We were heading home after spending a few days at Disney
and saw a sign on 192 for a Winery. We had some time so we pulled in to check it out.
This is my personal opinion / review of
Island Grove Wine Company and Formosa Gardens
3011 Formosa Gardens Blvd Formosa Gardens, Kissimmee Continue reading Review – Island Grove Wine Company at Formosa Gardens
This new ride is located in the replica of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre that had held the ‘Great Movie Ride.’ The old ride took you through the different movies and sets via tram like car ride right through the middle of the movie set.
*Spoiler Alert* The following is a description of this new ride. If you want to be surprised, stop here and go ride the ride. You won’t be disappointed!
Continue reading Disney – Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway Ride
Disney’s “Food and Wine Festival” at Epcot – with Covid Restrictions
We arrived at 5pm and the park closed at 7pm – Visited 9/11/2020
The center of the area behind the ball,, with the fountains is currently closed and under construction – you have to choose which way you want to walk around so quite a few extra steps.
As usual, we headed straight for Germany to get a beer and we loved how easy it was to move around with the small amount of people.
There are enough kiosks to have a nice walk around the world and the small amount of people make it easier to find a table or bench to sit and enjoy. I would not have missed the extra kiosks if they were not still in place and closed. There are fewer kiosks and the kiosks that were open had reduced offerings.
** Update 9/29 new kiosks have opened and are still opening **
All attractions were walk-on, including Soarin and Test Track. I imagine there are lines earlier in the day but nothing that late in the day.
Note: my neighbor heard that none of the restaurants around the world were open but later told me that this was not true. You must use the Disney Experience App to make reservations and you must already have your Disney Park Reservations.
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Lines
Traveled January 2021, August 2020
Yes, there are lines – but most of them move non-stop. The wait time listed is actually the amount of time it takes for you to walk through the line. In August ’20, only 2 rides had us actually standing and waiting – Slinky Dog and Rise of the Resistance. In January ’21, most of the lines had been moved outside and are very creative in their setup. Look for the person holding the sign that says “Line Starts Here”. For example: Toy Story Mania started near the Incredibles area but was only 30 minutes long.
Every area has markings on the ground showing where to stand – you have to pay attention because they are not always every 6 feet – sometimes they stretch an entire row of a line to make sure people are not standing close to each other. It is a self-policed line and almost everyone follows the signs but sometimes people are busy playing games in the app or small children are excited to be there and the separation gets a little short but it is self-corrected quickly. It is well thought out and most of the lines move very quickly. For example: In January ’21, the Toy Story Mania started near the Incredibles area but was only 30 minutes long and the Pirates line was about 30 minutes long and weaved around outside of the attraction and was only inside the building for a short time.
Some lines have plexiglass between the rows to keep you from having contact with lots of people.
Park Hopping: January: you can now change parks at 2pm – expect a line to form at the new park about 1:30pm but it wasn’t long and it went away quickly.
Bonus: If you utilize fast-pass like we do, you don’t get to see the line areas – since there are no fast passes, you will get to walk through the entire line area and see all of the detail the makes Disney spectacular.
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Masks & Hand Sanitizer
Traveled: January 2021 and August 2020
Disney is still very serious about wearing your mask all the time – It must be over your nose and chin and attach behind your ears. You can take it off to eat and drink but you must be stationary to do this – so you can walk around with a drink but you have to stop and stand still to take a drink.
None of your pictures will appear if the mask does not cover your nose. In January ’21, there were people holding signs at the entrance of Magic Kingdom telling you to keep your mask on when you take pictures.
I do not recommend purchasing a mask from Disney, they are small and the portion that goes around the ear is uncomfortable after a few hours.
There are Hand Sanitizer stations all around so you can sanitize your hands after frequently.
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Disney with Covid Restrictions
We visited Disney to see what it is like with the Covid Restrictions in place. This is a quick overview that we will update each time we visit.
Updated for 01/21 Visit
Masks & Hand Sanitizer
Disney is very serious about wearing your mask all the time. It must be over your nose and chin and attach behind your ears. You can take it off to eat and drink but you must be stationary to do this – so although you can walk around with a drink, you have to stop and stand still to remove your mask and take a drink. Continue reading Disney with Covid Restrictions – Overview
Greece – 2018
We chose to experience the recommended pairing of Loaded Greek Nachos (Vegan) and Domaine Skouras Moscofilero.
We tasted the Moscofilero before the nachos and did not love it but once we began eating, we found the pairing of the wine and food to be perfect. Continue reading Disney Food and Wine Festival – Greece
Islands of the Caribbean 2018
You should stop here, YUM!!
Once again we chose the recommended pairing and wow was it good.
The Jerk Spiced Chicken Lollipop was a perfect blend of spicy & sweet plantain and mango. The flavors mixed together and delighted our taste buds.
I think it is called a lollipop because it is a drumstick – nice name.
Continue reading Disney Food and Wine Festival – Islands of the Caribbean
Festival Center 2018
Stop by the Festival Center to get information about the food and wine festival.
They have an information booth and a huge map. This is also where they have classes and seminars, both complementary and for an extra fee.
The Ghirardelli chocolate experience is a nice self-tour display with some amazing chocolate sculptures. You will also get a small sample.
If you are an annual pass holder, stop here to get your magnet and on your 4th visit, pickup your small cutting board.
At the Shimmering Sips Mimosa Bar, the Tropical Mimosa ($6) was cold and sweet, we liked it but it would have been too sweet for more than one glass. The Blood Orange Mimosa ($6) was cold and tart but not sour. Both Mimosas had a nice taste but they were great when we mixed them together.
There are shops and a craft beer experience here as well.
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The Light Lab
This is not our first visit to the Food and Wine Festival but it is our first visit in 2018. We usually start at Mexico and work our way around but this year we decided to be different.
Our first stop was the Light Lab where we began our Food & Wine experience with a cider flight ($9+). Yes, $13 for 3 small glasses of cider and a bottle of water. I wasn’t in a Disney Frame of mind just yet but I was working on it.
The Dry Rose was dry but had a nice taste because you could still taste the cider through the rose.
Surprisingly, the blueberry peppercorn cider was quite tasty, not too dry not too sweet and not overly spicy.
The third cider, 
Zen Berry, was less cider and more sweet.
It is a good sample of different ciders. This location is a temporary location so water is only available by the bottle, no free glass of water here.
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