39 Thoughts Jenn Had While Watching The Disneyland Tenth Anniversary Special

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We’ve done the pre-opening report. We’ve done the opening ceremony broadcast. Today in my ongoing Thoughts While Watching series we’ll be rounding out the old school parks trilogy with Disneyland’s tenth anniversary television special.

Watch along because I think it’s well worth your time – Pirates, the Haunted Mansion, tons of rare characters, fun behind the scenes footage, a gazillion Imagineers, and a greater understanding of why so many retirees find the #MeToo movement confusing. C’mon, press play.

And now! 39 Thoughts Jenn Had While Watching Disneyland’s Tenth Anniversary Special:

  1. Awww, it’s the “World of Color” theme song! Cue the fountains.

  2. One of these days I’m gonna run a race in a Disneyland tour guide costume. Do you think they’d let me bring a riding crop?

  3. I like a gal who breaks the fourth wall immediately.

  4. “I must say the judges showed good judgment.” Was that creepy? I can’t decide.

  5. Mary Blair in the flesh! The colored lights thing is neat.

  6. Ooh, and John Hench! Apparently he knows all the pretty girls…?

  7. I must say these models are VERY convincing close up.

  8. Marc Davis is next. They’re hitting up all the big name Imagineers.

  9. The vibe with Julie is weird. Stop taking pictures of her, Walt.

  10. Roland Crump! Where’s your tie, man?

  11. A mini Pepper’s Ghost!

  12. Ah, yes, Blaine Gibson. I don’t know who a single K-Pop star is but I know all these guy’s names for sure.

  13. Hmmm, I don’t recognize this pirate model. I’ll have to look for him next time.

  14. I do believe that’s Claude Coates. He got Rolly’s polo shirt memo.

  15. I like looking through the ring to see the same view as the audience. So clever in an age before modern computers.

  16. We wants the redhead!

  17. That Tink, so helpful.

  18. I half expect this toy soldier to spin his drum right off.

  19. Oh my God, are those Lady and the Tramp costumes? They are TERRIFYING.

  20. Why is Cinderella, if that’s indeed who she is, wearing a yellow polka dot dress?

  21. No Disney celebration IS complete without Mary Poppins. Not a bad one, either. I tend to be picky about my face characters.

  22. I’m getting “Be Our Guest” vibes from these dancing birthday candles.

  23. Wait, is that a costumed hag from Snow White? That’s… an interesting take.

  24. I begin to think people only hated the Cakestle because it didn’t break into individual pieces and then perform a highly synchronized dance.

  25. To paraphrase Chandler Bing: it’s just not a parade without the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.

  26. There’s a costumed alligator from Peter Pan? Dang, old people were SPOILED.

  27. That’s funny, I don’t remember there being an Imagineer named Richard Nixon.

  28. Watching the monorail drive through the esplanade past Main Street makes me happy.

  29. Ooh, or maybe I’ll make a Matterhorn Rappeller race costume.

  30. Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland looks like the sort of ride I would dig. Couldn’t we have it AND Big Thunder?

  31. These sailors look like they walked right off the set of Anchors Aweigh. And to think Walt told Gene Kelly he couldn’t use Mickey Mouse in the movie.

  32. I’ll always be loyal to the original Parent Trap. Starring Haley Mills and Haley Mills!

  33. Where are they getting all these foreign dignitaries?

  34. I wish the Tiki Room still had a barker bird.

  35. Nuns in Adventureland! It’s always been a thing!

  36. Snap, did the Tiki Room CMs legit used to dress like that?

  37. I would ride the riverboat more often if it came with big band music and sparklers.

  38. Johnny Tremain! We read that in… sixth grade? I wonder if we watched the Disney special; alas, I can’t remember.

  39. The Sherman Brothers wrote that birthday song? Maybe not their best work.

And that’s another Disneyland special in the bag! I’ve been really enjoying watching these vintage bits of Disney history and free associating nonsense. I hope you find it suitably entertaining, because there’s lots more to cover. I think next time we might try something a little more recent… and snackable.

Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Twitter @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!

The Fairest Trip Report Of All: Brunch At Topolino’s Terrace

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The full trip report is over, but the details still need filling in. Read on for more May 2021 WDW fun!

As a patron of the arts, how could I possibly resist breakfast at Topolino’s Terrace in Disney’s Riviera Resort? The only way it could be more perfectly themed to my taste is if there was a petting zoo attached. Let’s take a look at this magnificent character breakfast experience, shall we? (Here’s the menu if you want to take a look.)

Disney’s Riviera Resort is themed to – wait for it – the Riviera, largely of the French and Italian persuasion I think, although if the music is any indication Topolino’s Terrace itself tends to skew Italian. Funiculì, Funiculà!

Anyway, the resort itself is beautiful, but a bit more sophisticated as opposed to fantastical. You’re transported to another realm of course, but this realm feels more grounded in reality than Disney’s other, more whimsically themed resorts. How that makes you feel will ultimately come down to personal taste, but it also informs the setting of Topolino’s. The decor screams class more than fun. Don’t worry though; at this character breakfast, said characters are undeterred – but we’ll get to them after we eat.

Topolino’s at breakfast is prix fix, with a communal basket of pastries for the table plus an individual entree and your basic, non-specialty and/or alcoholic drinks included. We could’ve had plain old normal coffee at no additional cost, but we decided to splurge on the French press of the Riviera’s proprietary blend.

Topolino

This was fine. I honestly could’ve gone with a stronger pot, but then I’m used to espresso from the Breville at home. Next time I’d just get the free (“free”) cup of joe, but it’s always worth trying these things once.

I also got POG juice, aka pineapple-orange-guava juice, something of a WDW staple. It’s very sweet and honestly I only get it whenever it’s offered because it’s quintessentially Disney to me. I free associate easily.

Topolino

Alongside our drinks we received our pastry basket, which included croissants, caramel pastries, and chocolate muffins. This all reminded me of something you could get in a plastic clamshell case from your local grocery. Which is not to say any of it was bad! Just that it didn’t strike me as house-made, although to be fair we didn’t get around to trying the muffins. The pastries come with jam, honey butter, and a chocolate spread that’s basically Nutella by any other name.

On to the entrees. I was tempted by the smoked salmon and bagel as a devout lover of lox, but that hardly seemed worth the prix fix price tag. I ultimately settled on the spiced sausage hash, which also included a poached egg, English muffin, potatoes and onions, something called “choron sauce,” and herbs.

Topolino

This was really good – and huge. I maybe ate half of it and didn’t feel hungry again until late afternoon. The sausage was good, although I wish it had brought a little more heat. The poached egg had a perfectly running yolk, which is always welcome, and the vegetables were well cooked and tasty from the herbs. The English muffin, buried at the bottom, was completely unnecessary. Order this is you’re looking to fuel up.

Becky also asked our frankly amazing server if we could have one of the sour cream waffles to share. He was happy to accommodate us at no extra charge, but I should note that this brunch is not billed as bottomless so it might be up to your individual Cast Member. Anyway, the waffle itself was light and pleasant but what really kicked it up a notch for me was the chantilly cream. I swear I took a photo of this but I’m coming up blank. 🙁 Oh well.

Now that the food is out of the way, let’s talk about the characters! During COVID times, they didn’t meet with us directly, table to table, but instead took up strategic positions around the restaurant for over-the-shoulder selfies. Once every half hour or so they also did a little parade around the room. As a person who sometimes suffers from the Why So Awkwards, I didn’t mind this at all, but I’d imagine they’ll revert to the old table-to-table method in the future.

As I mentioned at the top, all the characters were dressed as artists! You have Painter Mickey:

Topolino

Poet Minnie:

Topolino

Sculptor Donald:

Topolino

… and Dancer Daisy.

Topolino

Flawless. What is it the French say? J’adore.

After our meal, Becky and I wandered out onto the eponymous terrace just to check it out. The views are pretty sweet, into Epcot especially.

While this character meal isn’t exactly cheap, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. The character costumes are unique and the food is good. I would especially encourage anyone staying at a Skyliner resort to give it a go!

Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Twitter @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!

In Which Jenn Picks Her Very Favorite Posts

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What Tiggers like best

Hey guys! As of a couple weeks ago, this little blog (it’s called The Fairest Run Of All, but you can always glance up at the header if you forget again) turned eight years old. This isn’t as big a deal as the sort of anniversary that has a five on the end of it, but not bad, right? A good run so far.

We’ve racked up a heckuva lot of posts over the years, and I figured this would be as good a time as any to comb through the archives and put together a list of my top ten favorite posts so far. Like all such lists, it is not definitive, and doubtless posts would swap in and out depending on my mood if you asked me on another day. But for now, if you’re bored, here’s a great way to kill some time with some of my greatest hits! Assuming of course I am a good judge of my own work, which… is probably also hard to judge. We’ll all just have to trust me together.

As a note: I removed all trip reports and race recaps from consideration from this top ten list, lest the whole thing wind up composed exclusively of trip reports and race recaps. They are, of course, nicely collected in the aforementioned links, so get to clickin’ if that’s what you’re in the mood for.

If you’d prefer a standalone episode, as it were, try these:

  1. In Which Jenn Discusses The “Fine, Don’t Come” Mentality: How to deal with those WDW haters.

  2. In Which Jenn Is A Poor Disney Archivist: My vintage Figment t-shirt.

  3. In Which Jenn Is Obscene, If You Ask Disney IT (Assuming You Can Find Them): The infamous Pork Butt Magic Bands incident [bonus: the sequel].

  4. In Which Cinderella Castle Is A Swamp Castle: She’s got huge… tracts of land.

  5. In Which Jenn Runs On Assateague Island: For the love of God, stay away from the ponies!

  6. In Which Jenn Notes Something Odd About “Jolly Holiday”: Is that a chimney sweep in his pocket, or is Bert just happy to see you?

  7. In Which Jenn Selects Her Favorite WDW Bars: The landscape has changed in the subsequent years; maybe I should do a follow-up…?

  8. In Which runDisney Seems To Have Lost Its Unofficial Mascot: I thought Goonies never said die.

  9. In Which Jenn Pantsed A Mannequin For Running Tights: And I regret nothing.

  10. In Which The Babysitters Club Goes To Walt Disney World In 1988: Hardly anyone makes it to Epcot. Amateurs.

So there ya go! Those were pretty good, I think. Mind you, there’s a lot more where that came from (my brain). Let’s see what I write next; I’m not sure either.

Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Twitter @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!

The Fairest Trip Report Of All: Drinks & A Snack At Oga’s Cantina

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The full trip report is over, but the details still need filling in. Read on for more May 2021 WDW fun!

I think we can all agree by now that a reservation at Oga’s Cantina is an absolute must for every WDW trip. Heck, I’m not even much of a Star Wars gal, and even I think that. It’s still a hot ticket, and I had to fight to get it, but it was well worth the effort. In fact, I’d despite the quieter atmosphere due to COVID restrictions, this time around was even better than the first. And I owe it all to Jason.

Jason was our bartender, and oh, what a wonderful bartender he was. We were seated at the bar itself, which probably helped, but his service was unparalleled. (Oh, and now would be a good time to link you the menu so you can follow along if you want.)

I had preselected drink number one: the Dagobah Slug Slinger. This one comes with tequila, blue curacao, citrus juices, ginger, herbs, and bitters. This was enjoyable but I was a little disappointed with how dominant the fruit flavors were; I would’ve liked a stronger showing from the ginger and herbs. The little plant garnish was a nice touch, though.

Dagobah Slug Slinger

My second drink was where the magic of Jason kicked in. I was hemming and hawing between the Jet Juice or the Outer Rim.  The latter is a delicious bourbon-based cocktail that packs a punch, but the Outer Rim is a margarita by any other name that comes with an AMAZING passion fruit foam on top. What to do, what to do?

Well, let me tell you. Jason knew what to do.

What he did was deliver me a Jet Juice, a glass of ice, and a cup FILLED with passion fruit foam. “Pour the Jet Juice over the ice,” he said, “and then top it with the foam.” That’s right, kids, he combined the two drinks just for me!!

Jet Juice + Outer Rim

Jet Juice + Outer Rim

And it was awesome. Normally I prefer my bourbon on the rocks, not in cocktails, but Jet Juice is definitely an exception. It’s fruity without being too sweet, and the passion fruit foam played surprisingly well with the flavors. That being said, I definitely wound up eating most of it with a spoon. When it was done, Jason even wandered by and refilled it unasked! See what I mean? Five-star service.

If you’ve been to Oga’s, you know they have some rules, one of which is that you can only have two drinks per person. However, I find that it’s very loosely enforced, and sure enough a little while later a different bartender wandered by and asked if we’d like another drink. I felt like another cocktail might be pushing it, but an item from the beer menu had caught my eye, so I ordered that.

Gold Squadron Lager

The beer in question was Blue Point Brewery’s Gold Squadron Lager, and I was after because it was described as featuring the flavors of plum and – wait for it – LAVENDER. You know how I love my floral flavors. I wound up really enjoying this one, too; the lavender flavor wasn’t aggressive, but it was definitely present. It seems you can get this beer at Docking Bay 7 too, so I may need to look into that next time I’m there.

All this drinking required a snack. Pickings are pretty slim when it comes to Oga’s food menu, but the Batuu Bits sounded decent enough so we ordered those. They’re described “crispy galaxy snack bits,” whatever that means. Turned out they were various vegetable chips with a spicy chermoula dipping sauce. I found the whole thing pretty underwhelming, consisting of crunch and salt but not much else in terms of flavor, but I know Becky was pretty into the dip. I wouldn’t discourage you from ordering it but I think I’ll grab a snack pre-Oga’s next time.

Galaxy Bits
Did I mention it’s really dark in there?

The atmosphere was, as noted above, a bit subdued due to COVID restrictions, but our time there was exemplary all the same. I can’t wait to come back when it’s bumpin’ again and we can get all the theatrics alongside the absolutely amazing drinks.

Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Twitter @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!

In Which FROA Is Fixed/Wine & Dine Is On

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Hello humans! Welcome back to the new, hopefully improved The Fairest Run Of All! My apologies for the abrupt and lengthy service interruption these last couple weeks; I finally got around to transferring from antiquated Blogger to fancypants WordPress, and the process was simultaneously slower and faster than I expected.

The good news is, with the exception of some cosmetic/design/organizational elements I’m still refining, FROA is back and the content starts a-flowin’ again! Check back soon for more of the ravings of a Disney madwoman. It’s not always edifying, but I like to think we have fun.

And speaking of fun, let’s double down on the celebration with this magnificent image:

Yup, I successfully registered for the Wine & Dine Half Marathon! I was right there at 10am on registration morning, with three devices open and my heart in my throat. I was sure all the races would sell out early; heck, I was even considering getting an otherwise useless Club runDisney membership next time just for the presale access. Luckily I made it through in plenty of time… and in fact, I could’ve shown up late. I could show up right NOW – as of this writing, only the 10k is in fact sold out. Even the usually competitive Two Course Challenge is still available. All that anxiety for nothing, right? Story of my life.

So yeah! Tune in next week for more Disney nonsense as only I could write it. Why? Because I like you!

Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Twitter @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!

Introducing The Fairest Run Of All On Instagram

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Instagram

Under normal circumstances, I despise being late. So this is tough for me.

Lemme rip the bandaid off: after almost eight years, I finally got around to starting an Instagram account expressly for this blog. 

Okay, in my defense, “finally got around to” is not strictly accurate. I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Years, even. I love scrolling through Disney Instagram and looking at all the awesome pictures of awesome people enjoying the parks. And there are tons of accounts doing it. Tons! So many I thought: I’m just a little blog. I can’t compete. It’s already being done. Can I bring anything different to the table?

And y’know… strictly speaking, I don’t know if I can. I’m a small-time blogger who loves running and Disney and runDisney and Disney fashion. None of that is new. BUT! It’s an Instagram account, not neurosurgery. I’m not scrubbing in and asking for a scalpel; I’m posting my WDW pics for fun. If it doesn’t take off? No worries! I’m just futzing around with photos. Sure, there are plenty of fish in the sea, but there’s no reason one of them can’t be me.

So yeah! If you’re on Insta, follow The Fairest Run Of All.  I’ve been, ahem, doing a soft opening for a a month or so now so that there’s actual content when you click through. I’ll be posting when there’s a new blog entry, of course, but on off days I’ve got bajillions Disney photos in my backlog, some of which have never before seen the metaphorical light of day. They’re so excited to finally have a purpose!

Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Twitter @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!

In Which Jenn Is A Figment Of Your Imagination

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The full trip report is over, but the details still need filling in. Read on for more May 2021 WDW fun!

It happened!!! It finally happened!!!! runDisney has officially announced new, in person races! Including Wine & Dine for this November. I KNEW holding onto my resort reservations was a good idea. Hooray!!!!!!

Now all I have to do is not have a nervous breakdown while wildly grappling for race registrations before they sell out. 😅 But then: celebration!

So much of my year revolves around joyously training and planning for these races; as silly as it sounds, I feel like I just got part of myself back. You know? I have something to work toward again. Something to run about again. Something to make race costumes about again!

How was that segue? Didja like that? ‘Cause, yeah, we’re gonna talk about my new race costume. I’ve been holding back this post out of fear that I would jinx myself, but now I can fly free!

I say “fly” because my new race costume has wings… and horns.. and a dash of childish delight! That’s right, it’s Figment!

Figment race costume

“But wait,” you say, “you already have a Figment race costume. You’ve used it more than once.”

That’s true, but this is the REMIX.

A: New extra-cute Figment ears with wings! (You can get your own pair in many Epcot gift shops but haven’t seen this one on shopDisney, yet anyway.)

Figment race costume

B: New tie-dye purple running pants that will enable me to wear color while hiding sweat! (These are by Joy Lab and no longer made but I’ve seen many pairs on resale sites like Poshmark and Thredup.)

Figment race costumeFigment race costume
C: An orange sports bra! Okay, well, actually, that’s kinda hard to see. I may need to ferret out a running shirt with smaller straps, but then it would all depend on race day weather anyway. It’s a Victoria’s Secret bra I got secondhand but heaven knows they have more.
Figment race costume

I’m super excited about this new, more exuberant, and hopefully more recognizable Figment costume. Here I am being extremely normal about it.

Figment race costumeFigment race costume

I am so so so so happy runDisney is coming back. It’s been a tough year for everybody, and this is just the inspiration we need. If I may be so bold as to make a request from you – if you’re not already vaccinated, PLEASE get the shot. We don’t want the Delta variant ruining everything again. Remember: with F-I-G-M-E-N-T, you can see things differently!

Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Twitter @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!

The Fairest Trip Report Of All: Dinner At Tiffins

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The full trip report is over, but the details still need filling in. Read on for more May 2021 WDW fun!

When planning out the advanced dining reservations for our May trip, the first name I threw out was Tiffins. I’ve been to Nomad Lounge, the attached bar space, many a time, but never the restaurant proper. I heard it was kinda expensive but worth it, and luckily Becky was down! Follow along with the menu here.

I must say here, at the outset of my review, that this really is a top-notch restaurant. Although the themes are far removed, the vibe reminded me of California Grill – upscale but friendly. It’s got the same rich explorer’s outpost vibe as Nomad Lounge, plus beautiful sculptural art on the walls plus dim the lights for ~ambience.~

The service is similarly exemplary. Our server Matt was friendly, enthusiastic, and incredibly knowledgeable about the menu. Case in point: the first thing we did was ordered drinks, of course. There was a specialty drink that caught my eye: a mango margarita with ancho chili liqueur. As I have mentioned menu a time before, I have a thing for spicy cocktails… but I ALWAYS get the Hightower Rocks at Nomad Lounge. It’s been my jam for almost five years!

So, what to do? Tried and true or something new? Neither… or rather, both! I hit upon inspiration and asked Matt if he could ask the bartender to make my Hightower Rocks, which for the uninitiated is basically a watermelon margarita by any other name, spicy. He could and he did! Look at this beauty:

Spicy Hightower Rocks

With a jalapeno + watermelon garnish as the topper. Magnificent. And it was magnificent – the inherent sweetness of the watermelon juice played very nicely with the chili, where the spice took a backseat to the fruit but the heat slowly built. I dub this a drink hack and I encourage anyone who also enjoys drinks with a kick to try it.

I seem to vaguely recall the Tiffins used to offer complimentary bread, but we didn’t receive any (not sure if that’s a COVID thing or a permanent change). But that was all right, as we had our eyes on the appetizer menu anyway. Once again we fell prey to the siren call of the charcuterie board.

Tiffins charcuterie board

For some reason this is not listed on the regular menu, but I can assure you it’s a thing! I should’ve written down exactly what was on it as sans menu I can’t recall, but alas, here we are. What I can tell you is that the meats and cheeses provided were very tasty but not particularly memorable. Now, I do remember loving the pickled vegetables, because those are just a thing I’m into, and the focaccia it came with was on point. No more crackers on my charcuterie board from now on! It’s focaccia bread or get out of my face!

As my main entree I selected… tofu. NO WAIT HEAR ME OUT. It’s North African-Spiced Tofu. The tofu is marinated and there’s a tomato chutney and everything! I just really like super flavorful spices as they tend to appear in African and South Asian cooking, and this sounding up my alley, so I took a chance.

Tiffins tofu

Ultimately I wasn’t disappointed – the flavor on this dish was killer. I could straight up drink the sauce it came with. It wasn’t curry, but it kinda reminded me of curry. In the family, if you will. And I freakin’ love curry, so bring it on. The vegetable mix is supposed to include snow peas, but I’m not into those, so the chef gave me double kale and I got a whole mountain of it to dunk in the sauce. Gooooood times.

The only slight letdown? The tofu itself. It’s supposed to be chermoula-marinated, but it didn’t really permeate the block. I wish it’d been a bit firmer, and maybe fried for a nice crisp. Of course, drown anything in that sauce and it becomes delicious. I had a nice glass of wine with it too, which always makes a meal more enjoyable. 😉

During our meal, we overheard Matt tell another table that the Lion King dessert was the best dessert in the entire Animal Kingdom. Well, clearly we needed to get in on that action. It’s described on the menu as caramel mousse, chocolate brownie, and strawberry mango sauce. First and foremost, though, the presentation is absolutely adorable. Where can I get one of those “Remember who you are” plates?

Tiffins Lion King dessert

Tiffins Lion King dessert

As for the taste, it was pretty good, because how can caramel and brownie be bad? But I found the flavors a bit too gentle for my tastes – I would’ve prefer something with a little more punch. It might be the best dessert in DAK from a photography standpoint, but I’d try something else next time.

I don’t know why I always end up ending these reviews on a down note when I 110% enjoyed myself. Tiffins was awesome! The menu here is a bit more adventurous, and I loved the opportunity to try new things, and as I mentioned earlier, the service was excellent. I will definitely be back. I’m thinking next time we do an appetizer and sides bonanza. Who’s in?

Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Twitter @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!

In Which You Can Hear ALL The Disney Parks Music In Single Videos

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My love of Walt Disney World background music loops is well documented. There’s just something so soothing about listening to the sounds of the Disney parks while doing work or chores; it floats the mind away to a better, more carefree place. 

I have lots of favorites, but I’m also always on the hunt for new treasures. I was poking around YouTube for just this reason when I came upon a video from Epcat77 that claimed to be the ENTIRE master music loop for Disney’s Animal Kingdom – yes, the whole entire park.

Eager to explore every possible musical nook and cranny, I clicked play and started on my work. It was all standard DAK stuff at first, marimbas and all that sort of thing, until I was startled to hear the It’s Tough to Be A Bug show. Not the queue background music, not the area music, but the entire show, with Flik talking and everything.

I opened up the video description and there, painstakingly delineated, was every bit of music in this master loop, plus time stamps for when it started. Dinosaur was in there, and Festival of the Lion King, and Na’vi River Journey… when they said master loop, they meant MASTER LOOP. (Mostly. I notice the Finding Nemo musical isn’t included; maybe it’s a copyright thing?)

But wait, there’s more! This particular YouTube channel has a master loop for all four major theme parks, and they’re the same – depending on the park, many to almost every ride’s audio track is mixed in with the area background music loops. DAK does seem to be the most complete in terms of rides, followed by Magic Kingdom and the Studios with Epcot bringing up the rear, but in every case it’s the lion’s share of the park’s music as far as I can tell… and I think by this point I should be able to tell pretty far!

They seem to be grouped by land, but the creator has but outdoor music in between each ride, presumably to simulate the walk from queue to queue. It’s like a day at the park if only your ears had tickets.

Naturally each video is very long, and depending on what you’re doing, having the Tiki birds shouting in your ear might not be as conducive to productivity as you were hoping. But the next time you’re feeling nostalgic for some of some of that sweet sweet WDW park audio, give these a go!

Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Twitter @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!

The Fairest Trip Report Of All: Our Disney Springs Bar Crawl

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The full trip report is over, but the details still need filling in. Read on for more May 2021 WDW fun!

Guys! Have you ever eschewed an evening in one of the parks in favor of a bar crawl at Disney Springs? Sounds crazy, right? Well YOU SHOULD DO IT. Becky and I did and it was awesome!

I talked about our evening in the general sense in my trip report proper, but I wanted to give the bars in question a well-deserved spotlight. ¡Adelante!

Our first stop, the only one for which we had a reservation, was Wine Bar George. This restaurant has an upscale feel and features carefully curated selections from sommelier George himself. I was there for brunch once before, but this was my first time sampling the evening menu. You can follow along here.

You can’t go to Wine Bar George and not get a glass of wine. Well, you can (I have). But this time around I wanted the proper sommelier-curated experience, so I kept my focus on the wine menu. I was on the hunt for a malbec, since that’s my go-to, but my shiny little mind was drawn in by the novelty of wines on tap. Add a punny name and I’m sold!

Wine Bar George

Which is how I wound up with a glass of Maison Noir Horseshoes and Handgrenades. This wine isn’t currently listed on the menu – I hear George likes to change things up a lot – but I tracked it down in the general interwebs and it’s described as a combination of syrah, cabernet, and merlot. Words like “full-bodied” and “complex” are also bandied about, and I can neither confirm nor deny this. It tasted like a generic albeit pleasant red wine to me, very drinkable but not hugely memorable. I wouldn’t discourage you from ordering it, but if it’s still not on the menu again when you visit I wouldn’t worry about it.

Wine Bar George cheese board

We also shared the artisanal cheese board, which came with what I find increasingly is the usual assortment of cheese – a bleu, something Swiss-y, something manchego-y, and something cheddar-y. These were all tasty because they were cheese. But what I particularly enjoyed were the accompaniments. I was just saying that day I’d always wanted to taste honeycomb, and there it was! It tasted like honey. There was also some jam, blanched almonds, and olives, plus assorted toasted bread and crackers. A serviceable and enjoyable board but nothing mindblowing.

Wine Bar George cheese board

George said goodbye to use on the way out. The man takes his restaurant hosting very seriously.

From Wine Bar George we went right across the way to Jockey Lindsey’s Hangar Bar, a watering hole to which I am no stranger. There was a brief wait for a table, but we got into the Indiana Jones-themed inside room pretty easily. The menu is here if you want it, but I didn’t because I had to get what I always do: The ANYTHING! GOES!!!! (Emphasis mine, if you can believe it.) 

Jock Lindsey Anything Goes

This magnificent, unskippable cocktail is SPICY. I love spicy drinks! But don’t be scared; it’s assertive, the-server-will-warn-you spicy, but not set-your-tastesbuds-on-fire-I-can’t-feel-my-tongue spicy. You know? The Dragon Fire spirit brings the heat, but the lime, passion fruit, and pineapple juices smooth the process. I adore it.

You shouldn’t drink without eating, so we also ordered the medjool date and manchego cheese flatbread. This came with frisee, a balsamic glaze, and most importantly crispy prosciutto. The menu also says onion but I vaguely remember we may have ordered it without? “Vaguely remember” sums up my feelings on this item pretty well. Flatbreads have gotten rather ubiquitous at Disney, and they tend to be similar. Even the prosciutto couldn’t rescue this one from obscurity. Still, I’ll come back again and again for Indy and the Anything Goes!

Jock Lindsey flatbread

Minor spoiler, but we’re saving the best for last here – our final stop was at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ restaurant. We had to put our names on a wait list, but it was entirely worth it. It was the only one of the three I’d never been to before, and it turned out to be my favorite! Check the menu here.

Homecomin’ has no more of a theme than Wine Bar George does, but they cultivate completely different vibes. Where Wine Bar George is the kind of fancy that’s right for an anniversary or some such, Homecomin’ has more of a local watering hole feel. Both are good, but I really loved the warm atmosphere at Homecomin.’ The bartenders were all amazing!

The first guy helped guide us through our selections for the moonshine flight. You get to pick three of their house-infused/branded ‘shines  I picked some fruit flavors that were all pleasant though not super strong in their fruit flavors, but let the bartender talk me into a straight moonshine that was I wanna say 100 proof? And as the southerners say: Y’ALL. Like friggin’ GASOLINE. But Becky got one that was even stronger and seemed fine with it, so maybe I’m just weak sauce.

Homecomin

Oh, the moonshine flight also comes with candied pecans and, controversially, a spiced pickle juice shot. I liked the pickle juice! It’s almost sweet gherkin-y, which I dig, and I generally enjoy vinegar-forward flavors. They don’t make you drink it if you’re uneasy though. 😜

Becky wanted a second drink, and consulted another bartender about which of the moonshines on tap to try. This bartender told us she would bring us some samples, and wound up bringing us mini solo cups of ALL the flavors and I love her forever. While we tried them she told us about all the different ways people like to combine them to custom mix a cocktail.

I wasn’t originally planning on a second drink, but I fell in love with the idea of combining the Blue Hooch and Margarita moonshine mixes. The bartender was kind enough to make me a smaller size, and it was totally worth it, all sweet and tart and citrus-y. And look how PRETTY!

Homecomin

With all this moonshine splashing around, we had to order some food. Obviously we had to get an order of the cheddar drop biscuits, and they were everything they ought to be, all soft and cheese-y and buttery. We also got mac and cheese, which I somehow missed taking a photo of? BAD blogger. But I remember they were serviceable. Nothing near as good as the biscuits, but then I’m very picky about what makes truly great mac and cheese.

Homecomin

We considered going to one more bar, but it was getting pretty late and we’d had a lot of moonshine, so we threw in the towel. Which is fine, because it means we have lots of new places still to try! Although I’m probably going to have to go back to Homecomin’ every Disney Springs trip until forever. 

In conclusion: barhopping at Disney Springs is 100% worth the time away from the parks. Do it! Do it!

Or just stay at Homecomin’ the whole evening. Who knows; I may already be there. 🤪

Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Twitter @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!