My October Trip

It’s that time again… I’m going to Disney World!  I’ve really enjoyed sharing my trips with the readers since I started posting on the Touring Plans blog.  With this quick trip to Orlando during the first weekend of October I will continue the trend.  I’ve never been to WDW in October before so it’s just another element of my trip to be excited about.  There is so much on my schedule to squeeze into a four day trip!  There will be so much going during these four days so let’s get to it.

This time around I’ll be sharing a room with my friends Kim and Caroline who you all know and love from the Touring Plans blog.  We decided to stay at the Yacht Club so that we’ll be within walking distance of the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot. We were already thinking we wanted to stay in the Epcot resort area, but it may have also helped that I received a 40% off pincode to put toward our stay making the sting of a deluxe resort a little more bearable.  Not only are we staying at a deluxe resort, but we sprung for the concierge level.  It will be my first time staying at club level and I really can’t wait to see what magic they make.  I’ll also get to make use of Stormalong Bay, the pool shared by the Yacht and Beach Club resorts, for the very first time.  I’m clearly excited about our lodging choice and I hope it lives up to expectations!  I will write all about my experience at the Yacht Club in a future post.

Like I said, one of the main reasons we selected the Yacht Club was because of its proximity to Epcot so we could spend a lot of time enjoying the International Food and Wine Festival.  This year marks the 15th anniversary of the foodie event and I can’t wait to experience it.  I enjoyed the festival a couple of years ago, but haven’t had the chance since.  It will be a blast to wander around World Showcase sampling the specialties of over 25 countries.  I’ll be sure to tweet and take lots of pictures to share with readers while touring during the festival.  The festival runs from October 1st until November 14th for those readers who are thinking about checking it out.  While I like to eat (who doesn’t?) , I don’t consider myself a foodie so I’ll be passing on the special events being held for an extra charge.

One of the other things I’m really looking forward to on this trip is attending Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.  I have been one other time, but it poured (we’re talking monsoon here) and so I didn’t get to see all of the special features of the party.  So I’m excited to see the full “Boo to You” parade and the Hallowishes fireworks.  While I am not the biggest fan of shows and parades, the “Boo to You Parade” is awesome!  I won’t be all decked out for the occasion since it will still be hot, but I’ll have my cat ears and I’ll admire all of the folks who really get into the spirit of things.  A lot of my friends will be attending the party as well so its sure to be a great night.

So besides the Food and Wine festival where will I be eating this time around?  Well since we are staying on the concierge level at the Yacht Club we haven’t made any plans for breakfast.  However, my friends and I have a lunch Advanced Dining Reservations (ADR) at the Plaza Restaurant in the Magic Kingdom.  I’ve never eaten there before so I’m looking forward to a new experience.  I’ve heard the Plaza described as a hidden gem with its sandwiches and ice cream, so we’ll see how it goes.  As for dinner time I’ll be heading Sanaa on my first night with several friends.  I ate there on its opening night and loved it, but I haven’t been back since.   The Touring Plans team and I will also try out the new… in the Mexico Pavilion.  My trip may seem light on ADRs, but between the concierge lounge and the Food and Wine Festival I’m pretty sure I’ll be well fed.

Another big component of our trip will be the running events for the Inaugural Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend.  My lovely roommate, Caroline, along with a few other friends of mine will be running the half marathon Saturday night.  I will be there to cheer them on and then celebrate their achievement at the party held at Epcot after the race.  Several of my friends are also running the 5k on Saturday morning so I will be up in the early hours to cheer for them too.  A couple of the non runners and I have plans to make signs and encourage our running buddies.  I’ll be so proud of all of them when the cross the finish line!

There are many events going on this weekend within the Disney community.  It is actually quite overwhelming!  On the day of my arrival I’m going to try to make it over to the Saratoga Springs to visit with the folks for the Be Our Guest Podcast in their Treehouse Villa for their meet.  Next up, I may try to pop into Lou Mongello’s WDW Radio‘s Food and Wine Walkabout.  Lou is also having a meet at the Boardwalk Bakery on Saturday morning and since I’m staying at the Yacht Club it would be an easy stroll from my room to the meet.  Then, on Sunday AJ from the Disney Food Blog will be hosting Foodie Fest at the Beach Club.  I’ll be sure to stop by this event, but others may want to get their early so they have time to complete the scavenger hunt.  Clearly the meet I’m most excited about is the one the Touring Plans blog team will be hosting on Sunday, October 3rd at 2:30!  We’ll be meeting with readers and fans at La Catina de San Angel to treat everyone to some yummy food and hang out at the newly renovated restaurant.  Len, JL, Todd, Caroline, and I will all be on hand to greet folks and enjoy some laughs.  We hope to see as many of you as possible!

It’s going to be one busy weekend but its sure to be a blast!  I can’t wait to see all my friends and meet some new ones!  To all of the folks who are heading to WDW this weekend, safe travels and I’ll see ya real soon!

As always, you can follow my WDW adventures via twitter: @khelmstetter!

Next week I’ll be back to tell you all about my trip so stay tuned!