"Going to Disney for the weekend, BRB!" October 2011 PTR-Update 10/6-ONE DAY!!!!!

[bellebookworm9]

Lots of new info out about Food & Wine Festival! Although we won't be attending any special events (too costly and time consuming) I hope to someday do the 3D Dessert Party-lots of desserts and prime viewing for IllumiNations!

But some new booth info has been released. Let's take a look, shall we?

In case you didn't know, approximately six booths have been announced so far: Hawaii, Caribbean Islands, and Portugal (all new), Scandanavia (returning after a hiatus), Canada, and an Oceanspray Cranberry booth.

Hawaii will be offering:
~Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour Dole Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise
~Tuna Poke with Seaweed Salad and Lotus Root Chips
We are excited to try the pork sliders, not so much the tuna item.

Caribbean Islands:
~Ropa Vieja (Braised Beef) with White Rice
~Jerk spiced Chicken Drumstick with Mango Salsa
~Frozen Dragon Berry Colada

My Spanish did not fail me, Ropa Vieja does indeed mean "Old Clothes". No idea where that came from, but everything at this booth sounds yummy!

Portugal:
~Calamari Salad with Olives and Smoked Paprika

We are not brave enough to try Calamari!

Scandinavia:
~Swedish Meatballs with Lingon Berries
Hmmm...a possiblity.

Canada:
Introducing an Apple Ice Wine.

Cranberry Booth:
Oceanspray Crasin Bread with Butter. Yum! Also, there is going to be an actual Cranberry Bog somewhere in Epcot. No idea where they are going to put it!

Some other items have been announced without booths:
White Chocolate Macadamia Mousse with Dark Chocolate Pearls
Tres Leches Verrine (Not sure what this is exactly)
Pastel de Nata (According to wikipedia, this is an egg cream tart)

Shrimp on the Barbie with Pepper Berry – Citrus Glaze (Australia?)
Seared Sea Scallop with Kumara-Red Curry Puree and Apple Radish Salad

For more info:
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2011-epcot-food-and-wine-festival/

 

[bellebookworm9]

EXCELLENT NEWS!! I just read over on the Y&BC thread that Southwest was having a sale and a bunch of fares had dropped, so I went to check ours. Our return flight is down to $80! So I tried to change it, but it said I had "modifications to my reservation" that prevented me from doing so. At first I thought it was because only my first initial is on the ticket (cause that's how the DMV did my license, but that's a story for another day...), but I saw on Facebook that they were having website problems, so maybe it wasn't anything to do with me at all.

So I called Southwest. After holding for 32 minutes, I spoke to a lovely guy named Tony. After another few minutes on hold, he was able to perform an override for me (the $80 is a web only fare) and get it to the lower price! My early bird check in transferred over as well which is great.

So we now have $120 in flight credits, which will definitely help with our grad school scouting trip in January!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Yesterday in the October 2011 Facebook group, several people were talking about ordering baskets from the Disney florist, and several other outside companies were mentioned. So I got curious. I checked Disney florist and they had a really cool Halloween basket, but it came with a lot of candy which we don't necessarily want-we want to pick our own sweets!

I ended up checking out Memories by Betsy, which offers customizable baskets, and sent her a message. I asked for
~2 refillable mugs (one in either yellow or pink, and one in blue)
~2 2011 5x7 picture frames

~2011 scrapbook (preferably 2011, but if not available the "Memories" one will do)

~Autograph book (I had looked into making a personalized one again, but it's too expensive)

~A Beach Club Pin

Total for that including delivery charge to the resort and packaging is about $137. I'm also considering adding a plastic pumpkin bucket for trick or treating at MNSSHP, and this plush:

but I need to see how much that would be first. I'm doing it mostly as a surprise for Mom, although obviously some of the stuff is for me too. She knows about the mugs, but nothing else! I hope I can keep it a secret!

 

[jenbear123]

Oh I love surprises!!! I'm sure your mom will love all that stuff

 

[IheartDDuck]

Woo hoo on your flight credits! Can't beat that, right?

I love the idea that you have for the basket. That's so cool! I am horrible at keeping things a secret, especially from my mom!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Oh I love surprises!!! I'm sure your mom will love all that stuff

Woo hoo on your flight credits! Can't beat that, right?

I love the idea that you have for the basket. That's so cool! I am horrible at keeping things a secret, especially from my mom!

Betsy is great-I highly recommend her. Since the Halloween items don't come out until September, and they may not be the same as last year, she's putting the order on hold until them. The extra items would bring the cost up another $30, but that's okay.

The thing is that I think we might want the refillable mugs early, so I don't know if I'm just going to pick up the basket at the front desk and surprise her with it at lunch, or wait until it is delivered to the room. Any thoughts?

 

[wdwgirl03]

Ooh, the gift basket is a great idea!! I always thought it would be fun to surprise someone with something like that.

And PS, I like your Harry Potter countdown.

 

[bellebookworm9]

I finally ordered the new camera today: A purple Nikon CoolPix S3100!

Best Buy was sold out of it for a very long time, they only had red and silver. I've been checking every single day, and they finally had it in stock! I could have gotten it at WalMart, Target, or KMart, but I had a $25 Best Buy gift card, so with that, the total was about $104. I plan on being a picture taking fiend on this trip-and hopefully getting lots of practice leading up to it! There are a lot of pictures I'm planning to take on this trip, some new, some that I just forgot about last time. I want to document our travels a little better (ie, this is what Gretchen and Mom look like at 4am in the airport while waiting for the plane.) I plan to take pictures of the ME area, and this camera is slim enough to fit in my pocket and have handy at all times. I know I'll be taking some pictures as part of the photo missions on the Y&BC thread. And tons of food pics! (Jen, I can already see me channeling you: "Wait! Don't eat it! I need a picture!").

 

[jenbear123]

Pretty camera! Nice choice

And tons of food pics! (Jen, I can already see me channeling you: "Wait! Don't eat it! I need a picture!").

It will happen!!! Trust me. Especially with a new camera, you'll want to try all the settings. I am so pumped to see you and your mom at 4am It will make for good memories. Take pictures of everything! Even if you don't think it matters or is important, you'll be happy you took a picture. And don't DELETE any pictures either!

So I've been checking Touringplans.com, and the Saturday we're planning to be in Epcot is now expected to be at a crowd level of 9.9.

Yikes That could change though don't forget.... but wow. Don't you hate those predictors! They make you panic all the time

 

[bellebookworm9]

Guess what today is?



YES, THAT IS THE DOUBLE DIGITS DANCE!

In other news, my camera arrived yesterday, so I went and picked it up. I just took a few photos around the house, and I'm already in love! The images are so crisp, even on the screen! I plan to actually sit down and read the manual over the next few days.

But the other good news is that it came with a cable cord-and I was finally able to get the DHS pics from last year off the old camera! I added them into the post from the TR, but here are a few of them that I want to show off.

Here's my view as I waited to get into the park for an hour.

Here's the rope! Yes, I was RIGHT THERE.

And the crowd behind me:

TSM queue nearly empty.

And my first score on it.

I'm so glad I was finally able to show these pictures to the rest of the world!

 

[bellebookworm9]

First up: my flights dropped again! Our flight down dropped to $139 from $174. Of course, I still couldn't change it online, so I had to call again, and this time got through right away. They couldn't override it, they said that had been a one time thing, and that I would have to cancel and re book, so I said nevermind. I went to try to cancel online, and it would let me do that, but it would cancel both flights. So I called back, and they were able to cancel just the one flight and then I rebooked it online-tried to add Early Bird to it but you can't use travel funds for that. So our flights are now at $488.4-nearly $200 cheaper than the original prices!

On to day 3 plans!

Day 3
We plan to be at Epcot for rope drop again after breakfast at Beach Club Marketplace. Crowds are expected to be lower again today, so when we arrive we will head straight for Soarin' and then Test Track and ride both without FP. Then we will spend some more time at Innoventions if we didn't finish what we wanted to the day before, stop at Club Cool, and watch the Fountain of Nations.

Photo is mine

At 11am, we will again head to WS, starting back toward America/Japan. We definitely want to stop in Morocco and catch MoRockin'.

Photo from wdwinfo.com

We also plan to stop in France to see Impressions de France and to meet Marie from the Aristocats (any other characters I can find in WS will be a bonus, but I really want to find her!).

Photo from wdwinfo.com

In the UK we want to see the English Channel. (Is that what they are called? I've seen literally at least 4 names for them and I know that was one. I think I've also seen British Airwaves and the British Experience.) Then in Canada we want to catch Off Kilter and see O Canada.

Around 3pm we'll take our usual break and when we return around 7 we'll catch any last food booths and then get some dinner (probably at Cantina de San Angel or Yorkshire County Fish Shop).

Photos from Disboards: mom2micayla and stellaluna

We will probably get some dessert from Kringla Bakeri. Then we'll just stake out a spot for IllumiNations again which goes off with a bang (pun fully intended) at 9pm.

 

[bellebookworm9]

As I was playing around on the Touring Plans website yesterday, I found that they now have a handy little tool that will predict the wait times for certain rides on a given day by the hour, complete with graphs, charts, single rider times, and FP times. So I was able to use that to nail down some more finalized plans for Epcot, and the posts have been updated accordingly.

Day 2 Plans
Day 3 Plans

Day 4
We can sleep in a bit this morning and then spend an hour or two at Stormalong Bay. Around 12, we'll catch the boat to DHS and then take a bus to the Wilderness Lodge for our 1:15pm ADR at Whispering Canyon Cafe.

I'm almost certain we're going to get the skillet.

Photo from Disboards: Disney loving Iowan

After lunch, we'll explore WL and possibly Ft. Wilderness before taking a boat to the Magic Kingdom around 4pm.

We first plan to stop at the new Town Square Theater to meet the Princesses, depending on the wait. Next up will more than likely be Jungle Cruise.

Photo from wdwinfo.com

After that we'll stop at Aloha Isle to get a Dole Whip Float.

Photo is mine

After the yummy treat we'll head for Pirates of the Caribbean. Then it will probably be around time for dinner, and I think we'll go to Pinocchio Village Haus.

Photo from Disboards: brookelizabeth

After dinner the party should be about to begin! We will go through Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, stopping at it's a small world (possibly), Dumbo (which I haven't been on in 17 years and I don't think Mom has ever been on it),

Photo from wdwinfo.com

Winnie the Pooh, for the new queue, Buzz Lightyear (at least once!), and Space Mountain if the line isn't too long. We'll probably stop for some character meets and candy along the way.

After that, it will probably be time for the fireworks, so we'll watch those from Main Street/Tomorrowland, then make our way across the park to Liberty Square to ride Haunted Mansion.

Then we'll head for Frontierland, where we will both ride Big Thunder Mountain and I'll tackle Splash.

Photo is mine

We are going to watch the second parade from Frontierland or Liberty Square, and we want to get a funnel cake from Sleepy Hollow.

Photo from Disboards: beatlesblonde

After the parade, we'll more than likely try to catch the last Villains Mix and Mingle show at 11:15pm. Towards the end of the party, we'll hope that the lines for the 7 Dwarfs and Cinderella's Carriage have gone down and try to get pics with those, but if not we'll settle for photos from a distance. We are going to stay until midnight, and then we'll take the bus back to the Beach Club Villas to get ready for bed. Tomorrow will be the last day in Disney.

 

[jenbear123]

MNSSHP = I really should try Pinnochio's Village Haus one day. Seems like they have good food. I think I'll renew my subscription to Touring plans. By the sounds of it they have some really good tools! Great plans so far Gretchen!

 

[bellebookworm9]

MNSSHP = I really should try Pinnochio's Village Haus one day. Seems like they have good food. I think I'll renew my subscription to Touring plans. By the sounds of it they have some really good tools! Great plans so far Gretchen!

Pinocchio's Village Haus is, I think, the one CS place I haven't eaten in MK (that isn't seasonally open at least). Mom ate there in 2007. It seems the food is hit or miss, but we may also end up at Columbia Harbour House or Pecos Bills.

 

[bellebookworm9]

Just a quick update on some crafty things I won. Julie (mousescrapper) had a contest to see who could guess what she and her husband would be dressing up as for MNSSHP. I was the first to correctly guess The Haunted Mansion bride and one of her unfortunate husbands! So I won this awesome Food & Wine review booklet, and a MNSSHP pin.

I'm still waiting for my summer financial aid refund to come in to buy the park tickets. I've been super busy with class and work, and I haven't really been DISing too much. I did go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 twice in the last week, once at the midnight premiere with my mom and best friend, and once by myself Sunday morning. I wrote a Facebook note with my thoughts on the movie (anyone can read it). But beware, there are spoilers! I'd love to hear what anyone else thought.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Thoughts

I hope to post our final day plans in the next week or so, but we'll see!

 

[bellebookworm9]

The Food & Wine Festival Map & Guide, complete with menus, was released yesterday, so I'm going to share our booth picks.

Booths that Didn't Return

• Chile
• Puerto Rico
• United States

I'm okay with the first two, because I felt there was an over-representation of Latin American countries last year, but I'm sad about the US.

Now, in order around WS Lagoon.

Australia-New Location on World Showcase Promenade
•Shrimp on the Barbie with Pepper Berry Citrus Glaze
•Grilled Lamb Chop with Potato Goat Cheese Salad and Shiraz Reduction

Shrimp sounds very yummy. So does the lamb chop, but I need to see how much meat is on it before we make the decision to eat it or not.

Brazil
Nothing here sounds appetizing. We won't be stopping.

Argentina
•Beef Empanada
•Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Purée

Beef Empanada sounds like it could be good, but I'm on the fence about the beef skewer.

Caribbean Islands-NEW
•Ropa Vieja (Braised Beef) with White Rice
•Jerk spiced Chicken Drumstick with Mango Salsa
•Frozen Dragon Berry Colada

It all sounds yummy.

Mexico
•Rib Eye Tacos
•Shrimp Tacos

Both sound good, but we'll probably pick one or the other.

Scandinavia-NEW
•Rice Pudding with Driscoll’s Only the Finest Berries

This is the only thing that appeals at this booth.

China
•Black Pepper Shrimp with Sichuan Noodles
•Pork Pot Stickers

With China presenting the exact same menu as last year, my choices haven't changed.

South Korea
•Boolgogi BBQ Beef with steamed Rice and Kimchi

This seems like it could be similar to last year's BBQ Beef dish, which looked delicious.

South Africa
•Bunny Chow (Vegetable Curry served in a Bread Loaf)
•Seared Filet of Beef with Smashed Sweet Potatoes and Braai Sauce

They took away the "Taste of Africa Dish". But the seared beef filet still sounds good, and I need to see the Bunny Chow to make a decision.

Cheese - New Location at Africa Outpost
•Cheese Fondue with Sourdough Bread

The new name for last year's Charcuterie & Cheese booth. Glad to see they got rid of the potatoes for the fondue-it seemed nobody liked them all that much.

Germany - New Location Near Snow White Meet & Greet
•Nürnberger Sausage in a Pretzel Roll
•Apfel Strudel featuring Werther’s Original Karamell Sauce and Vanilla Sauce

They are no longer offering the ham & cheese spaetzles. But the other two returning items still hold my interest.

Poland - New Location on Germany Waterfront
•Kielbasa and Potato Pierogies with Caramelized Onions and Sour Cream

Poland took over Germany's old location, and the kielbasa & pierogies still sound good.

Italy
•Ravioli Di Formaggio All’Emiliana (Baked Cheese Ravioli with Creamy Beef Bolognese Sauce, Parmesan Cheese, Melted Mozzarella)
•Cannolo Al Cioccolato (Chocolate Covered Cannoli Shell Filled with Sweet Ricotta Cheese, Chocolate, and Candied Fruit)
•Primavera Fruit Smoothie

Mmmmmmmmm. Still remembering the yummy photos from last year.

Hops & Barley
•Linda Bean’s Lobster Claw Cuddler with drawn Butter
•Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine Lobster Roll
•Pumpkin Mousse with Ocean Spray Craisins and Orange Sauce

Sad they took away the Crab Cakes and Pecan Bread Pudding. I feel the lobster items will be too expensive to justify buying them, but the mousse sounds great!

Singapore - New Location Between American Adventure and Japan
•Shrimp Cake on a sugar cane skewer with Singapore Noodle Salad

Singapore is still offering the vomit-looking Beef Rendang, but also the shrimp cake. Will have to look up reviews to see if it is still occasionally a gelatinous mass before purchasing.

Japan
•Pork Kakuni

This is the only new item, replacing last years Wafu Ribettes. I still don't know what this is, but if it's cooked, I'm willing to try it.

New Zealand - New Location Near Morocco
•Seared Sea Scallop with Kumara-Red Curry Puree and Apple Radish Salad
•Lamb Slider with Tomato Chutney

Exact same menu as last year. Both items sound good. Or at least, the scallops sound good to Mom, if not to me.

Morocco
•Kefta Pocket (Beef in a Pita Pocket)
•Harissa Chicken Roll
•Baklava

They got rid of the Falafel Pocket that I wanted to try, but we'll have to get Baklava here since it's no longer in Greece. The other two items I need some reviews of first.

Portugal - NEW
•Pastel de Nata

Only possibly appetizing option here-the calamari and sausage just don't do it for us.

Belgium
•Freshly Baked Waffles with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream

This is still on my "must try" list!

France
•Coq au Vin sur gratin de macaroni (Red Wine braised Chicken, Mushrooms, Pearl Onions, and Macaroni Gratin)
•Crème Brulée au Chocolate au Lait

The ribs are no longer available. However, the chicken dish sounds like it could be good in it's own right. And of course, we never turn down anything chocolate!

Ireland
•Lobster and Scallop Fisherman’s Pie
•Kerrygold® Cheese Selection (Aged-Irish Cheddar, Dubliner and Ivernia Cheese) with apple chutney and brown bread
•Warm Chocolate Lava Cake with Baileys Irish Cream Ganache

Pigging out at the Ireland booth! With the same menu as last year, it still all sounds fantastic!

Canada
•Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup

The soup is the only thing we might even possibly stop for. They got rid of the Nainamo Bar (I know I just killed that spelling).

Greece
•Greek Salad with Pita Bread
•Griddled Greek Cheese with Pistachios and Honey
•Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki
•Dannon Greek Yogurt Parfait with Strawberries

THEY GOT RID OF THE SPANAKOPITA. That was one of the items very high on the "must try" list. The other items sound good, with the exception of the yogurt parfait. That sounds boring and like something I could easily make at home.

Desserts & Champagne
•Lemon Chiffon
•White Chocolate Macadamia Mousse with Dark Chocolate Pearls
•Tres Leches Verrine

All of it sounds yummy, though I am sad about the strawberry dish from last year no longer being on the menu.

Hawaii - NEW
•Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour Dole Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise

This sounds really good. Can't wait to try it!

So there you have it, our Food & Wine official choices for 2011!


*************************
In other news, we have decided to stay one night on Disney property during the "Grad School Scouting Trip January 2012". It turns out that it's cheaper to fly in and out of Orlando than Jacksonville or Tampa (the schools are in Gainesville and Tampa), and since we need to rent a car anyway, why not just go with something familiar? It's also cheaper to stay on Disney property than to stay a second night in Tampa.

Can you guess which resort we picked? It's something new to us!

 

[brookelizabeth]

And now my stomach is growling after reading your list! Yum, yum! It's so fun to "eat your way around the World!"

I like your idea of stopping at a Disney resort during the college hunt...I'm going to guess...hmmm....All Star Music!

 

[bellebookworm9]

I like your idea of stopping at a Disney resort during the college hunt...I'm going to guess...hmmm....All Star Music!

Nope (we've stayed there before), but we did consider it before realizing that renting DVC points would only be about $10 more. So we will be staying at...





























OLD KEY WEST!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice!!!!!!!!!!

I will be there very soon myself! I'll be taking LOTS of pictures of both our Studio room and the resort itself, I plan to do a photo video tour.

We are really looking forward to trying this resort. The only thing I wish was that our plans could include more eating at DTD since we'll be so close, but it just doesn't work out. Who knows, maybe those plans will go out the window and we'll be at DTD all the time.

 

[wdwgirl03]

I knew the answer to which resort you're staying at for the grad school visit! I remember seeing that on your facebook! haha You will love OKW!