Sharing the Disney Magic with Family & Friends-DL Diamond Anniversary-DCA F&W Fest Kiosks & The End!

[Dis_Yoda]

Your dinner party sounds amazing! It will be an awesome meal.

Glad you set your dates for your scheduled Disney Trip. I love WDW during Christmas time. The Christmas Food Special Items are pretty much mostly desserts & a few of them are just offered at the normal kiosks, at least a couple years agp when I went.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I am glad that you managed to get this sorted out. The plans sound nice. I agree with not going home straight after a cruise. We did this a couple of times and since then I always plan at least a two days after the end of the cruise to enjoy.

I am glad that you get to see the Dream. It is a shame that the Fantasy did not work out, but this gives you more time at the parks. The Osborne Lights are truly magical and I do recommend the Candlelight Processional. I have done this twice now and loved it. I have seen videos from Disneyland and this seemed quite different. They offer dinner packages, which guarantee you a seat with minimal wait. I always go for the lunch as it is great value and you get to see the first show.

We have never stayed at Saratoga Springs as we own at Old Key West, but we spent some time just enjoying the resort in 2012 during our holiday season trip. We loved it and will definitely stay there at some stage in the future.

I normally much prefer Disneyland over Walt Disney World for a variety of reasons, but when it comes to the holiday season, Walt Disney World has the edge for me. I loved Disneyland during he holiday season last year, but I love the big scale events and the way the hotels are dressed up for Christmas at Walt Disney World.

The plans for dinner at Steakhouse 55 sound great. Bison sounds an interesting choice. I have never tried this and wonder what it is like. I love the photos of past menus. The thought of a 5 course German menu has my mouth water.

Corinna

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Food porn! Loving it. The lamburger gets my vote! That looks amazing. Great idea to have an early brunch/lunch so that you can really enjoy that amazing dinner that is lined up. Oh my Bison are you kidding me? Are you into cruelty or what lol. I could not believe what I was reading. Yum and double yum. Although the seafood course looks wonderful. Just look at that lobster! Pretty in pink. I would see the word Bison and the land would win.

Does he ever favour a land and sea option? Here it is popular to serve a kind of surf and turf. Both shell or fish dish and meat. Personally I prefer one or the other. Your menu sounds great. Death star! Loving it.

You are very considerate with your guests needs. How kind.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Do it, do it, do it!

Jill in CO

W-O-R-K will kill me if I run off now.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Okay. All of the Dis-sers going to Alison's party......I will be HANGING out for the food porn. This is going to be one amazing meal and party.

 

[dgbg100106]

Your plans for the Christmas trip sound wonderful, one of these days I want to do a resort only trip, where I just go and check out the resorts and spend all day looking at the decorations having tea and enjoying the spa, to me this sounds very relaxing.

The dinner party... OMG, I am so jealous... I wish I was going to be there to share in your special birthday! I know I will be toasting you from here!

 

[jedijill]

Dinner looks A-MAZ-ING! I can't believe I get to be a part of it! I love bison and I'm happy you will be serving it. @dolphingirl47 Bison is a lot like beef only much leaner. It really is delicious if cooked correctly. Artist Point at WDW serves an awesome bison steak (when its on the menu) and I like the bison burger at Ted's Montana Grill.

Jill in CO

 

[Pinkocto]

Hooray for booking a December trip!!! Your plans sounds great I know I said this before but I really liked SSR. Being able to walk/scoot over to DTD is fabulous.

WDW all decked out for the holidays is gorgeous. And the Osborn lights are a sight to see!

Oh my was my mouth watering with those food pictures!

 

[jedijill]

Alison,

Christmas party tickets went on sale today. They haven't announced the DVC discount dates yet but I'm sure there will be discounted nights during your dates.

Jill in CO

 

[KathyM2]

Loving the food porn. I'll have the seafood and salad

 

[mvf-m11c]

Your plans during your birthday at the DLR is great. You can't go wrong with Paradise Grill or UVA Bar and Cafe. I have enjoyed those two places where you got me on them especially the UVA Bar. One of these days, I will have to go and eat at Steakhouse 55.

 

[rentayenta]

Okay, let me start by apologizing Alison for getting so terribly behind. We went on vacation and my notifications stopped for this thread.

Thank you for warning me to eat before reading. HOLY MOLY!

Back to the order of updates. Admittedly I did not read the chatter in between updates or I'd never be caught up and with only a little over three weeks until the birthday bash weekend, I need to stay caught up.

Sending good vibes that Fran's appointment next week goes well and yay to no surgery!

Glad David's could rent most of your poins out. Most excellent news.

OMG the GV at the GCV!!!!!!!

Love Jusitn already and Naked Jim of course and Cynthia and you and Fran and Jill. So looking forard to meeting your other friends and family. It's going to be a fabulous weekend!

Glad you were able to rent the 1st St place!

Your birthday cake will be amazing and can't wait to see taste what flavors you chose.

Love the WDW/cruise plans! I agree that leaving the cruise for home seems more harsh than leaving the parks for home.

 

[afwdwfan]

chocolate Death Star

Of all the things listed, this was the first to really grab my attention. Delicious and awesome. If it was my birthday, I know what I'd request!

This was also a great choice for dessert, a brownie topped with chocolate ice cream and chocolate sauce.

And this would be option number 2. Clearly, I have a slight addiction to chocolate!

In addition to providing entertainment for my readers, this post has also allowed me to solidify my email to Chef Marcel about my requests for the dinner. I shall send this off in the next week or so!

It looks delicious! It has got to be hard to come up with a meal that will be acceptable to everyone in such a large party. I think you've got a good plan in place, and having the alternative to just order from the regular menu if you don't like it would probably be the best plan of action!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

So it’s taken time and research, but I finally rebooked another trip to WDW.

I have never been to WDW at Christmastime. I’ve been to DLR plenty of times and it is really magical, but there is so much different at WDW and I’m glad that we will finally be able to see it.

Awesome! This is one of my bucket-list items too.

So now we just have to keep Fran healthy enough to be able to go on this trip! Today is two weeks from her next Ortho Doctor appointment where he will hopefully tell her that she can start bearing weight on the leg as tolerated, so we should countdown to that! I might even make a ticker!

Let's hope it's all good news! Hoping she will be on her feet very soon.

kefta meatballs with tzatziki.

Uh huh.

Lamburger

Ok.

mushroom soups

Right.

tempura battered Jerusalem artichoke garnish

Whatever that is.

butternut squash soup

Sure.

lobster bisque

Whatever.

spinach salad

If you have to.

scallops

Yep.

Weinerschnitzel

Perking up...

cheese course

Better...

chocolate Death Star

Ok--wait, what?? Now THIS I gotta see!

I will have to account for several folks with dietary concerns. I will remind him of my concerns: no organ meats, brains or other unusual cuts. No salmon, no Brussel sprouts, eggplant, peas or olives.

My sister’s family requests no: tomatoes, mushrooms, truffles, seafood, nuts, and pickles. My niece lists additional dislikes as horseradish, tartar sauce, wasabi, squash and blue cheese, but they should in no way effect our dishes, they can just have something off the main menu without any of these things.

Wow, that's quite the list of demands there. You're giving the chef a challenge!

 

[dgbg100106]

I was sharing your plans with DH and he said, "If you want to go, why don't you just do it" Oh I wish I could....

 

[eandesmom]

Uh, oh, you were one of my prime candidates but my mom was the #1 person I thought of. I also have some vegan friends who are coming. They have decided to eat meat for the weekend though, so they may be like you and gloss over it.

Oh I'll have some, I love quinoa, I'll just have everything else too! I am an equal opportunity eater

LOL!

I already have a word doc with detailed instructions for each dish and what I want done with it when we get there.

Worker bee at the ready!

The food looks amazing! I never buy that stuff at Costco since I live alone. I can't wait to try it! OMG! You are getting an Ace of Cakes cake?!!?!?!?!?!?!? And I get to eat it!?!?!?!?!??

I'm so excited about seeing you guys, meeting Jenny, and seeing Cynthia for longer than 5 minutes.

Jill in CO

I've had that Costco chicken, it's pretty darn good! I've actually used it a few times to make homemade chicken noodle soup.

Seriously, that was ridiculous, like ships passing in the night. I can't wait!

Believe me. I'm sorely tempted.

DO IT

Do it, do it, do it!

What Jill said

I can't imagine how bored she must be. I would be spending all my time reading/writing TRs and planning future trips, but she doesn't even enjoy that. She's just binge watching Game of Thrones waiting for the new season, and catching up on old Dr. Who episodes.

Well, there are worse shows

I have never been to WDW at Christmastime.

You will LOVE it! And it won't be during the horrible crowd season, sounds fabulous

Staying at SSR we can scoot across the bridge to DTD and catch busses to any of the resorts very easily.

Really good point!

Because of the time of year it cost us an additional 10,000 frequent flyer miles per person, and because we were scheduled to come back on US Airways and on the original trip we had to pay an $82 change fee to have both legs on American. I’d rather fly on American, and both are non stop flights, which is preferable.

All things considered, that's not bad at all

So now we just have to keep Fran healthy enough to be able to go on this trip! Today is two weeks from her next Ortho Doctor appointment where he will hopefully tell her that she can start bearing weight on the leg as tolerated, so we should countdown to that! I might even make a ticker!

Fingers crossed!

The Paradise Garden Grill is a great place to get a Mediterranean style lunch. You pick a meat and a sauce, and it’s served with rice and a pita, and a cucumber salad. My choice is either the chicken or the kefta meatballs with tzatziki.

I had the chicken one in August

The other choice would be Uva Bar and Grill for a Lamburger.

I'd probably vote for the lamburger. I mean, it's your birthday and the chicken may be too healthy...it'll still be there.

I think I will either do a Balinese Body Polish Massage or the Elemis Exotic Frangipani Body Nourish Wrap. Either way I should be done by 3PM and will head back to the room to get ready for the evening.

I had the Body Polish at Mandara in FL a few years ago. AMAZING. Scrub and Rub. Can't say enough good things about it!

I’ve told everyone to come gather at the room for Happy Hour at 4PM so that we can get ready for our evening! Next post will be all about the libations, so you’ll have to wait until then.

First course will definitely be a soup. He has served us mushroom soups.

All of the soups look amazing!

I like to have a seafood course and a salad course. Sometimes he combines the two like this.

Wow!

And sometimes he even goes for a handmade pasta

That looks insanely good, all of it

We will be requesting Bison for the main course, but sadly I don’t have any pictures of the Bison that he has served us in the past. He has made Weinerschnitzel for us. One time he made us an entire German feast of five courses.

Jeff will be SOOOOOOOOOO jealous

I’m not sure if I want a cheese course for this meal.

We may not have room for cheese

But I am going to request a dessert that is somewhat “cakelike”, although I saw a post from someone on another Disney board who was served a chocolate Death Star for dessert. That might be nice as well!

Chocolate Death Star. That is pretty darn cool

W-O-R-K will kill me if I run off now.

not if they want you to come back!

 

[scottny]

WDW at Christmas time is so magical.

Love SSR. One of our faves.

Definitely take a day and visit the resorts.

Both of those choices for food looked good.

The 5 courses sound delicious.

The Death Star sounds like fun. Ask for that. LOL.

 

[ACDSNY]

Oh my Sebastian was on the plate! Love the food porn and the five courses sound great.

 

[franandaj]

Your dinner party sounds amazing! It will be an awesome meal.

Glad you set your dates for your scheduled Disney Trip. I love WDW during Christmas time. The Christmas Food Special Items are pretty much mostly desserts & a few of them are just offered at the normal kiosks, at least a couple years agp when I went.

I can't wait! I just sent off my requests to the chef!

I am glad that you managed to get this sorted out. The plans sound nice. I agree with not going home straight after a cruise. We did this a couple of times and since then I always plan at least a two days after the end of the cruise to enjoy.

Unless the cruise is departing from a port close to home, I've always had at least one day after, going directly to the plane seems really depressing when I think about it.

I am glad that you get to see the Dream. It is a shame that the Fantasy did not work out, but this gives you more time at the parks. The Osborne Lights are truly magical and I do recommend the Candlelight Processional. I have done this twice now and loved it. I have seen videos from Disneyland and this seemed quite different. They offer dinner packages, which guarantee you a seat with minimal wait. I always go for the lunch as it is great value and you get to see the first show.

I think we're going to skip the CP. It's a little to heavy on the choir part.

We have never stayed at Saratoga Springs as we own at Old Key West, but we spent some time just enjoying the resort in 2012 during our holiday season trip. We loved it and will definitely stay there at some stage in the future.

I thought about OKW, I love the Jacuzzi tubs there, but the ease of getting to DTD sounds really convenient.

I normally much prefer Disneyland over Walt Disney World for a variety of reasons, but when it comes to the holiday season, Walt Disney World has the edge for me. I loved Disneyland during he holiday season last year, but I love the big scale events and the way the hotels are dressed up for Christmas at Walt Disney World.

Seeing the hotels is going to be one of the big draws of this trip. I think that's what we will do on the weekend days since the parks will probably be crazy busy.

The plans for dinner at Steakhouse 55 sound great. Bison sounds an interesting choice. I have never tried this and wonder what it is like. I love the photos of past menus. The thought of a 5 course German menu has my mouth water.

I just sent off my email to the chef, I look forward to hearing his response. He is not one to chat a lot via email, but I hope he will be there that night and be able to accommodate my requests.

Food porn! Loving it. The lamburger gets my vote! That looks amazing. Great idea to have an early brunch/lunch so that you can really enjoy that amazing dinner that is lined up. Oh my Bison are you kidding me? Are you into cruelty or what lol. I could not believe what I was reading. Yum and double yum. Although the seafood course looks wonderful. Just look at that lobster! Pretty in pink. I would see the word Bison and the land would win.

The lamburger is sounding really good right now. But I get the best of both worlds, a seafood course and a meat course!

Does he ever favour a land and sea option? Here it is popular to serve a kind of surf and turf. Both shell or fish dish and meat. Personally I prefer one or the other. Your menu sounds great. Death star! Loving it.

We usually have a sea course, then a land course. I hope he can do the Death star!

You are very considerate with your guests needs. How kind.

I know my family. They won't touch their plates if it has any of this stuff on it.

W-O-R-K will kill me if I run off now.

Okay. All of the Dis-sers going to Alison's party......I will be HANGING out for the food porn. This is going to be one amazing meal and party.

Counting down.

Your plans for the Christmas trip sound wonderful, one of these days I want to do a resort only trip, where I just go and check out the resorts and spend all day looking at the decorations having tea and enjoying the spa, to me this sounds very relaxing.

That does sound relaxing...

The dinner party... OMG, I am so jealous... I wish I was going to be there to share in your special birthday! I know I will be toasting you from here!

I wish you were joining us too!

 

[franandaj]

Dinner looks A-MAZ-ING! I can't believe I get to be a part of it! I love bison and I'm happy you will be serving it. @dolphingirl47 Bison is a lot like beef only much leaner. It really is delicious if cooked correctly. Artist Point at WDW serves an awesome bison steak (when its on the menu) and I like the bison burger at Ted's Montana Grill.

Jill in CO

I'm really hoping he'll be able to serve us Bison, I haven't had it for a while.

Hooray for booking a December trip!!! Your plans sounds great I know I said this before but I really liked SSR. Being able to walk/scoot over to DTD is fabulous.

WDW all decked out for the holidays is gorgeous. And the Osborn lights are a sight to see!

I haven't stayed there since 2008, I'm looking forward to it.

Oh my was my mouth watering with those food pictures!

I'm going to be happy to eat like that, even if it's only for one night!

Alison,

Christmas party tickets went on sale today. They haven't announced the DVC discount dates yet but I'm sure there will be discounted nights during your dates.

Jill in CO

I think we're going to skip this one. We didn't think the Halloween Party was such a big deal, and I think I'd rather spend our money on a nice dinner somewhere.

Loving the food porn. I'll have the seafood and salad

Your plans during your birthday at the DLR is great. You can't go wrong with Paradise Grill or UVA Bar and Cafe. I have enjoyed those two places where you got me on them especially the UVA Bar. One of these days, I will have to go and eat at Steakhouse 55.

I definitely like both, I'll see who I can get to come with me and where.

Okay, let me start by apologizing Alison for getting so terribly behind. We went on vacation and my notifications stopped for this thread.

You're excused.

Thank you for warning me to eat before reading. HOLY MOLY!

I meant it!

Back to the order of updates. Admittedly I did not read the chatter in between updates or I'd never be caught up and with only a little over three weeks until the birthday bash weekend, I need to stay caught up.

Sending good vibes that Fran's appointment next week goes well and yay to no surgery!

I'm getting very busy so it won't be hard to keep up! Not too many more updates left to post!

Glad David's could rent most of your poins out. Most excellent news.

It sure was a big relief!

OMG the GV at the GCV!!!!!!!

I know 19 more days!

Love Jusitn already and Naked Jim of course and Cynthia and you and Fran and Jill. So looking forard to meeting your other friends and family. It's going to be a fabulous weekend!

Glad you were able to rent the 1st St place!

Definitely a relief!

Your birthday cake will be amazing and can't wait to see taste what flavors you chose.

I can't wait either!

Love the WDW/cruise plans! I agree that leaving the cruise for home seems more harsh than leaving the parks for home.

The more I thought about the previous trip (now canceled) and the idea of going directly to the airport made me depressed.

Of all the things listed, this was the first to really grab my attention. Delicious and awesome. If it was my birthday, I know what I'd request!

I did request it! We'll see what he replies!

And this would be option number 2. Clearly, I have a slight addiction to chocolate!

I'm not a chocoholic, but I enjoy it, and since my cake the night before isn't chocolate....

It looks delicious! It has got to be hard to come up with a meal that will be acceptable to everyone in such a large party. I think you've got a good plan in place, and having the alternative to just order from the regular menu if you don't like it would probably be the best plan of action!

Well they don't really get a choice. I call this kind of meal Marcel Roulette, either eat it or don't!

Awesome! This is one of my bucket-list items too.

I've been tossing around the idea for at least the last four years, I hope it comes to fruition!

Let's hope it's all good news! Hoping she will be on her feet very soon.

She's getting more and more independent. I really hope the doctor lets her bear weight on it in 9 days.

Uh huh.

Yup.

Ok.

I thought you might say that.

Right.

All Rightey then!

Whatever that is.

Sure.

Whatever.

If you say so.

If you have to.

We do.

Yep.

And then some.

Perking up...

It's about time.

Better...

It is.

Ok--wait, what?? Now THIS I gotta see!

I just realized that I have had one of these before in honor of the reopening of Star Tours.

Wow, that's quite the list of demands there. You're giving the chef a challenge!

Well he only has to do this for my sister's family, the rest of us eat plenty of things.

I was sharing your plans with DH and he said, "If you want to go, why don't you just do it" Oh I wish I could....

I wish you could too!