discount) that is right next to the jetty. Again, the food was delicious and wasn't too badly priced either. There were setting up for a wedding reception too and I really couldn't think of a more beautiful setting: in front of the lagoon, Cinderella's Castle on the horizon - a perfect view of Wishes. Of course, we came back later to watch the fireworks from this viewpoint! 

The rooms themselves were heavenly! They were so luxurious and the Grand Floridan provides a nightly turn down service including little chocolates on your pillow. There were also bathrobes (loved a hotel with bathrobes) and plenty of toiletries including a foot scrub and after sun. For me, it's little touches like this that put this hotel above the rest! I would put this hotel on par with the Four Seasons - it's really that good! 

I enjoyed myself so much that I would love to go and stay again and see what else this resort has to offer. They have restaurants that have amazing review and I hope to try a few of them throughout my program. 

Staying in the resorts is something I'm so glad I'm able to make the most of; they're so different and are a great way to escape some of the intensity of the parks and room sharing! 

  

CRP | Staycation #2 Fort Wilderness Cabins

IWow! I suspected this would happen but time is flying past at a rate of knots and I barely have time to sit back and take it all in. That being said, I'm having the best time and trying to make the most of all opportunities out here. 

To celebrate our month of being out here, our arrival group planned a little Staycation in the Fort Wilderness Cabins. At Fort Wilderness, you can rent a cabin in the woods or being your own motor home for a spot of camping. It's a really cute resort that lets you feel surrounded by nature and took me back to my camping trips in the UK! 

The resorts always have so many free activities to keep kids of all ages occupied and Fort Wilderness was no different. After stopping by the shop to pick up BBQ equipment, those of us who weren't working went to buy marshmallows and toasted them around a campfire! It was so much fun; we toasted, set alight to, and generally gorged ourselves on sugary goodness. After that, the fun continued! We had a little campfire sing along with Chip 'n Dale! It's moments like that which make Disney World truly one of the most fun places on Earth! 

Fort Wilderness is sat on the edge of Bay Lake which means that you can sit on the beach and watch Wishes! I can now cross another location off my "where-I've-seen-the-fireworks" list!! 

The cabins themselves were also adorable and cosy! Of course, they were decked out with wooden panelling and had a very in-the-woods feeling. There's a double bed, bunk bed and sofa bed in the cabins which means six people can stay. Out the front, there's also a BBQ and the store sells all kinds of goodies so you can have a whole camping experience! 

I love staycations! 

CRP | Breakfast at 'Ohana

Eating is something we do an awful lot of here in Florida so I'm going to continue the theme here on my blog!  Last week we ate breakfast at 'Ohana, which is a restaurant in the Polynesian resort.  The best thing about breakfast at 'Ohana is that it's a character breakfast and you get to meet Stitch!  I love Stitch - he is probably one of my favourite characters!  

 Our reservation was at 8.35am so we hopped on the bus from Housing to the Polynesian and checked in.   Our table wasn't quite ready yet but we were able to relax on some comfy chairs outside the restaurant until we were able to be seated.  We were welcomed into the restaurant as a cousin - afterall, 'Ohana means family and everyone is part of the family at the Polynesian!  

As soon as we sat down, we were brought coffee and some of Lilo and Stitch's favourite juice (made from guava, orange and mango) and a delicious bread/pastry basket.  The breads and pastries are always delicious at WDW so I would recommend giving them a go!  This was quickly followed by a fresh fruit platter of melon, rapsberries and pineapple.  Dena nor I are really big fans of melon so we were then brought another little bowl of berries and pineapple.  These little touches always make Disney resorts and service stand out to me.

We then were brought our hot breakfast pan: crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, sausages, potatoes, and Stitch and Mickey waffles!  My first Mickey waffle of the trip, I was beyond excited!  We helped ourselves to plenty of breakfast, served with maple syrup.  I'm quickly becoming a fan of breakfast foods and maple syrup... especially bacon!  I think it's the whole sweet and salty mixture.

The breakfast was an all you can eat but we were both full after one platter so didn't want anymore.  It was so good, breakfast is definitely one of my most favourite meals here.

While you're eating, different characters come round for your meet and greet!  We met Mickey Mouse, Lilo, Stitch, and had a selfie with Pluto!  It's so much fun because you have as much time as you want with the characters and you don't feel rushed or pressured to spend five seconds with them.  The sittings are also really cleverly allotted so the characters are able to get round everyone, fair and square!

Towards the end of the breakfast, the children are given maracas and do a little conga dance round the restaurant with the characters and they all love it so much!  It's such an unforgettable experience for them all.

I was so pleased to meet Stitch too! He's such a grumpy and mischeivous character; he really reminds me of my cat!  I enjoy the character breakfasts so much I've managed to reserve a table in one at Epcot for when the family come out.  It really does bring out the big kid in me!  

CRP | Birthday celebration at Beaches and Cream Soda Shop

As I mentioned in my last post, Dena recently celebrated her birthday over here in Florida.  Unfortunately Dena had a lovely ten hour shift on her birthday so we had to wait to the very last minute to celebrate!  Most of our arrival group got together after work to surprise Dena with a trip to the Beaches and Cream Soda Shop - home of the famous Kitchen Sink! - at the Beach Club resort.

The weather wasn't very ice-cream friendly (think: torrential rain and thunderstorms) but after finishing at Epcot we took a Friendship boat over to the The Boardwalk and hurried round to Beaches and Cream.  We managed to get a table together after begging (they didn't take reservations for groups bigger than eight) and indulged in a lot of American ice-cream parlour goodness!  

Of course, we just had to go for a Kitchen Sink, which involves eight scoops of ice-cream, all the toppings (Oreos, peanut butter, Snickers, cherries, sprinkles, brownie, cake...) and lashings of cream.  Dena is lactose intolerant and they used non-diary ice cream too - Disney are so good at catering for dietary problems.  All twelve of us ordered some kind of sundae and we quickly devoured them with the jukebox playing fifties songs in the background - I felt like I stepped into Grease and it was so much fun.

You've probably guessed how much I absolutely adore Disney's theming since I talk about it all the time - and will probably continue to do so - and I loved the little touches that Beaches and Cream had: banana split signs, juke box menus and of course, chequered lino!

As well as ice cream, Beaches and Cream offer traditional American diner food, we ordered fries to complement our "meal", all washed down with pink lemonade or soda.  With all the fun going on inside the parlour, we were able to forgot about the awful weather and celebrate Dena's birthday properly!

Beaches and Cream is quite the treasure hidden away at the Beach Club and it was so much fun discovering another one of Walt Disney World's secrets!  

CRP | Old Key West Staycation

It's Dena's birthday this week and after getting our schedules, we realised we wouldn't be able to have a staycation on her actual birthday.  So we decided on the next best thing and had a mini staycation in Old Key West, which is one of the Downtown Disney-area resorts.  Dena met me after work and we hopped on a guest bus to the resort and of course, it was beautiful.  You think by now I'd realise that if Disney are doing something, they do it well but oh no - each new thing I come across blows me away.

Old Key West is massive - we didn't get to explore much of it as we were only there for one night - but it's tranquil and peaceful.  I loved the look of all the 'houses'; they were painted soft pastel colours sitting between leafy palm trees or along a calm river.

One of the nice things about Old Key West is you can take a Friendship boat to Downtown Disney; there's something magical about travelling around Disney World on a boat -I think it's because you automatically relax a little bit more, you can't rush around so much!

We stayed in a villa in the reost and it was so big!  The villa was equipped with everything from coffee machine, washing machine and tumble dryers to a jacuzzi spa bath!  The bed was so soft and comfy - a million miles away from the Disney Housing bunk beds! Again, I love the detail and thought that is put into the decorating of the resorts; a cast member once said to us that everything you see in WDW is like that way for a reason and it's certainly evident in the resorts. Everything fits meticulously into the room and doesn't look out of place.

We also had breakfast in Olivia's, which is the on site restaurant.  I didn't fancy anything too heavy as I had to work later that day so I opted for the Southernmost Continental platter.  It was a delicious selection of pastries and fresh fruit (the kind of balanced breakfast you want in the morning!) and washed down with plenty of coffee!

Staying in Old Key West has got me so excited for our next staycation - our arrival group is planning to have a get together on our monthiversay so that'll be a great opportunity to explore another resort.

CRP | Resort hopping part 1

As you may or may not know, Walt Disney World has so many great resorts and hotels that you can stay in.  It's on my Florida bucket list to try and stay in as many as possible and last week, we partook in a bit of resort hopping to experience a couple of them (and make me want to stay in them really bad!).

We first had a look around The Grand Floridian, which is a beautiful resort, styled in a Victorian seaside theme and is one of the hotels that I really, really want to stay in!

The Grand Floridian also has a spa - oh, how I want to have a massage there! - and is home to the wedding pavilion which we managed to get a sneaky look in.  It's so beautiful!

After that, we strolled along to the Polynesian, another deluxe resort, this time themed on Hawaii (Lilo and Stitch - yay).  On the beach of the Polynesian, you can watch movies under the stars and when it's time for the Wishes fireworks, you can grab a spot overlooking the lake and it's so magical.  I've heard lots of great things about the Ohana restaurant there so can't wait to go back!

To celebrate our one week of being in Florida, we went to the California Grill on top of the Contemporary resort.  It was amazing, the food was incredible and the view was spectacular.  We ordered a selection of starters (two flatbreads and pork belly sushi) which were so so good.  The California Grill is a fine dining restaurant and when Disney say fine dining, they really mean fine dining.  The quality of food is well worth it.

As the restaurant is situated on top of the hotel, you can go out onto two viewing platforms and watch the fireworks.  This is probably a controversial opinion but so far I've found myself enjoying Wishes more outside Magic Kingdom; it's so much more chilled out and you don't have to fight your way out of the park.  

There is so much to do and explore on the Walt Disney World properties... hopefully we'll be able to make it round as many as possible!

CRP | Traditions

After the exciting-and exhausting-few days of arrival, check in, and theme park fun we had a few days to just relax, go shopping and find our feet a little before the first day of our training. If you’re reading this because you’re a giant Disney geek, you’re probably aware that the first day for new cast members is called Disney Traditions. If you’re not a giant Disney geek, then now you have a bit of information to impress other people with, win pub quizzes and suchlike.

Disney Traditions is a big deal; or at least it’s built up to be with rumours being floated around, threats of being sent back home if you don’t have the Disney Look and those kinds of things. Ultimately, it’s way more relaxed than anyone makes it out to be so if you’re lucky enough to get to here, don’t panic! Every single person we have come across have been so helpful and lovely that nothing will ever be a huge problem.

First of all, it’s an early start! A getting up before the sun does early start because you have to be there by 7:30. Which brings me on to my second point: it’s held at Disney University. Yes it’s a thing and yes it’s as awesome as it sounds. The walls are full of original posters, mini odes to Imagineer legends, Walt and old movies. Best of all are the future plans for the company which the public aren’t privy to yet!

When we arrived, we were herded into a classroom and had little stickers with our names on; the first couple of hours were full of learning about the history of Disney: how it all began, the vision and the aim of the company and the new attitudes we would now adopt being cast members. As cheesy as it sounds, it really was inspiring to hear about Walt setting up the company and his quotes about what he wanted to create give you a determination to be an asset to the company and complete his mission. Before this class, I think we still had the surface view of Disney; but after the first couple of hours on this Saturday morning, my opinion of the Walt Disney Company changed to respect and admiration .It’s not just a face they put on for the public-Disney genuinely aim to create magic and happiness for every single guest. A perfect example is how they are called guests and not customers; we were encouraged from this moment to do everything within our power as cast members (not employees!) to do what we can to make everyone’s holiday a magical one and we have free reign to make those decisions and create our own magical moments with guests from all over the world.

Geeking out a little; so moving on. After all the interesting history and mission statement etc, we were finally given our ID badges which was very exciting. The afternoon was a little different to the normal traditions class because usually there is a surprise (which I won’t ruin for those of you who get here!) so we just had an hour or so of asking questions and hearing some more stories from the trainers. To be honest, we could tell it was biding time but some things were useful all the same. Just before we were due to finish we were presented with our name badges!! What we had been waiting for all day long to be honest and they threw in the best surprise of the day for this!

All in all, it was a lot of fun! Yes it was long and at times many of us just wanted more coffee, but I think it was the circumstances of ours being a little different. The things we learned about Disney as a company and our role in the upcoming year were so exciting and the major thing we took away from it?

We create happiness for every single guest who comes into contact with us. And I can’t wait to start!

CRP | Two days in...

We made it!  I'm writing this blog from sunny and very hot Orlando, Florida!  Since arriving it's been crazy busy and very tiring; although every now and then I have to pinch myself to believe that we're finally here!

We arrived after an pretty uneventful and average flight from Stansted and luckily breezed through immigration, baggage reclaim and customs.  We met our shuttle and went to the hotel for a couple of hours before heading straight down to Downtown Disney.  The first port of call was food and revisited one of our previous favourites House of Blues.  Downtown Disney is currently having a massive overhaul to become Disney Springs which means there are a lot of boards up around the place and can be a bit of a maze to navigate through.  It was super busy too so we weren't able to take it all in as we were meeting a few of the other guys from our arrival group.  

The following day was check-in day, where you find out your accommodation.  We headed over to the Vista Way Welcome Center and queued for a couple of hours before receiving our housing IDs, keys, and itinerary for this week.  As for housing, we got Chatham Square (which is good) with a 6 person 2 bedroom apartment (not so good)... This meant bunk beds.  It was a little disappointing because a triple occupancy room was last on our preference list.  However, our rent is super cheap and the apartment is nice so can't really complain too much.

After settling in to the apartment, we had to go to Walmart to buy bedding, towels, router etc.  IT WAS SO STRESSFUL.  The Walmart is massive and there were 1400 other arrivals that day... the majority of which had to go to Walmart to buy all the aforementioned items. It was such a relief when we were finally done and could relax!

Our second day, today, we headed straight to Universal Studios and picked up our Florida residents' annual pass and spent the day there on the rides and exploring Diagon Alley.  It was awesome and the Gringott's ride was incredible.  The theming and detail in the Harry Potter section was perfect and even rivalled Disney for its attention to detail.  You felt as if you were stepping into the film or the books.  This evening, we're heading back to Downtown Disney for a Ghiradelli's ice-cream and perhaps some souvenir shopping.  This is the life!

Hoping to vlog very soon so watch this space!  

London Food | BRGR.Co

Inbetween all the crazy Disney planning and organising, we managed to squeeze in a mini trip to London to see Benedict Cumberbatch in Hamlet. Of course, we decided to make the most of our stay in the capital by eating at some interesting places!

If you've read my blog for a while, you'll probably know that I love afternoon tea and it's almost become a bit of a tradition when we visit London.  This time though, Dena uncovered a gem and that was afternoon tea at BRGR.Co!

We had a reservation at the Chelsea restaurant, which sits prettily on Kings Road and if you can grab a tablet outside, it's a perfect spot to people watch (I love London for that very reason!).  I didn't spend much time inside but the restaurant looked modern with an open kitchen/bar area which is reminiscent of 'real' American diners.

What really made this meal special was that it was afternoon tea with an American twist... The perfect way to get in the mood for the upcoming move to Florida!  No finger sandwiches or scones here, you get a selection of typical American dishes.

To start off with, we ordered drinks - an iced tea and homemade lemonade (deliciously sour) - and then we were brought the tea part of our afternoon tea which was a fizzy bellini cocktail.  It was fruity with a touch of alcohol, not too overpowering and perfect to enjoy in the London sunshine.

The main part of our afternoon tea was so much fun.  I loved the twist on this essentially British tradition.  Instead of sandwiches you are served mini fries (as good as Five Guys fries), a cheese and beef slider, prawn and salmon slider and a southern fried chicken slider.  The cheddar and beef slider was to die for; the meat was juicy and succulent and the bun was lightly toaster.  My favourite though was probably the southern fried chicken slider; crispy bread crumbs, perfectly cooked chicken breast and lashings of coleslaw.  A million miles away from salmon and cucumber sandwiches but so light hearted and tasty!

Instead of scones and cakes, you're served a lemon tart, chocolate brownie, white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake and a mini vanilla ice-cream.  Once again, it was all so tasty.  The lemon tart filling was sour and complemented the buttery pastry and the cheesecake was served in a mini shot glass, with generous layers of biscuit and cheesecake topping.

Another great thing about this afternoon tea experience was that it was so relaxed!  Although I have very much enjoyed afternoon tea at The Ritz, it was great to turn up in jeans and a comfy top and relax.  It really gives off a fun-loving vibe!

The staff at the Chelsea restaurant were polite, friendly and attentive and we left feeling thoroughly full and satisfied.  I would definitely recommend!

Have you ever eaten at BRGR.co?