Day 4, part 2 (Sept. 2 Grannys birthday)
The boys came back to the room right around the time Aubree woke up. We all got ready then walked over to the Ticket & Transportation Center to take the monorail to Epcot. This time there were plenty of PhotoPass photographers.
We were about 30 minutes before our ADR, so we went through Innoventions West to cool off and use up some time. Then we walked over to the Coral Reef to see how long the wait looked (plus I wanted to verify everything was setup for the diver, menu and cake). Jon, Granny, Barry & Aubree waited outside. The CMs confirmed it and said wed be seated closer to our 6PM reservation. At that point, we had 20 minutes to kill, so we rode Nemo again since the wait said 10 minutes. We walked right on without any wait. We also had to say hello to the Mine, Mine birds Aubrees newest pals. Jon kept Aubree in the stroller and walked her around while Barry, Granny and I went inside the Coral Reef to check-in. I was given our pager, then we waited. And waited. Jon and Aubree came in and we tried to keep her busy. I held her hand and walked her around. We had a diaper change. And waited. She started getting really fussy wanting to go outside to see the "Mine, Mine" birds. Did I mention that she loves riding in her stroller?
Jon was getting impatient and finally said that he would take her back to the room. I said no, getting just a little upset. I had planned so much for my moms birthday dinner. They were going to be there.
I walked Aubree around the waiting area some more. She was fine for the most part, but would have some occasional outbursts; dropping to the floor and crying. Shes usually pretty good in public and this was a meltdown, but really not as bad as some I have seen. I just think I felt more stress because I didnt want to cancel and I always worry about disturbing other people. My mom came over to me and said, we can just eat dinner somewhere else
it doesnt matter where I have my birthday dinner. I said no. The tears were starting. Then THANKFULLY the pager went off. We were quickly seated and boy, was I relieved. The hostess took us to a booth near the glass and brought us a little booster seat for Aubree since we couldnt use a high chair at that particular table I guess since it was near the steps. It was almost too close to the table to squeeze her in. She started crying and I said, you are going in this seat, sorry and pulled the seat back to give her enough room and she slid in still sobbing a bit. She settled down when she saw the fish in the tank, and we all tried entertaining her. It was now after 7PM. I really think Aubree was fussy because she had too long of a nap. I gave her my cell phone to play with, and then she started coloring when the server brought her kids menu and crayons. Our server took our drink order and brought us some bread and dipping oil - very good! My mom was given her personalized menu and started crying when she saw the photos and what Id written. (SORRY NO PIC have to get it from her to take a pic.) Whoever did the layout on the menu did an awesome job. We were all starting to relax. I had to keep motioning to Jon to keep the camera ready. I wasnt sure when the diver would pop out! We started looking at the fish and got our drinks. Then we ordered our meals Granny, Jon and I ordered the New York strip, Aubree had an order of fries (we fed her some steak too), and Barry chose the catfish (requested plain). Let me tell you that meal was the best of our trip IMO. My steak was delicious, as were the cheesy potatoes and broccolini (although it was kinda tough). Our server was so nice and did a great job. My mom started seeing the divers further back in the tank and we kept being entertained by the activities in there, as well as Aubree being silly.
Then the diver showed up with the sign, and Granny was stunned. It was truly wonderful. People started clapping and throughout the rest of the meal, theyd stop by and wish my mom a Happy Birthday. It was so nice!
Aubree started getting fussy again so we opted to not have dessert. Our server signaled me that shed go get the cake. She brought it out and made a nice little speech as she set it down on the table. The cake Id ordered for $12.50 was more beautiful than Id imagined. It was chocolate with ripe strawberries on top. Aubree was a little afraid of the candles, so Granny quickly blew them out. We each sampled the cake (minus Aubree who refused). It was not only beautiful, but very moist and delicious. Barry ate almost all of the strawberries!
Then we had our server box it up to take back to the room. Overall, I was extremely pleased with our meal. We all thought the wait was probably so long because they needed a certain table for our table size and to be near the tank. This was definitely a learning experience on how we deal with Aubree, and thankfully the rest of our ADRs went much smoother. I think she deleted some pics off my little camera, but thats ok!
KUDOS to Debbi and the staff of the Coral Reef for making my moms birthday so special. I sent an email to thank them.
We walked out of Epcot taking in the colorful beauty of the fiber optics in the pavement. The path we took was different than Id been on before, and much more colorful. And off we headed to the monorail and our comfy beds back at the Polynesian. And some leftover cake!
The cake looked really nice! Did you have to call the Coral Reef to order it?
