Best Birthday Ever!! Nov 2012

[disneyrella]

Background

Just got back from a quick 4 day birthday trip, and it was - yes! - magical!! This is our first time in 8 years - not including a day trip last year - so the report is posted from the eyes of someone who's been to the parks in the past but has not experienced some of the newer features like Disney Magical Express.

I was also with my senior parents, and I didn't want them to be overtired. They are both very active, but the parks are big, and I wanted it to be a happy trip for everyone. I tried to plan everything ahead of time so that there was the least amount of walking and ample sitting opportunities. I even scheduled in nap time for my dad! ("But what if I don't want to take a nap?" "It's in the schedule already, Dad!")

I tend to be wordy when I like things so…if details are your thing, enjoy. If not, well, sorry.

Day 1 - Arrival

We arrive at MCO on time and with that first whoosh of warm air stepping out the plane and onto the jetway, I know my birthday vacation has started. With some confusion we head towards ground transportation. After reading online, and confirming with a CSR that - no, we do not have to pick up our luggage if we've secured the yellow tags (which we did!) - we are still apprehensive. What if the tags fall off? How do they know where we are? We get to the baggage claim level and ask a rep, who helpfully and probably for the 10,000th time that day, points us one level down.

On the escalator we still don't see any Disney signage, and my dad comments that cruises do the "welcome at the airport" better. Seconds later, we get off the escalator, turn around, and see a huge section of the floor dedicated to Disney Magical Express. I smile and say to my dad, "Uh, I think Disney's got this one."

We ask the first CM we see, who directs us to another CM, who asks us where we are staying and then directs us to the line for Poly, Contemporary, WL, and GF. We wait for barely 5 minutes before a bus pulls up - the entire time I am awestruck and tell my mom repeatedly -- "they've commandeered a whole section of the AIRPORT!" Mom nods, "yes, dear."

Before I get on the bus, I check again that no one else has their luggage.

The bus ride is non eventful, and I crane my neck to see the entrance gate into WDW. We pull into the WL, where a few folks get off, and then the Contemporary, where the rest of the bus gets off, leaving just my parents and me going to….the Polynesian!

Side note: I love the Polynesian. The Poly's a bit kitschy, but it's got character, and it's fun! I went to Hawaii for the first time earlier this year, and I joked that I liked the Poly more than real Hawaii. My mom, on the other hand, loves the GF. I admit, it is nice and very pretty and proper. It's not the Poly, though, and for my birthday, I couldn't imagine staying anywhere else. Every time we rode the monorail or saw the GF in the distance during the weekend, though, I would joke that my mom was looking at the GF longingly.

We check in and get our welcome packet -- and a birthday pin for me and "I'm celebration" pins for my parents. We also get the Rarotonga longhouse, which I'd requested because of the short walk to the GCH. I'm really impressed by the efficiency -- especially since I'd only checked in the day before.

I take a deep breath of the Poly smell (what is it anyway? I love it) and we head out the left doors to Rarotonga. We check out our balcony and look around a little and then start heading back to the GCH for our 5:10 ADRs at Ohana.

Ohana is one of our favorite restaurants at WDW, and we still rave about the appetizers. We check in at around 4:55, get a buzzer, and walk around the stores a little. The stand by line is almost to the front of the GCH! At around 5:10 we get buzzed and are led to a table by the window, facing the marina. I'd requested a window seat, and while it wasn't lagoon facing, it was still a window seat -- yay!

Cousin Cliff takes us to our seat and gives us some bread. Still a little warm and a nice start to the meal. Cousin Tanya asks for drinks, and some time later, Cousin Cliff brings over some fried dumplings and chicken wings, and then some noodles and broccoli later. They are now on individual platters instead of a cute compartment tray like before. The appetizers are a little different than before but still yummy. Cousin Cliff also brings over the sauces - honey mustard, peanut, and something else. Then the meat comes. First, 3-day marinated chicken, then sirloin, then shrimp (how many do you want? 4? Ok, here's 5 -- while actually giving 6), then pork. The shrimp is smaller than I remember but tasty and very fresh. The pork is delicious! By this point we are stuffed but manage to have the bread pudding dessert, which is beyond amazing. Soft, custardy, warm, with ice cream a la mode. In the past they had pineapple with caramel, but I think this was even better!

Delicious meal, but I have to say, the service was not quite up to Disney standards. Both Cousin Cliff and Cousin Tanya seemed to be going through the motions. They would say the same exact spiel to every table ("can I get you any more chicken? beef? shrimp? pork? extra stomach?") and didn't show any particular warmth to anyone. My mom also told Cliff it was my birthday weekend, but neither of them bothered to do anything, even as we had 2 birthdays around us.

No matter, because what happened the next day more than made up for it.

Happy and full, we left at around 6:30 and stopped by Captain Cook's to pick up our mugs. In the "they think of everything category" they have a nice mug wash station so you can drink from the mug right away - but not before getting it rung up, which we nearly failed to do before being reminded by the CM. The mugs were a very nice addition as we could grab a hot tea or a drink anytime night or day while in the Poly.

Since there was no Wishes that evening, we went to bed early because the next few days would be busy!

Next up: Day 2 - Epcot!

 

[disneyrella]

Day 2 - Epcot

In the morning we grabbed some coffee and some pastries and oatmeal (CM: "breakfast of champions!") at Captain Cook's before heading off to Epcot. I wasn't stressing over getting there right at 9 (per my schedule), because my dad steadfastly refused a nap that day and insisted we stay at the park through Illuminations!! Go Dad!!!

Our first stop was to get a FP for Soarin'. Then, we headed over to Captain EO to finish watching the movie. Last year, we came to Epcot for one day while our cruise was docked at Port Canaveral. Since the ship had a set leave time, we could only watch the first part of Captain EO, and so my mom had been waiting for a year to finish it!

Mission completed, we head to the World Showcase, which had opened by now. Logic would have dictated that we start from Canada and go counterclockwise, but tradition won, and we started from Mexico. We had just done Gran Fiesta last year, so we skipped Mexico and went straight to Norway, which we hadn't seen in a long while. We even watched the movie! Many happy birthdays from beautiful Norwegians. Good and good. Next, it was China and the 360 movie, which was also a must-do. I am a visual person and love the scenery, especially with all the horses going by!

By the time the movie finished, we were hungry, and we had our first mini-quandary. I had "scheduled" the counter service lunch at Tangierine Cafe, yet because of our later start, we were still at China. What to do? I asked my parents what they thought, and without missing a beat, both said, it's right over THERE - let's go!

At Cafe Tangierine we ordered the sliders combo, the chicken platter and the lamb/chicken platter. Delicious and a real deal on our DDP quick service entitlements -- $64 for 3. We didn't order dessert explicitly so they gave us baklava. No complaints there. Major points to my dad, who is very much a meat and potatoes kind of guy. He was a trooper and even started to steal my lentils! The Moroccan counter register guys are really nice and both wished me a happy birthday, too.

After lunch we doubled back and checked out America and took some pictures of other families with Santa and Mrs. Claus. I know that sounds funny, and it really was funny -- there was a roped off section next to the line, and a whole bunch of us were joking that we were taking pictures of nice families that weren't ours. One lady even joked that her grandchildren were going to ask who those children were in her pictures! Next, we browsed the stores of Italy and Germany. Dads out there, this is the pavilion for YOU. Nearly every dad there had a beer in his hand and a happy face.

By now it was getting to about 3, and we still hadn't found anything good to buy as souvenirs. We took the launch from Germany to Mexico and headed over to Mousegears. Looked around for about 45 minutes but still couldn't find anything I really really liked.

Side note: I have these rules about buying WDW stuff -- (1) it has to say it's from WDW. (2) I have to like it and will actually use it when I get home (3) it has to be special and meaningful. Last year I bought a t-shirt commemorating 40 years. This year they had the same design but without the "40", so I thought it was a good souvenir.

I thought about getting one of the 2012 sweatshirts but didn't find one that I really liked. Mom and I browsed for about 45 minutes but ended up not finding anything we liked enough to buy. We then went back to The Land to get an engraved dog tag for my brother and sister in law's dog (back near the Garden Grill) since we had missed our Soarin FP times.

We took the 4:15 launch from Canada to Morocco and walked up to the Chefs de France podium at 4:40ish for our 5pm ADR. Chefs de France was my first choice for CP, and on the first morning reservations were open in June I snagged a 5pm ADR for the 8:15 show. I was so excited and pored over the menu for months -- really funny because most days I don't know what I'm eating the next day, but I knew exactly what I was having for dinner in November!

As our trip got closer and I read more recent reviews, I started to get a little scared. Some diners reported a certain "snootiness" and others were less than satisfied with their meals. I began to wonder if I made the wrong choice. In the past we'd done Le Cellier twice (back when it was still offered as a CP package), Akershus, and Restaurant Marrakesh and never had a bad meal. Would this be a first? Based on the previous night's Ohana experience, should we expect that all table service restaurants had experienced a decline in service???

All I can say is, not at all! Chefs de France -- c'est magnifique!

Truthfully, I was a little worried at check in. The lady at the front podium asked me twice if I was MAKING a reservation at 5. Twice, I said, no, I HAVE a reservation at 5. She scanned her sheets. Twice. Then finally, "Voila! You have the Candlelight package." Yes! "Please have a seat." We sat on the benches on the sides of the entrance, peeking occasionally at the street performers outside. At least one family without ADRs were told they would be "put on the list", which I suspected wasn't a list at all.

At about 5, we got led in and were seated at a window corner table! Our location good karma continued! Right away, Jean-Phillippe ("everyone calls me JP") from Cannes wished me a Happy Birthday, and Dad and I spoke some basic French with him. I could tell it was going to be a good experience. He explained that with the CP package we could choose anything on the menu and advised us with a wink to choose the good (read: expensive) things. We got juices (orange, cranberry, and pineapple) along with water to drink and a warm baguette in a white bag. For appetizers, Dad got the lobster bisque, I got the pate, and Mom the crab and shrimp platter. When JP saw me spreading the pate on the baguette, without prompting, he quietly slipped a fresh from the oven hot loaf in front of me -- with a wink.

Side note: Reaching back to high school French, I was able to remember most of the words for the major items I ordered but didn't know how to say cranberry. Curious, I asked JP. He thought about it for a second and said he'd come back with the answer as he didn't know himself! (It's canneberge.)

Then came another highlight -- Remy and his handler Armand came by! A lady at the next table wanted a picture and made the unfortunate mistake of asking Armand if she could take a picture of "it". Armand was not happy about that and made quite a scene! The poor lady was so embarrassed as Armand continued to berate the lady about not referring to Remy by name and not wanting a picture of him (Armand)!

After the Remy spectacle, our mains arrived. Exquisite would not be enough of a description. Both Mom and Dad ordered the duck, and I got the filet. I swapped a piece of my filet with Mom for some duck. My filet was really flavorful, and it came with potatoes au gratin and haricot verts. I think the duck was the winner, though, as it came with this demi-glace that was so rich and deep in flavor. It had cherries that were poached in a liqueur (cherry brandy maybe?), and squash and sweet potato puree for sides.

I would have been happy to end the meal there, but there was still dessert! Stuffed to the gills, I got the sorbet, thinking it would be a good palate cleanser to end the meal. It had berries and 3 flavors - coconut, raspberry, and lemon. My mom got the chocolate mousse, and Dad got the profiteroles with ice cream. JP said rather loudly that it was the best dessert in the world, prompting the next table to ask what it was. After we made a valiant, semi-successful effort to finish dessert, JP asked if we wanted anything else. In my best high school French, I answered, "Je n'ai pas faim." (I am not hungry.). To which he corrected -- with a wink, of course -- "Je n'ai PLUS faim." (I am not hungry ANYMORE.)

I would have been happy to end the meal THERE, but, no, there was more! We had gotten the bill and were settling the check when a crowd of 5 waiters, led by JP -- say it along with me, with a wink! -- paraded over with a candle and some fresh berries, singing happy birthday to me. In French. I asked my mom if she requested it, and she said, no. I didn't requested it on the reservation, either. Did I mention, best birthday ever?? I love France!!!

Happy, full, and Francophiled, we moseyed over to the American Gardens Theater and began standing in line. The 6:45 show had not yet started, but after about 5 minutes the queue for that show cleared up and we filed into the CP package line. We chatted with the group in front of us, and the nice family from New England behind us, and I called my brother, who agreed that the Polynesian was better than the GF and (his words) "had spirit" and chatted with my sister in law.

The hour or so went by quickly (PS: the bathrooms next to America are port-o-potties currently) and before long we were seated. I love the Candlelight Processional. Whoopi Goldberg was really good. She chuckled at the part about being taxed and at the end, gave a heartfelt "sermon", imploring us to be kind and to refrain from that "smart-hiney" remark. In the past we'd seen Edward James Olmos and Andy Garcia, but I think I liked Whoopi best -- or maybe it's just that I'm older now.

The show ended around 9:10, and it took a while for everyone to file out. After a quick bathroom break, we briskly -- remember, it had been a long day -- hoofed it to Showcase Plaza and got there a few minutes before 9:30. This was the only bad moment of the whole weekend. It was pretty crowded, with people from the first two CP shows already there and everyone from the 8:15 show trying to get in. Right in the middle of the Plaza, a family had spread out on the ground. It was dark, and the 8:15 people kept tripping over them and walking through them. The mom then started screaming at everyone to go around because "there are small children here" and "get out of the way". Well, you really shouldn't be sitting in the middle of the plaza!

Illuminations was fun, and we got the bonus Holiday 5 minutes of fireworks. Even though it was EMH that night, we were exhausted and took the monorail back to the Poly. A cup of tea later, it was time for bed.

Next up: Day 3 - Magic Kingdom!