2 WI Adults Spring Break @ Disney A Mar '12 PTR *Update 3/12 We're Back!!*

[JessicaKnits]

So hooray! I am all caught up on where this Trip Report was at before New York City! You know, before all the changes...

So I now present, my first theme night since I came home from New York...Aladdin!

Having spent the past four months in Manhattan where apparently people only use their stoves for looks....I was eager to get back home and actually use an oven, and go to the grocery store for groceries to prepare an actual meal, and not just for the staples!

Here is our meal.

Our place setting...(Courtesy of Target)

Pre dinner snacks...

Three pepper hummus on the left, and kalamata olive hummus on the right, with fresh pitas.

Dinner...

Grilled kabobs over couscous with grilled vegetables.

Adult beverages....

Homemade Sangria with diced granny smith apples.

Dessert...

Abu's Monkey Bread

So, I mentioned earlier along that there was a funny cooking story forthcoming...
The monkey bread has this delicious buttery and lovely caramel sauce in the pan. It is baked in a bundt pan that can get pretty full sometimes....

And sometimes certain people forget to put a cookie sheet underneath the bundt pan when baking...

Which then causes the caramel sauce to boil over and spill on to the bottom of the oven which can sometimes start on fire.

So, I want to take this moment to publicly thank the inventors of the Ove Glove, as it saved my bundt pan from being incinerated in the fire.

Thankfully no damage to the oven. But cleaning burned sugar off the bottom of an it?

Up Next: Day 4 Plans

 

[DMGeurts]

So hooray! I am all caught up on where this Trip Report was at before New York City! You know, before all the changes...

So I now present, my first theme night since I came home from New York...Aladdin!

Having spent the past four months in Manhattan where apparently people only use their stoves for looks....I was eager to get back home and actually use an oven, and go to the grocery store for groceries to prepare an actual meal, and not just for the staples!

Here is our meal.

Our place setting...(Courtesy of Target)

Pre dinner snacks...

Three pepper hummus on the left, and kalamata olive hummus on the right, with fresh pitas.

Dinner...

Grilled kabobs over couscous with grilled vegetables.

Adult beverages....

Homemade Sangria with diced granny smith apples.

Dessert...

Abu's Monkey Bread

So, I mentioned earlier along that there was a funny cooking story forthcoming...
The monkey bread has this delicious buttery and lovely caramel sauce in the pan. It is baked in a bundt pan that can get pretty full sometimes....

And sometimes certain people forget to put a cookie sheet underneath the bundt pan when baking...

Which then causes the caramel sauce to boil over and spill on to the bottom of the oven which can sometimes start on fire.

So, I want to take this moment to publicly thank the inventors of the Ove Glove, as it saved my bundt pan from being incinerated in the fire.

Thankfully no damage to the oven. But cleaning burned sugar off the bottom of an it?

Up Next: Day 4 Plans

Ack!!! I am glad you were able to save the bundt pan... The dinner looks delicious! And all the other food looks wonderful.

D~

 

[JessicaKnits]

Ack!!! I am glad you were able to save the bundt pan... The dinner looks delicious! And all the other food looks wonderful.

D~

Thank you! It was nice to be able to grill out, even though it was cold out. It was a brand new bundt pan too, so glad to have saved it.

 

[JessicaKnits]

Really Disney. Just when I got all those ADRs lined up exactly the way I wanted to...at the perfect times on the perfect days and wanted for nothing more. Just when I started to feel safe and in control. Just when I think that this may actually be a trip when I don't change a thing. I should have known it was too good to be true. It was the calm before the storm.

Sure...just add in all of those restaurants that have always been left off the dining plan...is there a restaurant left that isn't on now? Besides Victoria and Albert's of course.

Whyyyyyyyy Disney Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?

So...
Places interested in possibly trying:
Fulton's
Wolfgang Puck Dining Room
Portobello's
Paradiso 37

Likely casualties of ADR changes:
Narcoossee's
Rose & Crown
Yachtsman

Such a tough, tough decision.

Thoughts....? Feelings....? Opinions....?

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Hahaha that announcement threw our dining plans for a loop too! (Only a little one, though, we just added Bistro de Paris to our list!)

Personally, I wasn't overwhelmingly amazed with Narcoosees. The desserts were great, but the entree (Surf & Turf) was not so great. (DBF and I actually both felt slightly ill after eating there, not sure if it was coincidence or not though!).

Looking forward to seeing what you decide to add/drop!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Hi Jessica! I am following you over from my PTR and joining in! I love your movie nights! That is such a good idea. What a great way to get you excited for a trip!

 

[JessicaKnits]

Hi Jessica! I am following you over from my PTR and joining in! I love your movie nights! That is such a good idea. What a great way to get you excited for a trip!

Welcome! They are a lot of fun, hopefully we get through them all before our trip.

Can't wait to hear more about your family trip!

 

[JessicaKnits]

Well, after much back and forth, phone calls, emails and many mini-meltdowns with United Airlines, I am very very pleased to announce that we have confirmed flights all set to go!

We were supposed to book our flights using a variety of travel vouchers that I had collected in the past few months flying back and forth between Wisconsin and New York City. But of course, United being United, I had a combination of both Paper and electronic vouchers. None of which could be combined in any way. So, it took many days of number crunching, and adjusting before I finally figured out the proper way to get the lowest out of pocket cost, without having to "waste" a voucher. On United, if you have a $400 paper voucher and a $300 flight, they won't give you a new $100 voucher, so that made things difficult.

Then, when I was trying to use my electronic voucher to book my ticket, their website kept saying the flight wasn't available when I went to book. Despite me clearing my cookies and switching computers, it still came up in the search, and then when it came time to book...no dice.

We thought this was all straightened out, until I got an email from United that they were unable to issue my tickets. What the heck? I thought that having an email confirmation meant you were confirmed. Apparently not. Apparently, it also takes the airline a few weeks to notice that...Let's not open that can of ick anymore though.

Then, they wanted to put us on an 8:30 flight that didn't get us to Orlando till noon. Now, most would say it wasn't a big deal, since it was just a few hours. But they were MY few hours, and they were to be spent in Disney, and not in Chicago.

So, after about an hour on the phone with United this morning, we have it all resolved.

We are leaving Chicago O'hare at 6AM and get in at 9:35 AM, just like I wanted.

Then for our return we are leaving at 8:22 PM and return to Chicago at 10:15 PM. I don't have to work the next two days after we get back, so it was no big deal for me. Adam will probably be a little upset by that, but hey...this is why I am in charge.

 

[JessicaKnits]

Since we are leaving so early on Saturday morning, I want to make sure that we get a good nights sleep on Friday. We live about three to three and a half hours away from O'hare airport where we are flying out, so the obvious choice is to book a hotel the night before. I am a big fan of Hotwire.com (used to work for them in customer service when I was in college) so I decided to check them out.

Currently they have a 4 star hotel in the O'Hare north area for the night before, only $70 before tax.

I am fairly confident that it is either the Hilton O'hare Airport (SCORE! It connects directly to the airport via an underground walkway) or the Westin O'hare, which is very close, has an awesome shuttle and is pretty. I am fond of the Westin O'hare because the rooms are HUGE! I got stuck their for a layover one night (where I got one of those United vouchers) and really enjoyed it.

I would enjoy either one, but do prefer the Hilton, due to the fact that we won't have to take a shuttle to the airport in the morning, a huge time saver.

I am going to book over my lunch hour, and will post what we got when I return.

 

[JessicaKnits]

Greetings all! Just received our confirmation from Hotwire, and we are going to be staying at the Hilton Chicago O'Hare the night before our stay!

This is going to work out so well for us! We will park the car at Pride Parking and take their shuttle over to the Hilton the night before our flight (hotel parking is $26 per day, no thanks!) Probably going to plan for dinner before we check into the hotel. Perhaps Joe's Crab Shack, a personal favorite. I will bring along breakfast sandwiches or we can grab something at the airport.

Since we are right across the street we will probably leave the hotel about 4:30 AM.

Soooooo sooooo excited!

 

[DMGeurts]

Hi Jessica...

I just wanted to stop by
to wish you a...

I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

D~​

 

[JessicaKnits]

Hi Jessica...

I just wanted to stop by
to wish you a...

I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

D~​

Hi D,

I hope you had a very merry Duckmas and that Santa was very nice to you.

 

[JessicaKnits]

First, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and found themselves close to those that they love the most!

We made it to all 6 scared1: Yes, 6! ) of our Christmas celebrations in mostly one piece. There were a few casualties along the way, but we made it through.

Santa brought lots of nice things for our trip, I can't wait to show them off to you all tonight when I get home.

Anywhoo...can you believe its Day 4 of this report already? That means that we are nearly halfway finished with this pre-trip report. On the flip side, that means that we are that much closer to our big day!!

Continuing on with plans...

For breakfast on day four I wanted something new...something we haven't had before...and some far off and exotic location...something like barbecue eggs benedict.

I love the Wilderness Lodge. We had dinner at Artist Point on our last trip, and I have to say, that I think their lobby absolutely takes your breath away. It was after dark when we were there last time, so I am looking forward to maybe having enough time to explore around in the daytime. We will be paying out of pocket for this meal.

Then it is off to Hollywood Studios for the day. I know that the two are not exactly conveniently located to eachother, but we will make it work.

On our last trip, Toy Story Mania was closed the ENTIRE time we were there to install a new software or something crazy like that. So that means we have actually never taken a ride on it! I am sure that Ridemax will be our guide, and guide us here first.

Then its off to the "Big Two". Tower of Terror is one of my all time favorites! And I also really enjoy the Rockin Roller Coaster. When we were there last summer, there was some horrific rumor going around that it was going to become the Jonas Brother's Rockin Roller Coaster instead of Aerosmith's. Um...No. How about...no. Or, maybe...no. Thankfully, it appears that was nothing more than an urban legend.

We may meander over to the Beauty and the Beast show as well.

Then we are planning for a lunch at 50's Prime Time Cafe. The food was really good and much better than I had anticipated on our last trip, I hope it isn't a let down this time around.

We will probably spend the morning wandering about and catching a few shows. We missed Lights...Motors...Action! last time, so that is a must. I won't lie to you, I didn't really care for Indiana Jones. Can't we just have the ride instead like at Disneyland? I mean, I know, I know. You have to have some differences between the two parks. But that ride is just so awesome!

There is no Fantasmic! this night, so at park closing we will walk on over to the Yacht Club resort for dinner at....

Now, if you read my previous dining report, then I know what you are thinking. And if you didn't, I don't recommend doing so. Let's all (mostly me!) go into this with an open mind.

To briefly re-hash. I talked and talked and talked this place up to Adam, who will also respond to Mr. Meat and Potatoes. When we ate there on our last trip, Adam's steak was horrid and full of gristle and tendon and there was an unfortunate puking incident (not ours!) to cap off the end of the meal. However, Adam requested to go again and keeps reminding me that I had a very enjoyable meal there. That is true, my food was really delicious and tasty. And since he really never asks for anything when it comes to our trips, I threw him a bone.

We may also try and catch Jellyrolls again after dinner before its back to bed!

 

[JessicaKnits]

On Day 4 way back in 2010, it was still disgusting and hot in Florida. But hey, that's August!

We had no breakfast reservation this morning, and to be honest it was nice to sleep in. We were headed to Epcot today!

A few pics from the opening ceremony...

We made a mad, but still controlled and appropriately paced, dash for Soarin. We completely bypassed the crazy fast pass line and went straight in the standby line. Thank goodness that everyone else knew where they were going, I would have NEVER found it but not for the mass influx of people racing off in that direction.

Then we decided to forego our Ridemax plan and enjoy this...

It was...pretty lame.

Then we went to Test Track, which I thought was alright. Certainly more entertaining rides in other parks. Then...we decided to try out Mission Space, now I typically do not get motion sickness...but even the green version was too much for me. Then, it was just about 11 o'clock, so we decided to go exploring in the countries!

See that sky...that's right. Being hot and sticky is not enough in August. It must be hot, sticky, and perpetually raining all the time...

Thankfully I found myself a new hat!

We made our way to Norway...

(Please ignore the Milwaukee Racing Sausages shirt!)

Found China...

Another good hat for rain!

And then made our way to Italy...

Where we stopped for some lunch.

Next up for us was lunch at Via Napoli. The restaurant had just opened a few weeks before we arrived, so I didn't know really what to expect. It was obvious that a lot of things like meal timing and service had yet to be worked out, I'm sure (at least hope) that these have all been resolved by now.

For appetizers I had:

Fritto Misto - an assortment of just-fried seasonal vegetables, calamari and cheese: arancini, mozzarella, calamari, melanzane, asparagus, zucchini and carciofi (artichokes), pomodor piccante sauce $24

This is basically a huge plate of fried stuff. I really wish I would have known this was portioned for 2 people and not just one, because it was a ridiculous amount of food, even for 2 people, this is more than enough for an entree. I do have to say, that the calamari is some of the best that I have ever had, delicious!

Adam had:

Arancini - fried risotto balls filled with mozzarella and meat ragu $10

Sorry about the bite, but these were also quite tasty, but again also fried. There was also a generous portion of these included in my plate so it would have been nice to have just shared that, not as much would have gone to waste.

I will point out that the fried food came out very well drained and extremely hot, so in other words, perfect!

Entree for me:

Carciofi - artichoke, pecorino, mozzarella, truffle oil

Do not be fooled by the humble look of this pizza, it was DELICIOUS and much better than my flavorless pizza the day before at Mama Melrose. The crust is outstanding, and the truffle oil really added a complexity to the flavor. Was really delicious.

And for Adam:

Pollo - chopped romaine with chicken, cucumber, peppers, cantaloupe, toasted almonds and honey-citrus vinaigrette $17

Without the chicken. A HUGE entree salad. And, after having finished up a good bit of my frito misto, he had a very hard time finishing this.

Desserts here were nothing special, but this is what we had.

Coppa Di Brutti Ma Buoni - Amarena cherry and vanilla gelato sundae with cookies $10

The closest thing I can compare Amarena cherries to are Black cherries. Very very tart. I thought the gelato was good, but was completely over powered by the cherry sauce.

Adam had

Torta di Sarena - apple cake with almond sorbetto $8

This dessert was a total bust, it was completely almond flavored, which was really disappointing. The almond flavor was so overpowering that you would have never known apples were in here, but not for their texture.

We would come here again, but probably skip dessert and share the frito misto. Overall, we felt pretty neutral about the restaurant, but make no mistake, the pizzas are the stars here.

Total Credits Used: 2
Credits Remaining: 40
Total not included tip: $99.05

 

[JessicaKnits]

I wish I could say we did something more exciting after lunch...

But we didn't. The threat of rain was getting to be too much so we hopped a Friend Ship back to Future World and made our way back to the resort.

Before we go a few parting shots...

The original plan had been to enjoy some pool time when it wasn't scorching outside, however the rain had other plans for us. It was an absolute downpour outside. So, it was the perfect time for a nap instead.

We napped for a few hours before we headed back to....Epcot!!

We had a dinner reservation in the world showcase. First we stopped and rode Soarin' again since the standby line was pretty minimal.

Then off to World Showcase again...

First, our friends to the north...

And then those jolly folks across the pond...

And then we finally made it to France...

before we made it to the podium for our dinner reservation here...

We did have a bit of a wait before we were whisked inside to our table, and the hostess was turning away folks left and right that did not have reservations. She was very nice about it all, when one guy got a little mouthy with her and practically shouted "So what in the H do I have to do to get a reservation here?!" she calmly and sweetly replied "Make a reservation 180 days in advance." I then proceeded to elbow Adam several times and say "SEE!!! I wasn't crazy when I was up at 5AM making our ADRs!!"

From my dining review...

We had a 7:00 PM reservation at Chefs. This place was PACKED and extremely noisy. This was by far the longest wait we had for a table anywhere, including when we made special table requests. Even so, it was only about 25 minutes, and nothing to get upset over. So, was it worth the wait? Lets find out.

Our server was Millie. Oh she was just so cute with the most adorable French accent I have ever heard in my life. I appreciated the fact that while I fumbled over the French that I apparently lost somewhere between high school and today, she didn't laugh or make fun of me in the slightest.

We had a pretty heavy lunch at Via earlier in the day, so I wanted something a little on the lighter side. I resisted my urge to go with the lobster bisque and instead went with the Salade Au Bleu - romaine hearts, blue cheese dressing, bacon, walnuts, croutons $7.25

Yum! Creamy delicious blue cheese, crisp bacon, just really yummy. The only wish I had was that this should have been made with spinach as I am not the biggest fan of romaine. I think spinach would have taken this to a whole different level, but a solid salad, to say the least.

Adam had Soupe a l'oignon Gratinee - the classic onion soup topped with Gruyere cheese $6.50

This must have been good because when we got home ramekins were purchased and a frantic search began for Gruyere cheese at the local supermarket.

For entrees I had Gratin de macaroni - Baked macaroni with cream and gruyere cheese $18.95

Perfectly cooked pasta and a wonderful pungent bite from the cheeses. My only remark is that I think $19 is a bit ridiculous for the portion that was given and I probably would have been slightly annoyed if we weren't on the dining plan.

Adam had Filet de boeuf grille, sauce au poivre noir Gratin Dauphinois et haricots verts - Grilled tenderloin of beef with a black pepper sauce original potato gratin of Savoy and green beans $34.95

This was absolutely delicious, along with the black pepper sauce. In contrast to my dish, this was a huge filet, along with a large helping of green beans and potatoes, and was well worth the sticker price so to speak. The meat was cooked a perfect medium rare. Cannot even tell you how much we both appreciated the fact that these were fresh green beans and not canned. Delicious and wonderfully in season at the time.

Next up was dessert!

I had Crepe a la pomme et cannelle, glace vanille, caramel jus de pommes - Crepes filled with cinnamon, apple, vanilla ice cream and apple caramel sauce $7.25

OH...MY...WORD! This was hands down without a doubt the best dessert I had all trip long. If it would have been socially acceptable I would have licked my plate clean of the caramel sauce, and even though its not, I still considered it. The crepe was fabulous and light, and the apples were actually cooked very well and had a fantastic apple flavor. The whole thing was nicely balanced by the cold ice cream.

Adams dessert sadly is no longer listed on any of the online menus, but it was just a chocolate cake.

I feel I do it a bit of injustice by calling it "just a chocolate cake". Because it was a PERFECT chocolate cake. Moist, rich, creamy frosting, and the sweetness was cut with the ice cream. Yum!

Overall, Chefs was a huge winner for us. It was a perfectly timed meal. Millie, our server, was so wonderful. She was very attentive without being intrusive. I appreciated her a great deal. And the food was fantastic, really no issues to report here.

Total Credits Used: 2
Credits Remaining: 38
Total not including tip: $94.04

After we finished our dinner, we headed out to try and find a nice spot for Illuminations.

A few shots from around world showcase...

We finally made it to Germany where Adam found something he liked...

It was considerably less crowded here so we decided to camp out. I really liked Illuminations. It wasn't as enjoyable as Wishes is for me, but it was still pretty incredible.

We then made the rookie mistake of trying to leave with everyone immediately after the show. Considering that we had to hike all the way from Germany...this was a really stupid idea.

But, eventually we made it back and headed to bed.

 

[JessicaKnits]

Since we were going on such an extravagant trip in March and since we have a wedding to pay for, Adam and I said that we weren't getting Christmas gifts for eachother.

However, Santa did bring me this!

A fancy shmancy new carry-on bag for our trip! I had really really been wanting a new bag. Going back and forth to New York did a number on my previous carry-on, so I was really really excited about this! I actually walked around the kitchen with it for a little bit.

Now, the entire time I was in New York, I kept saying I was going to buy myself a pair of Manolo Blahnik's as a reward for all my hard work. But, when it came down to it, I could never pull the trigger on the purchase. So, I came home to Wisconsin Manolo-less. So, I was looking for something else to reward myself with that was a little more reasonable in price and a little more practical a purchase. So, after hours of research I finally decided that this is what I wanted....

A Nikon Coolpix L120 14.1 Megapixel 21x optical zoom.

I am in love. If it was legal in my state to marry this camera, I probably would.

Now I can't wait until our trip is here so that we can put both of these to use!

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

HI Jessica! I'm following over from Debby's TR and I'm loving your so far!!!

Let me know if you have any questions about CSR. I've already stayed there twice this year and my good friend works at the front desk/concierge at CSR so if I can't answer something for you, I can surely ask her!!!!!

I'm heading back to read..*loves the chapter links!!!*

 

[DMGeurts]

Since we were going on such an extravagant trip in March and since we have a wedding to pay for, Adam and I said that we weren't getting Christmas gifts for eachother.

However, Santa did bring me this!

A fancy shmancy new carry-on bag for our trip! I had really really been wanting a new bag. Going back and forth to New York did a number on my previous carry-on, so I was really really excited about this! I actually walked around the kitchen with it for a little bit.

Now, the entire time I was in New York, I kept saying I was going to buy myself a pair of Manolo Blahnik's as a reward for all my hard work. But, when it came down to it, I could never pull the trigger on the purchase. So, I came home to Wisconsin Manolo-less. So, I was looking for something else to reward myself with that was a little more reasonable in price and a little more practical a purchase. So, after hours of research I finally decided that this is what I wanted....

A Nikon Coolpix L120 14.1 Megapixel 21x optical zoom.

I am in love. If it was legal in my state to marry this camera, I probably would.

Now I can't wait until our trip is here so that we can put both of these to use!

I am just lovin' your trip updates and your flashbacks... mmmmm, and your food reviews - it's making me second guess some of our ADR choices - but when I am going on an all girls trip with my girls, I better let them make some of the decisions - and they want characters.

Love your new luggage! And I love that it has Disney dots on it, but it's not too over powered. I am in the process of making my carry-on right now... Well, my Disney carry-on anyway.

The Nikon is an awesome choice! I've test driven that camera several times, but I just can't get myself to take the plunge... I have waaaay too many hobbies as it is, and if I was to add photography to my list of loves, I don't think DH would take it well. So, I will just stick with my PnS for this trip...

Keep the updates comin'... I am at 68 days, I think you get there before we do???

D~

 

[JessicaKnits]

HI Jessica! I'm following over from Debby's TR and I'm loving your so far!!!

Let me know if you have any questions about CSR. I've already stayed there twice this year and my good friend works at the front desk/concierge at CSR so if I can't answer something for you, I can surely ask her!!!!!

I'm heading back to read..*loves the chapter links!!!*

Hi there! Welcome! One thing that keeps bothering me about staying at CSR is that I HAVE to stay in Casitas. I think I may just die if I don't stay in Casitas. Well...ok, not really. Anywho, we paid extra to reserve a preferred king bed room because I was told that would definitely be in Casitas section, but sometimes I hear that there are a few preferred buildings in Cabanas. What are your thoughts?

I am just lovin' your trip updates and your flashbacks... mmmmm, and your food reviews - it's making me second guess some of our ADR choices - but when I am going on an all girls trip with my girls, I better let them make some of the decisions - and they want characters.

Love your new luggage! And I love that it has Disney dots on it, but it's not too over powered. I am in the process of making my carry-on right now... Well, my Disney carry-on anyway.

The Nikon is an awesome choice! I've test driven that camera several times, but I just can't get myself to take the plunge... I have waaaay too many hobbies as it is, and if I was to add photography to my list of loves, I don't think DH would take it well. So, I will just stick with my PnS for this trip...

Keep the updates comin'... I am at 68 days, I think you get there before we do???

D~

Hey there D,

We had some of our best meals at the character buffets, so don't worry. You will have loads of yummy food there too. The new luggage is amazing and quite roomy for a hard sided bag. I realize now that the picture does not have the 360 degree wheels like mine does. I will be zipping all over Orlando MCO like a seasoned pro. As for the camera, I got it on sale from a store (which will remain nameless) that my sister works for so she bought it for me with her discount. I believe I told Adam something to the effect of "It was practically free." That is not exactly true, but about as true as him saying "No, don't worry, I won't go ice fishing until that downstairs bathroom is completely finished."

From my count we are at 65 days. We arrive on Saturday the 3rd of March. I know the time will fly by!

 

[JessicaKnits]

So we had this theme night early in the week, in order to have time for all of the Christmas preparations that needed to take place. Lilo and Stitch was Adam's favorite Disney movie, I had never seen it before.

We of course, went with the Luau theme.

Table settings courtesy of Factory Card Outlet's bargain bin!

A grown up cocktail...mailbu with pineapple and orange juice!

Grilled chicken skewers...

Grilled ham and pineapple. If you have never tried pineapple on the grill, you NEED to. Not should. NEED to.

All in all a success, but way too much food for us, even without a dessert. I at this for leftovers for lunch for several days.