How EMH saved our trip-Doing the World on West Coast Time! Completed. Stop by my PTR!

[Angies1274]

Great Dining recap!! You ate at alot of great places! I think one of the best things about the DP is that it's completely paid for and that you don't have to budget everyday to make sure you are going to have enough. We've tried Chef Mickey's, Crystal Palace and Ohana's for breakfast so far. I would have to say out of all of them, we enjoyed the food at Crystal Palace the best. But also because you are able to get some great pictures of the castle before the park opens on an empty Main Street!! Although we love Chef Mickey's for the characters and atmosphere, we thought the food was just alright compared to CP.

 

[eandesmom]

I copied this from December TR. It's my reivew of California grill. DH and I had a solo dinner there..........


Post 9: Dinner at the Cali Grill

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We checked in on the 4th floor, I think???? I actually forget what floor it was, but the check in process was simple. I didn't know that you took a private elevator to get to the CG. That was pretty cool!


It was about 5:30/5:40 when we checked in. By the time we were seated it was dark out. I think its cool how the twilight lasts just minutes in florida and then, poof, it's gone and its dark. We rode up on the elevator with a family of 5. I was actually surprised how many children were checking into the restaurant with their parents. I just wouldn't think to take my kids here because it's an expensive dinner and I don't think they would fully appreciate it. There are too many other less expensive restaurants that would better meet the needs of their teenage palates. But, hey, if you really want to eat at CG and you can afford to take your kids - go for it!

They handed us a beeper when we got upstairs, told us where the rest rooms were, pointed in the direction of the observation deck, and showed us the lounge where we could wait. Except we didn't need to wait at all. Our beeper went off almost instantaneously. We were seated at a fabulous table for two right along the window. It was very quiet, with no kids, and we had a spectacular view. DH told me I would not get good pics through the glass, so I did not take them. Instead, I just savored every minute of the view.

Our waiter, Steve, who was originally from Massachuesetts, told us he had worked for the CG for 19 years. He had worked for Disney for 25 years total. I guess once you get a job waiting at the CG, you probably become a lifer! He said, despite the fact that he has worked there for so long, he never gets tired of the view and he spends time everyday just soaking it in. He said he never wants to forget to appreciate it. He said he also enjoys viewing it during the different seasons because of the way the sun casts shadows on the lakes and the surrounding buildings.

When we sat down, we were presented with a very comprehensive wine list. I don't know a lot about wines, but I thought this would be a good place to share a bottle. I was drawn to the section called "Interesting white wines". I asked Steve if he could pick out a bottle for us. He recommended a wine from Monterrey which actually had a german name. It wasn't overly sweet or overly dry. In my opinion, it was perfect. I knew if Steve had worked there for 19 years, he had to know a thing or two about wines!

My appetizer was this lovely salad with blue cheese and cranberries and probably a few nuts thrown in there. It was delish. DH had the beet salad, we had these big slices of different types of beets. He was quite pleased with his salad. I refrained from bread during this meal, because I wanted to really enjoy the food.

My entree was scallops. It was three huge scallops arranged on the thin layer of potatoes and a relish made of corn. It was fabulous. They were honestly the best scallops I have ever had. I did sneak a pic of my dish, but I did not photograph DH's dish.

I asked DH what he had for dinner, cause I couldn't remember. He couldn't really remember either, but we know it was some type of seafood dish. Next time, I will have to take better notes!!!!! I know his dinner did not fail to please.

We also had dessert. It was a chocolate filled brownie with rasberry topping. We split this. It was seriously just OK. But I didn't really notice by then, because I had quite a bit of wine to drink. In fact, by our estimates, I probably drank about 3/4 of the bottle.

We were seated near a couple who were on their honeymoon. They sprinkled the table with confetti. It was really cute and I congratulated them when we left.

Well - I gotta get ready for work. We obviously stayed and watched the fireworks from the observation deck. I will post those pics later. But I will leave you with this lovely picture of the castle........

I wanted to post a little bit more information about our dinner and my final impressions.

First of all, let me say that this dinner really lived up to my expectations of a magical Christmas present. I tried to make a mental imprint of what it was like, sitting next to the window looking out over the expanses of the Magic Kingdom and the MK resorts. I have little freeze frame images in my mind of the castle changing colors, the astro orbitor spinning, and the ferry boats, outlined with sparkling lights, coming and going. Even the bus depot looked magical, sprinkled with bright, glowing lights. During dinner I kept sneaking sideways glances of the nighttime vista. I don't want to ever forget it!

I truely recommend a couple's dinner at CG. I don't think I would have enjoyed our dinner nearly as much if it had been a family affair. The cost for our dinner - 2 appes, 2 entrees, a bottle of wine, and one dessert, was about $160 with the 20% discount and the 18% gratituity. Steve was definately worth more than 18% and he was tipped accordingly. We were at our table about 1 1/2 hours. There was no rushing, yet the evening flew by. I was originally worried about our 5:45 dinner time. I thought it was too far in advance of the 8pm wishes. But it ended up being perfect. By the time we got up from the table and went out to the observation deck, it was close to 7:30pm.

The temperature was perfect for the deck. And, surprisingly, the deck was not very crowded. I envisioned a small area with people crowded together to watch the fireworks. It was not like that at all. There were several small children with their parents out on the deck, but they didn't stay long. We had no trouble taking pictures. I literally just snapped and snapped and snapped. It was somewhat labor intensive and I think I probably missed the best part of the fireworks because of my preoccupation with the camera and getting theh best shots.

SOLD! and then some. It is a must do, at the top of my list!

Okay now I have to eat there, sans kids! Definitely OOP. Our kids would be fine and appreciate it but DSS16 would kill us in cost lol. The others could be regulated. But still, if we can pull of a no kid night....need to do it.

See, this is why I need an ADULT only trip!

If I could only win the lottery, DH and I could go during F&W and FD for our anniversary in Nov. LOL! It however would NOT be his first choice of a couple trip.

Great Dining recap!! You ate at alot of great places! I think one of the best things about the DP is that it's completely paid for and that you don't have to budget everyday to make sure you are going to have enough. We've tried Chef Mickey's, Crystal Palace and Ohana's for breakfast so far. I would have to say out of all of them, we enjoyed the food at Crystal Palace the best. But also because you are able to get some great pictures of the castle before the park opens on an empty Main Street!! Although we love Chef Mickey's for the characters and atmosphere, we thought the food was just alright compared to CP.

We ate well I am blessed to have good, adventuresome little (and big) eaters.

I don't know what it is but I have no desire to eat at CP. Part of it is colored by a horrible experience a dear friend had recently when they'd booked her autistic son's 10th birthday dinner there. Apparently there was some kitchen issue and they were CLOSED! But neglected to inform any one who had an ADR or provide an alternate option.

They had to eat at Pecos Bills! (or whatever it's called). I've heard mixed reviews about CP but also a lot of glowing ones but I think I'm leaning towards Cape May and Kona (as I MUST have tonga toast). Maybe if I get those 2 out of my system I can look at CP with fresh eyes and Ohana. The crowds at Chef Mickey's freak me out a little bit and I'm just not sure for my crowd, we need to deal with that. lol!

 

[eandesmom]

please excuse the bad video skills, it's just a few snippets all spliced together but you get the idea

 

[carissanboys]

What a great TR! Very informative and I loved the dining recap.

Thanks for posting the video of AI. It was great to see what's it's like since I didn't get to see it in person on my trip.

 

[MEK]

The third girl sounded like she was pretty good, but I only heard the end. Thanks for posting the video. Was this the finale or was this a show with 4 or 5 contestants? I think the talent was a little bit better in June but they only had 3 contestants in each show. I guess a better talent pool is to be expected, considering that's when the kids are out of school.

 

[eandesmom]

What a great TR! Very informative and I loved the dining recap.

Thanks for posting the video of AI. It was great to see what's it's like since I didn't get to see it in person on my trip.

The third girl sounded like she was pretty good, but I only heard the end. Thanks for posting the video. Was this the finale or was this a show with 4 or 5 contestants? I think the talent was a little bit better in June but they only had 3 contestants in each show. I guess a better talent pool is to be expected, considering that's when the kids are out of school.

It's a little bit of both as we saw two shows. I should have taped more in the finale as they were all quite good, most of this is from the daytime show, not the finale, the girl in black with the short bob won the show we saw but not the finale, the guy won the finale. The first show we saw had 4 or 5 and then the finale was also 4 or 5. I was worried about using up too much memory on the camera!

 

[MEK]

Looking forward to your final thoughts about the parks.

 

[cjackearl]

Thanks for posting the video. It looks like a fun show.

 

[eandesmom]

Looking forward to your final thoughts about the parks.

coming later today, got it started but then got sidetracked! Amazing how 3 days of camping and a job hunt will do that!

Thanks for posting the video. It looks like a fun show.

it was, I'd go again!

 

[eandesmom]

What we did, what we didn’t do, what we won’t do again, what we will do again and…what we’d like to do in future trips

What we did
MK: BTMRR, Space Mountain, Teacups, POTC, HM, Main Street Barber, Buzz, Celebrations Parade, Wishes, Indy Speedway
Epcot: Soarin’, Test Track, Mission Space, Spaceship Earth, Three Caballeros, HISTK, The Seas with Nemo
AK: EE, Safari, Kali, Dinosaur, Jammin Jungle Parage
DHS: Beauty and the Beast, AI, RRC, TSM, Star Tours, Indiana Jones, TOT, HSM parade
DTD: Goofy’s
Resorts: Spa’s at WL, GF. SeaRaycers at WL, HDDR

What we didn’t do
MK: A LOT! Peter Pan, HOP, Philarmagic, Spectromagic, Jungle Cruise, SFRTH, Splash Mountain, Asto Orbiter, Laugh Floor, Tiki Room, and so so much more
Epcot: Malestrom, KP, Ellen’s Energy Adventure, Illuminations, World Showcase (as in really “doing” it), WS Masks
DHS: LMA, Jedi Training, Great Movie Ride, Fantasmic
AK: FOTLK, TOL (Close up), Kids Discovery Clubs, FOW, Finding Nemo
DTD: Pin trade!
Resorts: Ride bikes, campfires, smores, outdoor movies

What we won’t do again
I can’t see us attempting WDW during President’s week or spring break/easter, again. We’ve all agreed we’ll brave the august heat instead.
I can’t see us pulling kids out of school for more than 2 days, again. I can see a couple of days, especially with the younger ones but that’s it, tops.
Order quite as much food for the room

What we will do again
Garden Grocer
Something “special” for each person
“Matching” Treats for each person
ADR’s, sit down dinner daily
Skip having a rental car

What we’d like to do for future trips
Free Dining!
A thanksgiving trip, someday
Food and wine (again) someday
Flower and garden although I’m not sure how that can ever happen with the kids along
Star wars weekend (same problem as above though)
Go out for breakfast!

And so....our trip ends.

I wish I could be in the throes of planning the next one. I have high hopes that there will be one a year from now. However....I have to find a new job first and can't plan a darn thing until that happens. But...I have high hopes and when there is a will, there is a way, and I have LOTS of will!

DH and I are really really feeling the lack of a week long vacation this summer and are truly hoping to do another trip next summer. We do have savings for it but...need the job thing resolved.

Once it is...planning will commence and it WILL include a PTR!

So I leave you with a sneak peek at the cast of characters for the next adventure and our ideal lodgings!

Thanks for coming along, I'm very sad to see it end and will just have to live vicariously through everyone elses PTR's and TR's.

The crew. Our gang, MIL, her DH. BIL is also in this picture, he's a maybe

and....THV!

 

[MEK]

Thank you for your wonderful TR. I am so sad to see it officially end. I love your summary. You really did get a lot done between sleeping late and the crowds. I hope you will be able to go back next August. It must seem like an eternity, but its really not. Plus, I hope you get to stay in a THV. They do look pretty cool and I am looking forward to staying in one someday.

Anywho....good luck with job hunting and I look forward to your PTR. Maybe you will be able to go during free dining in late Augst 2010!

 

[cjackearl]

I'm officially bummed out that your TR is over. I really liked your final thought lists. There will always be "next time" lists, unless you could stay for like 2 weeks! Ahhh...wouldn't that be heavenly? The picture of your family is stunning. Everyone looks very relaxed and pretty/handsome. I'll be looking for that PTR!!

 

[eandesmom]

Thank you for your wonderful TR. I am so sad to see it officially end. I love your summary. You really did get a lot done between sleeping late and the crowds. I hope you will be able to go back next August. It must seem like an eternity, but its really not. Plus, I hope you get to stay in a THV. They do look pretty cool and I am looking forward to staying in one someday.

Anywho....good luck with job hunting and I look forward to your PTR. Maybe you will be able to go during free dining in late Augst 2010!

I'm sad too! I'm ok with waiting a year to go back actually, I just need a vacation of some sort in between now and then lol!

I didn't sleep late though! Nor did the e's One thing we will do next time is get up and go with those that are up and hook up later! Part of the reason we are targeting late August is exactly that, FD!

I'm officially bummed out that your TR is over. I really liked your final thought lists. There will always be "next time" lists, unless you could stay for like 2 weeks! Ahhh...wouldn't that be heavenly? The picture of your family is stunning. Everyone looks very relaxed and pretty/handsome. I'll be looking for that PTR!!

Thanks! 2 weeks would be great, you could hit Universal without feeling bad, Cape Canaveral (we did that last time but would do again!), Sea World and have lots of lazy resort time!

Ha. I'll be pushing it to get DH to 8 nights instead of 7

 

[SunnieRN]

Oh man, it sucks that your trip report is over! I really enjoyed both your dining and trip reports!!

Great summations/wish lists!! That is what is so great about WDW. There will always be something else to do each time you visit!! I can't think of too many other places that can entertain entire families of multi generations as well as Disney does!!

Thank you so much for sharing your memories with us!!

 

[MEK]

I'm sad too! I'm ok with waiting a year to go back actually, I just need a vacation of some sort in between now and then lol!

I didn't sleep late though! Nor did the e's One thing we will do next time is get up and go with those that are up and hook up later! Part of the reason we are targeting late August is exactly that, FD!


Ha. I'll be pushing it to get DH to 8 nights instead of 7

I do think that everyone needs a real summer vacation. I'm sorry you didn't get one. I know I would hate summer to end if I didn't really get a chance to go away.

I know you and the e's were up early. It's just those pesky teens who sleep late. I hope FD does work out for the kids return to school dates. I know it would have worked for me this year, except for preseason soccer.

8 nights sounds good. I think 8 or 9 nights is best. I would have pushed for that, too but I knew we had to get LJ home.

Promise to read your dining report soon!

 

[eandesmom]

I do think that everyone needs a real summer vacation. I'm sorry you didn't get one. I know I would hate summer to end if I didn't really get a chance to go away.

I know you and the e's were up early. It's just those pesky teens who sleep late. I hope FD does work out for the kids return to school dates. I know it would have worked for me this year, except for preseason soccer.

8 nights sounds good. I think 8 or 9 nights is best. I would have pushed for that, too but I knew we had to get LJ home.

Promise to read your dining report soon!

We did 8 the first trip and it was perfect. This time was 7 but with the flight times, was really only 6 nights and 6 full days which just wasn't enough! If you can get a half day on each end then it works, but we didn't. Definitely deprived

It is our first summer of "not" having a real summer vacation. I can guarantee it won't happen again. I would have booked us a trip to Hawaii about 3 months ago and Dh was on the fence, the rates are amazing right now and I have family there that I REALLY want to see. We didn't, waiting on soccer, waiting on ODP, then only to be thwarted by someone else giving permission for Tink to be gone the one week that "worked". And then the wind was out of our sails, no week worked for all of us...yada yada yada.

Now, tonight, DH is now saying he wants to do Hawaii next summer. Which, we can do if we move WDW to thanksgiving (which would work for us but might mean I'd REALLY prefer to stay at WL!).

Then again, with FD, we "might" be able to swing both. Depends on my job situation. Of course this year I could get FD at thanksgiving (not that anything is left) but the kitty isn't full until April vacation wise lol. That'd be too soon for DH anyway.

So, who knows. He thinks the HI deals will be just as good next summer.

At any rate I can say this with assurance. Neither of us will let soccer keep us from a trip. If we all can't go then that is what will have to be. But, as a family and a couple, we need at least a week each summer, preferably 2!


All that said, we've had lovely short trips. One to Idaho with my sister, One to our cabin, One camping with friends. Upcoming soon is one to OR with FIL and his wife and then a girls only retreat. And they all have been truly fabulous. Just not relaxing. San Diego was relaxing but my, that seems like a million years ago (even though it was May).

I think, sadly, is what it really comes down to is that I am not cut out for staying at home FT with my kiddos in the summer. Combine that, without a full week away and....bleh. And if I'm bleh, then well, it rubs off on DH.

I was home FT last summer but we had a huge (2 week!) trip. Bottom line is it really reinforced that I need to go back to the corporate world. I needed a sabbatical, and I've had it.

Telecommuting and startups are great but...I'm too old, too set in my ways, too used to having a break. As are they.

 

[Angies1274]

I'm very sad that your TR is over. I've enjoyed reading it so much!! Your final thoughts were great!!--and what a wonderful picture of your family. Thanks for sharing!!!

 

[eandesmom]

I'm very sad that your TR is over. I've enjoyed reading it so much!! Your final thoughts were great!!--and what a wonderful picture of your family. Thanks for sharing!!!

thanks! I'm sad too. One can only stretch it out for so long....



You've got a new trip coming soon so hopefully I'll get to read another one of your trip reports soon so I can live vicariously!

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

I just got caught up on your TR to find out that it is over. What a nice way to end it though! I love all of the summaries and reviews. It helps remind you of all that happened on the trip. I really hope that you will get to go on your trip to THV and I will be looking for your PTR!

 

[eandesmom]

I just got caught up on your TR to find out that it is over. What a nice way to end it though! I love all of the summaries and reviews. It helps remind you of all that happened on the trip. I really hope that you will get to go on your trip to THV and I will be looking for your PTR!

I'm sad it's over too! But am looking forward to planning the next one. There will be one, it's a "when" not an "if"



Thanks for reading!!