Hicks on Hold, part 3 -
Revenge of the ADRs:
CMs know me by name, and did I mention we have food allergies?
So I didn't really follow through on the last post.
Yes, I admit it, I forgot some things.
You see, after my mom agreed to go and I had all the hotel ressies in place, I remembered something.
Our ADRs were for 15.
Let's do that math one more time.
9 of us
+
MIL & FIL = 2
+
SIL, BIL and Kids = 4
+
Mom
=
16!!!!
Sigh. So I guess I have to call Grand Gatherings again.
For those keeping track:
Called once for first ADRs.
Called again for second week of ADRs.
Do believe I called a third time for ADRs when I realized we would have 11 nights of free dining instead of 10.
Called twice for original ressies.
Called again, about three times, to try and change my ILs room to standard from preferred.
Thinking about our ADRs I realized that the first week would not be a problem.
Going from 15 to 16 doesn't change the fact that you use two eight tops. So we should be good there.
Just hoping that going from 9 to 10 is just as easy.
I give them a call, and we add one person to each of the ressies, with no problem. I am happy with that.
Or so I thought.
When I had some time to think, I start to get nervous about one of the ADRs.
I am concerned about our ressie for Biergarten. I know the tables seat eight.
I wasn't too worried about that before, because I figured with the baby in a high chair, we could squeeze in.
But now that I was adding in my mom, I was concerned that we would have separate tables.
I just don't want to be spread out like that.
I do a little menu research online, and decide to try for Coral Reef.
John and kids are cool with that, as they like the idea of the aquarium.
I give Disney a call, and get the same CM I had for our hotel ressies the second time.
How do I know it's the same CM?
1) Unusual name.
2) She graduated from my dh's university, so we had a long drawn out conversation.
I say "I think I talked to you the other week.'
She says "Probably not, there is over a 1000 of us working here."
"Well, aren't you the one that graduated from Western?"
"YES! Wow, what are the chances."
Well lady, when you have called as many times as I have, they seem to be pretty good.
[Her name was Adriana, I think, and she was an EXCELLENT CM.]
We cancel our 4:00 ressie for Biergarten and get a 5:00 ressie at Coral Reef.
I am happy with that.
Or maybe not.
A few
weeks later I am looking at the menus once again, doing a fun game I like to call "What am I going to eat at WDW,"
when I notice that the Coral Reef menu has changed.
And all of the items I had wanted to try, are now gone.
How can that be?
I think there is a conspiracy afoot.
I mope around about this for a few days, paralyzed by the idea of changing our ADRs ONCE AGAIN.
I finally hash it out with John, and we come up with some options:
1) Stay at Coral Reef. - Not my fav idea, but I could deal.
2) Switch to a MGM restaurant. -
Of the restaurants there, we already have an ADR for H & V,
we do not care for Sci Fi,
John is askeerd of 50's PT (he doesn't play well with others LOL),
and HW brown derby is a 2 TS.
What does that leave? Mama Melrose's.
John is not a big fan of Italian food, but he does like chicken parmigana, so he accepts this as an option.
3) Try to get into Le Cellier for a late lunch. - Not highly likely at this point, and we already have one ADR there.
4) Pick another Epcot or Epcot area restaurant - We already have an ADR for R & C, and nothing else appeals to us.
5) Go back to Biergarten. - there was a reason I cancelled here, but maybe we would be ok?
We talk it over, and John is open to anything, even considering MM's, but then, at the last minute, [as I mentioned in my chapter entitled
BEER] John decides that Biergarten was indeed the way to go.
So I call Grand Gatherings back AGAIN, and ask if there is any chance that we could get an early dinner ADR for Biergarten for 10 people.
And what do you think is available?
The EXACT ADR I had given up over a month before!
[I later find out on the DIS that there are a few 10 tops at Biergarten, and I am holding out hope that since we have the earliest seating that they will put us at one of these.]
Ok, we are set.
The only other momentary panic I had was that our Chef Mickey's dinner ADR was too late at 6:40.
I called a few weeks ago to see if there was anything earlier.
The earliest available for 16 was 8:50 pm!!!
Ah, that's ok, I'll keep my 6:40.
And one last matter. DS8 and DD almost 3 have a sensitivity to wheat.
DS also has tested positive for peanuts. So they avoid those foods.
Which makes life interesting.
But like many have said, WDW is a haven for food allergies.
Here on the DIS I got the info on how to contact Brenda Bennet, someone in the Special foods dept.
She emailed me back a rather short form email, telling me she had forwarded our concerns to the chefs involved.
I felt rather slighted that everyone else seemed to think she was a wealth of info, and I got this measely email.
Then a few weeks go by, and I read about someone getting so much info from Brenda Bennet in an ATTACHMENT.
DOH!!!
I didn't think to check for an attachment.
Thankfully, I had saved her email, and sure enough, there was a lovely seven document attachment.
Listing all the safe foods in WDW, including all of our options at our sit-down restaurants.
Wow!!!
So needless to say, the kids are geeked about seeing Mickey AND getting to have some items they normally wouldn't get.
[If any of you need the contact info, let me know and I will get it to you.]
So, anyway, if my mom keeps from having a major Kidney stone attack (and finally sends in her payment) AND my BIL manages to get the time off, we should be all set.
Still waiting to pack....Sigh....
Next up: It's the Final Countdown...
And throw myself (or them) off a bridge. You have my greatest respect! 
no page 6. No page 6?
sad1: ) to put Narcoossee's on that day, so we take a L.C. lunch. Then, when I call back a couple weeks later to add an ADR, the CM checks Le Cellier and there is a 6:10 dinner available for the day I want!!
I just keep looking at all the food porn and counting Weight Watcher points, and it makes me hungry, so I change my mind!
and the rest of the Hick's 
in Sept. at the GLOW Party
