Celebrating Sweet 16 at V&A!

[hardlabor]

Seeing that I am an UBER planner I had three years to plan this trip. And plan, and replan and replan....

Who: Me 47, fourth trip to WDW, loves to have a concrete plan and stick to it...
DH, 53, third trip and a WDW and Disboards enthusiast...
DD, turning sweet 16 during this trip, guaranteed to love her parents while in DIsney!

We have been two trips prior as a family, celebrating DD's 10th, 13th, and now 16th birthday. All trips staying at Beach Club 1BR Villas. This trip was supposed to be the one that we brought DD's friend along, and after several complications it was agreed that traveling with a friend is highly overated, let's just eat at Victoria and Albert's instead! Sounds like a plan!

Speaking of plans, here are ours for the trip!

Leave Boston at 7am on 12/12/12 arriving at BCV about noon. One day per park (with park hoppers) and heading home late on 12/16... Short but sweet trip (can't keep a sophmore out of school too long!)

Things we are looking forward to: Time as a family, new Test Track, trying the new FP+ (we where chosen to test it while there!), and a dinner at V&A for the first time!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

What an awesome way to celebrate a S16! Can't wait to hear more about the trip!

 

[luckylady]

Nice place to celebrate turnning 16. Let the TR begin.

 

[hardlabor]

And away we go!!!

Departure Day:
We where up at 4am to leave the house to get to the airport (yawn)....but we're going to Disney!!!! Had just enough time to get a muffin and coffee before boarding and then we sat on the runway for almost an hour... I guess that is their way of having an "on-time" departure? We left the gate, right??? We flew Jet Blue for the fist time, and other than leaving late we highly recommend them! We got to MCO about 11:30, and tossed back and forth trying to get ME, get to BVC and get to Epcot for a quick lunch or do we just eat at the airport so when we get there we can hit the ground running.... Yep, our first meal at Orlando was McDonalds at the airport! Uneventful ME, and got to BCV to check in with no hassles. We had requested a ground floor quiet pool room for easy access to busses and pools. We where told not available and that our room was not ready (boo!)

Changed into shorts, and headed into EPCOT! There is nothing quite like the first time you walk through International Gateway on vacation and realize "WE ARE HERE!" The park was busier than we anticipated, but we went straight to TT and FP it for later. At 1:40 we got a return time of 7-8pm. We rode MS green, Spaceship Earth, and headed to Ellen in the rain. Came out of that to pouring rain and headed to the land. Grabbed FP for Soarin (7:30-8:30) and rode LWTL. While we where on that it was pouring! Hung out inside the land for a bit and the rain tapered off. Made it out to Maelstrom and the rains started again! That was a really long wait for some reason, but we did not care because of the rain. Finished up with some time in Mexico and he Three Caballeros, and the rains finally seemed to end.

Headed back, and our room was ready. We stopped at guest services and checked availability for ground floor and lucky us, one would be available in the morning! We decided not to unpack and have them move us the next day. Yay us! By the time we got back to our room out luggage was there. We had a quick relax in the hot tub, showered, and headed to dinner at Biergarten with FP's in our pockets! Having never eaten there, we where pretty excited to try it! We where seated in the back corner of the room with some great people. We love eating at communal tables on arrival night at Disney! The food was good, nothing stood out as fabulous, but the beer flight sure hit the spot! The service was extreamly SLOW! We where seated at 6:40, and figured that gave us plenty of thime to eat, see the show and get to our FP window no later than the 8pm time. WRONG!!! Granted our feet where done, and we where tired after our long travel day, so we where not too dissapointed, and we enjoyed the company at the table.... BUT..... if we really wanted to use those FP, we would not have been happy!

We got back to our room about 9pm, hot tubbed again and all asleep by 10pm! Up next, Rope Drop at Hollywood Studios!!! Lets hope for better weather tommoro!

 

[hardlabor]

Keep going honey im trying to re live the magic!

 

[wiigirl]

What an awesome place for a sweet 16!

 

[hardlabor]

Thursday 12/13

GET UP!!! IT IS 7AM!!! We have a rope drop to get to! The weather reports looked pretty good for today, but the sky told a different story. Refused to wear a sweatshirt because it is going to turn nice. Stopped for our morning cuppa joe at the Marketplace and headed out to the boat dock, we are headed to none other than HS today! Got there about 8:30 and where right behind the turnstyles. They let us in about 8:45 and walked straight to Toy Story! Grabbed FP (return time 11am), rode stand by with about a ten minute wait. Headed over to Rock n Roller coaster, walked on with about a ten minute wait, and then went to Tower to use our Fast Pass + for the first time! Really cool! As we walked in they wished us a Happy Anniversary, and DD a sweet 16! Nice touch! After that DD and I rode RnR again stand by and then we headed to Starring Rolls for more sludge and bagels.

At that point we decided that we needed to BUY sweatshirts because it was so cold and wet.... Too bad we did not bring ours, right? NOT! Two brandy new shirts coming our way How my DH has not picked up on this, I'll never know... (Sorry Honey, I know you are reading this ) At 11am we headed back to Toy Story and rode with our FP, and then rode again with our FP+! Three rides on TS by 11:30! Our DD was the winner all three times! At this point the rain was pretty bad so we headed over to Great Movie Ride to get out of the rain, and actually had to wait to ride for the first time ever. We had a great ride with thte villian for the first time, we always have had the cowboy! Finished up and headed to Rosies for an early lunch of burgers. Actually pretty good!

Finished up with a few great rides on Star Tours (love the new theme), and on the way out ran into the group... cant think of their names... help.... The "union guys" that argue about who is going to be foreman..... HELP!!! We stayed and watched the whole skit. Sometimes it is nice to stop and take the time, instead of racing through the park to see "how much we can get done". Leisurely pace out of the park, grabbed a boat back, relaxed in the hot tub, and started to get ready for our big night out. Victoria and Albert's here we come!!!

 

[hardlabor]

And now for the dinner that we had been waiting our whole lives for!!!
6PM ressies at Victoria and Alberts!!!

We took our time getting ready and taxi'd over to the Grand Floridian. Having never stepped foot in there before... WOW!!! What a beautiful resort! We walked around and explored and had Photopass pics done in front of their Christmas tree. (IF I had any computer skills I would show you some, but alas.... I don't!) We then headed upstairs and sat down in the foyer at Citrico's and had a drink while we where waiting for our ADR. That is another place I would like to try on a future trip... At 6pm we ventured over to those beautiful doors and they where magically opened up for us..."Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Bunten... Happy birthday Samantha" How did they know it was us??? Maybe because there are not many girls celebrating sweet 16 at V and A tonight?

We where seated at a fabulous table near the entrance to the kitchen. Our servers where Sharon and ... I can't remember the gentlemans name... Maybe DH can fill you in when he is ready this! Hint hint.... Sharon was amazing... Always spoke directly to our DD as though she was an adult and was very laid back with us, not stuffy at all. We perused our specialized menus and came up with our meal choices before we started to eat, and as we sipped some fabulous champagne.... I could really get used to this lifestyle! They offered our DD sparkling Cider, of which she was served in a gorgeous champagne flute as well. We wondered who would be the one to knock a flute over!

Our first course arrived ( Amuse-Bouche) It consisted of Salmon mousse.... YUM.... smoked salmon with caviar....and a crab spring roll type of thing. If this is what we are going to be experiencing all night... I can't wait!! They topped off our champagne and we just sat back and enjoyed the surroundings. The harpist was playing in the background and we mentioned to Sharon that our DD played the violin, and was actually missing her school concert that evening. We joked that she could write her "make-up" reflection on the harpist's music!

The next course arrived: For DH it was "Masago Crusted Gulf Shrimp with Ponzu Vinaigrette". He said it was fabulous... never got a bite... wouldn't know It was on asian noodles of some sort. For DD and I it was "Roasted Long Island Duck with Pomegranite, Pistachios and Hearts of Palm". This course was so good! I love duck anyway but the way it was served was so good. So many texures and flavors! I'll have some more... Please??

In between coursed Sharon showed up with the first of DD's surprises. I had snuck in two gifts for her, (like Disney World and V&A wheren't enough... RIGHT?) I had gotten her a phone case with Mickey Heads on it at home and wrapped it before we even left. ALL DAY at HS she was looking at phone cases and I kept saying why don't you wait until you have seen more before you decide on one! Anyway... Sharon shows up to the table with a beautiful silver tray with a present nestled into an orchid...they went above and beyond! Sam opens the gift and says.... I kid you not..."How did Sharon know I wanted phone case?" REALLY??? They are good, but not THAT good! She loved the surprise and then we moved on to the next course...

For DH: Onion Ash Crusted Black Grouper with Zellwood Corn Ragout. He said it was fabulous and I believe him! The presentation was so beautiful! DD and I both got the Diver Scallop, Maine Mussell and Lobster Cioppino with Fennel Nage. DD did not want scallop, so hers was loaded with extra Lobster... poor DD! Once again, the food was so amazing! I kept wondering how this could get any better... and it did...

Course four we all ordered the same thing. "Braised Oxtail and cherry Ravioli with Roasted Red Pepper". This was such a good course I think if the restaurant was any darker we might have all licked our plates! Now that might be a first there! Oh my gosh that was good!!

The next course we let our DD splurge and get a "luxury Item" as they are called when there is and upcharge... Love it.... aren't all the courses a "luxury item" anyway? She got the Australian Kobe-style Beef Tenderloin with Smoked Garlic Potato Puree. The potato alone was worth the upcharge. Lucky for me DD shared a few bites. She also was FORCED to share a bite of beef with both DH and I... POOR LITTLE SAMMY.... It really was that good. DH enjoyed the "Herb-Crusted Lamb with Caramalized Turnips and Swiss Chard" He did share a bite of this and it was sooo good! I think by this time we where all getting a little full, so sharing was a little bit more acceptable. No hoarding of food now! My main course was the "Poulet Rouge with Chantarelle Mushrooms and Gnocchi" I had read reviews of this course and oh my... Chef Hunnel.... will you marry me? The whole dish was one big party on a plate... I want to be back there as I am writing this! By now we had all agreed that this would not be a "once in a lifetime experience". This would be an "Oh we are in Disney? What night do we want to eat at V&A?" experience. I don't care if we live on PB and J every other day of our lives...(well... maybe I do...)

At this point the Harpist came over and introduced heself. Sharon had mentioned DD to her and that she played a string instrument. the harpist invited DD over to see her harp and they talked about the similarities of harp/violin. We took pictures of them together standing at the harp. She gave DD her card and told her to email her if she had any questions etc... I thought that was a really nice touch that she took the time to interact with our DD!

All three of us ordered the cheese plate, At that point I was full enough that I tried everything that they offered, as did DD and DH, but I believe there might have been crumbs that we did not hoover off the plate... how wasteful of us!

Now the moment we had all been waiting for... coffee! They brought out the contraption that brews their coffee and a tea one for DD, and the next silver platter arrives with a present nestled into a beautiful rose arrangement. At least she knew the gift was from us! It was two Disney beads for her bracelet, she was so excited! Just as she finished opening, dessert was delivered.... NO!!! This can not be the last course already!! I am moving in!!! OK, rant over... I got hte "Grand Marnier Souffle" which Sharon poured the most amazing sauce over, Oh Yeah.... that good.... DH got the "Carmelized Banana Gatuea". It was so beautiful on the plate, I did not want him to eat it! and oh yeah... that good... DD had the "Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee". This girl has had many creme brulees in ther short life, but this one was the best by far... I know this because I made her share a bite with me!

As we where finishing up, Chef Hunnel came out of the kitchen to greet a couple that was seated near us...after he chatted with them for a bit, I heard the couple say to him "Thank you so much, we will see you next month!" I am guessing that this is a once a month deal for this couple? How do I sign up? As he headed back to the kitchen he stopped by our table and asked how dinner was... I wanted to jump up and hug him! Instead I very maturely (haha) thanked him and said fabulous! DH chatted with him for a few minutes about sourcing etc... since DH is a seafood wholesaler... I thought his impromptu visit to the table was a nice touch!

As if this was not enough... After all was said and done, they showed up with one more silver tray... This one adorned with "Friandise"... Candies for us... We all made room for the jelly one, and had the rest boxed up to savor over the next few days. They also brought out roses for DD and I, and two loaves of the best date bread I have ever tasted! We saved those until we where home and all enjoyed a bit of V&A! All told, the meal lasted about three hours and felt like it went by so quick!

Final thoughts on V&A, for now anyway... I am never done thinking about it!

Price: $135.00/person, Wine tasting: $65.00/person. We actually split the wine pairing and it was plenty, expecially since we had drinks at Citrico's first. WELL WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!! DO IT!!! We where full, but not overly stuffed. I think the Chefs Table, or Queens room might be too much food for us... We did not feel that the restaurant or service was stuffy at all, we where made to feel very comfortable and relaxed. We laughed every time we got up for something and someone would magically appear and pull out our chair and escort us. Likewise when we returned, our chair was pulled out and a fresh napkin was placed on our laps! I could get used to that! Bring your children if they would enjoy it! I was asked several times why we would not have made that Date Night... We did... with our DD16...what better date could we have?!! It was magical!

JUST GO!!! Yo will not regret it!!!

 

[hardlabor]

Sharons partner was Rado and they were a great team!

 

[hardlabor]

Honey looks like i am your best fan ,keep going i love you

 

[hardlabor]

So my DH and I share our user name on here for anyone who thinks I talk to myself!!! Just thought I would put that out there!!!

 

[hardlabor]

Happy Birthday to our DD!! Sweet 16!! How lucky to be spending it at the Magic Kingdom!

We where up and out plenty early. Rode the bus to MK and got through security in plenty of time to be right near the turnstyles. We where excited to actually be there for the opening show. We had never succeeded in doing that before! We where shocked at the behavior of so many though. One person would squeeze by us, and then a whole family (including large strollers) would say excuse me, I am meeting my family... REALLY???

We made it through the gates and we where off! We had four FP+ to use today. HM, Thunder, Jungle and Space. We rode Space Mountain stand by, and headed over to Splash and Big Thunder, but it was really crowded already and we had FP+ for later. Time for sludge and breakfast! DH was grumpy hungry and wanted to go to wherever was closest, but DD and I wanted our last fix ever at Main Street Bakery, so we went all the way back to Main Street to get our fix. DH was not happy when he saw the line for there, but we did not care! We wanted our cinnamon roll and ham and chease croissant! The line actually moved pretty quickly, and before you know it we where seated on the terrace by the Plaza, looking at the castle and eating our last Main Street Bakery ever.

We where very disorganized with our touring plans for today... after breakfast we headed over to Thunder, got in line and WAITED.... and WAITED..Finally we realized that there where problems and started to leave. At that point they told everyone the ride was down... Headed to Splash and rode, Headed to Jungle and used our FP+ there. The wait was pretty long in stand by, and we walked right on! Afterwards it was time for our Dole Whip Floats! It was not very warm out, but we did not care, just had to have them! YUM!!! Headed back to Thunder again, and still down. Decided to check out New FantasyLand and walk through. Maybe eat lunch at Be Our Guest... We walked into the area and it was a sea of strollers! GET ME OUT!!! We thought we could get through to the other end and leave, and instead it was a wall! By this point my DH was just about running to get out of there! DD and I tried to keep up! I guess we won't be eating at BOG! Lets just say, we will wait for the newness of that area to die down before we go exploring again! WHEW!

We headed to all the usual suspects in Fantasy Land, IASW, Pirates... and decided that we needed to eat lunch. Ended up at Cosmic Rays, which was OK, at that point just food and something cold to drink. Finished up with one more ride on Space using our last FP+ and headed out of the park. Mind you, we have never been parade people. We try and avoid anything that creates huge crowds and that means parades! As we where leaving we walked down the center of Main Street as everyone was lined up on the sides for the parade that was starting soon. We felt like we where on parade! Even got a photopass guy to take our picture! Really funny picture that I would share with you if I could! Just us, noone behind us, just the castle, Peeps lined up and down the street! Just then the parade starts! It was really funny! We looked up at the train station platform and there was noone up there so we actually climbed the stairs and watched the parade crowd free! A First! When it was over, we left and took the bus back to our resort for some R&R. (Two notes of interest, we actually sat through Country Bear Jamboree for the first time... how un-PC is that show??? Big Thunder remained closed for the remainder of the day... kind of sad not to ride!)

We decided that today would be a good day to go to Stormalong Bay. It was a day that only Northerners would swim... The pool area was pretty quite, and we had a blast! My DD and I discovered the "quick-sand" area behind the whirlpool, and had a great time goofing off there. Headed back, had some time in the quiet pool hot tub, and showered up for DD's birthday dinner at
50's Prime Time!

Got seated at 50's in the back room, and "Ma" came to greet us, made us set the table, and took our order. DD got yelled at to put her "walkie-talkie" away while at the table. When she came back with our drinks she thanked DH AKA "skippy" for not wearing a hat inside. DD set the table wrong and my DH convinced me to let Ma know...So I did... all of a sudden the whole resaurant was informed that there was a "tattletale" in the house... yeah you get the picture! Food was yummy as usual. DD and I got the fried chicken, and DH got the meatloaf and loved it! Even got a clean plate sticker! I was so proud of him! We finished up with DD getting a PB&J shake that we all shared and Ma came out with a cupcake and a song for "Princess" birthday. All in all a great dinner with the perfect waitress! When we left the tip we wrote Ma a note on a napkin thanking her and signed it from Skippy, Tattletale and Princess. Hope we made Ma proud!

We did a walk through of Osbourne Lights and headed back to BCV. We just missed a boat as it pulled away from the dock, which was a bummer as we where all cold and tired. It took about 15 minutes for the next boat to arrive, but in the meantime we met some great people in line. Love that about Disney! Got back and crashed! What a long day! How can tommorow be our last full day? Next up, Animal Kingdom....

 

[hardlabor]

Keep going honey,im loving re living it. Even if no else is!

 

[hardlabor]

It can not be possible!!! Our last full day is here! We woke up to foggy weather. Did our usual morning sludge stop at the Marketplace and made our way out to the busses. Short wait and on our way to Animal Kingdom! Our first stop was Kilamanjaro Safari which was a total walk on. Due to the cooler weather we saw tons of animals up and about today. Then we headed over to Everest to get our Yeti fix and the wait was fairly short there too. We also picked up FP for later in the morning to ride again. Feeling hungry at that point we grabbed some breakfast at Tamu Tamu. Lets just say it filled a void... It was our least yummy breakfast of the trip... Oh well, that leaves room for more snacks and lunch, right? We walked both of the trails because we love them! Especially those nakid mole rats! Our family favorites, since we have hairless pet rats at home! We used the freebie lockers that are outside Kali River and dropped our stuff off there and got in line. Thank God the weather had warmed up some, otherwise we might have skipped, and I LOVE Kali! We hopped on with a group that might not have known what they where in for, including one guy who was going on alone and was oblivious! WE ALL GOT SOAKED!!! We laughed so hard it hurt! The oblivious guy was soooo funny, but was a good sport! My memory fails me at this point, but it was rides rides rides... Dinosaur twice, Tough To Be Bug (another of my faves), Everest again...We saw Devine, and followed her for a bit, she sat and posed on a fence with DD, that was cool! We had lunch at Yak and Yeti counter, which was a first for us. We really liked the food there because it was something different! Except the DD who insisted she wanted a chicken sandwich, we suggested the sweet and sour chicken and NO.. I want the sandwich... OK, get our lunch, sit down, take ONE bite and DD says.... I DON'T LIKE THIS SANDWICH IT HAS ONION!!! Mom, will you eat this and I will have your sweet and sour chicken???? Really??? Thank you DD! Good thing I had a nice cold beer to have with my sandwich!! Ahhh teanagers, they never listen! We finished up our day with another ride on Everest and headed out of the park early enough to relax back at BCV, and take a long dip in the pool and hot tub. DD hung in the room and caught up with friends at home.

Our plan was to head to EPCOT early this evening. We had 8pm Rose and Crown ADR, and wanted to see about Soarin or TT before dinner. We entered at our private International Gateway (just our right??) and stopped by R & C to ask about a table outside. The girl was really helpful and suggested that we come back at 7:30 to check in for our 8pm, and she would see what she could do. Walked into future world and Soarin was a 60 minute and TT was about the same. Decided to get in line for single rider at TT to try and get that done, since we had not ridden yet. It took us about 20 minutes to get through. None of us was all that impressed with the "new" TT.... Actually prefer the old! Always fun to ride though! Both DH and I "shopped" for our new cars on the way out... Guess I'll have to keep my old clunker around for a while more... By that time we headed back towards Rose and Crown. We felt like a drink while walking and ended up in Canada and got "Torontopolitans" NEVER AGAIN!!! warm, disgusting drink in a plastic cosmopolitan cup that spilled everywhere! Drank it in three sips and then said... what else? GROSS.... DO NOT RECOMMEND!!! It was like throwing money away! We checked in at R&C and got some drinks there while we waited for our table. Wandered around the UK, listened to some music and our buzzer went off right at 8pm... "Welcome to the Rose and Crown, please follow me to your table on the patio" SCORE!!! DH and I both had Fish and chips with a beer and DD had a salad that she LOVED! (We have since duplicated it at home many times!) We savored some Sticky Toffee Pudding while watching Illuminations and talked about what a fantastic trip we had... Wandered slowly out the IG back to our resort and called it a night. Got most everything packed and ready for the AM... Our plan was to do airline check in.. drop our carry ons at Bag Check.. and head to EPCOT for our last harrah.... Will we be able to do it? Stick around and see!!

 

[tigger175]

Thanks for the trip report - sounds like a great way to celebrate sweet 16! Had wondered about V&A and if it would be too stuffy. Sounds like we need to try it out. Looking forward to you last day report

 

[hardlabor]

Our last day is here???? NO!!! We where all up early and finished packing up. Brought our bags down to check in and that went very smoothly, nothing weighed over 50 pounds! Dropped our carry-ons at the bell desk and backtracked to our last Marketplace coffee stop. I was even sad about that! Made it to the IG at about 8:40 and there was no one there yet but a few groups. We hoped to get in early to catch up with the front gate people at rope drop. We got in line at bag check about 8:50 and waited...... and WAITED!!! It was actually a few minutes past nine when they started to let us in! At least we where at the FRONT of the large group of people that had amassed by then! After all, we are touring experts We walked quickly towards future world and Soarin... And this is where it happened..... Miscommunication........ I had to use the ladies room, and figured it would be less crowded than waiting until Soarin'... I said to my DH and DD... AND I QUOTE...."Get some FP, and meet me at the STANDYBY ENTERANCE".... I repeat... the STANDBY ENTERANCE... I use the restroom and head over to the land, I check to see if they are still at FP machines because they are NOT near the standby enterance... Not near FP machines either... I wait...I start to worry....No family.... I try and text, we are in the Land, there is no reception... I try and call, there is no reception.... I wait... Where is my family??? I finally ask the cast member at the standby enterance... What should I do??? He suggests that I go through the line and try and find my family... I HATE THAT!!! Excuse me... pardon me... I am trying to find my family... Sure Lady... Eyes Roll.... Excuse me... pardon me....

I finally get to the top of the ramp where FP merges with stand by and who is there waiting for me? MY FAMILY!!! I have steam coming out of my ears by this point and they are LAUGHING!!!What part of "wait for me at stand by" do you not understand??? We all harumph at each other and move forward to the ride. We are lucky enough to get front row center and ride...(Yes the ride needs an update, the screen looked like it had bugs all over it, but who doesn't love Soarin?) We got off the ride, still arguing about who didn't listen to who... headed to Sunshine Seasons for our breakfast platters and to watch the crowds pour in. We rode Living with the Land and then wandered around for a bit and just enjoyed our last bits of Disney. We spent quite a while by the jumping fountains as we do each trip, and finally decided to see Captain EO, why you ask? because we never had before and because we could! It was...interesting... At that point we migrated out of the park... made our way to Beach Club to get our carry-ons and wait for ME... It was actually a few minutes early... We boarded and left our happy place... Oh I will miss you Disney... Coming up next, my parting thoughts of yet another fabulous trip to the Happiest Place on Earth....

 

[hardlabor]

We told her soarin waits for no one! she didnt hear us LOL

 

[hardlabor]

OK honey im waiting for the wrap up party

 

[hardlabor]

We had such an amazing but short trip. I love the fact that in Disney we can just be a family without all the drama of home. My teenage daughter loves Disney as much as hubby and me! Now that is good fortune! We always talk about choices for family vacation and it always comes back to Disney, so the countdown has begun again!