Newlyweds in the Caribbean: Curse of the DLXDDP - Day 19 - Epcot and Food & Wine Festival

[Scruffette]

Newlyweds in the Caribbean: Curse of the DLXDDP - Day 19

Index

Monday 17th September

Epcot

Food & Wine Festival snacks, Dinner at La Hacienda de San Angel

After a fairly late night, we gave ourselves another lie in this morning. That was the third so far this trip – surely that’s unheard of in Disney?! However, you’ve got to be well rested to keep up this pace of eating!

We took our time showering and getting ready. I also took the opportunity to pre-order our Be Our Guest breakfast selection for tomorrow. I’ll leave you in suspense until the next day to find out what we ordered.

Our plans for today looked like this –









However, I decided to move our slots for Spaceship Earth and Figment to later in the day, so we could concentrate on eating! We didn’t want to be going back and forth a lot between future world and world showcase (home of all the snacks).

Before heading to Epcot, I stopped by the French Quarter gift shop to buy a stamp for my Mum’s birthday card. Somehow, Ollie managed to get me out of the shop without buying anything.


We waited about 15 minutes for a bus and upon arrival at Epcot were greeted, as standard, by the world’s longest bag check line. Why can’t they add just a few extra tables here?



First stop was in club cool to hydrate. Some pre-drinking before the eating!



This was our third visit to the Food and Wine Festival. There were still some options we were keen to try as well as one or two repeats.

We tried to get our first snack from Active Eats, but they were having some issues and wouldn’t be open for a while. As we were nearby, we decided to stop by Earth Eats for one of our favourites from a previous visit - The Steakhouse Blended Burger: Blended Beef and Wild Mushroom Slider with Brie Cheese Fondue, Arugula, Truffle and Blue Cheese Potato Chip on a Brioche Bun – $5.00, DDP Snack Eligible






Just as delicious as last time.

The first new snack on our list was the Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Dip - with Pulled Chicken, Toasted Blue Diamond Almonds and Parmesan Cheese served with Nut Thins® Crackers — $5.00





The lady in front of us asked for extra crackers, and they assumed we asked for the same and gave us extra too. This was a good idea, as there was a lot of dip here. We both enjoyed this, I wouldn’t say there was a lot of pulled chicken but the sauce was nice and rich.

As it was nearby, the next stop was the Refreshment Port. The speciality poutine wasn’t a snack credit and the sweet poutine sounded a bit odd (sweet potato fries, caramel, marshmallows), so we settled on the classic poutine.



Traditional Poutine - French Fries, Beef Gravy, and Cheese Curds – $6.99



Essentially cheese, chips and gravy. I like how because this is from another country it seems cultured, but in the UK we definitely wouldn’t call it this!

We were also able to get some iced water from here.

This snack was enjoyed with a lovely view –



Continuing with the Canadian theme, we caught the next showing of O Canada. We already had a trip to Canada planned for the following year (which has now been and gone as it’s taken me so long to write this report!) and this got us excited for the trip. (Spoiler – we loved Canada and are already planning a return visit).





It was almost 1pm by the time we got out, which meant a drink was long overdue!



I’m not even going to try and justify this – my third of the trip - La Passion Martini Slush - Vodka, Grey Goose Le Citron, Cranberry and Passion Fruit Juice — $10.75





I didn’t even photograph it this time as I already had two previous versions. This was the stand out drink from the festival for me.

The next snack stop was Belgium for the Beer-braised Beef - served with Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes - $5.25





Whilst this was nice, it was just your standard stew really.

As we passed Japan, I went into Mitsukoshi on an errand – my Mum insisted she wanted one of the little white cat figurine that are supposed to bring good luck ($3.99 plus tax). She has bought one every time she visited and asks me to do the same.









In Germany, we picked up a glass of Riesling - J&H Selbach Bernkasteler Kurfürstlay Riesling Kabinett, Mosel — $5.00



This was a really enjoyable wine. We’ve really gotten into Riesling since this trip and is now one of our go-to white wines.

It was time for our Frozen FP+ now. The standby wait time was a respectable 50 minutes, but we were on in about 5 minutes.





I have no idea why the cast member loading the boat insisted on doing this, but they put us in the back row of the boat with two other adults. The back row of the boat is a little narrower than the others and 4 adults is just too many. It was certainly cosy! This happened to us on Pirates of the Caribbean as well.

Any, we enjoyed the ride, even if we felt like we got to know the people in our row a little too well. We also knew where the ride photo was this time.

The next snack stop was China, for the Xi’an Pancake with Beef — $6.75. Another excellent snack credit value and a tasty snack, even if it was a little tricky to divide into two!







The Islands of the Caribbean had fixed their frozen mojito machine, so we picked one of these up for $9.50.



I was expecting the drink to be a little larger for the price, but enjoyed it none the less.

We’d completed our lap of the World Showcase just in time for our Fastpass for Figment. Ollie wasn’t keen, but you have to ride Figment at least once per trip! There was a reasonable stand by line, so I was unexpectedly glad of the fastpass.





We then made it back to the Active Eats booth to try the Loaded Mac ‘n’ Cheese - with Nueske’s® Pepper Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Peppers and Green Onions – $5.00







It’s not often that Disney Food Blog steers me wrong. However, they rave about this snack and it just didn’t live up to expectations. I consumed a fair amount of mac and cheese this trip, but this just wasn’t nice. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but there was a weird taste I couldn’t place. Neither of us enjoyed this.

After a brief stop at Club Cool to take away the taste of the mac n cheese, our next snack was a repeat from the Flavours from Fire booth.

Charred Chimichurri Skirt Steak - on a Smoked Corn Cake with Pickled Vegetable Slaw and Cilantro Aïoli – $6.75



Just as good as last time!



They were showing a series of shorts in the old Captain EO/ Honey I shrunk the audience theatre which we headed to next.









I adored the Feast short – the dog was adorable!



It was time for our Spaceship Earth FP next. We did this ride a lot this trip, but I still enjoy it every time.

We stopped in Electric Umbrella for water. It was so hot outside today, that we downed three cups each.

Next up on the snack agenda was from Taste Track for the Croissant Doughnut - with Chocolate and Marshmallows – $6.50.





Ollie wasn’t sure about this beforehand, but this was a surprise hit. It was much lighter and less stodgy than a donut, but not greasy like a pastry can be.

We also spotted this little guy –



As the Test Track single rider queue was only a 10 minute wait, it would have been rude not to! We didn’t bother with the create your own car aspect this time and we ended up in different rows of the same car, so it was nice to ride together. I do love the end section of the ride.





We popped into the Festival Centre for a bit of respite from the heat and couldn’t resist stopping by Shimmering Sips for a Fromosa - Frozen Mimosa featuring White Claw Lime Hard Seltzer – $6.00



I was expecting something with a lot more orange flavour, but was quite glad that it wasn’t. A very enjoyable drink.

[Scruffette]

Tonight’s Eat to the Beat act was Plain White Ts who we were keen to see, so we headed back round towards the America pavilion.





En route we found a lost magic band which we handed to a cast member. On the back, the name said ‘Papa Bear’, which I thought was really cute. I hope Papa Bear got his band back.

We enjoyed the Plain White Ts concert. They saved Hey There Delilah until the end of course. This was the main reason we went to see them! They were really good though. The lead singer’s hair was quite something.





After the show, we got some iced waters from Liberty Inn as we were nearby, and then decided that we fancied trying the Resiling wine flight after enjoying our sample earlier.

The flight was $6.50 and included :

Carl Graff Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese, Mosel
J&H Selbach Bernkasteler Kurfürstlay Riesling Kabinett, Mosel
Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett Halbtrocken, Mosel

The glasses were comically small, but we enjoyed our drinks. It was nice to spend some time appreciating the Germany pavilion.











For some reason, although it wasn’t long until dinner, we picked up another salted caramel cupcake from Karamel Kuche, as we enjoyed the last one so much.

We did have quite a few snacks today! They were all shared, so I suppose 9 snacks between two in place of breakfast and lunch isn’t too bad.

As we fancied some air conditioning, we caught the next showing of the American Adventure! Not a must do for us every trip, but not a bad way to pass some time.





It was then time to check in for our evening ADR at La Hacienda de San Angel. We asked at check in for a fireworks view table and said we were happy to wait. About 15 minutes later we were called and had an excellent table with a view. We weren’t by the window, but were further back against the wall and slightly raised.



Our server asked if we would like some cava to start. We hesitated and then she said it was complimentary – she just wanted to check that we drank first! This was a lovely touch and very sweet of her.



We were also brought out tortilla chips. Ollie may have polished off most of these and ordered a second basket, which was a bad idea…



To drink, we shared two margaritas – the La Cava Avocado Margarita - Tequila Avion Blanco, Melon Liqueur, Fresh Avocado, Agave Nectar, Fresh Lime Juice served on the rocks with Hibiscus Salt Rim - $14.75 and the Minty Pineapple Margarita - Mezcal "Gracias a Dios" Espadin Blanco, Maraschino Cherry Liqueur, Caramelized Pineapple, Fresh Lime Juice, Mint Cordial served on the rocks with Black Ant Salt Rim - $15.00



We enjoyed the avocado margarita so much as Frontera Cocina that I had to have another one! Both were nice, but the avocado was my favourite.

To start, we shared the Pork Empanadas - Corn Empanadas stuffed with Pork and Black Beans topped with Mole Sauce -$12.00 and the Queso Fundido - Melted Cheese, Chorizo, Poblano and Serrano Peppers, Avocado-Tomatillo Sauce, and Flour Tortillas -$14.00





I really loved the queso fundido. Who doesn’t loved a melted cheese dip?

I’m not sure why all my pictures from this dinner came out awful. I’d like to blame it on the lighting, but it was probably just me.

Our server was really helpful with meal choices and said we could change the filling on the tacos to pretty much anything. As we were sharing two mains and Ollie isn’t a massive shrimp fan, we swaped the shrimp tacos to chicken tacos.

Tacos de Camarones - Fried Shrimp, Chipotle-Lime Aïoli, Cabbage, Lime, and Salsa Verde served over Flour Tortillas - $27.00



We also had the Costillas en Salsa de Chile - Braised Short Ribs topped with Chimichurri (Parsley, Oregano, Garlic, Olive Oil, Vinegar) served with Potato Puree in a Chile de Árbol Sauce, and Grilled Zucchini - $30.00



Seriously awful photos here!

This came with tortilla wraps in case we wanted to make tacos. I did use them to dip a bit, but didn’t really use them. The meals also came with rice and beans. In a hidden Mickey, obviously.



Illuminations started shortly after we finished our mains and we had a great view.





Watching the show from the restaurant is probably not as good as other vantage points, as you can’t see the really high fireworks. However, having seen the show before, I was happy with the view with the dimmed lights and music piped in.

We were both quite full, but decided to go for dessert anyway.

Ollie went with the lighter option of the Nieves - Traditional Mexican sorbets - $8.00



I went for the Flan de Maiz - Traditional caramel and sweet cream custard with pastry cream - $8.00



This was surprisingly light and quite tasty, although I only ate about half.

After settling up we waddled out of a fairly empty park, as it was after park closing.





We had about a 20 minute wait for a bus and actually sat down on the floor. This didn’t happen to much this trip, but I had a moment of feeling really uncomfortably full! Completely my own fault!

Fortunately, the bus back to French Quarter was quite empty and we could sit down.

Back in the room, I got ready for bed while Ollie watched Mega Storms 3D (the coverage of Florence had stopped now as the threat has passed). That man really loves the Weather Channel!

Day 20 - Magic Kingdom