French Market/HMH promotion (food and coin)

[cstephens]

I was looking forward to seeing French Market's new HMH-related food promotion this year. Here are descriptions of the two new items. I don't get the connection between Lock, Shock and Barrell/trick or treat and sweet and sour. The dish didn't sound or look particularly interesting to me, so I was disappointed. I'd really enjoyed the chicken six feet under and bowl of bones from previous years. The husband had the lasagna and said it was ok but the vegetables were cooked beyond recognition.

Instead of a patch promotion this year, they have a coin promotion. It's still 13 weeks for 13 different coins. You get a coin for each single $30 purchase, after tax and discounts. The coin comes in a little plastic pouch, with a color picture on the front that has the mansion in the background left and Zero flying in front of it and Santa Jack on the right. It's got the "Nightmare" banner in orange at the top, with HMH in yellow right under that and "2005 Disneyland" at the bottom middle. The one side of the coin that will remain the same has HMH 2005 across the top, with the mansion to the left side and Santa Jack examining a snowflake in the middle and Disneyland at the bottom. This week's coin is of Jack, with "The Nightmare Before Christmas" across the top, Jack's name at the bottom, and a picture of Jack in front of the hill curl in the middle. I actually like the other side of the coin better. I'll try to get pictures up in the next couple days.

The French Market has also had a gingerbread house themed to HMH. The first two years, it was identical to the gingerbread house on the dining room table in the ballroom. Last year and this year, they've dispensed with that. This year's French Market piece, while nice, is actually quite uninspired, imo. Here's a picture.

And for good measure, here are my thoughts on this year's HMH, in spoiler tags.

Spoiler:

Some people aren't happy about it, but I actually like that Leota isn't floating for the holidays. There's so much to see in that room anyway.

Changes that I noticed:

There seem to be more pumpkins outside with the scarecrow in the queue area, but he wasn't lit last night.

Did the knight next to Zero always have a pumpkin head? That seemed new to me, but I wouldn't swear to it.

My favorite part usually is seeing the new gingerbread house in the ballroom sequence, and this is my favorite of all. I can't even remember what the house itself looks like, but on the front is the wreath monster, moving arms and all, and one of the arms is picking up a slice of cake. Another arm has a gingerbread man in his hand.

There are a stack of pumpkins in the attic that I don't remember seeing before.


Things from previous years that I like still having:

The creepy kids singing fa la la la at the end of the stretch room, especially if you're lucky enough to be there when it's quiet enough to hear them.

The band is still outside the first window in the changing portraits hallway.

Oogie is still there with his cymbals and as an ornament on the tree.

The library with the swirling books! I love that!


I forgot to look and see if the hitchhiking ghosts are still there, and I forgot again on Sunday because I was so preoccupied with seeing the wreath again.

One other thing that's new - Jack at the end of the ride (as you go up the moving [or not] walkway) next to where Sally is sitting is now a video instead of a shadow cutout as he flies across. I don't remember the bonedeer legs moving before - they do now, and Zero's nose is lit up. It all looks really cool.

[innerSpaceman]

I actually thought the Mayor's bowtie lasagna was not bad, and my veggies were cooked just fine.

That said, I think the coin is even stupider (um, more stupid) than the patch. At least you could potentially sew the patch on something. What can you do with a coin, except throw it in a box somewhere never to be seen again? But I'm glad they gave me the coin despite my discounted AP price bringing the total to just under $30. By the way, we couldn't help but notice that prices had been jacked so high as to completely negate the new 15% AP discount. What a crock! And an especially despicable disservice to day guests.

What really irked us about the French Market HMH tie-in this year was that they give you a cute Lock, Shock & Barrell bathtub - - but are too lazy to serve your food in it. It even has a removable tray that would allow you to save the tub in pristine condition after eating out of it, but they simply hand it to you wrapped in a plastic sack. How utterly unimaginative!

Spoiler:

Oh, but I did like the new touches to the attraction this year, and am not one who thinks they have to make a big deal of it every season. In addition to the great ballroom centerpiece, the pumpkin-head knight at the endless hallway, and the improved Zero-pulled sleigh projection at the exit ramp ... there's also a neat, spiderweb-design hardwood floor in the entry foyer. Subtle stuff, but nice.

[MouseWife]

Thank you both for your reviews. It sounds like fun to be had, either way.

So, no one has one a car yet?

[Ghoulish Delight]

The lasagna and veggies were pretty good, and splitting that, with a piece of cheese cake, made a great and "relatively" affordable lunch for 2, especially since it comes with side salad and a roll. The bathtub was a bit of an oddity, although according to my coworker, they had to go through a bit of red tape last year to get the dog bowls cleared by health inspectors to serve food out of. Perhaps they didn't want to go through that this year, or perhaps the bath tubs weren't cleared (they are rubbery rather than hard plastic). Even with the plastic lining, I'd venture healt inspectors have a say with anything that's anywhere near your food.

One interesting note is that unlike previous years, the ginerbread sculpture that's in the French Market is NOT a scaled down version of the one inside the Mansion ballroom. Having eaten there before riding the attraction, I was disappointed that I had it spoiled, but was plesantly surprised to see a totally different (and truly spectacular) creation inside.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

The gingerbread sculpture in the Mansion itself is awesome this year and definitely worth checking out.

[cstephens]

Here's a picture of the coin.

[Gn2Dlnd]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

What can you do with a coin, except throw it in a box somewhere never to be seen again? [/spoiler]

I think the choice of a coin is to strengthen the rather tenuous connenction between HMH and New Orleans Square, coins (as well as beads) are a highly coveted throw during Mardi Gras.

[Not Afraid]

Originally Posted by MouseWife

So, no one has one a car yet?

I keep getting little cards that say "Try Again"! I have a life, you know.

[Drince88]

Originally Posted by Gn2Dlnd

I think the choice of a coin is to strengthen the rather tenuous connenction between HMH and New Orleans Square, coins (as well as beads) are a highly coveted throw during Mardi Gras.

When I first read the description as a coin, that's exactly what I thought of (though we call them doubloons in these parts, not coins!)

And all the throws (beads and doubloons in addition to everything else) is part of what causes houses in New Orleans to sink every year (from the boxes that get added to every attic each year! )

[Tito's Kitten]

I still have my dog bowl from last year. (the kids loved it!!) but I have to get another bathtub since I went with my sister and while I got the lasagna (and my veggies were DEFINATELY overcooked..) and the bathtub my sister didn't and my neice started crying for it, so I had to hand it over. All I could think was damn, I am going to have to eat another lasagna for that tub..... My son does like the coin though. But he is WAY too scared to go on the ride. (He did like the big Jack inside the French Market though...)