As I mentioned in my prior post, on the evening of the dinner party, my family arrived at the Summerhouse (click here) a few minutes before 6 PM. I wanted to make sure that we were there to greet our guests as they arrived, which would happen anytime between 6:00 PM and 6:30 PM.
As I stood outside the Summerhouse, my fingers were crossed in hopes that all my guests would arrive in time for the official start of the party (6:30 PM). My Grand Floridian Convention Services Cast Member had planned one heck of a start for my dinner party, and it would have broken my heart had my guests missed it.
At about 6:10 PM, Bonzie1 and her husband walked up to us. We hadnt seen them since our WDW vacations had overlapped by a few days during the previous Halloween. Everyone was excited to see each other again. We posed for a photograph (click here).
Bonzie1 filled me in on the story of the delivery of her surprise picnic basket and dinner invitation. It was a cute story and she seemed genuinely happy to have received the basketful of goodies. She mentioned that the picnic basket had contained a very large red- & white-checkered cloth, various pieces of fruit, French bread baguettes, cheese, two bottles of water, and the dinner invitation. It sounded lovely.
Bonzie1s husband turned on his camcorder, rewound the tape, and showed me some video footage that he had taken of the picnic basket that afternoon: click here. He even freeze-framed the part that showed the dinner invitation so that he could read it to me: click here. Aint technology grand?
As I viewed the image of the dinner invitation on his camcorder, I could see that the font was in Mickey Mouses handwriting, just as my Convention Services Cast Member had promised it would be: click here. The invitation stated the following:
A dinner invitation from the hand of Mickey Mouse. Does it get any better than that? I dont think so.
After chatting with Bonzie1 and her husband on the sidewalk outside of the Summerhouse for a few minutes, my Convention Services Cast Member approached us and introduced himself to my guests. I thought that was a lovely touch. He then told us that we could enter the Summerhouse patio area. They were ready for us.
As we walked through the entrance to the patio, I could hear music playing in the background. It was upbeat, jazzy music, perfect for the beginning of a party. This music was a part of the technical services package that Disney Event Productions was providing for my party.
As we continued walking, Bonzie1s husband teased my daughter by saying that only asparagus and brussel sprouts were going to be served for dinner. When my daughter spied the condiment/salad table (click here), she stated, See, I told you there was more to eat! She had no idea how right she was.
A chef was stationed at our dinner party. He would prepare everyones food to order. Can you imagine that? I know that I had a hard time imagining that. Heck, I have a hard time getting my husband to prepare my food to order at home (I dont cook, my husband does). He usually prepares it his way and I have to eat it. I was thrilled at the thought of someone actually asking me how I wanted my food prepared and then following through by actually preparing it that way. As I glanced at the chef and his grilling station (click here), my stomach began to growl.
I walked over to where our dinner table sat. I noticed that the low wall that sat alongside of it had a few decorative touches of its own: click here. Placed along the top of the wall were several small planters containing plants. There was even one of those planters sitting in the middle of our dinner table, and a couple more sitting at the chefs grilling station. I was surprised by this little touch. The planters softened the look of the concrete wall and made the dinner area feel a little more intimate. Just another one of those special Disney touches that never ceases to amaze me.
At the dinner table (click here) I placed my daughters sweater and my camera bag. The table was round and easily sat ten to twelve people. It also fit perfectly within the patios alcove. This area bordered the beach and afforded all who sat there a panoramic view. And what a view it was the Grand Floridian was on one side and Seven Seas Lagoon was on the other. I couldnt think of a more perfect place to hold an outdoor dinner party.
As long as youre looking at that last photo, you can see the lighting that Disney Event Productions had used for the dinner party. When the party first began, as you see in that photo, the lights were turned down so low they appeared to be off. But as the night wore on and the sun began to set, the lights were turned up. I never even noticed when that occurred. That just goes to show you that the things that were supposed to happen in the background, such as lighting, truly happened in the background. That allowed the things that were supposed to happen in the foreground, such as a relaxing dinner party, to truly take center stage.
After I had dropped off my personal items at the dinner table, I decided that I needed something cool to drink. I didnt need to go far: click here. A bartender and fully-stocked bar were part of the evenings beverage service (listed on Page 2 of the partys BEO boy, I was really beginning to like that document). I normally only drink Pepsi, but since Disney is a Coke company, I decided to drink something a little different. One of my old college sorority drinks sounded good to me. I asked the bartender for a gin & tonic, and he happily obliged me. It definitely whetted my whistle.
Within a few minutes, Floridafams family had arrived. Earlier that day her husband had participated in the Florida Half-Ironman Triathlon. That triathlon included a 1.2-mile swim through Bay Lake, a 56-mile bike ride around the Walt Disney World property, and a 13.1-mile run through Disney's Osprey Ridge golf course. He did all that and still had enough energy left over to attend a dinner party. I was impressed. There was no way I was going to complain about my leg that night, no sir-ee. I was definitely gonna keep my mouth shut in the presence of such a fine athlete.
Floridafams family was introduced to Bonzie1 and her husband. Bonzie1 and Floridafam had exchanged PMs on the Dis prior to the vacation so at least they knew each other a little bit, which is always nice.
Shortly after the introductions had been made, Bonzie1 gave everyone a gift. If you remember back to Page 4s Showing Signs Of Weakness post, I mentioned the following:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And so my little charade continued. I sent the following message to Bonzie1. Remember this important point she wanted to know everyones names. (I thought it was because she wanted to be cordial to the other dinner guests. Little did I know that she had an ulterior motive - and you folks thought I was sneaky. Stay tuned.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They say the ones you need to keep your eye on are the quiet ones. I obviously flunked that section of SPY 101 during my Jane Bond training. Yes, Bonzie1s secret gift had gone undetected by me. And so I stood on the patio of the Grand Floridians Summerhouse on that glorious Florida evening as she showed me a table containing nine engraved crystal glasses: click here. There was a glass for every guest at my dinner party. I was in shock.
Prior to the vacation, Bonzie1 had done a little sleuthing. She never asked me for the name of my Convention Services Cast Member, but somehow she had found out who he was. She spoke to his assistant, and with his help, she planned her surprise. He hooked her up with the Magic Kingdoms Crystal Arts store, and when all was said and done, they had engraved nine crystal glasses for the dinner party. The front side of the glass was engraved with the image of Cinderella Castle and Mickey Mouse. Here is a photo of it: click here. The back side of the glass was engraved with everyones name. Here is a photo of my particular glass: click here.
As Bonzie1 relayed the story to me, she stated that the store had given her a list of images that could be used on the front side of the glass. She eventually settled on a glass with Cinderella Castle and Mickey Mouse on it, having no idea that Mickey Mouse was slated to attend our dinner party and that a surprise dessert party had been planned that would afford everyone a view of the Wishes fireworks exploding over Cinderella Castle. Since neither of those two surprises had been sprung on Bonzie1 yet, I had to keep quiet regarding how absolutely perfect her gift had been. It was truly kismet, but I was the only one who knew that (with the exception of my Convention Services Cast Member and his assistant, of course).
It goes without saying that everyone absolutely loved their beautiful glasses. What a touching gift from Bonzie1 and her husband. Before I finish this topic, I should mention something that really made me laugh. As Bonzie1 told me the story of how she had planned her surprise, she mentioned that she had asked if the glasses could be delivered to the party. They asked her if she wanted the glasses to be displayed on a separate table. She told them, Not if its going to cost Janet any extra money. I dont want her to have to pay for another table. They assured her that it wouldnt cost anything extra. I got a big kick out of that. How sweet of Bonzie1 to be concerned about me when she had planned such an extravagant gift. What a wonderful friend she is.
Everyone stood on the patio chitchatting together as they enjoyed a refreshing drink: click here. My husband shared a special moment with our daughter: click here. It was a glorious evening and there was a nice breeze coming off the lagoon. The evening truly had started out perfectly both old and new friends were enjoying themselves. I was pleased.
It was at that point that my Convention Services Cast Member whispered in my ear that Mickey Mouse had already boarded the boat over by Narcoossees Restaurant. All I had to do was say the word and Mickeys boat would begin making its way towards the Summerhouse beach area. I was told that it would take a few minutes for the boat to arrive.
I gave the okay and my Cast Member relayed it to his team. The ball was put in motion and there was no stopping it now. It was fun knowing that the time had finally come for the dinner party to officially begin. Everything was moving along right on schedule.
As I stood outside the Summerhouse, my fingers were crossed in hopes that all my guests would arrive in time for the official start of the party (6:30 PM). My Grand Floridian Convention Services Cast Member had planned one heck of a start for my dinner party, and it would have broken my heart had my guests missed it.
At about 6:10 PM, Bonzie1 and her husband walked up to us. We hadnt seen them since our WDW vacations had overlapped by a few days during the previous Halloween. Everyone was excited to see each other again. We posed for a photograph (click here).
Bonzie1 filled me in on the story of the delivery of her surprise picnic basket and dinner invitation. It was a cute story and she seemed genuinely happy to have received the basketful of goodies. She mentioned that the picnic basket had contained a very large red- & white-checkered cloth, various pieces of fruit, French bread baguettes, cheese, two bottles of water, and the dinner invitation. It sounded lovely.
Bonzie1s husband turned on his camcorder, rewound the tape, and showed me some video footage that he had taken of the picnic basket that afternoon: click here. He even freeze-framed the part that showed the dinner invitation so that he could read it to me: click here. Aint technology grand?
As I viewed the image of the dinner invitation on his camcorder, I could see that the font was in Mickey Mouses handwriting, just as my Convention Services Cast Member had promised it would be: click here. The invitation stated the following:
To: Bonzie1 & Husband
Please Join Us!
A Disney Picnic At The Grand Floridian
Resort & Spa Is Being Held In Your
Honor
Sunday, May 23rd, 2004
6:30 PM 9:30 PM
The Summerhouse & Small Beach
At The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
See Ya Real Soon!
Please Join Us!
A Disney Picnic At The Grand Floridian
Resort & Spa Is Being Held In Your
Honor
Sunday, May 23rd, 2004
6:30 PM 9:30 PM
The Summerhouse & Small Beach
At The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
See Ya Real Soon!
A dinner invitation from the hand of Mickey Mouse. Does it get any better than that? I dont think so.
After chatting with Bonzie1 and her husband on the sidewalk outside of the Summerhouse for a few minutes, my Convention Services Cast Member approached us and introduced himself to my guests. I thought that was a lovely touch. He then told us that we could enter the Summerhouse patio area. They were ready for us.
As we walked through the entrance to the patio, I could hear music playing in the background. It was upbeat, jazzy music, perfect for the beginning of a party. This music was a part of the technical services package that Disney Event Productions was providing for my party.
As we continued walking, Bonzie1s husband teased my daughter by saying that only asparagus and brussel sprouts were going to be served for dinner. When my daughter spied the condiment/salad table (click here), she stated, See, I told you there was more to eat! She had no idea how right she was.
A chef was stationed at our dinner party. He would prepare everyones food to order. Can you imagine that? I know that I had a hard time imagining that. Heck, I have a hard time getting my husband to prepare my food to order at home (I dont cook, my husband does). He usually prepares it his way and I have to eat it. I was thrilled at the thought of someone actually asking me how I wanted my food prepared and then following through by actually preparing it that way. As I glanced at the chef and his grilling station (click here), my stomach began to growl.
I walked over to where our dinner table sat. I noticed that the low wall that sat alongside of it had a few decorative touches of its own: click here. Placed along the top of the wall were several small planters containing plants. There was even one of those planters sitting in the middle of our dinner table, and a couple more sitting at the chefs grilling station. I was surprised by this little touch. The planters softened the look of the concrete wall and made the dinner area feel a little more intimate. Just another one of those special Disney touches that never ceases to amaze me.
At the dinner table (click here) I placed my daughters sweater and my camera bag. The table was round and easily sat ten to twelve people. It also fit perfectly within the patios alcove. This area bordered the beach and afforded all who sat there a panoramic view. And what a view it was the Grand Floridian was on one side and Seven Seas Lagoon was on the other. I couldnt think of a more perfect place to hold an outdoor dinner party.
As long as youre looking at that last photo, you can see the lighting that Disney Event Productions had used for the dinner party. When the party first began, as you see in that photo, the lights were turned down so low they appeared to be off. But as the night wore on and the sun began to set, the lights were turned up. I never even noticed when that occurred. That just goes to show you that the things that were supposed to happen in the background, such as lighting, truly happened in the background. That allowed the things that were supposed to happen in the foreground, such as a relaxing dinner party, to truly take center stage.
After I had dropped off my personal items at the dinner table, I decided that I needed something cool to drink. I didnt need to go far: click here. A bartender and fully-stocked bar were part of the evenings beverage service (listed on Page 2 of the partys BEO boy, I was really beginning to like that document). I normally only drink Pepsi, but since Disney is a Coke company, I decided to drink something a little different. One of my old college sorority drinks sounded good to me. I asked the bartender for a gin & tonic, and he happily obliged me. It definitely whetted my whistle.
Within a few minutes, Floridafams family had arrived. Earlier that day her husband had participated in the Florida Half-Ironman Triathlon. That triathlon included a 1.2-mile swim through Bay Lake, a 56-mile bike ride around the Walt Disney World property, and a 13.1-mile run through Disney's Osprey Ridge golf course. He did all that and still had enough energy left over to attend a dinner party. I was impressed. There was no way I was going to complain about my leg that night, no sir-ee. I was definitely gonna keep my mouth shut in the presence of such a fine athlete.
Floridafams family was introduced to Bonzie1 and her husband. Bonzie1 and Floridafam had exchanged PMs on the Dis prior to the vacation so at least they knew each other a little bit, which is always nice.
Shortly after the introductions had been made, Bonzie1 gave everyone a gift. If you remember back to Page 4s Showing Signs Of Weakness post, I mentioned the following:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And so my little charade continued. I sent the following message to Bonzie1. Remember this important point she wanted to know everyones names. (I thought it was because she wanted to be cordial to the other dinner guests. Little did I know that she had an ulterior motive - and you folks thought I was sneaky. Stay tuned.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They say the ones you need to keep your eye on are the quiet ones. I obviously flunked that section of SPY 101 during my Jane Bond training. Yes, Bonzie1s secret gift had gone undetected by me. And so I stood on the patio of the Grand Floridians Summerhouse on that glorious Florida evening as she showed me a table containing nine engraved crystal glasses: click here. There was a glass for every guest at my dinner party. I was in shock.
Prior to the vacation, Bonzie1 had done a little sleuthing. She never asked me for the name of my Convention Services Cast Member, but somehow she had found out who he was. She spoke to his assistant, and with his help, she planned her surprise. He hooked her up with the Magic Kingdoms Crystal Arts store, and when all was said and done, they had engraved nine crystal glasses for the dinner party. The front side of the glass was engraved with the image of Cinderella Castle and Mickey Mouse. Here is a photo of it: click here. The back side of the glass was engraved with everyones name. Here is a photo of my particular glass: click here.
As Bonzie1 relayed the story to me, she stated that the store had given her a list of images that could be used on the front side of the glass. She eventually settled on a glass with Cinderella Castle and Mickey Mouse on it, having no idea that Mickey Mouse was slated to attend our dinner party and that a surprise dessert party had been planned that would afford everyone a view of the Wishes fireworks exploding over Cinderella Castle. Since neither of those two surprises had been sprung on Bonzie1 yet, I had to keep quiet regarding how absolutely perfect her gift had been. It was truly kismet, but I was the only one who knew that (with the exception of my Convention Services Cast Member and his assistant, of course).
It goes without saying that everyone absolutely loved their beautiful glasses. What a touching gift from Bonzie1 and her husband. Before I finish this topic, I should mention something that really made me laugh. As Bonzie1 told me the story of how she had planned her surprise, she mentioned that she had asked if the glasses could be delivered to the party. They asked her if she wanted the glasses to be displayed on a separate table. She told them, Not if its going to cost Janet any extra money. I dont want her to have to pay for another table. They assured her that it wouldnt cost anything extra. I got a big kick out of that. How sweet of Bonzie1 to be concerned about me when she had planned such an extravagant gift. What a wonderful friend she is.
Everyone stood on the patio chitchatting together as they enjoyed a refreshing drink: click here. My husband shared a special moment with our daughter: click here. It was a glorious evening and there was a nice breeze coming off the lagoon. The evening truly had started out perfectly both old and new friends were enjoying themselves. I was pleased.
It was at that point that my Convention Services Cast Member whispered in my ear that Mickey Mouse had already boarded the boat over by Narcoossees Restaurant. All I had to do was say the word and Mickeys boat would begin making its way towards the Summerhouse beach area. I was told that it would take a few minutes for the boat to arrive.
I gave the okay and my Cast Member relayed it to his team. The ball was put in motion and there was no stopping it now. It was fun knowing that the time had finally come for the dinner party to officially begin. Everything was moving along right on schedule.
.It must have been truly magical.
