Category Archives: Projects

Kill, Refurb, Marry: Epcot Food and Wine Festival

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Time for another fun KRM blog hop hosted by Estelle from This Happy Place Blog, and Melissa from Mouse On The Mind. Great topic – thanks, ladies!
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Kill:
The new Puerto Rico booth is really fun. When I was there a couple of weeks ago, there was a drummer and very sexy salsa dancer entertaining the crowd. The booth can hardly be called a booth – it’s two stories with a lovely patio and garden, set apart from the rest of World Showcase. It’s really something special and a great new addition.

Unfortunately, it is also selling the worst bite I had at Food and Wine this year – the tostones with mayo ketchup. I had been so looking forward to this dish. I adore tostones, and was happy to see them offered. Sadly, they were big, dry hockey pucks. It was pretty sad. My kid and I each had one then the rest went in the trash. So the rest of the Puerto Rio booth is great, but those tostones have got to go.

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Refurb:
One of the most delicious items I had was the bacon hash with pickled jalepenos and cheese sauce at the Farm Fresh booth. It was like eating really great breakfast potatoes mashed with potato skins and nachos. I would love to see them turn this into a vegetarian dish. I think it would still work without the bacon, and would be a welcome addition to the sparse vegetarian options.

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Marry:
This one was sooo easy. Of all of the items we tried at Food and Wine this year, this is the one that I would want to eat every day. It tasted like my childhood growing up in Louisiana. I’m sure I’m in the minority, but I would marry the Yard Bird with bitter greens and habanero sauce from the Farm Fresh booth. The chicken skin was crispy and salty, the meat juicy and tender. The bitterness of the greens played beautifully with the saltiness of the chicken skin. I think they were turnip greens – my favorite. And the habanero sauce added just the right amount of vinegar and heat. I wish I had this for dinner right now. Fingers crossed that it returns!

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Kill, Refurb, Marry: Walt Disney World Transportation

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My friends at the wonderful This Happy Place Blog and Mouse On The Mind are hosting another round of Kill, Refurb, Marry, so I thought I’d play.

Kill
Sure, they’re charming with their cute awnings and fringe. But those damned surry bicycles are a hazard! They are super hard to steer, and take way too much energy to pedal. This makes for a serious pedestrian hazard on the narrow sidewalks of Port Orleans Riverside. Heck, I’ve almost been run over on the Boardwalk by one of these nutty things. Kill ’em.

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(Not my photo – if it’s yours let me know!)

Refurb
Here I have to go with the Monorail. Step on to a hot, crowded monorail in WDW in August and you know what it smells like? Urine. It’s worse than the Boston Orange line. To see what a monorail SHOULD be, check out pics online of the Tokyo Disney monorail. It’s amazing.

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Marry
This one was easy, though I’m not sure if it counts. Last month my family booked a Fireworks Cruise on the Seven Seas Lagoon. We were picked up by a pontoon boat at the Contemporary, and rode around with our super fun captain for a half-hour before stopping right across from Main Street to watch Wishes. It was a perfectly magical night. My pictures suck. (Lost my camera and had to use the iPhone.). Trust me, it was very cool. Wish we could do it every trip.

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Thanks for hosting, Melissa and Estelle!

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New England Disney Meetup – POSTPONED

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Hi all,

Due to lack of RSVPs (and our friends the Disney Hipsters holding their NYC bar crawl the same day) we’re going to postpone this meetup. We’ll be back in touch with a new date in a few weeks.

Sorry for the inconvenience,

Dawn

 

Hi New England Disney friends and acquaintances! As long-discussed on Twitter, we’re having our first extremely casual and informal meetup on Saturday afternoon, July 26, at The Skellig in Waltham, MA.

Why “casual” and “informal”? Because I don’t really have much time to plan, am not actually booking a room nor telling The Skellig that we’ll be there. It’s pretty empty at 4pm on Saturdays, so let’s just show up and grab some beers together and talk Disney.

I’m not promising games or prizes (though there could be some), and I’m not promising giveaways (although I do have a HUGE stash of MouseChow coasters looking for new homes). But I can promise you this – I’ll be there drinking some beer, and am always psyched to talk Disney.

I’m totally open to ideas and suggestions, so let’s use the comments section of this post to discuss and plan. And please RSVP in the comments if you plan to attend. If we get enough people maybe we’ll actually book a room or make a reservation.

Details:

When: Saturday July 26, 4pm – Whenever

Where: The Skellig, 240 Moody Street, Waltham, MA

Who: Disney fans, friends and family.

RSVP below in the comments. Hope to see you there!

The Disney Hipster WDW Exam – How did I do?

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My friends Adam and Andrew at the Disney Hipster Blog have just published their version of standardized testing. You can take the test here. 

And here are my answers (guesses). I don’t anticipate doing very well. I like to write about eating at Disney, but when it comes to knowledge of Disney history and trivia, I’m not nearly as knowledgable as the typical Disney Lifestyler. So I’ll post my answers now, then listen to the Disney Hipster Podcast for the answers.

 

Here goes:

1.       What year did the MK open?
1971
2.       How many Adventureland tiki drums are there?
Five
3.       What is the regular and DVC Disney Resort hotel check-in and check-out times?
3pm, 11am
4.       Who is the most recent president to be sitting down in Hall of Presidents?
FDR
5.       What day and year did Walt die?
Some time in December 1965
6.       What brand of ketchup does Disney world use?
Heinz
7.       What terminal AND level do you catch the Magical Express at Orlando International?
Terminal A, Level 2
8.       What brand of water does Disney World sell?
Dasani (a CocaCola product)
9.       How many square miles is WDW?
48
10.   What was the last world showcase pavilion added?
Morocco
11.   What flavors of soft serve does Aloha Isle carry?
Vanilla, Pineapple, Orange
12.   What are the eight available colors when choosing your magic band?
Green, Blue, Gray, Orange, Yellow, Red, Purple, Pink
13.   What is the phone # to make ADRs?
407-WDW-DINE
14.   How many drops are there on Splash Mountain?
2
15.   How many stops does the electrical water pageant make if the MK is open until 11pm? Extra Credit if you can name the locations and order in which it stops.
I have no idea. I saw the water pageant for the first time yesterday.
16.   If you were to alphabetize all the current attractions (not counting meet and greets) at the Magic Kingdom, what would be first?
7 Dwarfs Mine Train (hehehe)
17.   What are the denominations of Disney Dollars?
They still have Disney Dollars?
18.   Which is NOT an actual frozen treat location:
a.       Kabuki Cafe
b.      Peevy’s Polar Pipeline
c.       Maurice’s Frozen Treat Machine
d.      Hey Howdy Hey Takeaway
C – I think Maurice’s has popcorn, right?
19.   How many rows are on a current MK Pirates boat?
5
20.   Name 2 films advertised inside The Tree of Life.
Beauty and the Bees, A Crickets Line
21.   What moderate hotel was the first?
Caribbean Beach
22.   What is the price of parking at WDW?
$17
23.   What are the 2 background colors used on the majority of the WDW road signs?
Blue, Purple
24.   At the entrance to WDW property you pass under the entrance sign that features Mickey and Minnie – which one is on the left?
Minnie
25.   Name the two water parks on property?
Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon
26.   What is the price of a round of mini golf?
$42.50
27.   What types of nuts can you get cinnamon glazed throughout the parks?
Almonds, Peanuts
28.   What are the full titles of all four Pirates of The Caribbean films (in order)?
Curse of the Black Pearl, On Stranger Tides, Drink a Fifth of Rum, Voodoo Queens are Hot
29.   How much does a school bread currently cost?
$2.49
30.   Put these attractions in order of length…shortest to longest.
a.       Enchanted Tiki Room
b.      Spaceship Earth
c.       Impressions De France
d.      Country Bear Jamboree
c, d, a, b
31.   What 2 countries do not light up during illuminations?
Morocco, UK
32.   What is the name of the roadie that the Aerosmith guy asks to hand him his Les Paul?
Guano Joe
33.   What two places can you find Magic Cookie Bars?
My mouth, My Stomach
34.   How many spitting camels are there in Adventureland?
2
35.   How much does it currently cost to park a car at a WDW park?
Didn’t I just say $17?
36.   Spell
What the hell?
37.   What’s Walt full name?
Walter Elias Disney
38.   What is the name of the “main store” (Emporium, Mouse Gear etc…) on Discovery Island at Animal Kingdom?
OMG I just bought a shirt there yesterday. Damn – Outpost something?
39.   Name 7 Non Disney Films that are practically showcased (not the final film) in The Great Movie ride?
Wizard of Oz, Singin’ in the Rain, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ziegfeld Follies, Some Gangster Film, Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon
40.   What are the names of the mother, father, son and daughter in Carousel of Progress?
Betty, Don, Sally
41.   How many people fit in 1 row on WDW Soarin?
15
42.   Between Space Mountain and Spaceship Earth:
a.       Space Mountain has a higher capacity per hour.
b.      Spaceship Earth has a higher capacity per hour.
c.       Both are roughly the same.
a
43.   Name 1 of the 9 food or drink locations at Blizzard Beach.
Dairy Queen
44.   What are the animals on the benches of AK?
It’s not nice to call park guests animals.
45.   What is the name of the body of water in front of MK?
Seven Seas Lagoon
46.   Who is the current sponsor of Living With The Land?
Monsanto
47.   What are the 5 types of creatures on the Animal Kingdom entry sign.
Birds, Elephant, Dinosaur, Lion, Unicorn
48.   Where are the restrooms in Liberty Square located?
No idea.
49.   What is the name of the Cirque du Soleil in WDW?
La Nouba
50.   Who is the current sponsor of the various “photo spots”?
Nikon! So weird to see the new signs.
51.   What is the scent of the Shampoo currently used at Disney Resorts?
White Tea Aloe
52.   Who sponsors Spaceship Earth?
Siemens
53.   How many color monorails are there?
9
54.   What is the current price of a ‘Length of Stay’ Rapidfill Mug?
$42.40
55.   Complete this attraction quote (5 words): “The approaching storm may seem violent and destructive to us, but to nature it’s a new beginning _ _ _ _ _.”
designed to kill all humans.
56.   What are three of the six Jeopardy categories on EEA?
1. Attractions you sleep on
2. Longest Attractions Ever
3. Most humorless use of really funny comedians in an Attraction
57.   Name all 3 dinner shows on WDW property.
Spirit of Aloha, Hoop de Doo Review, Mickey’s Backyard BBQ
58.   How many ferrys currently run between the TTC and the Magic Kingdom? Bonus points if you can name both.
2, since you said “both”. Duh.
59.   What is the Final Jeopardy Answer in Ellen’s Energy Adventure?
Olaf
60.   What is Phylicia Rashad’s character name on Countdown to Extinction?
Dr. Claire Huxtable
How did I do??

Kill Refurb Marry Blog Hop: The Muppets

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Kill Refurb MarryI’ve been a fan of Estelle’s (http://thishappyplaceblog.com/) and Melissa’s (http://www.mouseonthemind.com/)  blogs for a while, especially their most excellent Kill Refurb Marry series. Tonight the topic is The Muppets so I figured I’d jump in with my picks.

Kill: Miss Piggy

Miss PiggyNo Muppet annoys me more than this obnoxious blonde diva. She doesn’t even come close to deserving Kermit. Sorry Piggy, you’re dead.

Refurb: Rowlf

RowlfRowlf is looking a bit matted at the Muppets Most Wanted premier. Someone needs to fluff his fur a bit.

Marry: Gonzo

GonzoAh Gonzo, the original Hipster Muppet. I still remember how I listened to Gonzo sing “I’m going to go back there someday” on 8 track over and over again when I moved all the way across the country halfway through seventh grade. Sweet, creative, downtrodden yet ever the optimist, Gonzo is the …vulture? for me. What the hell IS Gonzo?