Party Every Day - Updated 8/29/10

[UncleOrville]

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[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Wow, you really did get soaked on Splash! Sounds like a fun morning in the MK! BTW, I don't love that Alice! The Alice in WS is always really good!

Too bad you didn't really love your lunch with the Imagineer. We did it once and had Cathy Carver. She was so awesome! She was an interior designer and it turns out, she designed the actual room we were having lunch in at the Brown Derby! She also was the head designer of the (at the time - new) Cinderella Castle Suite, among MANY other things, and we even saw her on a TV special about the Suite after our lunch.

I've always wanted to do it again but I don't think we'll ever be able to top her as our Imagineer...unless we got, like Joe Rhode! We actually asked her about him, she said they are friends but he's mostly out in California and he does occasionally do the lunches out there.

 

[RachelNinja]

Thrilled to see an update and a long one at that!

Love the pic of Castle Couture with no one around. It just shows how quaint Fantasyland can be without screaming kids around!

Love the "hither thither yon" signs in Splash! I don't think I've ever seen it myself before or paid much attention. Now when I do see it, I'll think of you guys!

GREATEST SM photo ever! I love that you STILL squished into one row! It wouldn't be right if you didn't!

Mmm, I love corn chowder, and that one just looks scrumptious! It'd probably be my favorite part of the meal too. I had the cobb salad this past trip, and I couldn't eat that much of it. Don't know if that's what made me sick or what, but I just did NOT feel well when I ate about 5 bites. And like you, I normally LOVE cobb salad!

I would like for them to give me one bite of the grapefruit cake just so I know what it's all about. I would NEVER order it on my own because it just does not entice me. But I'm rather curious, especially since you said ti was disgusting! haha, that probably makes me weird, but I want to know why people love it so much.

When I read the description of the lunch, I was wondering if the others at lunch with you thought anything of the fact that you asked about the Hannah Montana chicken coop! I mean, if they were all obsessed about this statue that was hidden away and all~ but I think you're right. It'd probably be a lot of fun if you had a group of 8 friends! I'm sure the meal would've been fun if it were 8 DISers!

 

[Nicole786]

That stinks about the lunch--I've heard really consistently bad reviews of the Brown Derby, not sure why its 2TS credits...Hope you get to meet "Oliver" watching Hannah Montana right now!

 

[UncleOrville]

Wow, you really did get soaked on Splash! Sounds like a fun morning in the MK! BTW, I don't love that Alice! The Alice in WS is always really good!

Too bad you didn't really love your lunch with the Imagineer. We did it once and had Cathy Carver. She was so awesome! She was an interior designer and it turns out, she designed the actual room we were having lunch in at the Brown Derby! She also was the head designer of the (at the time - new) Cinderella Castle Suite, among MANY other things, and we even saw her on a TV special about the Suite after our lunch.

I've always wanted to do it again but I don't think we'll ever be able to top her as our Imagineer...unless we got, like Joe Rhode! We actually asked her about him, she said they are friends but he's mostly out in California and he does occasionally do the lunches out there.

I also don't love that Alice, and I love the way you put it! I wasn't quite sure how to comment on her, so I just didn't.

Sounds like your Imagineering lunch was AMAZING! I would have loved an interior designer, and especially such an apparently important/ famous one. How cool!

Thrilled to see an update and a long one at that!

Love the pic of Castle Couture with no one around. It just shows how quaint Fantasyland can be without screaming kids around!

Love the "hither thither yon" signs in Splash! I don't think I've ever seen it myself before or paid much attention. Now when I do see it, I'll think of you guys!

GREATEST SM photo ever! I love that you STILL squished into one row! It wouldn't be right if you didn't!

Mmm, I love corn chowder, and that one just looks scrumptious! It'd probably be my favorite part of the meal too. I had the cobb salad this past trip, and I couldn't eat that much of it. Don't know if that's what made me sick or what, but I just did NOT feel well when I ate about 5 bites. And like you, I normally LOVE cobb salad!

I would like for them to give me one bite of the grapefruit cake just so I know what it's all about. I would NEVER order it on my own because it just does not entice me. But I'm rather curious, especially since you said ti was disgusting! haha, that probably makes me weird, but I want to know why people love it so much.

When I read the description of the lunch, I was wondering if the others at lunch with you thought anything of the fact that you asked about the Hannah Montana chicken coop! I mean, if they were all obsessed about this statue that was hidden away and all~ but I think you're right. It'd probably be a lot of fun if you had a group of 8 friends! I'm sure the meal would've been fun if it were 8 DISers!

I'm totally with you on the grapefruit cake. It did not sound good to me at all and I've heard of people loving/ hating it, so I just had to try it at this lunch. Perfect opportunity since I really didn't want a dessert and it was included with the meal!

The other lunch guests thought we were so weird for asking about the chicken coop and liking Hannah Montana, but since they were 50000000 times weirder, we did not mind in the least! We were totally expecting the lunch to be filled with DISers we knew/ had seen on the boards, but these people were way beyond DISers!

That stinks about the lunch--I've heard really consistently bad reviews of the Brown Derby, not sure why its 2TS credits...Hope you get to meet "Oliver" watching Hannah Montana right now!

I feel like I always see bad reviews of the Brown Derby, too! Once in a while I hear someone say it's their favorite restaurant, which always surprises me. I agree, can't figure out how it continues to be 2 TS credits/ so expensive.

Have you visited the Hannah Montana chicken coop yet? If not, I hope they have it's still there for you to check out!

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Yeah, an update!!!
I love how y'all squished into the Splash Mountain log

 

[Stefy]

Sounds like you had a blast in MK and score on getting an empty log to yourselves

Its a shame that your Imagineering lunch wasn't all that, but at least you got the commemorative plate which looks nice. Maybe next time you could try the Dining with an Imagineer at Artiste Pointe

 

[UncleOrville]

Yeah, an update!!!
I love how y'all squished into the Splash Mountain log

Thank you! We loved it too, but of course the CMs found us to be extra insane!

Sounds like you had a blast in MK and score on getting an empty log to yourselves

Its a shame that your Imagineering lunch wasn't all that, but at least you got the commemorative plate which looks nice. Maybe next time you could try the Dining with an Imagineer at Artiste Pointe

Ooh, didn't know they'd expanded to do Imagineering lunches at other places besides the Brown Derby - cool! But I'll have to wait until we can get together a group to fill up the whole lunch based on our first experience!

 

[Stefy]

Oops sorry, I thought they did lunch as well, but it looks like its only dinner

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/diningdetail.cfm?Restaurant.ID=483

I'm kinda with you on that one though, for me if I was paying alot for lunch I would kinda prefer it to be just me and the Imagineer, rather than like a tour group.

 

[UncleOrville]

Oops sorry, I thought they did lunch as well, but it looks like its only dinner

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/diningdetail.cfm?Restaurant.ID=483

I'm kinda with you on that one though, for me if I was paying alot for lunch I would kinda prefer it to be just me and the Imagineer, rather than like a tour group.

Lunch or dinner, still cool that it's offered somewhere in addition to the Brown Derby! But, $99 for dinner is quite a bit more than the $60 or so that we paid for lunch!

 

[Stefy]

It is a bit much, but it is dinner and Artiste Point food is supposed to be really good, wonder if you would be able to have the Mickey Puzzle for dessert too

 

[UncleOrville]

It is a bit much, but it is dinner and Artiste Point food is supposed to be really good, wonder if you would be able to have the Mickey Puzzle for dessert too

Indeed - I'd like to try Artist Point in the future anyway, so it's nice that they offer dinner with the Imagineer there too now!

 

[UncleOrville]

After we ran out of the Brown Derby, we ran to the Sounds Dangerous soundstage, where Oliver Oken’s CD signing had taken place. We were hoping it would still be going on, but it was not. We then got ourselves out of MGM and over to Epcot. We went via bus, which is quicker than the Friendships, and also deposited us in the front of the park, where we wanted to go. I have in my notes that the bus was HOT, but I don’t remember – must have had non-functioning air conditioning or something.

Our first (and second) stop was Figment. It was so nice that we had to ride twice. And also we had an ADR at Le Cellier to get to, and did not have enough time to walk to and ride another attraction after our first spin on Figment.

The only time we could get a Le Cellier ADR was 4 pm on this day, and we couldn’t find any openings any other day after we booked the Imagineering lunch. So we had a dinner booked at 4 pm and left our four-course lunch at 2:30 pm. Yes.

Anyway, we were still stuffed when we got into Le Cellier, but luckily we took our time with ordering and our server brought out everything at a nice, slow pace, so it was about 5 pm when we got our main courses. Still absurd, but not quite so bad. But, yes, really ridiculous.

Some mango smoothie drink, that counted as a drink option on the DDP.

Bread – yeah, pretzel bread!

I got the mushroom filet, of course, and it was brilliant as always.

Laura and Liz both got a prix fixe option from the menu, that allowed them to get a salad, entrée, and dessert for one DDP credit.

They got salads with pears on them first, and both fell in love with the pears (which we thought were apples, until we were later told they were pears).

Then they both got the gnocci, but Laura’s came with a tomato sauce since her nut allergies prevented her from being allowed to eat the pesto that normally comes on it.

Le Cellier servers and chefs have always been amazing to us in helping with food substitutions and creations for our dietary needs. And I must say as I usually do that their servers are just fantastic – nice, friendly, efficient, knowledgeable.

Here are our desserts (remember, we were on the DDP – no way we would have gotten dessert at this point in our food-filled day if paying OOP).

I got this apple tart thing, which was delicious. Too bad I was way too full for more than a bite of it.

Laura got a bowl of the pears from the salad that she had so adored!

Liz got a moose.

Love the Canadian gardens.

 

[UncleOrville]

Stuffed from our delicious dinners, we headed back to Future World and into the Land for one of Laura’s favorite attractions – The Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable – of course!

We then wandered back through the World Showcase, stopping in England to take in the scenery and grab a bag of Buttons for Laura.

We continued on our nice, leisurely stroll around the lagoon, and stopped to partake in a great adventure, the American Adventure. It was a rousing performance, as always. Really felt like the performers’ hearts were in it that night.

After the Adventure, we continued our walk around the Showcase and found that night had suddenly enveloped the land.

 

[UncleOrville]

Next stop was a Norvegian high-seas adventure! Scary!! Jayden, Charles, and Brenda Walsh enjoyed the queue.

We exited Maelstrom and the Fjording at a perfect time to catch Illuminations. We just watched in that crowded Norway/ Mexico area since we were there, it was starting, and we wanted to head to Future World after.

We did not have a great spot, it was crowded, and my camera is not that good, so here’s just one Illumninations pic.

The soundtrack is the best part anyway, so to replicate our experience, please open up iTunes and play your Illuminations track (we know we’ve all got one).

Following Illuminations, we headed to Future World, but found everything to be ridiculously crowded and with terribly long waits. We did at least enjoy the sparkling ground.

Another strikeout for Epcot night EMH – we’ve never had much luck there. So, we decided to head out, and we called it a night at the Poly.

Next up: Our last day!

 

[Stefy]

Great updates, love Epcot

Whats the Circle of Life like?

 

[RachelNinja]

Figment has such an old-timey feel to it considering you can see the "strings" holding up the Figments.

Huh, what's being spelled out at the bottom of the Figment scene? Are they letters?

How's the mushroom risotto with the filet? I know that they used to have the cream cheese mashed potatoes with it and that some DISers switch it out. Have you had both? Curious to know which one you prefer if you did have both.

Hehe, those gnocchi look like bugs. Delish!

Woohoo for the apple tart pic! I'm compiling a group of photos for my DFi since he doesn't really read TRs or dining reviews. I want him to know what some of the food looks like before we go since the menu descriptions on AllEars just aren't enough sometimes.

I've read about how others say that they can't get much done during Epcot EMH at night. If DFi and I do that during our Disneymoon, I'm guessing we'll have to plan on doing all the rides earlier during the day and just explore WS at night. That's all still open, right?

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Le Cellier filet is BUTTA!!!! Yum!

 

[UncleOrville]

Great updates, love Epcot

Whats the Circle of Life like?

The Fable is a great film about conservation! It's only about 15 minutes long, and it's really cute - the story is Simba teaching Timon and Pumba why they should be mindful of other species/ the rest of the earth. There's a cartoon portion at the beginning with them, and then Simba's explanation goes into real video footage from about 1994, which some complain is outdated, but I say is awesome!

Figment has such an old-timey feel to it considering you can see the "strings" holding up the Figments.

Huh, what's being spelled out at the bottom of the Figment scene? Are they letters?

How's the mushroom risotto with the filet? I know that they used to have the cream cheese mashed potatoes with it and that some DISers switch it out. Have you had both? Curious to know which one you prefer if you did have both.

Hehe, those gnocchi look like bugs. Delish!

Woohoo for the apple tart pic! I'm compiling a group of photos for my DFi since he doesn't really read TRs or dining reviews. I want him to know what some of the food looks like before we go since the menu descriptions on AllEars just aren't enough sometimes.

I've read about how others say that they can't get much done during Epcot EMH at night. If DFi and I do that during our Disneymoon, I'm guessing we'll have to plan on doing all the rides earlier during the day and just explore WS at night. That's all still open, right?

Figment is the best! Still such a vintage feel even though it was relatively recently updated.

I loooove the mushroom risotto with the filet! The risotto is so good and creamy and truffley. Yum. I've only ever had the filet with the risotto, but I've tried the mashed potatoes on the side and they're awesome too. I don't think you could go wrong with either, but I can never see myself giving up the risotto. I think I'd get a side of the mashed potatoes to share, and stick with the risotto with the filet!

Glad the apple tart pic helps you! I think it was the best dessert I've had at Le Cellier, so another thumbs up here.

And yes, I'd try to get all rides in at Epcot during the day and then stick to enjoying WS during night EMH - it's definitely still open.

Le Cellier filet is BUTTA!!!! Yum!

Indeed - it's so good!

 

[UncleOrville]

We awoke on our last full day determined to make it to the MK before rope drop and actually see the opening show. We succeeded! Yay!

And then we succeeded in being among the first back to Fantasyland!

And then in becoming the first Peter riders of the day! Woot!

Some non-construction site Fantasyland shots.

With that excitement behind us, we rode Pooh, and became stuck in some hunny, aka the ride stopped for a bit.

Next up it was over to Tomorrowland for a spin on Buzz. I am ashamed to admit that Laura somehow beat me on this ride-through! I am generally the greatest at Buzz (but worst at Toy Story Mania), so this was a difficult blow to bear.

Once we exited Buzz, we were delighted to find that we were privileged enough to be in the first audience for the first showing of the Carousel of Progress for the day! We just adore that attraction.

We completed our tour of Tomorrowland with a ride on the TTA. It was a lovely ride, with the old narration, but with no waving below us! We were quite outraged, but I must admit, there were not many people in Tomorrowland, so it’s not too surprising that we had no one looking up and waving back at us.