Parks and Passports - EPCOT Food & Wine and Milkshake Disappointment

Mike and Bryan are joined by Destinations to Travel advisor Christina Smith to discuss the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival. Plus, a delicious blind ranking.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to Parks and Passports Podcast.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
Join Mike and Brian and Eric as they discussed some of.

Speaker 3 (00:10):
The latest news from the world of Disney and Universal Parks,
plus hear from other experienced travel experts.

Speaker 1 (00:17):
And have some fun along the way. Be sure to
keep all hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the vehicle
at all times. It's gonna be a wild ride. Hey everyone,
welcome to another episode of the Parks and Passports Podcast.
I am Mike Macbrian Bonadoraz here.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Hey, how's it going everyone?

Speaker 1 (00:40):
We do not have Eric. Eric is out of town
right now, actually getting ready to experience Halloween Horror Knights
for the very first time, and as we have NonStop
about we will be doing a Halloween Hara Knight's recap
episode where we get to hear his thoughts, which I'm
really excited about. But for this episode, we have have

(01:01):
destinations to travel advisor Christina Smith on here. Hey Christina, Hi,
how are you. We're good? We're good. How are you.
How's everything going?

Speaker 2 (01:09):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (01:10):
Good, very good? Finding down from this summer Oh.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
Yeah yeah, yeah, I get that. I mean absolutely here
in Florida summer goes for another three months. But you know,
I get it lucky h So Christina is on joining
us today to talk about the Epcot International Food and
Wine Festival. But before we get to that, Christina, we

(01:33):
got to let the audience get to know you a
little bit better. So we're gonna put you through our
lightning round questions. Are you ready?

Speaker 4 (01:40):
I am ready?

Speaker 1 (01:41):
Okay, here we go. Favorite Disney Park.

Speaker 4 (01:44):
Ironically it's Epcot.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
Yeah. That's a good choice, and it makes you a
perfect guest for this episode.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
That does.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
What about favorite Disney attraction.

Speaker 4 (01:56):
Haunted Mansion?

Speaker 1 (01:58):
Okay, Christina, We're coming more and more friends with every
answer here. Uh, favorite Universal.

Speaker 4 (02:04):
Park, Universal Studios.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
We talk in Florida or Hollywood, Florida. Okay, yeah, okay?
Uh what about favorite Universal attraction.

Speaker 4 (02:15):
Hagrids?

Speaker 1 (02:17):
Okay, yeah, yeah, Yeah, that's been I think maybe that's
most part with that answer so far. It's either that
or Veloca Coaster. I think has been answered the most. Probably.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
I think Veloca Coaster is probably second.

Speaker 1 (02:27):
Hagrid Yeah you might be right. Yeah. What about favorite
theme park snack?

Speaker 4 (02:33):
So I'm not as much of a snack person as
I am a coffee person, So anytime I'm at parks,
I have to hit every Joffrey stand and get whichever
special flavor that particular stand is offering.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
Wow, that is a very caffeinated day.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
Yeah it is. You need that energy.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
There, you need it. No, that's cool. There's always a
lot of really interesting things that Josh Freeze that I
want to try, and then I'm just like, it's just
too hot for me to be drinking coffee right now.

Speaker 4 (03:04):
So part of what's nice too is oftentimes they have
non coffee drinks and ice.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
That's a good point.

Speaker 4 (03:15):
There's all sorts of different options.

Speaker 1 (03:18):
Yeah, what about favorite Disney or Universal restaurant?

Speaker 4 (03:24):
So if I'm at Universal, a musk do for me
is always Orchid Court Lounge over at Royal Pacific.

Speaker 1 (03:33):
Oh wow, okay, very cool. I've actually never tried it myself.

Speaker 4 (03:37):
So the atmosphere is just it's beautiful, but it's very
laid back. The food is always wonderful, the staff is
always incredibly friendly, and it's my favorite place to go
when I'm visiting down there.

Speaker 1 (03:51):
And that is a beautiful restaurant too. I need to
spend more time at that resort in particular, because really
really nice one.

Speaker 4 (04:00):
And then if I'm at if I'm at Disney, I
I a Liberty Tree is a must do because I
am obsessed with the pot roast.

Speaker 2 (04:09):
Oh, all right, so good, it's so good. I agree
with you.

Speaker 1 (04:14):
Never tried that one either, so I'm gonna have to go,
uh try the pot roast there. I haven't No, well,
I've had Liberty Tree, I just haven't had the pot Oh.

Speaker 4 (04:23):
Come on, it's going to change your life.

Speaker 1 (04:26):
Wow. Okay, all right, well next time. Favorite thing to
do in a park that's not a ride.

Speaker 4 (04:36):
I I don't do much in the park that's not
a ride except maybe wander around while I'm drinking my
coffee and shop.

Speaker 1 (04:44):
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I think Brian and I when
we started the podcast, we both answered, uh, just walking
around with a drink in your hand. I think that
was our thoughts.

Speaker 3 (04:54):
So that and like finding a nice, cool, shaded place
to sit and just kind of like watch, you know,
other people's vacations walk by.

Speaker 1 (05:03):
How about favorite theme park event?

Speaker 4 (05:06):
So I don't know if I necessarily have one singular event,
but I do enjoy the Disney after hours events.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
Ooh. In general, nice.

Speaker 4 (05:16):
The parties, okay, the Christmas party, the Halloween party. They're great,
and they're a lot of fun. But there's something special
about those after hours events and I always enjoy those.

Speaker 1 (05:27):
I need to, uh, I need to get make a
friend that can get me into those things because I
haven't been able to attend one just yet. So favorite
tip or trick to share.

Speaker 4 (05:41):
If I can, If I could only share one thing
with people, it's to relax and take the time to
enjoy your trip. I think that people try to do
and I understand why they try to do so much
and they almost overplan. Just relax. No, you can't do everything,

(06:04):
but enjoy the things that you can do.

Speaker 1 (06:08):
So yeah, yeah, that's one hundred percent. I used to
be that person, you know, vacationing here all the time.
I used to be I got to hit all my
favorite rides and do some of them twice because I
don't know the next time I'm going to get a
chance to ride them. And it's just so much more
enjoyable when you are really just taking your time and
enjoying the parks at your own pace. So yeah, that's
a really great tip. And final question here, favorite non

(06:31):
theme park vacation.

Speaker 4 (06:33):
Any kind of cruise.

Speaker 1 (06:35):
Yeah, yep, I'm with you on that.

Speaker 4 (06:38):
It can be a river cruise, it can be an
ocean cruise. Just put me on a ship. I'm a
happy lady.

Speaker 1 (06:45):
I've been looking into these river cruises lately. A lot
of them look really, really great, so that might be
on my list for the future. All right, let's get
into our main topic of this episode, which again is
the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, which as of
this recording kicked off just about a couple of weeks ago.
We do have a full vlog of it on the

(07:08):
Destination to Travel YouTube channel YouTube dot com slash D
two Travel. I went out and tried ten new menu
items and you can check that all out again on
YouTube dot com slash D two Travel. But Christina, what
is your experience like with the Epcot Food and Wine Festival.

Speaker 4 (07:26):
So this particular festival does hold a special place in
my heart because my husband's very first trip to Disney
was when Food and Wine Festival was going on, So
his first experience with Epcot and everything else was we
largely revolved it around the Food and Wine Festival, and

(07:47):
I've been there quite a few times. I always enjoy it.
I love experiencing all the different kitchens and seeing everything
you have to offer, and I'm a huge figment person,
So my figment loving heart isn't happen during this festival.

Speaker 1 (08:05):
Yeah, that's fair, Brian. I'm realizing we haven't really talked
about food and wine, just the two of us at Also,
what is your experience like with food and wine?

Speaker 2 (08:16):
Food and wine?

Speaker 3 (08:16):
It it's never like all the vacations that I have taken,
that I have been to that I've been on, they
haven't really been planned around Food and Wine festival. It
just it always happens to be Food and Wine Festival
whenever we went, you know.

Speaker 2 (08:31):
So it's just one of those happy, you know, coincidences.

Speaker 3 (08:35):
I don't really remember too much in regards to the
last time I went to Food and Wine Festival. But
the one thing that stands out to me that I
always remember, and I don't know why it was, it
was this this one food that was offered. It was
it was called it was like a Mediterranean like uh,
shrimp scampy but like on like a like a skill. Okay,

(08:56):
that sounds good, and I forgot where it was, but
oh my god, it was good.

Speaker 2 (09:01):
It was good.

Speaker 3 (09:02):
I went back and I had like, I think I
had like five steers worth or something nice.

Speaker 2 (09:06):
It was good.

Speaker 3 (09:08):
Yeah, but there's just there's so much around and there's
so much to choose from, and it's it's almost like,
well what do I do first?

Speaker 2 (09:16):
Yeah, it's you know, it doesn't really matter what you pick,
just go ahead and start.

Speaker 1 (09:21):
Yeah. And I mean, like I said, there's too much
to choose from. Like you just you can't tackle everything
you want to try in one trip. Take it from
somebody who just ate ten different menu items in one go.
But I I am on record on one of our
many many live streams saying I think food and Wine
is my least favorite of the Epcot festivals. Now, don't

(09:44):
hear what I'm not saying. I love food and wine.
It's fantastic. But fest all the arts, fest all the Holidays,
and Flower and Garden all have something that make them,
you know, really really special. And then they have the
food and the drinks as well, where you know, food
and wine obviously the focus is the food and drinks.
So but it's it's great. I just I think I
prefer all the other festivals a little bit more so. Christina,

(10:08):
when when's the last time you got to check out
food and wine? And are you going back this year?

Speaker 4 (10:13):
I was just there last year. I'm not going to
make it there this year. I'll be there for festival
the holidays this year.

Speaker 1 (10:20):
Nice. Okay, that's a that's a good way to plan
your annual Disney vacation. Is like which Epcot festival do
I attend? Just which time of year am I getting out?

Speaker 4 (10:29):
Absolutely? Oh you mean there's a different way to plan that.

Speaker 1 (10:34):
It's like the Olympics. It's like every four years you
get back to this Epcot festival. Yep. So Brian mentioned
the shrimp that he tried, the mystery shrimp that we're
going to have to do our research and go find
at some point. But what are what are some of
your favorite things you've tried? Any food stand out in
your mind from previous food and wines?

Speaker 4 (10:58):
Yes, I always, I always enjoy Okay, I don't know
how to pronounce it, and I'm not gonna don't. So
it's the pasta grow in from Germany. Oh yeah, okay,
am and the onions and the cheese cannot that one?

(11:18):
And the corn beef corner rout.

Speaker 1 (11:23):
Me? Oh, I know that was the flavors from fire Booth,
was that yeah?

Speaker 4 (11:29):
Yeah, yeah, yes, it's got the crispy potatoes and the
corn beef and the cheese and the pickled onions. Those
are always the two things that I go to first.
But every time I go to Food and Wine, I
have to commute complete the montage where you get the
stamped because I love my little prize at the end.

Speaker 1 (11:55):
Yeah, Food and Wine does have a couple of so
one of them literally is a scavenger hunt. There's Remis.
I forget the full name of it now, but it
is like a little scavenger hunt. You go and find
the little remis all around the event. And then there's
Emal's Fromage montage where you try a bunch of cheese dishes.
It's like, I think it's like nine, but you have
to try like what five out of the nine or
something like that, and you get your book stamped. Yeah,

(12:18):
which I've actually never done. I don't know why I haven't,
because I do try. You know, over the course of
the event, I definitely try at least five of those dishes,
and I just never think to get the book stamped,
and you know what, I probably would just lose the
book by the time I go back the next time anyway,
But definitely something I should I should probably make it
a point to do that next time.

Speaker 2 (12:38):
It's it's it's not.

Speaker 4 (12:41):
And it's a really cute little cup that they give
you at the end. And at least when I went,
it came filled with a strawberry cheesecake ice cream. Now
again this was last year, right, so no, I can't
say it would be exactly the same. But then you
get to bring the little cup home and it has

(13:02):
International Food and Wine Festival e meal's Fromage Montage. It's
a cute little picture of them and cheese and everything
on there. It's just you know, yeah, I accomplished something.

Speaker 1 (13:15):
Right, right, and that accomplishment was eating probably too much cheese,
which is something we're all gonna do with food and
wine and.

Speaker 2 (13:22):
Exactly it's worth it.

Speaker 1 (13:26):
Brian, any any other dishes that stand out to you?
I mean, I know you mentioned you're the shrimp, but
does any any other food and wine memories or anything
that you've seen in recent years since you said it's
been a while since you've gotten to go.

Speaker 4 (13:39):
That.

Speaker 3 (13:40):
Yeah, I think one one year I remember, uh it
was it was my uncle and he had tried.

Speaker 2 (13:49):
The the s cargo nice and he's like, I've.

Speaker 3 (13:53):
Never tried this I'm gonna try it now because when
am I ever gonna have another chance? This is a
perfect opportunity. I know these are done well, you know,
let me go ahead and try them. And he tried them,
and we're like are they Are they good?

Speaker 2 (14:09):
And yeah, I love them.

Speaker 1 (14:11):
I loved them.

Speaker 3 (14:11):
But you know, he's always into eating clams and muscles
too anyways as well, so I could see him.

Speaker 1 (14:16):
I was expecting that story to take a turn and like, yeah,
he got so sick after that and then but no,
I actually just tried the s cargo as well. At
this year's event, they have it, and I've never had
s cargo before and I said all of this in
the in the vog as well, but yeah, they haven't
like baked into croissant do this year. So it just

(14:40):
it tasted like a really good garlic bread. So it was.
It was pretty delicious. I'm probably it's not something I
don't I don't think I would get it again unless
I was going later in the event when it's a
little bit cooler. But you know, just a heavy, garlicky
garlic bread on a ninety five degree day is not ideal.
So but and yeah, this event goes into November, so

(15:02):
you got a little bit of time. Maybe then it's
when it's a little bit cooler, it might be uh
A good idea. So, like I said, I just recently
tried ten different items, So I want to go through
the things that I tried, and I'll I want to
hear what you guys think of that is it is
something you're gonna you would try when you were, you know,
visiting food and wine. So we'll start off with the

(15:25):
Korean barbecue wings, which can be found at the Brewing Lab. Yet,
so Brian's a yes, Christina, what do you.

Speaker 4 (15:34):
Think I would actually pass on the Korean barbecue. I'm
not a fan of barbecue or okay those types of flavors,
but anytime I've ever had I've gotten the Garlic Farm
wings from there, So you really can't go wrong, I
don't think with anything that you pick from Brewing Lab.

Speaker 1 (15:52):
Yeah. I well, we'll talk more about that a little
bit later, but for the most part, I agree. But
the Korean wings were very, very good. I definitely enjoyed them.
This is also like probably the best value of anything
I got, because it was five massive wings. I think
it was like six fifty for them, So I mean,
a pretty good price for these for these big wings,

(16:14):
and they were They were delicious and a little bit
spicier than I expected, but still really really good. So
definitely enjoyed that. In Mexico, the Tostata de Carnitas.

Speaker 5 (16:25):
Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, So they have a tostata
like every year for food and wine and they just
change out some of the ingredients that they put on it.

Speaker 1 (16:39):
This is I think the best one. I get it
every year. This is the best one they've done. The
meat was so incredibly good, everything everything about it was
just delicious. So highly recommend that one. I think it
was probably the best thing I ate. Although you know,
if you have a sweet tooth, there's another one on
the list that was definitely up there as well. While
we were in Mexico. How about a strawberry pomegranate margarita.

Speaker 2 (17:05):
Ah yeah, I'd give it a go. I try it.

Speaker 4 (17:10):
I'm not a margharita person in general.

Speaker 1 (17:13):
That's fair. I'm not either. I typically don't go down
the tequila route, but this one was good. Yeah, exactly, Yeah, yeah,
there's uh. Usually, when when there's a flavor that I
am drawn to, like strawberry and pomegranate, then I will
try it. And I did enjoy this one a lot.
It was very refreshing, it was it was really nice.
So if you like a margarita, if you like fruity, light,

(17:37):
refreshing drinks, that's a good one to go with.

Speaker 4 (17:39):
I wouldn't I wouldn't definitively rule it out.

Speaker 1 (17:43):
Okay, Yeah, yeah, And I mean that's that's that should
be the general attitude towards Margarita's just in life. I think, yes,
before we get into the next dish that I tried.
How are you guys on like the dessert to savory
food ratio? Because I find myself more and more drawn
to just about every dessert on the menu.

Speaker 2 (18:07):
It depends for me if it's if it's too sweet.

Speaker 3 (18:09):
I kind of like steer away from it. I'm not
really like a big cake, pers you know. But yeah,
I mean, as long as it's not too sweet.

Speaker 1 (18:19):
I've got a good one for you then And we'll
talk about that in a minute.

Speaker 4 (18:21):
But what about you, Christina, Oh, I'm as long as
it doesn't involve too much chocolate. I don't try anything.
See I do like chocolate, but I sometimes they go
for me too much. For me, there's such a thing
as too much chocolate. But other than that, especially any

(18:44):
kind of fruity dessert, I'm in okay.

Speaker 1 (18:48):
Well for me, if I'm the exact opposite, if they
put anything, if they put something on a menu that
was just called too much chocolate, I'm gonna order it.
That's right up, That's exactly what I want. But you
mentioned liking fruity dessert. So the next one on the
list was the mixed berry pavlova from the Australia Booth.
What do you think about that one?

Speaker 5 (19:06):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I tried that.

Speaker 2 (19:11):
I don't know what a pavlova is, you know.

Speaker 1 (19:13):
I don't necessarily know the like actual you know, description
of what it is. But basically it's like a crispy
almost like a meringue texture, just covered with like a berry,
like a mixed berry sauce. Really really delicious. This was
so good and like, this was the perfect dessert for
a ninety five degree day because it wasn't super thick

(19:34):
and heavy. It was nice and light and refreshing, but
also sweet and delicious. So definitely recommend that one as well.

Speaker 2 (19:42):
You have me sold on that already, well.

Speaker 1 (19:44):
And it's funny you say that, because the next one
is the dessert that I was gonna say is perfect
for you for not liking things that are too sweet,
The Bosque cheesecake from Spain. This was I got this
based on the picture. I saw the picture of this
cheesecake and it's just a slice of cheesecake with an
orange on it. And I was like, orange with cheesecake.
It sounds a little bit weird, but that looks delicious,

(20:04):
so I had to try it. And when I say
it was, it was served to me looking exactly like
the picture. I mean it was. I've never seen it
more picture perfect for any dish anywhere, really, So this
thing was delicious, not nearly as sweet as I expected
it to be. It was like almost a savory cheesecake,
so it was like just eating a slice of a

(20:26):
really good cheese and that orange sauce added the little,
like the slightest bit of sweetness to make it still
feel like a dessert. Definitely really good again, though you know,
maybe wait until November if you're going later in the event,
I would recommend it.

Speaker 2 (20:42):
Then would they let you order the whole cheesecake or
order slices?

Speaker 1 (20:48):
I think you could probably just order enough slices to
get the whole cheesecake.

Speaker 2 (20:53):
I wonder how many slices that is a good question.

Speaker 4 (20:55):
It was.

Speaker 1 (20:55):
It was not the biggest slice, so probably quite a few.
It becomes a very expensive cheesecake. My wallet is like, yeah,
do it, Christina, what do you think about that one?

Speaker 4 (21:09):
Absolutely?

Speaker 1 (21:10):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (21:11):
Absolutely? I love cheesecake, me too, love it.

Speaker 3 (21:15):
That orange is interesting, yeah, and I never would have
thought too of the used orange flavors mixed with the cheesecake.

Speaker 4 (21:22):
Totally random. But when I was younger growing up, my
grandmother used to make her cheesecake with orange zest in it.
So for me, that's like a natural That's just something
I grew up with, in a natural blend, so that
I would need to have that absolutely.

Speaker 3 (21:37):
Well, like that just belongs. That is an ingredient that
is necessary. And it worked really well.

Speaker 1 (21:44):
It was delicious. So man, we'll go back to some
savory here and we'll talk about the New England Slider
from the American Adventure Pavilion Booth. This was a beef sandwich.
It's sort of like a French dip types of situation.
Had just the slightest bit of spice to it. Delicious

(22:05):
and perfect for like if you if you actually want
to fill yourself up maybe you know, maybe you're drinking
around the world. This is probably the perfect little dish
to get to help you get through that day. But yeah,
I definitely recommend this one. What are your guys' thoughts
on the New England's beef Slider? Oh, I'm in yeah,

(22:26):
I'm I'm for sliders.

Speaker 3 (22:28):
But for me, I'm really picky when it comes to
sus I might I might skip out on this one.

Speaker 2 (22:35):
I don't.

Speaker 3 (22:35):
I'm not really. I don't usually, you know, dip a
slider into some shit like like a you know, so
that kind of throws me off a little bit. I
would give it a go, I would give it a shot.
It wouldn't be my go to. It'd probably be like, hey,
do we have some extra time? Yeah, sure, go ahead,
we'll try it. Why not we're here?

Speaker 1 (22:53):
Yeah? Absolutely? And I this was for me something that
I was like, Okay, yeah, I have to go try that.
But there are other things on the menu there at
that booth specifically where I was like, Okay, maybe I
could go in a different direction. But I am glad
I got this one because it was very good. Now,
keep in mind we just went ran through what six
different menu items. I did have all of these things

(23:13):
in one day. So as I was as I was
getting to more of this stuff that we're going to
talk about here, I was just increasingly more and more
full and really struggling through these. And the next one
is the trio to es cargo, So you know, I
guess I explained this one earlier. This is thees cargo

(23:34):
baked into croissant dough, and it was good. What do
you guys think? Is this something Christina? Have you had
escargo before?

Speaker 4 (23:43):
Yes, it's one of my favorites. I was absolutely and yes, cool.

Speaker 1 (23:47):
Now do you go the more traditional like just a
straight es cargo or something more like this?

Speaker 4 (23:54):
Well, it depends on where I am and how they're
serving it. A lot of the places that I go
serve it in like a puff pastry or you know,
inside of inside of a you know, like a Philo dough.
So I I do think this would be a nice
little switch up for me. I probably enjoy it.

Speaker 1 (24:13):
I was expecting something like a puff pastry type of thing,
and it was just way more dense than I expected
it to be. And like I said, really good. Just again,
I ate six things before this and it was very hot,
so that was not the best experience, but the taste
was delicious. Brian, what about you? Are you gonna try
thees cargo?

Speaker 3 (24:34):
I would, I would try the traditional s cargo. I
don't know if i'd do the garlic bread thing.

Speaker 1 (24:40):
Because I've never had Yeah, that's fair.

Speaker 3 (24:42):
I've always seen other people eat s cargo in front
of me, but I've never actually had it.

Speaker 2 (24:47):
And you know, I think I got to switch it up.
I think I gotta try it.

Speaker 3 (24:50):
And if I was gonna try it, i'd rather have
it just be just the s cargo, not mixed in
with something else, because I feel like that's cheating.

Speaker 1 (24:56):
No. Absolutely. I described it in the video as es
cargo for beginners, like I felt like this was the
introductory you know, es cargo exactly. But yeah, maybe on
a cooler day, I'll try it again. I don't know. Uh.
Let's talk about one of the beers on the menu,
because I saw this one when the FOODI Guide was released,
and I was really excited immediately to go and try it.

(25:18):
This was from eighty one Bay, the Nitro Bananas Foster
cream ale, and before I say anything. I want to
get your guys thoughts on just the name.

Speaker 4 (25:28):
Oh, based on the name, I would that would absolutely
be something that I want to try.

Speaker 2 (25:35):
I mean, I love the names Foster, I like ale,
I like all of these words. Yeah, I like all this. Yeah,
I mean yeah, yeah, it makes it even matter.

Speaker 1 (25:48):
So yeah, I was of the same mind, and I
will say nine of the ten things I had that
day were very very good. This was the one. Unfortunately.
This was so I love bananas Foster. They also have
a h no this. I think during Flour and Garden
they do a bananas Foster bread pudding in the American

(26:09):
Adventure Billion. Maybe it's Festival with the Arts, one of
the one of the other festivals, and it's it's delicious.
It's my favorite dessert maybe anywhere. So love bananas Foster.
I was so excited to try this. I'm not crazy
about artificial banana flavoring. If you can think of like
a banana laffy taffy or like any banana candy like that,

(26:30):
That's exactly what this tasted like. And did it just
didn't work for me?

Speaker 3 (26:36):
Okay, yeah, no, that's some some people don't really like that,
yea taste that you described there.

Speaker 2 (26:44):
I My my go to laughing taffy was banana.

Speaker 1 (26:47):
And I get it more when you're eating a candy
like it, it feels like it works more there. But
when you're drinking a beer and getting that flavor, it
was very strange.

Speaker 4 (26:58):
Yeah, I believe that.

Speaker 1 (26:59):
Yeah, Okay, two more things to two more menu items
here the uh Shachata I believe sandwich from the Forest
and Field booth. This was delicious. It was huge. I
couldn't believe the serving size that I got with this plate.
You know, food and wine, You're expecting these smaller plates,

(27:20):
and you know, it's not like I got a huge,
massive sandwich, but it was way bigger than I expected.
And again you can see it in the video. I
put my hand in for scale and like I almost
needed two hands to eat this thing. So it was
really delicious, very very filling, especially after eight other things. So,
and I actually don't have the full description in front

(27:42):
of me, but if you guys aren't familiar with this
particular menu item, which I don't know why you would be,
it was like a mortodella perjudo. There were there were
peppers on there, basically a nice like Italian sandwich on
a very good light bread.

Speaker 3 (28:00):
Try that sounds yeah, that sounds really good. I may
not be Italian, but I love Italian sandwiches.

Speaker 1 (28:06):
Agreed, So, yeah, this was really good. And then my
wife went back a few days a few days ago
as of this recording, and she got that sandwich. She's like, wow,
that was incredible. I'm like, yeah, I'm sure it would
have been way better if I had started with that
and not eating it eighth but or ninth or whatever
it was.

Speaker 4 (28:23):
I think in general Forest and Field is a little
bit underrated sometimes when people go there. I think it's
easy to overlook. Last year they had the pumpkin ravioli
and they were it was fantastic, and that is.

Speaker 1 (28:34):
Back again this year they do have it.

Speaker 4 (28:37):
Got to get it.

Speaker 1 (28:39):
Yeah, it was, It's very good, Brian. I definitely recommend
that if you get out to food and Wine. Actually
that I would say that applies Christina to to all
of those boots over there, because Forest and Field and
then right right across the way there's Mild and Mold,
and then right next to that is Bramblewood Bites, which
unfortunately at Bramblewood is that's where I got the bananas
Foster Cree Mail, but there has some other good things

(29:01):
on the menu, but mild and mold is where I
got my last thing, which was a dessert to wrap
things up, And this was the apple, cinnamon and caramel
miniture of Sunday, because I wanted to end on something
nice and light, just something super easy to take down.
It was. It was not that, but yeah, unbelievably delicious.

(29:24):
I was so full, and I was like, I can't
stop eating this. It doesn't matter how full I am,
I'm going to keep going. This was the only other
thing I think I could say was maybe the best
thing I ate that day. Yeah, if you're going to
get a dessert at Food and Wine this year, that
is the one to get.

Speaker 2 (29:41):
Look at a photo of it right now.

Speaker 1 (29:42):
It looks good.

Speaker 4 (29:45):
It looks really you know, everything that we've talked about
so far, pretty much everything has sounded good. But this
is the one thing that is making my mouth water. Yeah,
and not even having it in front of me.

Speaker 1 (29:58):
Yep, Yeah, yeah, absolutely, it's that It's exactly what you're
expecting it to be. It's what you want it to be.
It is so incredibly delicious. I want to go get
it again and I probably will.

Speaker 2 (30:10):
Is a dream come true.

Speaker 1 (30:12):
So yeah, that's everything I've tried to food and wine
so far. The Epcot International Food Wine Festival twenty twenty
five does run until November twenty second, so you got
plenty of time to get out there to food and
wine if you're going to be visiting this year so much.
I mean, check out the Foodie guide on the Disney

(30:33):
Parks blog. They have the whole menu up there. There's
so so much food. There's actually a booth that hasn't
opened yet, which I was disappointed in because I didn't
read fully when I went the first day and doesn't
open until next month. But the giozas of the Galaxy booth,
which has a very interesting menu. So yeah, there's just

(30:55):
so many things that I really can't wait to try.
And I'm sure you guys feel the same way. I'm
sure there's a lot of a lot of items on
the menu this year that you would love to try.

Speaker 3 (31:06):
Yeah, i'd recommend looking at that list, planning your attack,
and then working your logistics around what's going to be heavy,
what's going to be right, and I guarantee you're probably
gonna be able to knock off quite a few on
that line.

Speaker 1 (31:19):
Yeah, I would say pick a few things that you
definitely like, you know, are locks that you like absolutely
have to get, and then just kind of sample as
you go, you know, don't try and eat everything because
you can't. But Christina, is that about how you would
tackle food and wine as well?

Speaker 4 (31:33):
Yeah, absolutely, that's how I usually do try to tackle it,
And I do think that it's good for people to
know too when especially when Epcot has their festivals, it's
a great time to visit with families because you can
so you can find something for just about everybody. You

(31:55):
don't have to spend time sitting down, but everybody can
find something they like. You're all locked into one particular menu.

Speaker 1 (32:03):
Yeah, that's absolutely right. And the Disney Parks blog also
puts like the kids Picks thing on the Foodie Guide,
so you can if you scroll down to the bottom,
you'll see like all the popular dishes that are offered
at these booths for kids, and there's quite a few
to choose from. So it's it is definitely you're right,
a great time to visit with the whole family. That
is nice. So yeah, that's the Epcot International Food Wine

(32:26):
festival one more time. It is going until November twenty second,
and if you would like to plan a trip to
get out to Epcots and Walt Disney World in general,
you can get in touch with Christina. Christina, how can
the people get in touch with you?

Speaker 4 (32:40):
You can email me at Christina Smith at D two
travel dot com, or you can give me a call
at eight four four nine three nine I'm sorry eight,
I'm so sorry eight four four nine three nine four
eight seven eight extensions seven.

Speaker 1 (32:59):
Eight nine nice, very very convenient. I think you're the
first person that actually provide a phone number. So for
a second I was like, Oh, are you giving out
somebody else's phone number? Do we have to bleep this?

Speaker 2 (33:09):
No?

Speaker 4 (33:09):
No, I promise I won't make you sense for me.

Speaker 1 (33:15):
That's more than Eric can say for himself. So that's good.

Speaker 2 (33:19):
That is true.

Speaker 1 (33:22):
All right, Let's get into some of the news from
the past couple of weeks. It's a pretty light news
cycle right now. There are not a whole lot going on,
but we do have a few pieces to talk about,
which you know, Destination D twenty three happened since our
last episode, so there's some news to talk about from there.
But aside from that, not a whole lot went on.
But let's talk about some of the updates coming to

(33:43):
Walt Disney World, including an overlay coming to Tron light
Cycle run at Magic Kingdom and actually also at light
Cycle Power Run in Shanghai. It's going to get a
Tron ares overlay, Brian, I think we talked about this before.
You're excited for that the Neutron movie, correct, I am. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (34:01):
As soon as I saw the trailer, I was immediately
hyped up for it, and I sent the trailer over
to my father.

Speaker 2 (34:07):
I'm like, check this out. This just came out like
literally five minutes ago.

Speaker 1 (34:11):
Yeah, it does look pretty good. I'm not a big
Jared Leto fan, but I do that movie does look
pretty pretty fun, but it does.

Speaker 2 (34:20):
It does. I feel like after what happened with a Joker,
which I don't think it was.

Speaker 3 (34:24):
His all that on that part, but I think he
looked he looks pretty pretty good in this in this,
well the trailer.

Speaker 2 (34:32):
For what I've seen the footage, I feel like he'll
be able to pull this off.

Speaker 1 (34:36):
Christina, are you a Tron fan?

Speaker 4 (34:39):
I'm a fan of the ride.

Speaker 1 (34:41):
Okay, I'm with you.

Speaker 4 (34:44):
And I'm not gonna say I don't dislike the movie.
It's it's certainly not that I dislike it, it's just not,
you know, not usually my go to.

Speaker 1 (34:52):
Yeah, I would agree, that's that's pretty much right where
it falls from me as well. But again, we're getting
a tron Aris overlay, so basically you're gonna get red
and orange lighting as opposed to the blue and orange
that we'd see right now. And the soundtrack is going
to be changed as well, to the new Nine Inch
Nails soundtrack. They're doing the soundtrack for the new movie
that I will miss. I do love the daft punk

(35:13):
music from Tron Legacy, so I yes, I will miss
that a little bit. I am excited though, I'm excited
to get the different experience, and that is coming sooner
than I thought, because September September fifteenth at Magic Kingdom
and September sixteenth in Shanghai, So I mean that's right
around the corner where you're getting that, oh next week actually,

(35:33):
So that's that's very quick. I mean, I guess it
is really just changing the music and some lights, but
still cool to see a change happen that quickly.

Speaker 3 (35:43):
Yeah, Now, this overlay with changing the soundtrack and whatnot.

Speaker 2 (35:47):
It's gonna be temporary or is this going to be
like a permanent thing.

Speaker 1 (35:50):
I think they said temporary or permanent, but I would
imagine it's temporary. That would be my guess, just because
I well, I guess it. You know what. It's probably
going to depend on how well this movie does, because
if this movie tanks in the box office, which I
don't expect it to, I think it'll do great. But
and Disney, you know, if Disney wants people to just

(36:10):
forget about it, then they'll probably switch it back by
the end of the year. But if this movie is
a huge hit and people really attach themselves to this one,
then it might stick around for a while. Who knows.
I'm sure there's a few different factors weighing in on that.
Another big change coming to Tomorrowland and the Magic Kingdom.
We are getting a Walt Disney animatronic in the Carousel

(36:32):
of Progress. Brian, I feel like we're just talking about
something like this, and I'm really curious to get your
thumb work.

Speaker 3 (36:39):
I completely just stunned. I'm looking forward to it. I
wonder what they're going to do, exactly where they're going
to put this Walt Animatronic at Oh, it's an introductor
you've seen that's right at the beginning.

Speaker 2 (36:56):
Okay, never mind, I know exactly where they're.

Speaker 1 (36:57):
Going to put it. But there are more updates too.

Speaker 3 (37:00):
Yeah, I'm looking forward to it, Okay, Yeah, because I
mean now, when you like, back in the I say,
back in the day years ago, you go through the
Carousel of Progress and you get to that future scene,
You're like, wow, man, where are we gonna get When
are we gonna get the self talking and everything else?

Speaker 2 (37:17):
And now it's like we have all that.

Speaker 3 (37:20):
So I wonder if how they're going to change, if
they're going to do any updates for the future scene.
They usually do it's just like little things, but maybe
they're going to do something more.

Speaker 1 (37:29):
Yeah, I'm very curious to, uh, to see what they do. Christina.
Disney fans can be very divisive on things like this
where do you fall? And like, are you somebody who's like,
don't touch my classic attractions, don't change anything, or are
you totally okay with changing the carousel progress?

Speaker 4 (37:44):
I for this particular change, I'm thrilled, okay, And you
know what, I don't mind updates and modifications.

Speaker 1 (37:56):
Yeah, I'm for the most part, I'm with you. I
think if they were to do something absolutely crazy, then
you know, don't touch my haunted mansion. But yes, uh, I.

Speaker 2 (38:06):
Don't need a haunted motel.

Speaker 4 (38:10):
Now I could be talked into this, like with the
haunted mansion, the whole adding the hat box goes.

Speaker 1 (38:17):
I'm thrilled, Yes, exactly.

Speaker 4 (38:19):
There. You know, there are a lot of things that
can be added to enhanced. We don't need to completely destroy.

Speaker 1 (38:27):
And rebuild, right right right right, Yeah, No, I'm with
you on that. And yeah, I do think this is
a nice welcome change to the carousel of progress because
I expect it to stay the same, you know for
the most part, like the heart of it is going
to remain uh and you're just going to get some updates,
which I, like Brian was saying, I think very much
needed because that futuristic technology came out in two thousand

(38:49):
and six.

Speaker 4 (38:49):
So yes, yep, and that's where those modification and changes
need to happen.

Speaker 1 (38:55):
Yes, exactly. So looking forward to that, we don't have
details exactly on when to expect all of those changes,
but there will be more updates to come on that.
Another one, another announcement for Walt Disney World that came
out of Destination D twenty three and maybe the one
I'm most excited about, which seems kind of silly, but
I think a lot of people are looking forward to this.
Cinderella Castle is being painted back to its gray and

(39:17):
blue color palette we got with the the fiftieth anniversary.
We got that sort of almost sleeping beauty castle pink
color painted in there, and there was a lot of
probably a little bit too much outrage over that. But
I'm excited to see it go back to its uh
it's classic colors.

Speaker 2 (39:37):
Me too, honestly, it was. It's yeah, it's time, and.

Speaker 1 (39:41):
It's always nice to see it, you know, just a
fresh paint job on the castle too.

Speaker 4 (39:46):
You know. Oddly enough, I'm almost I'm almost indifferent. The
blue colors didn't bother me. I'm not upset that they're
changing them back to the old colors. I'm as far
as I'm concerned. As long as you don't take away
my castle, Oh yeah, pretty much, do whatever you want

(40:08):
to it, just do not turn it into a cake again.

Speaker 1 (40:11):
That is such a reasonable answer, And I know that
makes perfect sense. And yeah, that honestly is being indifferent
is probably the attitude that we should all have towards
painting the castle. But you know, people get very intense
about their their Disney.

Speaker 4 (40:26):
So I get it, and I absolutely understand why people
have the feelings that they do, you know, all those things,
you know, above everything else. I think Disney is tied
to a sense of nostalgia for all of us. So
it's it's a very personal thing. We take these things
to heart, and it's completely understandable. So you know, I

(40:47):
certainly and I can't fault the people that are happy
about it, and I don't fault the people that are
upset about it. I you know, I think, like I said,
just don't take it away and I'll let you do
whatever you want.

Speaker 1 (41:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (41:00):
I still remember when they t peed the castle it
came out. Yeah, was there anybody that was upset about
that at all? Or did it?

Speaker 3 (41:10):
Was it pretty well received? Because I was too young
to to really know what that was.

Speaker 1 (41:16):
That was that was pre Twitter, so I think we were.

Speaker 4 (41:20):
I was just going to say that was pre social media. Yeah,
I even if people were outraged, we probably wouldn't know
about it as readily.

Speaker 1 (41:29):
Yeah, And the people who were outraged were just the
people that were there, so like you weren't seeing it
anywhere else really, so right, But as long as we
are bringing things back to the castle, Disney, give us
the dream lights. We want the dream lights back to
the holiday season. Yes, I will, yes, Yeah, let's jump
over to Animal Kingdom. The first day of operations. Our

(41:51):
final day of operations for dinah Land USA is set
for February first, So we now finally have a closing game. Yeah,
the first day of operations. No, the final day set
for February first. We finally have a closing date for Dinosaur,
one of my favorite attractions of all time. But you
know this is, you know, going back to our conversation
about being upset about things. I'm not super upset. I

(42:13):
love Dinosaur, but Disney does a really good job of
replacing things with better things. So I'm excited for the
Indiana Jones Ride. I'm I'm really excited for the encanto
stuff we're getting. So yeah, February first will be the
last day. They say it's confusing because the closing date
is February second, But if you're going on February second,
it will already be closed. Just don't expect to be

(42:35):
there on the second go on the first, So if
you want to ride Dinosaur one more tention, that's the
day to go.

Speaker 2 (42:43):
I just I wish that they did more with it.

Speaker 3 (42:45):
I mean, like once they once they got it going,
and then they did they had that update right and
so that it wasn't so erratic, and you know, because
that's what's what it was like. The seats are very
uncomfortable to very first go around, right, and then they
updated it, and they didn't really do much with it
after that, and you know, I think that's that's on them.

Speaker 1 (43:06):
Well, I think it was you know, it was almost
like a cult classic type of ride, right, like people like,
you know, very familiar with the dialogue from it and
the character and but it was sort of based on
a film that didn't really hit, so they kind of,
I guess, didn't feel the need to invest in it
a whole lot. But I loved it. It was it
was a really really fun attraction. And I'm still excited

(43:28):
for the Indiana Jones stuff though that should be a
lot of fun too.

Speaker 2 (43:31):
I am too that that should go over well.

Speaker 1 (43:34):
Absolutely. I think I believe the Boneyard play area is
already closed, so that part of of Dynah Lend is gone.
Harambe Market menu will be revamped to include hamburgers and
chicken nuggets and things that you would normally get at
restaurant Asaurus, so you'll be able to find those offerings
over at Harambe Market, so you're not losing those, you know,

(43:55):
obviously popular options altogether. And then we also learned that
Kaalie River Rapids is closing October sixth for refurbishment, with
plans to open sometime before Dinah Land closes. Normally that
refurbishment would have overlapped with that more, but they're moving
it up so that it can be open when dina
Land is completely gone, so they they'll still have the

(44:17):
same number of attractions available.

Speaker 2 (44:20):
That's good planning. I like that.

Speaker 1 (44:22):
Not a ton of news as far as Disneyland is concerned,
but we did learn that there is a new enhanced
patio dining area coming to Napa Rose at Disney's Grand
Californian Resort. I have never eaten there, but I want
to do everything that the Grand Californian has to offer
because it is such an unbelievably beautiful hotel. So and
this the the concept art for this new dining area

(44:45):
looks really beautiful. So Christina or Brian, have you guys
ever been to Grand Californian.

Speaker 4 (44:52):
I have not been to the Grand California.

Speaker 1 (44:53):
No, okay, I think you probably have.

Speaker 2 (44:57):
Could be wrong, I probably have. I probably have been.

Speaker 1 (45:01):
Yeah, I definitely. I can't wait to get back to Disneyland.
It's been too long, but Napa Rose is on my
list for sure. There's that. I've heard some really great
things about that restaurant, and it again, just a beautiful resort.
So anything to get me in there. Let's talk some
Disney Cruise line. We got some news from Destination D
twenty three about this as well. So on the Disney Destiny,

(45:22):
you know, the whole theme of everything is heroes versus villains.
Guests will get to meet doctor Facilier in a makeshift
parlor aboard the Disney Destiny where he's gonna do some
close up magic and like some card reading and things
like that. Sounds like a really cool experience.

Speaker 4 (45:39):
I love it.

Speaker 3 (45:40):
I was just gonna ask, because you're gonna, you know, actually,
you know, do card readings and stuff with the guests.

Speaker 1 (45:44):
That seems like the idea. I'm curious to see like
the logistics of that, you know, like how how possible?
Is right? But because you know he's going to be
swamped as soon as as soon as he sits down
at a table and starts welcoming guests. But but that's
such a cool offering, especially if he's literally just wandering
the ship and you can kind of just get that

(46:05):
experience wherever you go. I love that. That's a lot
of fun. We also got some news on the Disney
Destiny Bars, which I could spend an entire episode talking about,
because you know, I love a themed bar. But so
we got some news on the Sanctum, the Doctor Strange
themed bar, which, again, if this could just be any

(46:25):
more perfect for me, So I'm just gonna read this
little excerpt we got for this Disney Cruise Lines first lounge,
inspired by the mystical world of Marvel Studios Doctor Strange.
The centrally located sanctuary that's a mouthful is filled with
enchanted artifacts designed to aid sorcerers and protecting the world,
creating the an atmosphere brimming with magic and mystery. Yeah. Yeah,

(46:51):
the concept art for this looks amazing. If you can
allow me to experience the world of Doctor Strange in
any way, I am fully on board. And they also
released the details for a specific drink called the Mirror Dimension,
made with Stole the Elite Vodka, Leichi Fresh Lemon Fresh
Lemon juice, pink peppercorn, and something called electro Dust buzz Rock.

(47:14):
I don't know if they're just making up words at
this point, but this mesmerizing cocktail will touch all your
senses with a special glass that reacts to touch and
then electrifying dust that will leave your taste buds tingling.
What that I mean?

Speaker 2 (47:31):
It almost sounds like maybe there's like a little bit of.

Speaker 1 (47:32):
A sour, so I'm expecting like the fuzzy Taunton in Uh,
That's what I was just thinking too. Yeah in one
am my ogus cantina, because that is a like a peppercorn,
like the foam that numbs your mouth. So, but I'm
curious about the glass that reacts to touch. And this

(47:53):
seems like it's going to be just like a crazy
experience this bar. I can't wait to see it.

Speaker 4 (47:58):
The whole description and makes me want to try it.

Speaker 1 (48:02):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (48:03):
Absolutely, Between the glass and yeah.

Speaker 1 (48:08):
And electro dust buzz rock, that sounds like a genre I'll.

Speaker 2 (48:14):
Bring someone with me just to make sure.

Speaker 1 (48:16):
It sounds like a music genre that I've never heard of, but.

Speaker 2 (48:22):
Right.

Speaker 1 (48:25):
We also got some information about Cask and Cannon, which
is the pirates themed bar. This electric pub or Eclectic
pub electric is on my mind now. This eclectic pub
is filled with acquired treasures from mischievous pirates of old,
creating an atmosphere where every corner tells a tale, which
makes perfect sense. This is the location where Kagan compasses

(48:45):
on the Disney Wish and Periscope Pub is on the
Disney Treasure. These bars are all just loaded with detail.
There's so much fun to take a walk around it
and just take it all in. There's a special drink here,
of course, as well, called the dead Man's Chain, made
with Za Kappa twenty three Solera rum, pineapple, lime juice,
agave nectar and coconut froth. This cocktail will fully immerse

(49:09):
you in the Cozy Ship's Cabin. Oh Cozy Ship's Cabin
atmosphere of Cask and Cannon, complete with gold coins, which, okay,
gold coins. That seems like you're getting your money's worth
at least I guess.

Speaker 3 (49:24):
Oh yeah, you're getting your money right, exactly.

Speaker 1 (49:27):
Yeah, and even if they're chocolate, I think it's worth
it to me.

Speaker 4 (49:31):
I would take the chocolate right exactly.

Speaker 1 (49:35):
The coconut froth is what drew my attention there. I'm
curious to see what that is like. But I'm excited
for Cask and Cannon, and then the Haunted Mansion Parlor,
which is a copy of what we have on the
Disney Treasure that will feature an all new cocktail menu
which I'm excited to sample, probably too much, please drink responsibly.

(49:56):
Of those three, those three bars on the Disney Destiny,
which one would you, guys be most excited to check out? Yeah? Christina,
have you been on the Treasure?

Speaker 4 (50:09):
I have not yet?

Speaker 1 (50:10):
Okay, Yeah, the Haunted Mansion Parlor is so cool. I
spent so much time in there. I absolutely loved it.
So yeah, I expected this to be the same for
the Destiny. Brian, what about you?

Speaker 2 (50:22):
I can't even be a single one because I love
them all the Yeah already.

Speaker 1 (50:27):
Yeah, No, I'm excited for all three for sure, but
I am most excited for the Sanctum. And you give
me any Marvel themed stuff to experience, I'm all about it.
So I'm really really looking forward to that final piece
of news, and this is a real quick one because
again we will be touching on this in great detail
with our next episode. But Halloween horroon Nits has now
officially kicked off on both the East Coast and the

(50:50):
West Coast. We have content on our YouTube channel on
our socials you can see all the Halloween harr Nite
stuff there, and again we will talk about it on
our next episode with Eric and Patrick will be coming
back as well, but Eric will be experiencing experiencing Halloween
har Knights for the first time, so I'm really excited
to hear his thoughts on that. Christina Halloween herr Knights.
Where do you lie on that?

Speaker 4 (51:11):
I lie over in Margaritaville waiting for everyone else to
get them.

Speaker 1 (51:17):
It's so funny. Margaritaville is the official bar of choice
for people waiting for their family to come out of
Halloween harnait. No.

Speaker 4 (51:26):
I am the first to admit that I am an
absolute chicken. Okay, and as interesting as the houses seem
to me every year, I just don't think I've got
it in me.

Speaker 1 (51:41):
I totally get it.

Speaker 2 (51:42):
I got it.

Speaker 1 (51:42):
Yeah, I absolutely get it. It's definitely not for any
for everyone. I would just suggest just give it a try,
one time, experience, experience the scare zones a little bit
kind of warm you up. You know, it's out in
the public. You're just surrounded by people, so it's sort
of a warm up. The houses obviously are a big
ramp up there. But you know some I've talked to

(52:05):
so many people who are absolutely afraid and did not
want to do it, and are absolutely hooked on the
event now, So just give it, give it a shot,
just one time, just one time in there.

Speaker 4 (52:14):
I need an army of people with me.

Speaker 1 (52:16):
Yes, absolutely, absolutely do Technically you do.

Speaker 2 (52:19):
I mean because if you think about it.

Speaker 3 (52:21):
See the trick for me is what I believe is
that if you think about it, you're in the same
boat as everybody else is there with you, and you
know there's gotta be at least a good handful of
people that are thinking the exact same thing.

Speaker 2 (52:35):
Why am I not?

Speaker 4 (52:37):
Absolutely absolutely?

Speaker 1 (52:39):
And for the record, Christina, Eric is on your side.
He's somebody who's who is you know, not a horror fan.
He is not wanting to go to Halloween har Knights,
but you know he has the chance to experience it.
For the first time and he's going for it, so
you know, maybe wait to hear his thoughts on his
first experience, and then I would say, decide if you
want to check it out at some point.

Speaker 4 (53:00):
Okay, I'm not completely closed off to it.

Speaker 1 (53:03):
See, That's that's all we ask. That's all we ask.
A spirit.

Speaker 4 (53:07):
Yeah, I need at least the next solid year to
try and about the courage.

Speaker 1 (53:15):
That's fair. All right, let's get into our game. Oh,
I will say, if you want to learn more about
any of the headlines we just talked about, you can
read more about them on chipincompany dot com. Now let's
get into our game here, which we're going to cycle
back to the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival and
Brian and Christina. All you guys know that I told

(53:36):
you so far was that we are blind ranking food
and wine menu items. You don't know which menu items.
That is the whole point of a blind dranking. So
I'm going to give you five different items here and
one at a time, and you guys can pick one
to five. Where are you ranking them in terms of
what you would be most excited to eat when you
visit for the app? Got International Food Wine festival. We

(53:57):
could do this in two ways, though. Do you want
to come to a consensus and rank them together or
do you want to have your own rankings.

Speaker 3 (54:03):
Let's I want to do different rankings. I don't know
what about it.

Speaker 4 (54:06):
I think we should do different.

Speaker 1 (54:08):
Yeah, it's foe, Yeah, it's very subjective. Yeah that's fair. Okay,
So let's start out with one. And by the way,
I have new and old menu items in here, so
everything can be found at the event this year. But
some of them are brand new this year. Some of
them have been featured before. Hint, hint, wink wink. So
let's start off with one that actually technically right now

(54:31):
is not featured at the event, but is coming. And
it is the French onion soup style dumplings that will
be featured at the giozas of the Galaxy booth. How
do you feel about this one to five? Where are
you putting it? One being the best, five in the least?

Speaker 2 (54:45):
I put four, four, four.

Speaker 4 (54:48):
I'm gonna put it probably about three.

Speaker 1 (54:51):
That's a safe start, start right in the middle. I
probably would have gone higher on this one for myself,
just because I'm I'm really excited to try this one.
I think the Buffalo style dumplings are probably a little
bit higher on my list, but yeah, I'm definitely interested
in I'm probably gonna go try everything from that booth
when as soon as it opens.

Speaker 2 (55:11):
Yeah, I'm just I'm not much of a French.

Speaker 1 (55:13):
That's fair. Love French onion, I agree, Yes, French onion soup.
That's probably my favorite. Okay, how about the Gulf Coast
style seafood roll and for more description here That includes
lobster rock shrimp, lobster bisk and sherry crim fresh on
a toasted brioche bun.

Speaker 3 (55:33):
One interesting. I like how you said that too.

Speaker 1 (55:39):
You're just the confidence, the confidence just right to the
top of the list. I love it.

Speaker 2 (55:45):
That was that was from the heart. That was that
was an answer from the heart. You keep that on.
I put this at two.

Speaker 1 (55:52):
Okay to right, see, I chose I want this one
because it's so divisive, like people are either really in
or really out on seafood, and clearly you guys are
both in. So yeah, one and a two for that one.
I like it all right. How about and this is
I was kind of hoping for some different outcomes when
we got into this one here, but the unnecessarily spicy

(56:16):
yet extremely tasty Carolina Reaper Pepper curry wings five. Yeah,
oh see, I like I do you like a necessary
spy spicy challenge?

Speaker 2 (56:31):
Potentially, I'm gonna put this set. I'm gonna put it
at three.

Speaker 1 (56:37):
I put it three that I so I did try these.
They are everything in the description is one hundred percent accurate.
They are unnecessarily spicy. They are very good. But I
think I got through two of them and I was like,
I can't, I can't go anymore. They're just yeah, they're
very good.

Speaker 4 (56:54):
I like spice, but I don't like spice for the
sake of being hot. I like spice with flavor, not
just something because it's you know, if it gets too hot,
then I can't enjoy the flavor.

Speaker 1 (57:09):
Yes, one hundred percent, I agree. I agree, And that's
why these were like just at that limit. So you
do like the first wing, you're like, Okay, this is
actually really delicious, and you eat the second one and
you're like, okay, this is my mouth is on fire.
Now I can't do this anymore. Okay, let's go with Now.
This is very interesting because Christina still has the two
spot and the four spot open whereas Brian has the

(57:30):
one and the five. So Brian playing it's safe, going
right in the middle, whereas Christina knows what she loves
and what she doesn't love and just immediately knocked out
those extremes. So how about we're gonna go with the
Moroccan rap a tomato, cucumber relish and garlic sauce served
on a warm Moroccan flatbread.

Speaker 2 (57:50):
M oh man, that is.

Speaker 4 (57:57):
I'm uh, I take a look?

Speaker 2 (58:02):
Can I take a look at it? Can I?

Speaker 1 (58:03):
You can google a layer right now if you want to,
although if you google Moroccan rap, you're probably gonna get
a lot of different results.

Speaker 2 (58:12):
I got Food and Wine Festival.

Speaker 4 (58:15):
It sounds really good. But you know, if if I'm
being completely honest, it probably wouldn't be one of the
first things I would go for. So I'm gonna put
that at four for me.

Speaker 1 (58:25):
Yeah, that's that's fitting for me too. It was on
my list of things to try when I was going
to try those ten things, and it just didn't make
the cut. So I think it would be a little
bit lower on my list too. Brian, you're going you're
going one to five.

Speaker 2 (58:38):
I'm putting on.

Speaker 1 (58:42):
Well, so the Moroccan rap is the thing that Brian
is most excited to try.

Speaker 2 (58:48):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (58:48):
So that leaves us with Christina. You have the two spot, Brian,
you have the five and Brian, I think you played
this perfectly. You probably knew, uh you're catching onto my
trends because this is what the third time we've done this.
So Christina, I want you to tell me why the
second most anticipated menu item is the pickle milkshake.

Speaker 4 (59:07):
I love the milkshake.

Speaker 2 (59:11):
I messed up.

Speaker 4 (59:14):
Amittedly. It wouldn't have been number one, but.

Speaker 1 (59:18):
Two is perfect.

Speaker 2 (59:22):
Is this a dill pickle milkshake or is this a
sweet pickle milkshake?

Speaker 1 (59:26):
I think they're going for dill, but it's more of
a sweet.

Speaker 4 (59:29):
It is a little bit on the sweeter side.

Speaker 3 (59:31):
Yeah, okay, maybe I did play it safe. Maybe I
did play it safe.

Speaker 1 (59:33):
Okay, it's I tried this in conjunction with those unnecessarily
spicy wings and that actually paired pretty nicely. But the
uh yeah, it helped with the heat definitely a lot.
But it's it's so weird, man drink. Taking a sip
of a milkshake and getting pickle flavor immediately is just
so weird. I will say, it does fade and it

(59:54):
kind of just tastes like a vanilla milkshake after that.
But very strange, for sure.

Speaker 4 (59:59):
It is. Yeah, yeah, it's different. It's different. That's one
of those you really got to go in with an
open mind.

Speaker 1 (01:00:10):
Yes, you definitely do.

Speaker 4 (01:00:12):
Last year I got two of them, got another one.

Speaker 1 (01:00:18):
Oh wow, this backfired. I should not have saved the
pickle milkshake for last.

Speaker 2 (01:00:23):
Maybe I did mess up.

Speaker 1 (01:00:25):
Now that it was pretty good, I will say I
don't think I would get it again, but it wasn't.
I got it for the novelty of it and expecting
it to be gross, and it wasn't. It was. It
was pretty good. It's it's well done. It's just strange.

Speaker 4 (01:00:39):
Yeah, it's different. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:00:41):
So Brian the Moroccan rap and Christina the seafood role.
Those are the two number ones and the pickled milkshake
at the bottom for Brian and the unnecessarily spicy wings
at the bottom for Christina. I think you guys played
this pretty well. This was well well played. Blind ranking
here because I think the last time we did it
was with Shannon and she ended up having to explain

(01:01:02):
why poor Orlean's French quarter was the best Walt Disney
World Resort hotel, and she was not happy about it.

Speaker 3 (01:01:08):
He was not, No, no, no, Yeah that was rough.

Speaker 4 (01:01:15):
It is very charming there.

Speaker 1 (01:01:18):
It is. I will say, I do love that resort.

Speaker 4 (01:01:20):
Yeah, there is definitely a sense of charm there that
some of the other resorts don't have.

Speaker 1 (01:01:26):
Yeah, but she was not happy to rank it above imagine.

Speaker 3 (01:01:30):
Oh yeah, all that that's what really started off. It
wasn't just because of the place, but just because of
where she ended.

Speaker 1 (01:01:35):
Up, right right, right right, all right, let's get into
our deal of the week before we wrap things up
here today. We have got a really awesome deal that
I would absolutely love to take advantage of myself. Save
up to twenty five percent on select rooms and villas
at Alani, a Disney Resort and Spa this winter, offers
valid for stays most nights from January fourth, twenty twenty

(01:01:56):
six to April ninth, twenty twenty six. Ask your destination
to travel Advisor for more information, and if you don't
have a destination to Travel Advisor yet, you can get
in touch with Christina. Christina, how can the people reach
out to you? One more time?

Speaker 4 (01:02:09):
You can email me at Christina Smith at D two
travel dot com or give me a call at eight
four four nine three nine four eight seven eight extensions
seven eight nine.

Speaker 1 (01:02:22):
And by the way, I think this is the first
time that we've had a guest on where we don't
have to be like you'll see the spelling of her
name uh in the description of the episode. I think
you guys can figure out Christina Smith. That's a pretty
easy one.

Speaker 4 (01:02:35):
It's with ach.

Speaker 1 (01:02:36):
Yes, yes, Christina, Okay, that's fair. That could be a
little bit tricky, but the name will be in the
description as well, so you can find it down there. Christina,
thank you so much. This was awesome.

Speaker 4 (01:02:48):
This was thank so much fun. Thank you so much
for having me.

Speaker 1 (01:02:53):
It's a pleasure to absolutely we will definitely have you
back in the future and if you I would love that.
If you want to start planning your next Disney or
Universal or really any vacation, head over to D two
travel dot com or you can always send us an
email at info at D two travel dot com to
get in touch with one of our amazing advisors, like Christina,
or like Eric when he's here you know, when he's

(01:03:14):
not out gallivanting around Halloween. Her knights. But yeah, you
can get one more time D two Travel dot com.
That's d the number two travel dot com. And again
you can read more about all of the news that
we talked about on this episode at chipincompany dot com. Brian,
let's do this again in a couple weeks and let's
talk about some Halloween her knights.

Speaker 2 (01:03:36):
I'm ready for it. Sounds good.

Speaker 1 (01:03:37):
That's gonna do it for us. Thanks everyone, Bye see
Yah