These are NOT the rooms that I paid for! 3 Resorts in 10 days - Trivia Answers 9/3

[jmm476]

Hi Brenda! I've been MIA lately because I've been so bummed about not knowing when we would return to WDW. But now we're pretty sure we'll be heading back in December for DD's second birthday. I'm all caught up on your TR and enjoying every minute of it. Those pics with Gaston are great!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[katt789]

I really only have Sept planned right now! I’m thinking of a return trip in January, but not sure if that will happen or not, still in the works haha!

Love watching Wishes from the new area, the fact that they go off all around you is so great! Aw man! Was looking forward to reading about BOG so much! Next time I suppose!

 

[emmysmommy]

Ooo! I can't wait to hear more about BOG! We have an ADR for our MNSSHP in September. However, we decided our new favorite viewing place for fireworks is by the carousel/FLE...

Wishes from the carousel would be even better since you'd be right under the castle fireworks! That should be a fun night with the party and BOG!

Bahaha, those Disney bathrooms are just full of amusing items!

Another one of my goals is to watch Wishes from various different locations like that. I've already covered the TTC, so Fantasyland may be next.

Rob, NO ONE can compete with your bathroom story but I thought I'd throw that one in there.

You know, they only offer a fireworks show from the TTC for special people! You should count yourself lucky!

Om gosh. Finally caught up!! What a wonderful TR. and side reports..... Loving it all! Your pics and commentary have kept me entertained for hours! Thank you so much for doing this!!

I have to say I just love your outfits. So comfy and stylish! (Do tell me where you shop!!).

Thank you so much Jeanne! I'm glad you were entertained.

I'm not going to impress anyone where I shop and where most of what you see is purchased... Ross and Forever 21 (It does say FOREVER 21 so I'm going to take that literal even if I'm wayyy beyond that!) for the most part with a little mail order stuff from Victoria's Secret (great sundresses on clearance) and some Overstock.com.

Thanks again for joining and reading!

Wow!! What a fun update! How nice of E to make reservations at GF since you like it so much! I love that you guys have favorite servers. Oh disney, you are so wonderful. Breakfast looks like it was super yummy!!

That gaston...he is at the top of my list of characters to meet. Him and those ladies of Main Street! I love the sash that lady is wearing!

Wow, those are some looonnnnng lines! What a nice CM to try to help you out. I'm sorry you missed via Napoli. What a bummer. But beaches and cream looked yummy too.

I've never seen the great piggy bank adventure. Looks like it would be fun!

Thanks for giving us a mini update on your trip to the grand Californian. Sounds like it was fun & memorable! That guy & you aren't going to forgetting each other any time soon. Happy anniversary! I'm glad you guys got to spend some time together!

Hi Jennifer! We really look forward to seeing some WDW servers - it's like a little reunion. We've already emailed and confirmed one of our favorite servers will be there for August. We had to move our dining reservation since he was going to be on vacation for our preferred dates but that worked out ok.

You MUST meet Gaston!! He's so suave and easy to interact with since everything is about him!

That CM at the TTC was so nice and took care of us. I was so impressed that he even offered to assist. That's the Disney magic in action! B&C was a great alternative and we hadn't been there in a couple years so it worked out well.

Oh my gosh! That was a Brenda moment for sure.

Awww yes, it was a great place to celebrate our anniversary and we didn't have to go far. I'll post another update on that soon since I was excited to try the sister restaurant of California Grill.

Hi Brenda! I've been MIA lately because I've been so bummed about not knowing when we would return to WDW. But now we're pretty sure we'll be heading back in December for DD's second birthday. I'm all caught up on your TR and enjoying every minute of it. Those pics with Gaston are great!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Hi Jill! I know what you mean... no Dis trip equals no desire to hear everyone else be excited about their plans. BUT, that is god to hear about December!!! What a great way to celebrate your DD's birthday! You know that she'll want you to continue that as a tradition! (We'll be there in early December.)

I really only have Sept planned right now! I’m thinking of a return trip in January, but not sure if that will happen or not, still in the works haha!

Love watching Wishes from the new area, the fact that they go off all around you is so great! Aw man! Was looking forward to reading about BOG so much! Next time I suppose!

Hey Katt! Even if I don't have a definite date to return to WDW I still like to think of the un-booked trips that are in my fantasies! Your Disney dreams will take you back there sooner rather than later! I know you!

I hit a wall at 1:30 in the morning when I was trying to get this update out. Just couldn't keep awake. I'll post the rest in a few minutes.

Oh and that reminds me of your BoG lunch and the food in the napkin! Ha ha! But I think you loved the cupcakes too.

 

[emmysmommy]

Saturday March 2, 2013: Day 8, Part 4


Some photos while we were awaiting our table at Beast's castle:

Once our pager announced that it was time to put their service to the test, we were lead past the main ball room dining room to the West Wing which is much smaller (and colder.) Jacqueline was our amazing server. She was the deciding difference between our dining experience being mediocre and what it ended up being despite lackluster cuisine. She took a great deal of time to explain some highlights from the room including a hidden Mickey above our heads, when the Master would be by to greet his guests and when to look at the portrait for it to change from the Prince to the Beast once the last rose petal falls from the enchanted rose.

Table with napkin roses:

Enchanted rose:

Prince changing to Beast portrait:

As for the food and the menu, honestly I wasn’t that impressed but the charm and uniqueness of the restaurant and the feeling of actually dining in the Beast’s Castle was awesome! In fact, I declared it our best new dining experience - not based on the food so that must mean the theming and service made up for the huge gap between the two.

I was interested in trying the potato leek soup but wasn’t convinced it was the best option since I had read some mediocre reviews for this dish. Jacqueline brought me a ramekin to sample before committing. It was ok, but I couldn’t see eating an entire bowl since it was rather bland so I passed.

Tasting of potato leek soup. I make better than this one so it must be no bueno!

I ended up just ordering a side green salad that wasn’t more than field greens, diced cucumber, and 2 itsy bitsy halves of a grape tomato with champagne vinaigrette – at least that’s what the menu said – I didn’t taste much of anything. I wouldn’t order that again unless I was in the mood for something without flavor or pizzaz. No worries, they served rolls with butter which kept me satisfied until they rolled the dessert cart over to the table. Em ordered the seafood pastry which she said was just ok. It smelled really “fishy” to me otherwise I would have taken her up on her offer to share a bite.

Dinner rolls:

Green Salad:

Sautéed Shrimp & Scallops in puff pastry:

During dinner, we had the pleasure of seeing the special effects for the room and seeing the Beast enter the room every 20-30 minutes and greet his guests. I’m guessing he does this for all of the dining rooms.

The dessert cart that they roll to the table isn’t really playing fair since who can resist seeing one of those goodies and then politely decline?? Obviously not me since I chose the strawberry cream cupcake while Em opted for something a little more tart, the lemon meringue cupcake. Both looked awesome but they tasted wonderful!! Jacqueline decorated the dessert plates with flavored syrup in a familiar pattern. I’m looking forward to going back to BoG for nothing more than another cupcake!

We were also presented with the Grey Stuff! Em's was served with a candle and a birthday greeting. It tastes like a lighter whipped version of the middle of an Oreo with little crunchy candy pearl sprinkles.

Beast greeting his guests in the West Wing:

Do you see the hidden Mickey?

How about now?

Dark photo with our server, Jacqueline:

Another server who apparently didn't mind posing with us!

And just us!

Be Our Guest Part 2 to follow.....

Continued Next Post

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[emmysmommy]

Saturday March 2, 2013: Day 8, Part 5​

West Wing dining room:

We went to the library after we settled our bill and had our photo taken with the Beast. (There’s a photopass photog there.) We were the last guests to have photos that evening. The Beast bowed to Em and then proceeded to dance with her. It was adorable!

Since the restaurant was closed at this point the staff let us take our time and wander around the dining rooms taking photos. In fact, Jacqueline and another Cast Member gave us a tour of the restaurant and pointed out many details and information behind the Imagineering of the theming. For example, the cherubs were painted on the ceiling of the main ballroom based on photos of them as babies. The snow falling outside the window is an animation technique used in the movie. And the library has several hidden Mickeys that they pointed out. We felt a little intrusive staying and taking advantage of their generosity with the “private tour” but they kept saying to stay and take as many photos as we wished while they were closing down the joint.

More photos of the restaurant!

Scary gargoyle guy!

Good-bye for the night!

MK was open until midnight so we had some time to visit a particular red head in New Fantasyland. We had a great interaction with Ariel and Em showed her her dingle hopper! Ariel was thrilled and commented how luxurious Em’s hair appeared to be.

On our way through older FL we saw no line for Winnie the Pooh so hopped onto a honey pot and were on the look out for heffalumps and woozles. As we were heading to Haunted Mansion for one more fright of the night, we stopped to see if the sword would budge from the stone. Apparently we didn’t have what it takes because the sword is still there.

Haunted Mansion was a great way to end the day… some ghostly hijinks and hitch-hiking fellas. We shut down the park so it was time to head back to the resort. It was cold (46 degrees thank you very much) so we opted to take the monorail instead of walking back to the BLT.

Late night castle:

Continued Next Post

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[emmysmommy]

Bonus Installment Part 2 - Grand Californian Hotel - July 2013

One note about Em's solo park time. She had a goal to try all new restaurants for breakfast and lunch while I was attending the conference during the day. She ate at Hearthstone Lounge, Alfresco Lounge, Tangaroa Terrace, and Flo's V8 (breakfast). She also booked reservations at Blue Bayou (not new) and Storytellers. She took a ton of photos and said she may do her own trip report on the Disneyland board so I'll not share her plans here. However, I will say she thoroughly enjoyed her solo park time.

Wed. July 17, 2013:
Last update we were at Disney's California Adventure. We had dinner in Carsland at Flo's V8. We've eaten here before so I knew that the kid's roast beef sandwich was waiting for me!

Cute theming in the dining room:

Kid's Roast Beef:

We did the Little Mermaid ride:

We didn't make it a late night at the park since I had to be up early for my conference the next day.


Thurs. July 18, 2013:

My day job!

I attended a conference breakfast at the hotel and then worked until about 3pm. That's when Em joined me for some the afternoon break and "social hour" We are personal friends with a business associate that used to work for me and has now moved on to work with one of my clients. Em was able to meet up and chat and enjoy a Disney chocolate covered banana treat!

Em schmoozing with my clients. She's a natural.

I had a cocktail reception to attend so after that concluded I was free to play.

Even Mickey was at our reception to pose with the fans, I mean guests. How cool is that!!

Em and I ate in DTD at Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen Express followed by some play time at Disneyland.

I had the Louisiana Meat Pies (think empanadas) with spicy mustard sauce and it was awesome! Em ended up having one of them since we were splitting some bread pudding with crème anglaise.

Late night at Disneyland:

And some shopping. This cute little top may make an appearance next month.

Fri. July 19, 2013:
Again, I had an early conference breakfast but this was a short day so I would be free before noon. I still had to keep checking my email and taking calls but that Friday was a slow day so it worked out well.

We ended up at Disneyland for the day.

Dream House kitchen:

New sandals:

Court of Angels:

We had a late lunch at Bluey Bayou. We were seated at a table on the water without even requesting it so that was nice.

Em and I split the Monte Cristo sandwich with a salad. They serve awesome sweet potato biscuits so that could practically be a meal in itself! We passed on dessert.

Continued....

Next Bonus Content Post


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[momabbate]

I really should know better then to take months of from dis. I'm caught up. Still an amazing trip. I laugh at 50 being cold. I remember thinking that once abound a time. When I lived in So Calif. Living here in IA now and people were pulling out jackets this weekend. Really I have no idea how they make it threw the winter.

After reading your reviews and seeing your pics of BOG thinking may just have to stop for a cupcake then a meal.

Love seeing DL pics. It has been over 23 years since i was last there.

 

[wiigirl]

Wonderful update!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Ooooh you're a posting superstar lately. No complaints from me though!

It's too bad your food wasn't to your liking, but really glad the atmosphere made up for it. The place looks so amazing. I know I have to eat there someday.

A picture with the Beast is definitely on my bucket list.

Oh look... Em's feeling up another statue! Somebody needs to watch her children!!

If I wasn't convinced before I sure am now...The 2 of you are without a doubt Disney royalty!

Love finned Ariel!!!

Given your Disney royalty status I honestly expected that sword to move.

Make sure to post a link (even though I'm sure you would anyway) if/when Em does a TR!!!

I so love these little side reports from D-Land.

On a slightly unrelated note, are you planning on attending a Christmas Party in December? Just curious.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I will be trying Be Our Guest for the first time in October and it's good to hear that you enjoyed the atmosphere and themes. That's how I'm approaching this dinner in that I have high expectations for how the restaurant looks and feels and low expectations for the food.

Love your pictures at the Blue Bayou! I really wanted to try it during my 1.5 day whirlwind tour of DLR but couldn't find time to fit that meal in. I did have time though after the parks closed for Napa Rose at the Chef's Counter. It was excellent!

 

[KatMark]

Another updating machine (MEK was the other). Loved your updates from Disneyland.

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy BOG more than you did. We've eaten there twice and had wonderful meals both times (and I'll be back there in 18 days). You should have had the french onion soup....it was very, very good.

Dessert is always a good choice. We loved the West Wing except for it being so dark.

 

[courtneybelle]

Hi! I'm a relatively new DISer who has finally caught up with your awesome TR! All the room upgrades you received were fantastic. We were upgraded from a standard room at POR to a one bedroom villa at OKW and it was an amazing experience! I definitely have to check out Emily's DR next, you guys ate at so many awesome places!

 

[blueiis99]

Love the pics of the blue bayou. My DD wants very badly to eat there since we can't do club 33. Lol
She played vmk until they shut it down and loved the mock up on the game. We are headed to DL (finally, this trip was postponed for 3 years) next July 2014.
Thank you for sharing!!

 

[Kaykool101]

What an amazing personal experience at BOG. I would have felt like royalty with the whole restaurant to myself. Your trip has been awe inspiring so far. I cannot wait to hear more.

 

[MrsDrewsky]

How cool that you were able to have a tour of BOG. The imagineers seemed to have really hit it out of the ballpark with New Fantasyland and BOG.

You, Em, and Ariel look so lovely "under the sea."

I do hope Em writes a TR for DLR.

 

[peachmermaid]

While I'm very bummed to hear that the food at beast's castle is meh, I'm glad you had such a nice server!! I need to go with you and meet all of these fun people! meeting the beast looks fun. I met him once in epcot & he was just so cute. What a lovely memory of dancing with him! So adorable.

I cannot wait to meet ariel with a fin!! Though I do miss prince eric. She looks super cute.

Your pics of dca & disneyland are getting me even more excited about visiting soon!! You're gearing up for your wdw trip too, aren't you? So exciting!! Flo's looks so perfect. I adore the chrome kitchenettes!! That shot of you & Mickey is so cute! Love your dress! Thanks for sharing that with us here!

Cannot wait to hear more!!

 

[MEK]

I thought the west wing was amazing. I wish I had asked to sit there instead of the main dining room. It was so cool. But i really loved the snow in the main dining room, except I was on the opposite end of the room.

I thought the food was just "meh", too. I also had that seafood entree. The crust was somewhat dry. But I did have a great server. The cool surroundings and the great server really made up for the OK food.

Great pics. Cute poses with the beast.

 

[pattiken]

Just caught up I've been Mia from DIS... Ok that rude manager in France..what the heck. I will never understand people who work in customer service and are like that..and the champagne to make it better . I'm sure if you weren't on vacation you might have complained more...it sucks to bring down the mood of a good trip.

Brrr some cold days, even coming from a Canadian

Love your Disneyland mini trip. So special that your husband can come and go like that. Can't wait to hear more about that resort.

Great update with BOG.. Love the beast dancin with Em

 

[eandesmom]

sweet potato biscuits?????????????? I must must must have!

Love both updates, BoG even if the food wasn't to die for (though the cupcakes sure look like they were!) and your work conference. What a special CM experience at BoG and I love that Beast danced with Emily!

It looked cold that night, brrr!!!!

Love the new little top, very cute!

I think I may need to ask for the West Wing, choices choices!

 

[jecskc]

All caught up !! Loving your Disneyland posts as well. I have never been, but it is definitely on my bucket list !!

Susan