Christmas in July

[Circusgirl]

Friends, Expected and Otherwise


I had been keeping an eye on the time and as the parade was ending I started walking towards Tomorrowland, taking pictures as I went. The Night Before Christmas show was starting soon, and Missy was there holding seats for us. I left Main Street and entered the future, passed by the Laugh Floor and Buzz and then called Missy from the back of the theater. The lights had just dimmed as she waved me to where she was.

An aside about DIS friends...I met Missy because of a thread that started around the CMO contest in January of 2008. It was that thread that stopped me lurking and started me participating. We went through many threads and had some truly great moments. Cathie (our friend who was too sick to come to the party with Missy) drew customized avatars for us, inspired by Andy the animator (pose2pose). One terrific friend made a beautiful contact sheet for all of us. I sent postcards to everybody when I was in the World in September. We had stayed in touch for a long time, so we were delighted when it turned out a bunch of us would be in the world in December and could all be at the DIS TSM party together.

Missy was on her very first trip to the World, having traveled to Disneyland as her traditional home park. She had gotten great seats, and I settled in next to her after hugs and exclamations of greeting.

The show featured an all out, top notch, super hot, live big band! That part alone made it fantastic. The show was a merry romp of characters, dancers and singers.

When the show was over it was nearing the end of the evening so we walked back to Main Street. As an avid preparer, I had seen many pictures of the castle on ice and I thought I knew how spectacular it was going to look. It was of course a huge breadth and depth better than my best imaginings. We paused for castle appreciation and then made our way to the Emporium for a little party shopping. I traditionally buy a mug on the first day, so I can be ready for excellent coffee drinking in the morning. Although usually I try not to be in the Emporium actually trying to buy something in the bustle at the end of an evening, I liked shopping the special party merch and bought a Christmas party mug and some of the special party pins. I made Missy laugh after we headed to a register and found it packed when I turned and charged back further into the store, and found one that was deserted. I so don’t believe in waiting!

As we wandered out onto Main Street and past the enormous beyond my wildest dreams Christmas tree, I saw a cute tiny baby cradled in his mother’s arms. His face caught my attention, but then I saw a grown up face that was familiar but so out of context I couldn’t decide if I knew the attached person or not. The other face had the same reaction. We circled around one another, puzzling on it, then we both clicked over at the same time. He was accompanied by three little girls in princess dresses and his infant son and wife. Breaking into recognition, I knew he was Ennis, whom I last saw in Seattle (or perhaps Burning Man) in association with a fire circus my ex-boyfriend used to perform with. Ennis had moved to D.C. when he got married and started his visibly lovely family. He leads bicycle tours of China for the Smithsonian. He grew up in China and is a linguistic champ. He once told me that my fancy red Chinese silk pajamas (one of my Burning Man outfits) were good because they said, “Long Life.” I didn’t even know that there were characters in the design of the pajamas. He is a gentle, sweet, quiet, deep person but because our previous contact had been around fire circus activities and Burning Man it was a little startling at first to see him here, daughters cavorting in Princess wear, beatific wife and son by his side. They had been here for 10 days and had a day and a half to go before returning home. They had been having an evidently marvelous time, and he told me he quite admired the IllumiNations show for some of the fire effects, especially the Inferno Barge.

Missy and I parted ways with Ennis, his girls twirling under the lights, and went back under the train station. Missy had an ADR for the Kona Cafe for tomorrow morning (Tonga toast on the horizon!) and we made plan to meet there. She headed off to the buses for Pop Century while I took my first monorail ride home to the Poly.

I took the time to unpack and get settled. I laid out all the coffee things along with my new mug ready for the morning. I plugged in my computer and phone and downloaded the first batch of photos. It was 2 am when I finally got into bed. I set my alarm for 6 am in case I was wide awake and inspired to make MK rope drop when the alarm went off in four short hours. My plans for tomorrow were for breakfast with Missy, possibly a trip to DTD or hanging out at the hotel, and then the big finish to the day, my trip to V&As for the most awaited dinner of the trip.

 

[girlbomb]

How cool, to run into someone from "real life" at the World! What a terrific coincidence, and what a beautiful family you describe...

 

[Circusgirl]

How cool, to run into someone from "real life" at the World! What a terrific coincidence, and what a beautiful family you describe...

I was happy that the Disney magic worked for them!

Speaking of running into...it's just a week until I'm on the plane headed for the World and some fantastic encounters!!!!

 

[Circusgirl]

I have to apologize for starting this TR and then getting so busy that I haven't been updating very often. The good news is that the busy very much relates to fun travel and Disney related experiences that we can call research for yet more trip reporting.

I was at the D23 Expo last weekend and unpacked when I got home only to start packing for my trip to the World that starts this Thursday. My head is full of all the great images and experiences from the Expo, and ever growing excitement about the Adventurer's Club Dinner, MNSSHP, F&W, and the fabulous fun I will have with my DIS friends all around the World. I probably won't be able to get anything else done around this TR until I get back, but once I'm back I will continue to celebrate Christmas 2008 all year 'round until I've told the whole story.

I had a fantastic Disney moment this afternoon, courtesy of one of my clients. I saw him this morning with his new puppy, and mentioned that I would be away on vacation so he would know in case anything came up. He asked where I was going and we chatted about Disney World and Disneyland quite happily for a few minutes. He and his wife have been my clients through several generations of dogs, and they now have a young adult golden retriever named Cody and the extremely smart, talented and handsome new puppy Cooper.

This afternoon one of my front desk staff came and told me that Cody had a present he wanted to give me if I had a minute to come out front. When I got there, my client was walking across the parking lot and into the clinic with Cody, who was wearing a Disney lanyard with many cool Disneyland pins on it.

My client told his wife about my trip when he got home, and she decided to have Cody bring me her lanyard and pins from a trip she took two years ago so I could have fun pin trading while I'm on my trip. It was an E-ticket warm and fuzzy moment!

I appreciate everybody reading my trip tales and look forward to getting back to Christmas after I celebrate my Disney Halloween!

 

[All7OfUs]

Lookie here!! You leave tomorrow!!!! Here's to your most fabulous vacation ever, in your most beloved of vacation "haunts". Enjoy a very spirited party, have a ghoulishly great time, and we'll look forward to what you have to say-ance when you return!!

 

[All7OfUs]

Hey There!

I wanted to let you know that I used a post from your last TR to illustrate a point in my PTR yesterday. I hope you don't mind. You just write such beautiful descriptions and take such fantastic shots that I couldn't help myself! It was the post on the Flame Tree, btw.

Hope to see you back soon!

 

[Circusgirl]

Hey There!

I wanted to let you know that I used a post from your last TR to illustrate a point in my PTR yesterday. I hope you don't mind. You just write such beautiful descriptions and take such fantastic shots that I couldn't help myself! It was the post on the Flame Tree, btw.

Hope to see you back soon!

Thanks for the lovely compliment, and no problem!

Christmas in July (and August and September and October...) should resume shortly. Please remain seated, with your hands, arms, feet and legs inside the trip report.

 

[Circusgirl]

We now return to our regularly scheduled trip report in progress. The mods unlocked the original report for me, so I've added in the entry I made in the new thread so now everything is in one place. I hope to have a new installment ready to go tonight - stay tuned!


Magic Kingdom, Girlfriends, Shopping and Food, or A Perfect Girl Day in the World


When my alarm went off at 6:00 am, my fuddled west coast timed head didn’t even recognize what the sound was as I lay in the dark, pondering my next step. Once sufficent consciousness surfaced I reset it for 7:00 then snoozed until 7:30. In what would be a most unfortunate ritual for the next four mornings, the folks in the room next to mine started screaming at their kids at that point so there was no going back to sleep. I’d not had a problem with noise carrying at this hotel before, but the screaming penetrated right through the connecting door. Apparently the kids never did anything right in how promptly they showered, dressed or put on their shoes. It was a boat load of stress and especially sad because of the whole being at Disney World thing. It was so awful as it went on morning after morning that I finally checked in at registration to see how much longer they would be staying. I was kind of surprised when they told me, but at least I knew when it would stop.

I was totally comfortable with the rate at which I showered, dressed and enjoyed my coffee and fruit. I put a mountain of moleskin on my feet and checked the weather report. It was actually a little bit grim and mostly about damp and cold so I piled on some layers and popped out on my lanai to check reality. (It ended up shooting past the 70s and right into the 80s which was fine with me.) I was out the door at about 8:30 and headed to the Monorail by way of the thatched hut mailbox where I posted my Disney Dreams Giveaway entry for the day. I am sure I have taken a picture of this themed detail, but I cannot find it anywhere in any of my trip photos. It is super cute and you’ll just have to take my word for it for now.

The Monorail station was busy and I joined the throngs headed to the gates and watched the happy opening show.
When we were released into the park I zipped up Main Street heading toward Fantasyland and Peter Pan. I stopped to visit with Donald Duck at his tree lot along the way.

I'm a pushover for a guy in buffalo plaid:

I soared over London and Neverland in a sentimental trip on one of my always favorite rides and then the wild west called so I walked from childhood’s dreams over to Big Thunder Mountain.

I clickety clacked and laughed my careening way through the rumble tumble wilderness. As I left the flooded mining town behind, the line for Splash Mountain was negligible. I checked the water jets and since they didn’t seem very aggressive I got myself a log, a dose of zip-a-dee-do-dah philosophy and a civilized little splash at the end of the falls. This has become one of my favorite rides. I love the sets and all the little touches along the way, and want to have the Laughin’ Place as my party pad.

As I left Splash Mountain I saw a couple wearing super cute custom made matching t-shirts featuring a picture of Chip and Dale and the words, “Double Trouble, Rachel (and) Richard, Best Buddies”. They were so cute that I first followed after them and then ran up to them and asked if I could take their picture. They kindly and happily posed for me.

They asked if I was there alone, and when I said, “yes”, Rachel looked at Richard and said, “Is it ok?” He said, “it wouldn’t work” so I thought that whatever she had in mind wasn’t going to happen, but then she said she’d show me and brought out a little ziploc bag holding pins from Disney parks around the world. She told me they’d brought them to give away to special people, and told me I could pick whichever one I wanted. They were totally cool, and after admiring them all, I picked one of Mickey with the castle from Disneyland Paris. It was a certifiable magical moment and my first day had barely started!

Walking light and fast from the happiness of my encounter with Richard and Rachel I floated back to Fantasyland and journeyed through Snow White’s story and the light and dark sides of Winnie the Pooh. There weren’t any crowds or waits yet so I thought I’d swing by Toon Town and try Goofy’s Barnstormer. In September I’d admired the queue, but hadn’t been willing to wait for a ride that goes by in the blink of an eye. I cruised through the Flight School for Dogs and Cats and climbed aboard the zany little coaster. Right behind me there was a little boy named Stephen riding with his mom. He started to cry and wanted to get off. The loading CM came over and knelt down by Stephen’s seat and asked what was wrong. Stephen’s eyes were red and wet and he said he was afraid of the ride and didn’t want to go. The CM asked Stephen if he was afraid of going too fast and Stephen mournfully said that he was. The CM told sad Stephen that there was a “slow” button that the CM could push so the train wouldn’t go as fast, and asked would Stephen want to go if he pushed the button. Stephen replied in the affirmative so the CM went and pushed the “slow” button. Stephen bravely held on and we took off for the short swoopy ride. When we pulled into the station a very short while later, a laughing Stephen told the CM, “That was awesome!” and wanted to ride again. Way to go, cool CM!

Donald’s boat and the cartoony coaster:

Further lightened by that sweet encounter I cruised over to Tomorrowland, walked on to Buzz Lightyear and warmed up my universe saving skills. After defeating Zurg I called Missy and she said she was up for coming over to the Poly for breakfast so I started making my way back to the gate. I shopped briefly at the Emporium and then hopped on the little boat back to the GF and the Poly. I walked along the marina from the dock to the GCH and arrived at the Kona Cafe a minute before Missy. Cathie unfortunately was still down with a flu-like GI thing, but was finally able to eat something this morning. I couldn’t believe that after Missy and I had talked she had gone to the food court, gotten something for Cathie, brought it back to the room, then taken a bus From Pop to the MK and the monorail to the Poly all in a very compact piece of time.

We ate an awesome Kona breakfast. Missy had been wanting to try the Tonga Toast, and I went with my favorite of the Big Kahuna and a press pot of Kona coffee.

There were tropical-themed gingerbread houses in the Cafe and the lobby. We admired the confections and shopped at the Bou-Tiki, and then I took Missy on a tour of the resort.

There were four tiny baby ducks starting their duckly careers in the essential stream flowing down to the volcano pool.

There were many garden spirits like this:

Eben called and checked in while we were walking along the beach. He’d be arriving the day after tomorrow and would take the Magical Express to the hotel and then meet up with me at Epcot.

We finished the tour with a look at my room, which really was a palace to me. The more recent buildings here feature rooms with 476 square feet, which allows room for a comfortable seating area with a daybed, two comfy chairs and a table in addition to the desk/dresser area and the little bar and closet area between the closets. Room pictures will be along a little later in the report...

Missy then headed back to check on Cathie after we set our plan to meet tomorrow for lunch at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. I decided to go to DTD and do a round of shopping. Because of the annual passport discount I always try to get whatever I can at the World of Disney first, and I also wanted to make a trip to Goofy’s Candy Company. I drove over to DTD and scored a fantastic parking place right next to the WoD. I went in and embarked on what turned into a shopping frenzy. I ended up with what has been my favorite Disney purchase ever, a cool sweatshirt with tattoo inspired Mickey art, a Mickey Christmas shirt, a journal for my trip report notes, 2 pins, 2 christmas plates and a bowl (on sale - how could I resist?), and a light up Santa Mickey Christmas ornament for my best friend that turned out to be so color-changingly glorious I was really sorry I didn’t buy one for myself. The crowning glory of the shopping trip was a fiber optic decorated tree that I had resisted every day during my 2008 December trip. I kept seeing it and wanting it and convincing myself to not aquire it. It was on sale this year, and the nanosecond I saw it on the shelf next to the cash register, I picked it up and added to my pile of loot. Its twinkly brightness was a terrific room decoration, and I love it ridiculously much.

Lugging my giant bag of stuff I headed off to the Pin Traders and checked out the new LE pins and the upcoming releases. At the World of Christmas I admired many things and bought some cute Tink gift tags on sale. As I’m remembering what I was carrying I can’t believe I stopped to take photos, but apparently I did.

Then I went to Goofy’s and scored my first round of Pretzel Rods and dipped Rice Krispy treats.

Better living through chemistry!

Now so laden I could barely walk I headed back to the car. I had a little more time before I needed to start getting ready for dinner at V&As so I stopped by the CBR for a nostalgia tour. The Christmas trim here was in bright tropical colors and featured exotic flowers and colorful fish.

While was I was in the gift shop at Old Port Royale scoping out the cutest of Mickey night shirts (pink waffle weave, with Mickey head ice creams in bright colors) I ran into Chuck and Lynn. They had already checked in and were shopping for some warmer clothes for Lynn based on the unusually cold weather that had been predicted.

Lynn had been really ill for the week leading up to their trip, and had even been worried that she would have to cancel. She was still recovering, so after we had a happy little visit they were heading back to their room so she could take a nap. They didn’t say anything about the package I had left them, and I was a little concerned that the front desk hadn’t given it to them, so I asked if they had any surprises when they checked in. They said they hadn’t so I stopped by the Concierge’s desk and had them check on it. It turned out they were delivering it to the room at that moment so it was in the room when they got back from shopping. Then I felt a little dorky that I’d blown the surprise...

I drove back to the Poly, schlepped all the stuff back to my room and stowed away all my goodies. I set up the twinkle tree and it sparkled for me while I put on fresh evening makeup and my fancy dress for V&As. I walked to the monorail in the beautiful evening air, admired the Polynesian gingerbread houses in the lobby of the GHC, then rode a stop to the GF (enjoying the announcements in that ridiculous way that shows I am a total geeky fan) and disembarked into the opulence of a fancy Victorian Christmas a la Disney.

Next up:
Three Hours in the Temple of Food

 

[girlbomb]

AGH! Rachael and Richard -- they're so great, I can't stand it! And then the CM at Barnstormer who ran the ride on "slow," AND then baby ducklings? It really does not get more magical than that.

(Also: 30 days for us! How many more for you? )

 

[Circusgirl]

AGH! Rachael and Richard -- they're so great, I can't stand it! And then the CM at Barnstormer who ran the ride on "slow," AND then baby ducklings? It really does not get more magical than that.

(Also: 30 days for us! How many more for you? )

It was indeed an outstanding day for magical moments!
(32 days for me!!!)

 

[Circusgirl]

Three Hours in the Temple of Food

I had been looking forward to this dinner for months and was excited to finally be making my way to Victoria and Albert’s, legendary site of memorable meals and glowing dining reviews. As I went from the Poly to the Grand Floridian, I went from these tiki-rific versions of gingerbread architecture:

to the gingerbread house to end all gingerbread houses:

The requisite gigantic Christmas tree:

Christmas, Christmas, everywhere:

I stopped by the massive tree to get some photopass pictures to commemorate the outfit and moment. The scale was so big that I was starting to feel like Alice when she was small.

I admired the gingerbread house and the many vignettes in every sweet nook and cranny, and then sat in one of the giant comfy lobby sofas and listened to the piano player and made notes in my journal until it was time to check in for dinner. I went to the Citrico’s podium, not realizing I could barge through the elegantly closed doors of V&As, which were over to the left of Citrico’s waiting area.

The V&A hostess let me know it would be a few minutes. I sat in the open waiting area of Citricos and divided my time between looking at everyone’s outfits and making more TR. Table by table, those waiting were greeted and taken in through the glass doors to the food nirvana that awaited.

When it was my turn to advance into the dining area I followed the hostess through the doors into a subtly lit, round and golden room. I was seated just across from the harpist, on the outer ring of the dining area. There were columns framing a circular area with tables both on the inside and on the perimeters of the circle. A second dining room had a fireplace on one wall, and was an enclosure within an enclosure. Patterned fabric lined the walls. There was a huge flower arrangement of red roses and greens with white accents and gold Mickey heads.

Instead of a lamp, my table had a candle, which lent a gentle glow to the scene. The CMs were dressed in formal attire, long dresses for the women and frock coats for the men.

As I was sinking into my chair and looking around, the hostess turned up with a little fringe trimmed brocade footstool, and announced it was the purse stool, provided so that that my belongings could rest comfortably on their own furniture. It was at this point in the evening that I had an internal dance of joy set to, “Oh boy, oh boy, it’s only the 3/4 point of my first day!!!”

Next was presentation of the personalized menu and an explanation of how the menu worked and more about the menu items. There were six courses with choices within each course. I was also given a vegetarian menu from which I could order as well. I had my work cut out for me. Some choices were obvious, like the dessert, and some were really tough. One of the things people seem to be most worried about when planning a solo trip is how comfortable they will feel dining along. I am totally content as I write during the meals and enjoy interacting with the CMs, especially during this lavish evening, but it does mean there is no splitting or tasting to be done.

The first delights required no decision.

The Amuse bouche, chef’s choice, featured lobster. I choose to call it Lobster Intoxication. As soon as the plate arrived the most beautiful gentle aroma wafted up and I hardly knew where to begin.

There was lobster bisque, briny, delicate and warming. The lobster spring roll had a sweet spicy chili sauce and was a lovely mouthful of crunch, sauce and lobster. The lobster sausage was light as air. For the big finale there was a morsel of poached lobster in a tiny skillet shaped dish with butter and a vanilla foam that nearly transformed the perfected cooked lobster into a dessert. For the first but not the last time during the evening I wanted to lick the plate. In the end, there was lobster induced happiness.

A series of breads and special butters would arrive during the evening. First was a classic warm and crusty French bread with sweet butter.

Sesame Crusted Big Eye Tuna with Tat Soi Salad and Tamari Honey Foam

There were two rounds of tuna, light, sweet and the essence of freshness with the added pleasure of the crunch of sesame, a crispy slice of something I now can’t identify and the sweet addition of candied ginger. The foam carried the essence of wasabi flavor without any of the usual sinus clearing kick, making the flavor the main sensation instead of the heat. The salad was a lovely little concoction.

Leaving the sea behind, I moved on to:

Poached Vermont Quail with Black Mission Figs and Fuji Apples

I was carried away by food lust and took a bite before I took a picture. Apple puree and tender juicy figs complemented the buttery rounds of quail stuffed with apple raisin compote. The sauce was slightly sweet but nicely cut with a bit of vinegar.


Caramelized Nantucket Scallops with Zellwood Corn Ragout

The scallops themselves were succulent perfect bites, each a fresh rich flavor burst. The corn was delicate and sweet, both in puree and whole kernel. The corn shoots were likened to buttered popcorn by my server. Purple potatoes and tender beans rounded out the dish.

So far the striking thing about the meal was how the essence of the flavor of the food came to the fore. Each dish was heralded by a beautiful aroma and then those flavors with the accents of the different textures featured in each dish made for one delightful bite after another.

There was some new bread, whole grain with butter with fleur de sel.

I had worried at the start of the meal about whether I could actually eat everything that was going to be arriving, but when I got to the point of the reveal of the main course I heaved a sigh of relief when I realized that I was going to make it to the food finish line.

I had a little black jacket with me that I had been wearing, but took it off in anticipation of the reveal photo op. The hostess noticed and offered me the cashmere shawl option as a mid point of warmth between jacket and bare arms. Of course I took her up on it (bring on the pampering!) and it was delightful, soft cream cashmere.
When it was time for the reveal, I took off the shawl for a moment.

Look, my food is here!

Or, playing it straight:

Main course of Veal Tenderloin, Veal Sweetbread, Potatoes, Peas, Onion and Carrots in a Jus Reduction

This was a lovely hearty winter dish. The veal was tender and the delicately cooked vegetables were glossy with the deeply flavored sauce. I sopped up the last bits of sauce with my bread and sat back to anticipate coffee and dessert. I was offered the special coffee menu of organic reserve coffees (I had mentioned that I was a coffee snob) but decided to try their regular bean tonight. After dinner I was going back to the Poly to hear one of the very last sets from the Hawaiian guitar player Kaleo, and I was thinking about how a warm bath and a good stretch would be a perfect end to my evening after that, and thinking about booking a bounceback for September, when the cheese course arrived. Oooh! I had forgotten about the cheese course!


Colton Bassett Stilton, Monte Enebro and Brillat Savarin with accompaniments of bread and greens, a preserved walnut, another nut in cinnamon sugar, a slightly spicy dice of Fuji apple and a port wine reduction.

The Stilton was a strong, creamy blue, the Enebro a mild firmer cheese, and the Brillat Savarin a delectable aged soft cheese that did justice to the food love of the man for whom it was named. The flavors of the cheese were amplified and enhanced by the accompaniments. With cheese, all things are possible.


V&A’s special coffee service:

This is a coffee making contraption that blends food, fun and science! The vacuum apparatus also looked spectacular in the candle light, and filled the vicinity with the best wash of fresh coffee smell as the grounds soaked up the column of water rising from the pot.

Then it was time for DESSERT!!!

Peruvian Chocolate Ice Cream and Puff Pastry, Hawaiian Kona Chocolate Souffle with Chocolate Creme Anglaise and Tanzanian Chocolate Pyramid

The Peruvian chocolate ice cream with chocolate eyelashes instantly became one of my most favorite chocolate experiences ever. The ice cream contrasted with the slight crunch of the chocolate of the eyelashes and the puff pastry, topped with the sweet overlay of the chocolate sauce provided one incredible bite after another. The Kona chocolate soufflé was rich all by itself, but the accompanying creme anglaise pushed the whole thing over the edge into a new world of dessert delight. The little silver boat had more of the sauce to revel in. The little chocolate pyramid with its edible gold adornment was the lightest of the chocolates, further lightened by the strawberry compote. The flavor was very intense and the texture delicate rather than dense.

The pacing and portions were perfect for me. I ate everything except one tiny bite of the soufflé, but did have to ask for a box when the little extra goodies arrived at the end of the meal.

Jellies, salted caramel and cookies. They packed the treats into a little gold box, and then brought the traditional long stemmed red rose, and a loaf of cranberry orange bread in commemoration of my birthday.

Then it was farewell to the temple of food. It had been three solid hours of eating and pampering around eating and I had loved every moment. Being able to have a food experience of this caliber in the midst of this world of a perfect childhood is one of the things that sends my vacation ratings for Disney World so high that I can't wait to go again.

I walked out to the GF lobby and lingered for a bit to hear the smooth rich versions of O Christmas Tree and Toyland played by the fine jazz band, and even teared up a little between the music and the decorations and the little girls dancing in their princess dresses. As I walked back to the monorail, holding my red rose, I paused by the toy ferris wheel (feeling like Alice, grown large) to take a few more pictures.

 

[Lady Lallie]

Oh My.

That just sounds like a heavenly evening.

What a way to start my day, reading about your lovely V&A's experience.

 

[girlbomb]

WOW. Your V&A experience sounds and looks so great! And YOU look so fabulous that night! Your review seriously makes me want to forget the experience we had last year and give V&A another try...

 

[All7OfUs]

What more can be said?? An varitable orgy of culinary delights all packed into 3 hours. But, Heather, it's not just the food that made this evening so delightful for you! It was the place, the setting, the season, the music- a 4-D extravaganza of wonderfulness!!

V&A's won't be on my agenda this trip, but reading about it sure was a nice sub-in!

THANKS!!

 

[kschafer]

OH MY!!!! I must confess that up until now, I always thought V&A was just a snooty place to eat but WOW, it sure looks like a delicious meal. I will have to add it to my dream list.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Circusgirl]

Oh My.

That just sounds like a heavenly evening.

What a way to start my day, reading about your lovely V&A's experience.

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Although I was initially very disappointed that my friends couldn't be there, I'm glad I kept the reservation and had the experience.

WOW. Your V&A experience sounds and looks so great! And YOU look so fabulous that night! Your review seriously makes me want to forget the experience we had last year and give V&A another try...

I remember how sad and mad I was when I heard about your inexcusably lame dinner last year. I had been looking forward to your enjoying the kind of marvelous night I had, and it wasn't even close to seeming like the same restaurant.

What more can be said?? An varitable orgy of culinary delights all packed into 3 hours. But, Heather, it's not just the food that made this evening so delightful for you! It was the place, the setting, the season, the music- a 4-D extravaganza of wonderfulness!!

V&A's won't be on my agenda this trip, but reading about it sure was a nice sub-in!

THANKS!!

It was an extravaganza! I forgot to mention in the review that the harpist alternated between Christmas songs and classic Disney music and the sweet sound created yet another layer of the resonance of the evening.

OH MY!!!! I must confess that up until now, I always thought V&A was just a snooty place to eat but WOW, it sure looks like a delicious meal. I will have to add it to my dream list.

Thanks for sharing!

I dreamed about going there over many trips. It would be an outstanding place to commemorate a special birthday or occasion, or just to celebrate eating! I found the service warm and friendly and adored all the pampering.

 

[Circusgirl]

Farewell Kaleo and Good Morning MouseFest!

Steeped in an evening of food worship, glamour and comfy-ness I made my way to the monorail and rode around the loop to the Poly feeling all special holding my rose and treats. I was back at the Poly in time for Kaleo’s last set in the Tambu Lounge. A long time entertainer at the resort, he has created the soul of Hawaii in the lounge for many years.

Unfortunately he was another of the long term acts let go this year, so I knew I was hearing what might be the last set ever for me. I have spent many wonderful evenings in the lounge listening to the liquid guitar sounds of Hawaii and enjoying Kaleo’s beautiful voice. I love Hawaii, and the music of the islands is a part of its essential presence. Real Hula is one of the most incredible dance forms I’ve ever experienced. A local Hula school rehearses at the Poly, and one night a week they would dance for part of the set. I absorbed the music while looking through the picture window at the MK Chrismas tree, train station and the lights of Main Street. I tried to soak up as much as I could, so I could replay it later to be in that warm space again. When it was over I thanked Kaleo for all the great evenings and told him how much I would miss his music.

I made my way to my longhouse, downloaded photos, took a hot bath, stretched and admired my twinkle tree. I had a towel creation, not an animal exactly, in fact more in the origami garment category:

My tomorrow would be packed with goodness starting with an early MouseFest meet, then lunch with Missy at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant, more MouseFest in the afternoon, then MVMCP in the evening. I fell into bed, and the next thing I knew the alarm beep beep beeped that it was 6 am. I snoozed until 6:42 then realized I had to hustle to make the 7:45 am Be Our Guest Podcast meet at the opening of the MK. I turbo showered, ate a tiny bit of fruit and drank a little coffee and zoomed out the door. I brought my Mickey rain jacket today because there were the kind of dark heavy clouds and blowing wind that left no doubt of rain. I ran to make the monorail, and relaxed and enjoyed the ride when I realized I was in good time for the meet.

I’ve listened to the Be Our Guest Podcast since my friends Chuck and Lynn were on it. It features a little gang of Disney lovers who crack each other up and just have that great whole hearted feel so characteristic of so many Disney fans. This meet was for folks to get together and spend time in the park. I walked down the ramp from the monorail, looking for the Be Our Guest t-shirts. What a cool and fun crew! Mike and his daughter Paige and Rikki were there, along with a group of about 10 listeners. We chatted until it was time to watch the opening show and then go through the turnstiles, then headed out as a group.

I took this one picture of the opening ceremony, and then, uncharacteristically, didn’t take any photos of the meet or the people, or what we did.

I have mostly done Disney solo, so it was fantastic to have a completely different experience. Historically I am first at the turnstiles and book it from place to place, maximizing rides until the crowds are too big or until I have to pause for food. With the group I was behind the pack and moving at a lovely deliberate pace. We went straight to Space Mountain and toured the galaxy together, and then over to Buzz, where I rode with Rikki. We descended on Peter Pan next, and I rode with Mike and we talked about how we never get over this sweet original. From there we decided to go to the Haunted Mansion. When we were back out in the light of the morning, it started to sprinkle and then pour. The HM cast members were ushering folks out of the ride with tips on where to get ponchos. I pulled out my rain jacket and then while Mike went to get some ponchos for him and Paige, we made our way to the cut through to Adventureland from Frontierland, making the transition from the plink of banjos and the brown wood of the frontier buildings to tropical peeping insects and caribbean colors.

We rode on Pirates without sinking and then headed off to the rivers of the world and a Jungle session of bad jokes. We had the most dead pan skipper ever. For those of you old enough to do so, imagine Ed Sullivan as a jungle boat skipper. He was so bad it was hilarious. Every joke was as poorly delivered as the one before. We couldn’t stop laughing after the cruise ended. We parted ways then, and as I walked toward Main Street in search of a snack, I realized how cool it was to move at a slower pace for a change. We had strolled the way you do in a chatting group of people, moving from ride to ride at a gentle pace. Even the rides seemed to last longer, maybe because I was more there and less thinking about the next thing to get to. Nice discovery, as well as the fun of spending the morning riding with new pals.


The MK looked like a confection:

I was starving, so snapped up a huge gooey hot cinnamon roll from the Main Street Bakery. There’s no picture - I was too hungry to remember to pause for a picture! It was an utterly yummy confection and nicely restored my energy. It was ginormous, and after eating about 1/2 of it I was starting to wonder if I should get rid of it or carry it around for a later snack. A group of people walked by me just then, and the woman said, “That looks good!” I told her I’d washed my hands before eating and had been eating it by pulling bits off rather than biting it, and that it was hot and delightful, and did they want the rest? They looked at one another, came to consensus, and said, “Yes!” I was happy to give the rest of the roll acreage a good home.

I got on the TTA for a spin around Tomorrowland, and while I was riding it started to pour again.

It was one of those classic deluges that usually lasts just a few minutes, so I went on Buzz as soon as I left the TTA since it was close by. I was hoping the rain would slack off again while I was inside attempting to best my usual score. I came out of the ride into a crowd hesitating in the doorway. A group would wait for a little bit, then gather themselves and dash out into the wet world after putting on ponchos, or just giving up on the rain slowing down. I was due to meet Missy at Tony’s soon, so I headed to Main Street, sticking to the driest possible route under whatever overhang I could find. I stopped in the Emporium and was shopping when Missy called to say the Dream Team was in the area outside Tony’s. I ran down the street to meet her, and we went into the restaurant check in area and watched the Dream CM and pondered our next move. He was looking out into the rain pounding down in the plaza. Because we had heard of the right time at the right place for all sorts of cool dreams being a certain bench at a certain time, we decided to go out and try to trigger a dream. We went on a hilarious chase in the pouring rain, sitting on benches with Roy and Minnie and Goofy, looking for places to linger and laughing as we were soaked to the skin. We finally went back in when our Dream guy crossed the plaza and disappeared into Guest Services. Still laughing at our crazy exploit, we went back to check in for our lunch.

This was my first time at Tony’s, and I enjoyed the decor. We had a terrific seat right next to the fountain. A hot lunch hit the spot. Missy enjoyed her meatball sandwich, and my chicken parmesan on spaghetti was just fine.

The food here was ordinary, but it was fine, and the decor was fun, and I loved the fountain with Lady and the Tramp which was decorated with a little Christmas present. We especially enjoyed the big and brash personality of our waitress, who introduced herself as Princess Becky.

She was a lively waitress, but a terrible photographer. She took a number of out of focus pictures of us, of which this one is the closest to some kind of focus.

While we ate and in between visitations by Princess Becky, Missy and I had a great time talking and getting to know one another. This was Missy’s first time at Disney World, as Disneyland had been her park growing up. It is super fun to see the experience through new eyes again. When we finished lunch we confirmed our plan to meet tomorrow night at Epcot for dinner at the Rose and Crown at IllumiNations time. Cathie was still down for the count today, but we were hoping she would be up and running by tomorrow.

I headed to the monorail to get to the MouseFest 101 meet, but was waved off the ramp by CMs letting people know the monorail was down. I had never taken the walkway to the Contemporary, and although I would have preferred drier weather, it was a short easy walk to the convention center. (It turned out that monorail pink had to be towed, and my friends Chuck and Lynn had seen the action from the TTC.)

I found a map of the convention center and made my way to the big room where hundreds of MouseFesters had gathered. The organizers talked about the event and schedule and there were thank yous and acknowledgements, and encouragement to get out there and enjoy the event with friends old and new.

An energy loading snack buffet had been set up outside the room, and the long lines for candy, nuts and drinks were almost like receiving lines. I went up and down looking for familiar faces. I found Chuck and Lynn and heard their story about being stranded at the TTC when Monorail Pink went down. After saying hello to a few people I knew, I decided to do a little shopping before heading home to change for the next part of the day. Bayview Gifts on the fourth floor of the Contemporary is always a winner for me for something that is unusual or elusive and this time was no exception. The cute Mickey sleep shirt I wanted was here in my size, and I also found my favorite underwear. After stopping by the Poly to get drier clothes, I took a drive over to the Beach Club to partake of the first of my longed for, dreamed of, No Way Jose sundaes. On the way I admired the lobby bling - a gingerbread carousel and a tree with sea inspired decorations.



Bling:

Decadent delights - the No Way Jose was all mine, and since I was seated at the counter I watched them make the Kitchen Sink.

A bonus of this expedition was that I talked to Art the Greeter for the first time. He was more like a beam of pure positive warmth and light than an actual regular human. He had wonderful observations and advice and was an embodiment of sweetness.

The sun peeked out and I drove back to the Poly on a warm cloud of peanut butter, ice cream, fudge, and Art’s smile.

More in the next post!

 

[Circusgirl]

It was late afternoon and I was headed next to MVMCP. I swung by my room and got warmer clothes and then walked down the beach.
I had just missed the little boat so I went up to the monorail. I paused and took an out of focus picture of Kaleo and breathed in the special music of Hawaii, and admired more of the gingerbread domiciles.

The train station in the rosy Christmas glow:

Establishing the mood:

CMs in the party spirit:

A leafy likeness of our host and hostess:

It was a three hanky night. The castle lighting got to me, because of the little princesses in their parent’s arms watching with pure delight as the lights came to life, and then there were more moments later during the fireworks and parade. There were also the tears of mildly painful laughter at the utterly terrible wonderful humor at the Country Bear Jamboree.

Next up:
More from MVMCP, or It’s My Party and I’ll Cry if I Want To!

 

[All7OfUs]

Ever since I read this update 2 days ago, I've been really perturbed!!

Do you know if they have plans to put anything back into the lounge for sipping a cocktail to?? I am just really super bummed that Kaleo will not be there for my loungy, hangout evening at the Poly!! I mean let's fact it, part of my dreamy perception of staying there in the first place is the opportunity to have a relaxed, very Polynesian type evening in the lobby people watching and listening to good music. I can't think of a better way to end a busy day at the parks.

WAH!!!!

 

[Circusgirl]

Ever since I read this update 2 days ago, I've been really perturbed!!

Do you know if they have plans to put anything back into the lounge for sipping a cocktail to?? I am just really super bummed that Kaleo will not be there for my loungy, hangout evening at the Poly!! I mean let's fact it, part of my dreamy perception of staying there in the first place is the opportunity to have a relaxed, very Polynesian type evening in the lobby people watching and listening to good music. I can't think of a better way to end a busy day at the parks.

WAH!!!!

When I was there last January it was so cold that the luau was cancelled in the outdoor venue on a number of evenings, and when that happened the luau cast did a shortened show in the lounge. I haven't seen any other musical entertainment there. We'll see if anything has changed in a few weeks. I so miss the music!