The Final Countdown - 5 Days!

Five days. FIVE days. FIVE DAYS! It's nearly here! And look, another cute image to share from Walt Disney World's Facebook album!

A bit of news to share: we've decided to purchase the Express Pass for Universal Studios. This information doesn't directly correlate to the day we will be discussing in this post but it is exciting nonetheless. We made this decision because we will be at Universal Orlando for two days, one of which is a a short day due to Halloween Horror Nights party. We purchased the Express Pass for Saturday, September 24th to be used once per applicable attraction for both parks. Because Islands of Adventure is open 9am to 8pm that day and Universal Studios' hours are 8am to 5pm, we will begin our day at Universal Studios and visit as many attractions as possible before taking the Hogwarts Express to Islands of Adventure for our 12pm reservation at Mythos and all of the attractions we can handle until 8pm (including Reign of Kong!!) The total damage was about $140, including tax. I wouldn't normally splurge for this sort of thing but I think the recent Hulk coaster refurbishment and the opening of Reign of Kong warrant a little assistance. The ride wait times still appear to be 120 minutes or more for Reign of Kong and that's precious time that could be spent exploring.

Now, for day six of the trip!

Wednesday September 21

• 8:30am - Wake Up!

• 9:00am - Epcot opens, although we probably won't be in the park until 9:30am

• 10:00am - Mission Space Fastpass

• 10:35am - Living with the Land Fastpass

• 11:40am - Frozen Ever After Faspass

• 12:00pm - Lunch at Tokyo Dining

• 1:00pm - Food & Wine Festival Itinerary (see below)

• 5:00pm - Dinner at Tangierine Cafe

• 6:00pm - Food & Wine Festival Itinerary

Food & Wine Festival Itinerary:

Future World:

Chew Collective (B): Ricotta and Zucchini Ravioli

Chocolate Studio (B): Liquid Nitro Chocolate Almond Truffle with Warm Whiskey Caramel

*Farm Fresh (B): Chicken and Dumplings, Mac and Cheese, and Pear Hard Cider

Starting at front of World Showcase, moving counter clockwise:

Hawaii (L): Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour Dole® Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise

*Desserts and Champagne (L): Dom Perignon

Greece (B): Vegan Loaded Greek Nachos and Chicken Gyro

Canada (B): Cheddar Cheese Soup and Beef Filet Mignon

*Ireland (L): Frozen Chai Cocktail

*France (L): La Passion Martini Slush

*Morocco (B): Spicy Hummus Fries, Mimosa Royale, Chocolate Baklava

Brazil (B): Brazilian Cheese Bread

Japan (B): Spicy Sushi Roll, Spicy Edamame, Garlic Shrimp

Hops & Barley (B): Smoked Beef Brisket with Pimento Cheese and Carrot Cake

*Italy (B): Baked Ziti, Tuscan-Style Stew, and Frozen Margarita with Limoncello

*Poland (B): Kielbasa and Potato Pierogi and Frozen Szarlotka Apple Pie cocktail

*China (L): Bubble Tea

Mexico (P): Battered Shrimp Soft Taco

* is an alcoholic beverage stop

The focus of this day is mostly on the Food & Wine Festival so we may need to roll ourselves back to the hotel afterward! We have a few rides scheduled but we probably won't do anything without a Fastpass on this day (unless it's Soarin' with a low wait time because we LOVE Soarin'!) Also, we aren't planning to watch IllumiNations because that's part of our first Epcot day BUT if the Chase Visa Lounge isn't handing out wristbands on the first day then we may have to move that plan to this day. Personally, I'm hoping it's an early night for us because walking around World Showcase in the hot sun always seems to zap my energy.

There are a lot more offerings at Food & Wine Festival aside from those I've listed in this post; we had to narrow it down by what we a) really wanted and b) could handle. This is still a lot of food and drinks but I think we can spread it out from 11am to 9pm and make it work - plus we can always skip the lunch at Tokyo Dining or dinner at Tangierine Cafe if necessary.

I'm hoping to report back with lots of pictures of the festival because I know this is a huge interest for many people and I'm glad we are able to make it this year! Be sure to check back after the trip for updates!