2 Haunted Mansions, 1 Day: Grand Finale & Link to Pre-Trip Report for Feb. Trip!

[Wazzo]

Yes, those are Zebra Domes. No, I still don't like them

Whew! And I thought I was the ONLY one!

 

[LaurenMic]

Great update! Random question, did you talk about eating at Jiko in your last trip report? I believe that is where I first read about how delicious it is, and we are considering booking it for our June trip. I am looking for opinions as to whether or not it is worth the two TS credits, I want to try the filet and mac n' cheese!!

 

[kristinnn]

Hi! I love your trip reports and finally caught up with them all. They are so entertaining and contain great pictures (and wit!). Now tell me, where on earth did you get your iPhone case?! It's perfect, it protects your phone AND actually lets you answer it without having to find it, take it out of the case, and hope the phone is still ringing.

 

[Disneygrl36]

Yeah you're back Carrie.

Ok.........I have looked everywhere for a cute Muppets shirt to wear to Jim Henson's studios & there I see your DH has on an Electric Mayhem tshirt which was exactly what I wanted. Ugh.....I have searched the internet high & low & no dice. How did he do with his Muppets pins? Did he score any that he wanted?

How cool that you got to see the control booth for EE. I am sad to know there are more effects that we aren't getting to see. Did he say why those are turned off? I read a trippie one time (I think it was WDWpolyprincess) where she got to see Joe Rohde at Animal Kingdom. How cool would that be?

Loved your updates & so looking forward to more.

I'll be in your neck of the woods in 12 days!!!!!

 

[lurkyloo]

Whew! And I thought I was the ONLY one!

Why do they hafta put that gross liqueur in them?!

Great update! Random question, did you talk about eating at Jiko in your last trip report? I believe that is where I first read about how delicious it is, and we are considering booking it for our June trip. I am looking for opinions as to whether or not it is worth the two TS credits, I want to try the filet and mac n' cheese!!

Yes! We ate at Jiko twice on our honeymoon. I think it is probably more worth two TS credits than any other restaurant at WDW, since it's the only one on a par with real high-end restaurants in big cities. Now watch, you'll hate it and I'll end up owing you four TS credits! But really, how can you go wrong with steak and macaroni & cheese?

Hi! I love your trip reports and finally caught up with them all. They are so entertaining and contain great pictures (and wit!). Now tell me, where on earth did you get your iPhone case?! It's perfect, it protects your phone AND actually lets you answer it without having to find it, take it out of the case, and hope the phone is still ringing.

Yes! I searched high and low for that case - I don't see how an open-face case is s'posed to protect the dang thing. Also, I didn't want a magnetic closure because it interferes with the speaker, and I wanted a belt clip. Next to impossible to find, I tells ya!

I finally found my case here. They're about $20 or $30 more than the rubberized case you see everywhere, but it's real leather and exactly what I wanted, so it was worth it for me. They're the affordable version of these cases.

Yeah you're back Carrie.

Ok.........I have looked everywhere for a cute Muppets shirt to wear to Jim Henson's studios & there I see your DH has on an Electric Mayhem tshirt which was exactly what I wanted. Ugh.....I have searched the internet high & low & no dice. How did he do with his Muppets pins? Did he score any that he wanted?

Hiya! DH says he got the shirt at the shop in Muppetland at Disney's Hollywood Studios - maybe it's still there! You can always call the WDW merchandise hotline.... He was eventually able to score all the pins in the Muppets set, thanks to many kind cast members (including one with a green lanyard who traded with him even though he's all growed up!)

How cool that you got to see the control booth for EE. I am sad to know there are more effects that we aren't getting to see. Did he say why those are turned off? I read a trippie one time (I think it was WDWpolyprincess) where she got to see Joe Rohde at Animal Kingdom. How cool would that be?

Yes - that was WDWPolyPrincess' report! Hers were the first trippies I read when I found the DIS, so they made a big impression on me.

Most of the effects are turned off cuz they don't work properly, but the mist effect is turned off in the morning because people don't like getting wet!

 

[lurkyloo]

OK, so after dinner at Boma, we hopped in the car and drove back to Epcot to see IllumiNations and get dessert from one of the soft-open Food & Wine booths.


Looky what we saw!

Pausing to Blog

I was surprised how long the lines were for soft-opening, but I guess it’s a thing to do after work on a late-September evening in Orlando. We waited about 15 minutes so I could get a chocolate creme brulee from France.

What a disappointment! It wasn’t chocolatey at all!

Here’s me either being disappointed or being “French” again – someday I’m going to meet a real French person who’s seen all these photos and get punched in the face!

I threw away the creme brulee and decided I wanted gelato instead, so it was off to Italy.

But the gelato tasted all gritty and powdery, so I threw it away too!

We wanted to see IllumiNations properly this time, and I’d heard Italy had a great view. We staked out a spot directly behind a dessert party on Italy Isola, WAY early. Then DH realized he was no longer wearing his pin lanyard! So he went running back to where we’d last been and, fortunately, it was still there. WHEW!!! To think he almost had to stop pin collecting!

I forgot to mention this earlier: We have had a deal for a while that if he ever started pin trading, I was allowed to start collecting Robert Olszewski miniatures of Disneyland and eventually have the whole setup with the giant board and working lights and stuff.... my evil plan has now been set in motion....

Anyway, so we sat around for, like, an hour waiting for IllumiNations – we never do that! But it was worth it when the crowds came and we had the bestest view of the show ever – we could even see Wishes fireworks in the distance! The only thing was, the lights on the globe kept cutting out. But otherwise, it was fabulous, and I declare Italy a prime viewing spot for IllumiNations!

(That’s Wishes on the left)

Coming up: Day 7 – The last full day at WDW and calm before the storm that was.... Two Haunted Mansions in One Day!!!

 

[JustMickey]

I forgot to mention this earlier: We have had a deal for a while that if he ever started pin trading, I was allowed to start collecting Robert Olszewski miniatures of Disneyland and eventually have the whole setup with the giant board and working lights and stuff.... my evil plan has now been set in motion....

Those look really cool!

ETA: Curses! I took a closer look and now I want to start collecting them too!!!

 

[Disneygrl36]

Carrie...thanks for the info on the tshirt!
I think you might be getting the better side of the deal........those miniatures are amazing.
Loved your Illuminations pictures.

 

[Rora]

Lovin' the TR so far!

 

[lurkyloo]

Those look really cool!

ETA: Curses! I took a closer look and now I want to start collecting them too!!!

As if Disney didn't have enough ways to get you to part with your money already!

Carrie...thanks for the info on the tshirt!
I think you might be getting the better side of the deal........those miniatures are amazing.
Loved your Illuminations pictures.

No prob! Hope you get a chance to grab one of those shirts too!

Lovin' the TR so far!

Hi! Great to see you here!

 

[lurkyloo]

Boy, if you thought I’d been live-blogging a lot during the rest of the trip, wait til you read today – we ate our way around the World Showcase on the first day of the Food & Wine festival, and I posted a pic of each thing we got, when we got it!

The day started with checking out of Pop Century....

... and into the Polynesian!

So nice... wish we coulda stayed more than one night! We left our luggage in the trunk and decided to walk to the TTC to catch a monorail for Epcot, since our building at the Poly was actually closer to the TTC than the Poly’s monorail station. Along the way, whom should we meet but one of the Very Special Guest Stars of “2 Haunted Mansions, 1 Day”... Jennifaerie!! Wearing THE cutest belt ever, I might add...

She and her DH were headed to a water park. We read them their last rites – er, wished them luck and said we’d see them at Ohana that night (our ADRs were 40 minutes apart).

Views from the ride in to Epcot on the monorail...

From my iPhone camera...

From our real camera...

Off we went to... Cities in Wonderland! None of which were quite open yet, so we lurked.

Open... open... open...

At last – Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup & Maple Glazed Salmon with Arugula and Roasted Corn.

Soup: Delicious!
Salmon: Meh...

We had this idea we were going to outsmart the crowds by taking the boat to Morocco instead of walking counter-clockwise around World Showcase to the UK, France, etc.

Instead, we got to wait at the counter in Morocco for 20 minutes for their cash registers to start working properly. Plus, people were EVERYwhere – there was no outsmarting anyone!

Marrakesh, Morocco: Grilled beef and hummus in a pita pocket

Pocket: Pretty gross. Tough beef with watery salad, no hummus to be found. The food at the counter service place in Morocco is way better!

Wellington, New Zealand: Bay scallops with baby greens and cranberry vinaigrette & Lamb slider on a brioche roll

Slider: OK, but nothing to write home about
Scallops: Kinda fishy and too small.

Exotic San Francisco, CA: Seared beef medallion with cheddar cheese polenta & California Strawberry shortcake

Beef medallion: tasty!
Shortcake: I think DH liked it....

Cork, Ireland: Potato leek soup with Dubliner cheddar cheese stick & Boxty with bacon chips, garlic and fresh herb butter

Soup: A little bland, but the cheese stick helped.
Boxty: Tasty, but not enough bacon!

Munich, Germany: Apple strudel, Spaetzle with creamy mushroom ragout & Sausage with sauerkraut in a pretzel roll

Strudel: Dunno – DH prolly liked it....
Sausage: Meh... I’m not sure what the big deal is about pretzel bread.
Spaetzle: Holy mother, that stuff was good! I could have made lunch from it!

Melbourne, Australia: Pepperberry prawns on the barbie with sweet potato hash & grilled lamb chop with carmelized onion jam

Prawns: Overcooked, as prawns usually are....
Lamb Chop: Really good! This was another one that made me wish I had room for seconds.

 

[lurkyloo]

Shanghai, China: Chicken sha cha & Ginger ice cream...

...me snapping an iPhone pic of the pot stickers

...and the picture I snapped (it’s almost existential!!)

Sha cha: Tasted like mall food court Chinese food.
Ginger ice cream: I think DH liked this (he likes everything, basically)
Pot sticker: See “mall food court,” above.

Vienna, Austria: Beef Goulash with bacon dumpling

About this time, the flavors were all starting to blend together for me. This one tasted meaty and doughy.

Not on the menu...

It seemed about time to meet another pal from the DIS! The night before I had been emailing the DISer who rented us DVC points for our honeymoon, and I discovered she also happened to be at WDW that week - crazy! So we finally got to meet in person – two dames from California meeting in fake China in real Florida! We had a nice chat and finally let her go so she could continue drinking around the World with her buddy.

Off to Espana!

Madrid, Spain: Chilled tomato and garlic soup (a.k.a. gazpacho) and churros with chocolate sauce... And if you're wondering whether I drank the leftover sauce, the answer is YES!

Gazpacho: Not really my cup of... soup!
Churros: Best. Food & Wine Fest Dessert. Ever.


From Madrid to Mexico City...

Mexico City: Capitotada (Mexican bread pudding with white chocolate sauce), Horchada (cinnamon rice milk), Chilaquiles

Horchada: DH approved.
Capitotada: Very tasty – but it woulda been even more tasty smothered in chocolate sauce from Madrid!
Chilaquiles: Cheese, tortillas and mild salsa – what could be bad? In fact, it was so good, I went looking for the recipe in the official Food & Wine Festival cookbook. Unfortunately, it was a lame “greatest hits” collection of recipes from festivals past, so unless what you liked in 2008 was a repeat, you wouldn’t find the recipe there.

So just for you, dear readers, here is a fabulous facsimile courtesy of Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food (which I tried when we got home and is very close! Just use more cheese on top):

Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Green Sauce

Prep: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 55 minutes
Serves 6

To make these up to a day ahead, prep and assemble the enchiladas (steps 1 to 3); cover and refrigerate. Go to step 4 when you're ready to bake and serve.

Before filling, soften the corn tortillas by stacking them between damp paper towels and heating for a minute in the microwave. This makes them more pliable and prevents tearing.

Ingredients
3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves
Coarse salt and ground pepper
5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 jars (16 ounces each) medium green salsa
3/4 cup heavy cream
12 corn tortillas (6-inch)
12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely shredded (3 cups)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper; place with garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast (avoiding bone) registers 165 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine salsa and cream.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Once chicken is cool enough to handle, shred meat, discarding skin and bones. Peel and chop garlic. In a large bowl, combine chicken, garlic, and 1/2 cup salsa mixture.

Stack tortillas flat, and wrap in damp paper towels; microwave on high for 1 minute to soften. Working with one tortilla at a time, dip in salsa mixture, lay flat, and fill with 1/3 cup chicken mixture. Roll up and arrange, seam side down, 8 enchiladas lengthwise and 4 crosswise in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with remaining salsa mixture, then cheese.
Bake until cheese is browned and salsa is bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes; let rest 10 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with cilantro, if desired.


At this point, we decided to sit a spell in Mexico to eat our food and blog about it....

“Cheese, tortillas and mild salsa – what could be bad?”...

Then it was off to Argentina for even more food! Actually, DH had thrown in the towel at this point, but I was bound and determined to try everything we’d marked on our program as potentially interesting.

Buenos Aires, Argentina: Grilled Beef with Chimichurri Sauce and mashed potatoes

This was nothing to write home about... but it was something to blog about!

By this time we were hot and thirsty, so I was very excited to discover neon slushies near Argentina – they look weird, but they were actually normal flavors!

Kiwi and Blue Lemonade

Having made one nearly full circuit of the World Showcase, we decided to check out the far-flung Festival Center, which was so distant from the actual festival it was practically in Disney’s Hollywood Studios....


... The Pavilion Formerly Known as Wonders of Life

Besides useless festival cookbooks, the gift shop also stocked off-model Swedish Chef dolls...

There wasn’t a whole lot to do there if you didn’t want to wait in a long line for a demonstration or buy wine. So after DH had his fill of photographing the defunct attractions and I’d rested my feet, we set off on the trek back to the World Showcase.

 

[Disneygrl36]

That's a lot of tasting. Glad you enjoyed some of it......I think after awhile things start to run together. When we were there in Oct 2005 it was so hot & we tasted one to many wines.........whew, we learned our lesson that day.

Love the Swedish chef dolls.

The Wonders of Life makes me sad..........I miss Cranium Command.

 

[Circusgirl]

The Wonders of Life makes me sad..........I miss Cranium Command.

Me too!!!! It would be near the top of my list of rides for the Museum of Retired Rides.

I loved the swooping into Epcot on the Monorail pictures and the vicarious eat around the world experience.

 

[Kimberly815]

That sure is a lot of food you tasted!!! Yummy. I am hungry just looking at the pictures.

P.S. Irish Boxty is heavenly. I have never had one that I didn't like.

 

[29apr00]

lots of yummy food!!!

 

[Rora]

Oh man Carrie, you guys must've been stuffed!! All that food looks so good. Makes me hungrryyy!

I have to agree- those churros are the best thing to hit WDW during the Food and Wine!

Off topic: I'm surprised at how nicely the iPhone takes pics! .. I guess I'm just used to the camera phones that make everything look like it's 9pm and your photo subject looks deformed.

 

[lurkyloo]

The Wonders of Life makes me sad..........I miss Cranium Command.

You know, I never got to see that pavilion when it was open. I'll have to check YouTube for ride videos...

Me too!!!! It would be near the top of my list of rides for the Museum of Retired Rides.

I loved the swooping into Epcot on the Monorail pictures and the vicarious eat around the world experience.

Thanks! I just wish I'd posted this part of my report before F&W ended so it would actually maybe be worth something to someone!

P.S. Irish Boxty is heavenly. I have never had one that I didn't like.

I would love to try some more! I wonder if my (Irish) mother-in-law has a recipe....

lots of yummy food!!!

Burp!

Off topic: I'm surprised at how nicely the iPhone takes pics! .. I guess I'm just used to the camera phones that make everything look like it's 9pm and your photo subject looks deformed.

Yeah, the iPhone pix are kinda hazy/blurry, but pretty decent when you consider you can also make phone calls, use GPS, and stream Internet radio on the thing!

 

[lurkyloo]

We’d just picked up my next taste (see below) when who should come by but... Jennifaerie and Rob!

But first – the review:

San Juan, Puerto Rico: Mofongo (plantain mash with shrimp)

I actually threw this away. I love plantains and I love shrimp, but it just tasted like bad....

Polly want a mofongo?

Jennifaerie and Rob graciously dropped any plans they might have had (solve global warming, uncover the secret of life, find a cure for cancer, etc.) to join us on a boat ride to Morocco for some wandering around.


Smartphone pissing contest...

I got very excited to see a private event setup at my beloved UK Lochside and had to snap a pic...

Immediately after stepping off the boat in Morocco, we walked to...

Where we had our picture made with some oversize condiments.

New Orleans: Praline bread pudding with bourbon caramel sauce (on the side in case it was gross.... and it was!

Again, things were all sorta starting to blend together for me at this point. I think the bread pudding was good, but it no doubt would have benefited from some Spanish chocolate sauce!

Finally, we began to think about getting seats for the free Big Bad Voodoo Daddy show that was part of the Eat to the Beat concert series. We bid Jennifaerie & Robifaerie adieu for about 2 hours, with promises to accost them at Ohana later.

Patrick found us pretty dang good seats – you can’t really sit in the middle at America Gardens Theater b/c the middle is an aisle. Also, the sun was at that totally annoying low angle where it shines right in your eye....

With a throwback stage set like that, I half expected MC Hammer to come out...

The show was really fun – it was hard to resist the urge to get up and swing, but the crowd-control CMs seemed really stern. I was pleased to see BBVD turn in a solid show, instead of phonin’ one in for the Disney freaks – hee hee!

It was great to be so close – I could never afford to sit that close at a BBVD show at Walt Disney Concert Hall or the Hollywood Bowl. It was also DH’s first real concert (can you believe it?) so he really enjoyed it.

It only lasted about 30 minutes, though, and they didn’t play “I Wanna Be Like You” from Jungle Book – their biggest Disney hit! I guess they were saving it for one of their two other sets that night. I wished we could have gone to a later show, but we had that ADR at Ohana.

After the show we hopped the monorail back to the Poly to check out our room and freshen up for dinner.

Gratuitous room shots...

Roll-in shower!

 

[romymichelle21]

We just went to the Thanksgiving banquet at the DL Hotel last week, and I got the jazz band to play Will's favorite song - "I Wanna Be Like You"!

He requests it every year, but this year I did it as a secret

(I got the whole thing on video - if I ever manage to upload it somewhere, I'll send ya the link!)