Wow, was für ein toller Trip Report.
I enjoyed your Trip report and cant wait for the next part.
Hallo Marcus und Herzlich Willkommen!
Thanks for the compliment! I think I remember you from the DLP boards here, I was hanging out there for a while when I was planning our 2007 trip there. And I was surprised to find someone on the DIS from Nuremberg! I am always a bit surprised how few Germans one encounters on the boards... But you are the second in our TR - Annichan is from Germany as well!

And we have a great bunch of readers who have Germans ancestors.
We had our first WDW visit last year in October and for us the Animal Kingdom was the park that we didnt liked that much. Dont get me wrong, it is a great park and if they would have the same park in Paris I would walk on my knees from Nuremberg to Paris just to see it.
But we just liked the other parks much more than Animal Kingdom.
The day we spent at the Animal Kingdom was also the hottest day of our trip last year. We had 98° and as almost everything is outside in this park we could not enjoy this day as we wanted.
On my first trip I did not like AK that much either. I have never experienced a really hot day there since I am always at WDW in the winter, so this definitely helps. After a few days of 98 here in Berlin, I am certain that I would have difficulty to enjoy any park at WDW in that weather!
Thanks for the links, Katharina and I both read your thoughts with interest since we both compared WDW and DLP quite a lot as well! I think we agree with you in most points, especially the difference in the Cast Members and also the atmosphere between the guests, you mention the conversations you had, I love that, too!
The only thing we were really surprised about was that you liked the hotel breakfast at DLP: we think it is really horrible, crowded, noisy and annoying that you have to get a specific time. And the one thing we never understood: why do they serve the cheese only in cubes, not in slices??

But we would have really loved a normal bread roll with some ham after a few days having pastries and waffles for breakfast...
Nope. Wasn't even close! The only thing I guessed right on was a drink before dinner- but thought you'd go cocktail, not champagne! The bison was a complete, albeit pleasant, shock; the sushi not so much.

I am glad that we could surprise you!! I think the good thing about CG is that the menu changes so often! I had no idea that there would be bison on the menu before we got there. For me it was a great discovery! I know that Artist Point has it as well - is it common in nicer restaurants in the Pacific North West?
So glad you enjoyed your bananas. Do they come with airsick bags?

I think I'd need one.



Do you have problems with bananas when others eat them as well??
But the sorbet looked fabulous!! Nice and light to finish that meal off!
I thought it was pretty funny that the put a flame into the ice!
Hmmmm... WISHES and CG.... I do know I"ll get a chance to cast my opinionated vote- I"m not really sure which way I'd go. I know I"ll be seeing WIshes another couple times, so to have one that's sort of "in the background" might not be so bad.
If you can see Wishes from Main Street, it is a nice additional show for CG. I just read so often about people who go there specifically to see Wishes and then I would say plan your meal so that you finish before Wishes, walk over to the MK and then see it from there. But for you it should work fine. Will you be eating on your own there or with the ladies?
Gary's the guy we'll be asking for. I won't forget!
You're right, why on earth would they not have at least 2 choices for a lactose free meal? It's a pretty common allergy/sensitivity, AND they KNEW ahead of time for goodness sake!!

Odd indeed!
Yes, that's why we went through the whole procedure of informing them ahead of time. But don't worry, things got better afterwards!
Ah! That's right, Topher. His name was so unique, so I remembered it. Plus, he is from Wisconsin, and that is right next to Minnesota, so that helps me remember too.
I didn't mention it, but I completely agree with Liesa, they knew in ADVANCE of Katharina's sensitivity, for being a signature they really should have more choices!! It's a bit surprising when places like Ohana or Boma will go to great extents, but the CG won't...
We had wonderful experiences at other signature dinners, especially one at the end of our trip!
But in the end, I think, even though it was a bit intimidating how the chef handled it at CG, I think it was still very good for Katharina to actually really know what was in the meal and feel like she could eat out without worrying about there being milk in the meal.