Chapter 6: Our First Experience with the Dining Meal Plan
We had made an ADR for Shutters for our first night at Disney. When planning our trip, I wasnt sure what time we would get settled in our room, and expected us all to be worn out from the trip. So, I decided that it might be easier and more relaxing to start with a nice dinner at our resort instead of trying to catch a bus to one of the parks. Well, as the saying goes, good intentions often fall short
The walk over through the small island was enjoyable. We also caught a view of the theme pool before we headed into Shutters. When we walked in, I was surprised at how much smaller the place looked than the photographs I had seen of it on the internet. I was also really surprised to see that Shutters seemed to be just an extension to the food court. The seating areas were together and only separated by half a wall and large shutters.
We arrived a few minutes before our scheduled reservation time and were seated immediately. To start, we ordered two appetizers to share. One was the Caesar Salad. My husband and I were both pleased with the salad. It was large. We also ordered the Spicy Island Wings (fried chicken wings marinated in Caribbean Junkanoo sauce and served with Bleu Cheese Dressing). These were tasty but very spicy.
For our entrees, both my children ages 8 and 2 had the macaroni and cheese. They both ate it fine. It was nothing special. So it suited their tastes. My husband and I both ordered the Island Smoked Prime Rib (Medium Well). The steaks came out very rare. They were very red and slightly bloody. We sent them back requesting that they be cooked longer. The steaks were returned a second time, still pink in nature. We went ahead and tried to eat them. My husband and I both like steaks and neither of us could finish them. I only ate a small portion of mine.
When the waitress saw that I was not eating mine and that it was still very pink inside went and spoke to her manager. He was very polite and was surprised to find that the steaks had been returned to the kitchen and still undercooked. He did not charge us for our two meals. We ended up not ordering any dessert since it took so long for us to get our steaks. Not that it will hurt me any if I miss dessert, it was just hard to turn it down, when it was already paid for as part of the dining plan. The dinner was a big disappointment for us, especially me. I had spent so much time researching and had so wanted to give my husband a great meal in order to start off our vacation.
We spent some time out on the patio enjoying the wonderful warm weather and the atmosphere. My DH and son, decided to check the place out a bit more, while I went back to our room in the hope of getting our young daughter (2) to bed. I really wanted her to get her rest so we could hit the parks early the next day. I had just got her settled into bed, and she was almost asleep, when we heard loud noises and saw flashes of lights through the crack in the curtains. I thought that it was thunder. After a few moments, I decided to investigate. I stepped outside the door and realized that it was the fireworks from Epcot or MGM. My daughter was up at once. So, the two of us walked around the building trying to get a glimpse of the fireworks. This was a mistake on my part, because, she got a look at the pool and was intent on getting into it.
Right then, my husband and son appeared and said that they got to actually see some of the fireworks from the patio. Well, since we were on vacation, I decided that since DD and DS were wide awake, we should go ahead and make use of the the small pool close to our room. When I said the magic words, Do you want to go swimming? I got the mixed reaction that I expected. My DD was thrilled and started running back to the room, to get her swim suit. Our son, Rand McNally, who is actually quite timid around water gave me a solemn nod. Once he got into the pool, he seemed to enjoy himself. My daughter loved it! It ended up being a great way to end our first day.
Next up Chapter 7: Mickeys Castle
The theme pool is awesome for the kids during the day and the quiet pools are a nice way for them to unwind at the end of the evening.
