Glorydaz
"with this ring, I ask you to be mine" 10.31.07
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2005
- Messages
- 915
wow - it's amazing how fast vacation can go! anyway, today is MGM day AND it's Valentine's Day 
so we start our day off at 7:30am in the WL hot tub...aaahhhh, wonderful! just us and 1 other guest...very serene and calming way to start our day...I'm sure you will all agree, all this planning and running around can be stressful ( not quite what we're looking for)!
so, shoot me - I didn't make ADR's for breakfast at WCC....so we sat, and sat....and sat some more...while we waited, I decided to join the younger crew and build with the Lincoln log set inthe waiting area. I had a blast! nothing like having a 6 year old explain how to attach the windows
but success, I had a partial cabin built by the time we were called - 35 minutes later!
our server was Frank aka Squeaky who carried around this interesting furry little creature he would move from table to table as new diners entered his area. needless to say - Squeaky was very entertaining - and attentive to boot. not having any youngsters with us, we sat back and watched the antics around us...this included a "ketchup thief" who was admonished about not setting a good example for her children..
we gave the food (breakfast skillet & pancakes) AND our server an A - used a Gift certficate , the total was 24.45 not including tip
only a 7 minute wait for the bus ( and it's actually warmer today) and we're wisked off to the studios.. we hit the rides immediately.. no wait for Star Tours - it's an A , no line for the Backlot Tour - it's a B ..we browsed and shopped and avoided the seriously long line for the Power Rangers! It was fun checking out New York and we hung out on the stoop - just so we could say we did it! my bf was hungry ( what's new)?! so we headed off to lunch at the Backlot Express. one doublecheese burger and one grilled turkey sandwich ...excellent - A+ used up 2 more CC's ..total was $18.71
so off we go to The Great Movie Ride - we rated it a B but it was refreshing and relaxing.. caught the Indiana Jones Stunt show , very entertaining - B+
now, we had to change our dinner ADR's the night before as we had changed resorts before arrival and it was a serious hassle to get to and from the original restaurant. since we were going to be in MGM , Mama Melrose sounded like a good bet.. the CM ( sorry, don't remember her name) at WL was wonderful and managed an ADR at last minutes notice ( Valentine's Day no less)! can't say enough good about those CM's !
we missed the stunt show with the cars - only 3 shows AND no fastpass. also learned, people were lining up 45 or so minutes ahead of time...I'm on vacation, don't want to run around like a chicken without a head..and as I told my bf, we'll be back!
arrived at Mama Melrose 20 minutes early , seated in 2. our server was Sam..for appetizer's we had the bruchetta and fried calamari ( very spicy and moist)..main course of Seafood Fra Diablo and the Spicy Sausage and Rigatoni with a fresh dolop of ricotta on top - FABULOUS !! the meal, the server, the decor, the ambiance..suffice it to say I hadn't expected such a wonderful experience...this was A++ - also nice music playing in the backgound.. the piece de resistance was when Chef Riccardo stopped to chat at our table for a few minutes...what an outgoing, friendly gentleman! and yes, he was a transplanted New Yorker! we met an incredible amount of them on this visit..also, interesting to note : 95% of the Disney employees we spoke with had 10+ years of service and seemed very pleased with their employer .. now, back to the food! for dessert we had vanilla gelato and the warm chocolate truffle cake..the bill came to 69.03 and we left extra for the tip..
as a side note, I wanted to point out that we left a generous tip for all our TS meals...the service was top-notch and I also have 2 children in the same industry. I appreciate the professionalism and hard work that goes into being in this field...and I'm sure most of us can agree it's never that easy to serve the public..
we caught a bus back "home" and the driver was fabulous!! he played jokes with the children on the bus - had us all laughing and cheering the whole ride back! what a great way to end our last night! but I'm not sad because we called our DVC guide and we're on our way to enjoying this "magical" place on a regular basis and sharing it with our family!
...I admired and appreciated the no pressure sales presentation.
tomorrow - Epcot and
home....
ps/ I'm not good at adding my photos but if you find the thread for Day 2 , there is a link to all our photos ( including the food)! so if you have the time ...enjoy!!
so we start our day off at 7:30am in the WL hot tub...aaahhhh, wonderful! just us and 1 other guest...very serene and calming way to start our day...I'm sure you will all agree, all this planning and running around can be stressful ( not quite what we're looking for)!so, shoot me - I didn't make ADR's for breakfast at WCC....so we sat, and sat....and sat some more...while we waited, I decided to join the younger crew and build with the Lincoln log set inthe waiting area. I had a blast! nothing like having a 6 year old explain how to attach the windows
but success, I had a partial cabin built by the time we were called - 35 minutes later!our server was Frank aka Squeaky who carried around this interesting furry little creature he would move from table to table as new diners entered his area. needless to say - Squeaky was very entertaining - and attentive to boot. not having any youngsters with us, we sat back and watched the antics around us...this included a "ketchup thief" who was admonished about not setting a good example for her children..
we gave the food (breakfast skillet & pancakes) AND our server an A - used a Gift certficate , the total was 24.45 not including tiponly a 7 minute wait for the bus ( and it's actually warmer today) and we're wisked off to the studios.. we hit the rides immediately.. no wait for Star Tours - it's an A , no line for the Backlot Tour - it's a B ..we browsed and shopped and avoided the seriously long line for the Power Rangers! It was fun checking out New York and we hung out on the stoop - just so we could say we did it! my bf was hungry ( what's new)?! so we headed off to lunch at the Backlot Express. one doublecheese burger and one grilled turkey sandwich ...excellent - A+ used up 2 more CC's ..total was $18.71
so off we go to The Great Movie Ride - we rated it a B but it was refreshing and relaxing.. caught the Indiana Jones Stunt show , very entertaining - B+
now, we had to change our dinner ADR's the night before as we had changed resorts before arrival and it was a serious hassle to get to and from the original restaurant. since we were going to be in MGM , Mama Melrose sounded like a good bet.. the CM ( sorry, don't remember her name) at WL was wonderful and managed an ADR at last minutes notice ( Valentine's Day no less)! can't say enough good about those CM's !
we missed the stunt show with the cars - only 3 shows AND no fastpass. also learned, people were lining up 45 or so minutes ahead of time...I'm on vacation, don't want to run around like a chicken without a head..and as I told my bf, we'll be back!
arrived at Mama Melrose 20 minutes early , seated in 2. our server was Sam..for appetizer's we had the bruchetta and fried calamari ( very spicy and moist)..main course of Seafood Fra Diablo and the Spicy Sausage and Rigatoni with a fresh dolop of ricotta on top - FABULOUS !! the meal, the server, the decor, the ambiance..suffice it to say I hadn't expected such a wonderful experience...this was A++ - also nice music playing in the backgound.. the piece de resistance was when Chef Riccardo stopped to chat at our table for a few minutes...what an outgoing, friendly gentleman! and yes, he was a transplanted New Yorker! we met an incredible amount of them on this visit..also, interesting to note : 95% of the Disney employees we spoke with had 10+ years of service and seemed very pleased with their employer .. now, back to the food! for dessert we had vanilla gelato and the warm chocolate truffle cake..the bill came to 69.03 and we left extra for the tip..
as a side note, I wanted to point out that we left a generous tip for all our TS meals...the service was top-notch and I also have 2 children in the same industry. I appreciate the professionalism and hard work that goes into being in this field...and I'm sure most of us can agree it's never that easy to serve the public..
we caught a bus back "home" and the driver was fabulous!! he played jokes with the children on the bus - had us all laughing and cheering the whole ride back! what a great way to end our last night! but I'm not sad because we called our DVC guide and we're on our way to enjoying this "magical" place on a regular basis and sharing it with our family!
...I admired and appreciated the no pressure sales presentation.tomorrow - Epcot and
home....ps/ I'm not good at adding my photos but if you find the thread for Day 2 , there is a link to all our photos ( including the food)! so if you have the time ...enjoy!!
)
Your reports have been so delightful to read, love how you condensed review & rating as you go along (such as A++, B-, etc).
