PamNC
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 1999
- Messages
- 4,597
CAST OF CHARACTERS: me, 42 and DH, 34. First Timers at the Swan.
Day Three, Saturday - 11/27: Holidays Around the World!
If you read day two, you'll know that we did a little partying last night at Kimonos. Sushi, karaoke, champagne cocktails and beer. Not much partying but we're getting old, so we can't hang like we use to. That said, we didn't arrange for a non-Mickey wake-up call. We still woke up around 7:30. Instead of jumping up and running to breakfast, we decided to take it slow. I made a pot of coffee in the tiny little pot that the Swan provides. It was pretty good, DH didn't like it though. Said it was "nasty." We sat in bed an watched TV while I drank all of the coffee by myself. Good thing it was a tiny pot. We took our time taking showers and getting ready and then headed downstairs to the Garden Grove for breakfast. Even though this was our first time at the Swan, we frequent this breakfast spot. Several years ago, 7 or 8, we were staying at the CBR and we consulted the handy-dandy restaurant guide book they use to give you at check-in. We were looking for somewhere different to go for breakfast. That's how we found Garden Grove and we've been going ever since. Not every trip, but most trips. The food has remained the same throughout the years. Delicious! It's a buffet, and I'm not a big fan of buffets but this is an exception. The eggs are cooked to order and I especially like their french toast. On weekends they have characters. Although this time I saw only Goofy and Pluto. Only thing about this is they jack up the price a few bucks, but they do seem to have more offerings. Great ham, bacon, hash browns, muffins, bagels, fruit, and fresh squeezed oj.
Our plan today was to go to World Showcase and experience Holidays Around the World. Of course, it doesn't open until 11:00, so we decided since it was warm and sunny we would have some pool time. Changed into our suits and grabbed some reading materials and off we went. Very relaxing! We were too chicken to get in the pool. I know it's heated, but we were at the Poly in Feb. and the pool was sufficiently heated, but when you get out....OUCH!!! So, we wimped out and just enjoyed being lazy.
On to World Showcase. Our plan was to hit as many of the holiday storytellers as we could. We walked to World Showcase from the Swan, and started with England. They had a delightful comedy troupe doing a rendition of Scrooge, complete with audience participants of course. Next stop was Canada. I have to tell you, the storyteller looked just like Santa, and he had the spirit of Christmas down pat! Next we stopped at France, which was equally as good. I liked learning how to say Merry Christmas in French, but please don't ask me to spell it. Nothing seemed to be happening at Morocco, so we went on to Japan. It was about 10 minutes before the show, so we shopped a bit. We found out that the show would be outside in the center, but when we went out there, nothing happened. We saw 3 cast members, not Japanese CMs, but authoritative-looking CMs. We asked them about the show and what was going on, and they didn't know. You could tell they were getting upset, at least one of them was. They introduced themselves, but I can't remember their names. One of them was over the entertainment at Epcot. She was the upset one. You could tell she was on the phone with someone giving them "what for!" All the while doing it quietly so as not to disturb the guests. We decided to move on, and the next stop that we made was Germany as the storyteller was about to arrive. The story was great - about the first Christmas Tree. There is a cute surprise at the end, but I won't spoil it for any of you. After Germany, we shopped a little in Italy and then moved on to China. We saw a little of the acrobats, and then watched the film. By this point, we decided it was time to walk back to the Swan and get freshened up for dinner, plus put on some warmer clothes for the evening. We had a 5:50 PS at Chefs de France and were scheduled for the 8:15 CP. It looked as if it might rain, but the weather forceaster in Orlando said if it rained, it wouldn't amount to much. Back to the Swan for a change of clothes and a little rest, very little, we only had about 30 minutes. As we walked back to World Showcase, it appeared there had been a little shower, but it had subsided, so we didn't worry about it. We assumed that would be it. WRONG!!!! By the time we arrived at Chefs de France, it was pouring. The good news is we made it under shelter before the downpour.
We checked in and were seated promptly. I couldn't believe our luck with the table - we got a window seat looking right at the world showcase promenade....lots of people watching took place. With the CP package, you get an appetizer, soup OR salad; an entree of course, and dessert. Drinks included except alcohol, which we passed on this time. DH had the lobster bisque soup and I had a great salad with goat cheese and walnuts. We both ordered the filet and it was an outstanding choice. It had a delicious pepper sauce and the potatoes au gratin were out of this world, as were the green beans. For dessert, I had a choolate tart with lemon mousse and DH had some type of ice cream treat with lady fingers or something...I can't remember. The service was second to none, perhaps even the best service we've had at a Disney restaurant. During the meal, we noticed that the rain would taper off, then start back.
We left the restaurant with hopes of a dry CP experience. The rain seemed to be letting up. The line for the CP dinner package folks was LONG!! So long that we worried that we might not get a seat. But I reminded my darling husband (just wanted to spell that out once) that the CM told us we would be guaranteed a seat. So, not to worry. We didn't want to get in the line and get soaked so we shopped a little more in Japan. I love that shop. Now it was getting close to showtime, so we braved the rain and got in line. We considered buying a poncho, but then we thought about it and decided that we had 4 or 5 at home and didn't want to spend $8 for another one. Make that $16 if we both got one. I know you're thinking "why didn't they bring their ponchos?" We travel light, and I hate the thoughts of carrying a poncho around, plus the weather forecast didn't call for so much rain. Well, it rained. And rained, and rained. We were soaked by the time we got sat, and guess what? We didn't get under the shelter. The benches were soaked but we made the best of it. Rita Moreno was the celebrity, and she did a fabulous job. She looks great and she really put a lot into the story. Wet as we were, it was beautiful, but I'll have to say the rain put a damper on it for us. Ever heard the saying "you don't have sense enough to get in and out of the rain."? Or is that just a southern saying? Anyway, that's how I felt. Like a dummy for not springing for a poncho. After it was over, I had HAD IT with being wet and cold. I told my dh that I was through with trying to have a positive attitude about the situation, and that I needed to complain. He indulged me by promising to stop by Seashore Sweets for a treat on the way back to the Swan. Okay...I'm feeling a little better now, yet still cold and wet. There is nothing worse than wet clothes. We were drenched. The rain had stopped, thank goodness. It sprinkled throughout the show, but the benches were so wet, our butts were soaked. We took our candy treat back to the room. When I looked at myself in the mirror, it looked like I had just gotten out of the shower, we were that wet. Oh well - I decided to eat my fattening treat and go to sleep, so we did!!! After we watched some of It's a Wonderful Life. That cheered us up and sent us to sleep with visions of sugarplums dancing in our heads.
Stay tuned for our last day - Animal Kingdom, a TERRIBLE dinner, and Illuminations!
Day Three, Saturday - 11/27: Holidays Around the World!
If you read day two, you'll know that we did a little partying last night at Kimonos. Sushi, karaoke, champagne cocktails and beer. Not much partying but we're getting old, so we can't hang like we use to. That said, we didn't arrange for a non-Mickey wake-up call. We still woke up around 7:30. Instead of jumping up and running to breakfast, we decided to take it slow. I made a pot of coffee in the tiny little pot that the Swan provides. It was pretty good, DH didn't like it though. Said it was "nasty." We sat in bed an watched TV while I drank all of the coffee by myself. Good thing it was a tiny pot. We took our time taking showers and getting ready and then headed downstairs to the Garden Grove for breakfast. Even though this was our first time at the Swan, we frequent this breakfast spot. Several years ago, 7 or 8, we were staying at the CBR and we consulted the handy-dandy restaurant guide book they use to give you at check-in. We were looking for somewhere different to go for breakfast. That's how we found Garden Grove and we've been going ever since. Not every trip, but most trips. The food has remained the same throughout the years. Delicious! It's a buffet, and I'm not a big fan of buffets but this is an exception. The eggs are cooked to order and I especially like their french toast. On weekends they have characters. Although this time I saw only Goofy and Pluto. Only thing about this is they jack up the price a few bucks, but they do seem to have more offerings. Great ham, bacon, hash browns, muffins, bagels, fruit, and fresh squeezed oj.
Our plan today was to go to World Showcase and experience Holidays Around the World. Of course, it doesn't open until 11:00, so we decided since it was warm and sunny we would have some pool time. Changed into our suits and grabbed some reading materials and off we went. Very relaxing! We were too chicken to get in the pool. I know it's heated, but we were at the Poly in Feb. and the pool was sufficiently heated, but when you get out....OUCH!!! So, we wimped out and just enjoyed being lazy.
On to World Showcase. Our plan was to hit as many of the holiday storytellers as we could. We walked to World Showcase from the Swan, and started with England. They had a delightful comedy troupe doing a rendition of Scrooge, complete with audience participants of course. Next stop was Canada. I have to tell you, the storyteller looked just like Santa, and he had the spirit of Christmas down pat! Next we stopped at France, which was equally as good. I liked learning how to say Merry Christmas in French, but please don't ask me to spell it. Nothing seemed to be happening at Morocco, so we went on to Japan. It was about 10 minutes before the show, so we shopped a bit. We found out that the show would be outside in the center, but when we went out there, nothing happened. We saw 3 cast members, not Japanese CMs, but authoritative-looking CMs. We asked them about the show and what was going on, and they didn't know. You could tell they were getting upset, at least one of them was. They introduced themselves, but I can't remember their names. One of them was over the entertainment at Epcot. She was the upset one. You could tell she was on the phone with someone giving them "what for!" All the while doing it quietly so as not to disturb the guests. We decided to move on, and the next stop that we made was Germany as the storyteller was about to arrive. The story was great - about the first Christmas Tree. There is a cute surprise at the end, but I won't spoil it for any of you. After Germany, we shopped a little in Italy and then moved on to China. We saw a little of the acrobats, and then watched the film. By this point, we decided it was time to walk back to the Swan and get freshened up for dinner, plus put on some warmer clothes for the evening. We had a 5:50 PS at Chefs de France and were scheduled for the 8:15 CP. It looked as if it might rain, but the weather forceaster in Orlando said if it rained, it wouldn't amount to much. Back to the Swan for a change of clothes and a little rest, very little, we only had about 30 minutes. As we walked back to World Showcase, it appeared there had been a little shower, but it had subsided, so we didn't worry about it. We assumed that would be it. WRONG!!!! By the time we arrived at Chefs de France, it was pouring. The good news is we made it under shelter before the downpour.
We checked in and were seated promptly. I couldn't believe our luck with the table - we got a window seat looking right at the world showcase promenade....lots of people watching took place. With the CP package, you get an appetizer, soup OR salad; an entree of course, and dessert. Drinks included except alcohol, which we passed on this time. DH had the lobster bisque soup and I had a great salad with goat cheese and walnuts. We both ordered the filet and it was an outstanding choice. It had a delicious pepper sauce and the potatoes au gratin were out of this world, as were the green beans. For dessert, I had a choolate tart with lemon mousse and DH had some type of ice cream treat with lady fingers or something...I can't remember. The service was second to none, perhaps even the best service we've had at a Disney restaurant. During the meal, we noticed that the rain would taper off, then start back.
We left the restaurant with hopes of a dry CP experience. The rain seemed to be letting up. The line for the CP dinner package folks was LONG!! So long that we worried that we might not get a seat. But I reminded my darling husband (just wanted to spell that out once) that the CM told us we would be guaranteed a seat. So, not to worry. We didn't want to get in the line and get soaked so we shopped a little more in Japan. I love that shop. Now it was getting close to showtime, so we braved the rain and got in line. We considered buying a poncho, but then we thought about it and decided that we had 4 or 5 at home and didn't want to spend $8 for another one. Make that $16 if we both got one. I know you're thinking "why didn't they bring their ponchos?" We travel light, and I hate the thoughts of carrying a poncho around, plus the weather forecast didn't call for so much rain. Well, it rained. And rained, and rained. We were soaked by the time we got sat, and guess what? We didn't get under the shelter. The benches were soaked but we made the best of it. Rita Moreno was the celebrity, and she did a fabulous job. She looks great and she really put a lot into the story. Wet as we were, it was beautiful, but I'll have to say the rain put a damper on it for us. Ever heard the saying "you don't have sense enough to get in and out of the rain."? Or is that just a southern saying? Anyway, that's how I felt. Like a dummy for not springing for a poncho. After it was over, I had HAD IT with being wet and cold. I told my dh that I was through with trying to have a positive attitude about the situation, and that I needed to complain. He indulged me by promising to stop by Seashore Sweets for a treat on the way back to the Swan. Okay...I'm feeling a little better now, yet still cold and wet. There is nothing worse than wet clothes. We were drenched. The rain had stopped, thank goodness. It sprinkled throughout the show, but the benches were so wet, our butts were soaked. We took our candy treat back to the room. When I looked at myself in the mirror, it looked like I had just gotten out of the shower, we were that wet. Oh well - I decided to eat my fattening treat and go to sleep, so we did!!! After we watched some of It's a Wonderful Life. That cheered us up and sent us to sleep with visions of sugarplums dancing in our heads.
Stay tuned for our last day - Animal Kingdom, a TERRIBLE dinner, and Illuminations!
