DAY 4 – Thursday 10/27/22
Who: Sue (63), DVC Member
SB (65), my husband

Plan: Epcot/Food & Wine

Actual: Last night we each relaxed with a tv – basketball for him and HGTV or TLC for me. Around 7 I made him a ham sandwich, which he ate with some chips we’d brought and some of the lemonade I’d made. I also added some of the crackers/salami/
cheese I’d brought when I thought Tiana & Jonell would be joining us at the start of the trip. For my dinner I fixed some of the pita crackers with sharp cheddar cheese spread (also bought for Tiana & Jonell) and poured some wine. I really liked the
pita/cheese combination. I also finished the apple crumble tart from the first night. The rocky road chocolate cake (minus a bite) sits in the kitchen for another day.

I turned in around 9:30 and slept well again, today not actually getting up until 5:15. I made my cappuccino and brought it back to bed, where as usual I relaxed online while watching the local news. SB was up by 7, having forgotten completely about
Olivia’s. When he asked what time we were going to the pool and I reminded him we have a breakfast reservation at Olivia’s he sprung up out of bed like a kid on Christmas morning, lol!

While he took a quick shower I sat in bed and watched the pretty sunrise – then we headed out around 7:15. Checking at the bus stop we saw 2 buses were due at 7:19 and 1 at 7:18. It was currently 7:17 so we waited and within a minute a bus was there.
Unfortunately, there was an incredibly LOUD party on board – one woman in particular just had incredibly high volume and a voice that was like nails on a chalkboard. SB & I stood by the back door and I commented on the noise to him. The lady seated
on the other side of me said she can’t believe how loud those people are! We wished her luck on the rest of her bus ride as we got off at the Hospitality House stop.

We walked over to Olivia’s and looked at the menu (again) then sat on a bench. I got a notification to check in for our reservation, so did that – selecting inside seating at a booth. Just after 7:30 I got the text that our table was ready so we
went inside and were seated at a booth. We were the only guests in there the entire time.

Our server was great and chatted a bit from time to time. SB got the Olivia’s Breakfast, with 2 eggs over easy, breakfast potatoes, sausage (3 links) and toast rather than a biscuit. He said the eggs were cooked perfectly, and the potatoes were in
the style of home fries with a bit of cheese in the sauce – very good.

I ordered the banana bread pudding, and OH MY GOODNESS was this ever delicious!!!!! It smelled and tasted like a dessert. There was a big glob of banana bread pudding (like a jumbo muffin) which had been baked and doused with a caramel sauce and topped
with whipped cream. There were also a few banana and strawberry slices – and I chose bacon for my protein. Taking the first bite, I found it tasted as great as it smelled – absolutely wonderful! It was too much for me to finish, so I took the rest
home. It was too good to get thrown away.

We settled the check (10% off for dvc or passholder) and walked back to the villa. It’s very cloudy right now, so we decided to hang out in the villa for an hour and hope the weather improves. On Good Morning America they were showing a couple
getting married (live) at the front of Epcot. The travel reporter Gio performed the ceremony. Regular guests could be seen gawking from a distance, dressed in their theme park clothes while the invited guests were all dressed nicely and seated to watch
the ceremony.

By 9 the sun was shining so I decided to head to the pool. SB decided to stay back to watch First Take but planned to join me around 11. I changed into a swimsuit, grabbed my stuff, and went to walk over to the quiet pool. I noticed the ground looked
wet, which was odd. Once I got downstairs and stepped out I realized it was raining, so I went back upstairs to wait for the rain to end. The golfers were out golfing in the rain, which was light but very steady. I sat on the porch with a puzzle book
to pass the time. The entire time it was raining the sun was shining. Soon it slowed down and by 9:20 it had stopped. At 9:25 I went out to the pool, where it was already very warm.

I set up in the same spot as yesterday and saw someone had already come out and “reserved” one of the tables (& nearby chaise lounges). It’s so unnecessary, since there are more than enough and the quiet pool has never been busy. One half of the
couple showed up around 10 and the other a little after that. They seemed very nice.

I did some reading and SB showed up between 10 & 10:30. He went into the pool for a while, then sat on his chaise lounge before returning to the pool. It was incredibly hot in the sun, but when a big cloud would pass it felt pretty good in the shade.
When I first got to the pool I heard a horrendous noise and remembered there was some type of military plane flyover at the Magic Kingdom at 9:30 this morning, and the planes flew over this pool area to get there. Even SB heard it from inside the villa,
but didn’t know what it was. A few people came out onto their porches when they heard the noise. A short bit later I heard them again, going back but this time they weren’t passing over us.

It got so hot the shower wasn’t keeping up with cooling me off so I went and sat on the top step in the pool. That definitely helped! We got out to dry off at the same time and SB went back to the villa around 11:30 or so. I sat in the shade at our
table for another 30 minutes and then went to the villa. I threw the swimsuits and the couple other dirty clothes into the washing machine and then took my shower. The washing machine runs for a long time – I was showered, dressed and had blow-dried
my hair before it ended.

By now SB was asleep, so I packed up my clothes and then went out to the living room. I ate some of the pita crackers & spreadable cheese, and poured a glass of wine. When he wakes up I’ll see if he wants anything. We won’t be leaving for Epcot
until after 3 today. I was able to read the General Hospital recap of yesterday’s episode online, then watched today’s on tv at 2pm.

We left around 3:15 and drove over to Boardwalk. Once again it was no trouble getting into the parking lot. I dropped SB off up top then parked the car and picked him up from the round couch in the lobby when I returned. As we came outside I could see
the Epcot boat coming over from Yacht Club so we went to the dock and were lucky enough to get seats outside for a pleasant ride to Epcot!

Entering the park took no time at all, and we turned left coming up the hill at International Gateway. It was still very warm in the sun but thankfully there were plenty of clouds to help keep it more comfortable – at least for a while. The weather
forecast had called for a couple hours of thunderstorms starting at 4:45, so I brought a couple of umbrellas and hoped we’d be able to enjoy ourselves before it rained.

SB was getting on my last nerve – I’d told him we were meeting Andy & Lisa around 4:30 in Italy but of course everything goes in one ear and out the other. He was walking quickly, for no apparent reason. He passed on each food I suggested, but in
Mexico he wanted a margarita (no surprise there, lol). However, the queue at the margarita stand was quite full and across the street there was a long line of people waiting to get into the cantina. We’d just passed the Mexico Food & Wine stand that
was practically empty and had 2 margaritas on the menu so I mentioned that and we went there. He got the blood orange margarita, which was very tasty.

He decided to get the coffee rubbed beef tenderloin from Kenya, which was very good. I didn’t detect any coffee flavor in the beef though. I wanted to stand in the shade while he ate it, but he wanted to keep walking, so I went along but cursing him
under my breath for being so pig-headed. I was reminded how much I like solo trips <g>. It was pretty warm walking, so the clouds must have moved away.

When we approached Italy I reminded him we were meeting Andy & Lisa Cubbon and of course it was as if he’d never heard this before. He did his usual grumbling about not wanting to meet people, wanting it to be just the 2 of us, blah blah blah. I
pointed out I wanted to stop in the shade earlier but walked along for him – now he can do this for me.

We got a table for 4 outside the wine shop – in the shade but without a breeze it was still pretty hot. Of course once Andy & Lisa arrived, SB had a great time with them. This is typical of him – he gripes and complains but then enjoys himself. I
really enjoyed catching up with both of them in person, as it had been several years since our trips overlapped. We’ve just missed each other many times. At one point Lisa & I went into the wine shop, where I was shocked to find it uncrowded! Most
of the time there’s a line out the door, but today we had one couple in there besides us. I got a glass of prosecco and some Italian light lager for SB. Lisa got the dark amber beer for herself and a glass of prosecco for Andy. We enjoyed our
beverages along with good conversation and the time flew by until it was time for them to head to their dinner reservation.

SB & I continued around, stopping in America for him to have the hot beef sandwich. He was going to get the short ribs & mashed potatoes at France but the line was really long so we skipped it. Instead, he got the fish & chips in United Kingdom – it
looked awful to me! It was huge but of course it’s mostly breading, and it seemed overcooked because the batter was hard. He ate it without any major complaining. Afterwards we got him a bottle of water and he went to sit on a bench by the
International Gateway while I made another round and got my dinner.

My destination was India, where I ordered the chicken tika masala and Sula chenin blanc. I got a shady table across from the African drums, and was thrilled to find the naan bread was soft this time. Everything was perfect – so delicious! It’s
quite a big portion too, so this was it for me. I enjoyed every bite, and was glad to close out my October Food & Wine Festival experience with this.

I continued walking around, sipping my wine, and found SB on his bench at International Gateway. As we exited the park the boat was pulling in, so we rode back to Boardwalk – once again scoring outside seats! He waited up top where the airport buses
come in while I got the car and came up to get him – then we drove back to Old Key West. It ended up not raining at all while we were out – even now at almost 8pm it’s still dry.

Today was a terrific day, other than the annoying needless drama that sometimes arises. I love just relaxing rather than rushing off to a park, and enjoyed both breakfast and pool time – even simple stuff like watching a soap opera in the living room!
Our final Food & Wine of the trip was delicious and it was a treat to spend time with Andy & Lisa again.

Tomorrow we check out and will head to Disney Springs to spend a little time before our lunch at the Boathouse. After that, we’ll be heading home to Gainesville.

Sue/WDW1972

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On Thursday, October 27, 2022 at 6:48:00 PM UTC-5, Sue/WDW1972 wrote:

DAY 4 – Thursday 10/27/22
Who: Sue (63), DVC Member
SB (65), my husband

Plan: Epcot/Food & Wine

Actual: Last night we each relaxed with a tv – basketball for him and HGTV or TLC for me. Around 7 I made him a ham sandwich, which he ate with some chips we’d brought and some of the lemonade I’d made. I also added some of the crackers/salami/

cheese I’d brought when I thought Tiana & Jonell would be joining us at the start of the trip. For my dinner I fixed some of the pita crackers with sharp cheddar cheese spread (also bought for Tiana & Jonell) and poured some wine. I really liked the
pita/cheese combination. I also finished the apple crumble tart from the first night. The rocky road chocolate cake (minus a bite) sits in the kitchen for another day.

I turned in around 9:30 and slept well again, today not actually getting up until 5:15. I made my cappuccino and brought it back to bed, where as usual I relaxed online while watching the local news. SB was up by 7, having forgotten completely about

Olivia’s. When he asked what time we were going to the pool and I reminded him we have a breakfast reservation at Olivia’s he sprung up out of bed like a kid on Christmas morning, lol!

While he took a quick shower I sat in bed and watched the pretty sunrise – then we headed out around 7:15. Checking at the bus stop we saw 2 buses were due at 7:19 and 1 at 7:18. It was currently 7:17 so we waited and within a minute a bus was there.

Unfortunately, there was an incredibly LOUD party on board – one woman in particular just had incredibly high volume and a voice that was like nails on a chalkboard. SB & I stood by the back door and I commented on the noise to him. The lady seated on
the other side of me said she can’t believe how loud those people are! We wished her luck on the rest of her bus ride as we got off at the Hospitality House stop.

We walked over to Olivia’s and looked at the menu (again) then sat on a bench. I got a notification to check in for our reservation, so did that – selecting inside seating at a booth. Just after 7:30 I got the text that our table was ready so we

went inside and were seated at a booth. We were the only guests in there the entire time.

Our server was great and chatted a bit from time to time. SB got the Olivia’s Breakfast, with 2 eggs over easy, breakfast potatoes, sausage (3 links) and toast rather than a biscuit. He said the eggs were cooked perfectly, and the potatoes were in

the style of home fries with a bit of cheese in the sauce – very good.

I ordered the banana bread pudding, and OH MY GOODNESS was this ever delicious!!!!! It smelled and tasted like a dessert. There was a big glob of banana bread pudding (like a jumbo muffin) which had been baked and doused with a caramel sauce and topped

with whipped cream. There were also a few banana and strawberry slices – and I chose bacon for my protein. Taking the first bite, I found it tasted as great as it smelled – absolutely wonderful! It was too much for me to finish, so I took the rest
home. It was too good to get thrown away.

We settled the check (10% off for dvc or passholder) and walked back to the villa. It’s very cloudy right now, so we decided to hang out in the villa for an hour and hope the weather improves. On Good Morning America they were showing a couple

getting married (live) at the front of Epcot. The travel reporter Gio performed the ceremony. Regular guests could be seen gawking from a distance, dressed in their theme park clothes while the invited guests were all dressed nicely and seated to watch
the ceremony.

By 9 the sun was shining so I decided to head to the pool. SB decided to stay back to watch First Take but planned to join me around 11. I changed into a swimsuit, grabbed my stuff, and went to walk over to the quiet pool. I noticed the ground looked

wet, which was odd. Once I got downstairs and stepped out I realized it was raining, so I went back upstairs to wait for the rain to end. The golfers were out golfing in the rain, which was light but very steady. I sat on the porch with a puzzle book to
pass the time. The entire time it was raining the sun was shining. Soon it slowed down and by 9:20 it had stopped. At 9:25 I went out to the pool, where it was already very warm.

I set up in the same spot as yesterday and saw someone had already come out and “reserved” one of the tables (& nearby chaise lounges). It’s so unnecessary, since there are more than enough and the quiet pool has never been busy. One half of the

couple showed up around 10 and the other a little after that. They seemed very nice.

I did some reading and SB showed up between 10 & 10:30. He went into the pool for a while, then sat on his chaise lounge before returning to the pool. It was incredibly hot in the sun, but when a big cloud would pass it felt pretty good in the shade.

When I first got to the pool I heard a horrendous noise and remembered there was some type of military plane flyover at the Magic Kingdom at 9:30 this morning, and the planes flew over this pool area to get there. Even SB heard it from inside the villa,
but didn’t know what it was. A few people came out onto their porches when they heard the noise. A short bit later I heard them again, going back but this time they weren’t passing over us.

It got so hot the shower wasn’t keeping up with cooling me off so I went and sat on the top step in the pool. That definitely helped! We got out to dry off at the same time and SB went back to the villa around 11:30 or so. I sat in the shade at our

table for another 30 minutes and then went to the villa. I threw the swimsuits and the couple other dirty clothes into the washing machine and then took my shower. The washing machine runs for a long time – I was showered, dressed and had blow-dried my
hair before it ended.

By now SB was asleep, so I packed up my clothes and then went out to the living room. I ate some of the pita crackers & spreadable cheese, and poured a glass of wine. When he wakes up I’ll see if he wants anything. We won’t be leaving for Epcot

until after 3 today. I was able to read the General Hospital recap of yesterday’s episode online, then watched today’s on tv at 2pm.

We left around 3:15 and drove over to Boardwalk. Once again it was no trouble getting into the parking lot. I dropped SB off up top then parked the car and picked him up from the round couch in the lobby when I returned. As we came outside I could see

the Epcot boat coming over from Yacht Club so we went to the dock and were lucky enough to get seats outside for a pleasant ride to Epcot!

Entering the park took no time at all, and we turned left coming up the hill at International Gateway. It was still very warm in the sun but thankfully there were plenty of clouds to help keep it more comfortable – at least for a while. The weather

forecast had called for a couple hours of thunderstorms starting at 4:45, so I brought a couple of umbrellas and hoped we’d be able to enjoy ourselves before it rained.

SB was getting on my last nerve – I’d told him we were meeting Andy & Lisa around 4:30 in Italy but of course everything goes in one ear and out the other. He was walking quickly, for no apparent reason. He passed on each food I suggested, but in

Mexico he wanted a margarita (no surprise there, lol). However, the queue at the margarita stand was quite full and across the street there was a long line of people waiting to get into the cantina. We’d just passed the Mexico Food & Wine stand that
was practically empty and had 2 margaritas on the menu so I mentioned that and we went there. He got the blood orange margarita, which was very tasty.

He

Perhaps SB was looking forward to a drive to Cocoa Beach? Two-fer Tuesday in some establishments, that's what I'm told.

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