Sorry I haven't posted any updates in a few days. School has been crazy, from a 24-hour dance-a-thon, to crazy studying. Hopefully, the next week will be less eventful, and I can finish up my last reviews!
Day 5- 12/29
Lunch: Captain Cooks
Dinner: California Grill
We got up around 6:00 to be at MGM for opening at 8:00. Today was a beautiful day, on the warmer side, but very comfortable. We debated getting breakfast from Roaring Fork again, but decided to get something at MGM instead. We ended up getting to the park about 20 minutes before opening. They were letting people in, but had ropes up leading down to all of the attractions. Some of the entertainers were interacting with the crowd before opening. They were very funny, and helped pass the time. After the official rope drop, they let everyone go back towards Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller Coaster. Dad and I wanted to do Tower of Terror again, so we walked right onto that. The ride was wonderfully scary and unpredictable, as always. After that, we decided to get a snack for breakfast from Starring Rolls. There was a bit of a line, but it moved quickly and was well worth it. The pastries we got here were much, much better than the ones from Roaring Fork. I got a chocolate croissant, which was really good. It was flaky and fresh, and had a good amount of chocolate inside. Andrew got another bagel with cream cheese, which he liked again. Mom had a cherry turnover. It was quite large, and had tons of fruit gushing out. It was very good, and well worth the mess. Dad got a cinnamon bun. It didnt look like it would be too good, but he said it was. It was on the large side, and had a nice sweet frosting on top. Everything we got here was very tasty, and counted as a snack credit!
We ate the pastries outside on a table at the Brown Derby, since all the ones at Starring Rolls were taken. I was wholeheartedly against this decision. Even though the Brown Derby doesnt serve breakfast, I dont think we should have used one of their tables. They are meant for upscale restaurant guests, and we were eating our counter service snack breakfast there. Mom was all for it, saying, Its all Disney. Why shouldnt we be able to eat here if its not even open? I dont agree with this. There are so many ways you could apply that statement that prove how stupid it is! Its the same as going to the Grand Floridian pool even though were staying at Wilderness lodge just because its all Disney. We would never do that, so why sit at the Brown Derby tables? Well, I was on edge the entire time we were eating, afraid that someone would come out and rightly tell us to leave. I was even more mortified when another family came over to join in the fun! Next thing you know, theyll be spreading inside the Brown Derby to eat Starring Rolls breakfast!
After breakfast, we went to do the backlot tour. We were on the first one of the day, but unfortunately, the special effects section was down. The tour is pretty predictable, but fine. After that, we went to get seats for the first stunt show. We ended up getting there about an hour early, right as they started letting people into the theater. We got excellent seats though, right in the center section about 3 rows back. We really enjoyed this show, but I dont think it would be as exciting the second or third time around. After this we decided to make it a trio of shows. Next was the Beauty and the Beast, followed by Indiana Jones. The stand-by line was huge for Indiana Jones, and a very nice family gave us their fastpasses that they no longer needed! That definitely helped, and we got seats in the very front row. I really enjoyed the show more from so close up. Up there, you really feel like you are on a movie set. After this, the crowds, as usual, seemed unusually oppressive. We quickly walked through the Walt Disney: One Mans Dream exhibit, before deciding to get some lunch. Everything in MGM was bound to be extremely crowded or didnt appeal to us. Therefore, I suggested that we eat at a resort. The first one that came to mind was the Polynesian, because it was in the vicinity of our hotel, and I had heard a rumor about a Dole whip machine installation! Dad wasnt crazy about the idea, but mom wanted anything that would get us out of the park. So, Polynesian it was!
Captain Cooks Lunch
I was really glad that we chose to eat lunch here. The refurbishment was completed, and I only hope that they eventually implement a similar system across the board! We walked around the Great Ceremonial House for a while. We stayed here about eight years ago, and loved it. Hopefully, we stay here again someday. Once we went into Captain Cooks, we were unsure as to how the new ordering system worked, but there was a very helpful CM telling us exactly what to do and how to do it using the new touch-screen ordering system. Heres what we got:
Me: Traditional Flatbread (a.k.a. pepperoni pizza)
Dole Whip
Large Drink
Dad: Double Cheeseburger
Dole Whip
Large Drink
Mom: Caesar salad with chicken
Dole Whip
Large Drink
Andrew: Kids Chicken strips
Dole Whip
Large Drink
The new ordering system was very convenient. There are a couple of touch-screen kiosks. They offer pictures of each entrée, and you pick what you want. After you finish, a receipt prints out that you take up to the register. The only thing that confused us was that you only order the entrée using the kiosk. You then pick out your dessert and/or drink separately. For some reason, we expected that you would choose everything on there. When you go to pay, you can choose the dole whip for your dessert! There is a soft-serve machine, and the cashier will give you a small plastic cup that you can put the dole whip in. The cashier also gives you a pager for the entrees. After figuring out the ordering process, which was really quite easy and efficient even though we acted stupid, we went to find a table and get drinks. There are plenty of tables inside, but since it was a pretty nice day, we decided go outside. It is so peaceful and tropical out there, which is precisely why we love the Polynesian. The pager went off after about 5 minutes, and dad went in to get the food. Everything came in a box, which is convenient if you are transporting it back to your room. It was all nice and hot. My flatbread was a very good pepperoni pizza with a thin crust. It was large, but just enough to finish. The sauce was good, too, which was an improvement over Pizzafari. Dad enjoyed another hamburger. This one was even better than all the others, though. He also liked that it came with some sort of fried noodles instead of fries. Moms salad, was large, and again, pronounced good. Andrew also enjoyed the chicken strips, because they didnt taste like frozen ones. After we ate, we went in to get our dole whips. I know youre only supposed to get one, but I guess you could keep refilling your cup. Its a little plastic cup that could easily be kept and reused, since no one watches the machine. You could probably even fill up a refillable mug with dole whip! Anyway, I made sure to give myself a generous portion, since Im too good- I would never break the rules and refill. We all LOVED this dessert. Even though it wasnt a hot day, we loved the taste and texture of it. Ive never had pineapple soft-serve ice cream before, but I definitely will if I ever see it in the future. I was trying to find a good time to get one when we were in the Magic Kingdom, but it was always either too cold or time to eat lunch or dinner when we went near the stand. This was a perfect time to get them. We all loved it and agreed that it would be the perfect treat on a hot day. Maybe I can get my parents to choose Polynesian for our next trip just because of the Dole whip machine. I know that the dole whip doesnt live up to many peoples expectations. It is simply pineapple soft-serve ice cream. However, its something that Ive never seen before, and tasted wonderful, so Im hooked! We all agreed that it was a great decision to come to Captain Cooks and depart from the massive crowds of the parks. The food was great, and the dole whip was even better.
4 out of 5
CS Credits Remaining: 4
TS Credits Remaining: 10
After lunch, we walked around the Polynesian for a little while, and hopped onto the monorail to the Grand Floridian. There, we walked around the lobby and took some pictures by the Christmas tree and gingerbread house. Wow! That lobby is absolutely beautiful, and the Christmas decorations make it even better. I couldnt believe how large the gingerbread house was. Mom made the official decision that this would be the resort for our next trip. (Of course this decision came after having declared that the Polynesian was her favorite 10 minutes earlier, as well as a prior decision that the Wilderness Lodge would be a perennial choice, and an executive decision that Contemporary would be perfect for us). I guess well just have to stay at every Magic Kingdom resort! We eventually had to pull ourselves away from the Grand Floridian so that we could get some time at the Wilderness Lodge before dinner at the California Grill. We spent the late afternoon lazily. I think I recall sitting on a rocking chair by the fire and being woken up quite a while later by the raucousness of the Whispering Canyon Café!
California Grill Dinner
Our ADR at California Grill was at 7:40, with Wishes at 9:00. We left our room around 7:00. We hopped on the boat to the Contemporary, and ended up getting there quite a bit early. We browsed the gift shops for a while, and checked in at the 2nd floor desk around 7:30. At that point we felt a bit underdressed. We were well aware of the dress code, and followed it. I had on a polo shirt and dressy shorts. Dad and Andrew also had collared shirts, but dad with jeans and Andrew with tan pants. Mom was wearing something that looked dressier than the rest of us, but wasnt overly fancy. We were informed that they were running behind, but were welcome to go up and wait in the lounge area. At least once we got upstairs we didnt feel too underdressed. Many people were dressed similarly to us. A good number were more dressed up, but I didnt notice anyone blatantly violating the dress code, either.
No sooner had we gone up to the 14th floor and sat down on a couch than our pager went off. We were escorted right over to a wonderful table. It was right next to the window, in the small section closest to the observation deck. I didnt even realize that was another large area with an open kitchen! We loved the location of our table. It was absolutely perfect. The views of the Magic Kingdom were breathtaking, and we knew that it would be great for Wishes. Our server, Beckey, came over right away to take our drink orders and explain the menu and give personal recommendations. Due to the fast service, Dad began to get worried that the meal would end before Wishes, and that we would have to vacate our wonderful table. I assured him that I read that meals here are generally about 2 hours long.
The drinks were promptly delivered, and we all chose our appetizers. Mom went with the soup. I believe that it was cauliflower soup, which struck me as odd. However, she really enjoyed it and there was a very generously sized bowl. It looked like a cream of chicken soup. It also had caviar in it, which I wouldnt dare trying. Dad likes it, though. He ordered the endive salad. It looked like someone had gone outside and picked a bunch of weeds and put them on a plate, but he swore that it was wonderful. I decided on the goat cheese ravioli. I was torn between that and a flatbread, but I had just had one for lunch, so I went for the ravioli. The goat cheese was a little strong, just as at Chefs de France, but I sill enjoyed it. I ate the entire thing, and I will definitely look for ravioli with interesting cheeses in the future. Andrew was content to eat some of the wonderful bread and olive oil we were given. We all loved our appetizers, but Dad was constantly warning everyone to slow down, since the meal was moving quickly. I had to keep reminding him that there were two more courses and that we would not be thrown out of our wonderful table.
The service was just wonderful. Everything was cleared away promptly, drinks were always filled, and we felt the presence of our server. At some places they just disappear for long periods of time. Here, Beckey was always around. We barely had time to digest our appetizers, and our entrees were out, which was fine with us. The pace did get slower, though. Mom, Dad, and I all ordered the oak-fired filet, which was kind of boring. However, we all wanted filet again, and no one would have been content just trying someone elses. The filet was larger than the one at Le Cellier, and so tender. The knives werent sharp, but we quickly realized that we didnt need a sharp knife! We each ordered it cooked differently, and each one was perfect. The teriyaki sauce was wonderful- it reminded me of the Le Cellier barbeque sauce, but maybe a little bit better. The potatoes that came with the filet were also really good. They were described as mashed potatoes, but they were definitely scalloped potatoes with some of the recurring goat cheese that I had begun to develop a taste for. We all enjoyed our entrees, as did Andrew, who ordered the kids chicken breast. It was the most grown-up looking childrens meal we saw all week. He was appreciative of that.
Of course, as I expected, we were not nearly done our meal when it was time for Wishes. We were just finishing up our entrees. I was surprised that they didnt really dim the lights, like I had heard. However, they did pipe in the music. We decided not to go to the observation deck, but stay at our wonderful table instead. I am a huge fan of Wishes, but I wasnt crazy about Holiday Wishes. I like the normal soundtrack. However, the fireworks were still wonderful and the California Grill was a neat perspective. Im glad that we had a good table, because I went to check out the observation deck and it was extremely crowded, and raining!
After enjoying the fireworks, it was time for our dessert order. We were told that the valrhona chocolate cake would take 20 minutes. Dad and I decided to choose that. Mom didnt care, and let Andrew choose for her. He went with the cheesecake. There was a little mishap when Beckey came back with the desserts about 20 minutes later, because Dad had placed the order for all of us. He said We will have the valrhona cake, which sounded like we were sharing. I dont think we had formally announced that we were on the dining plan at that point either, so she only brought one. When we told her that we wanted two, she was very apologetic, even though it was our fault. She offered to get another one, but I elected to get the honey crunch cake instead. She ended up coming back with the honey cake, and a piece of plain chocolate cake on the house, which was more than necessary. The desserts were all wonderful. The cheesecake wasnt overly special, but nonetheless good, and came with a scoop of peanut butter and jelly ice cream. I dont think it was a plain cheesecake, but I cant recall what was on it. The valrhona cake was mom, dad, and Andrews favorite. It was very rich, but excellent. The molten chocolate center is to die for. My favorite, though, was the honey cake. I loved the crunchy texture and cream on top. I like a sweet and light dessert, so it was a good choice. The plain chocolate cake was also very good. The chocolate icing was especially creamy and delicious.
We were completely stuffed after dessert, but it was well worth it. Everything was perfect. The food was excellent and the service was excellent. The restaurant itself has amazing views, and our table maximized them. I love the airy and modern feel of the restaurant. It isnt overly formal on the inside, but sleek and clean. I wouldnt characterize it as romantic, simply because it is on the loud side. It isnt cacophonous, but bustling and comfortable. Its absolutely a signature dining experience worth doing. Dollar for dollar, it isnt really better to use dining credits on signature meals, because they typically dont double the cost of the higher-end one credit meals. For example, our California Grill meal was very expensive, but not more than Chefs de France and Le Cellier put together. We would definitely return, and we plan to try another one on our next trip for a new signature experience. My filet was about on par with the Le Cellier filet, but the atmosphere and service made California Grill so much better. California Grill and Chefs de France are about tied as my favorite restaurants.
After dinner, we even got a chance to see the Electrical Water Pageant as it went by the Contemporary while we waited for the boat. A perfect ending to a perfect day!
4.5 out of 5
CS Credits Remaining: 4
TS Credits Remaining: 4 (Andrew was paid for OOP)
