Wednesday, August 7, 2002
We woke up this morning, did some more packing, and called the porter to get our bags, to transfer to the Wilderness Lodge. We were both so sad to leave the Grand Floridian, but Andy was eager to see the Wilderness Lodge (myself, less thrilled I was too sad to leave). The porter came, and we gave him our leftover chocolate covered strawberries from the wedding night. He was excited, and said he would bring them downstairs to share with the other bell services staff.
Lynn had sent the big box of misc. wedding things like cake topper and champagne flutes to our room, so I put my bouquet in the box and decided to just carry this myself over to the WL, instead of sending it with the bell staff.
We each had some of the wedding cake before we departed, then left our wedding cake in our room at the GF, with a note to Mousekeeping, if they wanted to have a slice. We grabbed a quick breakfast at the GF concierge lounge our last there! I had some pastries and delicious watermelon, honey dew melon, and pineapple.
It was raining that day, because of a tropical depression, but we hopped on the monorail to the MK, then took the resort launch to the WL. Our room, 7084 (one of the honeymoon rooms), was ready at the WL when we got there, around 10:15 in the morning, and someone from the concierge staff came down to get us and show us to our room. It was kind of neat, b/c our room cards worked as our elevator keys to get to the closed 7th floor, concierge level.
The room was a lot darker than our GF room. I was just so sad to be there, after leaving my favorite resort, and I didnt like the Southwestern bedspread, or the wallpaper in the bathroom. The walls were papered with a green ivy design, and I thought that if theyd gone with just cream walls, it would have looked a lot brighter. Everything was just really dark, though I hadnt seen the AKL room yet, or I would have realized I didnt know what dark was!
The other thing that bothered me about the WL were the amenities they had the same ones that the All Star resorts had. That watery stuff in the red & black bottle called Shampoo/Conditioner, that does nothing but leave a sticky finish on your hair. I wish I had realized that the GF was the only deluxe hotel with real shampoo & conditioner, so that I would have just packed it from there to carry over to the WL.
The nice things about the room were the Jacuzzi tub very big & luxurious, and the private balcony. No one else could see our balcony, which was really nice, since it felt like our own private spot. We could see the GF, the Contemporary, and Space Mountain from the balcony of our room, and when it was night time, could kind of see the castle through the trees, but only b/c of it being lit up.
We got our Deluxe Magic vouchers, and then went downstairs to the mercantile to get 4 Magical Moments pins, as part of our package, and picked up 2 rain ponchos, too. Andy also bought a Magical Moments game, that downloaded various games from different WDW rides. He liked playing that while waiting in line, and of course we had to take it out at each of the download spots, to get the new game.
We took a bus to the TTC, then monorail to Epcot. We pretty much walked onto Journey Into Imagination, which had been recently re-done. The ride was okay, but the best part was a swinging butterfly in a cage. It looked like an animatronic butterfly, but when the ride moved past the cage, the butterfly disappeared! That was a very neat effect.
We walked around the World Showcase, then went to Tempura Kiku for lunch. It wasnt a priority seating place, first come first served, and we got there about 10 minutes early. I had California rolls for my appetizer, and my entrée was the Nihonbashi: tempura fish, shrimp, scallops & vegetables. For dessert, I had a pretty light but quite sweet chestnut mousse. Andy had Kibuki beef as his appetizer, which was a cold, thinly sliced beef with radish. It was really peppery, but he enjoyed it. For his entrée, he had the Sushi Deluxe platter, which was really good, the best quality sushi hes ever had. He had ginger ice cream for dessert. Wed had the ginger ice cream before, at the Teppanyaki Dining Room, and Andy had remembered that he liked it, so ordered it again.
Then we walked around the gift shops in Japan, and saw a woman doing a candy making demonstration. I wanted a candy penguin for Andy, but she wouldnt make candy for adults, only for the kids, which was pretty disappointing.
We went to Germany and saw once again a cast member who wed spoken to a few days before. She was really nice, but we never got her name! She was asking us questions about our wedding, so we talked to her for a bit.
It started to rain then, so we went to Mexico to stay dry. While we were there, we rode the Mexican boat ride. The CM there, Laura, gave us our own boat! We loved all the magic that cast members sprinkled on our honeymoon!
The rain had let up a bit, so we grabbed a bus back to the WL, and our luggage had arrived, so we called bell services to bring it up for us. We then tried to take a Jacuzzi bath but couldnt figure out how to turn the bubbles on! We called concierge for instructions, and they were saying that they werent sure but thought we should press the black buttons. Andy was pressing them, but nothing was happening, and they were going to send someone to our room to help us cut it on. Then Andy figured it out turned out he wasnt pressing the buttons hard enough, so we called and cancelled the assistance, and then took a nice, long, relaxing Jacuzzi bath.
After the relaxing bath, we got dressed, and left for Victoria & Alberts Chefs Table, one of the only place where we did NOT wear our wedding ears. Brian, the Area Manager at V&As had changed our dinner date, and when he did that, he told us to be there by 6:00 pm. We got to the GF, and the maitre d told us that the dinner didnt start until 6:45 pm - Brian had given us the wrong time! So we walked around the gift shops, out to the marina, and around some of the lodge buildings. Then we came back to the lobby, and danced to Smoke Gets in Your Eyes while the orchestra played. It was really a lovely moment.
By then, it was 6:45, so we went back to V&A and were met by Manuel, who was there for our wedding dinner. He remembered us, since wed been there so recently, and took us back to the Chefs Table. It had changed since wed been there last the area is bigger, and theres a railing separating it from the kitchen. We had fun being back there, and Andy liked talking to the cooks as they worked. They were all really nice about answering questions.
Our Victoria from Monday night, Erma, came back to say hi to us, and when I walked through the lobby to use the restroom, one of our Alberts from Monday night, Salvatore, saw me and started singing, Here Comes the Bride. He came back to the Chefs Table to say hi, too, and took us over to the pastry chef, so that we could watch them work on the desserts (the pastry area was on the side of the kitchen, not near our table). We talked to the sous chef, Jason, since Chef Scott was on vacation. We remembered Jason from our last trip (he had introduced the pastries), and we spent about 15 minutes talking to him at the end of the meal. He had gotten married in March, to a Brazilian woman who works for Disney Special Events. He told us that he proposed to his wife at Cirque du Soleil by getting the clown to bring the box with the engagement ring in it to his wife, when the clown was carrying around those boxes at the beginning of the show.
Since we had only been there 2 nights before for dinner, Jason asked us at the beginning of the meal what we had had, so that he could vary our experience. It was an amazing dinner, and he even had special dishes created just for our table, to keep the meal different and exciting. We love eating at the Chefs Table; I would definitely do this rather than stay in the main dining room. It was also nice to have our own space, so we could talk and enjoy ourselves. The kitchen staff is very quiet, and they dont interrupt the romance at all.
Here is a copy of our dinner menu, including the wine pairings for each course:
Amuse bouche of Iranian golden osetra caviar, crème fraiche and toast points with Fairy tale cuvee toast
Amuse bouche of eggplant mousse in a cucumber sandwich
Heather-Roasted Chioga Beet Salad with Walnuts, Cucumbers, and Mache, Sherry Cucumber Vinaigrette
Savennieres Clos Du Papillon Domaine des Boumard, Loire Valley 1997
Andrew- Smoked Buffalo with Heirloom Tomatoes, Hearts of Palm and Balsamic
Hirsci Kammerner Lamm Gruner Veltliner, Alte Reben Kamptal/Osterreich 1999
Muscovy Duck Breast with Root Vegetables, Peaches, Foie Gras, and Applewood Bacon Vinaigrette
Santenay 1er Cru La Maladiere Domaine Vincent Girardin, Burgundy 1999
Heather- Carrot-Ginger Cream
Andrew- Squab Consommé
Poussin Oscar with a Lump Crab Cake, Italian Cous Cous, Red Rice and Sauce Bernaise and a Poached Maine Lobster Tail
MacRostie Chardonnay, Carneros 2000
Terrine of Sorbet with Seasonal Fruits
Grilled Prime Filet over Cauliflower-Potato Puree and Cabernet Jus
Jamison Farm Lamb with Wild Mushroom Cannelloni, Truffle Emulsion
Chateau Ste Michelle Merlot Reserve, Columbia Valley 1997
Taleggio, Passendale and Great Hill Blue with Burgundy Poached Pear
Brachetto dAcqui Rosa Regale Banfi, Piedmont 2001
Warm Pineapple in a crepe Purse
Hawaiian Kona Chocolate Soufflé
Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee
Bonny Doon Vineyard Framboise, Santa Cruz
Coffee, Friandises
We took the last monorail to TTC, and once again got a bus within 5 minutes. It came straight to WL, which was nice, instead of stopping at Fort Wilderness first (WL and Fort Wilderness share buses).
Next day: MGM, Broken Monorail, Citricos
We woke up this morning, did some more packing, and called the porter to get our bags, to transfer to the Wilderness Lodge. We were both so sad to leave the Grand Floridian, but Andy was eager to see the Wilderness Lodge (myself, less thrilled I was too sad to leave). The porter came, and we gave him our leftover chocolate covered strawberries from the wedding night. He was excited, and said he would bring them downstairs to share with the other bell services staff.
Lynn had sent the big box of misc. wedding things like cake topper and champagne flutes to our room, so I put my bouquet in the box and decided to just carry this myself over to the WL, instead of sending it with the bell staff.
We each had some of the wedding cake before we departed, then left our wedding cake in our room at the GF, with a note to Mousekeeping, if they wanted to have a slice. We grabbed a quick breakfast at the GF concierge lounge our last there! I had some pastries and delicious watermelon, honey dew melon, and pineapple.
It was raining that day, because of a tropical depression, but we hopped on the monorail to the MK, then took the resort launch to the WL. Our room, 7084 (one of the honeymoon rooms), was ready at the WL when we got there, around 10:15 in the morning, and someone from the concierge staff came down to get us and show us to our room. It was kind of neat, b/c our room cards worked as our elevator keys to get to the closed 7th floor, concierge level.
The room was a lot darker than our GF room. I was just so sad to be there, after leaving my favorite resort, and I didnt like the Southwestern bedspread, or the wallpaper in the bathroom. The walls were papered with a green ivy design, and I thought that if theyd gone with just cream walls, it would have looked a lot brighter. Everything was just really dark, though I hadnt seen the AKL room yet, or I would have realized I didnt know what dark was!
The other thing that bothered me about the WL were the amenities they had the same ones that the All Star resorts had. That watery stuff in the red & black bottle called Shampoo/Conditioner, that does nothing but leave a sticky finish on your hair. I wish I had realized that the GF was the only deluxe hotel with real shampoo & conditioner, so that I would have just packed it from there to carry over to the WL.
The nice things about the room were the Jacuzzi tub very big & luxurious, and the private balcony. No one else could see our balcony, which was really nice, since it felt like our own private spot. We could see the GF, the Contemporary, and Space Mountain from the balcony of our room, and when it was night time, could kind of see the castle through the trees, but only b/c of it being lit up.
We got our Deluxe Magic vouchers, and then went downstairs to the mercantile to get 4 Magical Moments pins, as part of our package, and picked up 2 rain ponchos, too. Andy also bought a Magical Moments game, that downloaded various games from different WDW rides. He liked playing that while waiting in line, and of course we had to take it out at each of the download spots, to get the new game.
We took a bus to the TTC, then monorail to Epcot. We pretty much walked onto Journey Into Imagination, which had been recently re-done. The ride was okay, but the best part was a swinging butterfly in a cage. It looked like an animatronic butterfly, but when the ride moved past the cage, the butterfly disappeared! That was a very neat effect.
We walked around the World Showcase, then went to Tempura Kiku for lunch. It wasnt a priority seating place, first come first served, and we got there about 10 minutes early. I had California rolls for my appetizer, and my entrée was the Nihonbashi: tempura fish, shrimp, scallops & vegetables. For dessert, I had a pretty light but quite sweet chestnut mousse. Andy had Kibuki beef as his appetizer, which was a cold, thinly sliced beef with radish. It was really peppery, but he enjoyed it. For his entrée, he had the Sushi Deluxe platter, which was really good, the best quality sushi hes ever had. He had ginger ice cream for dessert. Wed had the ginger ice cream before, at the Teppanyaki Dining Room, and Andy had remembered that he liked it, so ordered it again.
Then we walked around the gift shops in Japan, and saw a woman doing a candy making demonstration. I wanted a candy penguin for Andy, but she wouldnt make candy for adults, only for the kids, which was pretty disappointing.
We went to Germany and saw once again a cast member who wed spoken to a few days before. She was really nice, but we never got her name! She was asking us questions about our wedding, so we talked to her for a bit.
It started to rain then, so we went to Mexico to stay dry. While we were there, we rode the Mexican boat ride. The CM there, Laura, gave us our own boat! We loved all the magic that cast members sprinkled on our honeymoon!
The rain had let up a bit, so we grabbed a bus back to the WL, and our luggage had arrived, so we called bell services to bring it up for us. We then tried to take a Jacuzzi bath but couldnt figure out how to turn the bubbles on! We called concierge for instructions, and they were saying that they werent sure but thought we should press the black buttons. Andy was pressing them, but nothing was happening, and they were going to send someone to our room to help us cut it on. Then Andy figured it out turned out he wasnt pressing the buttons hard enough, so we called and cancelled the assistance, and then took a nice, long, relaxing Jacuzzi bath.
After the relaxing bath, we got dressed, and left for Victoria & Alberts Chefs Table, one of the only place where we did NOT wear our wedding ears. Brian, the Area Manager at V&As had changed our dinner date, and when he did that, he told us to be there by 6:00 pm. We got to the GF, and the maitre d told us that the dinner didnt start until 6:45 pm - Brian had given us the wrong time! So we walked around the gift shops, out to the marina, and around some of the lodge buildings. Then we came back to the lobby, and danced to Smoke Gets in Your Eyes while the orchestra played. It was really a lovely moment.
By then, it was 6:45, so we went back to V&A and were met by Manuel, who was there for our wedding dinner. He remembered us, since wed been there so recently, and took us back to the Chefs Table. It had changed since wed been there last the area is bigger, and theres a railing separating it from the kitchen. We had fun being back there, and Andy liked talking to the cooks as they worked. They were all really nice about answering questions.
Our Victoria from Monday night, Erma, came back to say hi to us, and when I walked through the lobby to use the restroom, one of our Alberts from Monday night, Salvatore, saw me and started singing, Here Comes the Bride. He came back to the Chefs Table to say hi, too, and took us over to the pastry chef, so that we could watch them work on the desserts (the pastry area was on the side of the kitchen, not near our table). We talked to the sous chef, Jason, since Chef Scott was on vacation. We remembered Jason from our last trip (he had introduced the pastries), and we spent about 15 minutes talking to him at the end of the meal. He had gotten married in March, to a Brazilian woman who works for Disney Special Events. He told us that he proposed to his wife at Cirque du Soleil by getting the clown to bring the box with the engagement ring in it to his wife, when the clown was carrying around those boxes at the beginning of the show.
Since we had only been there 2 nights before for dinner, Jason asked us at the beginning of the meal what we had had, so that he could vary our experience. It was an amazing dinner, and he even had special dishes created just for our table, to keep the meal different and exciting. We love eating at the Chefs Table; I would definitely do this rather than stay in the main dining room. It was also nice to have our own space, so we could talk and enjoy ourselves. The kitchen staff is very quiet, and they dont interrupt the romance at all.
Here is a copy of our dinner menu, including the wine pairings for each course:
Amuse bouche of Iranian golden osetra caviar, crème fraiche and toast points with Fairy tale cuvee toast
Amuse bouche of eggplant mousse in a cucumber sandwich
Heather-Roasted Chioga Beet Salad with Walnuts, Cucumbers, and Mache, Sherry Cucumber Vinaigrette
Savennieres Clos Du Papillon Domaine des Boumard, Loire Valley 1997
Andrew- Smoked Buffalo with Heirloom Tomatoes, Hearts of Palm and Balsamic
Hirsci Kammerner Lamm Gruner Veltliner, Alte Reben Kamptal/Osterreich 1999
Muscovy Duck Breast with Root Vegetables, Peaches, Foie Gras, and Applewood Bacon Vinaigrette
Santenay 1er Cru La Maladiere Domaine Vincent Girardin, Burgundy 1999
Heather- Carrot-Ginger Cream
Andrew- Squab Consommé
Poussin Oscar with a Lump Crab Cake, Italian Cous Cous, Red Rice and Sauce Bernaise and a Poached Maine Lobster Tail
MacRostie Chardonnay, Carneros 2000
Terrine of Sorbet with Seasonal Fruits
Grilled Prime Filet over Cauliflower-Potato Puree and Cabernet Jus
Jamison Farm Lamb with Wild Mushroom Cannelloni, Truffle Emulsion
Chateau Ste Michelle Merlot Reserve, Columbia Valley 1997
Taleggio, Passendale and Great Hill Blue with Burgundy Poached Pear
Brachetto dAcqui Rosa Regale Banfi, Piedmont 2001
Warm Pineapple in a crepe Purse
Hawaiian Kona Chocolate Soufflé
Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee
Bonny Doon Vineyard Framboise, Santa Cruz
Coffee, Friandises
We took the last monorail to TTC, and once again got a bus within 5 minutes. It came straight to WL, which was nice, instead of stopping at Fort Wilderness first (WL and Fort Wilderness share buses).
Next day: MGM, Broken Monorail, Citricos
