updated 1/11/14
i am sad to post that i have misplaced my SD card which contained MNSSHP & F&W pictures taken with my dslr. *le sigh* i've shot 3 weddings since then and with the hustle & bustle, the sd card has disappeared. but at least i have pictures captured with my iphone. i'm really hoping it magically appears.
after the debacle of trying to get my ticket for MNSSHP, emme & i changed in the bathroom by guest services. it wasn't the most graceful of wardrobe changes but we were finally ready!
princess emme
my friend sophie is an incredible seamstress. she has created 4 original dresses for emme including the rapunzel inspired dress for MNSSHP. she's also creating a one of a kind snow queen elsa dress for emme as we are headed back down to disney next weekend to celebrate emme's 4th birthday!
here is one of my tips for MNSSHP or
MVMCP: i like to have an early dinner inside the park before the party. when i mean early, i mean the first adr available. i've lucked out that i was able to score an eary adr to BOG. i've eaten at BOG before MNSSHP last year, MVMCP last year and MNSSHP this year. the meal is no where near spectacular but it's nice to be able to start the night in fantasyland. i feel like i have a head start for the character pictures including the coveted picture with the seven dwarves. last year they were in frontierland, this year, they were located in new fantasyland. another perk to BOG before a party...one word:
BEER!!!
the early ADR makes me feel like i am one step ahead and i'm not rushed to get into the park. i've had a decent meal, a couple of beers and then we were unleashed into the party. it's a total win IMO especially the beer part. but i digress....
since we were in party mode, emme had an ice cream before dinner. we made a pit stop to storybook treats.
Vanilla soft serve ice cream
we still had a few minutes before BOG opened, so we went to say hello to some friends:
it was time to check in for our adr at BOG.
we were seated in the ballroom.
up first, the very important champagne, wine & beer list.
i will like to preface that i have very low expectations at BOG. i've had dinner here numerous times as well as lunch. i think both meals are over priced and sub par and service during dinner leaves a lot to be desired. if BOG did not serve beer & wine, i probably would never go back. the allure for me is the beer & wine while IN magic kingdom as well as getting a picture with the beast. so with this meal, i had very very low expectations. i just wanted to be somewhat full with a somewhat decent meal to begin our MNSSHP.
one of my gripes with BOG are the insanely small tables. there's so much stuff ON the table & the tables are so close to one another that it's uncomfortable at times, especially when you add in the kids coloring book, drinks, camera, plates of food etc. it's cramped BUT the ball room is beautiful.
olaf on the coloring book!
to my surprise (see what having low expectations can do) my server was really really nice, efficient & actually cared if we had a good experience or not. she was AWESOME (so much so that i emailed Disney about my her). our drinks were never empty, she brought emme extra bread (emme only eats the insides), kept the table as clutter free as she could and we saw her numerous times during the meal. no disappearing act from her. she always had a smile on her face & didn't look miserable during our entire meal.
up next, bread service.
the bread wasn't anything super spectacular but it was warm and the butter melted nicely on it. emme loves the insides of these rolls. she ate about 8 of them and our server had no issues in bringing emme seconds on the rolls.
finally, my yummy beer.
...so the server had very poor beer pouring skills but that's ok. i poured the second one and it was perfect.
onwards to the entrees:
Thyme-scented Pork Rack Chop - with au gratin macaroni, seasonal vegetables and red wine au jus $21.99
this is my 3rd time ordering this entree. on this particular visit, the pork was exceptionally moist. the entire entree was nice & warm. on my last visit, the macaroni was cold. ick. this time, the macaroni was warm & gooey. i liked the entree minus the overly salty au jus. it was repulsive. it tasted like i had swallowed a cup of salt. oh my. i did ask for some tobasco sauce to put on my pork. they didn't have sriracha so i settled for tobasco.
emme ordered:
Whole-Grain Macaroni - topped with mozzarella & mashed potatoes
this entree tasted as bad as this picture is....and that's pretty terrible. i have no idea why disney can't make kids pasta....it annoys me that they can't melt the mozzarella cheese in the pasta. the pasta is probably cold and they just throw in some cheese but come on...this was gross. emme loves pasta but after one bite, she had enough.
and what about the mashed potatoes? these were equally gross. they were bland & definitely not made fresh & probably from a box or a can. it had a terrible flavor & smelled worse. again, emme loves her some mashed potatoes but after 2-3 bites, she declared that these were "really gross mama".
emme had some more bread & some bites of my macaroni & cheese. the server did ask if she could bring emme something else but that's about the only thing she will eat on the kids menu. she doesn't eat much meat (i think she might be a vegetarian as she eats just like my mom who eats minimal meat). when i declined, she just brought emme some more bread.
i don't have much of a sweet tooth so i passed on dessert. she brought us out some of the grey stuff.
here are some shots of the halloween cup cakes. i was taking a picture through the glass but a manager was walking past me and said "that's no way to take a picture of the cupcakes" & opened the lid so i could snap a picture.
and the ballroom:
last but not least, our charming host for the evening:
overall, service wise, we had our best service ever at BOG. she made up for the awful dinner for emme & the salty au jus. my pork was tasty and i enjoyed my entree & beer. i always say i never return but always somehow end up with a last minute adr & end up torturing myself in the process. i have a love/hate relationship with BOG but for the purpose of MNSSHP, it was a really great choice in terms of time, getting a head start & having a few beers before the party.
up next,
MNSSHP pics!!
